When looking at some of the poetry of Rumi, I had never heard of the concept of Solomon’s ring before. I was aware that Solomon was known for his wisdom from the Bible, but I did not necessarily know that in ancient times, this meant having deeper insight into the world, such as dealing with illnesses, evil spirits, etc. It was interesting to learn that this was often an item of folklore to envoke a higher power and object that comes up in storytelling for this reason. I also thought it was important, as we noted in class, that mystics fast in order to get closer to God, as this practice interrupts ordinary routine and allows one to dedicate more time to prayer. The poem gave an interesting perspective on how the very act of not taking in food actually changes our perception and that once you get past it, you feel like you have a bit of this deeper perception, as revealed in the line which states “Hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.” Music is also noted in this poem as playing a role in having the power to reduce altered states of consciousness. For example, the music used in the dance of whirling dervishes is used as an image and metaphor in poetry (“we are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox is stuffed full of anything, no music.” This line also reveals that the belly and the brain are both cleansed through fasting, both literally and figuratively. This poem also provided a powerful image of food and drink distracting us and this would be equivalent to having an idol in place of the Kaaba. The idea of being willing to trade something that is much more valuable for food that is discussed here reveals how it can be something that distracts us and that fasting is an important discipline because it is a show of self-control and resisting something that is something that is woven into our biology.