The Ritual Master While reading The 40 rules of love, many worlds are awake in my imagination, and they convey to a series of gestures and rituals that have mostly a feeling to them, and not so much a historical accuracy. The first thing I do when I start a reading session is to perfume my bookmark…
It gives me great pleasure to pair a book and a perfume, as they appeal to both my intellect and my abstract sense of smell. For The 40 rules of love, I turn to Smyrna, by Couvent des Minimes.This journey to the Orient begins with vigorous Bergamot top notes and other citrus aromas. Then Turkish Rose chimes in with its velvety and voluptuous character, under which spices and the dark perfume of Black Pepper reside. SMYRNA’s final flourish contains all the promise of distant lands with its enigmatic and intoxicating woody, milky notes. I find myself somewhere between the turkish roots of Elif Shafak, and the enchanted spices of Persia.
When taking a break from reading, I browse through art catalogues so that I can complete the puzzle of images in my imagination. And I discover that Rumi was not only the famous poet we all know, but also the name of a certain type of islamic pattern. Biomorphic art is one of the three distinct disciplines of Islamic art, together with calligraphy and geometry. The floral and animal patterns of biomorphic designs represent the underlying order and unity of nature, and they are found in various cultures, from Morocco to Malaysia. The development of one of the most common arabesque styles, Rumi (a Turkish and Persian term) was done by the Seljuks from Central Asian Turk cave paintings of animals and birds. As the Seljuks moved into Anatolia in the 10th century and adopted Islam they stylized the wings and beaks and developed the Rumi motif, that was then replicated and transmitted around the Islamic world. The motif is beautiful in its simplicity and perfect in its archetypal proportions. The different components of the Rumi composition fit together in and around each other like a jigsaw puzzle.
All this information makes me hungry ! And what would be the point of learning all these wonderful things, if we cannot experience a little part of that world. So, I decided to invent an eggplant dip, inspired by the Middle Eastern Cuisine. The result is a journey for your tastebuds, a light yet grounding appetizer, or maybe a light dinner with some fresh salad on the side. The easiest way to transporting oneself to the enchanted lands of Elif Shafak’s imagination.
If sufism is at the heart of the novel, then how can we pass by such a rich and exciting subject. What I choose to focus on are two main symbols of sufism, and we can agree that symbols were their strong suit. A flower with a multicultural background, the Rose has fascinated our ancestors since the beggining of time. The aesthetics, the perfume, the various rituals it accompanies, the rose is truly a universal symbol.In the mystical Muslim tradition of Sufism, the rose, that exquisite flower attached to a long thorny stem, symbolizes the mystic path to Allah. Rumi writes, “What is the scent of the Rose? The breath of reason and intelligence, a sweet guide on the way to the eternal kingdom.”
And if the divine love was found on the path of the rose, then the soul searching for it was symbolized by the nightingale. The nightingale of Sufi poetry, yearning for the rose, singing night and day of its unfulfilled longing and union, suffering without complain the sting of its thorns – is the soul longing for eternal beauty. It is this longing that inspires the soul bird to sing. In Sufism, longing is the most creative state that the soul can reach.
My nightingale has made me long for the novel, so I’ll get back to my reading. Maybe you will to, and while keeping our curiosity awake, we all shall meet in a communion of passionate readers.Until next time, enjoy your reading, and your rituals !
Looking for inspiration ? Here is where I found some of mine :
The common nightingale song was recorded by Mathias Ritschard for Xeno Canto : https://www.xeno-canto.org/29724
Art of islamic pattern : https://artofislamicpattern.com/resources/introduction-to-islimi/
Couvent des Minimes perfumes (not sponsored) : https://www.lecouventparfums.com/
İstanbul, Isfahan, Delhi 3 Capitals of Islamic Art – Masterpieces From the Louvre Collection : https://amzn.to/3yhWp5L
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