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Author Topic: Luck or Fate?  (Read 3585 times)

LadyBug

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Luck or Fate?
« on: September 15, 2018, 10:18:56 am »
     I don't know about the rest of you, but the last few weeks have been impressively Bad Weeks for me and the people I know personally. There has even been a few months of slow build up to these last 3-4 weeks of Just Bad Things.

     It's gotten me thinking about whether this is just bad luck, if it's bad karma, if I've displeased some Deity somewhere that has been trying to get my attention or if there is something really good coming that I am paying for in advance.

My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2018, 10:40:57 am »
     I don't know about the rest of you, but the last few weeks have been impressively Bad Weeks for me and the people I know personally. There has even been a few months of slow build up to these last 3-4 weeks of Just Bad Things.

     It's gotten me thinking about whether this is just bad luck, if it's bad karma, if I've displeased some Deity somewhere that has been trying to get my attention or if there is something really good coming that I am paying for in advance.

My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?

In my personal philosophy, this cosmos is at war. During war, bad things happen. Sometimes you become a target through no fault of your own.

In my own case, I know full well that I'm a target and have a good understanding as to why. If I were to sit down and shut up, things might (probably would) ease off. I prefer to take a stand. Even if it means bumps and bruises here and there.

But also in my philosophy, at some point there is going to be compensation; Mark 10:28-31. I look forward to that. But, at the same time, I want to do the right thing because it is the right thing...not because I look forward to an eventual payoff for doing so.
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Grace

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2018, 12:12:58 pm »
My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?

These are super interesting questions, and quite relevant to me at the minute also as I've had a solid two months of various Bad Things too, so I feel your pain.

My answer is kind of two-fold. I believe that "Everything happens for a reason" and that the Universe knows exactly what it's doing when it throws things at me. I don't see it as paying in advance for something good that will happen in the future or that's happened in the past, more that I am being tested for my own good. Because every time I'm faced with a new unpleasant situation or scary life event - as hard as it may be to overcome at the time - I always end up coming out of it having learned something about myself and having discovered that I'm stronger and more capable than I originally thought. That being said, it doesn't mean I don't sometimes throw myself down in a heap and declare that I give up, that the Universe has bested me and I can't get over this particular hurdle. But then I pick myself up and keep going, and I get through it.

So I don't personally believe I have control over the majority of what life throws at me, but what I do believe is that how I react to the bad things determines a lot. To me it's a lot about how I frame the bad thing to myself. If I put my energy into thinking that the Universe is punishing me, and why must bad things happen to me, then I'm perpetuating a negative energy of self-pity, helplessness, and lack of control, therefore that is what I am projecting out into the Universe and that is what I'm going to attract back.

 However, if I can focus my energy on trying to find the positives in a situation (not always an easy task), or problem-solving or even just telling myself that the situation is temporary and this too shall pass, then I'm fostering a more positive, capable energy so that is what I will project. Don't get me wrong, I know it can be extremely difficult in the moment to "look on the bright side" of a crappy situation - and I do believe it is absolutely okay and even healthy to feel all those negative emotions - but I think it's pointless to wallow in the negativity and only look at that side of it.

With all that said, I still struggle a lot to put that into practice as it can be really hard when you're in the middle of a crisis and life seems unfairly stacked against you. But I try to remind myself that everything happens for a reason and that reason is not yet clear to me, but in time it will reveal itself and I will eventually be grateful for what the hardship has taught me. And until then, I just have to do my best to cope in the moment and look after myself.

Regardless of my beliefs, and a little off topic, but I hope that whatever Bad Things you are dealing with get resolved, and I hope you have kindness in your life while you go through them  :)

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2018, 03:11:38 pm »

My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?
I would not blame the universe or God(s) or nature or the alignment of the stars.  I would blame myself if I were focusing so much on the f’d up things around me that I lose sight of the beautiful things and everything in between.  Focus too much on the beauty or the f’d up and that’s all you are going to see.  This applies to humans as well as God(s) and nature and our experience of life. I would rather see things as clearly as possible as what they are regardless of how I feel about them.
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𒊩𒆪  𒂔𒇸𒀝  𒄿𒈨

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2018, 08:51:15 pm »
     I don't know about the rest of you, but the last few weeks have been impressively Bad Weeks for me and the people I know personally. There has even been a few months of slow build up to these last 3-4 weeks of Just Bad Things.

It depends. My list goes:

1) Is it August?
Darkhawk has a better rant about this (it's tied to the flooding of the Nile) but an awful lot of groups have wonky dynamics in August, and people do too. (Because we are social mammals, whether or not our degree of social is very high.)

