Radio Rumi: Recent Episodes
Radio Rumi
Radio Rumi is hosted by Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz at the University of Maryland. Keshavarz is author of award winning books including Reading Mystical Lyric: the Case of Jalal al-Din Rumi (USC Press,1998), Recite in the Name of the Red Rose (USC Press, 2006) and a book of literary analysis and social commentary titled Jasmine and Stars: Reading more than Lolita in Tehran (UNC Press, 2007). She has also published other books and numerous journal articles. Keshavarz is a published poet in Persian and English and an activist for peace and justice.
In this summer special episode, I discuss the worldly awareness of medieval Persian poets and thinkers, emphasizing their attention to cultures different than their own. Three figures are showcased: the philosopher Aziz Nasafi, Rumi, and Sa'di of Shiraz.
This episode focuses on the complexity of the concept of madness in Rumi's poetry. It explores our poet's approach to madness as a tool that curbs the power of rules and regulations to allow the formation of human spiritual originality.
This program is dedicated to the significance of dancing in human life. I start with Hafiz of Shiraz, then move on to Sa'di's approach to the topic and end with a ghazal of Rumi which uses the refrain "Come on! Dance!" We explore what these medieval poets think dancing does for us.
On the occasion of the arrival of spring, millions of people across the globe are celebrating "Nowruz." In this program, I explore the literary, symbolic, and spiritual meanings of the concept of spring through a few examples from the ghazals of Hafiz, Sa‘di, and Rumi.
In this program, I focus on wine and wine-house in the poetry of Hafiz of Shiraz. In the journey that we take from Konya to Shiraz, instead of asking whether the wine that Hafiz drank was real or allegorical, I explore the wine-house itself as a counter space to places of worship.
In this episode, I focus on the ways in which one of my favorite philosophers and a few life-companion poets (including Rumi) discuss an important aspect of our life journey: traveling from the isolation of an ego to the generosity of sharing ourselves with trusted companions.
I start this program with a quote from a modern Western philosopher about the interconnection of all life everywhere. Comparing his view with that of a medieval Persian Sufi, I then share with you Hafiz and Rumi's poetic expressions of the same idea: life as a harmonious interrelation.
A large part of the world has just celebrated Christmas. This program looks into the poetic presence of Jesus in classical Persian poetry and his symbolic dedication to perpetuating life and honoring its sanctity.
In this episode, we take another poetic journey to Shiraz to spend Yalda with the master poet, Saʿdi. He speaks of the symbolic significance of nights as moments of repose, and of cruelty to others as the true darkness. We return to Konya wishing Iranians' suffering in this Yalda of cruelty to come to an end soon.
This episode is dedicated to the Iranian children suffering as the violent response to the uprisings causes them harm. I focus on children as the dynamic, playful, and growing presences in our lives. Rumi speaks of them frequently as he alludes to our child within, the part of us which yearns for growth.
I start this episode by describing the concept of the Self - "Khod" in Persian - as an ongoing inner process. I then explore Rumi's words on the way this Self, when liberated, can become a Lover or "Ashegh," a site for the glow of the fire of life.
This episode is dedicated to the concept of healing, as Rumi speaks about. In his view, healing is not a thing which happens to us but something that we build gradually. It begins by taking action, observing results, and building on them with more action. To teach us this difficult concept, he uses examples from nature.
In this episode, I talk about seasonal change and the autumn, which we usually see as a sign that the summer has ended. For Rumi, the pale leaves are more than that. Dealing with the short days and cold winds, waiting for the spring, the autumn leaves know the story of lovers’ separation.
In this program I continue to explore what poetry was to Rumi. Sometimes it was the music to his happy moments, and comfort during sadness. But he also used it for more complex things like keeping us curious, or showing us the value in perplexity. Most of all, he loved helping us discover the movement in things that seem unable to move, like grapes' journey to sweetness. I end with our own journey to Shiraz, again, where Saʿdi's poetry helped me reach my ailing mother.
In this program, I start by underlining Rumi's emphasis on the concept of sokhan ('human speech'). For our poet, human beings are made up of their thoughts, which they give birth to when they speak. Like roads, even superhighways, human speech connects peoples and cultures across cities and continents. Then we do something new: we travel from Konya where Rumi lived all the way to the Southwest of Iran, to hear the Great Saʿdi of Shiraz on the same topic.
