One love at a time

One love at a time.  That's what I taught Rumi.  “Just one love at a time, Rumi.”

What do I love today?  Am I willing to devote my god/goddess self to creating that, to nurturing that, to honoring that? Are you?  Do you think like this?  

Every day is new.  Every thought can be new.  But are we willing to take it to the next level? Are we willing to make it our art?  Are we willing to devote? And if we're willing to devote, then we're going to take energy from our ability to live, to create something we love.  Are we willing to do that?  Because that's the only reason we're here.  

If you think that you're going to save something up, and some bolt of lightning from somewhere is going to magically... no.  It's going to come to you the way it always comes to you, so that you can make a choice.  And then you realize, I am something that I haven't believed I am!  Something is communicating with me, something's telling me things, it's giving me pictures, inspirations, and it’s pulling me.  I can feel it; it's pulling it right out of me!   

And there's a part of me that's saying, "You can't leave!  You can't do this! What about me?"

And then this light turns us around and we face the apparition and we say, "What about you?  It's always been about you, hasn't it?  As long as I have inhabited this body it's always been about you.  And now it's about me, just me. And I'm going to forgive, and I‘m going to extend my soul kindness, and I'm going to allow you to work with me.  And we are going places.  I'm going to take you places you couldn't believe!  And there's no one that can stand in our way, and I'm going to prove that to you."

"Well, I don't know if I'm going to like—"

“It’s now what you think you may like or dislike.  It’s simply what I’m about to do."

“And what is that?”

“Change life.  I’m going to change it all.  I’m going to do whatever it is I’ve always wanted to do and I wasn’t able to, but I am.”

And then all we have to do is do it.  Once we understand that, it’s a different life.  I understood that in my longing to meet Rumi, I was willing to give everything up, and I did; and I was prepared to invest, and I did; to commit, and I did; to devote, and I did.  And not to fear, not fear any change, but to follow my heart, my soul, and I did.  And you will too.  

Shams

When life got too much, I simply danced.

When life got too much, I simply danced.  I danced.  My dear beloved friend created the dervishes, but I was THE dervish.  I could not handle so much God.  I could not handle so much—and it had nothing to do with fear—so much of life sometimes, so I danced.  I looked at my heart and my heart said, can you feel this rhythm, Shams?  Can you hear this?  Oh, I could! At the most inopportune times I would start twirling!  

“What is his problem?”

And Rumi would just look at them and say, “He’s touched.”

“Ha! That explains it!”

What Rumi didn’t fill in is that he’s touched by God, because they wouldn’t understand.  Rumi did.  For me it was almost as natural dancing, twirling, spinning, as was breathing; because you wouldn’t want to hear me sing.  It was a unique, almost sonorous voice, and so I channeled it, I channeled it into twirling, into dancing.  So maybe you need to dance, or maybe you need to do something because all of this… it’s such a strange time, isn’t it!  

Let me say this, it is weird!  It is so weird, the things that human beings have to endure in these times, it’s beyond weird, it’s crazy.  The way to break through weird and crazy is to get out there and get it on, for nobody’s sake but yours.  And I’m telling you the truth, it worked for me, it’ll work for you.  

Dance, sing, create, do whatever you have to do, but don’t say no.  Don’t do it tomorrow, you do it now; because that’s all that matters.   You are clearing space, you are invalidating an appearance of craziness, and those that accept it will think that you’re crazy.  Oh, you lucky person!  Personally, I loved it.  I loved when they asked, “What’s the matter with your friend?  He is your friend, isn’t he?”

“Oh yes, he’s touched."

“He’s drunk, I guess.”

“He could be!”  

What Rumi didn’t say is he’s drunk on God.  He’s drunk on his own creative essence, he’s drunk because he loves himself so much he can’t stand it, so he has to dance it out, he has to twirl it out, he has to spin it out!  What he also didn’t say is that all of you, everybody that’s around him is blessed with this sacred energy!  Sacred energy. 

But it’s the same for you, isn’t it?  Who understands you? Who has the time to understand you?  Who even cares to understand you, but one or two or three?  I had one for a time; it meant the world to me. Whatever that world was, I was grateful.  I was tough because I had to be, but I was grateful.

Maybe you want to be the same way.  So what do you say?  Let’s be who we’ve never been because, guess what?  You already are, so let it out!  Let it out!  Don’t be afraid, don’t be concerned.  Just be it, and what a beautiful it you are!

Deep love,

Shams