The 13th century poet Rumi compares the human emotions to a guesthouse with unexpected visitors. In this comparison he sheds light on the actual neutrality of the experienced sentiments and invites us to view all these emotions as a guide to self-realization.
Humans we are very selective. They wear the critical hat and wait impatiently at the entrance of the guesthouse just to violently disinvite the sorrow, the malice, and dark thoughts. They are dismissive of the anxiety, the depression, and the grief, to the point that we have built an entire industry whose sole job is to come up with medications that fight these passing guests. One wonders just how dangerous can these passing guests be? Is there a reason behind their visit?
When we study nature, we come to witness a resonance in every creature and its function. So, if we appreciate the harmony that this combination offers in the outside world; why can’t we begin to appreciate the intelligence present in our inner world of emotions? These guests, as Rumi calls them, are an inner map that help us navigate the complicated path of our psyche. Every emotion gets us one step closer to understanding the journey of our soul. Its needs and desires. Every feeling is a gateway to our true essence.
How can we not be hospitable to such blessings? Piloting the world within can be extremely difficult if we don’t take advantage of such guiding principles. In fact, those of us who feel lost and confused in life have ignored these directions and have dismissed their candid cues. We have been conditioned to immediately assess any felt emotion and assign a good or bad label to it. If the label is good, like an inspector we allow the emotion to take over. If, however the emotion receives a bad label, we immediately discard it by ignoring it, distracting the self, or replacing it with one of the good ones in any shape or form that we can. How can we expect to find our way home if we won’t pay attention to the indicated route?
If we are welcoming and alert, every single sensation is a world of guidance.
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