Reflection

Nov 2020

Air

Water

Fire

Earth

In the Fall of 2011, I started a 2-year Master’s program at the University of Santa Monica called ‘Spiritual Psychology.’ For two years, I read many psychology and self-help/Self-elevation books and wrote many papers. During the second year everyone was to choose a subject that they had always wanted to tackle but for some reason or other had avoided it. We had about 6 months to research, practice, and come up with a presentation to the whole class by the end of our academic year. 

I had been making jewelry for several years at that point, but there were techniques I hadn’t tried before, which I thought could be my challenge. There was this other side of me that desired with passion to translate Rumi’s poetry from Farsi to English. When I discussed this with my advisor, everything became clear. The final project became a book that showed images of 20 pieces of jewelry that I made in the theme of water, fire, earth, and air. Then I chose 20 verses from the large volume of Rumi’s poetry that spoke of those four elements. I translated the verses and showed both Farsi and English versions of them on a watercolor background, opposite the pages of each related piece of jewelry.

This decision to make my project as such was confirmed to me by the following poem that came to me right around the beginning of the project. 

In the depth of my soul

I am flying 

In the Ocean of Love

I am floating 

My passion for you, my Beloved,

Burns me to ashes

The ashes blow in the gentle breeze

Of my own beingness

And settle at the edges of the Ocean

Love takes them in her arms

And we become One