Rumi Roulette: Whirling in Conversation with Sufi Poetry

Rumi Roulette (a PCO Salon event, every 3rd Tuesday)

In tonight's conversation we take a chance, exploring ourselves and the universe in a random ride with the great Sufi mystic poet Rumi.

More than 800 years ago, Rumi wondered:

Who am I,
standing in the midst of this
thought-traffic?

Isn't this also our experience today? Our distracted lives, especially our lives online, can erode our sense of ourselves and how we connect with others. Researcher Sherry Turkle suggests that the cure is conversation. That’s what we offer every Tuesday at 7:00 pm PT in the PCO's Conversation Salon.

On the third Tuesday each month, we'll be riding with Rumi and his poems. This event "takes its shape from the shore it meets," as Zora Neale Hurston said about love. Depending on the choices attendees make on the spot, this event is different every time. With practice, we can find ourselves entering into the experience of sohbet, the connection of souls in conversation. Poet and popularizer of Rumi's poems Coleman Barks explains, "There is prayer, and a step from that is meditation, and a step from that is sohbet, the mystical conversation."

Once we all feel welcome, we'll whirl up a poem democratically to explore in conversation with Rumi and each another. We hope you'll join us in our latest unique foray into the Meetup version of Rumi Roulette.

We'd love to meet you there!

Here are some benefits of attending the PCO Tuesday Salon:

• Rediscover spontaneity
• Practice risk-taking in conversation
• Develop empathy
• Generate self-knowledge
• Gain social skills
• Experience community
• Build relationship skills
• Sharpen focus
• Enhance listening skills
• Heal from isolation
• Deepen soulfulness

Like the World Wisdom Project and the Personal Creed Project, Rumi Roulette is a learning experience that first originated in our classroom at American High School in Fremont, CA. The Personal Creed Organization exists to support and promote self-knowledge in and beyond the classroom. In this Meetup Group we experiment with re-shaping these learning experiences for a wider audience.

Note: The event image is a detail from a stunning painting of a whirling Sufi, by Bay Area painter Farhat Ashufta. Used with permission and thanks.