“A Persian Dervish Mystic” photography by Dmitri Yermakov 1875
via reddit
A dervish is someone guiding a Sufi Muslim ascetic down a path or tariqah, known for their extreme poverty and austerity. A tiny percentage of dervishes were Jews. Their focus is on the universal values of love and service, deserting the illusions of ego to reach God. In most Sufi orders, a dervish is known to practice dhikr through physical exertions or religious practices to attain the ecstatic trance to reach God. Their most common practice is Sama, which is associated with the 13th-century mystic Rumi.
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This gentlemam is begging to make an appearance in a Steampunk story, a non-Western dimension of spirituality as a counterpoint to the science-inclined Vicrtorian heroes..