Is there something you need right now? Are you stuck trying to make a decision? Sometimes, the answers to our questions walk up to us as an Angel in the form of a stranger.

Mythily Chari M.Ed., Ed.S., one of this column's readers, wrote to share her experience of needing to make a "course correction" in her University program, but not knowing what to do about it. Ms. Chari writes, "After fourteen years of working in the field in India, I realized it was time I 'sharpened my saw.' I decided to enroll for a research program at the University of Florida where I had gotten my master's degree. Within a semester I found my course work was leading me nowhere--my interest being autism--and my studies focusing on anything but that." Chari, 45, had resigned from her job in Delhi, left her husband and sons temporarily so she could deepen her knowledge and specialize.

With so much at stake, and doing badly in her course work, she felt an intense pressure to maintain a certain grade point average in order to quality for a tuition waiver. One day while Chari was reading in the library, a young woman struck up a conversation. They discovered they were both from the same state in India. "She inquired about my course work," said Chari, "and I-- for the first time--blurted out the predicament I was in. I confided that I was not able to pick and choose my coursework to suit my needs. She suggested that I opt out of the research program and instead do an Education Specialist degree (ED.S.), which would give me the flexibility and range to fulfill the requirement of seventy-two credits."

This news was extremely welcome, but Chari could find no further information about the degree. Often when we are uncertain about what to do, our anxiety triggers a chain of fears about making the wrong move, letting others down, getting ourselves into a worse place, or losing what we already have. In Chari's case, she said she was afraid to talk to her advisor, worried that perhaps she would be sent back to India, or-- worse still--made to reimburse the money paid to her by the College of Education. At the time, she did not have enough money even for the return ticket to India. Still stuck in this worry and conflict she stayed paralyzed.

Two weeks later, Chari again encountered the young woman, who inquired about her progress. Chari says, "I told her that I had not done anything, as nobody seemed to know about this degree. I also told her that I was scared about the course of action that would follow if I spoke to my advisor. Then she revealed that the graduate assistant to the advisor would have a department brochure outlining the course requirement of the ED.S. degree. She was right! The information was in a spiral bound volume that even the graduate assistant did not know about, as no one had completed such a degree. With that information I approached my advisor and told him that Doctoral research was not what I needed to fulfil my mission in India. He very helpful, and I now have my degree. I really wanted to thank this girl who helped me not once but twice, but I could not locate her at all after that. It was one such incident when Grace visited me and I am touched to my spiritual core. Reading The Celestine Prophecy has helped me to recharge my battery, as my work is very emotionally draining. With prayers from India."

If there is a question on your mind that you are struggling over, why not try one of these ideas to attract divine help and inspiration?

Write a memo to God.

Write down a short note about what's bothering you and address it to God. Ask Her to send you a clear sign, opportunity, or answer as soon as possible. Include a description of how having your desire fulfilled will help others as well as yourself. Be sure to express your gratitude for what you already have, and thank God in advance for sending you what you need. Be alert to who comes into your life and be open for interaction.

Visualize the end result.

Take a moment to clear your mind of your whirlpool of worries. Allow a stillness to come over your mind.

When you feel peaceful, begin to imagine a scene where you see yourself in the fulfillment of your desire. For example, if you are working on a book, see yourself in a bookstore with an audience listening to you as you hold your book toward them with the title clearly displayed. Enjoy the warmth of the scene and the fun you will have signing a book for each person in a long line winding through the store. You see the cover sparkling down the line! Studies show that successful people tend to imagine and see the result they are working toward.

Have an Angelic August,
Carol Adrienne

A sense of mastery combined with pleasure
generates a sense of purpose.

We fulfill our purpose by continually expanding our thinking about what's possible. We attract good things to ourselves whenever we notice and enjoy the success of others. Rather than keeping up with the Jones,' we can celebrate their flow of abundance as a sign of what's possible. Sharing synchronicity stories with you is a great joy because we all benefit from seeing and hearing just how common it is to have our requests answered. I have two stories for you this month.

The first is from Turi from Calgary, Alberta, who writes that she has been unemployed for a few months, but hadn't yet found the right fit for her skills and interest. She has been working to change her thought processes about prosperity and right livelihood, and applying different manifestation techniques. Turi writes, "I've been reading The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity by Catherine Ponder. Yesterday's affirmation was ... This is my time of divine fulfillment. Miracles now follow miracles and my blessings never cease. Today, a woman that I was introduced to on the bus - once, four months ago -showed up on my doorstep. She remembered that I was a technical writer, and had learned from our neighbor that I was looking for work. She does marketing for a consultant who is looking for a technical writer, and wondered if I might be interested. Knowing full well that situations like this are never random, I gave her my phone number and email, and within twenty minutes had a phone call from the guy to arrange an interview. I met him for coffee, and he feels my skills are exactly what he's looking for. The work, atmosphere, hours, pay and astounding flexibility are exactly the arrangement that I was looking for! We struck a deal and I start in less than two weeks. The entire experience took three hours from beginning to end."

Whenever we are afraid, impatient, or wishing something would change, we, of course, try to fix it by taking some direct action toward it. Sometimes that does work. However, in Turi's case, she did her internal spiritual work, and then watched the miracle unfold! Do I hear some of you ask, "What if I've been doing my visualization, affirmations, and praying but nothing is happening?" This, of course, is the hard part of spiritual work-when our will is up against trust and right timing. It may be time to soften your intensity, knowing that your intuition and synchronicity are working on your behalf. Listen to your intuitive intelligence and stay committed to having things work out.

Clearing Away What is No Longer Working

The second story comes from Cheryl, a fifty-five-year-old woman who reports a major upheaval one year ago. Her husband of twelve years left her, and she lost the job she had had for thirteen years at the same time. She came down with pneumonia and was hospitalized for a week. "My teen-age daughters were almost off to college, and I had been looking forward to finally having time with my husband who was my best friend. When my oldest left for college, I was shattered emotionally. My financial picture was in ruin. It didn't seem like anything could possibly happen, but to make matters worse, I started menopause. I got another job and tried to adjust to all the new circumstances of starting life over."

Then synchronicity kicked in. Cheryl says, "My daughter, in a bizarre coincidence, went to another town on a fluke with a friend, and ran into my sister at a restaurant. I had been estranged from my sister for seven years, and as she is the only living member of my family, it was a very painful thing and I felt very isolated. As the result of this very bizarre synchronicity, our children began to communicate constantly, and my sister and I were reunited. She and my children and a group of really wonderful friends were the bright spots of my life for the last year."

The Power of Seeing the Pattern

Cheryl told her sister about all the amazing coincidences that were happening in her life, and how it was really a very strange time. "My sister suggested I read The Celestine Prophecy so I ran right out and purchased several of James Redfield's books and tapes. It made such an enormous difference in my life. I could finally see that my husband was given to me for a purpose-to help me raise my children, and that the events in my life had happened for a reason. I could see there was a pattern being laid out for me. My sister calls it my "bizarro world" and she has loved being along for the ride this past year. I have a totally new spiritual outlook on life. I have rediscovered myself, am doing many of the creative activities I had abandoned for years. My children are learning that I am actually a very talented, alive, person, rather than just "mom". I have wonderful relationships with my friends, a job with an incredible group of co-workers. I want to move to the next level, but am unsure how to go about it. So many things continue to be revealed to me on a daily basis, but I'm having difficulty discovering my purpose."

Well, Cheryl, it sounds as if you were "slumbering" a bit before all the changes, and now you have woken up. Your purpose needed you to be awake, and now you are on a path of discovery. Your quest for purpose is purposeful. It is stimulating ever more questions. Finding a name for your purpose might not be as important as living fully present to the moment each day! Knowing your purpose would probably give you the same feelings of joy, meaning, and curiosity that you now have. Maybe you're there! It's safe to say that you are more alive and fulfilled in your life than you had imagined when things were really dark. You have gone through a death and rebirth, and that's purposeful enough for now.

Happy July,
Carol Adrienne

In the past few months I invited readers to send in your questions to this column. Craig from Iowa writes, "It is now 3:00 am and I have just finished reading The Celestine Prophecy. I could not sleep and went to the website looking for help with the 6th Insight [about clearing our past and understanding how we are trying to solve the life questions our parents gave us]."

"Fourteen months ago, I left my job of thirty-one years. I had worked my way up from being an entry level supply clerk to managing thirty-five employees in several different departments with a four million-dollar budget. I had no other job to go to and no plans. I still have no idea what I will do next. Until last month when my insurance ran out, I was being treated for anxiety disorders (which I fear may be keeping me from finding a new job.) On my last visit to the clinic, the psychologist suggested I read The Celestine Prophecy. I thought you would like to hear from someone who is right smack dab in the middle of changing directions.

"I don`t know what I'm going to do next. The anxiety and stress over not having a job, running out of money, etc. has pretty much consumed me. The book helped me a lot, but I think I have a long way to go."

I chose Craig's question because I think his situation reflects what a lot of us are feeling during this period. Once we let fear dominate our thoughts we start a cascading syndrome where we start envisioning the worst everywhere in our lives. No wonder we are anxious! So Craig, let me make a few comments based on the remarks in your email ...

QUITTING YOUR JOB

It sounds as if you chose to quit your job for a good reason. If your anxiety disorders were happening during the last job, then it sounds like your move to change something in your life was a good one.

FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS

You have an excellent ability (and track record) for starting over. You went from an entry level job to a very high and responsible position. You have the ability to stay with something for a long time (your thirty-five years on the job). Now you are in the second half of your life. You have the opportunity to take that same set of skills and even more importantly, maturity, into another challenge. This time, you may want to consider creating a small business out of your home-something which gives you more control over your life. Look to your most basic, life-long, innate interests and talents. What are you good at? What do you love to do? You've probably been thinking a lot about this, but maybe the anxiety disorder keeps telling you something, like "Yes, but….I can't do that because…." People who are thinkers often make the mistake of trying to think everything through to a perfect plan before ever testing out their ideas.

CONFRONT THE FEARS

Write down all the fears that come up in the middle of the night. Look the anxiety in the eye. Look at the worst thing that could happen and imagine how you would actually handle it. Our greatest fear is that we are going to be given something we cannot handle. A powerful affirmation statement is, "No matter what happens I'll handle it." You already have done this!

INTUITIVE ANSWERS ARE COMING

Also, we don't always trust that quiet, small voice that offers a new suggestion. Many times I have spent an hour in a consultation with someone who has told me emphatically how confused they are and that they don't know what to do. However, at just about the end of the hour, they casually mention something they have really been considering but haven't yet brought to our conversation! Many of us don't trust our intuition and dismiss what could be a very good idea! We focus so much on our doom and gloom that we get paralyzed. So Craig (and the rest of you readers), what kinds of persistent creative work ideas have you been having?

PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON YOU AND YOUR SITUATION

Working around fear is sometimes a minute-by-minute discipline! We have to go back to what we know works, such as keeping an open mind about what tomorrow will bring and affirming that good people are even now coming into our lives to help us open doors.

To shift to a higher vibration reframe a negative into an open-ended positive. For example, instead of talking about yourself as unemployed, try telling people that you are currently available for employment!

LISTEN TO INTUITION

When we need an answer, we usually get a response through a direct thought coming to us or from a message given by another person. Instead of steeping your thinking in worry thoughts, get in the habit of noticing when the fear pattern sets in and switching gears. As tempting as it is to scare yourself with thoughts about money, (some of us are very motivated when we're frightened!) let it go. Keep busy with something that gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Go outside and take a walk. Offer to wash your neighbor's car. You want to break that worry cycle as often as you can because it's not a productive habit. Believe it or not, you'll be creating possibilities for yourself when you silently ask something like, "Today I ask for Universal support in paving the way for a steady stream of abundance and joyful livelihood."

FOLLOWING THROUGH ON SUGGESTIONS BRINGS NEW LEARNING

I want to acknowledge your following through on your doctor's suggestion to read The Celestine Prophecy. Taking action that opens us to new learning is how our next opportunities show up for us. Someone mentions something, which takes us to the next doorway. Who knows what is beyond that door? There is a higher purpose in your coming into contact with the information in the book at this time in your life.

GIVE YOUR TIME TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A HAND

Try to find a way to do some service in your community. Keep busy and involved to keep your spirits up. Giving time to others rewards you far more than you may realize. Again follow your instincts and you may just put yourself in the way of a possible job somewhere that you never would have considered otherwise.

FIND A GROUP FOR JOB-SEEKERS

Many communities have on-going groups for people looking for work, and it's a good way to help structure your time in a positive way.

TAKE A PART-TIME JOB

Look around for a short-term job in a coffee-house or bartending for a catering company as a way to make a little money, have fun, and keep your day flowing. I remember Anne's story (When Life Changes, Or You Wish It Would, p. 42.) In her fifties, she was fed up with her career and quit a very good position. She bought a van, packed up her most important belongings, and traveled around the country for two years. She followed her intuition about where to go, found part time jobs everywhere (fun ones with accommodations in national parks), supported herself, and had an exciting adventure exploring anything that caught her attention.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

So many times when we have a demanding job, we wish we had time to develop an interest or skill. Needless, to say Craig, you are in the perfect position to do something you have always wanted to do. There usually are adult education classes available that are low-cost and surprisingly varied in what they offer by extremely good teachers. Or teach one yourself! You are on the brink of a whole new life, even though you just can't see the big picture yet.

I'd love to have other questions from readers for next month's column!

Happy June,
Carol Adrienne

Each of us dreams of reaching a point at which we finally have it all together. Often we assume that today doesn't really count. It's just another day. But this day is an entire and beautiful gift, full of physical sensations and a range of emotional responses-from joy to upset or even grief. Each day we receive information about who we are and why we are here-if we choose to become conscious of the messages or synchronicities.

Most of us think that we have to work hard to find the big, definitive Life Purpose so that then, and only then, we can be happy. The truth is that each day, each moment is the only time you have in which to feel authentic, fulfilled, and even joyful. There's no waiting to find purpose.

