Rumi: Answering Your Call | Inspiring Spiritual Talk

Reverend Wendy continues her series based on the poetry and wisdom of Rumi the 13th century poet and Sufi mystic this week Reverend Wendy looks at the idea of answering our call she talks about specific ways to cultivate a sense of what our passion and purpose is for our lives including ways to listen to the still small voice within all of us so I have been thoroughly enjoying sharing with you my take on some of Rumi's writings and teachings and the series has gotten really strong and positive response from so many of you I did not realize that there were so many in our community that really really enjoy of Rumi so if you're not familiar with Rumi let me give you the briefest little sketch of who room he was Rumi was a 13th century persian poet he was a Sufi mystic and Sufism is a the mystical arm of Islam so Rumi was a Muslim and I think right now it's really important that we expand our understanding of the richness of that teaching and not shy away from it and be afraid of it but anyway he was a great spiritual teacher and as I've said almost every week his words though spoken and written in the 13th century still strike such a resonant chord in so many of us and I think that they do because he writes about ideas that are universal spiritual ideas and principles that are true at their very core so this morning I want to talk to you about answering your call answering your call we believe in unity and metaphysics that we are here by divine appointment we believe in unity and metaphysics and that we are born in original blessing not in original sin we believe that there is a calling a purpose for each and every one of us and what I know is that when an individual knows what their purpose is what their calling is and has chosen to align their life around that calling around that purpose their life works so much better there is happiness there is joy there is satisfaction there is growth there is blessing and to the degree that an individual either ignores their calling or never spends the time to explore and identify what it is to that degree there will feel like there is a disconnect or there is something really significant missing in that individuals life and in fact there is something really significant missing what's missing is the very reason that they are here the very reason their soul has incarnated and the very reason that they are here to make their unique contribution to the betterment of the human family so there are four focus points that I want to share with you this morning and within each of those focus points I will pull some writings quotes from Rumi and then I'll do some commentary on them so here's a very first focus point very basic but very very important and it is this you are needed there is a place for you you are needed you're really needed right now in this world and there is a place for you there is such a need for in this world today for people who are conscious people who are desiring of staying of awakening spiritually and staying awake but even if the times weren't what the times are right now you are still needed and there is a place for you I am needed and there is a place for me let's burn that together I am needed and there is a place for me turn to the person next to you and convince them tell them that and Vince then that that's true for you turn to me I am needed and there is a place for me you are needed and there's a place for you did you believe oh good good can you imagine I say this to you so often can you imagine because I know the power of imagination I know the power of imagination can you imagine if every young person grew up being told that over and over and not just with words but with actions that followed you are needed and there is a place for you and you don't need to be a round peg in a square hole we need you to be whatever you are and be the best of whatever you are and there is a place for you and you are needed we would out of that mindset we would create a fundamentally different world we would be bringing heaven on earth right here and now the only place that really ever can be anyway right here and now because we would be supporting the development of the soul and supporting the development of individuals in a way that we've never done before you are needed there is a place for you Rumi writes everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart and I don't think he's talking about work from the standpoint of pure labour and effort he's talking about the kind of work that is a calling a calling and it is written on your heart it's somebody was talking to me after first service and saying you know we talked about Martin Luther King jr. and his I have a dream speech and he certainly had a dream but you know what is just as true not only did he have a dream but that dream had him that dream had him yeah there's a dream inside of you and it may not be as grandiose or as big or as significant as Mahatma Gandhi is or Martin Luther King jr. or a mother Tracy it doesn't have to be that but there is a dream in you there is a calling in you that is written on your heart is written on your soul and if you do not pay attention to it and if you do not do something with it you will always feel out of sync with yourself with yourself Rumi said let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love you know in Buddhism it is taught that there is an Eightfold Path and one part of that Eightfold Path is Right Livelihood and I don't think it's just right livelihood on the surface level of the outer work you do it includes that but it goes even deeper than that - what is it that is unique about you - what is it that is your genuine way of being in the world that not only blesses you but blesses those around you you see when we talk about or think about this idea of purpose or calling it is too tempting and far too easy to think it just means I gotta find the right kind of job it's not