"Love Your Journey Through Life!"

Writing and Art for the Soul

The Illuminated Rumi

Poetry that calls me back to the Divine, commentary that places the words in context, and art that illuminates. What's not to love about this book? Rumi is my favorite spiritual poet and the continual message is come back to the Divine. I was moved to tears twice in the first six pages. The rest of the book is just as potent.

Come,

Whoever you are! Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving,

Come.

This is not a caravan of despair. It doesn't matter if you've broken your vow a thousand times, still

Come,

and yet again

Come!

Rumi was a Sufi mystic living at the western portal of the silk route in Turkey. He lived in the confluence of great world religions -- Muslim, Christian, Hindu and even Buddhists travelers mixed and mingled in the mid-thirteenth century. Rumi's poetry is simple and direct; it communicates directly to the heart. Coleman Barks, who has translated these, speaks with a delightful American idiom that captures the directness and the spirit of the work.

The illustrations are illuminations. They make me want to be an artist. They, at the risk of repeating myself, illuminate. Michael Green draws from all sources for his ideas and freely mixes them in the spirit of Rumi's time. I especially like the illustration of this poem with the delicate curvilinear trails of atomic particles inside of a traditional Islamic frame.

Who gets up early To discover the moment Light begins? Who finds us here, circling, bewildered like atoms?

That's why I read constantly and network all over the globe to uncover the best Tools for your journey.