Fate & Intention: A Cosmic Collaboration

Relentless rain and a Metro strike might usually be a recipe for a drab and stressful morning, but the atmosphere at Centro de Inovação da Mouraria told a very different story. Guests remained warm, dry and cheerful, enjoying the free coffee and breakfast. There was a great turnout for the talk, with the venue at full capacity.

Our speaker was Nana Martins, a Communication and Relational Coach who also runs the thriving Resvés Coworking Space. April’s theme was ‘Kismet’, which originates from Turkish and was a new word for many. Luckily Nana was on hand to give us her interpretation. As kismet is related to fate, she talked about how we can combine it with intention in order to access magic in our lives.

A likeable and funny orator, Nana managed to get everyone interacting in pairs, speaking about their experiences of synchronicity. The audience were enthusiastic to get to know each other and share their stories.

Nana detailed her own recent experiences which have mirrored her ideas on fate, intention and the magic of the universe. Setting intentions and being open to synchronicity resulted in various positive experiences for her (including being asked to speak at Creative Mornings!)

She also told us an incredible story about a difficult time while processing a breakup, which ultimately resulted in a great career move. She’d previously been keeping her coaching business small for various fear-related reasons, but a mystical experience in the countryside and a timely missed bus gave her the motivation needed to make big changes. She described the conversation she had with the ‘creative spirit’, and the helpful lessons she learned from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, ‘Big Magic’.

After telling us her own inspiring kismet stories and how she guided her experiences with intention, she encouraged us to: “Do something, do your best, keep showing up, have fun,” and not to ignore the signs. She left us with a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert: “Curiosity is this faithful, steadfast, friendly and accessible energy that is never far out of reach.”

The Q&A section at the end was very lively and interactive, with audience members joining in to give each other advice. As things were wrapping up, the rain suddenly got much heavier and there was thunder in the distance. Fortunately everyone was welcome to stick around and indulge in some more coffee and breakfast before heading out into the world, inspired and open to synchronicity.

Text by Alexis Somerville

Photos by Eglė Duleckytė