Lightning is not
guidance. Lightningsimply tells the clouds to weep.
Genre: Poetry
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
If your love
has contracted into anger, theatmosphere itself feels threatening, but when you’re
expansive and clear, no matterwhat the weather, you’re in an open windy field with friends.
Many people travel as far as Syriaand Iraq and meet only hypocrites. Others go all the way to
India and see only people buying and selling.Others travel to Turkestan and China to discover those
countries are full of cheatsand sneak thieves. You always see the qualities that live
in you.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
Meanwhile the third fish, the dumb one, was
jumping about in great agitation,trying to escape with agility and cleverness. The net closed
around his thrashing, and as he layin the terrible frying-pan bed, he thought, “If I get out of
this, I’ll never live in the limitsof a lake again. Next time, the ocean! I’ll make the
infinite my home.” Such a statedintention must not always be taken seriously! There are
those who cannot do what they saythey’re going to. They lack the quality called spiritual
reason. Seized by a netof painful circumstances, they cry out and imagine how they
might have acted, but ifthe situation goes away, they forget and go back to the
lake of comfortable pleasure,a moth with singed wings returning to the candle.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
Muhammad said, “Love of
one’s country is part ofthe faith,” but don’t take that literally. Your real
“country” is where you’reheading, not where you are.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
We rush around enthusiastic
with some new project, becausewe can’t yet see what’s wrong with it. If we saw, we’d quit
the project, but if we didthat, we’d never feel the nature of its wrongness, so it’s
good we’re blinded for a while; thathelps us learn! And don’t get caught in repentance.
Distraction and regretare addictions.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
Talking to someone
sleepy is like
drawing pictures
on water with your finger.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
A true pilgrim reaches
the Kaaba every second, again and again. There is a
traveling that has no longor short.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
But everything on this plane is a flawed
metaphor. Here’s another:at night a light comes on in each house, a lamp with six
wicks, the five senses andthe sixth, which holds the five. The fuel for these is food
and sleep. Without those theygo out, and the lamps seem to be seeking death, the way they
burn.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
Spirit
is the art of making what’sblocked start moving again. When your body dies, give
it to the death angel,Israfil. If your heart feels numb and metallic, walk out
into the sun, or whateverthe mystery is that makes your inner spring well up.
Rumi — The Soul of Rumi (2001)
A candle as
it diminishes explains, Gathering
more and more is not the way. Burn,become light and heat and help.
Melt.