A Manual for Pioneers

a découpage from Rúhíyyih Khánum's book of the same name

First, there is no time.
Having arrived somewhere as a pioneer
by one of two doors, the head or the heart,
there is a deep hunger:
who are you, why are you here,
where are you going?
It is the immemorial human story.
The next step is the spiritual spark.
We are not the judges
of other people's hearts!
All of us suddenly find that we
are cleaving to our own kind
with a sense of relief, self-righteousness;
one must always be on one's guard.
Patiently, gently, politely, lovingly,
we are fundamentally united—
this is the essence of deepening.
From now on it has to be “we.”
This is a very profound difference,
the path of wisdom,
the real oneness.
We see how inextricably interwoven
are the prayers, the motive,
and the mysterious inner process
of acceptance
of the Manifestation of God.