Waking up in the morning, the day can loom ahead of you like Mount Everest. More often than not, my mornings have begun with the, sometimes unbearable, weight of knowledge that once I climb out of bed, I don’t get to rest again until I’m over the top of that bloody mountain!

I often wonder at people that can motivate themselves to great sporting or business victories, while for me finding the motivation to leave my bed is a struggle.

Motivation is the key to everything. I am not talking about the intense type of motivation it takes to be an elite athlete, or super salesman. I am talking about the quiet, unassuming motivation that keeps getting us out of bed every morning. Unfortunately, for some of us this feels like the same thing.

There will always be challenges to living the life you want, and even getting out of bed can be one of them. It is helpful to have some strategies to tackle those times when you are just not sure you can make it through the demands of even the most mundane day. Here are a few things that I have used to help put my feet on the floor and get the day moving.

Remind yourself how strong you actually are.

You have at the very least endured your life to this point. Hopefully you have also managed to wring some happiness out of it once or twice.

You have done that.

You have lived and survived every moment, regardless of how much help you may or may not have received. Regardless of the circumstances of your birth or fortune, you have accompanied yourself every step of the way. That has not always been easy. It has sometimes been downright shitty.

There are maybe two people on the Earth that might say that their life has been nothing but an endless string of fortune. And I don’t think I would believe them, either. Life is a struggle. For everyone, in one way or another. And you have managed to survive to this point.

Ok, maybe your life is not exactly what you asked for. Maybe it’s not what you said it would be when you were ten. But you have made it this far. And just surviving is something to be proud of.

Once you can accept that you are worthy just because you are here, get a bit bolder and start to think about the things that you have actually been able to do while you have been surviving.

I am sure that you have done something in your life that surprised even yourself. I am sure that you have done at least one thing that you can point to and say, “I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to do that – but I did.” If you don’t have one thing that you have felt a sense of achievement about then you have never learned to ride a bike. Or to write. Or speak, for that matter.

Humans feel good about themselves when they have accomplished something. It doesn’t have to be something big or important. As long as we have had to put some effort in to make it work, it feels good when it does.

Remind yourself about the things that you have already accomplished that you wouldn’t have guessed that you would ever do. You don’t have to be grand about it. I know lots of people that have been skydiving, but I don’t consider myself a failure because I have never jumped out of a plane. I have organised a professional function for a hundred international guests and had everyone gush with what a good time they had. I never thought I would be an office temp for 15 years, but I accomplished some interesting stuff in that time.

The thing to remember is that you had no idea that you would end up exactly where you are now. Just knowing that leaves you some wiggle room to expect that today could turn out to be, at the very least, not quite what you expect it to be.

There’s one motivation to get out of bed. What could today bring you if you get up and go out into it? Sure, all sorts of negative thoughts can jump up to answer that question, but we have already established that you have survived splendidly up to this point. The chances are that you will be just fine with whatever is out there.

You can decide not to be paralysed

One thing that you can take from realising how strong you are is to also realise that you can decide to shift from how you are feeling right now to something that feels better.

You are in complete control over everything that goes on in your mind. It does not always seem like it, and the control is frequently indirect, but ultimately because you are a thinking, sentient being, you can decide how you are going to feel. You can take conscious steps to move away from thoughts that result in negative feelings, towards those that you believe will result in more positive states of being.

Consciousness is a powerful thing, and you are all-powerful inside your own consciousness.

Be prepared

Create a list of things to do when you don’t feel like it. Often, lack of motivation can disguise itself as selective blindness. We don’t even see the things around us that are crying out for attention, while at the same time feeling bored and looking around for something to do.

A good cure for boredom is to give yourself a little success. Have a list of things that you’ve been meaning to get to, but ‘haven’t found the time for’, and use it as a tool when you are feeling listless and down on yourself.

You will need some discipline to start with, to honour the agreement you have made with yourself to be healthy and productive. Once you have put a little bit of energy into the chosen task, however, you will usually find the motivation to finish it, and you will have turned an afternoon, or even an hour, of depressed sloth into a small victory.

Who needs you today?

Often, if you really can’t find a reason to lift your head from the pillow, it is useful to get a bit tougher on yourself. Just considering the people that will need to work harder, or people that might be let down, or even those that are concerned about us is often enough to give us a kick in the backside, and motivate us to action.

