How to become a dervish? Simple, by falling in love with one of them. The formal act of initiation is the bayat, the pact that you tighten taking the hand of the Shaykh.
If the disciple falls in love with the Shaykh he wants to bind himself, to chain to him, then he will take his hand, and it’s like a marriage, a union from which there is no divorce, at least on his part. From then on, the master will have the disciple in his heart and in his prayers at least twice a day and he will always care for him. The Shaykh will submit him to the angels, the prophets, the chain of saints and masters of our order and he will infuse on him a light, a particular color so that you can find when they are separated.
The disciple at the beginning thinks to be free and to be able to do what he want, he can get away for years, it happens, but the deep bond that has been established with the master, it’s like a rubber band, and sooner or later it brings him back. Knowing that the teacher is always with you and cares for you it brings a deep peace.
The dervish lives with the same discipline and focus like a monk, but he is in the world , he has a family and a job: that gives strength and a certain distance.
The Shaykh tries to make him able to manage his daily life, family and his job with the little finger. The rest of the hand is for practice. This should be a balance.
