We welcomed the New Year on the shores of the Bosphorus. The fireworks' explosion of color and sound startled the flocks of seagulls that flew overhead. The late night fog swept in from the water into the land, enveloping the people's happiness, and ours, as if in a veil of mystic rapture. That was one … Continue reading Rumi: A Stringed Instrument
I have been gazing at the mosques of Istanbul--elegant, with grand semi-spherical domes and their lean minarets. These point heavenward, as if they could pierce the sky's grander azure dome. What do they mean, at least to me? One of Rumi's rubaiyat has given me the key to interpretation. They symbolize not ambition but liberation--that … Continue reading Rumi: Liberation
You walk among the spirits of flying dervishes and the whispers of their mystical joy on the anniversary of Rumi's death. How many lives have been loved, how many loves have been lived, how many flying hearts have turned and danced in his land since 17 December 1273? How many dances have been danced, how … Continue reading Rumi: Rubaiyat at Random
Esta semana viajé a Irán. Fue sorpresivo, inesperado, a pesar de ser un viaje que he anhelado desde que vi el filme de Abbas Kiarostami, El viento nos llevará (Bad ma ra khahad bord, 1999), y conocí la poesía de Forough Farrojzad. La idea de hacerlo surgió en la estación del metro de Prospect Park, … Continue reading Viaje a Irán
Watching summer blooms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I am moved by their loving magnanimity. They give their vitality generously to hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, bumble bees, fireflies, and any other visitors who feed from their sweet heart. Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) Loving Spirits, the summer flowers give their delicious energy without asking their guests for … Continue reading Rumi: Giving Yourself
I have been pondering, for months, Rumi's poem "Your First Eyes." He speaks of four streams that run inside the lover's soul-heart. I have been wondering what these spiritual currents might be. A lover has four streams inside,of water, wine, honey, and milk.Find those in yourself, and pay no attentionwhat so-and-so says about such and … Continue reading Rumi: Four Streams
Several weeks ago, a pest attacked the rose bushes in my garden. The sap-sucking bugs nearly killed the plants. These lost all their leaves and did not flower for a while. Thankfully, my Constant Gardener (Jardinero Fiel) eliminated the pest. Leaves started to bud soon after, and in the last week magenta and yellow roses … Continue reading Rumi: All These Buds Will Blossom
When I am wordless, I read Rumi's poetry. It speaks to my heart and soul. As I feel my speechlessness in the tropical night, I come upon his poem "Clouds": ...What we sayis a caravan bell, clouds moving across.Traveler, don't try to decide where to stop.(...)Stay light on your feet and keep moving.Speak any language, … Continue reading Rumi: Speak with Love
Amanece. Recibamos esta aurora con amor y gracia, sin juicio, culpa, ni lamento. Renazcamos y vivamos agradecidos, felices, con gozo. El Agape es incondicional; la Gracia, absoluta. Let us welcome this dawn with love and grace, without judgment, guilt, or lament. Let us awaken, be reborn, and live with gratitude, happiness, and joy. Agape is … Continue reading Rumi: Everyone Is Totally Forgiven
I have had glimpses, finite experiences, of two infinities. One starts from the heart and leads inward, into the infinitesimal crevices of being and feeling. The other one starts from the heart and leads outward, into the cosmos that my bodymind experiences. Both are in flux, changing, evolving. They are also pervaded by love; they … Continue reading Rumi: Only Love is Infinite
Daniel G. Campos 