In which she's inspired by everything she sees, everyone she meets.
[*none of this is mine unless otherwise stated]
Put aside your clever schemes!
O lover, be mindless! Become mad!
Dive into the heart of the flame!
Become fearless! Be like a moth!
Turn away from the self
and tear down the house!
Then, come and dwell in the house of love!
Be a lover! Live with lovers!
Clean your chest from all hostility.
Wash it seven times.
Then, fill it with the wine of love!
Be a chalice for love! Be a chalice!
You must be all love
to be worthy of the beloved.
When going to the gathering of drunks,
be a drunk! Become drunk!
The earring of the lovely ones
is intimate with beauty!
If you long for love’s intimacy,
be a precious pearl. Be a pearl!
If your soul is lifted to heaven
when you hear this song,
dissolve in the melody of love.
Be a love song! Be a song!
Don’t dread the darkness of denial.
Be the radiance of creative power.
Be the light! Be a haven of the spirit!
Be a haven of light! Be a haven!
Your thought takes a course
dragging you in its wake.
Move beyond thought!
Let your heart lead! Be the leader!
Passion and caprice
are locks leashing our hearts.
Become the key to the locks!
Open your heart! Be the key!
The light of the Chosen One
made a pillar moan!
You are surely more than a post!
Yearn for love! Be the moaning!
—Rumi
The Invitation
It does not interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing
It does not interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive
It does not interest me what planets are squaring your moon
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful and wild and gentle
to remember the limitations of being human
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and faithful
and therefore trustworthy
I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it is not beautiful
see it every minute of every day
And if you can source your own life
from its presence
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes”
It does not interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments
It does not interest me who you know
or how you came to be here
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire with me
and never shrink back
-Oriah
