sundays with Rumi

SUNDAY is my favorite day of the week, hands down. it is a sabbath of sorts, and for me a day of reverence for GOD and for the beauty of my life. as a part of my sunday celebration, i often take a long, hot lavender bath while reading Rumi under candlelight. this is a spiritual practice for me. the eternal words of Rumi connects me in ways that only poetry can. so with that being said, i'm elated to share the poetry that speaks to me from the heart of this wise sage and Sufi mystic.

"Disciplines"

(from Coleman Barks RUMI Bridge to the Soul: Journeys into the Music and Silence of the Heart)

do not expect to be always happy on this way. you have been caught by a lion, my dear.

the friend dumps plaster on your head. think of it as expensive perfume.

inside you there is a monster that must be tied up and whipped.

watch the man beating a rug. he is not mad at it. he wants to loosen the layers of dirt.

ego accumulations are not loosened with one swat. continual work is necessary, disciplines.

in dreams, and even awake, you will hear the beloved screaming at you.

a carpenter saws and chisels a piece of wood, because he knows how he wants to use it.

curing a hide, the tanner rubs in acid and all manner of filth. this makes a beautiful soft leather.

what does the half-finished hide know? every hard thing that happens works on you like that.

hurry, shams. come back like the sun comes back every day with new and powerful secrets.

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