Fortunate Me

The Moon Oracle deck by Caroline Smith and John Astrop is one of my all-time favorites, and I especially love this Fortuna card.  Isn’t that a wonderful way to think about fortune – in a place of beauty and golden coins?

Fortune is one of those things that everyone defines differently.  Lots of people think of fortune as an outside force visited upon one.  I lean a lot more heavily into the belief that we’re always creating our reality.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t like a good fortune.  In fact, I’m a fool for fortunes.  Of the cookie variety to be exact.  I’m notorious for including them in my art.  I love these little bite size bits of wisdom – some incredibly inane and some wickedly insightful.  A recent favorite is “No one is happy who does not think himself so.”  Yes indeed!

Today happens to be Fortune Cookie Day, and so I’m happy to step forward and celebrate.  I’ll be doing my part by having lunch at the neighborhood Chinese restaurant, and there will most definitely be cookies and fortunes involved.

The other day I happened upon a copy of Gong Hee Fot Choy (“The Greetings of the Riches”) – a divination system created in the early 20^th century.  It involves laying cards in 32 houses and reading the associated information.  Seeing it swept me away in memories.  My mother had this, and although I don’t think I ever saw her use it, I most certainly did, starting when I was a preteen.  It was a weekly ritual for me.  One that later led me to the I Ching, and then of course to the Tarot and other oracle decks.  The premise of Gong Hee Fot Choy is that good fortune outweighs bad, and that if you’re alert to what’s going on you can maximize the good.  My beliefs have certainly grown and changed since I was a child, and I certainly no longer look to cards to tell me what to do, but at some level I certainly still believe that being alert and maximizing the good is most definitely possible and a good thing.

In fact, I think Rumi’s musing on the subject is a beautiful affirmation and invitation:

“Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune; every success depends upon focusing the heart.”

I think of myself as being very fortunate and hope that’s your experience as well.

Today I’m focusing on fun and perhaps a bit of nostalgic remembering.  And if we toss in some Chinese food and some poetry we can call it a great day.  Even better, how about a poem about Chinese food?  David Shumate wrote a lovely one, and you can read it here.