Reflections on Rumi
Lesson 14
O heedless one! You are a friend to your ego; you feed on dirt.
But a person with a heart, even if they eat poison, it becomes honey to them.
-Rumi
We ignore the signs. You and your ego are peers that enjoy the same delicacies.
This piece is a sharp reminder to the fool that ignores divine truths, and places his ego on level footing with the divine self. The goal isn’t to kill the ego, that is impossible.
It is to make it subservient, as a domesticated pet. So the question becomes, “do you eat dog food?”
And if you’re introduced to a poison, are you able to transmute it? Once you open up the heart, you can even receive the so-called perils (poisons) of life as divine nourishment.
Even though this lesson is primarily symbolic, there are yogis that have showcased the last line (“it becomes honey to them”) of this parable in real time. The truth is the truth, no matter what arena you put it in.
In this clip, Sadhguru gives some insight into how poison can actually serve as a healing modality for those in the right “state”.
Yea, voluntarily drinking poison and taking scorpion stings its kind of wild 😳, but that's what lies at the other end of the spectrum. Something that would kill most people within minutes, can heal someone else. These are some of the overlooked wonders of creation.
My main takeaway from this reflection is that we are most vulnerable and restricted when our ego is the driving force in our lives. And if the ego is driving, its likely running on an inferior, unpure fuel (source). Once we place it permanently in the passenger seat, we open ourselves up to infinite possibility.
Stop feeding on dirt and we can reach a state where poison becomes honey to us.
Peace & Light