Is Our Fate Written In the Stars or Do We Have Free Will?

Late journalist & author, Tiziano Terzani, holding up his bicycle

In my last blog I described my experience visiting Vietnam for two weeks with my husband. Before we decided to venture to the far East, I began reading A Fortune-Teller Told Me by Tiziano Terzani. He emphasized his preoccupation with the emphasis on modernity in Asian countries and the decline of ancient spiritual knowledge. 

Another idea that his book highlights is the validity of fortune-telling and how that art is dying off as money and science become king in the continent of the rising Sun. “Today, who looks at the moon to see if it is the right time to transplant a tree so that it will root well, or to cut it down without having worms eat the wood? Science, having been put on a pedestal, everything non-scientific seems ridiculous and contemptible. Thus we have disregarded innumerable practices that could have been of service to us” (Terzani 116).

In 1993, Terzani avoided traveling by plane because he was warned by an astrologer in Hong Kong decades earlier that if he traveled by plane that year, the plane would crash and he would most likely die. Surprisingly, the plane that his journalist colleagues were on, which was the one he was supposed to be on, ended up crashing that year! Lucky for him, he had already begun his travels by land and sea. Fascinated by the occult, he saw as many astrologers and psychics as he could in Asia in 1993, and this was the inspiration for this book. Unfortunately, most of the readers were either subpar or charlatans. However, like the Hong Kong astrologer, there were a few who could accurately divine. Is divination an easy scheme to get quick money? Have the real deal predictive techniques lost their way over the centuries with the rise of globalism? Is it even possible that one could predict what will happen 100 percent of the time? 

Reading this book has made me feel even more cautious about providing predictions to my clients. What if I give them a flawed prediction and they make a decision based on this? At the same time, this is a risk of getting a reading. I advise my clients that my readings should be treated as a way to understand themselves more deeply and that the information provided is meant to be empowering. That said, even if we make wrong predictions and that inspires the client to take certain actions, good or bad, such as avoiding traveling by plane for a year, was that not the message they were meant to hear?

Astrology and divining using playing cards are my go-to tools for deep self-awareness. Especially when it comes to astrology, I'm less interested in its predictive nature and more fascinated by the personalized map it offers to help us navigate our life's lessons and purpose. To me, predictions aren’t as meaningful. Why does it matter if we find out that we’re getting a pay raise? Getting a raise doesn’t indicate whether we’ll be better off financially or not. For some, earning more money can make one frivolous with money because now they have more to spend. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had predictive readings that provided me with hope to get out of a miserable situation. That’s one thing that I think predictions are good for— offering a new vision, a shift in the timeline. But I’ve found that often people who are addicted to predictive readings are addicted to living in the future and aren’t enjoying the ups and downs of the present moment. They feel that happiness is always around the corner and can be found in their next trip abroad, pay raise, future partner, new business venture, and so on. Happiness becomes unattainable because they’re looking for it outside of themselves and in a future fantasy world. 

Hearing that we have to wait five years until we find our partner doesn’t mean that we’re doomed for an unhappy life for the next five years. However, many clients may interpret the prediction that way. A new person to hold hands with at the park doesn’t necessarily equate to us being compatible with them or that we’re even ready to have a healthy relationship with someone. Further, we may be able to predict that a person will find love or a new job tomorrow, but the fortune teller doesn’t know or doesn’t tell them that they’re not any happier in that relationship or new job. We mustn’t put so much of our faith, hope, and joy into the future when we’re not working on our mental health, spirituality, and purpose today.

Those who only listen for what they desire in a predictive reading may be setting themselves up for yet another cycle of chasing the next thing that could potentially give them happiness. However, the “bad” things that happen to us often make us stronger, wiser, and more humble, while the “good” things can make us unappreciative, greedy, and lazy. Looking at the totality of any given situation and taking accountability for our actions and healing are major keys to a peaceful life.

Astrology is about the quest for internal happiness instead of the external and seeing the larger picture. It doesn’t matter that our car breaks down, or that we didn’t get the job or the partner we wanted. We always get what we need in any given moment for our evolution–even a bad prediction. Astrology and the cards helps us to know our path and understand ourselves deeply. They're the cosmic tools that help us find peace in pleasant and grave situations. 

The next question I have is, if we can accurately predict, does that mean everything’s fated? Can we change our fate if we know something will happen? Terzano (1997) postulates, "Either you can see life as being written somewhere in advance, or you can see it as being written by you every minute as you go along. Both versions are true. Every decision can be seen as either a free choice or a product of predestination” (pg. 207). We can call it free choice or predestination, but I believe that our future is based on our karma, or actions. The effects of what we did yesterday or in recent past lifetimes will occur in the future. The way to augment our future is to change our actions today. If we’re careless about our health today, smoking packs of cigarettes each day and consuming loads of processed sugar, how can we expect to have optimal health in the future? If we commit a major crime, we’ll be punished, if not in this lifetime, I believe that we will be in the next.

What we give to the universe, we get back. By engaging in acts of selflessness and kindness, we are not only helping others but we're actively creating a positive feedback loop for ourselves. While I think the paths of our past karma are etched into the fabric of the cosmos and are discernible to skilled astrologers and cartomancers, in general, our focus should remain on improving what we can in the here and now. The most powerful act is to consciously and consistently choose right actions, for it is through these choices that we ultimately determine our own fate.

What are your experiences with getting predictive readings? What are your thoughts on our fate being written in the stars or accessible to certain occultists? 

References

Terzani, T. (1997). Fortune-Teller told me: Earthbound travels in the Far East. Crown. 

Greetings! I'm Gina, a California native who has been voraciously studying astrology since 2018. I use Tropical Vedic Astrology and cartomancy as my main vehicles in my cosmic quest for profound spiritual understanding and healing. 

I hold a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Marriage & Family Therapy. With over fifteen years of counseling and teaching experience, I've always enjoyed listening to people's stories and helping them on their path.

If you want to discover who you are on a deeper level, download my free ebook today: https://www.hercosmiccrown.com/offerings

The content on this page is to be treated for entertainment purposes only and should never replace professional advice. Her Cosmic Crown uses astrology and the cards as a tool to help with guidance, providing advice during readings. We will not be responsible for the decisions you make after a reading. Greetings! I'm Gina, a California native who has been voraciously studying astrology since 2018. I use Tropical Vedic Astrology and cartomancy as my main vehicles in my cosmic quest for profound spiritual understanding and healing.