For the several years, I have been intrigued and delighted with the poems of the 14th century Sufi poet, Hafiz (pronounced Ha-feez). I enjoy him even more than Rumi because he has such a forgiving, funny and comforting idea of the divine. There is one poem, “Venus Just Asked Me” from The Subject Tonight is Love that I especially share with my retreatants and clients. I hope that it will also speak to you. For space reasons I will not give the proper line arrangement. Perhaps for just one minute of the day, it may be of value to torture yourself with thoughts like, “I should be doing a hell of a lot more with my life than I am–cause I am so damn talented.” But remember, for just one minute of the day. With all the rest of your time. it would be best to try looking upon your self more as God does. For He knows your true royal nature. God is never confused and can see only Himself in you. My dear, Venus just leaned down and asked me to tell you a secret, to confess she’s just a mirror who has been stealing your light and music for centuries. She knows, as does Hafiz. You are the sole heir to The King.

I think there is this annoying voice in the back of our heads that often says to us that we are not doing enough with our lives, that we do not give 100% in a given situation, etc. I think this voice partly stems from our cultural emphasis on activity and performance. Our society gives little value to being, to silence, to taking time to walk in the woods or having a cup of tea without being on the run. It is a very yang approach to life and disregards the yin qualities of beingness, receptivity, intuition and emptiness. This voice also comes from our inner critic who wants us to be perfect. We gave this critic its job when we falsely decided at a very young age that if we do it perfectly, others will love us. Most of us do not relate to the line cause I am so damn talented. as well as to the first part of that sentence. I think many of us have a low estimation of our abilities, especially in comparison with what is broadcasted in the media. But this sense of inadequacy prods us to perform even more. Hafiz turns all of this around in a most wonderful way. He eliminates our need to be perfect or to place such an emphasis on performance by saying that we are already kingly or queenly. The true self, who is the sole heir to the divine, is already there in you. It is a matter of connecting with it and then acting from that place of light, beauty and sovereignty. This in turn helps to see the royal nature in those we meet and to treat them accordingly. This realization can truly help us get off the treadmill of constant activity and bring more peace and enjoyment to life.