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Posted: March 23rd, 2007 at 12:37am By: Anita Revel
In my column last week, I was telling you about the fascinating book "Five People You Meet in Hell," a firsthand account of surviving Hurricane Katrina by New Orleans writer Robert Smallwood.
I'm bringing this up again because I came across one line that really opened my eyes (which sure as heck beats reading with one's eyes closed). It was an exclamation of joy, when Robert found a stash of dry goods in the ravaged city: "Oh, Fortuna! Toilet paper!"
Now, Robert attributes this line to Ignatius J. Reilly, the 30-year-old medievalist, fat, flatulent, gluttonous, loud, lying, hypocritical, self-deceiving, self-centered blowhard hero of John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "A Confederacy of Dunces." But what has a man with a green hunting cap and a fleshy balloon of a head got in common with a Roman goddess of abundance?
Well, pretty much the same as the rest of us, in that we're often quick to blame or give gratitude about things beyond our control, to forces greater than us.
In Fortuna's case, she is invoked for good luck and prosperity, lamented to during times of hardship, or called upon when a spare wheel needs changing. Just joking about that last bit — she needs her wheel to steer our destinies.
Fortuna promises riches and abundance, but most of all she rewards those with joyful intentions with success and prosperity.
Talking about prosperity, I've met all sorts of people and seen all degrees of wealth while touring the States. I've met old money, new money and new-improved credit cards. I've met true-blue hard workers and boo-hoo-too-hard lurkers. Some people live by the seat of their pants and, providing they check out by late afternoon, have all the money they will ever need. Others are the type who risk all to win their fortune (forgetting that in order to come home with a small fortune, they must first leave with a large one).
In most cases, the people I've met are realistic about what a dollar buys, and what they need to do in order to earn one. There are no shortcuts or "secret" ways to get rich, but from personal experience I can tell you one way to get poor very quickly — just spend four nights in downtown Chicago!
Who said money doesn't buy happiness? They haven't spent their time and cash wandering up and down the Magnificent Mile during Sale Season!
Now, before you jump in and argue that material possessions aren't the key to happiness, I happen to agree with you. I believe that while thousands of people are discovering "The Secret" and searching for answers to that elusive get-rich-quick mystery, those in the know have already worked out that abundance is not just about money and material goods.
Being truly rich is also about meeting the needs of our spiritual, physical, mental selves, and the needs of our neighbors. And in true Fortuna spirit, it's about taking care of others selflessly and with joyful intentions.
Have you ever noticed the phenomenon that the more you give away, the more comes back to you? This is the Universe's circle of providence, constantly ebbing and flowing karmic energy. So the way I see it, the more cash I can afford to spend, or the more time I can invest in helping others, the more I am investing in Universal Flow and the more that will ultimately be returned to me.
This mindset isn't new. Traditionally people may have shared rice cakes with colleagues, visitors and passers-by in order to share the wealth and allow the goddess to bring prosperity into many more lives. In modern times I see the act of handing out my cash as a way to manifest benevolent goddess energy — whether it be during Sale Season or otherwise.
To turn Fortuna's wheel of fortune in your favor, choose something to share with those around you. It doesn't need to be food or belongings; it could be a helping hand or a well-timed compliment. It could be an encouraging smile, giving directions to a café with real espresso coffee or, in the hurricane-ravaged city of Robert Smallwood's New Orleans, it could simply be about donating a roll of toilet paper.
— — —
Anita Ryan-Revel is the creatrix of Goddess.com.au, a resource-rich site aimed at helping you connect with your beautiful, sassy, intuitive, lovable, sacred and authentic self. Catch her on tour in the USA in March: see ChakraGoddess.com for details. © copyright 2007 by Anita Ryan-Revel.
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In my column last week, I was telling you about the fascinating book "Five People You Meet in Hell," a firsthand account of surviving Hurricane Katrina by New Orleans writer Robert Smallwood.
I'm bringing this up again because I came across one line that really opened my eyes (which sure as heck beats reading with one's eyes closed). It was an exclamation of joy, when Robert found a stash of dry goods in the ravaged city: "Oh, Fortuna! Toilet paper!"
Now, Robert attributes this line to Ignatius J. Reilly, the 30-year-old medievalist, fat, flatulent, gluttonous, loud, lying, hypocritical, self-deceiving, self-centered blowhard hero of John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "A Confederacy of Dunces." But what has a man with a green hunting cap and a fleshy balloon of a head got in common with a Roman goddess of abundance?
Well, pretty much the same as the rest of us, in that we're often quick to blame or give gratitude about things beyond our control, to forces greater than us.
In Fortuna's case, she is invoked for good luck and prosperity, lamented to during times of hardship, or called upon when a spare wheel needs changing. Just joking about that last bit — she needs her wheel to steer our destinies.
Fortuna promises riches and abundance, but most of all she rewards those with joyful intentions with success and prosperity.
Talking about prosperity, I've met all sorts of people and seen all degrees of wealth while touring the States. I've met old money, new money and new-improved credit cards. I've met true-blue hard workers and boo-hoo-too-hard lurkers. Some people live by the seat of their pants and, providing they check out by late afternoon, have all the money they will ever need. Others are the type who risk all to win their fortune (forgetting that in order to come home with a small fortune, they must first leave with a large one).
In most cases, the people I've met are realistic about what a dollar buys, and what they need to do in order to earn one. There are no shortcuts or "secret" ways to get rich, but from personal experience I can tell you one way to get poor very quickly — just spend four nights in downtown Chicago!
Who said money doesn't buy happiness? They haven't spent their time and cash wandering up and down the Magnificent Mile during Sale Season!
Now, before you jump in and argue that material possessions aren't the key to happiness, I happen to agree with you. I believe that while thousands of people are discovering "The Secret" and searching for answers to that elusive get-rich-quick mystery, those in the know have already worked out that abundance is not just about money and material goods.
Being truly rich is also about meeting the needs of our spiritual, physical, mental selves, and the needs of our neighbors. And in true Fortuna spirit, it's about taking care of others selflessly and with joyful intentions.
Have you ever noticed the phenomenon that the more you give away, the more comes back to you? This is the Universe's circle of providence, constantly ebbing and flowing karmic energy. So the way I see it, the more cash I can afford to spend, or the more time I can invest in helping others, the more I am investing in Universal Flow and the more that will ultimately be returned to me.
This mindset isn't new. Traditionally people may have shared rice cakes with colleagues, visitors and passers-by in order to share the wealth and allow the goddess to bring prosperity into many more lives. In modern times I see the act of handing out my cash as a way to manifest benevolent goddess energy — whether it be during Sale Season or otherwise.
To turn Fortuna's wheel of fortune in your favor, choose something to share with those around you. It doesn't need to be food or belongings; it could be a helping hand or a well-timed compliment. It could be an encouraging smile, giving directions to a café with real espresso coffee or, in the hurricane-ravaged city of Robert Smallwood's New Orleans, it could simply be about donating a roll of toilet paper.
— — —
Anita Ryan-Revel is the creatrix of Goddess.com.au, a resource-rich site aimed at helping you connect with your beautiful, sassy, intuitive, lovable, sacred and authentic self. Catch her on tour in the USA in March: see ChakraGoddess.com for details. © copyright 2007 by Anita Ryan-Revel.
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