The Dance

The words printed on the fire-red dress decorating the cover of this book ask:

This truthseeking - truthtelling book explores that question. It's a book about diving into the Deep (or what Oriah Mountain Dreamer calls "Mystery".) And it is not a book of easy answers or formulas for quick and painless "success".

It's a book about integrity - realness.

Oriah makes it easy to bring the lessons into your life. Each chapter of The Dance ends with a meditation, making the reading experiential.

In the prelude, Oriah Mountain Dreamer asks:

I was at a spiritual gathering recently when a person I knew began talking about how we need to do "good works" to pay for - to earn - our spiritual growth. Good works make up for our imperfections - pay for our bad days.

Everyone was leaving, there was no time to reply - but I had a physical reaction. In my core I know this is wrong. My mind kept going to the lines in Mary Oliver's poem, "Wild Geese " (read whole poem here) , that say:

This is the message - the core (the soul, if you will) of Square-Peg-People. YOU ARE - no matter who you are or what you've done - or will do - welcome in the universe, loved, accepted, YOU BELONG!

I believe that this is what you come up with if you dive into the Deep - if you experience the truth that we are all so much more similar than we are different. If you accept ALL - in yourself and others.

This is what I see in the writing of Oriah Mountain Dreamer and in the big-heartedness of Terri St. Cloud (Read interview here). Oriah talks about grace:

Part of the poem, The Dance, which the book is based on, says:

Oriah Mountain Dreamer does not paint a picture of herself as "there" - perfect in her ability to accept herself. She tells many stories of her own lapses. These are the stories that will touch your heart. I resonate with: "I have heard enough warrior stories of heroic daring." My experience has not been so perfect - and I appreciate - and feel strengthened by hearing about people like myself - people with feet of clay.

She also talks about how we can begin to see ourselves in a more accepting light. She tells stories about the struggle to stay in that frame of mind, even though our culture works hard in the other direction, pointing us (as she states it: "...to reshape our essentially flawed nature with heroic efforts of endless trying.")

This passage that describes some of the process of becoming accepting of ourselves:

Oriah Mountain Dreamer also talks about the fear many people have that thinking in an accepting manner - of themselves and their lives - will lead to lack of growth. And she points out how just the opposite is true.

I have seen this, too. In my work as a therapist, and in my own life - the changes that last - are the ones that were embraced first. Accepted.

In this book, Oriah does not offer a step-by-step plan to acheive perfection. She leads us into the Deep. In a chapter called "The Sacred Emptiness" she states:

This is the Deep - where Love and Real and Truth and Trust are.