A sculptor shapes marble, a carpenter shapes wood, and a scholar shapes other people. A wise person, however, primarily shapes themselves, while an enlightened person shapes both themselves and others.
Indeed, Mevlana, by transcending wisdom to the station of an 'Arif' (enlightened one), has shaped and continues to shape people not only in his era but also in our present day. Beyond the station of 'Alim' (scholar) and 'Arif', there is also the station of 'Hikmet' (wisdom), which means being able to perform a task in the right place, at the right time, and in the right manner. Mevlana, particularly in his later years, was able to sustain his influence until now due to his services rendered with the title of 'Hakim' (sage/wise one). After his passing, he was understood more deeply, and the information he conveyed was recorded with greater care. Due to his stance against the Mongol armies and expressions that were misunderstood as obscene, he was widely misinterpreted, but he became a wisdom-filled example by applying the 'Harm Reduction' method on how to deal with power centers and carnal desires.
If friends of God like Mevlana were removed from Anatolia, even 'Turkicness' (Turkish identity/culture) would not have remained within centuries…
He is a sun illuminating not only the century he lived in but even today. Because, I believe that if we were to remove figures like Mevlana, Yunus, Hacı Bektaş, Hacı Bayram, Ahi Evran, Emir Sultan, Piri Baba, Somuncu Baba from Anatolia, neither Islam nor Turkicness would remain in these lands.
With his wisdom of 'being with the Truth (God) among the people,' Mevlana acted almost like a folk psychotherapist. On his 747th Anniversary of Reunion (with the Divine), it is beneficial to commemorate Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi for the trauma-resolving effect of the stories he told. In my book 'Mesnevi Therapy,' I thoroughly discussed this aspect of Mevlana, and here I would like to draw attention to this particular facet of Mevlana.
In psychotherapy, there is a technique called 'folk therapy.' In this therapy, stories are given to the person, and through these stories, an attempt is made to bring about that person's mental transformation. In a way, the pedagogical meanings of the stories are emphasized. The psychotherapy method using stories is called 'bibliotherapy.' This method is used by psychologists and is scientifically recommended.
In some volumes of the Mesnevi, there are phrases such as 'It is a healing for souls, uniting lovers with their beloved, and finding remedies for the sick.' Thus, the Mesnevi was actually used to provide inner healing in people. The stories told in the Mesnevi have various functions:
Firstly, they serve as a mirror. That is, when a person reads a story, they gain awareness. They see a reflection related to their own spiritual profile and psychological state. Thus, the story functions as a mirror for self-knowledge.
Secondly, stories have a modeling function. Through stories, a perspective related to symbolic and conceptual thought and social norms is presented. This contributes to human development.
Furthermore, these narratives contribute to 'carrying on tradition.' That is, they also fulfill the task of transferring certain values and cultural heritage from past generations to new ones. In light of all this, Mevlana's most significant characteristic, which should be emphasized, is his functioning as a folk psychotherapist.
Mevlana's works are not just works of art. He is the architect of an undeniable transformation at the societal level. At the same time, Mevlana's stories hold a very special place in terms of therapy.
So, how does he do this?
- He tells stories that alleviate fear and anxiety.
- He provides examples that boost self-confidence.
- He offers stories that eliminate prejudices.
- He has stories that correct wrong thoughts and teach alternative thinking.
- He uses examples that teach a person to display a new attitude.
He uses the societal understanding of drawing a lesson from a story as a form of folk therapy. The use of metaphorical thinking in stories is one of the methods employed in modern psychotherapy. Individuals draw analogies using these metaphors. That is, by comparing their own actions with the metaphor, they are expected to achieve change and overcome their problems. When we look at Mevlana's works, we see that he used metaphors by drawing analogies. By using these, he brings about therapeutic change. He teaches people new ways of thinking.
Let's say a person is exposed to infidelity. The primitive reaction in this situation is violence, but the reaction varies from person to person. Some people withdraw into themselves, some go to the doctor, and some attempt suicide for revenge. In reality, to reach a solution, one must first be able to talk about the incident. When we look at Mevlana, we see that he taught us how to talk and discuss.
