Summer Sema

A 24 Hour Sufi Devotional Gathering

August 8-9,  2026

AKERA, Woodburne,  NY

Join us for our next 24-hour Sema gathering, featuring continuous, uninterrupted live devotional music, whirling, poetry, and prayer.

From 6 PM on August 8 to 6 PM on August 9, we will turn together in devotion, holding an intention of healing for our world; inviting stillness, presence, and light.

Hosted at AKERA Retreat Center in Woodbourne, NY, nestled in the Catskill Mountains — just two hours from NYC.

Register Here

How Will This Work?

This gathering will bring together music groups from across the Northeast, sharing their sacred sounds to create a prayer for unity and healing. Each set will weave Rumi’s timeless teachings of love and connection into a collective experience of spiritual reflection and celebration.

  • Whether you are new to Sema or have walked this path before, all are welcome to join with an open heart.

  • At 6PM on August 8th, we will step into an unbroken 24-hour portal of whirling, music, and prayer. The ceremony flows uninterrupted, with musicians and whirlers shifting in and out to sustain the sacred container. Exact details of programming will be provided upon registration.

  • No, you may arrive and depart as you need, though we encourage staying for significant portions to experience the arc of the ceremony. While on the property, you are welcome to flow in and out the ceremony space to eat, rest, enjoy the surrounding nature, and take care of any of your needs.

  • No. Resting is part of the journey. You may lie down on the periphery of the ceremony space or step away to sleep as needed. Camping is available, and a limited amount of shared accommodation is available for an additional cost.

    The music and whirling will be go on uninterrupted for 24 hours, join in for however long you want / have capacity for. Be mindful of your body and needs.

  • Yes. Three meals and snacks are included with all tickets. Meal timings and details TBA.

MORE FAQS BELOW

Pricing & Registration

We offer a sliding-scale contribution. Please pay what you can afford, as this helps sustain these offerings.

All tickets include access to the ceremony, 3 meals + snacks.

  • Supported: $150 — For those who are experiencing financial difficulty and need assistance in order to join this offering.

  • Standard: $250 — Helps cover the costs of holding this 24‑hour journey and keeping this event accessible to all.

  • Supporter: $350 — For those who feel called to give at a level that not only sustains your own journey but also helps others participate.

Accommodation Add-ons:

Everyone is welcome to rest in the main gathering space or the communal areas for the 24 hours. We also have a limited number of beds available for the night of August 8th for an additional cost. Camping is also available if you bring your own set-up.

  • Camping: + $20 — Bring your own camping gear.

  • Reserve a Bed:

    • + $100 — Single bed occupancy. Luxurious shared rooms, all with natural materials, thoughtful design, and proximity to the ceremony space.

    • +$150 — Glamping double occupancy.

    • + $200 — Double bed occupancy. Luxurious private room [SOLD OUT]

Register Here

All contributions are final. No refunds will be issued; however, ticket transfers are permitted.

From Previous Gatherings

  • "My heart is full with light and nourishment for my soul."

  • " So much gratitude for all the hands and hearts that brought this gathering to life. Thank you thank you thank you for giving us all a space to drink with the Beloved! ❤️‍🔥 "

  • "May this love fill our hearts, expand our awareness, and radiate through every aspect of our being, dissolving all boundaries, healing all wounds, and awakening us to our true nature as love itself."

  • "There were portals and doors to the Divine opened to us that are beyond our sight but very real and transformative. We walked through these portals together, and I see you all as Friends along the Path"

  • "The reverberations from having stepped into the most safe sacred container of the living revelation of this exquisite exalted Şeb-i Arus Solstice Sema surrounded on all sides by the most sincere Friends of the Beloved, is that my heart has completely shattered & I now walk around with this aperture wide open fully showing unashamed, is that now my soul wakes up into this dream singing dhikr echoing from that holy night we all wedded our souls to our Beloved"

Featuring Musical Offerings from

  • MEHERNAM RASTEGARI | Persian Sufi Music

  • ABU ZEYN | bass & vocalist

  • SAMIR LANGUS | Moroccan Gnawa

  • NIZAR DAHMANI | Percussionist

  • THE FORBIDDEN LOVERS | Qawalli Fusion

  • HAFIZ ISMAIL | Turkish Sufi Music

  • FARAH ZAHRA | Oud & Iraqi Maqam

  • JAMES BIRD | Bardic Music & Poetry

  • THE BOUHALIS | Sufi Chanting & Music

  • AYAMBAKAM | Soul Songs & Mystic Sounds

  • GAIA RAGA | Kirtan & Spiritual Folk-Jazz

  • FATHER OTTER | Ambient Soundscape & Guitarist

  • SHAINA GARFIELD | Guitar & Vocalist

  • RICHARD ANDERSON | Percussionist

  • OSAMA JANAKAT | Percussionist

  • + more TBA

About the Location

For this kind of devotional work, we believe that place matters. A container that holds, reflects, and amplifies what is offered.

