Welcome,
Dear friends.
This is Ali.
Today,
We will be meditating on one of my most favorite poems,
Only One Rule,
By Hafiz.
As many of you know,
Hafiz is a beloved Persian Sufi poet who lived in the 14th century,
About the time of Chaucer,
And about a hundred years after Rumi.
I came to learn and love the inspiration of Hafiz's poetry through the renditions by Daniel Ladinsky.
Over 15 years ago,
I was transported as I read every poem in his book,
The Gift,
Poems by Hafiz,
The great Sufi master,
As translated by Daniel Ladinsky.
And this poem sang to my heart.
What I want to do is read the poem out loud,
Once share a personal story,
And then read the poem again to give you more time to reflect on the message you hear.
It is my privilege and honor to read Only One Rule,
By Hafiz,
As rendered by Daniel Ladinsky.
The sky is a suspended blue ocean.
The stars are the fish that swim.
The planets are the white whales I sometimes hitch a ride on.
The sun and all light have forever fused themselves into my heart and upon my skin.
There is only one rule in this wild playground.
Every sign Hafiz has ever seen reads the same.
They all say,
Have fun,
My dear.
Have fun in the beloved's divine game.
Oh,
In the beloved's wonderful game.
How beautiful.
At the time,
Over 15 years ago,
When I first read this poem,
I was still transitioning from a career on Wall Street and was very early in my journey of lightening up,
Letting go,
And experiencing meditation at deeper levels.
I wrote in my book,
I think at the time,
I wrote in my book,
I think this is one of the most beautiful poems I have ever read.
Have fun has been a mantra I have used for much of my career.
In fact,
When I was interviewing for a position at a corporate bank in Chicago very early on in my career,
I was asked to highlight my career objectives.
The first two objectives I offered up were very standard MBA type objectives.
The last objective I offered up was to have fun.
From that day on,
My new boss,
One of the firm's top executives,
Always teased me by asking,
Are you having fun yet?
To be honest,
As I went through a corporate career in Chicago and then on Wall Street,
I really wasn't having a lot of fun.
I look back at movies in the 80s and 90s and I'm not sure I saw a single movie for those decades.
And now,
As I pursue my coaching and meditation teaching career,
I'm still learning how to have fun and it keeps changing.
So I have a framed copy of this poem on a wall in my condo just to remind me,
Have fun.
Dear friend,
Have fun in this one precious life we have been gifted.
Do I still get caught up in challenging assignments and need to step back and lighten up?
Absolutely,
And every crisis in my life has caused me to deepen my meditation practice.
In fact,
This year,
I have added a second meditation of the day to complement my bookend meditations at the start and the finish of each day.
So let's pause,
Take a deep breath.
I've shared my story.
I hope you're running your own story in your own mind.
And it is my joy to read one more time,
Only One Rule.
The sky is a suspended blue ocean.
The stars are the fish that swim and the planets are the white whales I sometimes hitch a ride on.
The sun and all light have forever fused themselves into my heart and upon my skin.
There is only one rule in this wild playground.
Every sign Hafiz has ever seen reads the same.
They all say,
Have fun,
My dear,
My dear,
Have fun in the beloved's divine game.
Oh,
In the beloved's wonderful game.
What new idea,
Intuition,
Intention springs to your mind right now?
Many blessings on your journey.
Have a splendiferous day,
Dear friends.
Namaste.
