06/21/2026
What is the soul? Consciousness. The more awareness, the
deeper the soul, and when
such essence overflows, you feel a sacredness around. It’s
so simple to tell one who
puts on a robe and pretends to be a dervish from the real
thing. We know the taste
of pure water. Words can sound like a poem but not have
any juice, no flavor to
relish. how long do you look at pictures on a bathhouse
wall? Soul is what draws
you away from those pictures to talk with the old woman
who sits outside by the door
in the sun. She’s half blind, but she has what soul loves
to flow into. She’s kind, she weeps.
She makes quick personal decisions, and laughs so easily.
from Rumi, Soul and the Old Woman, as translated by Coleman Barks
