In that , O Dear , lies the secret of the unity that is Beloved . ~ Sultan Bahu

When the Beloved revealed himself to me
I lost myself in him.

Now there is 
neither nearness nor union.

There is no longer a journey to undertake
no longer a destination to reach.

Love , attachment , my body and soul
and even the very limits of time and space
have all dropped from my consciousness.

My separate self
is merged in the whole

In that , O Dear , lies the secret
of the unity that is Beloved .

~ Sultan Bahu

Art by Angelina Vick

Be ignited, or be gone. ~ Mary Oliver

Meditation is old and honorable, 
so why should I not sit, 
every morning of my life, 
on the hillside,
looking into the shining world ?

Because, properly
attended to, delight,
as well as havoc, is suggestion.

Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause ?
I don't think so.

All summations have a beginning,
all effect has a story,
all kindness begins with the sown seed.

Thought buds toward radiance.
The gospel of light
is the crossroads of -- indolence, or action.

Be ignited, or be gone.

~ Mary Oliver
from New and Selected Poems, by Mary Oliver
Art by Geoffrey Chandler

Me, I am the one, free of good and evil, Free from obedience and corruption, without I... ~ Rumi

http://mulatta.org/mp3s/Bima.mp3

Devoid of self I traveled to a place There, in the absence of I, joy filled my heart...by Rumi

Devoid of self I traveled to a place
There, in the absence of I, joy filled my heart.

Without I, his obscured face, like the moon
Came forth and kissed my cheek.

In longing for my love I perished
And from that longing, birth was given to me.

I am eternally drunk, without wine.
My joy is endless, without I.

Do not remember me, ever.
For I am memory itself, without I.

I am ecstatic without myself, so I say
O me, may you always be without I.

All the doors were shut to me, and
All opened when he let me in, without I.

Me, I am the one, free of good and evil,
Free from obedience and corruption, without I...

~ Rumi
Devoid of self
Translated from Farsi by Annati

Seek the spirit don't set your heart on bones. ~ Rumi

Little by little 
God takes away human beauty:

Little by little 
the sapling withers.

Go, recite 
"To whomever We give a length of days,
We also cause them to decline."

Seek the spirit
don't set your heart on bones.

~ Rumi 
Mathnawi, II:714-715
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Daylight
Threshold Books, 1994

‎" Close your eyes, fall in Love, stay there!!" ~ Rumi.

‎" Close your eyes,

fall in Love,

stay there!!" 

~ Rumi.

Don't say: ' I can't.' Sure you can. Just do it.'' ~ Rumi

‎''A great unseen town 
lies just behind that curtain.

Don't lower yourself.
Don't knock on every door.

You yourself
are what you are looking for.

Raise your tent
up to the sky.

Don't say:
' I can't.'

Sure you can.
Just do it.''

~ Rumi

And this is Love the vertigo of heaven...by Rumi

And this is Love 
the vertigo of heaven

Beyond the cage of words
Suddenly to be naked 
in the searchlight Of truth
no shade no leaf for the senses.

You are a victim
Love's felony pillages your breath
Knocks away your feet
makes you blind with insight.

So that
you may clearly see for yourself.

Congratulate your heart
whilst you can
for it has
Clambered into the inner chamber
of circling lovers.

~ Rumi
Thank you Dr Sidra Ashraf for sharing this beauty on fb..:) <3

Your absence makes beauty horror, widowing my sight. ~ Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi

Where You dwell is dear to my sight
A celestial city bedecked in light.

In whatever corner You are found
Small as a needle's eye, is holy ground.

Wherever the rainbow of Your face alights
Be it the dank gorge of a well, it's paradise.

With Your presence in hell a heaven is discerned
The rigour of prison to a lover's garden is turned.

The devil's chamber
with You glows with delight.

Your absence makes beauty horror,
widowing my sight.

~ Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi
Thanks to dear Friend Sidra Ashraf for sharing this beauty on fb

We are healers, wise men from the East....by Rumi

We are healers, wise men from the East!
We have cured many from sorrow and blindness,
we uproot the cause of all pain.

We bring the dead to life because
we have learned our skills from Great Ones ,
ask those who have witnessed our signs.

We mix our medicine from plants of paradise
and need no instruments
for we run through the body like thought.

We are the healers of spirit and
do not look for reward.

But before we leave,
remember not to speak of us, guard your words
for this world is full of unfriendly ears.

~ Rumi
Ghazal (Ode) 1474
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Hidden Music
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001
Art by Reza Sepahdari

LOVE

The way of the lover is hidden by these two veils. ~ Rumi

Love is a stranger to the two worlds:
in it are seventy-two madnesses.