2) Is it Lent, Advent, or October?
While less so, all three of these things tend to do weird things to dynamics in Pagan communities. (I still thank Koi for pointing out the Lent and to a lesser extent Advent parts of this a number of years ago. She was right.)

3) What's going on astrologically?
I don't believe that the heavens determine what's going on, but I do think that they are a way to look at larger patterns, what questions and issues are getting raised. Some of those are a lot easier to deal with than others.

(For example, we've spent a lot of the summer with five planets in retrograde, and that means a lot of stuff sort of getting slowed down, backed up, and often more complicated, especially for people or institutions that aren't self-aware about what they're doing and why they're doing it.)

I've found looking at the astrology helps me ask questions about what's going on in my life (but, y'know, narrow down the questions from 'all the possible ideas' to a manageable number), and that process over time helps me keep a grip on my life.

4) If I'm in a situation where stuff keeps happening...

I apply the stuff I describe in the article here. If that doesn't fix the problem, it usually makes it a lot more clear where the issues are and some of what I can do about it. (Sometimes, that answer is "Sometimes life sucks" and rolling with it is the only thing you can do, but at least then I know that's where to put my attention...)
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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2018, 10:10:44 pm »
My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?

Depends. If it's happening to me specifically, I call it Karma. When it happens to everyone around me, I tend to just call it bad luck.
"The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2018, 07:09:05 am »
My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?
99 out of 100 circumstances people are to blame for bad things.  :-\

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2018, 08:21:00 am »
1) Is it August?
Darkhawk has a better rant about this (it's tied to the flooding of the Nile) but an awful lot of groups have wonky dynamics in August, and people do too. (Because we are social mammals, whether or not our degree of social is very high.)

Any chance you could elaborate on the wonkiness of August or link to Darkhawk's rant please? Sounds interesting!

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2018, 08:51:08 am »
Any chance you could elaborate on the wonkiness of August or link to Darkhawk's rant please? Sounds interesting!

Not available in a linkable format, unfortunately - I'm hoping Darkhawk will manage to summarise here sometime. (I am totally not the one with knowledge in my head on Kemetic calendars and their theological implications other than the barest summary, which is what's in my original.)
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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2018, 11:01:40 am »
These are super interesting questions, and quite relevant to me at the minute also as I've had a solid two months of various Bad Things too, so I feel your pain.

..........

Regardless of my beliefs, and a little off topic, but I hope that whatever Bad Things you are dealing with get resolved, and I hope you have kindness in your life while you go through them  :)

((hugs)) Thank you, and I hope the same for you.

However, if I can focus my energy on trying to find the positives in a situation (not always an easy task), or problem-solving or even just telling myself that the situation is temporary and this too shall pass, then I'm fostering a more positive, capable energy so that is what I will project.

So some of how you cope is through positivity? That has got to take some serious mental training, to look for the silver lining everywhere.

So I don't personally believe I have control over the majority of what life throws at me, but what I do believe is that how I react to the bad things determines a lot.

That was part of a course my mum took when she went back through college recently. She brought her textbook home and made both myself and my brother do the work she did on action vs. reaction. If I remember correctly the gist was "If you react to a situation you are giving up control, by stopping to think and take action instead of reacting, you maintain control of yourself and your situation."

I'm sure now that I've mentioned her mum will show up and give the lesson in miniature :P She has a spider sense for this stuff.

4) If I'm in a situation where stuff keeps happening...

I apply the stuff I describe in the article here. If that doesn't fix the problem, it usually makes it a lot more clear where the issues are and some of what I can do about it. (Sometimes, that answer is "Sometimes life sucks" and rolling with it is the only thing you can do, but at least then I know that's where to put my attention...)

*saves link for reading after the day's To-Do list*
I'm looking forward to that August rant from Darkhawk at some point.

All those things include looking for the cause right? Even if the cause is "Wow life is crappy, what the hell".

I would not blame the universe or God(s) or nature or the alignment of the stars.  I would blame myself if I were focusing so much on the f’d up things around me that I lose sight of the beautiful things and everything in between.  Focus too much on the beauty or the f’d up and that’s all you are going to see.  This applies to humans as well as God(s) and nature and our experience of life. I would rather see things as clearly as possible as what they are regardless of how I feel about them.

That is a very realist view. I like to look for the beauty in life, I think its best to enjoy what life I get this go around. However that is a really good thing for me to consider. Maybe I've looked so hard for the good in the past that when Bad Things started to happen they were all I could see.

