The Guest House by Rumi

2 Comments » // February 15th, 2011

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

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2 Responses to “The Guest House by Rumi”

  1. Georgia Says:
    February 19th, 2011 at 7:33 pm

    Thank you Alexandra for sharing this poem of Rumi’s, it is thoughtful and beautiful.

    I have shared below another of Rumi’s mystical poems that has been a favorite of mine for many years.

    After reading your blog and the Guest House by Rumi, the poem below immediately came to mind, as did something else we have reflected on regarding post-cult life.

    In my own cult experience, those who are drawn into the illusive coercion of a cult leader, are attracted by the possible understanding of our fundamental questions about who we are, and about God. The interesting thing, is that even though the experience of being involved with a cult has been extremely painful, confusing and debilitating, it does not seem to destroy ones core belief that God is real, and that the search for connecting with Him, though at first surrounded by fear, in some way is still intact.

    It became apparent to me over time, that the search for understanding and connection had to be done independently of anyone ‘telling’ me what was reality and what wasn’t. I had to do the searching, the weighing, the investigating etc. myself. Albeit, that awareness came after many years of healing.

    As a result of that still intact yearning, I began to see something beautiful emerging: the love, strength and power of the human spirit and it’s eternal connection to the Divine.

    “Come, come, whoever you are.
    Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter.
    Ours is not a caravan of despair.
    Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.
    Come, yet again , come , come.”

    Rumi

    with love,
    G.

  2. alexandra Says:
    February 19th, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    Thanks G! I’ll post that poem as its own blog entry. It is just lovely ;-)

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