It is hidden; only its bewilderment is manifest:
the soul of the spiritual sultan longs for it.

Love's religion is other than the seventy-two sects:
beside it the throne of kings is just a floorboard.

In the moments of sema*
Love's bard strikes up the melody:
"Servitude is bondage and power is a headache."

Then what is Love?
The Sea of Not-Being:
there the foot of the intellect
is shattered and can no longer swim.

Servitude and sovereignty are known:
the way of the lover is hidden by these two veils.

~ Rumi
Mathnawi III: 4719-4724
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
*The occasion of listening to spiritual music.
Art by  Angelina Vick

I will search for my sweet love, I will seek my home. ~ Rumi

I am love's musician playing for joy
I comb the beard of happiness
and pull the moustache of sorrow.

When my core is touched by music
love's wine begins to flow.
In this temple of fire my blood
is melting the snow from my body.

It is spring, it is time for action,
It is time to throw away all false pretences.
Dragged and pulled in love, I bear all the pain.

Caught in this confusion, in this bitter sweetness
I am the captive of this journey.
It is the scent of home that keeps me going
the hope of union, the face of my Beloved.

I know our fate is separation,
but until my last breath
I will search for my sweet love,
I will seek my home.

~ Rumi
Ghazal (Ode) 1395,
from Rumi's "Diwan-e Shams"
("The Collection of Shams")
Translation by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Hidden Music
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001
Art by Samuel Lind

I do not exist......by Rumi

I do not exist, 
am not an entity in this world or the next, 
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any origin story.

My place is the placeless, 
a trace of the traceless. 
Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, 
have seen the two worlds as one
and that one call to and know, 
first, last, outer, inner,

only that breath 
breathing human being.

~ Rumi

What matters then is how quickly you do what your soul directs…this is the meaning of faith....by Rumi

Together…a Jew, a Muslim, and a Christ follower…this is incidental to the story…

They each had a deep and personal knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As they traveled they discussed many things and while they disagreed deeply on several finer points of faith and religion, they admired one another and learned from each other. Each had a secret way of being with the Mystery, unique and not to be judged.

Their journey was long and over the months their rations were greatly reduced to a single loaf of halva (a delicious Middle Eastern cake substance). Each looked hungrily at the halva, wishing it was his. They debated on how they could partake of the survival giving nourishment. Finally, being men of great faith, they agreed that they would go to sleep that evening and allow themselves to dream. Whoever, they said, had the deepest dream–the one of most significance–would receive the halva.

When they arose they shared their dreams. The Jewish man began by describing the journey of his soul: “I met Moses on the road to Sinai. There was an open door and light within light. Mt. Sinai and Moses and I merged into one and I realized that our lives are the fulfillment of the Law.” They all agreed that this was a true dream.

Then the Muslim sighed. “Muhammed came to me,” he said “and took me to a vast expanse in paradise…a pure and vast region of which there was no end… The Prophet told me that this was the reaches of my own soul…undefined and endless…” This was beautiful, each acknowledged.

Finally the follower of Christ spoke. “Jesus came to me and told me where you two had gone. ‘You wretch,’ he said, ‘you’ve been left behind! You may as well get up and eat something!”

They all erupted into laughter. “How could I disobey such glory?” asked the disciple.

“You’re right,” they say “Yours in the truest dream, because it had immediate effect in your waking life.”

What matters then is how quickly you do what your soul directs…this is the meaning of faith.

 ~ An adaptation of an ancient parable of Rumi from the 13th century.

I will set fire to this house And go away. ~ Chandidas

I who body and soul
am at your beck and call
was a girl of noble family.

I took no thought for what would be said of me,
I abandoned everything.

Casting away
All ethics of caste
My heart dotes on Krishna
Day and night.

The custom of the clan
Is a far-away cry
And now I know
That love adheres wholly
To its own laws.

I throw ashes at all laws
Made by man or god.

I am born alone,
With no companion.

What is the worth
Of your vile laws
That failed me
In love,
And left me with a fool,
A dumbskull [Ayana]?

My wretched fate
Is so designed
That he is absent
For whom I long.

I will set fire to this house
And go away.

~ Chandidas
( Expression of Love of Radha for Krishna )

* Although Radha's marital status is not specified in the Gitagovinda, there are hints that she belongs to another man. The whole drama takes place at night in the woods and is surrounded by secrecy. It is not a relationship that takes place under the approving eye of society. Whether or not Radha is married to another man, Krishna certainly is not married to her and consorts with other women, which makes Radha jealous. The whole mood suggests that Radha's love for Krishna is illicit, that she has no formal claim on him, and that in order to be with him she must risk the dangers of the night, the woods, and public censure.

