Rumi: (جلالالدین محمد بلخى) Poet, Islamic Scholar, Master, Sufi, Jurist, and maybe as he remarked himself
"Just a Man"
His poetry translated around the world since the year 1225. He transcended national borders and ethnic divisions, His word is as relevant and powerful today as it was in the Time of The Persians His order The Mevlevi Sufi was founded just after his death (Mevlevi meaning "Our Master") and continues to exist today
http://www.wordscascade.com/index_htm_files/rumi.pdf
And my favourite of his poems from Essential Rumi
The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere,
they're in each other all along
And more of his collection of love poems
http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/rumilove.html
Originally born in Balkh (present-day Afghanistan) his son later formed The Mevlevi Order of The Whirling Dervish, whose dance and meditation, we watched yesterday
One story, of the many legends of Rumi, is the Origin of Whirling where Rumi was in a jewelery shop listening to the hammering of the gold and began to dance (saying the fall of the hammers reminded him of music), dancing in circles faster and faster until he achieved a state of deep meditation and ecstasy. Thus Whirling was born.
Rumi died in 1273 and was buried in Konya, Turkey and a Shrine built there in his honor
https://sacredsites.com/middle_east/turkey/shrine_of_rumi_konya.html
And a Tour of The Shrine
https://youtu.be/-1AzEbVjgYA
More anon...
