Digital art by Rahal Eks - dancers pausing
UPCOMING VALENTINE'S
DAY AND ASPECTS OF LOVE by Rahal Eks
Nowadays
February 14 is worldwide known as Valentine's Day, or the
day of the lovers. The historical roots of Valentine's Day are
numerous, going back to various Christian martyrs who were called
Valentine or Valentinus. Some claim also a link to the much earlier
Lupercalia, a Roman fertility festival from Pagan times, or relate it
to the ancient Athenian calendar where the period between mid-January
until mid-February was the month called 'Gamelion', which was
dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
Unfortunately
in some countries such a day related to love and lovers would have to
be forbidden under puritanical-religious and fanatical sectarian
ideas and rules – even though the Qur'an clearly says
“...there shall not be compulsion in religion...” It makes
one wonder in utter disbelief how some folks argue against this,
insisting to spread their intolerant view as the only true reality –
of course it isn't! While in other countries this day or a similar
celebration takes place on a different date. Here too diversity is
striking on a global scale. And as long as the celebration of love is
not denied it doesn't really matter what's the date.
For
example in Brazil the Dia dos Namorados is
celebrated on June 12! While Feb. 14 sometimes falls right into the
period when Carnival takes place.
Or
in Israel there is the Jewish tradition of Tu B'Av,
which has fused into the secular Jewish equivalent of Valentine's Day
and is celebrated on the 15th
of the month of Av = usually in late August.
In
antiquity in India, a long time prior to colonization and thus prior
to imported prudishness, there was the ancient tradition of adoring
the lord of Love, Kamadeva,
shown beautifully by the erotic carvings and sculptures in the
Khajuraho complex of
monuments and the famous KAMASUTRA
lovemaking treaty.
In
Greece the Eastern Orthodox Church has another Saint, Hyacinth of
Caesarea. He protects people who are in love and the feast is on July
3.
In
Persian culture there is the Sepandarmazgan,
or Esfandegan
festival, an earth celebration where love is expressed to mothers and
wives. In contemporary Iran the holiday has been scheduled on Feb.
17, just to be different in regards to the Western holiday.
Universal
souls have probably no problem whatsoever to celebrate all these
dates and festivities, after all the spirit is love, isn't it?
Perhaps some might delight in reading Rumi's DIVAN SHAMSUDDIN
TABRIZI – others might get elevated by some of Ibn 'Arabi's
condensed thoughts and reflections about love, wonderfully presented
and commented by William C. Chittick in his DIVINE ROOTS OF HUMAN
LOVE. Yet others would get carried away by the beautiful Classical
Arabic poetry of pre-Islamic times of Antar Ibn Shadat's MUALAQAT,
an epic love poem written in gold leaf and placed on the walls of
Mecca in ancient time together with the other seven odes by different
Arab poets of that period. Just for the time reference: Antar was an
old man when the Prophet Muhammad – PBUH – was born.
There
is a Sufi saying that “sensual love is the shadow of
mystical love...” Meaning that
love for a human being is a kind of lower form of love than for the
Divine – however, sensual or human love is required on the path to
advance in order to develop love for the Divine, in other words,
human love can have an evolutionary impact, but not always and not
automatically. It can be, or it may be so, under certain
circumstances.
In
this context it is of great interest to hear that Maulana
Jami asked those who wanted to become his students if they had ever
loved?
If
we look at the myth of Eros who aims his arrow at those who when
pierced in their hearts will fall in love, we get the idea that love
might be a divine gift. And when reading Plato's Symposium, or
Banquet, we find out that one of the men present explains the nature
of love in the form of a tale being told to the guests. In my retold
words, he said that prior to the existence of the human race there
were round beings rolling around on the earth. They had two faces,
four arms and four legs. Some of them were male and female – others
were all female – and yet others were all male. These beings began
to behave arrogantly and outrageous, so the Gods on Mount Olympus had
a brain storming session to decide what to do with these beings.
After long arguments in pro and contra (to kill them or let them
live), a compromise was agreed upon. It was decided to cut each of
these beings in half, thus keeping them busy to search for their
other half...
This
gives us a symbolic explanation why we have different types of
sexualities (heterosexuals, and homosexuals – both in the female
and male variation). Of course this tale doesn't explain what we call
nowadays inter-sexed and transgender identities, not to forget
asexuals, just to be fair and mention it all.
Now
some people seem to fall in love blindly in a stupid or nutty way
(regardless if they happen to be straight, gay, lesbian, inter-sexed
or transgender folks). Others don't and progress from a crush on
someone to falling in love and loving a person – whoever it may be
to fulfill their natural heart's desire and attraction. Remember, no
matter what, from a Sufi perspective a person's sexuality is
God-given, created by Allah,
and thus it ought to be accepted. The difference between falling in
love blindly or somewhat more refined and aware is most likely a
reflection of the development of the nafs,
the commanding self – or the lack of its development.
No
matter where people stand on their evolutionary ladder, relationships
are a perfect tool to refine the commanding self, the nafs,
and grow on multiple levels. In my view this includes romantic
relationships, friendships, family relationships, as well as work
relationships.
Sufism
is indeed focused on the field of action regarding relationships and
the transformation of the lower self: “From base metal
into gold” - as the alchemical
Sufi saying goes.
Coming
back to love. I have never experienced that I decided to fall in
love, nor have I met anyone who did. It happened or it didn't. Or is
there anyone ready to come up with a different take on that?
And
coming back to the Divine, there is of course the famous hadith
qudsi of
the Hidden Treasure, meaning a sacred hadith
where God is the speaker: “I
was a treasure that was not known, so I loved to be known. Hence I
created the creatures and I made Myself known to them, and thus they
came to know Me.”
In
this very context Ibn 'Arabi's poem found in the FUTUHAT
MAKKIYYA resonates with
special overtones: From love
we originate. For love we were created. That is what we aim for and
it is to this we have given ourselves.
And
he also wrote: To my own
soul I was wed and I was my husband while I was my wife.
However,
Ibn 'Arabi's most famous lines are the following from his TARJUMAN
AL-ASHWAQ, the Interpreter
of Desires, which are very suited in my view to be read on
Valentine's Day:
Oh
marvel! A garden amidth fires!
My
heart has become capable of every form:
it
is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks,
and
a table for idols and the pilgrim's Kaaba
and
the tables of the Torah and the book of the Qur'an.
I
follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take,
that
is my religion and my faith.
In
1382 Goeffrey Chaucer wrote his PARLEMENT
OF FOULES, where we can
find an early association of Valentine's Day with romantic love: For
this was on seynt Volantynys day whan euery bryd cometh to cheese his
make. (For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh
there to choose his mate).
And
in 15th
century France we find some surviving early French Valentine's poetry
by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife:
Je
suis desja d'amour tanné
ma tres doulce Valentinée...
ma tres doulce Valentinée...
Also
William Shakespeare mentions Valentine's Day in Hamlet, Act IV, Scene
5.
We
also mustn't forget Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins, longing for
greater wholeness and the beautiful words of Antonio Machado, who
wrote:
Last
night, as I slept,
I
dreamt – marvelous error! -
that
it was God I had
inside
my heart.
Have
a blessed and loving Valentine's Day – how can love be forbidden?
Ishq
bashad,
may love be upon you, a Persian Sufi greeting – or in Arabic: Ishq
aleikum!
Saludos,
con Dios, Rahal
Eks
