Discourses of Rumi

FIHI MA FIHI V 309“If he wants to he will throw me some food,” butbegs and wags its tail. So should you wag yourtail and beg of God, for in the presence of such aGiver, to ask is the expression of a wonderfuldesire. If you lack good fortune, ask from Onewho is not stingy, and a commander of greatwealth.God is always near to you. Every thought andidea you conceive, there is God—for God gavebeing to that idea and thought. Yet God is so closeyou cannot see It. What is so strange in that? Inevery act you perform, reason guides you and initiatesyour action, but you cannot see your reason.You see its effect, but you cannot see itsessence. For instance someone goes to the baths.Wherever they go within the baths, they feel theheat of the fire, even though they do not see thefire itself. When they leave the baths, then they seethe actual fire and flames. From this they knowthat the heat of the baths comes from a fire.The human being is also a huge bath, and withinitself dwells the heat of reason, spirit and thelower self. But once you leave this bath and enterthe other world, you see the actual essences. Then