The Religion of Love

This is a re-post of Tanya's latest blog (and if you've ever read any of MY blogs, you probably know who she is ;-). I wanted to share this because her thoughts on this matter pretty much mirror my thoughts, as well. Although I must say she is much better at staying on track and summarizing without rambling, as I am wont to do. Again, if you've read my blogs then, well...you know.

I love this poem, and I love this blog.
Because I am curious. Because I love learning. And because the only thing I know with all certainty is how much I DON'T know and will probably never understand in this lifetime, I try to remain open-minded to every possibility.

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My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the Ka’aba of the pilgrims,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the book of the Qur’an.
I follow the religion of love:
Whatever path Love’s camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.

~Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi

I came across this poem while perusing Seane Corn's website in search of more information on Vinyasa Yoga and yoga programs for children here on Maui. Sidebar: there are no accessible classes for children of working parents and I think tdhat I may inquire to the YMCA about incorporating a program into the A+ program -- but I digress from my original thought flow for this blog. So ... like I said, I came across this translation of a poem by Ibn Arabi and fell in love with it immediately. Why? You may ask. Well I have been having what I can only describe as a war of thoughts lighting up my brain. I have been violently annoyed with the hypocrisy of the attendees of organized religion, the perversion of the messages of sacred tomes that serve as the cornerstones of the mainstream religions, the ignorance of the sheep who would follow the wolf blindly into the night. By the same token, I shake my head at the equal zealous adherence to scientific evolution and intolerance toward spirituality ... as if binary code alone could unlock the mystery of the universe and the existence thereof. It has been a push and pull of angel/devil arguments inside my brain as I peruse the evolution fan site on Facebook. Then yesterday, I guess I looked like a heathen in need of saving, for I was accosted in the parking lot of Safeway by two Mormon missionaries. I looked up into the heavens and inquired ... "Really God? Really?" Then today I found that poetry passage ... as if He, the Universe, She ... were telling me it's okay Tanya. Don't sweat it. It can be All.

In the words of the bloggess and De-Ann ... "Well played God. Well played."