In the Beloved's Loving Arms. {182.}

In the Beloved's Loving Arms. {182.}
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“How did you get away?
You were the pet falcon of an old woman.
Did you hear the falcon-drum?
You were a drunken songbird put in with owls.
Did you smell the odor of a garden?
You got tired of sour fermenting
and left the tavern.

You went like an arrow to the target
from the bow of time and place.
The man who stays at the cemetery pointed the way,
but you didn’t go.
You became light and gave up wanting to be famous.
You don’t worry about what you’re going to eat,
so why buy an engraved belt?

I’ve heard of living at the centre,
but what about leaving the centre of the centre?
Flying toward thankfulness, you become the rare bird
with one wing made of fear, and one of hope.
In autumn, a rose crawling along the ground in the cold wind.
Rain on the roof runs down and out by the spout
as fast as it can.

Talking is pain. Lie down and rest,
now that you’ve found a friend to be with.”

---- Mystical poem by Jalaluddin Rumi.
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Solid Foundation for One’s Life. {157.}

Solid Foundation for One’s Life. {157.}
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“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice
is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock.
The rains came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house;
yet it did not fall,
because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not put them into practice
is like a foolish man
who built his house on sand.
The rains came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell with a great crash.”

---- The Bible; Matthew 7:24-27.
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