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Mevlevi Order

THE MEVLEVI ORDER has for seven centuries offered spiritual training based on the principles of Sufism. It is a rigorous path of initiation and service continually adapting itself to changing circumstances and times. The Mevlevi Order traces back to Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi (d. 1273) one of the greatest mystics and poets the world has ever known. Historically it has been Rumi, more than any other Sufi, who has issued the invitation to people of all backgrounds to the mystical garden that is Sufism:

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, idolator, worshipper of fire, come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times, Come, and come yet again. Ours is not a caravan of despair."

For more than seven centuries the Mevlevi Order has held the light of the religion of love, offering spiritual refuge and enlightenment for those who wished to develop their human-ness to the highest level. In Ottoman times the Mevlevi Order cultivated not only spiritual attainment but cultural and artistic excellence as well. Mevlevis have always been progressive and liberal in spirit while at the same time conserving the best of tradition. Today, the Mevlevi Order is reviving in the West to offer a spirituality adequate to our times.

The Mevlevi Order is represented in North America by Kabir Helminski, appointed to this position by the late Dr. Celaleddin Celebi of Istanbul, Turkey, head of the Mevlevi Tariqa (Order) and direct descendant of Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi. Under Kabir's direction The Mevlevi Order is working to apply traditional Sufi principles to the conditions of contemporary life.

In May of 1994 at a conference in Konya, Turkey, on "Mevlâna and Human Rights," a gathering of eminent cultural and spiritual figures including Dr. Celebi and Dr. Cin (Rector of Selcuk University and the Turkish Minister of Culture), declared the Threshold Mevlevi Center in Brattleboro, Vermont, "New Konya" in recognition of the work of the Threshold Society and Threshold Books in spreading Rumi's message of universal love.Two years later at an intenational conference on "Rumi and Goethe," Kabir Helminski was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature from Selcuk University in Konya for his writings on Mevlana.

In 1999 Camille and Kabir Helminski moved from Putney, Vermont to Aptos, California. In addition to their continuing work as spiritual teachers, they are now involved in several creative projects in writing, recording, and educational consulting.