My research into global religions led me spinning barefoot, one foot after the other. When inevitable dizziness set in, my elders reminded me to ground myself with both palms on the floor. As I loved to learn through experience, I became the sole child member of a Sufi whirling group that met on Thursdays. Even then, I was profoundly drawn to people of different walks of life. The community consisted of practicing Sufis, including (I gathered from what they shared in our circle) people formerly addicted to drugs, and people suffering from PTSD, seeking respite. Through the poetry of Rumi and devotional music, I was introduced to “Sama,” a word that translates to “listening” and, in my experience, involves the redirection of attention to achieve deeper connection.
