“No invocaban  la madera( nature) ni la piedra ,

Y se acordaban de la palabra del

Creador y Formador, del corazon del

Cielo, del corazon de la tierra.

Asi hablaban y esperaban con inquietud

La llegada de la aurora……..

——The prayer further says—————

Oh tu, Tzacol,Bitol!miranos

escuchanos!No nos dejes,no nos desampares (helpless),

Oh Dios, que estas en la cielo y en la tierra,

corazon del cielo,corazon de la tierra!

Danos nuestra descendencia, nuestra sucesion,

Mientras camine el sol y haya claridad!

Que amanezca, que llegue la aurora!

Danos muchos buenos caminos, caminos planos!

Que los pueblos tengan paz, mucha paz, y sean felices:

y danos buena vida y util existencia “

      Thus pray the Mayas………………..

The Mayas pray to the heart of the Earth, the sky, to the creator and the protector to grant them the essential strength, which comes only to en enlightened soul to show the way to work for universal peace. They pray for divine guidance for adopting the path of peace for humanity, peace for the universe and human wellbeing. Like the Hindus they pray:

“Sarvepi Sukhinah santu, Sarve santu niramaya

Sarve bhadrani pashyantu,ma kashit dukhamapunuyat.”

And conclude with the desire for Peace: Om shantih, shantih, shantih.

Most of the Indigenous cultures of the world have similar prayers that shows their world view and they seem to propagate the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” meaning that we are all related and the world is one family. This world belongs to the almighty who assumes different names in different cultures yet remains the same. Their vision of life is holistic and it includes everything not just humans but all living beings visible and invisible and they pray for peace for all.

The Maya culture with its intellectual superiority, cosmic vision and consequent spirituality is comparable only to the glorious culture of Bharat and the Sanatana Dharma of the Hindus..

To an Indian mind the word Maya brings the picture of a glorious kingdom, a golden land known in India for its architectural excellence, its Riqueza, for people who had made magnificent achievements in the field of mathematics, astrology, a society known for its wisdom, a land that had links with Bharat as is revealed by the stories in Jataka and Kathasaritsagar, and other ancient Hindu scriptures.

The Hindu and the Maya civilizations date back to thousands of years and have many similarities in their customs, traditions, philosophy of life and even religious practices and rituals. Consequently even today if you go to Guatemala, you feel as if you are in India i.e.. Bharat.

The Spirituality of the Mayas:

The Spirituality of the Mayas is the essential and fundamental characteristic of the Maya identity. Their essential spirituality finds maximum expression in the Mayan ceremonies. Their Spirituality can be seen in their beliefs, values, ideas, and mystical thoughts, which determine their destiny. In other words they determine human existence in the cosmic universe.

The Spirituality of the Maya has at its basis the principle that the existence of Divinity is in the heart of the sky and the earth – Uk’u'x Kaj Uk’u'x Ulew,and it is present in each of the elements of nature. Therefore, all that exists in nature and in the Universe is considered sacred as it is only a part of the divinity or the Supreme Being -Ser Supremo. The Mayas consider human existence as part of this nature and the Cosmic Universe. In their cosmic vision, the Mayas see the mutual relationship between human life and the elements of Nature. Naturally, to them, nothing and no one is superior to the Supreme Being. Without the elements of Nature, that is the Divinity, no human being can exists on the face of the earth. For example, Would a human being, plant, animal be able to survive without these elements of nature- air, water, fire or earth? For this same reason, the Spirituality of the Maya has ingrained in them the belief that all the things, all that exists in nature and in the Universe have to live in harmony with each of these elements, maintain an equilibrium, a balance with them. This permits the human beings to ensure their health and long life.

This comes very close the Hindu concept of the Universe and the Supreme Being or the Parmatma symbolized in Hindu Mythology as  Brahma – the Creator.

 The Mayas have a concept of the Supreme Power which rules over the Universe and which pervades over the entire Universe. The Hindus call it The Paramatma symbolised by the sound OM. It is beyond form and which manifests itself in different shapes and sounds .The Hindu deity symbolizing this Paramatma is Lord Brahma the creator of this Universe. The Aztecs call it Omteotl and the Mayas call it Aho.

