The
Earth
Lifts its glass to the sun
And light - light
Is poured...
So begins this poem of Hafiz and so begins our lives before we take those first steps into being. I'm remembering how the center of the earth and the sun are in love. We are fixed in the interplay in this affair. As humans, we let the world in with our first breath and we react to life by running to the crystal rim of our understanding. We connect, we experience and become one with new awareness then we surrender to becoming more. We leave the cave - the security of the familiar - and when we recognize ourselves in the arc of this infinite compassion, we can teach. In teaching, we raise the bar so we may enjoy fine company.
Thank you for listening.
Video: This clip is from one of my favorite Terry Gilliam films, "The Fisher King". In this scene our tortured hero attempts to follow through on a promise to redeem himself from his feelings of shame. He must steal for his friend a valued, yet imaginary artifact of the Holy Grail from a secure building at great risk. The third wall is cracked ever-so-slightly with the neighing of a horse and the dialogue, "Great. I'm hearing horses now. Parry would be so pleased." Which is a line I think of all the time when I notice there is a synchronistic paradigm breach in my consciousness. The picture and Hafiz' words blend when we acknowledge the drama we are involved in.
An emerald bird rises from inside me
And now sits
Upon the Beloved's
Glass.
The experience of life is a dramatic interplay of hurt and humor both brutal and hysterical. How we choose and how we react to our experiences is how we actually are. If we attempt to live and carry what is valuable to completion; if it is to be of any use, we can share with others.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz can be found here.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.