In this first of a two-part program, I'll take you on the cosmic journey that Rumi plans for his readers. "There are thieves in town," he tells us but who are these thieves, and what do they want? Why does Rumi celebrate their arrival and what does he tell us to do when facing them?
In this program I explore the concept of "birth" in Rumi's lyric poetry as it applies to the entire cosmos. The convergence of the Winter Solstice, Christmas, and the Iranian Yalda celebrations indicate the symbolic significance of birth in many cultures. What does birth mean to Rumi? How does he put his poetic mark on this universal human experience?
In this program I speak of Rumi’s vision on giving thanks. Describing “patience” and “gratitude” as the twin roads to contentment, Rumi points to our capacity for anticipation as a great source of strength. “The one who has sensed the scent of the rose,” he says ” will dance all the way to the garden.”
In this episode we stroll through one of Rumi's ghazals with an eye on discovering the vibrancy and glow of this mystical metropolis. In the process we meet a few of its inhabitants some as majestic as Moses, and connect with the core of our own being.
We have all experienced varying levels of isolation in our efforts to slow down a pandemic. In this program I focus on the ways in which Rumi thinks and talks about loneliness and isolation. Was he ever lonely in his own life? What caused it, and how did he speak about it?
In this program, I focus on the concept of trust or "tavakkol" which is a stage in the Sufi spiritual journey. I explore this concept through the lens of Rumi's poetry and as much more than a spiritual necessity. Rather, Rumi views trust as central to our personal and social well-being.
In this program, I describe the process of inner fulfillment as a journey in which there are no destinations beyond keeping the momentum of moving forward. Using images and ideas from Rumi's lyric poetry, I present Perplexity and wonder -- not clear cut answers - as the fuel for this inner journey of exploration.
Rumi's lyric poetry seems to focus on our inner world of ambitions, joys, fears, and spiritual yearnings. In this program we look outwards and try to see the birds the way Rumi sees them. Not surprisingly, we find the inner and the outer realms to be connected closely.
I set out to focus this program on the concept of fear. Much to my surprise, I found out that for Rumi the feeling that counters fear is not courage. It is love. And love is obtained by building a mirror-like inner space that...let me leave the rest of that to Rumi. He says it through a fascinating story.
I start this program with Rumi's emphasis on the significance of hope in our lives in these days of struggle with a global threat. There are things that we can learn from this pandemic though. Not reducing life to notions of loss and gain, or victory and defeat is one of them. The way Rumi sees it, life is about presence and we are in it as one big global family.
The Spring has just arrived. At the same time, the world is in the grips of a pandemic. In this program I look to Rumi for words of wisdom that help us celebrate the arrival of Nowruz "the Persian New Year" and listen to his teachings about illness and healing, ourselves and our world.
Rumi's words have brought us together. What is in his poetic speech that educates, delights, and transforms us? There are many ways to address this question. In this 40th episode of Radio Rumi, I discuss our poet's understanding of the concept of speaking, its impact on our lives, and on those of others around us.
With the election, politics and power are on our minds, I look at Rumi's understanding of the concept of power and his approach to it. As a well-known and respected figure, Rumi received attention from the wealthy, the noble, and the politically powerful people of his time. How he handled these delicate situations, and what he recommended to his followers are remarkable.
In light of the recent clashes between my two homes (Iran and America), I dedicate this program to a concept which Rumi values and we need desperately: the concept of oneness of all humanity. Rumi lived in a time burdened by division and disagreement but refused to accept the categories that divided the people of his time.
This program is a Christmas special! In it I discuss some of Rumi's poems focused on the presence of light, giving, and healing as embodied in the symbolic person of Jesus. We will see how in these lines light, which for Muslims is a manifestation of the divine, is connected with Jesus as a healer of suffering and one who spreads the force of life.
In this episode, recorded right after the Thanksgiving which we recently enjoyed, I focus on Rumi's approach to feeling content and expressing gratitude. I look at the way he defines this foundational concept and its function in our daily lives? We will also look at places in which we can find examples of contentment and learn to express it.
In this program, I focus on the best ways to understand Rumi's poetry. One of my goals is to counter the idea of turning him into an infallible saint. Equally important, poets from distant times and unfamiliar traditions are hard to understand. I make suggestions about ways to put Rumi's lively and effective poetry into their context to become understandable to western audiences in the 21st century.
