The soul seeks union with the Beloved, yearning like a reed longing for the reed-bed of its origin. Love's fire ignites within, shaping the raw into the cooked, the raw bean surrendering to the transformative flames. Through discipline and surrender, the self softens, yielding to the divine embrace. In this school of fire, one discovers that what was sought externally was always an echo of the internal longing. The encounter with the holy mirrors the dance of love, a journey of becoming what is loved, of losing oneself to find the essence within. In this sacred banquet, the soul finds its true sustenance.
May you embrace the journey of love's dance,
surrendering to the transformative flames within,
finding true sustenance in the divine embrace,
and discovering that the Beloved you seek is already within you.


(adapted from: Rumi, Masnavi; Belden C. Lane, Backpacking with the Saints)