- The Genesis of Suffering: Where the Human Seeks to Turn the Wheel of the Heavens
The discord between humans and Heavens (Falak) begins the very moment a human imagines the universe must move in accordance with one’s desires. Meanwhile, the Heavens take their own path; yet the human expects the heavens to perform the human story, to soften its turns to suit the human whim, and to alter its course to match a human mind’s blueprint.
When these two paths fail to align, suffering is born: not from the cruelty of the heavens, but from the human’s misguided expectations of the heavens.
In truth:
A vast share of human suffering arises not from reality itself, but from the chasm between reality and the human expectation of it.
This chasm is the seedbed of the human’s fundamental conflict with existence.
The heavens walk their path calmly and without haste; just as a river knows its course, just as the wind traces its way, and just as night settles upon the shoulders of day without a shred of hurry.
Yet the human, burdened with a thousand desires and a thousand unfinished tales, seeks to drag the heavens toward one’s dreams—as though the universe must obey one’s command, as though the road must flatten out in one’s deference, as though existence must ask one’s permission.
And right from this very point, suffering begins.
- Suffering is born the moment the human attempts to turn the heavens, rather than oneself.
Why Does the Human Expect the Impossible from the Heavens?
Because the human occasionally fancies that:
- The heavens must shield them from every hazard,
- Must smooth out the path,
- Must eliminate all the turns,
- Must keep them from falling into the valleys,
- And must act entirely according to their will.
This is the human who, rather than refining driving skills and yielding to the road, searches for a vehicle that will remain unscathed even if it plunges off a cliff.
Yet the right way is for the driver to accept change, not for the road to change.
- The Heavens: A Road That Does Not Bend to Our Command
The heavens lay out a road whose turns are drawn from Divine Wisdom (Hekmat), not from our desires.
Imagine a driver moving along a mountain road. The road curves, but the driver says: “I refuse to turn; the road must be straight.” The heavens are like this. Should the human attempt to alter the path of existence to fit their wishes, they will collide with the wall of reality at the very first bend of life.
Example: The Road That Refuses to Turn
The human becomes so entangled in their own desires that they imagine if they will it, the road too must turn. But the road is the offspring of Wisdom, not the offspring of our wishes.
Picture a driver navigating a mountain road. The road twists, but the driver says: “I will not turn; the road must be straight.”
The outcome is clear: a crash, a collision, or a halt. At the very first curve, reality’s unyielding stones are met.
- The heavens are just like this. If the human seeks to reshape the path of existence to their liking, they will shatter against the wall of reality at life’s first turn.
- Attunement (Symphasis) with the Heavens Means:
- Seeing the path of existence precisely as it is, not as we wish it to be.
- Harmonizing with the twists and turns of the universe, rather than fighting them.
- Embracing Divine Wisdom, even when it eludes our understanding.
- Moving with the heavens, not against them.
This attunement (Ham-Fazi: Symphasis) wears two faces:
1)Intellectual Symphasis
The human accepts that the universe is not subservient to one’s desires. This acceptance diminishes suffering and deepens realistic view.
2)Intuitive Symphasis
The human perceives that the heavens carry a wisdom soaring far above human comprehension. Thus, rather than warring with the path of existence, they surrender themselves to the Divine design. Even if they fail to grasp that design, they know its conclusion surpasses any blind war against the world.
Attunement with the heavens—or the art of seeing rather than fighting—means letting go of our compulsion to pull the world toward us, and instead releasing ourselves into the world’s current. Not from a point of weakness, but from a point of awareness.
It means watching how the heavens turn, and turning with them. It means understanding that Divine Wisdom lies hidden within the curves of the road, not in its straightness.
The Farmer and the Seasons
A farmer cannot alter the seasons; yet they can:
- Sow the appropriate seeds,
- Prepare the soil,
- Welcome the rain,
- And attune themselves to the rhythms of the seasons.
The heavens are those very seasons; the human is that farmer. Viewed thus, prayer and reliance upon God acquire a deep and radiant meaning.
- Earthly Law and Heavenly Law
Within the Erfan-e Keyhani Halgheh school, this principle stands of utmost importance:
- Earthly work obeys earthly law; heavenly work obeys heavenly law.
The human must recognize both, must practice both, and must never cast the blame for any flaw upon the heavens.
The Kite and the Wind
A child who grips a kite fiercely, demanding that the wind blow precisely as desired, tears the kite apart.
Yet the child who harmonizes a string with the wind, yielding the kite freely to the breeze, witnesses it soar aloft as the wind carries it all the way to the sky.
The heavens are that wind; the human is that child.
- Why Does the Human Fight the Heavens?
Because deep within the soul, the human yearns for the universe to perform one’s own story.
They want the heavens to time movements to human desires; they want existence to answer them with a resounding yes; they want the road to flatten out of respect for them.
Yet the truth remains:
- The heavens bear malice toward no one; the heavens simply walk their own path.
The Heavens, a Train That Never Stops
A traveler arriving late at the station calls out to the train: “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
Yet the train waits for no one. The train simply pursues its course, driven solely by its own timetable.
- The heavens are precisely the same, and they wait for no one.
- What Is the Human’s Role in All This?
The human cannot change the heavens; but they can reform their own insight.
They must:
- Maintain earthly planning,
- Draw upon Divine Intelligence,
- Cultivate their own character,
- Remain optimistic,
- And abstain from injustice.
- Attunement (Symphasis): A Pathway to the Alleviation of Suffering
Attunement (Symphasis) with the heavens rescues the human from crushing disappointments—the despair of those who imagine existence must dance to the tune of their imagination, only to sink into hopelessness when it refuses.
The Swimmer and the Wave
The swimmer who fights the wave drowns. Yet the swimmer who yields to the wave rides upon its crest.
The heavens are that wave; the human is that swimmer.
- The Role of Divine Intelligence
When the human attains attunement (Symphasis) with the heavens:
- They draw upon Divine Intelligence;
- Hidden pathways unveil before them (“In secret a hidden gate is revealed that none knows”);
- And the roads beyond their control shift to serve their well-being and welfare.
This is precisely the moment when the heavens “take the human into service” along their path.
The Lantern in the Night
A traveler journeys through the night. The road is dark, yet they carry a lantern in their hand. The light does not alter the road; but it illuminates the path.
Divine Intelligence is that very light.
- Attunement (Symphasis) and Flexibility
Attunement with the heavens breeds flexibility—a resilience without which the rigid stone of life would shatter the human frame.
The Tree and the Wind
A tree that is rigid and unyielding snaps at the very first gale. Yet a tree that bends not only survives, but lets the wind pass harmlessly behind it.
The heavens are that wind; the human is that tree.
- The End of Human Dictatorship Over the Heavens
Upon attaining awareness, the human understands that the heavens are neither enemy nor friend; the heavens simply take their own path.
- They abandon their dictatorship over the heavens, ceasing to cry: “Why doesn’t the world spin to my liking?”
- They abstain from engaging in a war whose defeat is absolute;
- They spare themselves from inner ruin;
- And rather than forcing their own path upon the heavens, they journey alongside the flow of the heavens (witnessing the wisdom of this matter through intuition within the corresponding Halgheh).
Summary of Symphasis
The heavens are a road that curves according to wisdom, not according to our desires. Suffering begins the exact moment the human demands that the road bend to their will. Yet Symphasis means seeing, understanding, accepting, and moving in harmony with the path of existence. This attunement softens suffering, births flexibility, and delivers the human from futile battles with the universe.
Mohammad Ali Taheri
Founder of Erfan Keyhani Halgheh School
Toronto: July 28, 2026 / Corresponding to Mordad 6, 1405 SH
