Belly Dancers of the Golden Age: Naemet Mokhtar

I can't find any biographical info on this beautiful dancer, so please let me know if you can enlighten us! I found the first clip posted on facebook by a dance friend - wait for the singularly amazing backbend ... and please don't try it yourself! The second clip is Tamra Henna - for fun you can compare it to Naima Akif's posted last time...

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

What is the key
To untie the knot of the mind's suffering?

Benevolent thought, sound,
And movement.

Hafiz

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

Why
Abstain from love
When like the beautiful snow goose
Someday your soul
Will leave this summer
Camp?

Hafiz

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

THIS SKY

This

Sky

Where we live

Is no place to lose your wings

So love, love,

Love.

Hafiz

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

It Felt Love

How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart

And give to this world
All its
Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being.

Otherwise,
We all remain

Too

Frightened.

Hafiz

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

Now is the time for the world to know
That every thought and action is sacred.

This is the time
For you to deeply compute the impossibility

That there is anything
But Grace.

Hafiz

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

You carry all the ingredients
To turn your existence into joy,

Mix them, mix
them!

Hafiz

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

This week I'll be sharing little pearls from the poetry of Hafiz, along with images of the Tree of Life from various Asian and Middle Eastern traditions. Hafiz was a 14th Century Persian Sufi poet - not quite Rumi's contemporary, but in the same tradition of ecstatic, devotional, mystical poetry. (I'll be quoting from Daniel Ladinsky's translations.) The Tree of Life is a symbol common to almost every culture worldwide, a symbol of spiritual attainment, worldly abundance and spiritual gifts, even of the mysterious structure of the cosmos. The symbol is often found in the rugs and tapestries of the East. The one above is a tapestry from South India.

We have not come here to take prisoners,

But to surrender ever more deeply
To freedom and joy.

We have not come into this exquisite world
To hold ourselves hostage from love.

*By the way, if you want to get Daily Belly Dance Wisdom (and my other posts) delivered directly to your in-box or reader, now you can! I've added subscription links in the right sidebar - Yay!*

Daily Belly Dance Wisdom

you are precious
you are golden
you are utterly unique.

when you express yourself, it is a gift.

honour us with your gifts today.

xo