3 DAYS 3 NIGHTS SEMA / 5 – 8 SEPTEMBER 2024 – YENİCE VADİ / MENTEŞE – MUĞLA

3 DAYS 3 NIGHTS SEMA

05 – 08 SEPTEMBER 2024  – YENİCE VADİ – MENTEŞE / MUĞLA 

 

“Sema is the nurture of the lover as Sema contains the dream of reunion with God.” Hz. Mevlânâ

 

“Sema is a step and a prayer dance in the path towards divine love. One whirls sema with other people without losing the feeling of Oneness. Simultaneously, Sema symbolises the divine love towards God. Through this divine love one learns to love other people.”

     R. Oruç Güvenç

 

Dear friends,

 

As the spring comes, to be able to experience the spirit of the sema on the path of divine love, to discover the springs of hope while passing to new formations, to observe the movements of our own spiritual and physical existence in the rhythm of nature and making it ready for common harmony, to be able to get spiritual blessing of Allah, we, as Tümata Family, would like to invite you to our 3 days and 3 nights Sema Gathering, which will take place in Yenice Vadi  between 05 – 08 September , 2024.

 

After reading the entire text, please fill out the “Sema Participation Form” at the end of the text.

This sema is supported by Tümata (Group for the research and promotion of Turkish Music), Buluşum Association, MaAile and Yenice Vadi.

 

*   In Sema gatherings, our intention is to continue sema, music and zikhr without stopping. Therefore the semazens and the musicians will be in service in turns.

 

*   Our gathering is open to everyone who wants to experience sema, who has a genuine interest in Mevlana’s Sufism and is ready to appreciate it.

 

*   These gatherings are very valuable in terms of an introduction to new people, who don’t know sema, as well as an opportunity to taste the spiritual joy for the ones who know sema.

“Sema is a form of prayer performed with a turning movemenh which has been practiced in various forms in various folk groups for centuries. This rhythmic rotational movement helps the person to reach different levels of consciousness and find an opportunity to enter the spiritual source within himself.” R. Oruç Güvenç

This gathering is taking its source from Islam and inspired by Hz. Mevlânâ.

In his book entitled “The Legends of the Wise” Ahmet Eflaki narrates that Hz. Mevlânâ has done 3 days & nights, 7 days & nights, 16 days & nights and 40 days & nights non stop sema. 

The sema during the time of Hz. Mevlânâ has been narrated to be a widely-participated event based on trance. Today the sema ceremony, which is officially known as mukabele, has become an event limited to 30-35 minutes. The reason for that change was a Mevlevi sheikh, Adil Çelebi, who lived 350 years after Hz. Mevlânâ, has received a vision during a meditation and modified sema to the form we see today.

 

Our heartfelt teacher Oruç Güvenç has brought the days and nights continuing sema tradition, which has been ongoing since Hz. Mevlânâ, to the present.

 

The feature of the sema gatherings organised by our teacher Oruç Hoca is: They are based on understanding the tradition during the time of Hz. Mevlânâ, and aim to awakening and experiencing the essence of sema. Therefore rather than a show, it’s an inner journey retreat where people from many different countries are joining. In these meetings, the principles of the Ancient Turkish Music and Movement Therapy Tradition are performed, which has been used in Central Asia.

 

Hereby within the activities of Tümata, there has been organised 3,5,7,9,16,40,6,99,114 days and nights sema gatherings with the participation from 89 different countries.

 

We dedicate this gathering to our beloved master Rahmi Oruç Güvenç, Yaşar Güvenç, Mehmet Rasim Mutlu and their lineage, to their connection with the realm of unknown. 

 

At the same time, we wish peace and tranquility within ourselves, our families and the world through Sema.

 

WELCOME

 

After the experience of many years of long semas, we have realised that where there are so many people from different countries and cultures, we need some guidelines. This is important so that the atmosphere and harmony can be maintained.

 

Different cultures and countries have different norms of behaviour, styles of dress and hygienic sensibilities. Our community has its basis in the Islamic tradition and inspiration of Hz Mevlânâ. We wish that the values of the tradition are respected and the participents try to adapt.

 

·      We kindly ask for you to read this text before attending this gathering. 

 

·      Once who attending to this gathering will be deemed to have read the text.

 

ABOUT SEMA GATHERINGS AND TÜMATA 

 

Who Are We?

In 1976, our beloved master Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç founded the Tümata (Group for the Research and Promotional Turkish Music) group to revive the ancient healing culture of the Turkic peoples from Central Asia and to make the traditional healing knowledge accessible to the world again. 

 

 

He worked as the coordinator of “Mind and Body Integrity” at the Ministry of Health in Türkiye. 

 

In his work as a music therapist, psychologist and mystic, he focused on the combination of modern regenerative medicine, the integration of Ancient Central Asian & Turkish Music and Movement Therapy.