In this program, I focus on a celebrated poem of Rumi which tries to help us make sense of the journey that is our life. The poem is filled with enchanting images and life-changing questions. Are we a rare bird sitting in the royal aviary, Jacob separated from his Joseph, or the Greek philosopher, lamp in hand, looking for a perfect being? And, what does dancing have to do with these?
In this program I speak about Rumi's special's attention to the concept of arriving. Like many other thinkers, Rumi is aware of our human limitations. For example, we are confined in time and space. His solution? Do not wait for the moments to happen to you; arrive in them and let the arrival transform both time and space for you, be a waterfall!
In this episode I conclude my discussion of Rumi and the concept of God focusing on our inner connection with the divine presence which he describes as "the sun," "the truth," and "the friend" among other things. In his view, God is not this exacting teacher or prosecutor. He/she/it is the sea to which the waves of our existence are rolling. Once there, no one can tell the wave from the sea, not even ourselves.
In this episode I speak about the concept of God in Rumi's poetry and the various manifestations that it finds. Is God a person, an energy, a sense of joy, a pervasive light, a force of goodness? Where is he/she/it? Is he in us, is he us knocking on door to get inside a room which already belongs to us?
In this second episode of a duo focused on handling disappointment , Rumi encourages us to step back from our daily personal problems to see the bigger world. This silent world will speak if you lower your voice and listen. Think of it as a mirror. What you see in others, is a reflection of yourself. Think of it as a mountain. It echos your own voice.
This is the first of two episodes on Rumi's approach to disappointment in life. In this program I start with his general comments on the the interrelation between hope and disappointment, the sources of the pain caused by disappointment, and the best tools to help us rise above it which he calls "your wings." In the next program I will bring you Rumi's more in-dept approach to causes of disappointment and ways to handle them.
This program continues to discuss Rumi's relationship with our environment as a space we share with animals, plants and other natural elements. My focus is more on the way he celebrates our similarities with nature as a possibility to expand our vision of who we are by merging with this limitless expanse. He views his own poems as wondrous birds which take wings and fly away. They belong to anyone who catches and cherishes them.
With this episode, I start a discussion of Rumi and the environment. Citing his lyrics, I point to his reverence for nature as a site of the presence of the Divine. Seeking the Koranic description of God in a green tree, Rumi views our natural habitat as beautiful, lively, and closely connected with us. What we need to do is to discover it as a source of inspiration, and to preserve it for the generations who will follow.
This program focuses on what Rumi says about the concepts of death and dying. I start with his definition of life itself and move on to the end of life as we see and experience. I make an effort to minimize philosophical debate and stay focused on his attention to the human experience.
In this program, I elaborate on the significance of the notion of change in Rumi's lyric poetry. If things stay the same, life can turn into a kind sleep with little to explore. New encounters, even if challenging, are opportunities for learning and growth. That is why love says to human beings: "If you make a hundred houses like the bees, I'll make you homeless like a fly." Traveling in search of a home could be a destination.
For Rumi, everything in the world is a sign pointing to the presence of the sacred. If we miss one sign, another will come our way. As, in the past week, many people celebrated the beginning of the spring as their new year, Nowruz, we in this program look at the way, in Rumi's poetry, spring breeze brings life after the cold winter.
Rumi speaks of Jesus often. In this program, I discuss the dynamism of this image, and its celestial power. The breadth of Jesus is life-giving in the Qur'anic tradition and in Persian poetry as a whole. I, then, turn to the way Rumi expands the poetic power of this image by bringing it into the environment around us and into our day-to-day living. Once more, we are in the picture as this divine force turns the earth into a meadow.
The idea that we are constantly recreated is not a new idea. The Greeks spoke it, as did the Sufis. Rumi loves the concept because it means we can break and rebuild ourselves. We can end and begin the way the seasons do. In this episode, you will hear many more lively and musical verses from the Divan, Rumi's collection of lively lyrics. Through them, he shocks, and enchants his readers as he pushes them to ignore every limit - even time and space - to be a part of the world's constant recreation.