It is true that there is no point in being hard on yourself unnecessarily, but self-pity can be a slippery slope. It is important not to put your own self-indulgence before other people’s genuine needs. The difficulty sometimes lies in determining if, indeed, you are being self-indulgent, and if the demands of others are, in fact, genuine needs. Take ruthless honesty as your best friend, and begin from the assumption that you are capable, albeit currently unwilling, to do whatever it is that you are asking of yourself.

And then tell yourself, very firmly, to do it anyway. Ok you may not enjoy it. Ok, you may grumble all the way through it. But at the end of the day you will have done something you started the day not thinking you would do.

Another little achievement.

I suppose living in a country that affords me so many freedoms means I have to put up with others having those freedoms as well. Since I enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of expression, I need to live with others expressing themselves freely, even if I find it stupid or offensive. Maybe especially then.

This notion was brought home to me over the summer, as our family was driving up to church-sponsored family camp. Since fireworks aren’t sold in our state, but they are in neighboring states, we pass a number of billboards loudly proclaiming their availability. We decided to hold a family contest to predict the number of fireworks billboards, and soon the kids were busy counting and tallying as they peered out the windows of the car. After awhile, my youngest, proud of his newly acquired reading skills, suggested that we also predict “Adult Superstore” billboards. As his older siblings snickered, I sighed. Of course, I had been studiously avoiding pointing them out, but such signs were at least as ubiquitous as the fireworks advertising.  It was naïve to assume the kids would have selective blindness for the ads I wished they didn’t see, no matter how jarring the juxtaposition of such messages with the Christian music playing on our radio seemed.

Like so many generations before me, I am frequently appalled at the images and messages to which my children are exposed. Swear words in songs on the radio? ‘Male enhancement’ commercials on TV? Casual sexual hookups in shows aimed at teen viewers? And of course that doesn’t come close to what they can access on the Internet. Yet I don’t believe it’s smart or maybe even possible to shelter them from every unpleasant image. Instead, I make sure I’m around and frequently visible as they’re online or watching TV, and I often sit down to watch with them. If they’re uncomfortable with me there, we know the show or website is probably one to avoid. Messages that conflict with our values provide a great opportunity for discussion. And it’s also a good time to point out how our Christian faith informs the decisions we make about the way we live our lives.

Recently the town of Abilene, Kansas, attempted to pass a law that would ban billboards for “adult” stores. Lawmakers backed off when they realized how similar laws had been overturned. Locals were upset, but ultimately decided to practice their own rights of free speech. Now, those who drive along the highway will notice that the “Adult Superstore” advertising is dwarfed by the following inspirational Christian message: Jesus Heals and Restores. Pornography Destroys.

Now that gives us a good point for discussion.

Sometimes it seems that which we are trying to seek we already have or that which we’re looking for is right in front of us, but we’ve got “selective blindness”. Most of the major religions believe in monotheism: there is but one God over all! The problem though is that there are many religions, and many denominations within those religions who think ONLY THEY know who and what that God is!  

The practice of such exclusivity (otherwise seen as arrogance) reminds me on belonging to a country club.

In the thirteenth century, it was St. Francis (of Assisi), revered by most today, who told his followers that if they were to find a page of the Koran, they were to kiss it and place it on the altar. Yet today, we assail any religion that opposes ours and we spit on, and put under our foot, the works of others. Maybe we learned too completely the practices of Constantine who burned every work other than those which he felt should be included in the Christian Bible.

Thankfully many of the Gnostic works and others have been unearthed for our benefit.

There is but ONE GOD, worshipped in many different ways, and called by many different names. God is “all in all” as the New Testament reminds us. Mystic , Rumi says “There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground”. There are many ways to practice our spiritual beliefs, yet none of them is through the degradation and devastation of the beliefs of others.

Who has a copyright on the sayings and acts of God?
What one book can contain all the knowledge there is of God?
Which religion has the only truths of and perfect rituals of God?
Where is the one infallible person (Pope) or book (Bible)?

The world, the galaxy, the universe is the playground and the creation of the Creator. Let’s go INSIDE and play and then maybe we can go OUTSIDE and be better playmates. Think maybe?

Can I tell you how tired I am of single women complaining about
how hard it is to meet a decent man? The problem is not a dearth
of quality men. In fact, I know quite a few single gems. The
problem exists where the ladies are looking. You aren’t going to
find the right man in a sleazy bar or pick-up joint. If you want
a man who values integrity, honor, and good sportsmanship, then
you have go where the real men are. In the fall, that means your
local sports bar.

