Conversations with Omid Arabian

Today we’d like to introduce you to Omid Arabian.

Hi Omid, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In my current lifetime I was born in Iran, moved to New York at age 11, and then to Los Angeles at 32.

When I was a kid, my head was filled with some big questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happens when I die? I kept these questions mostly to myself, but when I had the courage to ask them out loud, the answers I got didn’t feel very satisfactory.

As an adult, I kept asking and seeking – and I found that the answers I most resonated with came from the mystical tradition. So, I became a student of mysticism and the treasure trove of mystical literature and poetry. In particular, I felt myself magnetically drawn to the writings of Rumi, Hafez, and Ferdowsi – the three most revered poets in Iran. Personally, I find their collective cosmological vision profoundly compelling – a source of great understanding and inspiration.

As I studied these works of ancient wisdom, I became passionate about sharing their priceless insights with more of my fellow human beings. So I co-founded a non-profit called YOUniversal Center, where for the past fifteen years I have had the privilege of conducting classes and workshops for adults & children.

I’ve also written three books for children inspired by these mystical ideas.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Professionally, it’s always challenging to work with cryptic texts that express complex metaphysical ideas. Trying to understand what the mystics are saying and then translating and sharing their work with others (especially young children) is a fairly formidable task – and at the same time extremely rewarding.

Of course my biggest life challenge continues to be in trying to live the teachings of the great mystics. Practicing unconditional love, for example – love for myself, for others, and for the universe-at-large – is an ideal that I strive to live up to every day, with wildly varying degrees of success. I’m always working on allowing life to unfold every moment as it needs to, without getting in the way or becoming resentful when things don’t go my way,

I’m also learning not to beat myself up when I fall short of being the person I wish to be – to encourage myself to keep trying and not get stuck in a cycle of discouragement and self-blame.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At YOUniversal Center, we continue to offer courses (online & in-person in L.A.) on the work of the Persian mystics, as well as like-minded Western thinkers like Nietzsche, Jung, and Joseph Campbell. Our core course (called The Universe In You) is designed for anyone who wants to take the inward journey of self-discovery; a new session begins every September. It’s an incredible honor to help more of my fellow seekers discover and delve into this timeless wisdom, and of course, I also benefit from the insights of all those who join from all over the world to attend our courses. I’m truly blessed to do this every day.

I’ve also had the pleasure of publishing several volumes of my English translations of Rumi’s poems. But by far the most gratifying work I’ve done is to write three children’s books inspired by the poetry of Rumi. I am fortunate enough to work with an illustrator named Shilla Shakoori, who is a fine artist in her own right, and a New York publisher called Seven Stories Press. The joy of co-creating these books and then sharing them with the world’s children is beyond anything I ever expected. When each book is published Shilla and I do a series of readings at local schools, and I absolutely love watching the kids’ rapt faces as they take in and process these allegorical tales, ask questions, and offer their own insights about the stories’ morals and themes.

Our latest children’s book is called You Are Everything. The book is really telling an origin story, or what some would call a creation story. The fact is that most origin stories we tell ourselves (and our children) involve a creator and something that is created – like a painter and their painting or a sculptor and their sculpture. Our story, inspired by one of Rumi’s poems, suggests a different idea: not a maker who makes things, but an eternal being that becomes things – all the stars, all the people, all the blades of grass and grains of sand. It suggests that ultimately we are all interconnected, not because of physical proximity or shared backgrounds and beliefs, but in a much deeper way – by virtue of the fact that we are all different versions of the same one being.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.YOUniversal.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youniversalcenter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youniversalcenter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omid-arabian-1b77a0a8/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@youniversalcenter2658
• Other: https://bookshop.org/contributors/omid-arabian