 

As the family and students of Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç, we are trying to pass on the spiritual values of our ancient culture, spiritual practices and the traditional form of music and movement therapy, which have been rediscovered in modern medicine, to generations.

 

Sema Gatherings organised by Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç and Tümata:

 

The great mystic Rahmi Oruç Güvenç has held 3-5-7-9-16-40-66-99 and 114-day “Non-Stopping Sema” meetings in different countries of the world. On July 5, 2017, on the 66th day of the sema meeting, which lasted for 114 days and nights, he reached the eternity.

 

Sema meetings held for the first time:

In 1998, with an inspiration which came during a seminar in Switzerland where the subject of Sema was mentioned, the idea of arranging a Sema gathering, similar to the ones made in the time of Mevlânâ, was born. On this occasion, the sema was held in Switzerland for 3 days and 3 nights for the first time. Sema never stopped for 3 days and 3 nights, the whirling dervishes changed. Music has never stopped, musicians have changed. The 3 days and 3 nights sema held in Switzerland created a starting point for similar studies as everyone who attended was extremely inspired. After this first long sema, numerous semas were held in Switzerland, Turkey, Germany, Austria and Spain. The lengths and numbers of the Sema Gatherings, which are organised in these five countries are listed below:

• 35 times 3 days 3 nights
• 6 times 5 days 5 nights
• 7 times 7 days 7 nights
• 1 time 9 days 9 nights
• 1 time 16 days 16 nights
• 3 times 40 days 40 nights
• 1 time 66 days 66 nights
• 1 time 99 days 99 nights
• 1 time 114 days 114 nights

 

ABOUT YENİCE VADİ 

 

We would like to thank MaAile and Yenice Vadi for opening the doors of this beautiful place for the Sema Gathering. 

 

Sema will take place in a hall converted for our event, which is defined as the opening event of Yenice Vadi, which recently started its “New Generation Living Space” transformation in cooperation with MaAile. Afterwards, we will use the arasta section right next to this hall, which will continue as “Semahane” and “Music Therapy Hall”, as a dining hall and meeting area for various activities.

Yenice Vadi offers the participants accomodation in shared rooms, place for setting up camping tents, showers/ toilet and eating- drinking facilities. You can find details about this subject in the accommodation part of this text.

 

Important Points To Be Considered About the Place:

·    Let’s take care of silence in all areas, especially in the sema area. 

·    Since we will be in nature, we should pay special attention not to throw garbage – cigarette butts around and not to make a fire.

·    Due to the water problems in Muğla, please use the water carefully.

·    Please take our food only in designated areas and bring the kitchen objects we used (plates, glasses, etc.) back to the kitchen.

·    Please do not smoke outside of the designated area for smoking and do not throw cigarette butts on the ground.

·    Any waste thrown into the toilets harms the water drainage. Please pay attention to this issue and do not throw anything in the toilets and use the common areas cleanly. 

·    Yenice Vadi’s swimming pool will be closed during the sema due to the focus of the meeting and hygiene reasons.

·    Take precautions against mosquitoes.

·    Let’s leave our animal friends at home at this meeting.

·    The parking area inside of the Yenice Vadi land will be reserved for organisation team. You can park your vehicle in a suitable place on the main road above the land. 

·    Security units working in the region will frequently come to control the land and the area around.

 

REGISTRATION

 

Information requested by the police

In meetings with more than a certain number of attendees, the police require the following information from all participants, as required by law.

 

Name – Surname – Turkish ID Number / Passport ID Number – Phone Number

 

Participants’ numbers and Name Tags

In order to easily distinguish the participants, we ask you to wear your badges/name tags during your time here. We look forward to your assistance on this subject.

DONATION

We do not have sponsors for our meeting. All expenses must be covered by the donations of the participants. 

We do not give any guidelines about how much or how little.

However, considering that everyone is aware of the state of the economy and rising prices, we ask everyone for a reasonable contribution for food, beverage and general expenses (electricity, water, gas, food, beverages, cleaning materials, expenses of the place and organization, etc.). .

 

CLOTHING & BEHAVIOUR

Different cultures and countries have different norms of behaviour, styles of dress and hygienic sensibilities. 

 

Although the main thing is always the essence, there are various sensitivities that we pay attention to in the fields of clothing, diet and behavior in order to increase the spiritual blessing we will receive, as a thank you to the historical – cultural facts of these traditions and methods that bring us closer to this essence.

 

The basis of the sema is spiritual work. Please let us not forget this. This respect is also expressed in the way we dress.

This applies to both men and women.

 

CLOTHING / DRESS CODE

•  Covering the shoulders, chest, back, waist and legs. Avoiding wearing tight and transparent clothes. 

 

• Dress code below applies to the entire area.

