The rose occupies a central place in my work around Sufi art and spirituality.
Each moment of Sufi dance seems to me like a celebration and a deep prayer; it seems essential to keep the ritual alive. Rose water, as a rite, marks the passage from the terrestrial world to the celestial world.
The symbolism of the rose can be found in the mystical poetry Persian, in which it represents the mysteries and beauty of the spiritual path. If the flowers symbolize the world of the soul, the rose embodies the life path of the human being.
The rose also represents wholeness. In the course of the spiritual journey towards oneness, obstacles and difficulties represented by the thorns of the rose must be overcome. Indeed, there can be no spiritual progress without trials. Pain, waiting, separation or the loss of a loved one are all thorns encountered during the quest, yet necessary to the encounter with the state of grace.
It is by seeking one’s own truth that one can move forward and flourish in the mystical quest, in spite of the trials of this long path.
Our heart conceals in him a beauty and purity similar to those of the rose. It is during existence that its perfume is revealed, invisible but perceptible by those who know how to feel its presence.
Hafez
During the ritual of Samâ, the Samâzan enters a deep state of spiritual listening that connects him to the Cosmos.
The spiritual state in which he finds himself allows his soul to be liberated. It is then that the soul, like an aura, surrounds the body and becomes the receiver of divine light.
The rose water poured into the heart of the practitioner opens the door to the soul and indicates the way back. Thus the soul takes refuge in the perfume of the rose. It reveals its presence and becomes visible in the invisible.
In Sufism, this sacred plant represents the mystical intoxication known as «colourless wine».
It purifies the body and heals the pains of the heart, soothing the torments of the soul.
A symbol of both strength and fragility, its energy reveals the source of love.
Considered to be the emblem of guidance, its fragrance is a path of awareness for the fulfilment of our being.
Like an awakening of the Hâl, the beneficial water of the rose opens the path of elevation to the state of transcendence.
My rose water ritual :
What is the Dervish Oracle?
It is a silent spiral. Each card is a step in an invisible dance where we join the rhythm of the world. The oracle is not static: it vibrates, it breathes, it allows itself to be tamed by slowness.
