Omid Safi shares a conversation with Marilyn Shannon about listening from the heart, dealing with suffering as we face a pandemic, and the powerful wisdom of the poet Rumi.
Marilyn Shannon is an experienced facilitator, author, superior court mediator, consultant, life/business coach, speaker, journalist, online international TV/Radio host, and the Founder of Women’s Power Networking. You can learn more about her at marilynshannon.com.
Listening from the Heart
Omid and Marilyn explore the art of listening from the heart, rather than keeping conversations on the surface level. Omid talks about the power of pregnant pauses, and why he’s not a fan of the question, “How are you doing?” For him, it’s much more deep and meaningful to ask, “How is your heart doing?”
“In that pause, we get to regroup, we get to rehear, we get to relisten.” – Marilyn Shannon
Spring Washam talks about listening with the heart on BHNN Guest Podcast Ep. 26
Illuminated Courses (14:18)
Marilyn asks Omid about his online offering, Illuminated Courses, and the course on Rumi. Omid talks about how many of his students are dealing with suffering, especially as they face this new reality of pandemic and quarantine. He and Marilyn discuss Rumi’s connection to the theme of suffering, and how he was such a humorous storyteller.
“It takes courage to go inside your own heart and to deal with those places that Rumi would call the un-illuminated places deep inside your own heart.” – Omid Safi
Learn about Omid Safi’s Illuminated Courses, online video courses to nourish the heart and soul
Trust Your Wound to a Skilled Healer (36:14)
Omid and Marilyn share some of their favorite Rumi poems, and discuss the ways in which suffering can sometimes help open our hearts. Omid talks about humility being essential when dealing with other people’s suffering, and how we can keep our egos in check.
“As long as we are worshipping our own ego, it makes it impossible to love ourselves truly, to love anybody else truly, or to love God truly.” – Omid Safi
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