Inspired by the discussion from last month about ball lightning, ESP &
UFO's, I am posting the "The Invitation", a poem by an American Indian
elder, Orion Mountain Dreamer, of the Ojibwa tribe.

Best, Peter
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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 hearts 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 dreams, for the adventure of bring 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 by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed from the fear of future 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, realistic
or to remember the limitations of being human

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling is true
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself
if you can bare the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul
if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not present 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 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 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 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 and 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 that you keep in the empty moments