What we’re about

"Wherever you are, in whatever circumstances you may be, strive to be a lover." Rumi

Rumi was a great mystic and visionary poet from the 13th Century, born near Balkh in Central Asia, and living most of his life in the ancient city of Konya, today in Turkey. He is considered one of the greatest Islamic writers of all time, who sang of a path to the Divine Beloved through music, ecstatic dance and friendship.

We offer a connection to one of the oldest remaining teachers of Rumi's spiritual path in the West, 84 year old Shaikh David Bellak, or "Daud Dede" as he is called with affectionate respect ('Dede' meaning an elder in Rumi's sufi tradition).

Daud Dede spent many years travelling and living in Turkey in the 1970s, and was the closest student of Suleyman Hayati Dede, who was the main teacher and representative of Rumi's tradition in Konya at that time - the first time for nearly 700 years that the role had been filled by an ordinary person, rather than one of Rumi's aristocratic biological family. Suleyman Dede travelled many times to Europe, Canada and America, sometimes accompanied by Daud Dede, and encouraged people to create groups to read Rumi and to practice Sema (Whirling) and other practices.

Daud has lived in Edinburgh since the early 1980s, where he owned a beautiful oriental carpet shop on the Royal Mile near the Castle. He now lives in quiet retirement in a historic area of the city.

This group will offer regular online sessions with Daud Dede, who is not easily able to travel anymore but who can still share time with us virtually. Please be patient with his age and lack of expertise with IT equipment! He does his best. This is a virtual "tekke", or "sufi lodge".

All are welcome, from any spiritual background. Daud Dede is a muslim, and was Suleyman Dede, but they both feel that Rumi's spiritual way is open to those of any religion or none - it's not required to convert to learn from the tradition, as long as you are open to the Islamic framework it's communicated through.