To the Hindus, Brahma, is  the infinite, the source of all space, time, causation, names and forms. Theologically, he is the single letter (eka aksharam) Om and the uncreated creator (svayambhu), the self-born first person. Philosophically, he is the first manifestation of one’s existence (ahankara). Cosmologically, he is hiranya garbha (golden embryo), the ball of fire, from which the universe develops. He is Prajapati, since all creatures are his progeny. He is pitamaha (patriarch), vidhi (ordinator), Iokesha (master of the universe), dhatru (sustainer) and Viswakarma (architect of the world). Mythology describes Brahma as springing from Kamala (lotus), from the nabhi (navel) of Vishnu. Hence, his names Nabhija (navel born), Kanja (water born). His consort Saraswati manifested out of him and all creatures of the world resulted from their union.

The very first verse of the Aeshvasyopanishad Says:.

“Aesha vasyamid sarvam Yatkinchya Jagatyam jagat

Ten tyakten Bhunjitha Ma Grudh kasya svid dhanam”

Aeshwara has occupied everything animate and inanimate in this universe. Remember him (let him be the witness) of everything you do, enjoy, rear, nurture and protect. Who owns all this wealth? (nobody). Remember this and your ego gets dissolved. You lose the desire to own even while you enjoy things. You become increasingly aware that everything belongs to god and this present world, the body and this mortal world is transitory and that the soul is immortal.

The Atman is the brahmatatva and to realize it is the end of life. Considering that Aeshwara is omnipresent, the only way to realize that end of life is to get rid of your ego and to do your karma without expecting the fruit of your work.The Upanishadic spirituality is unitive and holistic.The hindu understanding of Reality comprehends the possibilities of existence together with the existence of Being. The famous formula Tattvamasi in the Chhandogya Upanishad explains that

 “from that subtle essence ,all this has come forth.”

Kathopanishad gives us the concept of the universe as a Tree which has its roots upwards into the sky, branches downwards in the world. The roots are the pure Brahma. The Brahma is the creator and everything in the universe owes its existence to him. The five elements are set into action by Brahma. A pure mind is like a mirror where the Brhma is reflected clearly. Brahma’s icon has four heads (chatur mukha brahma) facing the four quartem. They represent the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva), the four yugas (krita, treta, dwapara, kali) (epochs of time), the four varnas (brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya, sudra). The faces have beards with eyes closed in meditation. There are four arms holding up different objects, akshamala (rosary), kurcha (kusha grass), sruk (ladle), sruva (spoon), kamandala (water pot) and pustaka (book) and in different poses representing the four quartem. Their combination and arrangement vary with the image. Akshamala symbolizes time; Kamandala, the waters of all creation. The implements kusha, sruk and sruva, denote the system of sacrifices used by creatures to sustain each other. The book represents religious and secular knowledge. Hand postures (mudras) are abhaya (protector) and varada (giver of boons). The icon may be in standing posture on a lotus or in sitting posture on a hamsa (swan). Hamsa stands for wisdom and discrimination. The Brahma is then the human form of the spirit of Creation

Rig Veda enumerates numerous Vedic Gods. Vedic priests believed in ceremonies & rituals, which were offered to appease these Gods. No one Vedic God has been considered the Supreme God. In fact, different Gods have been considered as Supreme at different times, attributing the powers & qualities of one to another. Apart from Gods who have been attributed specific characteristics, several inanimate objects, qualities, emotions & various forms of nature had also been deified & worshipped.

