Episode 21: Peter Booth—Hafiz, the Poet of Love

Peter Booth—Hafiz, the Poet of Love

Real Conversation

If your heart is hungry for love—big love, mystical love, life-altering love—this is the conversation for you. Peter Booth answered the questions not with his stories or opinions, but with ghazals, couplets of love straight from the Persian mouth of Hafiz, the ultimate poet of love. By the end, we were in altered states, deep in The Mystic, just as Hafiz intended.

Real Person

Peter Booth is the perfect person to take us into a deep dive into the mystical heart of Hafiz. He studied Sanskrit and sacred Indian texts at Georgetown, received a B.A. in English Literature from Bard College, attended Harvard Graduate School in Persian Language and Literature, and studied Persian Literature at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. He lived and breathed Hafiz in Meher Baba’s home, Meherabad, for 32 years. In addition to The Illuminated Hafiz, Peter is the co-author of Dante I Hafiz currently working on The Incomparable Hafiz.

Real Prayer Action

Hafiz is not only the poet of love, he is love. His words are alive and they do something to you. Here are a few ways you can take Hafiz into your hearth through deep soul writing, reflection, and prayer:

Peter quoted Thomas Mayhew: The purpose of religion is to introduce man to God. When that’s done, religion is done. Not exactly what our patriarchal religions teach! A radical question to take into soul writing might be: What do I see as the purpose of religion?
Peter talked about the attributes of god not according to theology, but “according to your personal experience.” What are the attributes of the divine according to your personal experience? Are you experiencing a god you love? Are you ready for a bigger god?
Slowly speak a ghazal. (All in the transcript.) Notice how Hafiz uses the mind to touch your heart.
Peter talked about developing your own realm of meaning and the uniqueness of your own personality, a realm where you feel safe and protected. How would you describe that realm?

Enjoy the gorgeous excerpt* from The Illuminated Hafiz in Prayer Bag 21. Feel each couplet as an arrow. Give up trying to trace a logical progression. It’s not there! Then, come to our Praying at the Speed of Love Facebook community and share your experiences with this master of love. Let’s speak Hafiz to one another!

*Excerpted from THE ILLUMINATED HAFIZ: Love Poems for the Journey to Light, edited by Nancy Owen Barton and illuminated by Michael & Saliha Green. Sounds True. 2019 Michael Green, Sally Green, and Nancy Owen Barton. Reprinted with Permission.

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