Sufi Poetry

Sufi poetry is by far the most existential poetry we've come across in class to date. It's interesting that this poetry is considered to be related to religion in that it references and discussed God, yet it outwardly derides traditional religious practices as being too showy. It discusses transcendence and achieving a higher state of being, of experiencing ecstasy upon the reunion of the personal soul with the great Soul. A lot of natural imagery is used in Sufi poetry, such as birds, clouds, and flowers (the rose especially), to signify the longing and desire to achieve the highest state of consciousness in which the self dies to the whole. Traditionally, Sufis have had many methods of altering one's state of consciousness, including singing, dancing, and partaking of mind-altering substances such as bhang, a cannabis plant derivative. I'm sure the bhang helped contribute to the strong theme of love being the underlying force of the universe. Love is more than just the theme of most of the poems; it seems to be the purpose of life to a Sufi. Feeling love and sharing love are very important to the dedicated Sufi.