RUMI, PAY HOMAGE
by Rumi
If God said,
“Rumi, pay homage to everything
that has helped you
enter my
arms.”
there would not be one experience of my life,
not one thought, not one feeling,
not any act, I
would not
bow
to.
This is a poem that I return to time and again in my own spiritual life and also use frequently with directees. Not everyone is ready, willing, or needs to completely accept what Rumi is experiencing here, but it is wonderful material to work with. If I stop and think about my day so far, I consider what I clearly think is worthy of bowing to and what is not. For one thing, it is a STUNNINGLY beautiful Alaska day outside. Definitely worth a bow. For another, I had a wonderful hour and a half of coffee and sharing with a dear spiritual friend. Then I was able to connect with a brand new spiritual director friend who is helping to support my own growth into contemplation and spiritual direction through the internet. I can feel my heart bowing all over the place!
But what about….trying to adjust the shower curtain rod and the whole thing fell down on top of me? And then when I was trying to put it back up I pulled a neck muscle. What about my son taking the car without permission and then leaving the lights on and the garage door open? As I type each of these scenarios, I am slightly surprised to realize that I can actually remember my heart bowing…just a tiny bit. I didn’t say “thank you” for each occurrence, but I do recall taking a breath, remaining in the moment and trying to accept the situation just as it was. And now, I feel my heart bowing deeply and my mind saying “thank you”. Thank you for teaching and training me in each moment, in the glory and ease as well as the dark and the difficult and maybe most importantly the opportunity to bow to the mundane and the boring since that is what makes up most of our day to day lives.
Take a few breaths. Look back over your day. Let all of it arise. The good, the bad, the ugly, the boring. What can you bow to? Can you feel that bow, that surrender, drawing you into the arms of Love?
I would love to hear about your own experiences if you would like to comment below.
Blessings!
1 Comment
By Janet
Rebecca, You are going to laugh. When I read your post, I thought, “yeah. I’m pretty good at bowing to what happens in my day–good or bad.”
And then today happened:
1)I had to leave a doctor appointment without being seen, because I would have missed my next appointment of the day if I had stayed
2)I tripped over a curb and landed spread eagle, scuffing my hands in front of LOTS of witnesses
3)I was honked at by at least 3 drivers today and I’m pretty sure one of them flipped me off as they raced around me, but I was afraid to look as they zipped by
4)I dropped some of my dinner on my pants and it left a grease stain (maybe not such a big loss– I also ripped them when I fell)
5)I had to rewrite this post after trying to submit it once already, because I had forgotten to give my email the first time, so I lost the whole entry when I hit submit
All day I kept hearing a voice say, “Can you bow to that?!”
I may not have been able to bow at everything, but like the Buddha, I’m laughing now!