The Poet, Rumi

During our recent visit to Turkey, we visited the mausoleum of the 13th century poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi. He was the founder, inventor, origin (?) of the whirling dervishes’ meditative dance of prayer. He was also a prolific writer of philosophical poetry, and many lines from his poems have endured through the centuries, especially in the United States.

Love is the bridge between you and everything.

He was also a cat lover. Legend has it that his own cat told him of his impending death to which Rumi replied that death was not an end but a liberation. His beloved cat survived seven days after refusing to eat or drink and is buried near his master.

As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.

Perhaps that’s one reason why cats are welcomed everywhere in Turkish cities and the countryside, because Rumi himself loved them.

God’s treasures are buried in broken hearts.

We were lucky enough to see and experience the sacred dance of the whirling dervishes in a small arena. Four men entered a small dance area wearing black cloaks symbolizing their worldly tombs, earthen brown hats symbolizing the tombstones of their egos, and their white robes symbolizing the shrouds of their egos. The black cloaks were cast off to symbolize their liberation from this world. Their dance was accompanied by chanting, drums, and flute.

This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love, you are.

Our guide told us it was considered a great compliment to fall asleep while watching the whirling dervishes. Alas, we did not fall asleep.

The wound is the place where light enters you.

Over the years, Rumi’s mausoleum became a pilgrimage site and a mosque was erected nearby. In addition to displaying beautiful sacred texts, a small silver casket holding a lock of the prophet Mohammed’s beard hair is also on display there. We watched as many people came and kissed the glass case that held it.