Set on 123 acres of forest, fields, and open sky in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, AKERA Retreat Center is a sanctuary for connection, creativity, and transformation. Designed with care and intention, AKERA offers beautifully crafted gathering spaces, nature trails, and restorative amenities — including a sauna, hot tub, and quiet places to reflect and recharge.

It is also the birthplace of our 24-hour Sema gatherings. During the last Winter Solstice, we held our first continuous turning here, inaugurating this land with the Sema practice and establishing a field of devotion that we now return to and deepen together.

Register Here

Learn more about extended Semas

The inspiration for our 24-hour gathering comes from the profound multi-day Sema tradition we’ve had the blessing of experiencing in Türkiye and a return to how Sema was practiced during Rumi’s time. Learn more about it by watching this short film.

Produced by LILA Devotional Arts, it offers a window into the essence of Sema: its roots, its intention, and the lineage behind extended gatherings. Filmed in 2024 during a three-day retreat hosted by Tümata in southern Türkiye.

FAQS

  • Sema is a gathering rooted in the Sufi tradition that combines devotional chanting, live music and whirling dance meditation.

    This whirling dervish tradition was founded by the 13th century mystic poet Rumi, whose poems of love and union with the divine spirit are still widely popular today.

    Through the spinning movement and focus on the music, you allow the ego to subside. This tangible world starts to melt away and a greater sense of peace develops within. You remember that the divine life force is an inherent part of you. The experience can only be described as blissful. Participants leave feeling lighter, more at ease and peaceful. 

  • This practice of Sema has Islamic, Sufi roots, but this gathering is multi-faith and open-hearted. People of all backgrounds and traditions are welcome.

  • No experience is required. This gathering is open to all, whether you are new to sema or have practiced for years.

    Upon registration we will send you instructions on how to prepare and practice Sema. This will include basic whirling instruction and safety tips. We will also go over basic technique and etiquette before the ceremony.

  • There are many ways to participate in ceremony. You may whirl, do a walking meditation, or simply witness the ceremony in stillness and presence.

  • No. Resting is part of the journey. You may lie down or step away to sleep as needed. Optional private rooms are available for an additional cost.

    The music and whirling will be go on uninterrupted for 24 hours, join in for however long you want / have capacity for. Be mindful of your body and needs.

  • Comfortable, modest clothing you can move in (covering shoulders & knees). Many people wear white or light colors, but this is not required.

    Indoor shoes that have soft leather soles are highly recommended to help you whirl. Otherwise, bring thick socks! We will also have whirling socks and skirts for sale.

  • Yes. Three meals and snacks are included with registration. Schedule TBA

  • Absolutely. However, the space is contemplative and devotional. Mature teens may attend; younger children are welcome if parents feel confident that they can remain quiet and not disrupt the ceremony.

    Children under 12 come for free.

  • No. Please keep your pets at home. Only service animals are allowed. Please reach out to us if you need to bring a service animal so we can coordinate needs with our hosts.

  • We ask that there be no photography or recording inside the ceremony space. We want to honor the depth and privacy of the ritual.

    We will have a method of capturing a limited number of photos discreetly and with participant consent.

  • Yes. We offer sliding-scale tickets, work exchange, and a limited number of scholarship spots.

    Email: collectivesema@gmail.com

Register Here

In sema,

hidden corners of the heart

send wordless messages,

soothing the exiled heart

Listen to the musicians.

Listen with your heart.

Listen with your skin.

Doors open.

Round after round of joy

and no one has drunk

even a drop of wine.

Music, the sweetest orator of all,

has climbed into the pulpit.

I’ll sell my tongue now

and buy a thousand ears.

— excerpt from Rumi, Divan-e-Shams

Translated by Haleh Liza Gafori from her book Water

Register Here