This is love:
to fly toward a secret sky,
to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.
First, to let go of life.
In the end, to take a step without feet

RUMI

Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California

What does that mean, “to take a step without feet”? Feet provide you with stability when you walk. They aide you with movement and provide you with support. Without feet, you’d probably have a difficult time running, walking, or even standing up. It doesn’t mean that it would be impossible to do, it would just be more of a challenge.

I think that the message Rumi is trying to convey is that, “taking a step without feet” is like taking a step not knowing whether you can control the outcome. Not many people would be willing to do that. Control is a difficult thing to let go. What would be the incentive for you to do so?

It’s a scary thought if you think about it. If you were to take a step without feet, you would probably fall. But, on the the other hand, there is also a chance that you may not. Allowing yourself to be okay with that thought is difficult. To be okay with falling is not an instinctive trait. Human nature drives off of survival. It is that little voice in your head that cautions you from doing things that could potentially hurt you; physically and emotionally.

If you’ve been hurt repeatedly, your mind keeps building on that protection and your caution grows more and more. Sometimes to the point where your mind may be cautioning you too much, and you become fearful of exploring things that may actually be good for you.

While your body is only trying to help, there comes a point where you have to consciously decide, “What are the things you can control, and what are the things you should throw caution to the wind?” Making that distinction is the first step. You can’t control everything in life, but you can control your approach. It is about acknowledging and knowing that, yes, you can take a step without feet – it will be difficult, but it is not impossible. In the end, sometimes the biggest payoffs are the ones you approach without having firm grounding. The ones where you let go of life, and you take a step without feet.