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“And further: the stages that mark the wayfarers’ journey from their mortal abode to the heavenly homeland are said to be seven. Some have referred to them as seven valleys, and others, as seven cities. And it is said that until the wayfarer takes leave of self and traverses these stages, he shall never attain the ocean of nearness and reunion […].” “The first is the Valley of Search. The steed of this valley is patience; without patience the wayfarer on this journey will reach nowhere and attain no goal. Nor should he ever become downhearted: If he strives for a hundred thousand years and yet fails to behold the beauty of the Friend, he should not falter.” “It is incumbent upon these servants to cleanse the heart, which is the wellspring of Divine treasures, of every marking; turn away from imitation, which is following the traces of their forefathers; and shut the door of friendship and enmity upon all the people of the Earth.” “The true seeker hunts naught but the object of his quest, and the sincere lover has no desire save reunion with his beloved. Nor shall the seeker reach his goal unless he sacrifices all things. That is, whatever he has seen, and heard, and understood — all he must set at naught with ‘no God is there,’ that he may enter into the realm of the spirit, which is the city of ‘but God.’ Labor is needed, if we are to seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to drink the nectar of reunion with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we shall cast away the world.”
