The poem The Guest House by the 13th-century poet Jalaluddin Rumi is a timeless invitation to welcome every emotion, pleasant or painful, into our lives. In it, Rumi invites readers to imagine ourselves as a house, with an open door that welcomes every visitor. These “visitors” are our feelings, joy, sadness, anger, guilt, love, fear, excitement, and even despair. Some arrive pleasantly and are easy to host; others feel messy, loud, and unwelcome. But Rumi’s point is clear: each one arrives for a reason, and each has something to teach us.

Here is the poem in full:

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

Some momentary awareness comes

As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

We often try to push away emotions we don’t like, locking the door when pain or fear shows up. But Rumi challenges us to do the opposite: to invite them in, even if they make us uncomfortable. This doesn’t mean we have to enjoy every emotion, but rather we can approach them with curiosity instead of resistance. By treating each feeling like a guest, temporary, purposeful, and part of a bigger picture, we start to understand that emotions are not permanent states, but passing experiences.

Picture waking up to Joy knocking at your door, flooding your home with warmth and light. You welcome it easily. But the next day, Sorrow shows up, heavy and slow, you’re tempted to turn it away. According to Rumi, even Sorrow carries a gift. Perhaps clearing out space for compassion, resilience, or a deeper understanding of yourself. 

The poem also gently reminds us that we are not our emotions. We are the host, not the guests. We can watch them come and go without losing ourselves in the process. In this way, The Guest House is not just about feelings, but about feelings, but about the art of living fully, accepting life’s unpredictability, and trusting that every experience has a place in our growth.

This wisdom resonates across cultures and time because it speaks to something universal: We all have days when unwelcome guests arrive. Whether it’s stress before an exam, grief after a loss, or anxiety about the future, these visitors can feel overwhelming. But by allowing them in, we create the possibility of transformation. The very emotions we want to avoid often carry the seeds of insight and healing.

Rumi’s vision of hospitality toward our inner life is deeply aligned with modern ideas in mindfulness and psychology. Instead of judging ourselves for what we feel, we can acknowledge each emotion without clinging to it or pushing it away. As the poem says, “Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

In the end, The Guest House is an invitation to live with openness, to welcome the laughter and the tears, the calm and the chaos. To trust that every visitor leaves something behind that shapes us into a more complete human being. 

Feature Image: Photo by Meghan Watson on Unsplash