“This is a gathering of Lovers.
In this gathering
there is no high, no low,
no smart, no ignorant,
no special assembly,
no grand discourse,
no proper schooling required.
There is no master,
no disciple.”

~ Rumi, Mystical Poems of Rumi

~

Rumi’s words inspire me to acknowledge the mystic within my soul and welcome the deeper part of who I am with acceptance and love. What about you, dear reader and friend? Are you a mystic, too?

To be a mystic, you don’t need to be an enlightened Yogi, meditate for hours, live a monastic life, or belong to a specific religion. A mystic can be anyone from any walk of life.

Rumi’s poetry feels like a love letter to the world. Each word invites us to open our minds and hearts to the mystical magic of the universe, to our personal definition of God, to the beauty of Mother Earth, and to the spiritual mystery of the Cosmos as a whole.

He seems to be urging us to surrender our exacting left brain and all the “whys” that run through it, and in its place, he asks us to illuminate our life compass toward the invisible, indescribable, and the Great Mystery of All That Is.

As I settled in to write about this theme, I began to wonder what the world of artificial intelligence might say about the word “mystic.” Skeptical about all the AI buzz lately, I straightened the frown on my eyebrows long enough to open my mind to ask AI for its definition. I leaned into my curiosity, and I’m glad I did. Here was its astounding answer:

“Being a mystic is a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth. It is also a path of inner exploration and transformation where one can learn to access the depths of their own being and connect with the divine. It is a way of life that encourages us to open our hearts and minds to the mysteries of the universe and to explore our own spiritual potential. It is a journey of faith, courage, and trust, and it can lead to a life of great inner peace and joy.”

In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that there would be a day when I’d be giving credit to artificial intelligence for the content of my writing, and yet here I am, crediting this beautifully written paragraph to AI on chat.openai.com.

I hate to admit it, but AI’s definition touched me. It seemed to be written from the heart and to the heart. Strange, I know. Yet, as good as the description was, I’m still skeptical.

After all, AI is just AI. It’s not a living, breathing, heart-centered human being.

Not that this is a competition, but I have had mystical experiences that I’m willing to bet AI lacks within its experiential repertoire. (So far.)

Resistance, Love, and Listening to the Whispers

I wasn’t looking for a date, boyfriend, or husband, but when I was introduced to him, an inner voice whispered, “He’s the one.” He’s been “the one” for more than 50 years.

How did I know? Where do these wisdom whispers come from? Was meeting this amazing man mere coincidence, pure luck, or Something More?

The Bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the Healing Power of Music, an Intense Case of Self-Doubt, and a Butterfly

As I stood on the amphitheater stage waiting for my concert of hope and healing to begin, I felt haunted by my voices of inner doubt. “Who am I to think that my music can make anyone feel better at a time like this? I shouldn’t have agreed to come. I have nothing to offer that can lessen the grief of losing children, family, and friends. I’m going to make a fool out of myself. What am I doing here?”

In the middle of all this destructive self-talk, a miracle earmarked “special delivery” flew in just for me.

It was a monarch butterfly.

It fluttered its wings in front of me, landed on my microphone, lingered there for a while, danced around my body, and then settled itself on my left shoulder.

The butterfly was a cosmic gift from the universe. It flew there to give me all the courage, strength, healing energy, trust, and transformation I needed to step into my highest purpose. My spiritual assignment was to be fully present and fill everyone’s heart with unconditional love.

Because of this “special delivery” miracle, I could step into my heart of love without allowing fear and self-doubt to sabotage all that was possible in the name of healing, peace, love, light, and hope.

Was the sudden appearance of this butterfly mere coincidence, pure luck, or Something More?

The Car Accident

After a long day of teaching, it was time to head home. The weather was good, the drivers weren’t crazy, and I was keeping myself awake and happy by singing loud and proud in the privacy of my car.

Out of nowhere, my car suddenly hit an oil slick and began spinning out of control for what felt like a lifetime of minutes. Just when my death seemed imminent, guardrails succeeded in stopping my car before it was too late. As soon as the car stopped, my door automatically opened wide. Still in shock, the open door seemed like a gentle invitation that said, “You can get out now, Melody. You’re safe. It’s over. You’re one of the lucky ones today.”

My accident could have ended in disaster. Was its positive outcome mere coincidence, pure luck, or Something More?

A Song that Wrote Itself. “If You Have a Dream”

I was going through a tough time emotionally. I remember sitting paralyzed on the couch for hours. When I least expected it, an energy greater than myself lifted me off the couch, directed me toward my home music studio, sat me down on the piano bench, put both hands on the keys, and a beautiful song with healing lyrics immediately flowed out of me as one whole unit.

Was it my will to live that caused me to get up despite myself, or was it Something More? Was the song that came through me mere coincidence, pure luck, or was it Something More?

“If You Have a Dream” video

“If You Have a Dream,” on the album, “Listen to the Whispers.”

Last week’s “Woo-Woo” Experience

I was on my way to meet a friend for lunch. As soon as I stopped at a traffic light, I noticed a large cream-colored van in front of me. I noticed something else, too. It wasn’t just an ordinary cream-colored van. It had big bold letters on the back that said: Divine Painting.

Were the words on this van created with a double meaning in mind? Did the owner purposely create a phrase that had spiritual meaning, while at the same time, use it to give praise to his level of expertise?

Here’s my preferred interpretation: I believe that an energy field was created somewhere between my writing this article, the inner stirrings within my soul, my inner thoughts and openness to the unknown, and the occurrence of this van showing up with the words, “Divine Painting.”

By the way, I emailed the owner of “Divine Painting” and asked his permission to post a picture of his van. His response was not only positive, but he also asked me to send the article to him after it was published.

I wonder. As he goes about his life as a “Divine Painter,” do you suppose he’s another mystic walking among us?

Proof or no proof, I find myself continually fascinated by all things spiritual, invisible, unexplainable, and mystical. Now that you’ve read this article, allow me the fun of asking you this question one more time. “Are you a mystic without knowing it?”

I’m looking forward to hearing all your mystical déjà vu experiences, miraculous and unexplainable outcomes, and surreal spiritual occurrences.

Meanwhile, keep your mind and heart open to Rumi’s invitation to view all of life as one grand mystical adventure.

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