"God’s presence is there in front of me, a fire on the left,
a lovely stream on the right.
One group walks toward the fire, into the fire, another
toward the sweet flowing water.
No one knows which are blessed and which not.
Whoever walks into the fire appears suddenly in the stream.
A head goes under on the water surface, that head
pokes out of the fire.
Most people guard against going into the fire,
and so end up in it.
Those who love the water of pleasure and make it their devotion
are cheated with this reversal.
The trickery goes further.
The voice of the fire tells the truth, saying I am not fire.
I am fountainhead. Come into me and don’t mind the sparks.
If you are a friend of God, fire is your water.
You should wish to have a hundred thousand sets of mothwings,
so you could burn them away, one set a night.
The moth sees light and goes into fire. You should see fire
and go toward light. Fire is what of God is world-consuming.
Water, world-protecting.
Somehow each gives the appearance of the other. To these eyes
you have now
what looks like water burns. What looks like
fire is a great relief to be inside.
You’ve seen a magician . . .
How much more amazing [are] God’s tricks . . .
One molecule-mote-second thinking of God’s reversal of comfort
and pain
is better than attending any ritual. That splinter
of intelligence is substance.
The fire and water themselves:
Accidental, done with mirrors."
Jelaluddin Rumi
Photo: Midway Geyser Basin at sunset, Yellowstone National Park, WY, September 3, 2011
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