The earliest accepted Gods were

Dyaush-pita (the sky father) Creador y Formador, del corazon del Cielo,. Prithivi mata del corazon de la tierra ( the earth mother),Vayu (the wind God),Parjanya (the rain God), Surya (the sun God), Varuna (the God of oceans)Agni (the fire God),
Indra (the war God), Soma (the God of speech, deity of soma creeper),
Ushas (the Goddess of dawn),Yama (the God of death), etc

Concept of the Creation of the Universe:

Mayan concept of the Universe is similar to the Hindu concept. 129 Sukta of the 10th Mandala of the Rg Veda is the very essence of the concept of Creation

Before this universe was born there was nothing. There was neither life nor death, neither day nor night .the primal force was the only thing in its dormant state. Then the Paramatma expressed itself in a visible form. There is a very thin dividing line between the visible and the invisible the tangible and the intangible. The intangible invisible Paramatma was later seen in different forms by the sages.

The first Chapter of the Aitareyopanishad gives the concept of creation. This Upanishad deals with Creation the place of Jiva-Living things, its rebirth, its final deliverance with the knowledge of the Brahman. The Hindu Concept of Creation is that before this universe came into existence there was only the Paramatma. He decided to create the Universe. He created Ambha, Marichi, Jala Lokas. The basis of Maha, Jana, Tapa,Satya lokas is Ambha. Marichi is where the universe including the /sun, moon the constellation of stars . below Marichi is the earth where life is mortal. Below the earth are Patal which are known by apa (water). In short the Paramatma created the Three Locas, fourteen bhuvans .Brahma also called Hiranyagarbha. From it was born man, Sensory organs, mind and the five pranas.

The Maya Concept of Creation:

Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Mayas says:

“All moons, all years, all days, all winds,
Reach their completion and pass away,
Measured is the time in which
we can praise the splendor of the Trinity.
Measured is the time in which We can know
the benevolence of the Sun.
Measured is the time in which the grid
of the Stars looks down upon us.
And through it, keeping watch over their safety,
The Spirits, abiding within the Stars
measures their fate.”

from the Popol Vuh, or The Book of Council-(Ancient Maya scripture)

First there was nothing. Then two Gods, Tepeu and Gucamatz (respectively the Creator and the Maker).( The Mother and Father of life). They conceived of the creation of man, but first created the earth. The land, the mountains, ravines, all brought forth out of nothing. Then they made the small wild animals. Deer, jaguars, pumas, serpents etc. Then they “mediated” and conversed again and the birds were created. They then told all of these creatures where to live and how to act. They told these creatures to speak their names but, when all the sounds they could make were animal sounds, the gods “changed their minds” and decided that there would be those who would adore them and that the lot of the animals was to be “torn to pieces”and used for food.

They tried again to make beings who would adore them and venerate them. They attempted to create man out of earth and mud. But this creature had no strength and could not move or multiply. It became wet and could not even stand so was destroyed by the gods.

They sought the help of other gods and made their next attempt with wood. But though this creature was able to multiply and created many sons and daughters, it had no soul and no blood and soon forgot the gods and paid them no mind. The wooden creatures were the first of any great number to populate the earth but, having failed to show remembrance of their creators, they were destroyed.

A flood was then brought forth from the sky for many days. Man was created then from plants and women from rushes. For an unmentioned reason, this incarnation was not just destroyed, but maimed, decapitated, their bones were ground to dust, they had their eyes gouged out, their limbs mangled and their nerves crumbled as punishment for forgetting and not being able to worship their makers. The flood also helped to destroy them by making them soft. Not just that, but all the animals (dogs, birds etc.) took revenge upon this incarnation of man for their cruelty to the animals and helped to tear them to pieces with their teeth. Even their pots and pans were angered and took their revenge by burning their former masters as they had once been put to the fire for cooking though they felt no pain. The few surviving descendants of these wooden people are the monkeys who have the form of man, but no soul and can not speak to worship the gods.

“This we shall write now within the law of God and Christianity; we shall bring it to light because now the Popol Vuh as it is called cannot be seen any more, in which was clearly seen the coming from the other side of the sea, and the narration of our obscurity, and our life was clearly seen. The original book, written long ago existed, but its sight is hidden from the searcher and the thinker.”
……………From the first page of the Popol Vuh

The concept of Creation in the Hindu and Maya books is thus similar. In both there is also a reference to the Great Flood.

