The Dove of the Dervish

Journeys of Eros : VII

It would be hard to say at which point a word like ' Dovish ' became ' Dervish.' However they both refer to the practice of devotion and may well be neighbors in their practice of faith. The dove, a bird that refers to the altruistic peace that we seek is also experienced as a swirl in the faith of the Dervish. It is not able to handle a great deal of inquiry into its truths but is nevertheless the feeling of the true.

In the communication of such a faith, the communicator may be reliant on an instrument or two to draw the appeal of the faithful. A house of worship, a gown, an altar and other such instruments. To add to that, the dovish relies on songs while the dervish relies on aphorisms or a will to keep its message in place.

It illustrates the difficulties of communicating such messages where the congregation is expected to render its devotion to the practice in public. Ideally, the message should be presented in such a way that the devotee is persuaded to seek the truth of the message themselves.

Such practices of faith rely on the cooperation of everyone to maintain its validity. It seeks a commonality of purpose and homogeneity of physical form in its experience. It strengthens the moral nature of the individual and rewards him for compliance to the social norm. It is the basis of the organization of societies.

Beyond that, for the true understanding of the faith that we today subscribe to, the individual takes his own personal initiative to the task, without disrupting the existing practices of faith.

To do so he must transcend both the dovish and the dervish. He needs wear the feathers of the dove and live the aphorisms of the dervish. He resides in places where no wind blows, no human traffic passes and he has not the heard of another voice spoken but his own. In such a place does he visit with the speaker and the spoken to and then to discern the difference.

Devotion may be born of the marshes but it also seeks to scale the peaks. And there to meet with its brethren, that mysterious and reluctant stranger he used to experience as his own. And thereafter to reunite its bond of relation.