that it's not fundamentally that you see the job is the form what your purpose what your calling is is your essential being your essential qualities those essential qualities can be expressed through many different forms but what remains the same is being true to what those essential qualities and letting them grow and expand in you so let me give you some examples you can think of all different kinds of jobs in the world right right the kinds of qualities or the essence that I'm talking about are things like this the essence of being a natural healer the essence of being a natural teacher the essence of being a natural supporter the essence of being a natural leader and I'll just end with that short list for a moment any one of those essences can be expressed through some of the very same forms called jobs if you will what makes our life work what makes our heart and soul sing is when we know what is our essential gift are essential calling the thing that we just not so much do but are wherever we are no matter what we're doing so for example if your natural essence is that of teacher you may never have a formal job teaching but by golly it seems that no matter where you are you're always teaching you may not be any form in any formal leadership position in the work that you do in the world but no matter what you do you always step in to a conversation or a project or an activity with the heart of a leader because that is who you are is this making a sense well even if the form is wrong even if you find yourself in the outer work that doesn't seem to match up perfectly with the essence of what you are take a step in the right direction by asking yourself how can i still bring more of what i am naturally into that place that is what I mean by saying align yourself align your life around that so identify what are you naturally what is your natural calling there's probably a primary one and maybe a secondary one I know mine or teacher and leader no matter what I do that's who always shows up and I'm finally making peace with it finally making peace with it but no matter where I go no matter what I do that's who shows up and a little girl in the sandbox used to get scolded because little girls weren't supposed to be leaders not when I grew up anyway that's a whole other story so you are needed you are needed there is a place for you Rumi says let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love let that dream have you second focus point learn to be quiet and still often just take that in for a moment learn to be quiet and still often can you feel what begins to happen just through the power of language just through my invitation to you to be still not your head if you can feel even a subtle difference in their room right there is a subtle there is a difference in the room learn to be quiet and still often Rumi says the quieter you become the more you are able to hear the quieter you become the more you are able to hear we live in a really noisy world and right now it's a noisy and angry world in many places which begs us to really protect our practice of being quiet and still often so that we can turn away from that noise and angry chatter not to ignore it not to deny the problems it's pointing to but to make sure that we are paying attention to the right thing that we are cultivating the quality of the inner life the quietness of the inner life for the purpose of being able to connect with that divine wisdom that is inherent in every single one of us its inherent in every single one of us because we are made in the image and after the likeness of this presence this power this field that we call God that we call spirit the quieter you become the more you are able to hear the wisdom of the soul the wisdom of your higher self Rumi also says there is a voice that doesn't use words listen I love that there is a vote that's a danger for somebody who primarily makes her livelihood by talking but he says there is a voice that doesn't use words listen how does that voice communicate it communicates to us we hear it we listen we receive it because we feel something inside when it speaks to us without words we feel a recognition we know it it's like when we pick up the phone and we hear a voice of somebody that we've known for years but haven't heard from in a long time somehow we want we recognize oh that's so-and-so right there is a voice that doesn't use words listen and we will recognize the wisdom of that voice we will recognize the guidance of that voice the quieter you become the more you are able to hear too often we live just through the use of our analytical rational mind the more important the decisions you have before you in your life the more critical it is to learn how to be quiet and still and listen within a couple of weeks ago I received a call from Jim Blake who is the CEO of unity world Minister unity world headquarters our national movement asking me if I would consider putting my hat in the ring to serve on the National Board for unity it would be a very high position a very high honor and I've been asked before and I've said no before and for some reason this time despite very full plate and so forth there was a part of me that said at least be open and consider so I said alright I'll consider it and we set up some time and I talked to Jim I had a lot of questions I did a lot of listening to to his answers to my questions and then I said you know what Jim let me let me be quiet about this let me sit with this for a bit and let me pray about this and I did and I got as quite a as I possibly could to turn off that thinking mind that wants to go to well if I say yes it looks like this and if I say no it looks like that and well should I do this or should I do you not have part of the thinking mind right I don't know how it is for you but I know for me boy sometimes especially if it's a decision I have to make that part is in overdrive and overtime and I knew that this answer needed