"To explore the phenomenon of Rumi's popularity further, I recently asked a group of about fifty participants in one of my poetry workshops to explain why Rumi meant so much to them. I then grouped their responses into twelve distinct categories: 1) Non-Intellectual: They found Rumi to cater to their hearts, emotions and instincts rather than intellects. 2) Levels: They found many levels in Rumi's poetry. The more they learned about Rumi, the more they appreciated his depth and were encouraged to dig deeper. 3) Unity: They found the sense of unity and universal siblinghood in Rumi's poetry to be very attractive. 4) Friend: They found him to be as a friend. 5) Personal: Reading Rumi for them is a very personal and intimate experience. They associate themselves with him. 6) Grace Descending: Every time a Rumi poem is recited they feel Grace descending. 7) Longing: They associated with the sense of longing in Rumi's poems. 8) Love Affair: Rumi is like a lover to some of the participants. 9) Religious Bridge: They found Rumi to form a religious bridge for the Moslems in this country. Through Rumi some Moslems found a wider acceptance in the U.S. 10) They Don't Even Like Poetry: Some expressed that they don't even like poetry, but they love reading Rumi poems. 11) Participate in the Process: They found Rumi extremely expressive and found themselves participating in Rumi's own process. 12) Guide: They found Rumi to be a spiritual guide for them."

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