When do we begin making choices?
QUESTION: Masters, I found a few astrology books that describe numerous combinations of destiny and relationships in detail with great examples. Looking at friends and family, the life paths led by them were really eerily as accurate as what was described in these books, including partnership choices. My job deals with people, their birthdates and intimate areas of their lives. My observations verify the descriptions in these books. It made me reflect that we are not able to actually escape the destiny that is planned for us. I just wonder: is it only with more spiritual advancement we are able to really choose? Or is it that our free will is not actually free will at all? Even if we have a choice, it’s choosing only between the two polarities in our ‘destiny’—like choosing not to be a leader when we could be doing so—but that person cannot choose to be a monk when it is not in the stars for him to even consider that. I believe now that our whole lives are orchestrated, yet suffering continues to be allowed in this whole play. Why? ~May Lynn, England
ANSWER: When you refer to “the destiny that is planned for us” you are forgetting that the planner was you, yourself. You desired to have the experiences that you have. Knowing the energies present during various planetary alignments, you chose to come to Earth at a time that would create the correct conditions for your desired lessons. Other variables were: where on the planet to come down, what cultural group to be a part of, what gender to be, and what belief systems your family would start you in.
The correlations you observe are a validation that the soul has set up its life to be exactly what was needed. But that is where the pre-planning ends. Why can’t someone decide to be a monk just because his initial path would seem to prohibit it? It is no different from choosing not to be a leader because he does not have confidence in his abilities. The soul has the ability to exercise freedom of choice—with one caveat: It needs to believe and know it has a choice. If you are unaware of your choices, you in fact have no choices. If you only follow those that you chose to start with, and do not see that you can get out of that pattern, you never will be able to leave. If you feel you can do whatever appeals to you, it then becomes possible—unless it goes against the life lessons you programmed.
Suffering comes into play because of those two polarities you mentioned. It alerts each soul to the lessons it sought to experience. The end of the suffering signals the completion of a task. Use the stars as a guide, as you would a road map, for the general destinations in your life. But still allow yourself to take some of the unmarked byways to find out your strengths and potentials.