Your life purpose was chosen before birth. This inborn organizing force silently attracts people and information directly related to what you need to know in order to make immediate choices. For example, has someone recommended a book to you this week? Why do you think this book was brought to your attention? Where might it fit into what you are working on now? Has someone mentioned any other resource? Be sure to follow up on things that come into your life when you are searching for a lead, an opening, or a new opportunity. You may even take a wrong turn and wind up in the right place.

Two days ago I bought two pairs of shoes that were a tiny bit too big in the heel, but that were very close to shoes that I had been looking for in several different stores. I was rather at my wit's end to get this shoe problem solved (Do any of you resonate to this tendency to get an idea in your head and then push until you make it real? Especially in the case of the right shoe for the right purpose?!) So, the shoes were nearly right, and the enterprising young clerk sold me insoles which made them fit better. He suggested I have them glued in permanently under the inner part of the shoe.

When I took the insoles to my local shoe repair guy to have them glued, he looked at my new shoes with the disdain of a craftsman who only works in leather and who doesn't trust enterprising shoe sales people under the age of 50 (he grilled me about where I bought these shoes and who sold them to me.) He told me a whole long story about how these were not the right insoles and that I should take them back. Furthermore, he went on to outline the whole bleak outlook of the current state of the shoe industry according to his experienced eye. At the time, I was somewhat annoyed (but also amused) at his taking so long to tell me how disappointing and poorly made of synthetic materials my new shoes were, and how I needed to take the insoles back and get my money back. Okay, one more errand to do.

This morning I found the shoe store receipt and went to put it into my wallet so I could return the insoles next time I was near that shoe store. Well, Lo, and behold my wallet was not in my purse. I remembered that I had had it the night before when I showed my YMCA membership card at my yoga class. At 7:59 am, I jumped in the car, and raced over to the yoga center and found that my wallet had fallen out of my purse in the little storage units where we put our belongings. It was still there, twelve hours after it had fallen out of my purse! Now, if I had not been thinking about returning the insoles, and putting the receipt into my wallet, I might not have noticed the missing wallet until tomorrow! Chances are slim it would have still been there.

It's fascinating to me how even small movements of our minds and intuition help us stay on track. What gets in the way of following this intuitive guidance is tuning out of consciousness about what we are doing-through concentrating on anxieties and feeling overwhelmed, being very busy, or thinking about the next thing before we've finished the current thing. I should have noticed when I left the class that my purse felt too light-not having my bulky wallet in it. But last night I was upset by some things that had happened during the day, and was not being truly present with what I was doing-even after the wonderful yoga session, which did help calm me down. Now I realize I was not really paying attention to the world around me.

We are all going to get upset at things. It happens virtually everyday when you think about it. It's the nature of being human. If you aren't upset at this moment, you will be as soon as one of three things happens: 1) Your intention to do, be, or have something is thwarted; 2) You are not able to deliver a communication and have someone hear it or agree with it; or 3) You have an expectation that is not fulfilled.

When a breakdown occurs that upsets us, we experience it as a threat. Without consciously realizing it we go into an old, familiar survival. We immediately start to thrash around in a mix of favored emotions-blame, guilt, anger, shame, minimization, justification, feeling helpless, or resignation that this kind of thing always happens to us, and this just goes to prove how...

When we are threatened we feel a loss of power. Actually, when we are dealing with an upset it has already happened, which means that we are always dealing with upsets in the past. What we are upset about now is not actually about the present as much as it about how it is attached to upsets we've had in the past. Each upset is related to string of very old upsets. The next time you experience being upset, notice what you are doing and thinking about. How are you re-living upsets you had in the past? What kind of story are you telling yourself about the upset? Just notice how this story is a big piece of your life story. I never get listened to. No one pays attention to me. I always buy the wrong thing. I'm not supposed to succeed. I don't have what it takes, and this proves it once again. Life is scary. Etc. Etc.

Start to get clear about what the events are that are happening to you without your story explaining it. Just see what is happening. Resist the temptation to make it all about you (this is a hard one, isn't it?!) One man in a class reported that he always gets angry and upset when traffic gets in his way. The other night he took a wrong exit and had to go by city streets which normally would irritate him because he'd have to wait at stoplights at each block. He'd be losing time, and waiting at stoplights was something he took pains to avoid. It was important to him to feel that he knew how to take shortcuts and outsmart the system. For some reason, this time he realized he could unhook from that automatic response, and he actually drove to the class calmly and with a peaceful frame of mind. Now, if traffic is not one of your big issues, you might say, well, so what? What's the big deal that he had to wait for stoplights? But for him and his automatic way of being, it was a big deal to have more control over the kind of day he was going to have.

We each have our automatic responses to upsets and trigger points. Starting today why not have fun noticing yours? Start asking youself, Can I just give up this big need to be upset right now?

Have a great month!

Happy May,
Carol Adrienne