January 22, 2005

Turning into Light

from Hafiz...

The moon came to me last night
with a sweet question.
She said:
“The sun has been my faithful lover
for millions of years.
Whenever I offer my body to him
brilliant light pours from his heart.
Thousands then notice my happiness
and delight in pointing
toward my beauty.
Hafiz, is it true that our destiny
is to turn into Light Itself?”

***
This poem by Hafiz is so beautiful. It is the very light it speaks of. Such sweet music drifting from these lines. His lover, the moon comes to him in the night, in darkness, and she has a question. And the sweetness of the question itself -- just that his lover is asking a question of him, takes him over the top; he is already overflowing with bliss, just with the exchange, the communion with his lover. They are sharing -- the celebration of being meeting itself. This is the key to the whole poem: the blissful celebration inherent in sharing, and the natural sharing that emerges when one is filled with blissfulness.

The moon, filled with loving gratitude, speaks of her communion with the sun. "Whenever I offer my body to him..." And this is what we do -- offer our "body" up. Our body is none other than our externalized soul, and our soul none other than our internalized body. They are not separate. They are unified whole. Only our thinking divides them. So when she offers up her body, she is offering up her totality, her being, her heart. In the offering, in the deep openness and receptivity, "brilliant light pours from his heart." The moon, as an identity disappears, and what remains is light, the light of the source. There is no moon there, no sun, only the one light. Not sunlight, not moonlight, but the one light shining from sun, from moon, from Hafiz, Hafiz to you. This light emerges when we share it. Sun sharing with moon, moon sharing with Hafiz, Hafiz sharing with you, you sharing with... Light grows in this way, expands with the sharing.

Our body is light itself, the clear light of consciousness. When we uncover this consciousness empty of self at the foundation of our being, we are filled with a subtle and exquisite bliss. This flowering produces the fragrance of love that floats to others; the sweet music of the beyond; a luminosity, a love light others can notice in the darkness.

The moon is so overflowing, she shares the beauty of her love light with Hafiz. He in turn shares the light kindled within his own heart with us. Hafiz, you old rascal, hiding your sweet question, your beauty, and your love light in the moon. Did you think we wouldn't notice?


Post by Akilesh

1 comment:

isaiah said...

I love this poem by Hafiz- thanks for posting and for your insight.

I am thrilled when I am able to watch the full moon rise out of the ocean. It always takes my breath away when I suddenly look up and there's the bright moon ascending into the sky. I was once at a wedding reception on the beach as a full moon rose out of the dark waters- all the guests and even the band stopped what they were doing and silence prevailed some time.

What magic! What light!