A reader asks:

I've been unemployed for 11 months. Everything I've tried to initiate to bring in an income just hasn't made it off the ground (my crafts & my massage therapy; I am qualified in aromatherapy and hot stone massage). I am obviously in the wrong frame of mind & do not have enough positive energy to stop the downward spiral. In between all this, my marriage is breaking up and being in my present financial position doesn�¢â�¬â�¢t make things any easier! I don�¢â�¬â�¢t want to sink so low into this rut that I am unable to get out. Are you able to help me get my thinking on track again?

Quado, do you have an answer to this question?

Ah yes, of course, of course.

You must begin with a true assessment of what really is, setting aside what you wanted, the way you had wished things would be, and just look at exactly, precisely how things are. And this assessment should include not only your personal situation, but that of the people close to you and of the society as a whole. You need to take a look at where you are standing right now, without feeling victimized, without worrying about all the mistakes you made, and just take a clear look in the light of day.

Let us begin with your marriage you say is falling apart. Is this something that can and should be repaired? What is the situation? Have you sat down with your husband and talked it through and determined what must be done to repair the marriage, to make it work again?

If you set aside your anger and hurt, and assess how things are, and come from a heart of love and understanding, you may find that you are able to forge a new relationship out of the pieces of the old, with a nice healthy dollop of new thrown in the mix. But it will require that you toss out old ideas of how you wanted things to be and look at things anew from the place where you are right now.

And if it cannot be repaired and retrieved, if he has emotionally left and taken his heart elsewhere, for example, then this is one of the things you will need to look at clearly, openly and objectively. What do you need to do now to make your separation as equitable and smooth as possible? If the ending is here, then let it end. Do what you need to do to protect yourself, treat yourself with respect, but let be what has to happen.

And as for the financial situation, again, you must take a look. You must see clearly and openly what your situation is and what the situation of your environment is. Money is not magic and it is not summoned by fairies when you think positive thoughts. Yes, you must be positive in order to give yourself every possible opportunity, but you must also do what makes sense. You must have a practical and sensible plan of action with space in it to let the universe work its magic. But you must still act, you must try things and you must be deeply observant about what works and what does not and adjust.

Dreaming alone is not enough. Have a dream, try things out, see what works and adjust. Where you end up may be in a quite different place from your original idea, but if you allow life to lead you through the steps without struggling against them, you may find yourself at a far better place in the end.

Money is a simple exchange. What do you have to offer that people are willing to pay for? That then is what you must do in order to earn money. It is a very simple formula.

If you have had a failed business, then you were not offering something which was in demand, or you were not offering it at a price people were willing to pay, or you simply did not find the right mechanism, like advertising, to let people know what you had to offer. And it is up to you to find out which of these was true and adjust and do what makes sense.

Be real. See how things are. Be flexible and willing to adjust. If you need to go out and get a job in order to get yourself back on an even footing with the world, then do so. Not everyone is able to get a new business going, and certainly not on the first try. Perhaps you should work for someone else who is in the business you desire and observe and ask and see how they do it. Perhaps you need to be an apprentice before you can be the leader.

Yes, you should use visualization and affirmations to help you along your way. They will help bring opportunities to you, open doors which might otherwise be closed. But at this point in your life, what you need most is clarity. You need clarity which will show you which parts of your life are working and which are not, and clarity about how you might proceed to strengthen the parts which are good and let go the parts which need to be released.

Do not fight against the current. See how things are flowing. Sense the river around you. Feel the current. Turn your attention toward what is coming at you, not what has been left behind. If you drift down the river always facing backwards, longing for the lost dream and the lost relationship, swimming against the current trying to retrieve the lost time, then you will miss the opportunity to direct yourself to the right part of the river to catch the next current, to take the next fork in the stream. Release the old dreams. Release the old hopes and expectations. Now see where you are. How fast are you moving? What is happening that you cannot change? What can you do to position yourself to be in a better place, given the way things truly are?

Sometimes the crisis of the moment seems overwhelming, especially in light of the dreams and expectations you once had. But years downstream, you will see it in a new perspective, you will understand better what it brought into your life, and how the apparent losses of today freed you up to be open and receptive to something very important which was coming your way.

The apparent failures are just ways to learn, if you will allow yourself to learn. So today, take a deep breath, bring yourself into now and consciously release the past and all its expectations, hopes and dreams. Take a clear look at where you are right now. Make a clear assessment of your situation and what you think is likely to happen. Not what you wish would happen, not what you are afraid might happen, but what you believe, in your center, in your true core of being, what you really believe will happen. Where are you right now and what are the trends? Which parts are obvious and which parts are still shimmering with different possibilities?

And then act from now. Do what is on your table in front of you right now. Handle the things you can control. Take the action which you can take right now. Stop your mind from focusing on the past and on fear of the future. Look at the opportunities which are in front of you in this minute, not what you had hoped would be.

Right now, today, read through the newspaper with new eyes, clear eyes. Ask for clarity and then see it afresh. Look at all of the ads. See how people are earning money. See how they attract customers. See what is growing and blooming right now. See what other people are doing. See who might need help. See who might have something to teach you. Then dare. Pick up the phone and call people. Talk to people. Ask for advice. Ask for work. Ask for customers. Put yourself out there every day. Have the courage to be open to new ideas and actions. Every day, do this. Focus anew. Start fresh and clean. See what the world has brought to you.

Follow through on the opportunities and people from yesterday and look for fresh opportunities today. Focus and do this. Spend your time in action, moving forward, looking at what can be done today with an eye toward tomorrow. Follow things that just feel right. Let your mind create new ideas. Be open. Be attentive. Be deeply observant.

And as for your marriage, lead from love. Love for him and love for yourself. Give respect and demand it in return. Go down into your core and find out how you really feel. Ask him how he feels. Do what you need to do, even if that means letting go.

You are not a victim. You are a person with choice and opportunity, if you will but come down into now and see it just as it is. Clear. Clean. Sparkling with newness.

Every morning, pray for clarity. Then look around and see the world just as it is. Then fill yourself with courage and act.

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Quado is a spiritual entity channeled by Carrie Hart. Carrie is a singer, songwriter, poet, and healer. Quado first spoke to her on November 26, 1995. For more on Quado and on Carrie's work, please her web site at www.carriehart.com, where you can also find meditation CDs, healing services, music and more. To hear samples from the Quado Meditation on Self-Love, go directly to www.carriehart.com/meditations.html.