YES SCHIMMEL...MY SOUL IS A WOMAN

In this floating mood recently. Not really concentrating. I kinda like this mood as it makes me go slightly deeper inside. Do some reflection & revert back to flipping through some old books of mine. This time luckily I got 'my soul is a woman' by the greatest writer Schimmel, a woman I met almost 10 years ago.

I went to diwan last night after Phillies. I was just planning to go sit there read a book on children that I picked up before I left to paris. I read a little in the book but I wasn't really into that for some reason. I just found it not as interesting as I thought before. I went to the sufi section, eye browsed through the books and found myself grabbing Schimmel's book. Then I went to Ed. Sa'id and bought another book of his, then to B.L and bought another two books. I think this is my usual habbit when I am desperate to read and feel like wanting to connect to a person(s) who I met and liked: Sa'id and Schimmel. But why Bernard Lewis, well, I hate the guy but I like that he triggers me. It is enough for me at least that I just look to his books and just tell it 'not reading your shit'.. or read his stuff and say, 'ok I see your point but I am not totally convinced.'

Anyways, I went to Cilantro this morning. The weather was good. I took Schimmel's book with me to read. I found myself crying while reading. More than once. Something there when describing love, pregnancy, marriage, women, children that really got me. How she talks about mother's role was very moving; how she describes V. Mary was touching; how she describes the longing to visiting the Ka'ba and how it is a metaphor of a veiled bride, and the strive to go on a journey to it was so beautiful; sexual intercourse. Lots and lots of short lines of deciphering symbols that we took for granted. I love that. Indeed, religion is so limitless. Religion is everything, poetry, linguisitc, culture, us, Coran, prophets, stories, nature, pens, writings, thoughts,......everything.

Well, to those Iranians who frequently attack religion, please read your Ibn 'Arabi or Rumi endless love!

Comments

Anonymous said…
I have picked up her "deciphering the signs.." on two occassions, but never went further than halfway on either. Maybe I'll try the one you talk about; sounds interesting. is that the translation by susan ray?
6/03/2005 05:06:00 pm
haal said…
Deciphering god is really good. I read it before, but never in order. I mean this kind of books you just open on any chapter and start reading. I dont do it sequence.

My soul wow... if you read the first couple of chapters you will feel like 'ugh...normal stuff' but then jump back and forth and you will see what I mean. Yep that's the one translated by Ray. For sure you can tell that it is a translation of some sort, but still there are good stuff inside. Give it a shot.
6/03/2005 11:07:00 pm
Anonymous said…
So I picked it up -my soul is a woman- and so far you're right: the first two chapters indeed feel like 'ugh! I'm sure they're valuable scholarly work, but (or maybe hence) I'm not feeling the flow.. or maybe I had high expectations.. ?

That being said, I feel like I've gotten the basic idea -- the imagery of the soul as a woman, which is definitely an added value in its own accord.

At any rate, I'm hoping you will be just as right about the rest of it.. that would be my only reason to go on with it..
6/28/2005 09:12:00 pm
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