Football is the all-American game. If you can’t get into the
game, you are shunning some of the best guys in town. Here you
will find men that truly believe in honor, both on and off the
field. Football players aren’t stereotypical big dumb jocks.
They have had to work incredibly hard to get where they are, and
there are no NFL players who haven’t made a true commitment to
the game. The fans are equally committed to the game and their
teams. So much for the common complaint that “it’s impossible to
find a man who can make a commitment”!

Personally, I’m hooked on the game itself. I love the strategy,
the element of surprise, and the emotion (and I’m not terribly
opposed to cute butts in tight football pants, either). You may
or may not develop your own passion for the game, but you need
to garner a basic understanding of how it works if you don’t
want to come off like a fool. Guys can spot a fraud miles away,
so it’s better to admit your ignorance and ask questions, rather
than try to pretend you know the game. Of course, this only
works for so long and you need to bone-up on football if you
want to hang with the boys. Start with the basics – you need to
know what teams are playing, and it really helps to have a
favorite. I’m a tried-and-true Raiders fan myself, but they
aren’t for the weak-hearted, being the only team in the NFL that
has to play against both the opposing team and the
selectively-blind referees (personal quibbles aside, of course).
If you don’t have a favorite team in mind, you could simply go
with your hometown team. Be it the town you live in now, or the
one from which you came. If that doesn’t work for you, then you
probably come from Cincinnati or Cleveland, and should pick a
random team. I know women who made their selection based on
which jersey color looked best on them, which logo they liked
best, or which team their despised ex-boyfriend hated the most.
However, you make your selection, choose your team, and stay
with them through the good times and the bad.

Start reading the sports page. You need to understand what is
going on in the football world. At first, very little might make
sense, but keep reading and you’ll be surprised at how much you
can actually learn. For a high level overview, listen to the
sports segment on your local network news. ESPN has a great web
site where you can always find the latest stats on all the
teams. At the very least, try to know the latest disputed calls,
injuries and controversies.

Get a good pal to tutor you in the basics of the game. I
recommend choosing a male friend, not boyfriend, who is a
patient soul. Also, you are best learning from a taped game, so
that he already knows the outcome and won’t mind stopping the
tape to explain what just happened. I was totally anti-football
until a good friend sat me down with a taped game and a few
brews. Thanks to his patience and understanding of the game I’m
now a regular Sunday inhabitant of the sports bar. Don’t forget
to check among your gal pals; you may have a hidden football fan
in your midst. The bonus is not just a great lesson, but also a
buddy to join you in your foray into NFL Sundays at the sports
bar and football fandom!

I will also be following up with a series on the basics of my
favorite game.

“C.C., you do remember that we are looking at things through our soul’s eyes, ken? Yes?” Moriya asked without pausing. “Then, although these things are here – now, right in front of us, the notion of *eternity* means that everything has existed from time immemorial.

What happens is that when the moment is karmically ripe, we become suddenly aware of the existence of certain things, of certain thoughts and of certain symbols. Some call that a ‘ha-ha’ or a eureka moment, but really, it is not as if these symbolic things have only just now popped up out of nowhere. They have been there, right under our nose, from the moment of our birth.”

Burleigh Heads – April 5 – 2008

The hoop pines on the esplanade, branches turned up like fingers towards the darkened afternoon sky, sway slowly through the sea wind.

The sounds I hear through the open windows of this rented beachfront apartment are those of the rain pelting down; those of the sea roaring in her pewter grey, pre-storm mode and those made by the sluicing of car tyres seven floors below. A butcher bird, feet gripped around the railing of the balcony, is all fluffed up. Beak lifted to the sky, she calls out a vehement and repetitive two-tone high-pitched warble. What is this bird saying? To whom is she calling out?

I do know that because of the black and white of her feathers, this bird is a messenger intended to remind me that, for what remains of this day and beyond – while my darling and I are holidaying in this beach resort – I need to make balance a priority.  Beyond this, I will never get to know what else this little butcher bird was calling out.

Well, actually, this is not quite true.

Seven floors above the esplanade = the elevated position of the 7th Chakra – looking from soul’s eyes

A butcher bird = butcher = a person who sells meat – to kill = the need to curb my/our lower *animalistic* desires of the flesh

What is this bird saying? = “overcome your base instincts.”

To whom is she calling out? = to me, of course, as spiritual messages are always intended for the one who perceives them. This message, like all others, will be repeated, albeit differently, more loudly, more painfully until I find a way to act on it.

