One of the many wonderful sources of the inspirational quotes that we include in the New Insights Life Coach Training programme is a lady who calls herself Oriah Mountain Dreamer,
Oriah is a Canadian teacher who has had the privilege of studying with and learning from native American elders who gave her the medicine name Mountain Dreamer.
Some years ago, after attending a party and making a real effort to be sociable – asking all the usual questions – she went home feeling hollow as if she had just \’gone through the motions\’. And so she picked up a pen and wrote this provocative and intensely inspiring \’invitation\’:
[box type=\”shadow\”]\”Feelings or emotions are the universal language and are to be honored. They are the authentic expression of who you are at your deepest place.\”
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The Invitation
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,
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 disappoint 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 faithless and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty
Even when it is not pretty every day,
And if you can source your life
From its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure,
Yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a 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 the night of grief and despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone,
And do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn\’t interest me who you are, 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.
From \”The Invitation\” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
How lovely! I have read Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s books many times since my early 20s. A great inspiration! Thanks for reminding me!
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just read the poem once more and this time it reminds me how as a teenager I came to process in my mind the difficult concept of ‘death’ (mortal flesh vs the immortal spirit) …. trying to understand what it is and what/how it happens
I asked my self several times … how on earth do these people declare that someone has passed away when his/her whole body/corpse is here with us ….of course with no feelings and emotions … but who was this person … what is it that we called by name and claimed to know, love, understand and lived life with … luaghed etc… and what happened to this thing that made him/her move, live … where is it now … then in my naive thoughts would think … something is seriously amiss … can’t humans bring the two together and bring this person back to life?
I, learnt later that the real person is not the body… the body is just nothing but a container and when the real person (spirit being) is gone … the person is no more ….
serious staff that most of us would not like to think about as we are busy with the business of living life ….
Wow! Again, had to read it more than once. Scared to ask these very personal questions of myself. Shut the door to my soul to avoid the final declaration of thruth.
Who am I ?am I ready to acknowledge the authentic me?
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.
I want to know if you can be faithless and therefore be trustworthy.
Need I say more?
Thank you Bill
I have always been touched by the wisdom of the American Indians. But my knowledge is very superficial, this looks like an interesting topic to explore. I do remember a speech by Chief Ottawa saying “and what are you going to do, white man, when you have shot all the bison and dug up all the trees…” it was a long speech and a brilliant one. And how prescient.
Hi Bill
Good poem I must say, realising those things we define ourselves with are really not worth much. It reminds me of my purpose in this world, the reason I am at the place I am right now and believe in what am doing. to help others to realise their abilities and values and live by them. Thank you Bill
A truly noble purpose!
… I just want to know if you’re ALIVE rather than thinking or pretending that you are …
Great stuff!
Thanks Bill, as always!
Alain
The Success Mindset Expert for Small Business Owners
Published Author of “The Essential Success Mindset”
available FREE at http://www.alainbalanche.com/
This reminds me of… No matter how many times you fall what matters is how and what you do to get yourself up and do some sul searching the real YOU great words
Awesome! And so perfect for today on Bianca’s 21st birthday! A great reminder that we all need ‘soul time’ more than anything else. xxxx
A poem that rooted me to my chair … no need to say anymore.
Thanks Bill – so well timed, so meaningful, so perfect.
Cheers
🙂 🙂 🙂
this message is very inspiring and makes you really take a good look at yourself and where you stand right now. I for one am on the crossroad of life right now and am really asking myself thees questions and am happy that at he end of the day I am happy with being me no matter what i’m going thru because i know that this too will pass.
for me, this is the first time I’m reading this poem but from all Iknow it captures several questions and concerns that I’ve asked myself several times e.g. remove or take away All what I have (my education, my home/house, my work, my husband, my children, my church, my friends, my clothes,my status etc … the worldly possessions) who am I, how do I define myself, what is my worth, why am I here, how can I know, align and achieve the original function/purpose of my being here …..
Going to read it more and more …. so that it reveals/responds to more of my Qs and Cs ….soul searching …. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A POEM THAT IS SO TOUCHING, EMPOWERING …. RAISING AWARENESS AND CONSCIENCE OF WHO WE TRULY ARE ….
It’s my pleasure. I feel fortunate to have come across it
I subscribe to this – I too have read it countless times, it bypasses all the crass, meaningless ‘stuff’ which so many of us deem to be important in this world today. It covers everyone, for what ever you ‘have’ or ‘don’t have’ in this world, we all do have our soul. And we can all be kind to others…
Well said Annie!
I have read this poem countless times, each time it touches a part of my soul, reminds me to be true to myself and others. Thank you for sharing it with us
I’m glad you enjoyed it again!