Rumi, Lord of Attraction

A Great Secret

"When I run after what I think I want,

my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety;

if I sit in my own place of patience,

what I need flows to me, and without pain.

From this I understand that what I want also wants me,

is looking for me and attracting me.

There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it."

This poem was written in the 13th Century in what is now modernday Turkey by the Sufi mystic and poet called Jalāl adDīn Muhammad Balkhī. He is better known in the West as Rumi. This work is a translation from the original Persian and along with the rest of Rumi’s work has been read by millions of his fans around the world.

In this work, the writer is telling us that chasing after what he wants is stressful, but if he is patient and waits, what he needs comes to him easily. It goes on to say what he wants, is seeking him, and will attract him to it. Rumi finishes the piece by referring to this as a great secret.

This makes no sense. Since when do things materialize lap like this? In our own experience rarely does what we want to happen actually occur without spending time and effort. Rarely, if ever, do things work in our favor and then when they do, we call it luck or chance.

There is however an eclectic group of people who proclaim that there is a way to make this ‘simply happen’. This is called the New Thought movement and they refer to the manifestation of things as the Law of Attraction.