This program brings you many poems so you hear Rumi's own voice as opposed to interpretations of it. These poems generate a dynamic energy that help Rumi break out of his old habits. He describes them as birds that break open the cage of his body to fly free. Once they are out, they are ours too. They make sadness leave, and tears go away . In his words, they help us wash our body and soul in ways of wisdom. We see/discover a new world being created around us every instant, a new world of our own.
Rumi discussed abstract ideas as well as practical ways of life including religious practice. Was he a practicing Muslim? Or, did he rebel against religion as well. What is Zikr? Is there a connection between Zikr and reflection? I will explore these as well as some of Rumi's ideas, which could seem out of place in our competitive world such as "belonging to the sea," and being "co-travelers," whose souls are one.
In this program which is a continuation of Program 16, we discuss how Rumi uses the concept of "being in love" to denote being emotionally connected and involved with the world around you. It might seem strange to tell someone to try to be in love. Our natural reaction is that we are either in love or not. How could we be asked to feel something that we are not feeling? Well, you need to listen to Program 17 to find this out for yourself.
In this program I speak about Rumi's informal sermons to people who came from many places to hear him speak. He did not write these presentations into a book, his followers did. It came to be know as Fihe ma fihe which means "It is in it, what is in it." The title which echos a famous line of poetry highlights the unconventional nature these talks. They contain stories, jokes, rebukes, and basically his words of wisdom. Like everything else that Rumi said, their focus is love. Again, the purpose of this love is to give us the stamina to work on understanding the purpose of our existence. We are each a Mary, pregnant with God. If we understand our body- and the sacred nature of what we carry - we will give birth to our sacred being/God in due time.
In the last program I told you about Shams of Tabriz, the simple basket-weaver who turned into an influential teacher transforming Rumi's outlook on life. Today, we will continue with that conversation by listening to some of sayings of Shams where his thoughts are crystallized in his candid - yet caring - words. Being down to earth, so to speak, is a major characteristic of Shams and Rumi both. Presence, and teaching, for both of them are discrete qualities rather than loud words. Stars shed light on your way without uttering a single word. To recognize these presences, however, it is important to protect your solitude particularly when surrounded by people. Thus you will notice the beloved walking inside your soul invisible to others -- and that you are a sea without shores.
In this program, I will introduce you to Shams of Tabriz, Rumi's teacher. We will talk about who Shams was as his influence had a great impact on the next two decades of Rumi's life; on who Rumi became. Even though Shams was something of a recluse, he had a rather refreshingly candid personality. This was particularly apparent when he spoke truth to power in political times that were fraught with turmoil. Shams was in his 60s, a couple of decades older than Rumi, had traveled much and was a learned person. Furthermore, his profession was basket-weaving, a metaphor often used for weaving and shaping one's personality. Listen to the program to see how he reshaped Rumi's life!
We live restless lives feeling - always - that we have not done enough. This is not a modern condition. Rumi's poems refer to it often. His cure is the concept "Bikhodi," literally being free of oneself, being enchanted. He asks his readers not to fall for binaries that run our lives: right, wrong, belief in God, or disbelief in Him. This far too simple, he would say. See the world, and be enchanted by it. That is his message. The poems I will read in this program are focused on the connections between our inner feelings and the world outside us. If you see the moon, and be enchanted by it, the moon will come down and sit with you!
Rumi shows great recognition of the fact that we may be in full peace one instance and agitated the next. These changes are often caused by being too focused on what we are afraid of loosing: control. If we come to terms with who we are, and stop being obsessed with ourselves, he tells us, the whole world will look different. More importantly, we will stop and see the world. That is why in the middle of a verse, as we think we are gaining full control of what he speaking about, he'll introduce a whole new topic. Surprise is what he likes to keep alive in us. The ultimate goal is to see that we are not one thing but many, light and smoke at the same time. Free yourself of unchanging definitions, he would say, tear down the house that can become your prison.
Storytelling is humanity's oldest and most favorite way to connect with one another. Those who tell their life story well are no longer strangers to others. In good stories, complicated thing become clear and palpable. Rumi is a great storyteller. He makes his thoughts accessible. In one story, he tells us about an elephant who goes to a pond to drink water. Seeing his reflection in the water for the first time, he is so scared that he runs away. Rumi's point? We do not look at our shortcomings because you we know will be scared. But we see the shortcomings in others easily and blame them. "Look at yourself, and see the good and the bad" he says. "It will encourage you to fix it -- and to be kinder when you see it in others." There are many more stories to listen to.
