What Rumi Can Teach Us

Rumi says:

Lo, I am with you always.

You promised that, and when

I realized it  was true,

my soul flared up.

Any unhappiness comes from forgetting.

Remember and be back

with the Friend.

=========================================== Here is an edited excerpt from my book The Rumi Secret: Spiritual Lessons of History’s Most Revered Poet. See the book page on my website for details about this and other books and media. You can order it there or on Amazon.com, or from any bookstore. ================================================ Who is Rumi and Why Should We Read Him?

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Jalal al-Din Rumi (Maulana) is America’s best-selling poet, and he is so much more. Rumi can teach us, change us, dissolve despair, and reveal the blessing of every moment and circumstance. His profound love for all things human shines a brilliant light into our inner being. ================================

Whatever our belief or unbelief, Rumi urges us to discover our divine nature.

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Rumi has been compared to Shakespeare and Dante; his impact both in his own time and these eight centuries later is even greater than theirs. He has been compared to the saints and masters of every spiritual path, and no one else has inspired such profound and intimate love in people of every religious orientation. Among his tens of thousands of heart-piercing verses, all who seek more sense of the divine in their lives find many jewels. His prayer can be ours: =================================

Dear God, please reveal to us your sublime beauty that is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere…. Worldwide, thanks to the devotion of his translators, Rumi is one of the most widely read poets in the English language. His roots, however, are firmly planted in the Middle East, and in Farsi, the language of Iran.

============================================= He and his forebears came out of the ancient Sufi tradition. While Sufism is popularly known as a mystical and sometimes heretical branch of Islam, Rumi supported all spiritual traditions. He said “I see one altar in mosque, temple and cathedral.” He also said, “Love is the religion and the universe is the book.” On the other hand, Rumi was an observant Muslim, and had a scholar’s knowledge of the Koran.

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While his roots are in Islam, Rumi’s appeal is worldwide. After his death at age 67, huge groups of mourners from every religious tradition came to his funeral to honor him. Each group said he embodied its highest values. =====================================

Because Rumi is revered throughout much of the Islamic world, it is my hope that this book will find readers in the Middle East as well as in the West, and that a greater sense of our profound spiritual connection may result. If anyone has the ability to be a bridge between our disparate cultures, it certainly must be Rumi. May we all open our hearts to each other as we feast together at Rumi’s table! Some 800 years after his birth, he speaks eternal truths: • We are all one family. • Forgiveness and compassion toward all beings lead us to joyous  living. • We can find beauty in every rock and flower. • Devastation and loss can be gateways to unutterable joy. •  W have nothing to fear from death. •  Love surrounds us and lingers in our cells; it awaits our discovery. =====================================

I love writing and speaking about Rumi because I believe Rumi to be one of the greatest poets of all time. Rumi offers us profound wisdom for every area of life. This wisdom fits in with and supports any belief system you may have. Rumi said, “I see one altar in temple, mosque and cathedral.” ================================

I am a clinical psychologist specializing in couple and sex therapy. I have more than twenty years of experience, and have trained therapists from around the country and internationally. I have been on the faculty of three universities, and I’m a past-President of Santa Clara Valley Marriage and Family Therapists. I am so very grateful for the inspiration and courage Rumi has provided in my life! ===========================

Blessings to you, dear visitor. May Rumi’s wisdom touch you.