"Fortune favours the brave" or so the saying goes; yet when life takes a sudden downturn it can be tough to find the courage to face up to the reversal of fortune. Roman deity Fortuna, pictured above, is one of my favourite goddesses. It is she who turns the Wheel of Fortune and she is often depicted wearing a blindfold, to illustrate that she is impartial. She carries a cornucopia full of gold coins that she scatters at will, representing earthly abundance.
Fortuna has smiled on my life many times, but that doesn't mean that luck is always on my side. I've had my share of misfortune too. Everyone has. Over the years though, I have noticed the patterns of fortune at play in my life. I have written about this before, in a post about the Wheel of Fortune and the seven year cycle. Life rarely moves from the pinnacle of success to the doldrums in one fell swoop, and there is usually a steady increase or decline, with warning signs along the way. Loss is a sign that it is time to move on, so if things are being systematically stripped away from you, it means that your life is undergoing a cosmic makeover. It can be tough to live through, but stick with it, because something has to replace that which has been taken away. Trust that all will be well.
Since writing that post last spring, my own wheel of fortune has begun to shift a little, beginning a new assent, just as I expected it would. This has been apparent in the little things that happen unexpectedly - a happy holiday, a windfall, a chance encounter. Small gifts of fortune from a benevolent universe, hinting that the good times are beginning again and I am looking forward to them.
Life has also been less of a struggle and a lot less stressful since I finished college and was finally free to leave the tutor behind, which again is an indication that the bliss cycle is back in charge! In addition, working at Cruse Bereavement Care helped me to keep things in perspective. Death is the worst aspect of life, and helping people to come to terms with it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It was definitely a decent deposit in my good karma bank account and now good things are coming to me in turn.
I have also noticed another pattern running through my life. Things always seem to happen to me mid-decade. Big things - like 'starting a new chapter in life' things. They always happen to me around the middle of the decade. I left school at 16, like most do, and went to work in an equestrian centre which had been my childhood dream. Then I signed my first book contract under commission at the age of 25. I signed my Spirit&Destiny columnist contract at the age of 33. I completed counsellor training this year at the age of 44.
This is a pattern at work in my life. The mid-section of each decade - so my mid-20's, 30's and 40's - have been quite pivotal times for me, always leading to something big, long-term and fairly lucrative. It makes me excited for the rest of my 40's and I can't wait to see what great gift Fortuna will bring to me next, as clearly, taking my personal history with her into account, something Big is just around the corner and a new phase of my life is soon to begin.
I feel a sense of wonder at Fortuna's blessings - she has brought so many opportunities my way over the years and she has smiled on my writing career and my new psychotherapy goals. I feel a deep sense of gratitude. So far in my life, good things have always come to me and I have always been given the opportunity to make my dreams my reality. I believe this is because my goals always involve helping others, whether that be through my writing as a self-help and spiritual author, or as a counsellor helping clients with their troubles. My goals are never just about me - they are about using my gifts to help other people and I believe that is the key to success. Help others and the gods will smile on you; help others and opportunities will come to you; help others and all will be well.
I spent my 20's writing spiritual books; I spent my 30's writing columns; I spent the first half of my 40's training in psychotherapy. I wonder what the second half of my 40's will bring to me; what new aspect of my writing will be revealed; what new chapter of my life is about to unfold? I know I plan to keep weaving together my writing and psychotherapy, as editors seem to be on board with this change. But as I have already realised most of my life goals, I am not really sure what else I want to do next. I still have goals, but I am also more open to new avenues and adventures than I have ever been before. I am eager to see where Fortuna takes me next, and I have faith that, as Thumbelina says
"Wondrous things are sure to happen!"
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