The Principle of Rhythm

'Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the swing to the left; the rhythm compensates (The Kybalion)
This is the lesson of the 5th Hermetic Principle - everything is subject to the rhythm of ebb and flow. On the physical plane the wheel of the year swings from darkness to light and back again. Life bursts forth, dies and is reborn. Stars form, burn out and reform.
When we remember a time a time when life was magickal we felt, 'swept off our feet' by the swing of the pendulum, but by the same token, when the swing returns and life is not going so smoothly we can feel 'knocked off our feet' by comparison.
By exercising will over emotion, the adept will elevate himself above the material plane by controlling thoughts, feelings and moods in order to rise above the backward swing of the pendulum - a task which is easier said than done, as Mrs Darley discovered only to well.
Read more about the Hermetic Principles, how they apply to life and magick and how Mrs Darley tried to cope with her dilemma  in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Paths to Magick'