“If you knew yourself for even one moment, if you could just glimpse your most beautiful face, maybe you wouldn’t slumber so deeply in that house of clay. Why not move into your house of joy and shine into every crevice! For you are the secret Treasure-bearer, and always have been. Didn’t you know?”
You’ve just read one of my (many) favorite poems written by the 13th century Persian mystic named Jelaluddin Rumi.
If you are not familiar with the writings of the divinely-inspired Rumi, then I highly recommend you take a look at his work and see if you feel his writing touch your soul as it has mine.
Rumi has a way of cutting through the outward appearance of life by reminding us who we really are and just how close the Divine Presence is to each of us; right here, right now.
Imagine if you and I (and a few others) were sitting together in a small group with the intention of sharing what Rumi’s poem quoted above meant to each of us, what would you say?
As you read the quote, what does it mean to you?
Here, I’ll go first…
These are some of my thoughts about the meaning of this beautiful poem.
As with many of Rumi’s poems, in the first sentence he pulls us into a deeper level of awareness, saying, “If you knew yourself for even a moment.”
Do you really know yourself?
Who you really are?
Or are you still slumbering in your “house of clay”?
The house of clay refers to our physical bodies.
This probably isn’t the first time you’ve read spiritual writings talking about “slumbering/being asleep” or “waking up.”
They don’t mean the type of “sleep” we all experience at the end of a day.
No.
They mean if a person is not awakened to who they really are, to the true perception of oneself as a spiritual being, then they are considered to be “still asleep.”
Rumi is asking us, hey, why continue walking through life in this slumbering state?
In the next part of the same sentence, he reminds us that when we catch just a glimpse of this higher state of consciousness and come to realize that who we really are is far more than the house of clay, our entire perspective, our entire outlook on ourselves and on life, changes.
When we catch just a glimpse of our trueness, joy springs forth from within.
By receiving just a glimpse of our beautifulness, it allows the light within our spirits, the divine light within each and every one of us to shine forth.
Although I just alluded to it, the third sentence in the poem reveals a secret, which of course is no longer a secret… that YOU are a “Treasure-bearer.”
What do you think that means?
Here’s my opinion…
A “bearer” is one who carry’s or upholds something, in this case, a treasure!
We carry this treasure with us wherever we go. We don’t have to earn it, or somehow qualify for it, as some may suggest.
We already carry it, we have all along.
The treasure is not merely a gift we have been freely given; the treasure gets to the very essence of who we are.
What is this treasure?
Inside of the house of clay (our physical body) resides the spirit.
Inside of the spirit resides an essence, a spark, a fragment of God.
It’s called by different names, but it doesn’t change what it is.
A drop of water from the ocean is still a part of the ocean; just as the part of divinity in our spirits is still part and one with the whole of Spirit.
So these are just a few of my thoughts, now it’s your turn!
I would love to hear your take on what Rumi’s poem means to you. You are free to share your thoughts below.
As a part of your personal spiritual practices, I invite you to include inner work like this as we all move forward, fully awake.
As always, I wish you the highest and best on your spiritual journey. Let me know if you need any guidance along the way.
Much Love to you my friends. Peace 🙂
