Rumi in Love
On this day December 17th in 1273 A.D., the beloved Sufi master known as Rumi passed from this world to the next. I stopped today to honor his marvelous life of inspiration and love.
Some would say that to speak of love as passionately and even romantically as Rumi did is inappropriate at a time when much of the US is still shocked by the tragedy in the school in Connecticut. Some would say that it is just such idealism that leads society to ignore the real problems that play out as violence and hatred.
But there are others like me who ask, when will we truly put love first? Love of those who struggle with mental issues in a society that rewards only success and ambition. Love of those who champion the cause of the underserved and the frail and the weak among us, instead of glorifying only those who fight and kill. Love of everyone we meet, all of whom are dealing with problems that could bring us to our knees. Love of ourselves when we feel weakened by guilt, an unshakeable sense of failure or despair.
It was a close friend who first introduced me to the wondrous Rumi in 2009. I will forever be grateful to this beautiful soul who felt deeply Rumi’s heart and learned to live it, as best she could, in her own life. Thank you Wided.
For a thirteenth century poet and mystic from Turkey, his work remains remarkably fresh and current. As my own health struggles unfolded that same year I met Rumi, I found the timeless beauty of his insights, his passion for the divine, and his wild commitment to love to be a power that sustained, nourished and inspired me, when my own inner resources had been stretched.
In this post i will simply share a few of my favorite of Rumi’s expressions, as I do daily on Facebook and Twitter. There is so much more that can be found in a book of his work known as Masnavi (now also an app for iDevices), and in various groups on Facebook and elsewhere dedicated to the life and insights of Rumi. I hope you will take time out of your busy day or night to pause, reflect on each word slowly, let the full meaning become absorbed into your heart, and breathe the aroma of love and compassion which Rumi urged. And then share whatever moves you.
Every leaf that grows will tell you what you sow will bear fruit
So if you have any sense my friend don’t plant anything but Love.
The light which shines in the eye is really the light of the heart.
The light which fills the heart is the light of God.
I smile like a flower not only with my lips but with my whole being.
Stop, open up, surrender the beloved blind silence.
Stay there until you see you’re looking at the light with infinite eyes.
There is hope after despair and many suns after darkness.
A heart filled with love is like a phoenix that no cage can imprison.
This is Now. Now is, all there is.
Don’t wait for Then; strike the spark, light the fire.
Love is the vital core of the soul.
And of all you see, only love is infinite.
Submit to love without thinking.
Now I am here – what else can I do but Love?
Whatever happens, just keep smiling and lose yourself in Love.
Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.
It will not lead you astray.
Make everything in you an ear, each atom of your being,
and you will hear in every moment, what the source is whispering to you.
All the particles of the World are in Love and looking for Lovers.
The glance of love is crystal clear and we are blessed by its Light.
I am yours. Don’t give myself back to me.
Very little grows on jagged rock.
Be ground. Be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up where you are.
Launch me in the Sea of Love and let me Sail.
We Are All Bathed In The Same Light.
The flowers will bloom forever,
The birds will sing their eternal song,
The moment we enter the garden, you and I.
Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.
Love is the soul’s light, the taste of morning, no me, no we, no claim of being.
The very center of your Heart is where Life begins the most beautiful place on earth.
