As we come through the last few days of Mercury's retrograde dance I want to remind you (and myself!) of a couple of things.  

You are being supported in ways you can't always see.
Your work and how you show up in the world matters.
And if you can touch one person today with your golden light then it's been a good day.
Even if you've fallen, you can get back up and keep on moving forward...so get up now.

While being on winter weather lock down (again!) I got to thinking about how I tend to feel sluggish especially around checking in with and doing the work to make my goals come true.  Maybe this is happening to you too?  

I gathered up my bag as I always do and in my blury partially awkened state I touch each 
thing inside to make sure I've got it all. 

Planner?  Check.  
Journal?  Check.  
Favorite pen set?  Check.  

I leave the house ready to have tea with the Muses whenever they choose to call upon me today.  Recently I've been listening to Twyla Tharp's book "The Creative Habit" and she tells the story of 
Paul Auster who, as a child got to meet his baseball idol Wille Mays.  He bravely asked Mr. Mays 
for an autograph and Mays responded "Sure…got a pencil?"  Neither Paul nor any of the adults he 
was with that day had a pencil that day.  Mr. Mays said "sorry kid…no pencil, no autograph."  From 
that day forth he always made sure he had a pencil and partially jokes this is how he became a writer.  

While Ms. Tharp uses this story to get you thinking about what tool or tools nourish your creativity so much that without its presence you feel "naked and unprepared", this struck me as important thing to remember as I touch my things in preparation for the Muses of Inspiration.  For Paul Auster inviting inspiration was carrying a pencil with him.  As an artist, my daughter invites inspiration by carrying her sketchbook and pencils with her, ready to be brought out any time we are waiting.  In both cases, they are prepared for inspiriation. 

Inspirations comes as one of those thousands of thoughts we have on a daily basis.  
The difference in between them is that for some reason, that inspired thought became 
an idea taking root in your consciousness.  What was it about that idea that stayed with you?  
I believe it was something that spoke to your spirit and aligned with your purpose. Your spirit 
already knows what your purpose is and knows what you need in order to be living from it.  
So you can trust that when you're given inspiration for something to create in your life, you 
already have everything you need in order to make it happen.  
  
Instead of treating inspiration as a 'one in a million thing, why not prepare for it as you would 
a guest visiting your home?  Make space for it by checking in with the elemental forces of creation 
and clear space for inspiration to come in.  

What are some of the things you can do in the earth realm, physically, to make space? 
Can you clear that table off and organize your supplies so it's ready for you to make art?  
Can you carry a notebook or journal with you to catch ideas while you're waiting for the 
kids to finish their classes?  What do you need to do in the water realm of emotions?  
Do you need to give yourself permission to play without being perfect?  Do you need to 
learn to go with the flow?  And in the mental thought realm of air, do you need to clear out 
old beliefs about what inspiration and creative time is 'supposed' to look like?  What fire 
actions do you need to take?  Do you need to let go of some old things or transform an area 
of your home or schedule to makes space for inspiration to flow in a new way?  

You could be as close as a breath away from that inspired idea that you use to direct the course of your life.  Tuning into the elements and treating inspiration as an honored guest opens you to the possiblity that you have exactly what it takes to create it.  

As we've just pasted through Imbolc I'm looking for signs of spring but because of the snow we had last week the usual signs aren't present yet.  That got me to thinking about a video I had done last March about organic timing that I'd like to revisit for our tea date today.  

Just like a fire needs logs put on it to keep it going, we need to add logs to our inner fire to keep us motivated to achieve our goals.  Sure we can be inspired by the work we see other people doing but how does that inspiration translate when we're by ourselves in our own work space trying to make things happen?  I think it's really important to think about this and have a list of things written down for those times when I feel my motivation waning.  Here are 3 things I've discovered.

1.  Just like water puts out fire, procrastination and overwhelm put out my motivation.  When I'm procrastinating or feeling overwhelmed, it's usually because the step feels too big.  So I revisit the task.  Have I broken it down into small enough pieces?  Do I need more emotional support to take the next step?  Do I have the knowledge and skills I need to take the next step?  Or is my internal guidance saying this is not really what I want to do?  

2.  Calling all cheerleaders!  Sometimes I can't find my way out of the forest of doubt.  This is the time when I like to call in the elements and my spiritual guides to help me.  Sometimes I need a pep talk so I'll get an oracle reading or coaching session to help me push through.  

3.  Motivation requires tending.  Just as I need to check the fire periodically to put extra logs on as well as clean out the ash from the spent wood, I also need to tend to my motivational fire.  Listening to motivational podcasts, audiobooks, and uplifting music ( I've made a playlist for my word of the year), using visualizations, saying affirmations and watching inspirational videos (here are mine) act as the logs.  Cleaning out the ash requires me to examine my thoughts and beliefs about myself and clear out any that are no longer serving me.  Often times this is when I need coaching.  

Learning to sustain motivation requires attention and tending to keep it going. Having a list of ideas in your planner or hanging near your work space can be just the spark you need to get the fire going again.
If you would like one on one support to keep you moving forward, schedule an oracle session with me.  With the help of the elements, you and I can discover how to clear out what's stopping you and get you moving forward again.