the lame goat finds herself in front

stefano zocca

 

Thought of worldly things

is an enemy to the sweetness of spiritual

consciousness. Silence your thoughts. Bewilder

yourself with God. Your mind will fall away

and your heart will open.

 

Forwardness in worldly

ways is backwardness in reality.

When the herd turns back toward God,

its leaders end up in the rear! The lame goat

that was hindmost finds herself in front, and the

ones who worried about her are ecstatic now.

How do saints and prophets get to

be  that way? By breaking

their own legs.

 

They make themselves

lame by renouncing expertise in

the ways of the world. Understanding that

it’s not the way home, they wash their hearts clean

of such knowledge. If you want to reach heaven,

follow the branches that lead to that root.  

Be the lame goat here, and

lead the herd home.

 

Jalal al-Din Rumi