Mother's Day! By Wayne Arnason December 14, 2011

It's still December in Konya but the Rumi Immersion created a different kind of Mother's Day by traveling yesterday to two sites outside the city that honor the feminine principle in religion, and jn Sufism in particular. The first was Catal-Huyuk, the archaeological dig first uncovered in the early sixties where some of the earliest evidence of human community and religious practice was discovered. This included statues of the Goddess that led to speculation that these Neolithic communities which pre- date Western Civilization's written history may have worshipped the feminine principle and been matriarchal in structure.


The visit to this site completed a circle in our travels. On November 27, Kathleen wrote a blog reflection on seeing the statues from this site in the Ankara Museum so it was exciting to see the place where they were found.

Our second visit completed another circle. We went to Karama to pay our respects at the tomb where Mevlana's mother and many other family members and descendants are buried. This city is where Mevlana's family first lived when they arrived in Anatolia. The mosque was beautiful and the prayers offered there were deep.

We travel with two young children in our group, and outside the mosque after the visit, two local women who were meeting their husbands and children at this location started talking with the mothers in our group. Lively conversation ensued and photographs were taken. Mothers can always find a bond across whatever cultural or language divisions may separate them.

Location:Konya, Turkey