The bottom line is that while I enjoy our long walks on the beach, a glass of chilled pinot gris at our favorite beach cafe and contemplate the pattern of waves rolling in,

I must also remember the priorities of one on The Path.

Not long ago, I wrote something to Moriya about a sunflower on our patio and how beautiful it was with its large open face fringed by bright yellow petals.

“So much more interesting to me than a rose all curled up on herself, even if her enduring glam status dates back to millions of years B.C.”

“C.C., you have to be aware every minute of every day. Yes, the sunflower is beautiful,” Moriya replied by return mail, “but you forget the symbolism of this flower.

A sunflower is the motif of the sun shining large and round within our mind. It is the symbol of turning to follow the Light. It symbolizes our crown chakra.

You must remember to be aware that all you are attracted to – or repelled by – is a message brought to you by your soul.

Keep observing to catch each of her messages. Don’t fall back into sleep-walking mode. Take your diary with you on the vacation and write your thoughts, your emotions and experiences.

Bring back all that you notice and we will have a look at it together. Be awake.”

v

The big deal is that all the messages, signs or symbols we do not see, little blind

mice that we are, amount to so many arrows pointing to the “Yellow Brick Road” we need to be on.

They are the emergency light pinpoints that line the central aisle of an airplane, the ones intended to guide us in the advent of a catastrophe.

The spiritual signs of the sort we are going to explore in this file are as recognizable as the Nazca lines scarred into the Pampa Colorada of Peru. Assumed to be at least 1500 years old, they remain an enigma that can only be deconstructed from the air, which is symbolic of the *elevated* spiritual position our soul aspires for us to reach … one day.

v

When we are blind to the world of messages around us, we talk about coincidences, good luck or bad luck, good days and bad days and we scratch our head wondering why and how we have ended up in any one particular situation. Maybe we cry,

maybe we shrug, maybe laugh but, as sure as the moon never sets, we eventually move on and further into something akin to tunnel vision or selective blindness.

v

We do not see for looking.

We do not SEE the many flags waved at us and, sure enough, we soon get another opportunity to say, “What the …” for it is only by looking through our soul’s eyes – from an elevated position – that we can create meaning out of our life’s landscape.

v

If the choice is between getting some sort of understanding as to why things *happen* to us as they do – even in the absence of total proof – or relying on holy water, crystals and tumble stones, Feng Shui water fountains, reciting of mantras while driving to work or having faith in our favorite talisman, pet rock, neighbourhood healer, hermit or quack – I have made my choice.

v

Messages – in the form of signs and symbols, names and thousands of words and images – swirl around each and every one of us, all of the time, in our wakeful moments and in our sleep.

Because these signs are not dramatic signs such as apparitions or strange

manifestations; because we, as a civilization, have lost the ability to recognize them, they remain unnoticed.

v

Our brain recognizes spectacular, hi-glam, hi-visibility meaningful moments, but our brain simply does not interpret the mundane and the minute signs embedded in the continuous string of moments that make up our days and our nights – year after year after year – from birth to death. Yet, like rain drops hanging precariously off our clothes line side by side, they are connected to each other; they are tangible and they carry meaning.

v

It is unhelpful to imagine a separation between work and play; between night and day; between our private life and our public life; between the many hats that we wear.

As Moriya says, “While we are standing with our physical body on stable ground in the physical world, our thoughts/feelings exist in Astral realm, and at the same time our higher spiritual attributes, specifically unconditional love, exist in much higher realms, from which comes down all the messages.

“We live at the same time in many worlds and the ability to switch between them in order to make good decisions, good deeds, good feelings, good Karma depends on our state of evolution.”

When we are limited to seeing life through physical eyes, we can see only *gross matter*. Thus, the range of our interactions with our fellow human beings generally includes a degree of exploitation, competition, envy and greed. Even our *loved ones* we love mechanically for we seldom accept them – dynamically – as they are. The tender-loving care we give them is often conditional on their good behaviour. And even if we do keep loving the unlovable because we care or because we do not dare sever the link, we make that our cross to bear in this lifetime.

