JOSE ATID LEIIA STEVENS 135perfect little crystals attached. "I forgot all about my crys-
tal," Anna laughed with glee. "And look what I found; look
what the mountain gave me." Jose, Lena, and Carlos
moved quickly to where Anna was standing. "Do you
think there might be more here?" she asked. They all
started looking at the ground, stepping very slowly, until lo
and behold, Jose looked up into a crevice on the side of
the mountain and noticed a quartz vein that was full of
crystals! The family spent the last minutes of daylight sift-
ing through the earth and small rocks, laughing and find-
ing crystals of various sizes and shapes. As they headed
back, their pockets full of quartz, Anna reminded the
others to thank the mountain spirit for its gifts.This anecdote demonstrates that you need only ask with
respect and a complete surrender to how it will be given, and
you shall receive gifts from the abundance in nature. These
gifts may come in a time frame that is different from what
you wish or expect. As we have already mentioned, the bal-
ance in nature has its own time, shamanic time, and there-
fore you need to trust that your goals will be achieved at the
appropriate time to maintain that balance. This requires an
attitude of surrender and of trust.Keeping Up to Date
The other all-important principle related to timing is to be
absolutely present with your goals. In discussing presence,
we pointed out that being present is acting from the point of
power. The same applies for goal setting. Not only should
you be in the present when you set your goals but it is of
utmost importance that you update your goals frequently to
reflect your present orientation. Since the world is in a con-
stant state of flux and change, it would stand to reason that
your goals should change with your own growth.
As our situations change, so must our goals. The same
principle applies with regard to being able to have as much as
you can imagine yourself having. You may end up achieving
a goal that is greatly outdated according to your present
standards. If your goal was to be able to run a mile in eight
minutes and now three years later you are still running a mile
in eight minutes, then perhaps you have shortchanged your-
self. Maybe by now you could be running three miles in
twenty-two minutes. Perhaps you always wanted that boy or
girl next door to notice you and now years later when he or
she does, you have nothing in common because you've both
changed so much.