Hello Rumi Tuesday! To change…

Hello Rumi Tuesday! To change… July 26, 2016

Hello Rumi Tuesday

 

knight and dragon 550x290

 

To change,

 

a person must face

 

the dragon of his appetites

 

with another dragon,

 

the life-energy

 

of the soul.

 
 

~ Jalal ad-din Rumi
-Translated by Coleman Barks.

 

 

 
 

Do you ever feel trapped

by the reign of your habits,

expectations and desires?

The appetites of the lower self

are ruled by

the hidden dragons within,

the subconscious beliefs,

defense mechanisms and coping strategies.

These are the dragons

that help us feel safe

in the material world

before we realize that

the world we thought defined us

is a world of illusion.

Fortunately,

there is another dragon

that is infinitely more powerful,

much larger than any self.

It is ever-present within us,

as long as we exist.

As my teacher, Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal,

used to say,

It is closer than your jugular vein.

We have been given free will –

a gift and a trust.

Therefore, we must call on It

from our own accord.

It is larger and more powerful

than any dragon of the self.

When we call,

It comes instantly to help us,

to slay the dragons

and guide us home

to live in the essence

of the Giver of all Life-Energy,

the Essence of the One.

 
 
 
photo credits:
Copyright: ID 29149174 © Ivan Mikhaylov | Dreamstime.com
ID 47377906 © Hayati Kayhan | Dreamstime.com
© Taily_sindariel | Dreamstime.com - Knight and dragon
 

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