The compensation for our apparent selflessness is the warm display of sympathy and public kudos we get in return from our friends and social services who understand our plight – the next best thing after love.

v

We are unable to see others, *them*, as brothers and sisters, which is why inevitably we end up in the familiar game of Us vs Them while Me, I, Mine all come in at number 1.

v

We are unable to see strangers or even acquaintances as worthy of the same *good life* as we are – of being a part of our world. That is because we are indeed separate beings, held separate from each other by our skin, while on the higher realms, energetically, we are inseparable – just like the sun’s rays are inseparable, or the gusts and the breeze are inseparable from the air. Just like the waves are not separate. Just like there are no big drops and no little drops to be found inside the sea because there are no drops – all there is, is the sea.

v

Every moment, pleasant or not, is simply another stitch in the tapestry of our lives. Even when the thread gets knotted up, it’s only another stitch. And it, too, shall find its place in the weave of the tapestry.

v

It is also unhelpful to think that we live in a concrete world where all that matters is material; that all that is abstract is obscure; that all that is invisible to us does not exist.

v

Our human brain has been trained to derive meaning from all that comes within our awareness.

Grey clouds in the sky warn us of incoming rain.

A flag stands as pride of a country. At half-mast, it stands for mourning.

Barbed wire symbolizes loss of freedom, while a dove symbolizes love and freedom. We understand the tools represented by each of the icons on our desktop.

We know what a thumbs-up means, just as we understand the symbolism of a fist raised in defiance, which is different from a fist pumping the air in exhilaration.

A baby symbolizes life and softness as well as unconditional love and so does a puppy dog.

Strangely, diamonds evoke enduring love.

Feathers make us think of Native American Indians and the flight of our soul. Typically, a policeperson symbolizes protection.

A yellow rose symbolizes friendship. Interestingly, although a red rose has come to signify true love, red being the color of our lowest chakra – the one from which stem our primitive instincts and our knee-jerks – it is no wonder that true love tends to wither quickly.

The color green represents nature and wellbeing, as well as jealousy, while the little green person inside the traffic light tells us when it is safe for us, pedestrians, to cross the street.

v

In reality, everything and everyone who comes directly within our line of vision to connect with us, personally, is a message-carrier that, as clearly as any other semiotic code, has a meaning that is intended for us – personally. Whatever comes to our awareness wants us to be aware of it. If we are not aware, we are asleep at the wheel, and if we are asleep at the wheel, the question worth asking is What, then, is driving us?

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Beyond guiding us towards our potential, symbolic signs and occurrences are sent to us to remind us, to encourage us, to confirm that, spiritually, we are on the right track. They are also sent to us to warn us when we are on the wrong track.

v

Before we begin looking specifically at dream deconstruction [intentionally set up as an appendix to this file and titled How We Need To See], it is important to get a general understanding of the symbols that appear in our mindful, wakeful moments. Until we do, we are no more evolved than the toddler roaming from room to room who only becomes aware of the dangers and traps, represented by the myriad of objects around her, once they have caused her pain.

The sooner she learns that the wiggling of her mother’s index finger means, “No”; that the corners of the coffee table symbolize pain, along with buttons popped in her mouth; reaching for the iron cord, and exploring the content of the cabinet under the sink, the sooner she will experience less avoidable pain and more spontaneous rewards.

v

As a way to introduce the simple but pervasive nature of symbols in our day-to-day lives, I will recount a moment shared by Jayne, a cyber friend of mine.

Weeks and weeks earlier, I had recommended to this young woman that she find a copy of Elizabeth Haich’s book, “Initiation”. Unable to find a copy locally, she spotted the book’s listing on Amazon.com and, as she said, she could have ordered the book there and then. Because she was in the process of moving and could not be sure of the delivery date, she didn’t.

Then, many weeks later while out to meet with a real estate agent to view what would soon become her new house, Jayne arrived early and whiled the time away in a café. Opposite this café, she spotted an old second-hand bookstore, so she wandered across to have a look with, she said, “Elizabeth Haich’s book specifically in mind”.

As Jayne walked through the door, she found herself in a small room divided down the middle by a bookshelf. She looked at the books nearest her.

“Lo and behold, it was the spiritual section,” she said, “and I scanned the shelves for the white spine of the cover I had seen on Amazon and BAM – literally in under one minute after I had entered the shop, I was pulling a copy of “Initiation” from the shelves.” Perhaps tongue in cheek, Jayne added, “I took that as a sign that we had indeed found the right house in the right area etc.”

This lovely story indicates how Karma works: nothing *timely* can move forward or be cracked open until we are ready to make a time and space for it.  We can only do that by being aware of our small and deceptively innocuous moments. If we blank out a second too long, we’ve missed out.