Union

One of my yogis is recently engaged. She is young, beautiful and happily entering a new phase of her dharma. The next year will full of fun and excitement. I always think of Kahlil Gibran's beautiful discussion of marriage from his book "The Prophet" when I hear of a pending marriage. Gibran was born in Syria in the late 1800s and moved to the United States. His work was very popular in the 1960s and is making quite a comeback. Below is his writing on marriage:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
~ Gibran

I don't know why we need a partner. I have given much thought to this having divorced and finding myself single again. Spiritually there are discussions of soulmates, twin flames, and mirrors of yourself. Honestly though, there is just something magical about love. Watching my yogi glow as she shared her beautiful ring, I was struck by the perfection of union. Namaste.