Re: Lost the way?

["Alan Cook" <fish_studios@...>]

Dear Martin,

>> My focus on my spiritual development seems to wax and wane in six 
month cycles and I do not know whether to accept this as the way 
things are or find a way to change it. <<

No one can really answer this question but yourself. But here are 
some questions that I've asked myself on occassion:

Is spiritual development and important part of my life?
Is this something that I want to pursue to the fullest?
Do I have the means to make the commitment that this will take?

One thing that a friend told me and I've always rememebered: If 
it's important to you, you will make time for it.

>> I do feel silly posting this message asking other people for 
advice on how to sort out my life, believe me, which is why I have 
left it so long. <<

Don't worry. Half the time, after I ask a question, I see the 
answer for myself. It also helps to get a different perspective 
than the one that you've been banging your head on a wall with for 
some time ;)

>> I guess on a more practical note, one of the major problems is 
the fact that when I am teaching, I am tired when I come home and 
then have to prepare the next day's lessons and then just want to go 
to bed and if I tried to meditate then, I think I would just wind up 
falling asleep. <<

For physical tiredness, you could take a cold shower or do a bit of 
cardio exercise, something to get the blood flowing.

For mental tiredness, the EOM exercise is a great way to relax and 
rejuvenate the mind. Just don't force it. Sit quietly with the 
*intent* (not thought) to let thoughts flow from your mind and leave 
it empty. I've found that just sitting quietly and doing the 
observance of thoughts exercise for some time helps to refresh the 
mind. Just don't try and force anything, or get frustrated. Just 
relax :)

>> Also, if I do find a way of incorporating the practice of IIH 
into my life again, would you recommend starting again from scratch 
including the re-working of my soul mirrors? <<

You'd have to answer this for yourself. It never hurts to revisit 
your soul mirrors and redo them. But keep the old one and compare 
them, adding to the new one things that you may have discovered last 
time but happened to miss this time.

As for the other exercises, it never hurts to redo them at any point 
and time. So far, I've made it a point to go through all of the 
preceding exercises before moving to the next step, just to make 
sure that I haven't neglected something and that nothing has lapsed.

All Will Go Well,
--Alan