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