In bibliotherapy, an analysis and inference are made from a story, and with the resulting inference, the problematic issue is deeply examined. The person being part of the solution process and being able to make inferences teaches them to solve their problems through discussion. Trauma is resolved this way. Therefore, Mevlana's stories also have a trauma-resolving effect.
Just as a drop of water can carve marble if it continuously drips, when a person constantly thinks the same things, a weakening occurs in their mental structure. Disruptions appear in the neural network of the brain. Mevlana also has a distancing effect from such repetitive thoughts. This is because Mevlana brings the right brain to the forefront in learning through stories. In right-brain learning, artistic fields such as music and painting, and phenomena like intuitive learning come into play. In other words, learning occurs with emotion. If you try to teach something only with the left brain, you will only memorize. But if both the right brain and the left brain are operated together, an enjoyable and disciplined learning takes place. Mevlana's activation of the right brain in learning through stories makes learning permanent.
He enables us to think in 6 dimensions…
He enables us to see the whole picture of our lives. This is referred to as 'six-dimensional thinking' in the literature. The six dimensions refer to front-back, right-left, and up-down. That is, when a person analyzes something, they consider it in terms of future-past, threats-opportunities, and strengths-weaknesses. In short, we see that Mevlana implemented the bibliotherapy technique.
He also doesn't just reinforce social norms; he updates them. His answers can be interpreted and updated according to the times. What we are trying to do, in a way, is to contribute to this updating.
Folk psychotherapy is a difficult task. Sometimes, it's necessary to change the thoughts a person has used throughout their life. Some people are deathly afraid of novelty and change. Especially after a certain age, changing becomes even more difficult. Mevlana, step by step, first confronts the person with their fear, and then enables them to cope with it.
He approaches people by separating their good qualities from their bad qualities…
We see that Mevlana's stories are often told using an 'I-language.' If a person is attacked frontally with a 'you' statement, that person will engage in an equally intense counter-defense. Thus, ego battles begin. We see that this does not happen with Mevlana. He does not categorize anyone as entirely good or entirely bad. He approaches people by separating their good qualities from their bad qualities.
One reason Mevlana has not lost his credibility despite the passage of so much time is that he applied what he preached to his own life. There is an example of this from the life of Imam-i Azam: One day, a child is brought to Imam-i Azam (ra). His father says that his child's body is covered in sores because he eats too much honey, and that healing comes from Allah (cc), and he asks Imam-i Azam to pray for the child. Imam-i Azam (ra) turns to the child's father and tells them to return after 40 days. The father, helpless, returns and comes to the great imam exactly 40 days later. Imam-i Azam turns to the child, strokes his head, and says: 'Don't eat honey again, my child,' and the child replies, 'Okay, uncle, I won't.' The child's father, astonished, asks Imam-i Azam, 'Why didn't you say these things 40 days ago?' Upon this, Abu Hanifa (Hazrat) replies, '40 days ago, I had eaten honey; if I had said it that day, he would not have listened to me and would have continued eating honey. I did not eat honey for exactly 40 days, and by Allah's will, the child will not eat honey again, and the wounds on his body will heal.' Indeed, the child never eats honey again, and his wounds heal.
Mevlana also lived the wisdom of what he preached in exactly this way. A knowledgeable and wise person first applies knowledge to themselves. At this point, it is important to understand the characteristics of a scholar-wise-enlightened person. A scholar possesses knowledge and conveys it to others. A sculptor shapes marble, a carpenter shapes wood, and a scholar shapes other people. A wise person, however, primarily shapes themselves. An enlightened person shapes both themselves and others.
If we look at Mevlana, we see that he transcended mere wisdom to ascend to the station of Arif (enlightened one) and Hikmet (sagehood). His wisdom is that of 'being with the Truth (God) among the people.' This is a more lasting type of wisdom. This is one of the reasons why he left his mark on centuries.