No Judgment

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

Rumi

October 2019

That line from one of Rumi’s poems has always resonated with me; and I’ve been thinking lately about what an apt expression it is of the psychoanalytic process.  The “field” where analyst and patient meet is most fertile when judgment is set aside by both.  Much easier said than done!  In our waking lives, most of us operate from a varied set of judgments, some harsh and others less so.  But to really understand ourselves, increase our awareness, and set the groundwork for change, the best attitude to take is that of curiosity.  Judgment is the enemy of curiosity.  It closes our minds, limits possibilities, gives a false sense of knowing without doubt.  Curiosity, on the other hand, opens our thoughts to whatever we might find.  And it’s often much more interesting than we could’ve imagined.

Below is the full verse from Rumi.  Well worth the read. 

Enjoy,

Anne

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other”
doesn’t make any sense.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.”