You've seen my descent. Now watch my rising.

"When I Die" is a powerful poem by the beloved, 13th century poet, Jalaluddin Rumi. It speaks of life after death and new beginnings; night into day, a seed planted in the earth that springs to life, and the journey of Soul beyond the grave. This is part of the literal meaning present in the words, however, when contemplated upon, the meaning can be far deeper, leading one down a path to inner discovery.

Though it has been over 14 years since I last read these words, I woke up this morning with them echoing in my mind, "You've seen my descent. Now watch my rising."

Maybe you, too, have experienced this type of ghostly message as you rise in the morning. Earworm is the common term for this experience, however, a more technical term that I've also heard is "involuntary musical imagery repetition". I'm sure there must be others.

Musical lingering is something that often happens to me, or rather I should say, FOR me, because each time I hear a song fragment as I wake, I recognize clearly that I'm being called upon to pay attention. I know that no matter how odd it may seem, there is something special in the words for me. Though I have to admit on many occasions the experience started out as a head scratcher. I couldn't imagine how a particular song could possibly be more than an old memory resurfacing. Upon contemplation, however, the words have always made sense to me in some personal way.

Today was different though. There was no music, only the words, "You've seen my descent. Now watch my rising."

I know, this is the THIRD, time that I've written these two sentences. Please bear with me. Normally I wouldn't like to see so much repetition in my writing so early on, unless of course I was writing prose, but as I think about this now, I can see that this is the perfect opportunity to give you a glimpse into the way I "create".

Step 1: When a certain energetic feeling of inspiration begins to bubble up within me, I sit down and get ready

Step 2: I let go, as much as I can, become an empty page or canvas, and allow myself to follow the inner guidance revealing Itself through me as words or images. Bit by bit, one word or image builds upon another. Step by step, never in advance; it is only as I walk the creative path, taking dictation, that the message becomes clear

Step 3: Finally, once the inspiration subsides, I listen carefully as to whether I am meant to share what has come through me, or whether the message was meant for my ears and eyes alone.

Right now, what I'm getting is that this poem has three meanings! Or maybe just three that I'm meant to share with you today. Or maybe, not. I won't really know until I am finished writing.

Instead of speculating, let's just begin and see what happens next.

The first thing that is coming to my mind is the literal understanding of the words, as read below. Before continuing, please note that there are actually many versions of this poem. This was the most complete one that I could find.

When I die

When my coffin

is being taken out

you must never think

I am missing this world

Don't shed any tears

don't lament or feel sorry

I'm not falling

into a monster's abyss

When you see

my corpse is being carried

don't cry for my leaving

I'm not leaving

I'm arriving at eternal love

When you leave me in the grave

don't say goodbye

remember a grave is only a curtain

for the paradise behind

You've seen my descent

now watch me rising

how can there be an end

when the sun sets or

the moon goes down

It looks like the end

it seems like a sunset

but in reality it is a dawn

when the grave locks you up

that is when your soul is freed

Have you ever seen

a seed fallen to earth

not rise with a new life

why should you doubt the rise

of a seed named human

Have you ever seen

a bucket lowered into a well

coming back empty

why lament for a soul

when it can come back

like Joseph from the well

When for the last time

you close your mouth

your words and soul

will belong to the world of

no place no time

If we read these words expecting a literal meaning, we can see how the poet was compassionately speaking of the joy in an afterlife, described for those who have lost their loved ones.

If there is life beyond death, why would we cry?

Now, if we read the poem with a mind that is open to a deeper meaning, in a metaphorical sense, we can see how the corpse being lowered into the grave could be seen as an act of detachment from a perceived loss of what we have been holding to so tightly. This could be any attachment in any physical form, dream or idea. Each time our lives are shaken up and change comes either expectedly or unexpectedly, when our dreams come to an end, when we realize that our ideas are not working, or even when we lose our favorite pair of shoes, it is, in fact, a form of death, a source of grief. Would't you agree?

But is this the end?

I believe that Rumi is saying no, and I have to agree. For it is only through the act of letting go, burying the corpses of old hopes and dreams no longer meant for us to experience, that bright new ideas are born, new opportunities present themselves, we find a far more comfortable pair of shoes, and the wonderful things that are truly meant for us, finally have the chance to be revealed and experienced.

Another form of "life" after "death"

For myself, I know that the message I was meant to receive this morning, was not merely one or the other. If it was, I don't believe this would have resulted in a blog post. Instead, it was a combination of both of the above interpretations, along with a third, which I would write about if I could, but sadly I cannot. Rather, I can only describe it as a powerful feeling, a knowing that cannot be accurately described through words. This feeling belongs to a place beyond words. I can say, however, that it tells me instinctually that this, right here and now, is my time of rising, rising beyond the descent that came with the loss of my son. Now through the Spirit of Creativity. I can feel that it's time for me to rise, like the Phoenix from the ashes of death, both Liam's death and the death of the life that I had before all of this happened, it's time for something new, and authentic to begin... right here and now!

So the truth is my friends, you really have seen my descent, and now it IS time to watch me rise again!

Finally, I admit, these are only a couple of interpretations that have come to me through this contemplative, creative journey of today's writing, but they are most definitely not the only ways to see this. If we know anything about Rumi, we can agree that there is always so much more than meets the eye. So now I invite you to share your own interpretations of his poem, in part, or in entirety, please drop a line or two, or many more, in the comment section below. There are no right or wrong answers, of course, and by sharing our perspective and perception with others, we, together, create a far bigger picture. This is creative collaboration, and being that this is a site that is dedicated to creativity, I welcome you to collaborate with me!

May the blessings BE