ॐ
One crisp afternoon Rumi was walking alone with her red book and newly acquired gold coin in tow. The red book, her trusty companion, never left her side. It had been with her as long as she could remember and although the edges were becoming more and more frayed, Rumi wouldn’t think of ever replacing it. And now that the man had given Rumi a gold coin, she felt as if she had everything she needed in life.
Rumi loved the gold coin. Although it was old, if she held it in the right light, she could see it sparkle; she just had to hold it at the right angle to see it shine. This is just like life, she thought. Everything, without exception, is evaluated by how they are perceived. If you hold anything in the right light, it will shine, she thought.
Rumi slowly meandered down the path when she came upon a woman seated on a bench. The woman seemed peculiar to Rumi because she could see, quite clearly, a multi-colored rainbow aura surrounding her. It immediately caught her attention and she stopped in front of the woman.
“What a beautiful rainbow,” Rumi said.
The woman smiled.
“Very few notice it,” the woman responded.
“I can see it. It’s bright and impossible to miss.”
“Only the gifted can see that. Sit down,” the woman instructed.
Rumi complied with the woman’s wishes. Although Rumi’s mother warned her many times about talking to strangers, she felt compelled to sit with the woman.
“What is your name?” the woman asked.
“Rumi.”
“Ah, yes, but of course it is you. I knew that one day you would arrive, and that day has come.”
Rumi settled in beside the woman.
“What is your name?” Rumi asked.
“My name is Rafaela.”
“How did you get the rainbow around you?
The woman explained that everyone has an aura and in the spiritual dimension this is how people communicated. By looking at the color of someone’s aura you can learn everything you need to know about the person. If the person is dark, you will see darkness around them. If the person is filled with light, you will be drawn in by their glow. We humans have become too dependent on the spoken word and because of this, we have lost our ability to truly see.
Rumi thought about this for a moment.
“There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it, don’t you?” the Rafaela asked.
“I do,” Rumi said.
“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words,” the woman continued.
Rumi nodded and smiled.
“You received a coin recently, from a man.”
Rumi looked up, surprised that the woman knew this.
“Don’t be surprised, dear. It’s written in your aura. In time, I’m going to teach you how to read auras, but for now…show me the coin.”
Rumi reached into her small pouch and withdrew the coin. Rafaela took it and began inspecting it. The coin, although weathered, looked perfect to Rumi. She had never possessed a coin like this one. On one side was a shield, worn in battle; on the other side, a cross inside a clover. The coin was Spanish, and the year said 1607.
“You are a lot like this coin,” Rafaela said.
“How so?”
“If we rubbed this coin really hard, we could make it shine. We can make you shine too.”
“I’d like that,” Rumi said.
Like you, this coin has two sides, Rafaela explained. On one side is a cross that represents your spiritual nature; on the other, a shield for you to wear into battle. You need both sides of this coin to successfully make your way through life, but always remember—you are neither side of the coin. At any given time, depending on how the coin is held and perceived, you will appear either as the soldier or priest. The truth is you are neither of those things, yet you are both of those things at various times. Yes, it’s paradoxical, but you mustn’t attach to either identity while always remembering, you are the coin. You are both sides of this coin. If you removed either side of the coin, it would no longer exist.
Rumi sat silently and listened.
The solider and the priest are just facets of your personality, Rafaela explained. However, the entire coin represents your soul and your truth. So, whenever you are wondering how you can see someone’s aura, just look for the coin in everyone.
Rumi thanked the woman for this beautiful lesson. Rafaela handed the coin back to Rumi.
“I would like you to keep it,” Rumi said. “It was never mine to begin with. It always belonged to God.”
Rafaela knew Rumi was special. She smiled, took the coin, and placed it in her satchel.