Mithat Özçakıl is a third generation dervish in the Mevlevi Sufi order, the order founded by Rumi, known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. He is a graduate student at Selcuk University in the Institute of Rumi Studies. He is also a part of the Sufi Music Ensemble in Konya and works at Irfan Civilization Research Center.

#047: The Inner Search: 45 Years on the Sufi Path w/ Shems Friedlander

Path & Present is a long form conversation hosted by poet, emcee, and teaching-artist Baraka Blue with friends and guests including artists, musicians, authors, and scholars to collectively explore what it means to walk a path of awakening and spiritual discernment in the modern world. Topics covered include spirituality/religion/metaphysics, community, art/music, psychology, social justice, Islam and Muslims in the West, and earth stewardship.

**Path & Present** Is a community endeavor produced for the sake of sharing the stories of our communities and amplifying the forces of positivity and goodness in the universe. It is made possible through community support. Enjoy Path and Present Podcast? Now you can become a supporter/patron at Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4205410

Baraka Blue is a poet and musician from Seattle, Washington. After reading the works of Rumi and Ibn Arabi he traveled to study with contemporary Sufi teachers in Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Egypt and beyond. He has a BA in Arabic from the University of Washington and was awarded a Master's Degree in Islamic Studies from the GTU, Berkeley for his research on the Sufi thought of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali. As a teaching-artist he has performed all over the world, including such institutions as Princeton and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.