2) Observe your own step (Nazar bar qadam)
It means keeping the eyes lowered while walking, be careful with every step that you do. It also means to be present and to recognize when is the right moment to act. It is not easy to observe this principle, but succeeding generates a very powerful effect.
Men and women, especially young people, when they walk down the street they look around constantly because they wish to be recognized, and to receive confirmations.
The knowledge that we have of ourselves is dominated by sexuality. We are bombarded with images that affect the way we dress, we move, we act. They have shaped a new definition of ourselves, and represent one of the major causes of energy waste.
The dervish rejects this mechanism: from the moment he leaves the house he looks only down. He relaxes the glance and stops to inspect everything around him. This is a spiritual work.
At the beginning he will feel the fear of losing control and a sense of helplessness, loneliness. However, after only a day of practice, his energy level and his awareness will increase.
The secret of success in the exercise lies in a clear intention and the constancy of the practitioner.
(from: S. Burhanuddin Herrmann, “IL SUFISMO. Mistica, Spiritualità e pratica, Armenia, 2° edition 2015, Milano)
