The Divan of Divine Presence

The word divan has multiple meanings. It can refer to a pillowed couch or daybed, a room with one side open to a sunny garden, or an oriental council of state. A divan can also be a collection of poems, especially in the Persian Sufi tradition (such as the divans of Rumi and Hafiz) in which the poet celebrates the states experienced in the progress toward unity with God. This divan is a year’s worth of poems in seasonal sequence recording the progress of a student following the discipline of an esoteric school. The collection begins in autumn - harvest - gathering the fundamental ideas taught in all true esoteric schools in all ages. The poems continue through the stages of spiritual growth these ideas engender, culminating in the full sun of summer - the ever-accessible presence of God.