The original Popol Vuh remains a mystery . Either it was destroyed when the Quiché capital of Utatlán was burned to the ground by Pedro de Alvarado or is still hidden somewhere. In the nineteenth century a copy of the  Popol Vuh – The Book of Council surfaced in highland Guatemala. The book was written in Quiche Maya but in the Roman alphabet. As mysteriously as it appeared, it disappeared but was available long enough to be copied. The manuscript is dated to the sixteenth century, but the story is rooted in the past, far beyond. The intriguing question arises: Are there other manuscripts, jealously guarded from prying outsiders, somewhere among the five million Maya?

Gods of Nature: Like the Hindus, the Mayas worship the gods of nature every day. Worshiping their gods was and is a huge part of their daily life. Some of their gods include  the God of Rain, Lady Rainbow, the God of Maize (corn), and of course, the God of Sun. Without the help of these important gods, there would be no crops and everyone would starve. 

The Underworld:

 Maya religion was far more complicated than the simple worship of gods of nature. The Maya world was composed of 3 layers – the Heavens, the Earth, and the Underworld, sometimes called the Otherworld or the Place of Awe. The Mayas conducted many ceremonies to keep the demons, creatures and gods in the Underworld.

Ceremonies

 The ceremonies are in fact the practice of the religiosity and the spirituality of the Mayas as well as the Hindus. Through this ceremony a man seeks to establish contact with the Supreme Being, the creator of the Sky and the earth. In both the Maya and the Hindu cultures, a religious ceremony is a sacred ritual performed as a celebration of important dates under the guidance of the priests and in consultation with the sacred Alamanacs. The ceremonies are performed for the concrete objectives, offerings are made for the benefit of all and general well being, health, and for gaining wisdom and positive energy during difficult times of the human existence. These religious activities are performed in ceremonial centers like the Hindu temples or Maya Altars which are built like places of sacred activities for the entire community and which as per both Hindu and Maya provision can also be used for household ceremonies. The Hindu and the Mayan ceremonies constitute at the fundamental element of their cultural identity.

The Concept of the Four Yugas

The Mayas believe that the world had been created five times and destroyed four times; this eschatology became the fundamental basis of Mesoamerican religion from 900 AD onwards when it was adopted by the Toltecs. This is similar to the Concept of the Four Yugas as expounded in the Hindu scriptures.

Belief in Rebirth: Like the Hindus the Mayas too believed in an afterlife. Commoners buried their dead inside their homes, under the floor. That way, they could live with their ancestors and keep their ancestors easily posted on their daily life. The Mayas believed they would be compensated. If they had a rough time or a rough life, this would be made up to them in their afterlife. Nobles were buried in tombs.

There are many unanswered questions about the Maya but the cause of their decline remains the greatest mystery. Their civilisation was not destroyed by an overwhelming outside force. The Olmec suffered the destruction of San Lorenzo around 900 BC and that of La Venta around 600 BC but no such catastrophe befell the Maya. Similarly, Teotihuacan was destroyed by warfare around 700 and so was Tula around 1000 AD but Maya power disintegrated from within. Many hypotheses have been proposed, overpopulation, famine, epidemics, civil disorder…

Several other questions torment the admirers of the great Maya culture.

Why did the Maya rule lapse? Doubtlessly the Maya seers could foresee their own future.

Did it make them fatalists?

 Do the original scriptures still exist?

What I have attempted in these pages is only a preliminary survey. What is required is a close interaction between the two communities, which is possible through conferences and meetings like this. The answers to the questions posed above can be given only by the Mayas themselves. It is time they spoke of their glorious past and place before the world their true story.

The Spirituality of the Maya strikes the chord of familiarity in a Hindu mind. There are many similarities between the Hindus and the Mayas in their physical features, in the social organization , food habits, in customs and so on.. These similarities and the similarities in the religious rituals were revealed during the Hindu Maya Conference in May 2005 in the city of Antigua Guatemala. Above all it is the essential spirituality of the Hindus and the Mayas that really brings the two societies closer.

My relatives from the Golden Land of the Mayas, Are you listening?

*           *           *

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?

v

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.