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2018, 12:00:37 pm »
That was part of a course my mum took when she went back through college recently. She brought her textbook home and made both myself and my brother do the work she did on action vs. reaction. If I remember correctly the gist was "If you react to a situation you are giving up control, by stopping to think and take action instead of reacting, you maintain control of yourself and your situation."

One of the things that was part of my witchy training was the idea that we can't necessarily control everything that happens to us (because other people have free will, and some stuff is not under anyone's direct control) but we do have a lot more control or influence over what we do about that or how we approach it.

(We don't always have as much as control as we want - time, energy, things like mental health issues all are a factor. But we usually have some, even if it's just a choice in how we do the primal scream of being unable to cope right now.)

That doesn't mean 'endless positivity', but for me it does mean a lot of "Ok, so what can I do to make this thing better?" or "What piece of this can I do something about?" Or like this week, "This thing at work this week sucks, and it's eating my brain for things at home, but what can I do that'll help a bit?" and then getting through to Friday.

Quote
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I was going to say I'm moving the site to a new host today, and there might be blips, but I think everything is up and running now, maybe.

Quote
All those things include looking for the cause right? Even if the cause is "Wow life is crappy, what the hell".

Yep. Personally, I feel a lot better when I've poked at stuff, figured out what I can do something about, and sometimes that does mean "Life, WTF". But that's a cause. Sometimes stuff happens.
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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2018, 06:38:51 pm »
I believe that "Everything happens for a reason" and that the Universe knows exactly what it's doing when it throws things at me.

Going to hang my response on this because I pretty much believe the opposite. While in the purely physical sense, every event has a cause (eg. rain is caused by condensation of water vapor), not every event has a purpose (rain does not happen in order to soak me on the way home from work). (See also Aristotle's four causes.)

I find this view of the world quite relaxing. Shit happens, and it's not personal. Events, good or bad, don't happen because someone 'deserves' them. Sure, people learn valuable things from adversity, but that's more a matter of making lemonade from lemons than any inherent purpose of adversity.
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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2018, 01:32:15 pm »
((hugs)) Thank you, and I hope the same for you.

Thanks  :)

So some of how you cope is through positivity? That has got to take some serious mental training, to look for the silver lining everywhere.

Mental training is exactly what it is, and it's not something I've found easy to train myself in and I'm still work hard (and failing often) on it. I'm the type of person that likes to feel like they have control over everything, so when something bad happens and I feel powerless, it adds to my stress so I've found it helpful that - no matter what the situation - I find something in it that I can look at in a good light, or see how it will be beneficial to me or something like that. May not work for everyone but it helps me cope through the bad times.

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2018, 08:17:43 am »
I find this view of the world quite relaxing. Shit happens, and it's not personal. Events, good or bad, don't happen because someone 'deserves' them. Sure, people learn valuable things from adversity, but that's more a matter of making lemonade from lemons than any inherent purpose of adversity.

*files link away for further reading*
That really does seem relaxing. Though I tend toward "Happens for a reason" I may have to pester my brother to join TC just to get further information on this worldview. He would benefit from it immensely :P

Mental training is exactly what it is, and it's not something I've found easy to train myself in and I'm still work hard (and failing often) on it. I'm the type of person that likes to feel like they have control over everything, so when something bad happens and I feel powerless, it adds to my stress so I've found it helpful that - no matter what the situation - I find something in it that I can look at in a good light, or see how it will be beneficial to me or something like that. May not work for everyone but it helps me cope through the bad times.

Silver linings and all that jazz yes? :)

Retraining the brain for any reason is hard. You can do it though! And if you can I can :P

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Re: Luck or Fate?
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2018, 08:34:47 am »
My question(s) for discussion are
  • If you are having a crazy long stint of Bad Thing after Bad Thing after Bad Thing, what do you chalk it up to: Luck, Fate, Karma, God Smacking or Prepayment to the Universe for a Windfall?
  • Do you chalk it up to anything at all?
  • Do you have something outside of that list that you chalk Bad Thing Streaks up to?

I don't really chalk up a string of Awful Event in My Life to anything. (...unless I can actually find a cause, such as prolonged winter sending me down my mild depression spiral. Winter and I don't play well together.) Bad events can spontaneously coagulate just like good ones; the last months of 2016 were particularly sorrowful for me.

I'm not a "the universe makes things happen for a reason" kind of guy. I do believe that I'm in conversation with the universe, partly in a listening-to-myself way (as I'm part of the universe). I'm not good at it--I think the universe sometimes thinks it's trying to get through to Helen Keller--but I keep trying.

That's different from believing the universe is directing events in my life, however.
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
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