Unfold

"Who gets up early 
to discover the moment light begins?
Who finds us here circling, bewildered, like atoms?
Who comes to a spring thirsty
and sees the moon reflected in it?
Who, like Jacob blind with grief and age,
smells the shirt of his lost son
and can see again?
Who lets a bucket down and brings up
a flowing prophet?
Or like Moses goes for fire
and finds what burns inside the sunrise?

Jesus slips into a house to escape enemies,
and opens a door to the other world.
Solomon cuts open a fish, and there's a gold ring. 
Omar storms in to kill the prophet
and leaves with blessings.
Chase a deer and end up everywhere!
An oyster opens his mouth to swallow one drop.
Now there's a pearl.
A vagrant wanders empty ruins.
Suddenly he's wealthy.

But don't be satisfied with stories, how things
have gone with others. Unfold
your own myth, without complicated explanation,
so everyone will understand the passage,
We have opened you.

Start walking toward Shams. Your legs will get heavy and tired.
Then comes a moment of feeling 
the wings you have grown,
lifting."

The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks.

WHY THROW EVERYTHING AWAY?

A spiritual seeker went to a renowned Master, asking to be accepted into monastic life. The Master consented and after agreeing to obey certain requirements, the seeker settled into a steady rhythm of meditation, contemplation, service and scriptural study.

However, early one morning the seeker heard that a fellow monk who had been studying with the Master for a number of years, had packed his bags in the middle of the night and fled.

Shocked and in a state of disbelief, the seeker decided to go to the Master and ask how this could be possible? Why, would someone intent on liberation throw everything away?

When the seeker offered these questions, the Master listened, nodded and sat in silence for several, long minutes. Then the Master stated,

“On the spiritual path what happens between a seeker and his or her Master is between them.

*Why are you concerned about someone else and his state?

*What about you?

*What about your state?

*Why are you so easily thrown off-center?

-These things you must always be willing to ask yourself. Until you do you will attain nothing.”

Copyright-2011

Excerpt from: 'BE YOUR OWN GURU' a transformational online course in conjunction with Daily Om. For details go to: www.truealignment.org

THE HEART OF LONGING

Early one Sunday morning in the early 1980's, I was running up a steep hill on the island of New Providence, in an area downtown near the elegant Governor General's house. It was a beautiful day in mid-January and cool enough to be able to run at 10a.m. Along with forty or so members of a for-fun running club, I was racing along, intent on finding a trail laid out using flour.

To my left, was an old, grey stone church. On the outside of the structure were white, slatted windows that swung out and were held in place by support rods. As I pounded up and over the arc of the hill, I suddenly heard a refrain of a hymn carried by the breeze. It was unexpected and sung with such force, it flooded my senses, instantly carrying me to a place I seemed to recognize but had not visited for a long, long time. In that moment, my legs wobbled beneath me, my heart opened and I began to cry wondering why the hymn would move me so?

In the mystical Sufi tradition, a moment like this is called Dhikr, the chanting of divine names in order to initiate remembrance of God. Although I did not realize it at the time, the power of the congregants singing was a beautiful gift that spoke to my deep longing and invited a 'turning of the heart' toward the divine. It was here, in this profound moment that my inner journey began.

Since then, there have been continuous turnings and openings of the heart which have had a three-fold effect: one an awakening to the consciousness of oneness, two a desire to do the inner work and three, a willingness to support and encourage others on their own inner journey.

Thich Nhat Hahn expresses this beautifully when he states,

"You are me and I am you. It is obvious that we inter-are. You cultivate the flower in yourself so that I will be beautiful. I transform the garbage in myself so that you do not have to suffer. I support you, you support me. I am here to bring you peace. You are here to bring me joy.
Knowing that we inter-are, there are simple self-inquiry questions we can contemplate to bring us back to the heart. Here are a selection:

* Am I working with the energy of the heart or against it?
* Am I trusting my innate wisdom?If not why not?
* How can I uplift myself and others at this time in my life?

By being willing to contemplate these questions again and again, we are continually aligning with the essence of our longing and giving voice to our own unique wisdom. In this way, we naturally find ourselves empowered to uplift, inspire and encourage everyone and everything in our world.