Radha's illicit love for Krishna is the central theme in the poetry of Vidyapati (1352-1448) and Candidas (ca. fourteenth to fifteenth century). Both authors make it clear that she is married to another man and that she risks social ostracism by pursuing her affair with Krishna. Vidyapati describes Radha as a woman of noble family, but he portrays Krishna as a common villager. In loving Krishna Radha sacrifices her status and reputation.

Seek out the source which shines forever. ~ Rumi

Sunlight fell upon the wall
the wall received a borrowed splendor.

Why set your heart on a piece of earth
O simple one ?

Seek out the source
which shines forever.

~ Rumi
Mathnawi II: 708-709
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Threshold Books, 1996

Your deeds alone are faithful...by Rumi

In this world you have three companions
one is faithful, the others are treacherous.

The latter are friends and possessions
the faithful one is excellence in deeds.

Your wealth won't come with you out of your palace
your friend will come, but only as far as the grave.

When the day of doom comes to meet you,
your friend will say,

"I've come this far, but no farther.
I will stand a while at your grave."

Your deeds alone are faithful:
make them your refuge

For they alone will accompany you
into the depths of the tomb.

~ Rumi
Mathnawi V: 1045-1050
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Art Friendship by Egon Schiele

I'm loyal to the image and beauty of my beloved...by Rumi

I'm loyal
to the image and beauty
of my beloved
please speak of that image only
and say no more

Whenever you're with me
speak only about
the generosity of candles
the generosity of the sugarcane
and say no more

Don't speak of any suffering
show me the treasure that waits
at the end of the road
if you're ignorant of the path
then say no more

Last night i was in flame
my beloved saw me and said
"i'm here at last
don't tear your clothes
lament no more"

I begged my beloved
to understand my condition
to sense my fear
my love said "when i'm present
you must seek no more

I'll whisper the words
of secrets into your ear
and you must promise not to answer
just nod your head
and say no more

The face of a sweetheart
has penetrated your heart
the tenderness is all there is
your journey is the journey of love
sense it to the depth and say no more"

I asked if the face
belongs to a human
or that of an angel
"neither this nor that
sense it but say no more"

I said if you don't
identify this for me at once
my life will be shattered
"be shattered at once
but say no more

You're dwelling in
a house filled with
images and dreams
pack all your belongings
move out but say no more"

You're simply expressing
the experience of God
I said to the beloved
"yes this is the answer
but for God's sake say no more"

~ Rumi
Ghazal 2219,
from Rumi's Diwan-e Shames,
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi -- Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1994

I am the slave of that perfect Moon....by Rumi

I am the slave of that perfect Moon !
Don't talk to me of suffering
I don't want to hear.

Talk about light, joy and sweetness
and if you can't, keep silent !

Last night Love found me shouting, mad
and beyond myself, and said:
"I am here,
why are you so worried and afraid ?"

O Love, I am overwhelmed with fear.
"Be silent, let me whisper a secret in your ear,
just nod your head and don't say a word."

Oh how delicate, how subtle is the path of love!
This most precious Moon-like beauty appeared to me!

My heart, is this the Moon or my imagination?
"Be silent, it is not for you to understand
don't you see, you have been blessed."

But what is this, the face of an angel or a man?
"Be silent, what you see is beyond angels or men."

But what is it, tell me, or I will go out of my mind.
"Do not torment yourself, leave this house of illusions
and say no more."

"O please", I begged,
"tell me, is this the face of God"
My heart nodded silently.

~ Rumi
Ghazal 2219,
from Rumi's Diwan-e Shames
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
"Rumi: Hidden Music"
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001

Butterfly Wish ...by Bern Agustin

Wish I was a butterfly
With colorful wings soaring up high

Gracefully singing into the air
With such silent notes, songs never heard

No one could guess where I will lead
No one could notice the heart that weeps

For such soundless voice only tears will show
Fading as I may... they will never ever know.

~ Bern Agustin
(Butterfly Wish)

waiting to offer herself completely with her full burden of sweetness. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

My life when young 
was like a flower

A flower 
that loosens a petal or two 
from her abundance 
and never feels the loss 
When the spring breeze 
comes to beg at her door.

Now at the end of youth 
my life is like a fruit, 
having nothing to spare

And waiting to offer 
herself completely 
with her full burden 
of sweetness.

~ Rabindranath Tagore 
Fruit-Gathering
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916

Don't break away from the shell if the raindrop hasn't yet become a pearl. ~ Rumi

The reflection cast from good friends is needed
until you become, without the aid of any reflector
a drawer of water from the Sea.

Know that the reflection is at first just imitation
but when it continues to recur
it turns into direct realization of truth.

Until it has become direct realization
don't part from the friends who guide you

Don't break away from the shell
if the raindrop hasn't yet become a pearl.

~ Rumi
Mathnawi II: 566-568
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994

It journeys secretly and without form...by Rumi

I journeyed long time to East and to West, 
I journeyed years and months for love of that Moon 
Heedless of the way, absorbed in God. 

With bare feet I trod upon thorns and flints, 
Seeing I was bewildered, 
and beside myself, and senseless. 

Think not my feet touched the earth, 
For the lover verily travels with the heart. 

What knows the heart of road and stages? 
What of distant and near, while it is drunk with love? 

Distance and nearness are attributes of bodies, 
The journeys of spirits are after another sort. 

You journeyed from the embryo state to rationality 
Without footsteps or stages or change of place, 
The journey of the soul involves not time and place. 

And my body learnt from the soul its mode of journeying, 
Now my body has renounced the bodily mode of journeying
It journeys secretly and without form, though under a form.

~ Rumi

World has no permanence...by Rumi

Wealth has no permanence: 
it comes in the morning,
and at night it is scattered to the winds.

Physical beauty too has no importance,
for a rosy face is made pale 
by the scratch of a single thorn.

Noble birth also is of small account,
for many become fools of money and horses.

Many a nobleman's son has disgraced his father 
by his wicked deeds.

Don't court a person full of talent either,
even if he seems exquisite in that respect:
take warning from the example of Iblis.

Iblis had knowledge, 
but since his love was not pure,
he saw in Adam nothing but a figure of clay.

~ Rumi 
Mathnawi VI: 255-260 
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996

With every breath the sound of love surrounds us...by Rumi

With every breath 
the sound of love 
surrounds us,

And we are bound 
for the depths of space,
without distraction.

We've been in orbit before
and know the angels there.
Let's go there again, Beloved ,
for that is our land.

Yet we are beyond all of that
and more than angels.
Out beyond duality,
we have a home, and it is Majesty.

That pure substance is
different from this dusty world.
What kind of place is this?

We once came down; soon we'll return.
A new happiness befriends us
as we work at offering our lives.

Beloved is ,
the jewel of the world,
is our caravan's chosen guide.

The sweetness we breathe on the wind
is from the scent of his hair,
and the radiance of our thought
is from the light of his day.

His face once caused
the moon to split in two.
She couldn't endure the sight of him.

Yet how lucky she was,
she who humbly received him.
Look into your heart and see
the splitting moon within each breath.

Having seen that vision,
how can you still dream?

When the wave of "Am I not?" struck,
it wrecked the body's ship;
when the ship wrecks again,
it will be the time of union.

The Human Being, like a bird of the sea,
emerged from the ocean of the soul.
Earth is not the final place of rest
for a bird born from the sea.

No, we are pearls of that ocean;
all of us live in it;
and if it weren't so, why would
wave upon wave arrive?

This is the time of union,
the time of eternal beauty.
It is the time of luck and kindness;
it is the ocean of purity.
The wave of bestowal has come.

The roar of the sea is here.
The morning of happiness has dawned.
No, it is the light of God.

Whose face is pictured here?
Who is this shah or prince?
Who is this ancient intelligence?

They are all masks . . .
and the only remedy is
this boiling ecstasy of the soul.

A fountain of refreshment
is in the head and the eyes
not this bodily head
but another pure spiritual one.

Many a pure head has been spilled
in the dust. Know the one from the other!

Our original head is hidden,
while this other is visible.
Beyond this world is a world
that has no boundaries.

Put your water skin away, brother,
and draw some wine from our cask!
The clay jug of perception
has such a narrow spout.

The sun appeared from the direction of Tabriz,
and I said,
"This light is at once joined with all things,
and yet apart from everything."

~ Rumi
~ Ghazal (Ode) 363
Version by Kabir Helminski
"Love is a Stranger"
Threshold Books, 1993

I give myself to you with no expectation....by Eternelle Flamme

I give myself to you
with no expectation
of what you choose to do 
with my gift

My love is not dependent 
on whether you return it not
or your actions or your words

Lay with me or someone else
I love you
catch my tears or cause their fall
I love you
be kind or selfish
I love you

I love the essence of you
not just this persona
that you have adopted for this lifetime 
this physical human you

I also know 
that I love myself
independent of you
I love myself because of you
I love myself in spite of you

By loving myself 
I wont be blinded….
….blinded by this love
that makes me want to
sacrifice myself for you
give everything to you
live my life for you

Even though we come from one
we are still two...
two whole halves
that’s me and you
I love you.


~ Eternelle Flamme