Light rain with overcast skies. First day of Autumn is approaching. The breeze whispers in my ears as I sit in my backyard enjoying the majestic September blooms and scribbling some stray thoughts in the brand new journal handcrafted with recycled papers, gifted to me by my friend, who is an environmentalist and nature lover. She has great love for animals and houses two dogs, three kittens and lots of fishes in her house which is so meticulously organized and clean as a rose is after rain.
I remember visiting her last weekend when she invited me for her birthday rendezvous. A typical Virgo, she loves to pay great attention to the smallest of details, we loved the way the effortlessly baked pumpkin pie with glazed garnish was served in the finest of cutlery. She was dressed in a flowing wine-colored evening gown and looked stunning. When we complimented her she shied away like a typical Virgo. Even though I would give her a perfect ten for being a wonderful host, she kept finding faults with something or the other all evening, I have never seen someone being so self-critical which is yet another Virgo trait. She is always seeking something and is never content. I had a hard time choosing the perfect gift for her and then I realized she loves chocolates so I bought a big pack of hazelnut chocolate bites for her and she beamed at me when I gave it to her, she opened the pack sophisticatedly and handed over a piece to everyone sitting in the massive living room of her house.
She has a study even bigger than the living room. Virgos love to read and here I was seeing how they cherish their books. Every book was perfectly lined up and labeled.
After the snacks and I remember walking in her study with my cup of Joe, pulling out a book of poems by Rumi, I started to read them. Time slipped by and it was almost an hour, she came in to call me for dinner and looking at the red fat book of Rumi’s poems in my hands, she smiled gleefully. She said, “I want to read out my favorite poem for you, Bob, each word has a deeper level of meaning and you will be truly awed.” I handed over the fat volume of book in her hands and she read each word articulately and it opened up the gateways of my imagination as I transcended to some other world.
A Star Without A Name!
“When a baby is taken from the wet nurse,
it easily forgets her
and starts eating solid food.
Seeds feed awhile on ground,
then lift up into the sun.
So you should taste the filtered light
and work your way toward wisdom
with no personal covering.
That’s how you came here, like a star
without a name. Move across the night sky
with those anonymous lights.”
(Mathnawi III, 1284-1288)
~Rumi
She finished reading it and looked up from the book with a sparkle in her eyes. We both realized different things from the magnificently weaved poetry and somehow we both found the kindred spirit in each other.
Virgos are inner rebellions and possess dreams of unattainable perfection. They cannot stay at the surface level. Virgos are deep lovers and no one can easily speak in their language of love and so they are mostly heartbroken.
This Virgo friend reading the poem of life so effortlessly reminded me of the dichotomies in nature when the overcast sky wants to break-free and yet rains lightly holding back the storm within its seams for the want of assurance.
I returned from her get-together with this little eco-friendly journal and each time I open to write something in it. It reminds me of her and I smile within.
See you in the comments.
Chocolate Day
September 23, 2018