I have been mulling over the relevance of people and opinions. And, I turned to the cosmos to give me a sign as to what is the way forward. It should not surprise me but I was pleasantly so when I read this:

“Instead, the major stories in Book Two are primarily concerned with the challenge of discerning the true nature of people behind appearances, in order to identify with whom one should associate so as to progress on the mystical path.” (Mowjaddedi, Rumi: The Masnavi Book Three xii)

Intrigued I read on – Rumi writes:

“Our bodies are like leaves, as in appearance / They are alike, but each soul has a difference. / People at the bazaar appear so similar / But one feels joy while grief consumes another. / Even in death we leave here the same way: / Half of us lose, half of us rule the day.” (Rumi, Mowjaddedi trans. Rumi: The Masnavi Book Three 214)

“What my eyes have already had to view. / I’m not one of those frail ones who would end / His wayfaring due to imaginings, friend. / I’m like the Ismailis: I lack dread / Or like Ishmael, with no care for my head.”  (Rumi, Mowjaddedi trans. Rumi: The Masnavi Book Three 249)

“Dig deeper each day in a muddy pit / And you’ll find water there by doing it.” (Rumi, Mowjaddedi trans. Rumi: The Masnavi Book Three 249)

The book ends with “When legs break, God gives wings.”

Each morning brings with it questions, afternoons are spent looking for insight, and early evenings the answers unravel without much effort. The seeker lives a different cycle. In the night some see darkness, I see only light.

Who is that girl letting her veil slip a little more each evening?
Why do the stars wink at her?
Who lights those street lamps that dance in the canals?
Who is working on those stations whose screens I can see glimmering from afar?
Shadows get formed when as object crosses the path of light
Short and dense, long and fragmented
Words in a poem – me a willing moth to your flame