Only from the heart can you touch the sky. — Rumi
Report on the Whirling Dance Offering of June 21, 2026
“Hardly can I find the words to describe what this event means to me and what we were privileged to experience. Perhaps I can convey something essential by sharing what moved me to bring such an occasion into being.
First of all, there is this recurring experience of entering a beautiful, uplifting church and seeing, before my inner eye, people here engaged in whirling. They are not just sitting, folded into themselves. No – with hearts ablaze, in dance, they set out toward heaven. The music is moving, and the prayer within – whatever it may be – is given a body. In all the nuances of love, this sincere offering, held in a subtle spiritual attunement, may shimmer and unfold. The dance prayers resemble love poems. And as the inner dialogues weave into one another, they create a field: a place of refuge is given. A place where the soul can replenish itself. Fertile ground for noble inspiration, strength, and the higher virtues within us.
For several years now, I have also been consciously exploring how we can allow the spark of genuine enthusiasm to leap from one person to another – within the dance group, among those present, and into the field that emerges between us.
At the funeral of my beloved uncle, I asked myself what I would wish for my own funeral. Of course, the answer seemed obvious in such a large church, with all the space it offered. I saw, before my inner eye, whirling dancers immersed in prayer. When I told the dance group about this, one woman, no longer quite young, said: “Then let’s not wait until we are old and rickety. Let’s start now.”
And so we celebrated, our hearts rising. Colorful in its expression. A space in which beginning and ending could meet. A kind of funeral for that which is ready to pass away, and an aligning with the highest values dwelling within us. A wedding – as I sometimes call this inner dedication, or the Unio Mystica; in any case, an extended whirling prayer in a large group.
Something was born. Something that, to my feeling, is entirely new. Something I have longed for for many years. An uplifting celebration in which every person can participate in their own way: sitting, dancing, with eyes closed or open, watching, listening, meditating, praying, in silence, singing along, or joining the dance. Onlookers and those completely permeated by the fire of the heart – and everything in between. Seventeen whirling dancers and four musicians took part, together with a large audience that just fit into the beautiful church interior.
In several gatherings leading up to the event, we began exploring how we could synchronize our movements within the whirling dance, and we developed a repertoire of our own. Together with the musicians, we were able to allow a sequence to take shape within space and time.
Only one day before the event, and with only half of our volunteer musicians present, could we finally bring it all together. Since the costumes we had commissioned in India did not arrive in time this year, a dear friend stepped in and sewed the skirts we were still missing overnight. Another wonderful helper completely re-stitched the hem of my skirt until just 15 minutes before the performance, as it needed to be done and the night before had simply been too short. Including the handout and catering, we managed to have everything finished down to the last detail precisely in time for the premiere.
We enjoyed a fabulous team and an excellent flow. Tasks and roles had been distributed, and everything came together beautifully. A small dance contribution by an ascending trio, sent out during the service at the Verenamünster, took place immediately before our event in the Upper Church and was a success. Then all of us – dancers and guests alike – flowed into this unique experience: the very first whirling prayer in this particular form.
From the ritual opening to the culmination in the Canticle of the Sun, an original composition by Wolfgang Obrecht from Munich, who was the musical director, we experienced more than words can express, both individually and as a group. Toward the end, we invited everyone present to join us in the dance.
It was as though we had traveled through galaxies.
My solo, for example, surprised me with content that was completely different from what I had expected, and moved me deeply. The dance prayer arises ex tempore and is therefore not rehearsed beforehand. I was also deeply grateful and so happy to see that even the dance students who have only recently joined us were able to keep turning for such a long time and experience so much beauty. And everyone – even after more than an hour and a half of whirling – was still standing on their feet and able to dance! Yes, they were visibly well.
One voice from the audience fills me with deep gratitude, because it expressed something I had almost unconsciously wished for. It sounded somewhat like this: “I had no choice but to surrender to the joy that was in the room and immerse myself in it. And everyone present felt the same. I looked around. No one could escape or resist the sincere enthusiasm.”
Another highlight for me was that an almost blind woman from the audience danced at my side during the final part of the performance, when everyone was invited to join in. With breathtaking trust. Later, as we enjoyed the exquisite meal together, provided by Barkat Catering, we were both moved to tears when her story and mine came together in the words my Indian teacher Maharaji had sent as a blessing for this occasion:“You are a beloved soul of God. Dance only for Him and forget everything else. You will see, that blind will dance, and blind will see.”
I must admit that preparing and organizing this event, which began a full year in advance, took an enormous amount of energy from me. So much so that I find myself wishing that someone might take on the organization of future events of this nature – gladly, and perhaps once again for a dance offering in the Obere Kirche in Bad Zurzach, for which all the necessary groundwork is already in place.
For the coming year, we have several invitations to offer whirling prayers in different houses of worship, with groups of different sizes and on occasions that will each be entirely unique. This fills my heart with joy and lightness.
For me, ascending carries a strong calling.
It seems to me that now is the time for us to come together, in living spiritual connection, to reach out our hands to one another – from one spiritual group to another – to unite in what is essential, gather our strengths, and amplify them.
Through our individual practice and our shared engagement, we can set positive impulses in and for our world today: for ourselves, for the person next to us, and for the collective.” Paramjyoti
“Come, come, whoever you are …” – Rumi
From May 7–9, 2027, we will be dance-praying at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Constance! The dates will soon appear in the calendar. There will be an introduction into whirling on Saturday and the opportunity to join us in our whirling prayers on Saturday.
Would you love to join the dance even sooner? Get in touch with us!
You are drawn to join us dancing even prior to this date, do not hesitate to contact us
Please check our calendar.
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