Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Essence of the One

Home
New Visions
Hello Rumi Tuesday! To change…

Hello Rumi Tuesday! To change…

Last updated on: July 26, 2016 at 3:24 am by Mastura Debra Graugnard

Hello Rumi Tuesday! To change… 2016-07-25T21:17:16-05:00 Mastura Debra Graugnard

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

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

Rumi Tuesday

Previous Post

July 22, 2016

3 Steps to Return to Love in Times of Pain

Next Post

July 29, 2016 Livestream Teleclass: Peace Begins in the Family

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Best of Journey Home Series 2017 Equality Getting to the Heart of Cancer Healing Racism & Bigotry Healing the Planet Journey Home Life Purpose Life-Work Balance Livestreams Parenting Peacemaking Relationship Healing Rumi Tuesday Spiritual Healing Sufi Concepts Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Three friends refused to bow to a golden image and were thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. Who were they?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel, Hananiah, and Mishael Azariah, Michael, and Gabriel Belteshazzar, Hananiah, and Mishael Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego