The Seven Principle of Stalking are somewhat hard to decipher. Castaneda says we should practice these until they become so ingrained that they become unnoticeable.

The First Principle, Knowing your surroundings, is made more intuitive if you imagine you’re lost in a forrest. First you want to orient yourself. What is your situation? What are you struggling with? What is sapping your energy? Where are you spinning your wheels? What do you keep doing over and over again to find no results?

Looking at these issues, it think it become clear that orienting yourself when you’re not lost in a desert or a forest is about gaining clarity about your current situation. We can do this any number of ways. One way is to take a decision-matrix approach.

After you become aware of what’s in your mind, the troubles facing, you can begin to get some semblance of control in your life.

In looking at what’s working and what isnt working, it is helpful to know your intent. What is your intent for your life? For the next ten years? Five years? This month? Maybe even today. You’ll want to align any decisions with your intent.

To conserve energy, focus on the one thing causing you the most trouble. You may find this issue touches on several aspects of your life and that by clearing up one issue, you can resolve many problems at one time. This may also take a lot of effort and a big commitment, but don’t get ahead of yourself yet. There is more to come. Right now just focus on orienting yourself to your particular situation.

Maybe you know your problem. Maybe you need to write a list. Maybe there are several ways to attack a problem and you don’t know what way to turn. Look at it simply and don’t try to solve the problem in one step. Do your research. What tools or resources do you have at hand? What can you pull into your life to help you make a decision. Here you want to focus on identification of actions you can take to help you resolve your issue.

Take stock. If you’re lost in a forrest, maybe you remember from which direction you came based on the arc of the sun. Maybe you have a map or a compass. Maybe you can tell how far you’ve traveled by looking at your watch. All hope is not lost. Keep calm. Be at ease as much as possible.

Another example might be if you have a drinking problem. You know AA is a resource, but you don’t know anything about the program. AA itself tells you to come to a few meetings to see how the program works and to become acclimated to the principles before committing to the program. This is research. This is giving yourself the tools to decide if this path can support you in your efforts. It is important, however, not to make a decision on How to solve your problem just yet. Keep that for later.

Make a lift of pros and cons, and again you may need to do more research. Try and get as much solid information as possible. Can you afford the endeavor? Is the choice spiritually aligned with your values? Is it physically feasible?

Have you wrapped your head around it yet?