The Way of the Soul

INSPIRED BY RUMI’S POETRY, DEEP CURIOSITY, AND A WISH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ISLAM, KATE GREEN TRIPP, A SANTA CRUZ-BASED EDITOR AND YOGA TEACHER, TRAVELED TO TURKEY.

- KATE GREEN TRIPP

I HAD NO REASON TO GO. If one needs a reason, that is. It was an unnamed compulsion that drew me to Turkey, or more specifically, to studying Islamic mysticism on a ten-day journey across Turkey. Perhaps I was subconsciously urged by the dogeared Rumi anthology that sat on my bedside table for years. I have no idea.

But when I stumbled upon Illuminated Tours, which leads trips to Morocco and Turkey and describes itself as “for people who are seriously dedicated to experiencing the richness of a Muslim culture, and want to learn by immersing themselves in the history, literature, religions, art, spirituality, and politics of a place,” I felt immediately called.

Illuminated Tours is the brainchild of Omid Safi, Ph.D. Dr. Safiis the director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center. He studies writes and lectures widely about Sufism (the mystical branch of the Islamic tradition), contemporary Islam, and liberationist theology. An aspiring Sufi himself, Safiis particularly passionate about the language, lore, and lasting wisdom of Rumi. His most recent book is centered around Rumi’s multivolume masterpiece, the Masnavi.

Though I don’t consider myself religious, I certainly gravitate toward layered and insightful spiritual lessons. I grew up attending Presbyterian church in a liberal Quaker town and paid closest attention through little girl ears to the sermons that talked about kindness and grace. As the years passed, I remained hungry for a sense of belonging to a bigger existence, beyond the tiny self. That appetite led to yoga and meditation, where I first encountered, and continue to pursue, both Hindu and Buddhist teachings.