The Invitation

[Guest guest]

runes

 

The Invitation

 

By 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 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 the fool for love,

for your dreams, 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 sorrow,

if you have been opened up by life's betrayals or

have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

 

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,

if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you

to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be

careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

 

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can betray another to be true to yourself;

if you can bear the accusation of betrayal

and not betray your own soul.

 

I want to know if you can be faithful

and therefore be trustworthy.

 

I want to know if you can see beauty

even when it's not a pretty day,

and if you can source your life from God's presence.

 

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,

and stand on the edge of a lake

and shout to the silver light of a 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

for the children.

 

It doesn't matter who you are, 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 " by a Native American Elder, presents a powerful and

spiritual challenge to each of us. Do you accept the invitation and embrace

intimacy and show your love and joy to others ?

 

The author wrote this beautiful poem after an unsatisfying evening at a

party. Her profound invitation is the framework for a wise and inspiring

book by the same name. She invites readers to embrace a life of wisdom and

integrity instead of merely having a lifestyle. Each chapter ends with a

meditation specific to the theme of the chapter, such as " The Joy " and " The

Commitment. " You can read her prose here. I highly recommend " The

Invitation " published by Harper San Francisco, 1999. It opens your eyes to

the possibilities and allows one to become centered in all that you do.

 

Love and Light,

 

David Patterson

[Guest guest]

David,

 

Thank you so much for this post, and I don't think that it is a coincidence

that I *just* the other day searched on the Net for this exact poem, having

just seen the book offered in a book club mailing that I get. After this

post, I'm re-reading it again, just to see what the special message could

be, as it has been " in my face " for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, I

LOVE it.

 

Oh, and to introduce myself- My friends call me Moon, and I am a (proud)

Pisces, so I go by }{Moon (PiscesMoon) here on the net. I am a massage

therapist/Reiki (III) practitioner, and I feel that intuition has A LOT to

do with life, healing, and energy work. I was drawn to this list to meet

others who are aware of the Mind/Body connection, which is thankfully

getting more and more attention drawn to it in society every day. It is a

subject that has fascinated me since youth, coming out of a household with a

mentally-ill parent and being extremely aware of the psychological states of

others and how this does affect their well being (as well as the well-being

of those around them).

 

So, " HI " to all, and I look forward to reading and posting on this list...

 

Sending out good vibes!

}{Moon

 

PS- I *do* think I will go and buy this book! That could be part of the

message (I know, duh!)

 

-

<runes

< >

Wednesday, July 21, 1999 9:10 PM

The Invitation

 

 

> runes

>

> The Invitation

(snip)

[Guest guest]

}{ Moon wrote:

>

> " }{ Moon " <moonbeam

 

 

> So, " HI " to all, and I look forward to reading and posting on this list...

 

 

> PS- I *do* think I will go and buy this book! That could be part of the

> message (I know, duh!)

 

Hi Moon,

 

Welcome to the group....there's much to learn and enjoy here. And BTW,

I'm thinkin' I might just buy the book too. If the rest of it is as

good as The Invitation, I'm sure to be pleased.

 

Love and Light,

 

Barbara Kimsey C.M.T. Reiki III

Tiger, Georgia

[Guest guest]

Hello Barbara,

 

In response to your comments:

 

----------------- START OF INCLUDED TEXT ---------------------

 

> On 22-Jul-1999 14:04:21, Barbara Kimsey writes:

 

-> Hello David,

->

-> This post you sent to bodymind was truly beautiful...many thanks

-> for sharing it with the group.

->

-> Your name is familiar to me...are you a book critic for Amazon.com?

-> And if so, aren't you from Georgia?

->

-> Barbara Kimsey

-> Tiger, Georgia

->

 

------------------ END OF INCLUDED TEXT ----------------------

 

I am glad that you enjoyed this wonderful piece of prose. It is one of my

favorites, and one that I have shared with my close friends. It is only

recently that I discovered that the book - The Invitation, was an outgrowth

of the poem. It most certainly touches my heart and soul in so many ways.

 

I have been on the net in a number of holistic based discussion groups. No,

I am not a book critic for Amazon or any other book seller. Maybe, I should

see if they might be interested in having another critic. However, I am both

a writer and poet who has always had an ability to put my feelings and

thoughts into words. Some of this I owe to my father who has set an example

of excellence.

 

Love and Light,

 

David

 

 

I leave you with these thoughts:

 

" Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest

fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light,

not our darkness, that most frightens us. "

~ ~ Marianne Williamson

[Guest guest]

Hello Moon,

 

In response to your comments:

 

----------------- START OF INCLUDED TEXT ---------------------

 

> On 22-Jul-1999 00:04:38, }{ Moon writes:

 

-> David,

->

-> Thank you so much for this post, and I don't think that it is a

coincidence

-> that I *just* the other day searched on the Net for this exact poem,

having

-> just seen the book offered in a book club mailing that I get. After this

-> post, I'm re-reading it again, just to see what the special message could

-> be, as it has been " in my face " for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, I

-> LOVE it.

->

-> Oh, and to introduce myself- My friends call me Moon, and I am a (proud)

-> Pisces, so I go by }{Moon (PiscesMoon) here on the net. I am a massage

-> therapist/Reiki (III) practitioner, and I feel that intuition has A LOT

to

-> do with life, healing, and energy work. I was drawn to this list to meet

-> others who are aware of the Mind/Body connection, which is thankfully

-> getting more and more attention drawn to it in society every day. It is

a

-> subject that has fascinated me since youth, coming out of a household

with a

-> mentally-ill parent and being extremely aware of the psychological states

of

-> others and how this does affect their well being (as well as the

well-being

-> of those around them).

->

-> So, " HI " to all, and I look forward to reading and posting on this

list...

->

-> Sending out good vibes!

-> }{Moon

->

-> PS- I *do* think I will go and buy this book! That could be part of the

-> message (I know, duh!)

->

 

------------------ END OF INCLUDED TEXT ----------------------

 

The Invitation provides words of wisdom and enlightenment that touch the

depth of our soul and makes us think about who we are and where we are

going. I too saw The Invitation offered in a mailing from one of the book

clubs that I belong to - One Spirit. It came just after I had read the poem

the previous week, so naturally I ordered the book.

 

I look forward to reading your thoughts on a variety of topics in the

BodyMind discussion list. I too just joined this forum in the past week. I

am the moderator of another discussion list that might interested you since

it is related to massage therapy. The PolarityTherapy list is run on

ONElist and you can at

//PolarityTherapy. Polarity Therapy is a

holistic healing art form, which has similarities to acupressure and

therapeutic massage. Polarity is a gentle balancing of energy encouraging

physical and emotional healing through the freeing of energy flow in our

body, thereby releasing tension, stress and anxiety.

 

Love and Light,

 

David

 

 

I leave you with these thoughts:

 

The Spirit Within Our Hearts

 

May the Spirit Open Our Hearts

May Others Understand Our Essence

May We Discover Light and Peace

May Love Draw Forth the Beauty

Within Each of Our Souls

 

David K. Patterson,

Copyright ©, September 1998

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the warm welcome! There seem to be a very nice group of people

here. David, I will certainly sub to your Polarity list, as I am always

open to new healing modalities. I am also a member of Healing Touch on

Onelist, and enjoy that very much! Thanks for all of the stimulating

information.

 

}{ Moon

 

PS- Sending back MY One Spirit order today for _The Invitation_!