What Whirling Dervishes Can Teach You About Blogging
13. Nov, 2007 
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If you’ve visited Turkey, Pakistan, or India, or if you are interested in Muslim, chances are you know a thing or two about the Sufi philosophy and about the whirling dervishes. Although the Sufi religion is not officialy recognized in Turkey, the whirling dervishes’ dance is heavily promoted as being part of Turkish folklore. In fact, this dance is actually the Sufi members’ prayer to God, and not at all just folklore. Whirling helps practicants to clear their mind, and as they state, everybody can try it: most of you would probably get dizzy in the beginning, but this effect will fade after two months of practice, and you’ll find it easier to keep on whirling than to stop (do you see already any similarities with blogging?).
The Order of the Whirling Dervishes is one branch of the vast Sufi tradition of Islam. The universal values of love and service shared by all Sufis are very much relevant to the social and political realities of today, and this ritual, which is only performed by the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, has come to symbolize these values in the hearts and minds of millions throughout the world.
What does this have to do with blogging? Well, it’s easy to see that the whirling dervishes and successful blogging share the same values.
Love and service are the values which can grow a blog from a speck to a tidal wave: love for your work and service to your readers.
If you put passion in your writing, readers will follow. They will subscribe to your blog and spread the word about it. If you get to know your readers, get them interested and serve their interests, they will reward you: they will make you money by buying whatever you may sell; they will give you invaluable feedback; they will provide you motivation to go on with your journey.
Do you love your work? Do you think you service your readers? If you are not sure, just ask them. If you want to know more about whirling, watch this video and discover how to find the unwhirling center of your being:
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Thanks for the mention, Simonne. I always thought Dervishes were cool. There is a strong and very ancient tradition of Sufi poetry, much of which is extraordinarily beautiful.
You are welcome, Michael. I’m a Sufi fan myself, and of Turkish culture and spirit in general. They have such beautiful traditions, and they are so nice that I’ve spent a lot of vacations there.
Wow, I was getting dizzy just watching those people whirl. I like whirling with my cat and seeing how she handles it
I have to admit the whirling in the video was quite beautiful and the analogy to blogging was fantastic. Keeping up the longevity of heart and passion is difficult, but once you get past the “dizzy” stage, it almost becomes a part of you.
Thank you Ronald. I also make my cat whirl and I can say she’s handling it very well only when spinning counterclockwise.