Whirling beggars wear dresses. Often discounted as a joke, we could all learn something from dervishes. Humility is a trait many of us do not have. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it is something we will all learn. Life will teach us this lesson.

...A dervish is a member of a Sufi Muslim sect called the Tariqah. These people are known for their extreme poverty and austerity. Yet dervishes are also known as sources of wisdom, poetry, medicine and enlightenment. Unlike the dudes you see by the freeway exits in Los Angeles, dervishes intentionally take a vow of poverty. They will master the art of begging. However, their begging is not for their own good, or to score a few bucks for a Big Mac. The reason: to learn humility.   All the money they collect must be given to other poor people.

In their search for enlightenment, a dervish will meditate in an ancient tradition that is still practiced today. In this symbolic ritual, known as whirling, they aim to reach the "perfect." The goal is to abandon one's "ego," or personal desires, by listening to God and Music. Many have compared this dervish dance to the orbiting of the planets in the solar system around the sun. By shedding layers (of clothes) throughout the dance, one is said to be spiritually reborn. Wow - What an amazing concept: Unity with one's self. Arms in the air, stripped of everything irrelevant, the dervish is now ready to accept God's beneficence.

Which one of us does not need to shed something that is weighing us down? Now, I don't expect any of you this week to start peeling off your clothes as you walk into your office, declaring your new found freedom, and yelling "Rebirth," as peeps look on. However, I do ask each one of you to reflect on the beauty of feeling connected to something far greater than yourself in this world of ours. It can be anything, as long it helps you understand the sense of connection and love that is everywhere around you. I know I will, and like our Sufi brothers, I will listen to the music that guides me on this path.