Rumi and Shams

     Happy is the moment when we sit together,

   with two forms, two faces, yet one soul,

you and I.

     This poem was a chapter heading in a novel I read recently entitled A Moth to the Flame: The Story of the Great Sufi Poet Rumi by Connie Zweig.  It is a fictional account of the key points of Rumi's life, his becoming the leader of his religious community, his marriages, the birth of his children, his meeting with Shams, and Shams' death.  Of course, there is no way to tell how close the author was to the biographical truth (she lists a time line in the back of the book, and I noted that she took some liberties with some of the occurrences in his life), but as far as the spiritual truth of the book goes, I think she came pretty close.

     My favorite part was when she was explaining the nature of Rumi and Shams' relationship.  It was a deeply spiritual relationship, and, as I've said before, I believe that they were Twin Souls.