FAQ's

Q. Who is Victoria Lee?

A. Dr. Lee is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and former university professor. She has trained psychotherapists and sex therapists around the world, and has been an effective guest on numerous TV and radio shows. She is an inspired public speaker and performer of soul poetry, providing keynote speeches, conference presentations and assembly entertainment for schools.

Q. What is Dr. Lee's professional background?

A. Dr. Lee holds a California psychology license, and has degees from Georgetown University, Western Graduate School and George Washingon University. She is a past-President of Santa Clara Valley Marriage and Family Therapists and has taught at John F. Kennedy University and San Jose State University. She served as Director of the Master's in Counseling Psychology Program at College of Notre Dame.

Q. Who is Rumi?
A. Jalal al-Din Rumi, also known as Maulana, is America's best-selling poet. He is well-loved by seekers of every spiritual path, and is revered widely in the West as well as through-out the Islamic world. Dr. Victoria hopes hopes her book, and those to follow will help to build a bridge between people around the world who have been touched by Rumi's ecstatic, joyful and challenging wisdom.

Q. When and where does Rumi come from?
A. He was born in 1207, in Balkh, Afganistan, which was then part of the Persian empire. His family fled the Mongol invaders of Genghis Khan, and eventually settled in Konya, Turkey where Rumi lived out the rest of his 66 years.

Q. How can someone from such a distant time and place be significant to us today?
A. Some say Rumi is Shakespeare, Dante, and the mystics of every path combined. He speaks with such tenderness, such generosity, such kindness, such wisdom. This author believes that the human race has needed the 800 years since Rumi's birth to develop far enough to be able to hear at least some of his profound teachngs.

Q. Wasn't Rumi a Sufi? What can he have to say to those who come from other traditions?
A. When Rumi died at sunset in 1273, great crowds of people from every faith came out to mourn and honor him. All said that he embodied the traits of whoever their tradition held as the greatest of spiritual beings--Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, Buddha, and more. Rumi himself said "I see one altar in temple, mosque and cathedral." Though credited with originating a Sufi order, Rumi could not be contained by any one religion. For him, "love is the religlion, and the universe is the book."

Rumi and The Rumi Secret honor your tradition, whatever it may be. No particular beliefs are required to benefit from Rumi's ecstatic message.

Q. I've never been that interested in poetry. I usually buy books that can help me lead a happier life.
A. If ever someone could do that, it must be Rumi! The Rumi Secret's intent is to show ways that the author has learned to apply Rumi's wisdom to very practical concerns about love, sex, grief, family, addiction, forgiveness and much more. Rumi can even teach how to approach death without fear. He does all this while teaching us to appreciate the beauty inherent in every moment of this precious life.