The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
- Jalaluddin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks
In this short insightful poem, Rumi presents what I believe is a therapeutic perspective on what to do with your feelings. He uses the metaphor of a guest house to describe being human and the guests are your feelings. They are unexpected visitors with every morning a new arrival. Some stay for a while, but generally all are just passing through. What he is suggesting we do about our unexpected and sometimes uninvited guests is to Open Up our hearts and minds to All feelings no matter what they may be.
Befriending our emotions without judgment is one of the best tools to help us heal, change and grow. When feelings come up, face them and accept them as they are. See it as an opportunity to look within and understand what is going on inside of you.
Feelings aren't facts; however, they do inform us of what is happening within us and provide guidance. They are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong; they just are. They reveal what we are thinking and tell us when something is not okay. If you can accept that each emotion exists for a reason, then perhaps you will understand that all feelings matter.
Giving yourself permission to experience your feelings, no matter what they are, will help you to become emotionally healthy. This in and of itself, makes it all worth it.
You need not act on what you feel. Instead, you can just listen to your feelings, understand what they mean, and let yourself observe knowing that the feelings are moving along. The feelings will lift when the time is right.
When emotions are allowed to exist, they do their time in the guest house, and then leave, but not before teaching us something about ourselves and our experiences. If you follow Rumi's advice, when new emotions (anger, sadness) come to you, open your door to let them in. Allow them their space and treat them with respect. Their presence may be clearing you out for some new delight. That said, you may need to go through the painful side of your feelings before you can get to the other side. It is a simple truth that pain and discomfort is never in vain if you use it to grow and heal. Going through this process can bring you calmness, peace and happiness.
But if you deny, ignore, or resist your feelings, they will gain strength and control over you. They will remain with you longer and keep you stuck. It is worse for you in the long run when you push down your emotions. They build up and may result in you acting out your feelings in self-destructive ways. The fact of feeling is this: The more we resist, the more they persist.
Rumi's poem begins and ends on a high note: every morning a new arrival, meaning, every day is a new beginning, new feelings and fresh way of being. Be grateful for whoever comes, whether good or bad, each has been sent as a guide from beyond to help you in some way. Everything we experience is valuable and has its lessons for us.
On a personal note, I have lived through and survived everything that has happened to me because I have allowed myself to have my feelings- All of them. I always joke that my feelings have kept me sane, and truth be told, acknowledging my feelings, honoring them just because they are a part of me, has gotten me through each and every time.
Reading this poem makes me appreciate what it means to be fully human and alive.
It serves as a good reminder that feeling is what makes us human and emotions are just emotions.
The next time, unwelcome feelings stop by your house, remember to meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Thank you for reading!
Feelings aren't facts; however, they do inform us of what is happening within us and provide guidance. They are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong; they just are. They reveal what we are thinking and tell us when something is not okay. If you can accept that each emotion exists for a reason, then perhaps you will understand that all feelings matter.
Giving yourself permission to experience your feelings, no matter what they are, will help you to become emotionally healthy. This in and of itself, makes it all worth it.
You need not act on what you feel. Instead, you can just listen to your feelings, understand what they mean, and let yourself observe knowing that the feelings are moving along. The feelings will lift when the time is right.
When emotions are allowed to exist, they do their time in the guest house, and then leave, but not before teaching us something about ourselves and our experiences. If you follow Rumi's advice, when new emotions (anger, sadness) come to you, open your door to let them in. Allow them their space and treat them with respect. Their presence may be clearing you out for some new delight. That said, you may need to go through the painful side of your feelings before you can get to the other side. It is a simple truth that pain and discomfort is never in vain if you use it to grow and heal. Going through this process can bring you calmness, peace and happiness.
But if you deny, ignore, or resist your feelings, they will gain strength and control over you. They will remain with you longer and keep you stuck. It is worse for you in the long run when you push down your emotions. They build up and may result in you acting out your feelings in self-destructive ways. The fact of feeling is this: The more we resist, the more they persist.
Rumi's poem begins and ends on a high note: every morning a new arrival, meaning, every day is a new beginning, new feelings and fresh way of being. Be grateful for whoever comes, whether good or bad, each has been sent as a guide from beyond to help you in some way. Everything we experience is valuable and has its lessons for us.
On a personal note, I have lived through and survived everything that has happened to me because I have allowed myself to have my feelings- All of them. I always joke that my feelings have kept me sane, and truth be told, acknowledging my feelings, honoring them just because they are a part of me, has gotten me through each and every time.
Reading this poem makes me appreciate what it means to be fully human and alive.
It serves as a good reminder that feeling is what makes us human and emotions are just emotions.
The next time, unwelcome feelings stop by your house, remember to meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Thank you for reading!
