Framed by the Sufi wisdom of Rumi, a 13th century mystical poet, Omid Safi brings our awareness to the profound ways that we are interconnected with the divine.

This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Omid Safi discusses :

• Living as a reflection of the Divine—carrying ourselves as mirrors of God’s light on earth
• The gift of alchemy: the science that recognizes the whole of the universe as one essence
• Transforming that which is lowly into that which is sublime
• Surrounding ourselves with communities and companions who bring us closer to God
• Polishing the mirror of the heart until we can shine divine qualities outwardly
• Realizing that the beloved always was and always will be with us
• Experiencing the body as a vessel and conduit for grace
• The mystical whirling dervishes and their harmony with the universe
• Rumi’s best known work, The Spiritual Couplets, and its enduring inspiration
• Allowing our spiritual path to be supple, nourishing, and radiant with beauty
• Becoming what we already are (intertwined with the whole matrix of creation)
• Training our bodies to listen, to be gentle, to speak with love
• A brief history of the 13th century and the world Rumi was living in
• How the world can be healed through expansive love
• Death, dying, and embracing the infinite rather than being stuck in fear
• Befriending the heart and asking ourselves what feeds our souls

“When Rumi speaks about love, it is not just something sentimental and romantic. Love is nothing short of the unleashing of God onto this earth. Love is the very being of Allah. It is love that created you, it is love that brought you here, it is love that sustains you here, and if you can just get over this notion that you are a finite limited creaturely self, you can merge into this current of love and be carried back home.” – Omid Safi

About Omid Safi:

Dr. Omid Safi is the director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently writes on liberationist traditions of Dr. King and Malcolm X, and is committed to traditions that link together love and justice. He leads spiritual tours every year to Turkey, Morocco, or other countries, to study the rich multiple religious traditions there. The trips are open to everyone from every country. More information is available at Illuminated Courses & Tours.

“The sages in Rumi's tradition, one of them from India says, ‘the One beloved is closer to you than the ocean is to the fish’. It’s a matter of reorienting, realizing that here and now where you are, you’re standing knee deep in the water of life, that the One has never abandoned you, the One is with you now as has been forever.” – Omid Safi

About The Host, Jackie Dobrinska:

Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass’ Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass’ Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves.

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Immersing listeners in hope and optimism, author Anne Lamott helps listeners cultivate resilience through stories of honesty and service.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode, Anne Lamott holds a talk on:

• Service to others and selflessness as a clear path to hope
• Listening to the one-man band of our inner selves
• The Three A’s in the 12-step program: Awareness, Acceptance, Action
• Allowing ourselves to feel the pain all around us, in the world, in our families, etc.
• Remembering that there is a solution to everything and that it is always spiritual
• Reframing death as a step to new life and regeneration
• Generosity as a natural human tendency that can be tapped into
• Talking to ourselves as if we are our most cherished friend
• Paying attention to the beauty in life and within ourselves

Check out the book recommended by Anne, A Distant Mirror.

"Service is always a path to hope. When we can get out of ourselves and be there for others, it's what heaven will be like—what heaven on earth is like." – Anne Lamott

About Anne Lamott:

Anne Lamott is the New York Times best-selling author of many books, including collections of essays, novels, and long-form non-fiction, including the classic writing manual Bird by Bird and child-rearing memoir Operating Instructions. In addition to being a novelist and nonfiction writer, Lamott is also a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. Keep up with Anne on Instagram.

This episode is also brought to you by Dharma Moon.

Join Senior Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern for a provocative and playful online discussion exploring the profound practices of mindfulness and the journey of becoming a meditation teacher.

Learn more and sign up for a free online talk about becoming a meditation teacher with David at dharmamoon.com/deepening.

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Opening our hearts in practice, Trudy Goodman takes us through her Jellyroll meditation to encourage the expansion of metta from the self to others.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode, Trudy Goodman illuminates:

• The heart’s natural capacity to love and heal—reclaiming our birthright to compassion
• Beginning metta (lovingkindness) practice with those we deeply love and who love us in return
• Feeling into the warmth, care, and well-wishes from those we visualize in our meditation
• Softening the mental walls that block us from receiving love and emotional support
• Powerful metta phrases to offer ourselves and others
• Embracing radical self-love—accepting ourselves just as we are
• Expanding lovingkindness to those we feel neutral about, widening our circle of care
• Extending compassion and goodwill even toward those we struggle with
• Using the power of imagination to radiate boundless love to all beings everywhere

This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.

About Trudy Goodman:

Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com

“It's also a great practice to offer some loving kindness to the difficult parts of yourself. The parts you wish you could just have an 'ectomy' and get rid of them. A shame-ectomy or a blame-ectomy, whatever parts of yourself you find difficult to love, just hold them in some tenderness and care." – Trudy Goodman

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