The Root Of The Root Of Your Self
Don’t go away, come near.
Don’t be faithless, be faithful.
Find the antidote in the venom.
Come to the root of the root of yourself.
Molded of clay, yet kneaded
from the substance of certainty,
a guard at the Treasury of Holy Light —
come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
Once you get hold of selflessness,
You’ll be dragged from your ego
and freed from many traps.
Come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
You are born from the children of God’s creation,
but you have fixed your sight too low.
How can you be happy?
Come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
You were born from a ray of God’s majesty
and have the blessings of a good star.
Why suffer at the hands of things that don’t exist?
Come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
You are a ruby embedded in granite.
How long will you pretend it’s not true?
We can see it in your eyes.
Come to the root of the root of your Self.
You came here from the presence of that fine Friend,
a little drunk, but gentle, stealing our hearts
with that look so full of fire; so,
come, return to the root of the root of your Self.
[...]
Poetry of Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi
Translated by Kabir Helminski
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does the root of the root of your self mean to you? Can you share a personal experience of a time you returned to the root of the root of your self? What helps you realize that you are a ruby embedded in granite?
Add Your Reflection
16 Past Reflections
On May 29, 2021 Melanie Foster wrote :
2 replies: Zanne, Joyce | Post Your Reply
On May 29, 2021 sadhana wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Dec 14, 2020 Revanth wrote :
Every time I read it, it fills me with inexplicable emotions. Thank you so much for sharing this here.
Post Your Reply
On Apr 9, 2020 Stephanie abbott wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Jun 26, 2019 Ian wrote :
1 reply: Ariel | Post Your Reply
On Jun 23, 2019 Lindsay Rudland wrote :
Post Your Reply
On May 30, 2019 Glenda Fields wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Jan 28, 2019 balasubramanian wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Nov 23, 2018 Angela C. Montano wrote :
I am so grateful to have received this email....to be reading these words translated from Rumi's poetry. Just reading these words, I begin to return to the root of the root of myself. For me, everytime I am willing to question a stressful thought and realize it is false, I come back to the root of the root of me.
Post Your Reply
On Nov 20, 2018 Quacinda Jodyne Topkok wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Nov 17, 2018 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Post Your Reply
On Nov 17, 2018 david doane wrote :
The root of the root of my self is my essence, my soul, the extension of God that is me. I don't know when I became aware of the root of the root of my self. I think I was honing in on it for a long time, and got there maybe a dozen years ago, I think by being dissatisfied with beliefs I had, questioning, seeking, being open, listening to me and to the wisdom of teachers like Rumi, and letting go of beliefs that didn't make sense. A ruby embedded in granite means to me that I am an expression of God embodied in flesh and bone and material reality. What helps me to realize that is being open, listening to the wisdom of teachers, letting go, waking up, seeing.