The Radiance: The Dark Wine of Hashish Rumi and the Sufis Drank Under the Moon - Infographic

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Sometimes, you don't really know what others are fully up to, unless you're in on it too.

Rumi is always speaking about, near, besides, above, below, directly upon — a very specific form of radiance. In his poems, he disguises the way he is referring to, referencing from, speaking directly at — this radiance, by always talking about, "drinking wine under the moon."

For some time, I've had reason to believe the radiance Rumi refers to (most often in relation to his teacher, Shams) isn't necessarily brought about by the drinking of wine made from fermented grapes.

I believe Shams was an actual person, AND the exact knowledge. A direct pointing to this, "This." The actual experience of an expanded, slowed down present moment.

Rumi's poems are designed to transport you to this place.

They take you to a place where opposites blur, and melt. Where colors become brighter, animals stand out from the background, and a beautiful flower will stop you in your tracks.

A hummingbird may appear out of nowhere to say, "Hello."

This experience has particular qualities. It operates from a place of love and warmth. Everything has a soft glow, and twinkling from the light of the sun, that "pops" from the inside out.

I refer to this phenomenon as, "the radiance."

And it is the "dark wine" of hashish, which Rumi and the sufis drank under the moon, that was used to experience the radiance, of the teacher, he calls Shams.

THE MANY WINES

God has given us a dark wine so

potent that,

drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power

to deliver the taster from self-consciousness.

God has made sleep so

that it erases every thought.

God made Majnun love Layla so much that

just her dog would cause confusion in him.

There are thousands of wines

that can take over our minds.

Don’t think all ecstasies

are the same!

Jesus was lost in his love for God.

His donkey was drunk with barley.

Drink from the presence of saints,

not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,

is a jar full of delight.

Be a connoisseur,

and taste with caution.

Any wine will get you high.

Judge like a king, and choose the purest,

the ones unadulterated with fear,

or some urgency about “what’s needed.”

Drink the wine that moves you

as a camel moves when it’s been untied,

and is just ambling about.

— Rumi

1. It wasn't wine Rumi and the sufis were drinking under the moon

In Rumi's poem, "The Many Wines," he makes a direct reference to hashish (cannabis).

"God has given us a dark wine so

potent that,

drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power

to deliver the taster from self-consciousness."

2. Not all ecstasies are the same

If cannabis is what Rumi used to help write the most beautful poetry of ecstatic love the world has ever known - it's important to listen.

"There are thousands of wines

that can take over our minds.

Don’t think all ecstasies

are the same!"

3. Be a connoisseur

Make sure the people you surround yourself with (and where you get spiritual information) are coming from a source of truth; Don't settle for anything less.

"Drink from the presence of saints,

not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,

is a jar full of delight.

Be a connoisseur,

and taste with caution."

4. Judge like a king, and choose the purest

You've had the chance to try many different wines, and you're developing a nose - be the king of your own castle, and choose the purest for yourself.

"any wine will get you high.

Judge like a king, and choose the purest."

5. Say no to fear, and unnecessary urgency

This is the oldest, "get rich scheme," in the book: Convince people they are lacking, and you alone hold the solution.

"the ones unadulterated with fear, or some urgency about "what's needed."

6. Relax

You want a strain of cannabis that helps you relax, and is very euphoric in nature. One that makes you want to go on a walk, and forget the polarization of the world.

"Drink the wine that moves you

as a camel moves when it’s been untied,

and is just ambling about."

7. Cannabis and Rumi have a place for all

Rumi was born on Septemember 30, 1207, and died on December 17, 1273. At his funeral, people of all faiths came. Coleman Barks says of these travelers:

"he deepens our faith wherever we are."

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The line: "God's lion disguised as a human being!" Is taken from another poem - "Judge a Moth by the Beauty of Its Candle" - from the same book.

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I find this subject fascinating, because in the United States, cannabis is still a Schedule I Controlled Substance, meaning it is a drug with, "no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse."

Which is odd, when compared with how Rumi used cannabis (hashish). He was able to write some of the most beloved poetry the world has ever known, because of his intelligent use of cannabis.

I believe cannabis has already begun it's intelligent, and creative resurgence into our modern world; and, that cannabis has the abiliity to create a thousand Rumi's — if it's allowed to flourish.

If cannabis is demoted on the Schedule I Controlled Substance list, I believe it can be studied and researched with the stewardship it deserves; and, can be used to help people psychologically, and spiritually.

It can help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADD, ADHD, pain management, and sleep quality.

It can help when people lose their way, and fall out of sorts with society. When they're upset at God, or nature. It can bring them back into alignment and balance with everything as it is.

"Without mental health, you really have no health."

All of these things can have a positive affect on someones mental health. When mental health is affected positively, it gives the opportunity to affect overall health and well-being.

Thinking < Sensing and Feeling

One of the greatest affects of cannabis, is that it creates a shift — from an overthinking approach of understanding the world, to a more intuitive understanding of the world. Less thinking, and more sensing and feeling the world, and their place in it.

Apart of the whole, not separate.

This is one als0 of the main goals of the traditions listed below. Each one just has a special area of focus, and expertise ;)

"The words that came so spontaneously carry a broad range of religious awareness: the meditative silence and no-mind of Zen, the open heart and compassion of Jesus, the stern discipline of Muhammad, the convival humor of Taoists, the crazy wisdom and bright intelligence of the Hassidic masters. Rumi is a planetary poet, loved the world over for the grandeur of his surrender and for the freedom and grace of his poetry. He was nurtured in the Islamic tradition, the Persian language, and a long line of Sufis, but it was his connection with Shams of Tabriz that lets his work transcend definion and doctorine." — Coleman Barks, A Year with Rumi

Cannabis helps with seeing the non-seperation between all religions and mystical traditions. It helps someone to see everything as a puzzle piece, where each piece is needed to complete the whole.

The 5 Puzzle Pieces of Rumi's Soul:

"Silence, an open heart, stern discipline, humor, crazy wisdom and bright intelligence. "

Zen, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Judaism

Sources:

Barks, Coleman; Jalal al-Din Rumi. The Essential Rumi - reissue: New Expanded Edition (p. 6) & (p. 266). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. Link on Amazon (not an affiliate link)

BBC - Why is Rumi the Best-Selling Poet in the US?

Wikipedia - Rumi

Barks, Coleman. A Year with Rumi (pp. 1-2). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. Link on Amazon (not an affiliate link) - In the US store, it's on sale right now for $2.99