Hug A Star, Track The Soul

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 16 August 2025 Books on mysticism have always fascinated me, though I must confess that despite reading innumerable books and rummaging through a huge corpus of mystical poetry, esp. Persian poetry, mysticism is still misty and a mystery to me. In short, I've not yet been able to fully grasp mysticism's mystique. Perhaps, it (mysticism) can be felt, not fathomed. To me, it's recondite spirituality, though spirituality itself is a pretty vague term. That said, I just read an out and out book on mysticism written by a very erudite and versatile lady, Mrs Aruna Jethwani who lives in Poona. It got me thinking or shall I say, ruminating? The discerning readers must have read her books and write ups in the Speaking Tree section of TOI and other reputable publications across the globe. This octogenarian lady has penned 20-odd books. Spirituality is her forte and mysticism is her muse. Her latest book, 'Hug a star, track the soul,' contains mystical experiences and elements of universal synchronicity, propounded by Aldous Huxley, C G Jung, Rumi, Attar, Jami, among others. This soulful book talks of soul, synchronicity, serendipity and Sufism. To the skeptics and Doubting Thomases, all these things might sound surrealistic, even bizarre, but when one reads this book dispassionately, one finds deeper meanings of life emerging out of the book. Aruna's book doesn't cloud the thinking of the readers. Rather, it dispels the clouds of doubts regarding many esoteric phenomena. It answers and explains the basic existential questions that a thinking individual often asks but doesn't always get the satisfactory answers. Even if you don't believe in the existence of the soul and refuse to believe in the telepathic connections or universal synchronicity, you cannot deny the fact that in these times of ever-intruding social media and AI, humans have lost connectivity. Every individual has become an island. Minds are meeting, but not mingling. We're unable to relate to each other. Aruna has explained all these issues in her inimitable manner. The experiences and incidents that she has narrated in this book are not vicarious. She has experienced them. That's why, every experience has a ring of authenticity to it. To quote the great Persian mystic Hafiz Shirazi, " Since I've frequently fallen in love, I can dare write about love occasionally. " Aruna has frequently gone through self-elevating and mystical experiences to be able to write on and about them with the authority and clarity of an enlightened Master. This book is a seeker's account written without a scintilla of spiritual snobbishness. Aruna's disarming humility shines through. One good thing about being truly spiritual is the total absence of arrogance. Mind you, being spiritual or mystical is not equivalent to being religious. Even a completely irreligious person may be deeply spiritual. Religion is a set of dogmas whereas spirituality is totally bereft of all dogmas. It's an inward journey that sublimates a human. 'Who am I?' 'Why am I here?' 'What's the purpose of my existence?' These are the spiritual queries, nay conundrums. Once you begin to ask these fundamental questions, you make your existence purposeful and with your positive presence, the whole world also becomes profoundly meaningful. That's the cardinal purpose of human existence: Live by relating to all and sundry. To encapsulate, Aruna's book is all about the interconnectedness of humanity. We relate to each other at the level of consciousness. In other words, we're interwoven and entwined. Everyone has the same essence; same spirit. Once you realise this, you're emancipated and go beyond all pettiness. Evolve by knowing thyself. This is the leitmotif of Aruna's slim book. The book is slim because it's devoid of all empty verbiage. The author has an admirable habit of avoiding verbosity. To paraphrase the Bard of Avon, ' Brevity is the soul of (spiritual) wit,' for the author. Otherwise also, wit and wisdom don't come with lush wordiness. Too many words dilute and defile a soul-uplifting, mystical experience. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/hug-star-track-soul/d/136505 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism