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Long Description
The secret Rumi found in beholding the Divine in his sacred relationship with Shams-i-Tabriz
• Shows how, in 1244, Sufi poet and mystic Jallaludin Rumi was first brought to a state of ecstatic union with the cosmos and all its creatures
• Reveals the radical spiritual practice Rumi formulated in his private retreat with the mendicant seeker Shams-i-Tabriz
• Uses the poetry and prose of Rumi to explain how to come face-to-face with the Divine
One of the most extraordinary events in the history of Sufism occurred in 1244 when the Sufi poet and mystic Jallaludin Rumi met a wandering seeker named Shams-i-Tabriz. Upon meeting, the two men immediately went into private retreat together, emerging ninety days later in a transformed condition.
In The Spiritual Practices of Rumi, Will Johnson reveals the radical spiritual practice that transpired between Rumi and Shams. To put it simply, they sat and gazed into each other’s eyes. Because the eyes are portals to the soul, their sustained gazing formed the basis of a devotional practice that opened the doors to a profoundly ecstatic state of divine union. Johnson draws on the poetry and prose of Rumi to unfold his story. He also explains how one may embark on the practice of intentional gazing to experience the state of ecstatic divine union shared by Rumi and Shams so many centuries ago.
• Shows how, in 1244, Sufi poet and mystic Jallaludin Rumi was first brought to a state of ecstatic union with the cosmos and all its creatures
• Reveals the radical spiritual practice Rumi formulated in his private retreat with the mendicant seeker Shams-i-Tabriz
• Uses the poetry and prose of Rumi to explain how to come face-to-face with the Divine
One of the most extraordinary events in the history of Sufism occurred in 1244 when the Sufi poet and mystic Jallaludin Rumi met a wandering seeker named Shams-i-Tabriz. Upon meeting, the two men immediately went into private retreat together, emerging ninety days later in a transformed condition.
In The Spiritual Practices of Rumi, Will Johnson reveals the radical spiritual practice that transpired between Rumi and Shams. To put it simply, they sat and gazed into each other’s eyes. Because the eyes are portals to the soul, their sustained gazing formed the basis of a devotional practice that opened the doors to a profoundly ecstatic state of divine union. Johnson draws on the poetry and prose of Rumi to unfold his story. He also explains how one may embark on the practice of intentional gazing to experience the state of ecstatic divine union shared by Rumi and Shams so many centuries ago.
About the Author(s) of The Spiritual Practices of Rumi
Will Johnson is the founder and director of the Institute for Embodiment training, which combines Western somatic psychotherapy with Eastern meditation techniques. He is the author of The Rubais of Rumi and Forbidden Rumi (with Nevit O. Ergin), The Sailfish and the Sacred Mountain, and Yoga of the Mahamudra. He lives in British Columbia.
Praise for The Spiritual Practices of Rumi
“In these most troubled of times, Johnson makes available for any and all the secret of beholding the divine in sacred friendship. This makes for sensitive and intriguing reading that goes right to your heart.”
José Argüelles, author of Time and the Technosphere
José Argüelles, author of Time and the Technosphere