to come from a different place and when I was able to finally turn that chatter off and just be completely still and listen and be with whatever came up I got an absolutely crystal-clear answer and the answer was no not now and one of the ways I know that that was absolutely the right and highest and best answer for me was the peace that I felt afterwards not relief but peace that I felt afterwards and the kind of peace that was the result of if I had made the decision by my own best thinking what would have happened is I still would have been second-guessing it no matter whether I had said yes or no I would have still been second-guessing it does that make sense this to me is the place in our lives of practicing these kinds of tools of transformation the tool of real learning to become still and quiet and listen and to do it as long as it takes until we get the answer because sometimes the answer comes quickly and sometimes it takes a little while the third focus point know where to look know where to look we're talking about answering your your call know where to look when I hear myself saying those words I can't help but think of that country-and-western something that was popular quite some time ago about looking for love in all the wrong places but you know what we look for a lot of the important things in life in all the wrong places there is an expression in metaphysics that says go within or go without there's a lot of wisdom in that go within or go without I would at least say go within first go within first go within first Rumi says and you when will you begin that long journey into yourself well if you're cultivating becoming quiet and still that's the entre point into the long journey into yourself he also says maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots that's powerful maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots think about that visually for a moment we see the branches of a tree right if it's a healthy tree we don't see the roots they are beneath what we can see he is saying look inside cultivate inside your answers are there your own best guidance system is there right in side maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots it's not out here Jesus said something very similar he said why do you look for the kingdom of heaven out there it is not out there low the kingdom of heaven is where within you within you it's so much easier though to try to look out here right then to get quiet get still and look within the fourth focus point in the last focus point move forward where you feel energy and an opening move forward where you feel energy and an opening we're talking about answering your call move forward where you feel energy and an opening when something is right it has a certain feeling when something is right there's a certain movement of energy a certain openness a certain pull if you will Rumi says there is a candle in your heart ready to be kindled there is a void in your soul ready to be filled you feel it don't you you feel it this is respond to every call that excites your spirit when you do when you do when you respond to the calls that excite your spirit when you respond to the guidance that you receive what will happen is you will experience an opening something will open that invites you to move even if it's just a step or an inch forward toward that direction one of the biggest things and changes one of the biggest things I learned and took me a while to learn it and one of the most important things I learned was how guidance shows up in my life and it absolutely does show up as the still small voice and knowingness a recognition but then it also shows up in terms of a movement of energy in terms of something opens that previously had seemed to be shut or closed and the biggest shift for me was when I stopped insisting while okay God if this is guidance okay spirit if this is guiding I want to see the whole plant just tell me the whole thing please and then I'll have the courage to take that step forward and what do you think would happen didn't get it just didn't get it but I was a perfect excuse to just sit back and say well then I don't have to do any of it the ego does very funny things very funny things but instead when I finally got well you know what it's not working by demanding of God give me the whole journey maybe what I need to do is take the step that is before me where there is an opening where there is a movement of positive energy a feeling of joy and maybe just maybe if I'd take that step the next one or two will be revealed to me as well and you know what that's very much the way that it works so in closing Rumi says there is an inner wakefulness that directs the dream and that will eventually startled as back to the truth of who we are I want to invites you to be back to the truth of who you are because who you are is something precious and beautiful unique and special and we need you to be the most awake most authentic most beautiful you that you can possibly be you're needed there's a place for you answer your call don't let it go to voicemail thanks for listening Sunday services at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. inclusivity it's worth the drive subscribe to our podcasts and download our free app for instant access to a wealth of spiritual teachings services and events [Music]

Channel: The Unity Center San Diego

Views: 42,646

Rating: 4.9200001 out of 5

Keywords: The Unity Center, New Thought, Community, San Diego, Spirituality, Church, Science of Mind, Meditation, Personal Growth, Affirmations, Inclusivity, Diversity, Unity, Abundance, Activism, Mindfulness, Miracles, Prayer, sdsu, ucsd, usd, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, MCAS, Mira Mesa, Miramar, Chula Vista, Escondido, El Cajon, Vista, Poway, San Marcos, Encinitas, La Mesa, Del Mar, Consciousness

Id: Uh79ZkWP1XA

Length: 24min 36sec (1476 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 28 2017