an invitation to follow your heart’s longing

~ jama

Hello Friends,

Today you are cordially invited to a moment of quiet reflection courtesy of Toronto-based author, poet, storyteller and spiritual counselor Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

Consider this a welcome break from daily tasks, rushing about, and crazy-making busyness — a chance to sink “into the fertile soil of the sometimes neglected inner life, where the seeds of remembering what matters are planted.”

“Night” by Olga Kvasha
THE INVITATION 
by Oriah

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 centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
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
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
to be realistic
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.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at 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 the 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 centre 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 (HarperCollins, Plus Edition, 2006)
“High-Altitude Wind [Henri’s Sky] by Hiroshi Senju (1989)

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Although “The Invitation” was first published in 1999, I only recently chanced upon it thanks to my favorite online tarot reader. Had you seen it before? (Why am I always the last to know?)

Here’s Oriah on the poem’s interesting backstory:

I wrote the prose poem, The Invitation one night after returning home from a party. I don’t usually attend parties but on this occasion, berating myself for being anti‐social, I made an effort to go and be friendly. I returned home feeling frustrated, dissatisfied with the superficial level of the social interaction at the party. I longed for something else.

Years before I had attended a writing workshop where poet David Whyte had given us a writing exercise, based on a poem of his own, where we began alternate lines with the phrases, “It doesn’t interest me. . .” and “What I really want to know is. . .” Using this form I sat down and wrote The Invitation as an expression of all the things I really did want to know about and share with others. Several days later I included the poem in a newsletter I was sending to men and women who had come to do retreats and workshops with me. And from there, the poem took on a life of its own. People copied and shared it with friends and colleagues around the world, posting it on the internet, workplace bulletin boards and kitchen refrigerators. They read it at weddings and funerals, at conferences and gatherings in churches and boardrooms and universities. I began to hear from folks from all over the world‐from Romania, Iceland, South Africa, New Zealand, Russia and from all over the United States and Canada. I couldn’t believe how many people felt touched by the longing for deeper intimacy expressed in the poem.

In 1998, Oriah began writing a book, using each stanza to delve more deeply into each of the desires expressed in the poem, exploring her longings through meditations. I think the reason her poem resonates so widely is that it touches on what it means to be human and how we choose to navigate our personal life journeys. Lots to ponder.

I found I was most interested in learning — about myself and others — “what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.” Do you know this about yourself?

Since I heard this poem before reading it, thought you’d enjoy this recitation:

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♥️ Learn more about Oriah and her books at her Official Website. You can also find out how she got her unusual name. 🙂

*

Lovely and talented Elisabeth Norton is hosting the Roundup at Unexpected Intersections. Drift over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being shared around the blogosphere this week. Hope you enjoy some quiet, meditative time this weekend!

♥️ Still time to enter the giveaway for The Chocolate King by Michael Leventhal and Laura Catalán. Hot chocolate and churros, anyone? 🙂

*Copyright © 2022 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

38 thoughts on “an invitation to follow your heart’s longing”

  1. My goodness, “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.”
    These lines…cut right to the heart. I can totally see writing this after arriving home after party talk. Thank you, Jama for sharing this poem and poet today.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Oof, Oriah’s ‘The Invitation’ invites a lot of emotion and self reflection. Thank you for the introduction, Jama.
    The lines that resonated with me are:
    “see Beauty
    even when it is not pretty” – there’s a challenge.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Thank you Jama! The lines about being alone with yourself resonated with me! So many people need to have a crowd around them at all times when that is not always necessary! Have a great weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. All new to me, Jama. What beautiful and introspective questions are asked here. I will look for more from Oriah. I really am an introvert but have learned much more about myself since Arvie died. Searching deep down is not something many people do, or choose to do. Thank you for this beautiful post. Hope you are warm and cozy with tea this weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Glad I’m not the only one who hadn’t seen this poem before. You’re right about many not wanting to delve into the depths. It can be very painful to confront one’s failings, but at the same time “doing the work” to fully realize who you are and living a purpose life have infinite rewards.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I love that her poem spread from being included in a newsletter 🙂 This stanza is a tough one:
    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.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Like ripples on a pond — meaningful words have a way of spreading far and wide. Definitely a tough stanza. Questions many of us have never considered before.

      Like

  8. Jama: This poem is stunning and wonderful, jabs me in the gut some places and brings a nod in others. I have to copy it and read it often and mull on it. Thank you so much for sharing it, and for the images which attend it perfectly.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. How you flatter me, Susan. Maybe in my next life I’ll get to curate a show. Meanwhile, art continues to feed me and it’s fun searching for and finding stuff that resonates. Happy Weekend!

      Like

  11. I listened to her video reading of this powerful poem. Makes one want to answer those questions and consider all the possibilities of ideas raised. Thanks for this post, Jama. I would love to see the book.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. This is a poem that invites honest reflection. These lines really resonated for me: “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.” So many other stanzas sent out ripples as well. Thanks so much for sharing this poem.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Wow. Thank you, Jama, for sharing this beautiful, searing poem. I was thinking to myself, what a cool writing prompt this could be…and then read on to find out she wrote it in response to a prompt. Love it–and stealing it!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Hmm, I think for many artists both writers and visual artists we spend much time by ourselves and much of what Oriah writes about speaks to a working artist, especially our being alone with ourself, being able to block out what’s not important in order to get to what is important. The art as Susan above mentioned is beautiful, I especially love the slices of orange moon reflections from, “Night” by Olga Kvasha—and the reading too. Many hugs to you Jama for this contemplatively full post, xox!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’re right in that those in creative fields must master their alone time and self sustaining skills. Working alone also requires a lot of discipline and single minded focus. Glad you like the art in this post!

      Like

  17. “if you have been opened by life’s betrayals” and the “or” – wow. A rich and deep poem and post today, Jama – thank you. And thanks for the backstory. I’m a little curious about the faithless/trustworthy line, since I’d have to include faith in the little pot that sustains me. But I can fathom scenarios of truth in that. Love sustains me – and the sparks of goodness & creativity in folks like you. XO

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Another lovely post! The artwork is so calming and beautiful. I’ve never read this poem before. The questions are so thought-provoking, and that last stanza! Wow! I also enjoyed listening to the audio version. Thank you for sharing it!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. What a wonderful poem! This is one I need to add to my own collection. It is thoughtful and thought-provoking. Thank you for introducing me to this poet, and for being part of the Poetry Friday party.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. “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.”

    Oh, this speaks to the Enneagram 4 in me.

    Liked by 1 person

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