Jelaleddin, Rumi (1207-1273)
A Persian Sufi poet of the thirteenth century AD, also known as Jelaluddin Balkhi, and considered by many the greatest Oriental mystic.
Rumi, the Anatolian (as he was also known), teached the Sufi doctrine that the chief end of man is so to emancipate himself from human thoughts and wishes, human needs and the outward impressions of the senses, that he may become a mere mirror for the Deity. So refined an essence does his mind become that it is as nearly as possible nothing; yet while in this state it can, by a union with the Divine Essence, mysteriously became the All.
In his teachings Rumi declared that names and words must not be taken for the things they represent:
"Names thou mayst know ; go, seek the truth they name Search not the brook, but heaven, for the moon."
Rumi wrote many exquisit lyrics. His greatest work was 'Masnavi', or 'Mathnawï', a large collection of double-rhymed verses containing ethical and moral precepts. He lived in Asia Minor at Iconium, modern Konya (Arabic Rum hence his name), but was born in Balkh. He founded the Order of Dervishes, a Sufistic sect.
See The Essential Rumi, In Praise of Rumi, Light upon Light: Inspirations from Rumi, Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved, Rumi Speaks Through Sufi Tales, Rumi: We Are Three: New Rumi Poems, Apollonius of Tyana, Alchemy, Archangels, Angels, Angelical Stone, Critomancy, Astrology, Acutomancy, Agalmatomancy, Divination, Coscinomancy, Cleidomancy, Augur, Stoichomancy, Dowsing, Tarot, Heptameron, Demonology, Sortilege, Idolomancy, Demonomancy, Tephramancy, Anemoscopy, Eromancy, Austromancy, Chaomancy, Roadomancy, Capnomancy, Pyromancy, Meteormancy, Ceraunoscopy, Zoomancy, Christianity, Satan, Casting Black Magic Spells, Commanding Spirits, The Tarot Store, Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies, and The Pyramid Collection.
Sources: (1) Spence, Lewis, An Encyclopedia of Occultism, Carol Publishing Group; (2) Curtis, Thomas, A London Encyclopaedia or Universal Dictionary of Science, Nabu Press.
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