The InvitationOriah Mountain Dreamer It doesn't interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dream for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon... I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain mine or your own without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful be realistic to remember the limitations of being a human. It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore be trustworthy. I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty everyday. And if you can source your own life from it's presence. I want to know if you can live with failure yours and mine and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes"! It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. The Invitation Comments welcome. All contents copyright (C) 1995, Oriah Mountain Dreamer All rights reserved. Oriah writes: While I am pleased that this piece, The Invitation, has spoken to many others and happy that it is being shared, I would ask that you honor the original by sharing it as it was written. I am a teacher and writer living in Toronto with my two teenage sons. While my family history includes stories of Scottish, German and Native American descent, I am a Canadian woman, and not an "Indian elder" as has sometimes been reported, being neither old enough or wise enough to claim the status of "elder" for any people. I have had the priviledge of studying with and learning from the wisdom of Native American elders who gave me the medicine name, Mountain Dreamer. My first book, Confessions of a Spiritual Thrillseeker is currently out of print. I am now working on a book entitled The Invitation, expanding on the thoughts and teachings held within this smaller piece. Dreams of Desire is a small collection of poetry only available through Mountain Dreaming. Oriah Mountain Dreamer From Dreams of Desire (1995) © 1995 by Oriah House. All Rights Reserved. Published by Mountain Dreaming 300 Coxwell Avenue, Box 22546 Toronto, Ontario Canada M4L 2A0 Revised: January 25, 1999 URL: http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Acropolis/1915 Please note that I did not write The Invitation. This was done by one wiser than I. Thank you Oriah Mountain Dreamer _____________________________ Brotherhood of the Wolf I am amadeus My crest says, "Word Walk" in Cherokee SheoWolf honored me with it (s.c.jones) Free Home Pages
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dream for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon... I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain mine or your own without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to be careful be realistic to remember the limitations of being a human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty everyday. And if you can source your own life from it's presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure yours and mine and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes"!
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
The Invitation Comments welcome. All contents copyright (C) 1995, Oriah Mountain Dreamer All rights reserved. Oriah writes: While I am pleased that this piece, The Invitation, has spoken to many others and happy that it is being shared, I would ask that you honor the original by sharing it as it was written. I am a teacher and writer living in Toronto with my two teenage sons. While my family history includes stories of Scottish, German and Native American descent, I am a Canadian woman, and not an "Indian elder" as has sometimes been reported, being neither old enough or wise enough to claim the status of "elder" for any people. I have had the priviledge of studying with and learning from the wisdom of Native American elders who gave me the medicine name, Mountain Dreamer. My first book, Confessions of a Spiritual Thrillseeker is currently out of print. I am now working on a book entitled The Invitation, expanding on the thoughts and teachings held within this smaller piece. Dreams of Desire is a small collection of poetry only available through Mountain Dreaming. Oriah Mountain Dreamer From Dreams of Desire (1995) © 1995 by Oriah House. All Rights Reserved. Published by Mountain Dreaming 300 Coxwell Avenue, Box 22546 Toronto, Ontario Canada M4L 2A0 Revised: January 25, 1999 URL: http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Acropolis/1915
Oriah writes:
While I am pleased that this piece, The Invitation, has spoken to many others and happy that it is being shared, I would ask that you honor the original by sharing it as it was written.
I am a teacher and writer living in Toronto with my two teenage sons. While my family history includes stories of Scottish, German and Native American descent, I am a Canadian woman, and not an "Indian elder" as has sometimes been reported, being neither old enough or wise enough to claim the status of "elder" for any people. I have had the priviledge of studying with and learning from the wisdom of Native American elders who gave me the medicine name, Mountain Dreamer. My first book, Confessions of a Spiritual Thrillseeker is currently out of print. I am now working on a book entitled The Invitation, expanding on the thoughts and teachings held within this smaller piece. Dreams of Desire is a small collection of poetry only available through Mountain Dreaming.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer From Dreams of Desire (1995) © 1995 by Oriah House. All Rights Reserved. Published by Mountain Dreaming 300 Coxwell Avenue, Box 22546 Toronto, Ontario Canada M4L 2A0
Revised: January 25, 1999 URL: http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Acropolis/1915
Please note that I did not write The Invitation. This was done by one wiser than I. Thank you Oriah Mountain Dreamer _____________________________
Brotherhood of the Wolf I am amadeus My crest says, "Word Walk" in Cherokee SheoWolf honored me with it (s.c.jones)