Okay, please know that I am NOT saying that *Rumi took steroids.

I have never met Rumi.

He died a long time ago.

I don’t even know if people took steroids then.

But . . . I just read a poem of his that is much longer than the short sayings that are often posted in social media. And I thought, “Wow! Rumi on steroids! Go Rumi go!”

And then I realized, “Wow! This relates to a conversation I just had yesterday with neighbors. And to a discussion at one of the Trust Train Bookclubs I attended.”

Rumi lived in 1207 to 1273, y’all. And yet what he wrote so long ago is still relevant today.

Thank you Rumi for being You.

Thank you for taking the time to write down what came to you.

And thank you to all of YOU who are taking the time to read this now.

Be with this.

Blessings to YOU as you live your day as the SHINING STAR that you are. <3

**The Shepherd’s Prayer

Moses saw a shepherd on the way, crying, “O Lord Who choosest as Thou wilt,

Where art Thou, that I may serve Thee and sew Thy shoon and comb Thy hair?

That I may wash Thy clothes and kill Thy lice and bring milk to Thee, O Worshipful One!

That I may kiss Thy little hand and rub Thy little feet and sweep Thy little room at bed-time.”

On hearing these foolish words, Moses said, “Man, to whom are you speaking?

What babble! What blasphemy and raving! Stuff some cotton into your mouth!

Truly the friendship of a fool is enmity: the High God is not in want of suchlike service.”

The Shepherd rent his garment, heaved a sigh, and took his way to the wilderness.

Then came to Moses a revelation: “Thou has parted My servant from Me.

Wert thou sent as a prophet to unite, or wert thou sent to sever?

I have bestowed on every one a particular mode of worship,

I have given every one a peculiar form of expression.

The idiom of Hindustan is excellent for Hindus; the idiom of Sind is excellent for people of Sind.

“I look not at tongue and speech, I look at the spirit and the inward feeling.

I look into the heart to see whether it be lowly, though the words uttered be not lowly.

Enough of phrases and conceits and metaphors! I want burning, burning: become familiar with that burning!

Light up a fire of love in thy soul, burn all thought and expression away!

O Moses, they that know the conventions are of one sort, they whose souls burn are of another.”

The religion of love is apart from all religions. The lovers of God have no religion but God alone.

May we ALL Light up a FIRE of LOVE in OUR SOUL and burn, burn, burn. <3

* In case you’ve never heard of Rumi, CLICK HERE to go to his Wikipedia page.

** I read this poem in a cool book I found at the Friends of the Lihue Library’s June book sale called The Mystic in Love: a treasury of world mystical poetry edited by Shelley Gross. © 1966.