Good News / Mystic Traditions

The Still Point
by wahiduddin 17.06.2004, changed 20.08.2004

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When I had to read Eliot in high school, the depth of his allusions were over my head, but a few years ago I started reading some of his work again and I was amazed at the depth of spiritual realization in his verses.

At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

                        T.S. Eliot,  The Four Quartets


In reading [the lines above], the strongest feelings that spring up for me are related to Sufi Dervish turning, or whirling. In many Sufi Orders, there is a great whirling dance that is done as a celebration of the diversity of Unity. Of the training that I have been privileged to receive from Sufi Shaykhs, nothing has been greater or more useful than that of the whirling dance.

In the whirling, one must be constantly aware of where he/she is, what commands the Shaykh and/or dancemaster is giving, and constantly aware of the precise movement of all of the other dervishes, what direction they are each going, where their arms are being held, how fast they are turning... all while spinning around at considerable speed, often moving one's own arms and head in choreographed manner.

At first, such a combination of requirements seems utterly impossible, and it is difficult enough to simply whirl without getting dizzy... let alone be aware of every little detail of movement of other people too.


But, gradually the Shaykh works with each of his students and teaches them to find a still place within, and to revolve around that still point, dance around that still point, and radiate outward from that still point.

That all sounds like utter nonsense until one finds that place...and then the whole game changes. From that still place, everything is seen, almost in slow motion, with a calm and inner-knowing that is nothing less than miraculous.

So, when there are twenty or thirty dervishes doing the great whirling dance, there is one center that they all are radiating from, and the entire dance radiates an utter calm,even in the presence of all this motion.

For those in the audience, the experience is captivating... the utter calm of that still point is directly experienced and the audience is mesmerized. They may not understand what has happened, but virtually everyone in the audience will have a direct experience of a calm beauty wherein the motion and movement are occurring. That is to say, the motion and movement are clearly seen, but the loving calm of that magnificent still point is the predominant experience.

And that is precisely what the great whirling dance is all about... discovering the inner calm, a place of perfect peace, which exists even in the presence of chaos, turmoil and change.

In our everyday world, people often feel that peace is only found in the complete lack of violence and hatred... but that is not true. There is a place of perfect inner peace that is completely independent of the outer turmoil.

Peace is not merely the absence of hostility, but rather peace is an essential quality of being that arrives new and fresh in every moment... but is all too often overlooked by the one who is focused on the outer turmoil. When we learn to discover that still point, and live a life that is centered on that still point, the world is transformed; diversity is overshadowed by Unity, and the qualities of Love, Harmony and Beauty everywhere abound.

with love,
   wahiduddin



[Editor's Note: This article was originally a personal email from wahiduddin in response to the poem, above. It has been edited very slightly to fit the article format on this web site. For more on The Whirling Dervishes and Turning, go to Wahiduddin's Web.]