Who are we, what controls us, emotion or rationality. How should we approach Rumi's poetry, with our hearts or our minds? After the enlightenment, thinkers and philosophers - starting with Descartes - divide human beings into body and soul, one earthly and the other heavenly. For Rumi, we are one big bundle of many things: fear, courage, analytical abilities, and total confusion. There is no either/or because our human experience is a continuum. Emotion and rationality are not enemies, they are each other's extension, sometimes the same thing. Getting confused can be a prelude to seeking clarity. Think what you would do if you had a great piece of fabric and wanted to have a dress made...
This program looks at the Sufi concept of Oneness of all existence. For Rumi, the source of all existence is one light and we are windows through which this light shines. Our ability to let this light come through, and be colored by our thoughts and actions, makes the world what it is. We all matter regardless of our age, race, color...We are like words in a sentence. Every word matters even one as small as "and." To be true to our role in the universe, we must never stop searching. We do not have the answers. But the good news is that asking questions is more important than knowing the answers.
While the theme of love is going to come up time and again in these podcasts, this is the concluding episode focusing on it as its main theme. How do we speak of love with our limited and over-used human vocabulary? If we cannot describe this complex experience, what else can we do with it? If it is supposed to build us a new self, why does it feel overwhelming? Why is it so prevalent in our thoughts, words and other and other artistic creations? what do we give to Love? What do we gain from it?
This episode which was recorded soon after the general election, emphasizes the significance of love as a lasting theme that can help us through disagreements and social rifts that often divide human society. Furthermore for Rumi, this worldly love, love connected to erotic desire, is not separate from or antagonistic to spiritual love. More than anything else, for Rumi love is a tool for bringing about positive change. In that sense, it is not passive or melancholic but a source of energy, action, and agency. Love is a process of searching, discovery, creation, and ultimately liberation.
In this episode, recorded last October, we connect Rumi and Einstein separated by centuries. They are astonishingly similar in their aspiration to make us see how connected we are with the universe -- neither separate from it, nor captive in it. They both see knowledge as healing and liberating. They both see that everything perishes except for love. And what we run after, often in circles, is much closer than we think. Dive deep within, Rumi says, strengthen your wings. Now fly out for you no longer need a ladder.
How can one speak of love in a world plagued by disasters like forced migration, starvation, hatred and war? Well, that depends on how we understand the concept of love. If it is defined as the happy and optimistic emotion we normally associate with love, the answer is "We cannot." In this program, I look at the ways in which Rumi understands love and what he wants us to do with it.
In Rumi's view, the entire universe is a cosmic movement animated with the force of love which is the force of change. So is our individual life. A turning from one stage to another, a moving forward. Moments are not linear repetitive pieces of time. They are instances of becoming (in Persian "shodan.")
We are alive in love, in knowing each other, in speaking and laughing together. It is in this openness to the world that transformation happens, continuous and ever changing.
Rumi often speaks about his visions, moments of elation expressed poetically. These are often uplifting poems with striking imagery. This program focuses on a night vision during which he compares the sky to a cosmic chamber where the Everlasting is being born.
Rumi's approach to understanding oneself in a deeper sense. At times, he looks beyond speaking, beyond describing us with words. He encourages us to explore the mystery of who we are, and through that, the mystery of the universe that houses and nurtures us. A wordless poetic journey!
Transcription: https://goo.gl/rjeFKD
The program starts with the significance of Rumi's poetry in Iranian culture and Fatemeh Keshavarz's encounter with this poetry from early childhood. Rumi's poetry and personality are described through anecdotes from his life and examples from his poetry.
Radio Rumi is hosted by Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz at the University of Maryland. In this bi monthly series, Dr. Keshavarz explores Rumi's words and invites the listener to enter his vibrant universe and see with fresh eyes.
Radio Rumi is hosted by Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz at the University of Maryland. In this bi monthly series, Dr. Keshavarz explores Rumi's words and invites the listener to enter his vibrant universe and see with fresh eyes.
These podcasts are gifts to those who wish to taste Rumi's words.
The purpose is not to analyze, theorize, or prove anything.
These are conversations meant to bring Rumi's poetry to life.
Invitations to enter his vibrant universe and see with fresh eyes.
Welcome to this Exploration
Keywords: Rumi, Introduction