The Forty Rules Of Love

I just finished reading The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak.  The author is one of the high profile names that participated in this year’s Asia House Festival of Asian Literature.

This is the first book I have read by Elif Shafak and I was drawn to it as I read the back cover and saw three words: Sufi, Rumi and Shams…sold!!  This book is like Kryptonite for my sister full of spirituality and love.

These Spiritual Window Shoppers

Thank Rumi It’s Friday.

These spiritual window-shoppers,
who idly ask, ‘How much is that?’ Oh, I’m just looking.
They handle a hundred items and put them down,
shadows with no capital.

What is spent is love and two eyes wet with weeping.
But these walk into a shop,
and their whole lives pass suddenly in that moment,
in that shop.

Where did you go? “Nowhere.”
What did you have to eat? “Nothing much.”

Even if you don’t know what you want,
buy _something,_ to be part of the exchanging flow.

Start a huge, foolish project,
like Noah.

It makes absolutely no difference
what people think of you.

Spiritually Possessed

One of the most frightening things I have ever seen in my life is a person being spiritually possessed and each time I witness this possession I become more and more curious about spirituality.