 

• The dress code is valid from the moment you enter Yenice Vadi until you leave the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please also pay attention to the way you speak, the way you sit and the way you represent the tradition when you participate in the ritual.

 

When you come to the Sema meeting, please bring your Mest with you, if you don’t have your Mest, you can bring thick socks.

 

Please avoid physical intimacy during the gathering.

 

·    Spiritual work is learning together. It can be an opportunity for all of us if we open ourselves to it.

 

SELF-CARE & SELF-RESPONSIBILITY

·      Everyone is responsible for their own valuables and belongings. 

·      Please do not leave your things lying around outside either. 

·      Take your precautions against mosquitoes.

·      The area can be hot during the day and cold at night. It will be useful to take a hat, sunscreen and a warm outfit with you.

·      You may also need a flashlight at night.

·      Let’s make our preparations as plastic-free as possible in order to avoid unnecessary garbage. (For example, using reusable water bottles instead of ready-made plastic water bottles.)

·      All participants are responsible for their own accommodation.

 

CLEANING

·      The responsibility for cleanliness in the showers & toilets lies with all of us. 

·      Please do not throw any garbage on the floor and help keeping the area clean.

·      Please do not throw paper or anything else into the toilets, the toilet systems are not designed for this. 

·      Glasses and plates are the responsibility of all of us. Please return your glasses and kitchen items you borrowed (or which are left outside) back to the kitchen. 

·      Let’s not go outside with bare foot and enter the sema area without cleaning our feet.

·      Let’s be careful not to disturb those around us with cigarettes, excessive perfume or our body odor.

·      Let’s participate in this spiritual work in a clean way, both physically and spiritually.

 

TOILETS AND SHOWERS

·      The responsibility of cleaning the showers and toilets belongs to all of us.

·      Please do not throw paper or anything else in the toilets, sewage systems are not designed for this.

·      Please leave the shower area clean after showering.

·      For the smell and sight issues we keep the toilet doors closed.

·      Toilet are cleaned by the volunteers. You can be one of them.

 

Hanging and collecting laundry

·      Everyone is responsible for their own laundry.

·      Please do not hang laundry outside of the shown areas.

 

 

NOISE/SILENCE

·      It is important to maintain silence in and around the Semahane, in the accommodation areas and in the general meeting. Silence is part of this spiritual practice.

·      We kindly request that no music be played outside of Semahane (including the campsite), except for the works to be organized in the Semahane and the food area.

·      In order for the Sema to continue 24 hours around the clock, participants must be able to sleep undisturbed. Please avoid any noise.

 

KITCHEN AND FOOD

·      With the direction of the Yenice Vadi team, one or more volunteer kitchen teams will be formed. 

·      During the Sema, there will be three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food will be predominantly vegetarian.

·      Volunteer friends are needed in the kitchen to prepare three meals a day, wash the dishes, as well as prepare water, tea, coffee during the day and night snacks. We expect all participants to volunteer.

·      Only the staff and the kitchen team can enter the kitchen and food storage room.

·      It is of great importance that kitchen utensils are returned to the kitchen so that they can be used when needed.

 

MUSIC & PRAY

·      Music and dhikr should never stop in order to ensure continuity from the beginning of the sema to the end.

·      The music will continue with the Zikir for 1 day/night. 

·       Musicians will alternate on an hourly or two-hourly basis. 

·      One musician will be responsible for each time slot. 

·      If you would like to play, please contact the musician in charge and mention it during your registration..

·      Please make sure that you play your instrument so quietly that it blends in harmoniously and is a pleasure for the ear.

·      Please avoid playing loud rhythms.

·      As making music outside the sema area creates different gatherings and changes the focus of the sema meeting, we strongly request all participants not to make music outside the sema area in this meeting.

IN THE SEMAHANE

•      Sema is the main purpose of our gathering here and our priority. 

Please let us organize our planning, evaluations and behaviors with this awareness.

•      Sema is a form of worship, a prayer. Let’s adjust our behavior in the Semahane accordingly.

•      Please perform ablution before entering the Semahane. If you don’t know, someone experienced can show you.

•      Before entering the Semahane, please take off your shoes and put them on the shoe racks near the door. The shoes placed randomly at the entrance prevent entry and exit.

•      We bow down to greet the spirit of the sema at the entrance to the Semahane. 

When leaving the area, we leave by greeting with the same gesture.

•      If the semahane is very crowded, be patient and do not disturb anyone during the sema.

•      There should be no talking in the semahane, only when absolutely necessary.

•      We kindly ask you not to bring food or drinks to the Semahane. You can bring water in a bottle.

•      Semahane is for the use of all of us. Please do not create personal areas (such as leaving items and not coming for a long time).

•      The mobile phones should be set to silent mode in the Semahane and should not be spoken on the mobile phone.

•      Filming and sound recording (with permission only) are prohibited. Specific times for this will be determined and announced.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A VOLUNTEER?

