Nothing seems to bring out the panicking, reductive inclination of humanity like needing to make a change. Hafiz warns in this poem to beware of those placing value judgements and rules upon what delivers joy and abundance into our lives. Be aware of those who declare that the natural sensual world and our very creative natures - our enthusiasm and empowerment - are but wayward resources to be contained, tamed and conquered. We are not less than, as they imply. We are more than they can understand. A scarcity mindset requires an abundance of fear to survive and there are always tiny gods ready to provoke apprehension and despair for their sustenance. Tiny gods cultivate subservience and promise a false idea of safety with compliance.
Thank you for listening.
Music: I came for the visual in this video but I stayed for the music. Vangelis who died in 2022, possibly from complications from the plague, was a fiercely private, independent, and talented composer. He scored this beautiful piece of music for the movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise. It is called, Conquest of Paradise.
When the European conquistadors discovered New World the 1400's, they brought with them their many tiny gods who set out enforce a system of rules that overwhelmed the natural laws that were central to the culture utilized by the humans living on this continent. These doctrines forced natural living and its wisdom into the shadows introducing a great imbalance in the male and female energetic. These gods were tiny but mighty in number and fierce in their need for control. We now have many of these tiny gods embedded in our culture. They are gods who dictate all manner of behaviors contrary to love and compassion to serve their own survival. We empower them daily.
Painting, Desembarco de Cortés by Antonio María Esquivel.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz (including an addendum regarding the authenticity of these poems) can be found here.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.
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