GOD’S PARTY

Have you ever wanted to connect more with something greater than yourself but didn’t know how? Or deepen current relationships in your life?

“If God
Invited you to a party
And said,

‘Everyone
In the ballroom tonight
Will be my special
Guest,’

How would you then treat them
When you
Arrived?”

–Hafiz

 

I had asked him to meet for a cup of tea, the man who translates and interprets Hafiz’s poetry, Daniel Ladinsky. My man, Jim, would come with me.

He agrees and asks us to be at his home by ten. He serves us tea and sits barefoot on his couch.

I tell him of a woman and her dog in a wheelchair in New Mexico, the person who introduced me to Hafiz’s poetry. How I have come to cherish these writings; carry them with me.

In Daniel’s living room, we all talk of chance meetings and how, sometimes, they send us down paths where we take on new life. Daniel suggests there are “all kinds of angels stashed here and there. One might be in Walmart.”

I think how, in the past, I turned to books for my answers. Now I find chance encounters are as good, maybe better.

Our tea has grown cold as we talk, and I suggest it is time to go. We have stayed longer than we proposed and want to respect Daniel’s time and home.

But Daniel suggests we walk in a sanctuary nearby where Meher Baba, the spiritual master who established an American school of Sufism, stayed when visiting from India.

We stroll in dappled light through the forest as if the day would never end.

(Tea with Hafiz)

 When we return, Daniel honors us with each of his books, carefully signed, and a neatly wrapped package of books to share with others I might meet on the road.

We talk in Daniel’s driveway of the legacy of pilgrims who still travel to Shiraz, Hafiz’s homeland, to visit his grave and hear the words of Hafiz spoken aloud by those who have come to keep his teachings alive.

As we prepare to leave, Daniel rushes back to the house, urging us to wait. He returns with a bottle of wine –Shiraz. We stand together and smile, appreciating the connection. When I climb into my car, I see a rose on my dashboard. Jim tells me, “He cut it from his garden and put it here when you weren’t looking.” I look at Jim and know that, at this moment he, too, feels like a guest at God’s party.

In Renderings of Hafiz, Daniel introduces the poet:

“He invites us to share his life, his wine and heart, to see ourselves and the world through his eyes. If we didn’t know better, we would think he was courting us –and perhaps he is!

       ‘If your cellar is empty,                

         This whole Universe                   

         Could drink forever                      

         From mine!’ ”

Has Daniel studied this master for so long he has started to become him? Could it be for all of us who find the footsteps of those we admire? If we drink in their teachings deep enough, could we, too, become instilled with their Spirit?

I feel excited by the possibility of living my life treating everyone I meet like a guest at God’s party. Suddenly, each encounter presents a new opportunity – for another, and for me. And keeps me in constant conversation with God. At a party. Sounds like fun to me…

(There’s a Rose in the Garden)

 

What if we practiced these?

1. All of Us are Guests at God’s Party. What if, every time I greeted you, I remembered this? Saw the Divinity in you? As that can sound daunting, I start simply, close to home; I look at the animals that surround me. I go nose to nose with our dog. Nestle him. Feel his breath against mine. Soon, our breathing begins to synch. We fall asleep this way. After practice, I will be able to live like this (metaphorically) with all beings. Until then, I will celebrate the little movements I make toward bliss along the way. Join me?
2. Follow Footsteps You Admire. What a grand opportunity! Daniel inspired me and now I get to share a tiny glimpse of him, his work. What would happen if we went deeper with someone’s work we admired…Could we embody that spirit and transcend? What an extraordinarily exciting journey that could be…Join me?
3. Share Your Bounty. Like Daniel modeled, our cellars can overflow. We give books, flowers, wine; our time. Precious time…When we give to others, we give to ourselves; as we are All One.

Jillian Robinson is an Emmy-winning TV Producer, Author/Photographer, and Coach, whose passion is to help people live their Highest Self. She loves to coach changemakers and people who are committed to positively impact the lives of youth. Her vision is that, someday, personal development will be taught as commonly as math and science. When you join Jillian in her work, you become part of that positive change.