December 2020: A Mirror to Reflect!

عشق و طلب چه باشد آیینه تجلی

"What does love want? A mirror to reflect!"

~Rumi

Source: Divane Shams, Ghazal 99

Translated by Dr. Fariba Enteshari
 ©Rumi Educational Center

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Reflection on the Quote:

A message from Dr. Fariba Enteshari, Founder & Executive Director

It has been a strange hard year that we could have never imagined going through. Our lives have been turned upside-down in so many ways that I can hardly keep up.

Some have lost their loved ones in the most unimaginable way through this pandemic. Some have lost their homes in wild fires. Some have lost their jobs, their health and their sanity.

Coming to the end of 2020, I seek glimpses of hope for a better future. To make sense out of this perplexing time, we continuously reach out to reach within. Digging deep was not possible without the kindness of a friend who could listen and understand. In our groups, many of us came together to share and listen to what was in our hearts. As Rumi said, without a ‘Yaar’* we become silent.

هر که او از هم زبانی شد جدا 

بی‌‌زبان شد گر چه دارد صد نوا

“Separated from the one who understands my language 

I became dumb, despite a hundred songs in my heart.”

~Rumi

Source: Mathnawi I, 28

Poetry provides us with a bridge to our souls. Reminds us who we are in this unusual time and helps us to sing those songs we need to compose. Verse by verse, we uncover the wisdom within. Looking within, we have searched for familiar references in life, to make sense of all the unknown we are facing.  Rumi’s poetry has become even more relevant to our lives because its complexity reveals the dilemmas in our lives and gives us courage to face the difficulties ahead. 

In each gathering, we listened and reflected on issues that were hard to express and slowly we gave birth to a new understanding of ourselves like beacons of light being born out of the darkness. Words lit every corner of our minds that needed our attention the most. Together, we seek the steps to unity that can lead us to more understanding and love no matter the time we live in. 

-Dr. Fariba Enteshari

* Yaar – A friend sends from beyond to listen and reflect with us.