Touched by Rumi: March 2020
/Rumi has the ability to reach people of all backgrounds, ages, religions, and more. His wisdom sparks us to look within and influences us to view ourselves and the world in a different way. In this section of our Monthly Newsletter we ask people to show us how Rumi has affected them and their way of thinking.
“‘Everyone who is left far from his source wishes back the time when he was united with it.’ -Rumi, Mathnawi I, 4.
I am not sure what I expected when I exited the airplane in Banjul, Gambia in January. My first thought was that the airport is undergoing renovations, and so am I. I am told that they have been working on the airport for many years and it looks like they have several more years to go. I can begin to see the outline of the new structure. It is bold and modern yet somehow fully connected with a rich culture that has thrived in this region for thousands of years.
I immediately feel a connection but struggle to fully merge with collective consciousness. The red dirt under my feet, the call to prayer, the drums celebrating new life, the natural beauty everywhere…that seems perfect. I inhale. The bustle of the marketplace, the generational trauma that spans an ocean, the desire to both embrace and resist outside influences….those are more difficult. I talk to a local mystic who suggests that I add Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, a legandary Senegalese mystic, to my daily diet of Rumi, Kabir and Hafiz and my outlook is changed forever. He reaches across time and space to complete the connection.
’If you want to gain the most benefit from your action, focus on your intention before the action.’ - Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, Life, Teaching and Poetry
I quickly realize this is where the real work begins. In order to connect, I must learn to dissolve the barriers between African and American culture in the same way Islam blended with West African tribal religions. I must be willing to tear down walls and allow the transformation to take place, no matter how long and difficult the process. I turn back to Rumi.
“Our speech and action is the exterior journey; the interior journey is above the sky.” -Rumi, Mathnawi I, 570”