•      As in all sema meetings so far, teamwork is very important for this gathering to take place in harmony. 

•      Spiritual journey is a service, sema meeting is a sharing. We invite all participants to volunteer serving and share on this path. Please indicate the area you would like to volunteer (if any) when declaring your participation (kitchen, donation, cleaning, music, order, semahane, recording, orientation, shopping).

 

ACCOMODATION

There is no accommodation facility inside the Semahane and on the terrace.

 

Shared Rooms for Volunteers

A limited number of shared rooms are available at Yenice Vadi. Rooms will be reserved primarily for the volunteers.

Persons staying in these rooms are required to bring their own bed linens and leave the rooms clean. 

Please contact us for shared room accommodation. [email protected]

 

 ROOMS:   It is also possible to donate the room fee for the expenses of our Sema meeting.

       For this option, you can contact with MaAile.

       MaAile Contact: +90530 385 34 14

 

CAMPING

•      You can bring your own tent and camp in the designated area. Please only there!

•      Everyone is responsible for their own camping equipment.

•      For safety reasons, please do not light fires!!! 

•      And great caution in the use of matches and cigarettes. There is high dryness and highest fire danger.

•      For health and hygiene reasons, please use showers and toilets only in the areas shown.

•      Please keep quiet at the campsite.

 

Hotels in Hotels in the Surrounding Area

•       There are hotels and hostels in the surrounding areas (Akyaka Center is 20 km away, Muğla Center is 17 km away by car.)

•      All participants are responsible for their own accommodation.

 

 

HOW TO GET THERE?

 

Yenice Vadi is in Muğla Menteşe.

 

Address: Yenice Mahallesi, Karşıyaka Sokak No:215, Menteşe, Mugla, 48100, Turkey

It is possible to reach by taxi.

 

• Transfer Opportunities and Prices

·      From Bodrum Airport

·      Distance 100 km.

·      Estimated Journey 1 hour 30 Minutes

 

·      From Dalaman Airport

·      Distance 100 km. Estimated

·      Journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes

·      Information for transfers: 0 532 563 02 48

 

Arriving by Public Transportation

·      There is no public transportation to YeniceVadi. 

You can reach Muğla Bus Terminal, Gökova Dörtyola or Akyaka Center by public transportation and then take a taxi.

·      By taxi from Muğla Bus Terminal (16 Km and 20 minutes away)

·      By taxi from Akyaka Center (20 Km 25 minutes away)

 

*** All participants are responsible for their own transportation.

 

SMOKING USE

 

We do not smoke outside the designated area in the whole land and we throw the butts at the designated place.

 

Please be very sensitive to this issue as there may be people with asthma and allergies among the guests.

 

WE DO NOT WANT THESE HERE

•      Using drugs is illegal at the Republic Of Turkey. 

•      Alcohol is not fit with our main purpose in this gathering. 

•      Because of that, to use these things, which cause intoxication and effect the mind and the soul negatively is not allowed and accepted in this gathering sema hall and main hall. It will not be tolerated and the people who does not behave accordingly will be asked to leave the gathering.

•      We assume that Sema requires a clean soul, a clean mind, and a radiant heart. Nicotine and biochemical stimulants negatively affect the body, mind and spirit.

•      Security units working in the region will often come to control the area and its surroundings.

 

·      Please take advice from the people in charge; you can recognize them from the signs on their arms.

 

We ask those who do not wish to abide by this not to come and reserve the right to send anyone away from the Semaplace in case of disregard.

 

Each of us here, uses our most precious gifts to find the right path. 

 

For some it is the voice, so they sing; others like to cook, play an instrument or be quiet and a lot of other. The path will show itself to everyone and we can learn from each other here.

 

We wish to have a harmonious gathering in peace by behaving towards love, tolerance and nonviolence.

 

Our meeting will start with dinner together on the evening of 13th of April at 6.00 p.m. (Turkey time) and will end on the evening of 14th of April. On the morning of April 15, after breakfast, we will leave the place after cleaning the area.

 

We wish all of us a harmonious Sema Gathering oriented towards peace, love and tolerance.

 

With love..

 

TÜMATA

 

To participate in the Sema, please send your name and surname information by e-mail. When you reach the venue on the Sema gathering day, please register at the registration desk and get your badge/name tags.

 

Tümata e-mail: [email protected]  (TR. EN. DE)

 

Contact:  (0530) 592 58 27 (TR-EN)  –    (0534) 036 29 52 (TR-EN-DE)

 

You can follow from instagram

 

** Please follow our official instagram account for updates.

Tümata Instagram: @tumata_tr 

Sema Participation Form : https://forms.gle/6d9JX3fxEgoJfm1M8

 

** Friends who want to volunteer in the Sema and take part as a murtiban (musician) are kindly requested to contact us.