The Prophet: On Reason and Passion

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

“The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran is a revered esoteric classic, originally published in 1923. This book seamlessly blends poetry and philosophy, offering profound insights into the mysteries of the human soul. It tells the story of a beloved prophet bidding farewell to a place he holds dear, imparting heartfelt wisdom to its people.

In his eloquent speech, the prophet weaves words of love, friendship, and gratitude using poetic imagery to convey the delicate balance of togetherness, joy, and even the inevitability of pain and sorrow. Gibran’s wisdom, akin to the profound verses of Rumi, resonates deeply.

The poetic beauty of Gibran’s words serve as a precious gift, revealing profound truths about life, love, freedom, and the interconnectedness of all things. “The Prophet” possesses a transformative power that deeply resonates with seekers of esoteric knowledge, lighting the path for those in search of wisdom, and inviting readers to unlock their inner knowledge and embrace profound truths.

In “On Reason and Passion,” The Prophet navigates the intricate balance between the mind’s logic and the heart’s fervor. He depicts them not as adversaries, but as harmonious partners guiding the soul’s voyage. Through this lens, The Prophet encourages a dance where reason’s clarity intertwines with passion’s fire, creating a luminous path forward. He beckons us to embrace both, ensuring that in their union, we will find the fullest expression of our true selves.

On Reason and Passion

And the priestess spoke again and said: Speak to us of Reason and Passion.

And he answered, saying:

Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.
Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.
But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.
If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion, that it may sing;
And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house.
Surely you would not honour one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both.

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows—then let your heart say in silence, “God rests in reason.”
And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky,—then let your heart say in awe, “God moves in passion.”
And since you are a breath in God’s sphere, and a leaf in God’s forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.

Continue Reading The Prophet

Table of Contents

• The Coming of the Ship
• On Love
• On Marriage
• On Children
• On Giving
• On Eating and Drinking
• On Work
• On Joy and Sorrow
• On Houses
• On Clothes
• On Buying and Selling
• On Crime and Punishment
• On Laws
• On Freedom
• On Reason and Passion
• On Pain
• On Self-Knowledge
• On Teaching
• On Friendship
• On Talking
• On Time
• On Good and Evil
• On Prayer
• On Pleasure
• On Beauty
• On Religion
• On Death
• The Farewell

The Prophet PDF

A Scanned Copy of the 1923 printing of The Prophet can be read here

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The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is widely considered to be a masterpiece of spiritual poetry. This book contains all twelve original drawings Gibran created specifically for The Prophet upon its first publication.

About the Author

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and a philosopher best known for his, The Prophet. Born to a Maronite-Christian family in a village occupied by Ottoman rule, Gibran and his family immigrated to the United States in 1895 in search of a better life. Studying art and literature, and inevitably ensconced in the world of political activism as a young man dealing with the ramifications of having to leave his home-land, Gibran hoped to make his living as an artist. With the weight of political and religious upheaval on his shoulders, Gibran’s work aimed to inspire a revolution of free though and artistic expression.

Gibran’s, The Prophet has become one of the best-selling books of all time, leaving behind a legacy of tremendous accolades and establishing him as both a literary rebel and hero in his country of Lebanon. Gibran is considered to be the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu.

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