gateway into the mystery
It has been said, to pursue a purely intellectual understanding of God is like trying
to see with your hands. That which is without color or form, unlimited and unfathomable,
beyond imagination, without beginning or end, is impossible to conceive with the mind.
When it comes to that experience, the brain is not the tool we need. Yet, there is a way,
it is built in, as natural as waking up in the morning. This is the message of the mystic
poets, who see the relationship between a seeker and God as similar as between a
child and a parent, close friends, or a lover and their Beloved. They emphasize simple
things like love and faith and consistent remembrance and treating all with respect.
Their love for the Creator awakens in the heart a yearning to see and experience for
oneself. To touch the ocean of Oneness, to know with certainty, to be washed with
contentment and peace, and feel a Love that does not die.
Metaphor
the heart of mystic poetry
Much of mystic poetry is meant to be read and interpreted as metaphor, not fact. Consider Plato's allegory of the cave and the escapee trying to describe the beauty of sunshine to the prisoners who have known only darkness and shadow. It is necessary for the poet to re-interpret their experience into something relatable. This may seem like stating the obvious, but there are many Professors who insist that Omar Khayyam continued reference to wine in his Rubaiyat is a reference to alcohol: this may not be true. The reference to wine in mystic poetry is a metaphor for the pure love of the divine and the feeling of intoxication it brings. In the poem below, when the poet makes this reference "God is singing within your heart", this suggests an experience, similar to the emotional response of hearing a beautiful voice.Perhaps the narrow interpretation of mystic poetry comes from a lack of faith - is it really possible to experience the touch of God, the love of God? Perhaps there is doubt that God can be so personal and real? Or there is an inability to accept that there may be something that exists outside one's realm of study - all must fit into what is already known, otherwise it doesn't exist. One can only guess the source of the difficulty. But the way to read and experience mystic poetry is with the heart; as if listening to a beautiful piece of music. The notes follow a logic of their own, the beauty comes from letting it flow through your heart unimpeded and feeling the feeling it creates.
I know who you are, I know who I am I know the truth and the meaning of love. God is singing within your heart breathing inside your breath more close than a hand within a glove or a thought within the head. If you listen, my friend, with an open heart you will know this declaration's true the Truth? You forgot some time ago the surprise - the revelation's you you wrote this poem yes, you back then when your heart was filled with ecstasy blind drunk on the clear wine of love.
