Rumi-nations....

     Well-my new favorite read is Rumi--the 13c Persian mystic. How I got a copy of "The Essential Rumi" ( a 300+ page collection of his works/translated by Coleman Barks) is a great story. I was in a bookstore, looking at a small collection/sample (less than 50 pages) of his poetry. I felt guilty--the inner voices said "he is a Muslim mystic--wont you be unfaithful to God if you read it?" So--I put it back on the shelf and went up to the checkout with my other purchases. THREE DAYS LATER, I was with a good friend having brunch, when she whipped out a bag and said--hey--I got you a Christmas present--I hope you don't already have it...and it was--you guessed it: THE ESSENTIAL RUMI !!!! :) I laughed out loud right there and felt God saying--"Well, if you can't buy it for yourself, I will GIVE IT TO YOU!!! YOU NEED TO READ THIS!!!"

     Rumi's work--prose and poetry is simply some of the most incredible work I have ever read. His reflections, or pardon the pun, Ruminations :), on God, the contemplative life, and spiritual growth, are like a glass of refreshing ice water to the soul...I don't even know where to start--my words would seem effusive unless you have read it and know what I am talking about...so, here is an appetizer for you all: one of his poems, called "The Pickaxe:"

The Pickaxe
Some commentary on "I was a hidden treasure,
and I desired to be known"; tear down
this house. A hundred thousand new houses
can be built from the transparent yellow carnelian
buried beneath it, and the only way to get to that
is to do the work of demolishing and then
digging under the foundations. With that value
in hand all the new construction will be done
without effort. And anyway, sooner or later this house
will fall on its own. The jewel treasure will be
uncovered, but it won’t be yours then. The buried
wealth is your pay for doing the demolition,
the pick and shovel work. If you wait and just
let it happen, you’d bite your hand and say,
“I didn’t do as I knew I should have.” This
is a rented house. You don’t own the deed.
You have a lease, and you’ve set up a little shop,
where you barely make a living sewing patches
on torn clothing. Yet only a few feet underneath
are two veins, pure red and bright gold carnelian.
Quick! Take the pickaxe and pry the foundation.
You’ve got to quit the seamstress work.
What does the patch-sewing mean, you ask. Eating
and drinking. The heavy cloak of the body
is always getting torn. You patch it with food,
and other restless ego-satisfactions. Rip up
one board from the shop floor and look into
the basement. You’ll see two glints in the dirt.  --Rumi

So, start digging for your treasure my friends--don't settle for anything less. --Pam

Top Reads of my 45 Year Life....

Hi gang! Thought I would share with you my favorite books, i.e., those texts that have been the most formative in my own personal life. These are the books that I revisit and have re-read regularly over the past decade or so. Ironically, two of them were purchased from "sale racks" which given their incredible content, I can only assume the bookstore owners never read them or they would have instead charged triple! Nonetheless--here they are:

       1. New Seeds of Contemplation (by Thomas Merton) a wonderful, thoughtful read on being a contemplative.

       2. The Impact of God (by Ian Matthews) A very accessible primer on St. John of the Cross--basically his profound ideas for the regular person like you and me. I have never read his actual stuff--I understand it is thick to wade through.

       3. A Clearing Season:Refections for Lent (by Susan Parsons) A gentle approach on Lent...good for those of us who tend tend to live an introspective life...and can overdo it if not careful during lent :)

       4.The Suffering of God (Terrence Frietheim). Highlights all the verses about God's deep love in the Old Testament that "Hellfire" preachers unfortunately seem to have forgotten...I am changed each time I read it.

       5. Gospel of John--my fav gospel. How can you go wrong reading the reflections of the disciple whom "Jesus loved?" Interestingly enough, John's main theme is indeed love. How much God loves us and how much God wants us to love one another. A mystic if there ever was one!

Keep Warm!  :) Pam

Half-Way Done!

Well--not really half-way done. How do I know? I am however, half-way done with my LMT training program at the New School of Massage, Bodywork & Healing, in downtown Chicago. It has been mentally challenging--but also incredibly stimulating to my thoughts about integration of theology, psychology and somatic awareness. I am starting this blog as a way to begin recording my musings as I begin to work with people in the Bodywork field--and how I change as a result. So far in clinic--people are either relaxed after I have worked on them--or unabashedly fall asleep--with snoring included. Let me tell you--I count a good snorer as a very high compliment in bodywork--not so much in psychotherapy! Ha! What a great journey this is!