Musa’s Desert Experience: Overcoming the Ego
The stories reflected in the works of Mevlâna Celaleddin-i Rûmî are full of deep symbols that purify a person from their ego and invite them to the path of truth. The desert experience of Prophet Musa is one such symbol; here, Musa confronts the signs of God and undergoes a spiritual transformation. This transformation symbolizes leaving behind his sığıncak staff, severing worldly ties, and erasing relatives, neighbors, everyone he knew from his heart. This is the first step in freeing oneself from the whispers of the nafs (ego) and turning towards truth; because to reach true tawhid (unity with God), one must first overcome their own ego.
The Staff Transforms into a Dragon: The Demolition of the Ego
Musa’s abandoning his staff is an indication of the transience of ego and worldly interests. Its transformation into a dragon represents the destruction of the individual’s ego and the emergence of truth. According to Mevlâna, when a person clings tightly to the world, everything they possess can become their enemy; this hinders spiritual progress and traps them in fleeting concerns. God’s command “hold” with the staff reappearing expresses that truth does not yield to transience, but rather is a grace that will bring a person back to themselves; this emphasizes the importance of spiritual self-sacrifice and submission.
The Wine of Love and the Journey of Truth
In Mevlâna’s poetry, love is not just an emotional experience but also a path that leads people to truth. The metaphor of ‘wine’ symbolizes this truth; being intoxicated by wine is an expression of transcending the boundaries of the ego and merging with the divine realm. Mevlâna commands “to make those who want bread fall into longing, to give joy to those who are in love with wine,” because bread is a symbol of the body’s prison while wine is a rain that illuminates the soul. With a true perspective, one must close two eyes that see impropriety and open eyes that perceive the unseen and know; this requires detaching from the ostentation of the world, namely mosques and temples (places of worldly attachment).