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LETTER FROM THE DESERT
Picture this scene: you are standing atop a sand dune in the Sahara, in a 360-degree panorama of utter vastness and silence. You face west, watching the sunset, the sky a blaze of orange, blue and red. You turn to face east: just as the sun sets, the full moon rises above the rim of the desert, milky white against the darkening blue sky.
Two hours later a group of travellers sit atop the same dune, wrapped in the traditional camel-hair burnous cloak against the chill of the night. The moon is huge and bright in this clear air but even so the sky is also filled with stars. The travellers are doing zikr: a Sufi practice involving song and body prayer.
The sense of divine unity is a living pulse in this timeless landscape.
You could find such scenes in the Sahara for thousands of years: this one was in April 2001, on a group led by Amida Harvey and myself. I have deeply loved this land and its people since my first visit in 1967: but my link with the desert has been transformed by meeting in 2000 a group of semi-nomadic Bedouin who have guided Sufi retreat groups and others.
My vision for the Life in the Desert group in 2001 was a spiritual journey with several elements: the experience of the desert; living and travelling with the Bedouin; Sufi practices; a vision quest, involving solo time in the desert; and Dances of Universal Peace, these are simple where one sings and moves to prayers and sacred phrases from a range of spiritual traditions. The group was intended to serve a range of interests and succeeded.
Music and dance brought the travellers together and was one of our links with the Bedouin. Many of the dances Amida led used simple Arabic words, which the Bedouin understood, and they supported our dances with drumming. On most evenings, we had a campfire after supper, and they shared their songs and dances, welcoming Amida’s guitar as part of the mix. One of our group, Nick Webley, speaks fair Arabic and several of the Bedouin speak good French so we were able to understand their songs and their way of life in some depth.
Although I have led many groups in Britain, this was the first overseas trip I have led, and the arrangements all ran smoothly. Part of my satisfaction in leading the group was knowing that our payment was an important part of the Bedouin’s annual income, since their traditional economy has been disrupted. And travelling through the desert by foot and by camel as rates pretty highly as eco-tourism!
The success of the 2001 group gave me the intention to lead one group a year to the Sahara, travelling with the same group of Bedouin, who have become close friends for me. In 2002, Andy Portman and I led a spiritual journey for men, which proved to be a deep and powerful experience for all of us. When a bunch of independent men find themselves in the middle of a desert, having to depend on and support each other, the effect is healing and catalytic!
The Bedouin are profound teachers by their approach to life. Although their life is materially tough and basic, they are happy, dignified people. As they sit in a circle in the chilly light before sunrise, they are chatting, lighting the fire, making the bread, tending the camels and singing. I join them and ask myself, "Is this work time or social time?", knowing that this is a western mindset and the question would be meaningless to them. Their songs move seamlessly from praise of Allah through romantic ballads to children’s play songs. Their days really are a flowing dance uniting, work, spirit, fellowship and recreation.