Don's Home Arts Literature Writing Interpretations The Guest House

This being human is a guest-house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

13th Century Persion Poet, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, or Jalaluddin Rumi
See Rumi in wikipedia

When Grief and Sadness Stop Being Visitors and Start Being Squatters | Better Relating
“The Guest House.” A simple title for a profound poem that teaches us to welcome all of our parts and emotions equally.

There’s so much Internal Family Systems (IFS) thinking in this poem!

It has a deep and powerful message about how to cope with the messiness of life.

The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, developed by Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D. (1995), describes your inner world as being like a family. Think of your own family. It’s probably safe to say you don’t always get along with each other.

When this happens inside you, you can fall into eating, drinking, or shopping too much, or any of those other excessive quick fixes that don’t actually fix anything at all.

IFS sees how you are made up of your:

Self, or your core being Parts, or the family members inside your mind The IFS approach to personal development teaches you how to cultivate your Self qualities for greater happiness.

The 8 Self qualities are:

Calm
Compassion
Curiosity
Courage
Creativity
Connection
Confidence
Clarity

See Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction & More: