Shine Your Light

Today, my friend Jamie and I spent a peaceful afternoon as Yogis, learning about our heart chakra.  At the beginning of class, our teacher, Shanti, read us a beautiful letter from an Indian Elder.  Here it is . .  an invitation to know YOU.

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 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 been touched to 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; 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 faithful and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty everyday 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 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 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 interest me who you are, how you came to be here, I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire 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.

- Indian Elder

What sustains you?  What do you ache for and dare to dream of?

Thank you Shanti, for shining your light, and sharing your beautiful Shanti Home with us today.  "Peace in your heart, peace in your words, peace in your thoughts."