The Guest House
The Guest House by Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from above.
– “The Essential Rumi: Translations by Coleman Barks with John Moyne”
Tonight, after returning home from my women’s empowerment group, I pulled the above poem out at random as material for today’s daily blog post—it was surely synchronistic!
In “The Guest House” Rumi tells us that emotions are valuable, and all are from Spirit. We should embrace them, even the ones we would like to evade, because each can lead to a new state of being and awareness. The range of emotions are part of being in a human suit, all of them part of the whole. It behooves us to welcome them.
Reading this tonight was synchronistic because the sharing at tonight’s group brought out a gamut of emotions. Since we met last month, each of us have been experiencing some sort of loss and grief, frustration, and stress. But we’ve also felt gratitude, love, and joy. Someone got an ah-ha when she realized that the talk she gave to 7th graders was really meant for her! She appreciated the awareness and felt release.
Yes, the guest house of human beingness is filled with richness, leading us ever higher in consciousness and delight.