My Thoughts on Fate, Free Will, and Astrology

Are the planets just like a clock in the wall, telling the time for things about to happen, as it is? Or do they have some mystical influence on our lives?

Morality, Ethics, and the Temptation to Know the Future

If you had the choice to predict events before they happened, would you take it?

Or would you prefer to live life day by day, embracing the surprises along the way?

This timeless question touches on free will, fate, and the very human desire to control outcomes. Some decisions in life, like filing a lawsuit against another, or booking a major trip, are within our grasp. Others, like meeting a stranger who changes your life, seem random, fated, or beyond our control.

Some would argue that we “willed” this person into our life, based on what our soul needs. I get why they would see it that way. It preserves a sense of autonomy.

In the face of uncertainty, many crave the comfort of knowing what’s ahead.

If we could predict the future, we might plan better, act with more confidence, and avoid pitfalls. This is why stories of visions, premonitions, and strange coincidences continue to capture our imagination. But is there really a way to know what happens next?

The Clock on the Wall: Correlational vs Causational Astrology

This is where astrology comes in. Astrology is a system of divination based on the position of celestial bodies. It has been used for thousands of years by people who believe that the positions and movements of celestial bodies can be interpreted to predict future events. This is where the “clock on the wall” analogy stems from. Astrology is often confused with astronomy, but they are two very different things. Astronomers study the planets and stars as a scientific and academic pursuit; astrologers use this information in their practice. Astrology has elements of psychology, authority, influence, guidance and consultation.

Astrologers claim that there is a correlation between what’s happening in our solar system and what happens on Earth, which means if we can learn about the cosmos, we can predict future events. The position of these celestial bodies at a given moment in time will tell us about all kinds of things going on in our world, including what is happening with ourselves, our love lives, our career, and even the world at large — countries’ politics, economics, and even financial markets.

There is another school of thought on astrology that supports the “causational” ideology of astrology. It is based on the idea that the planets, stars, and other celestial bodies in our solar system have an influence on our lives. These influences can cause events to happen at particular times. For example, if you were born when Mars was in a certain position in the sky, then you might be more aggressive than someone else who was born during another time when Mars wasn’t influencing them as much. What do you think? Is astrology correlational or causational? Are you in control of your life? Or are the stars controlling you?

Understanding Astrology: Houses, Planets, and Signs

Let’s move on to look at astrology more in-depth. Astrology is the ancient practice of looking at the stars and planets to predict what will happen in your life. There are many different kinds of astrology, including Modern, Hellenistic, Vedic, and Chinese, but they all have one thing in common: they believe that celestial bodies (like planets and other stellar objects) influence or correlate to events in our lives.

Astrologers believe that each person, birth, event, and even country, has a unique astrological chart, which is composed of twelve houses, planets, and signs. Houses correspond to a different area in our life, eg. the 4th house for home, family, roots, hidden, etc, planets add character to a particular house, eg. Moon in 4H adds an additional layer of “nurturing, security, and safety” and the sign in which the planet is in adds flavours that house, eg. Scorpio adds a depth, privacy and mystery to the said area of home. Each sign has its own personality traits and qualities that add to the layers of depth of planets in houses during a reading.

Astrologers also believe that there are certain times during the year when certain planets are aligned with one another in a specific order; this is known as “astronomical events” or simply “events.” These include eclipses — both the solar and lunar, the eclipse shadow period, new moons and full moons, when the Sun and Mercury are in conjunct, eg. cazimi, and not forgetting, when planets go retrograde, ie. mercury retrograde.

The aspects each planet makes to each other is like a planet talking to each other. There is a conversation happening between each planet, and whatever house it is sitting in will be highlighted with that aspect. Aspects can make patterns, like grand trines, t-squares, kites, and rare ones including yods ie. the finger of God.

Patterns, Outliers, and the Art of Prediction

To read astrology is a science, but it’s also an art. In order to understand astrology and its many forms, one must first be open to the idea that there is more going on than meets the eye. Once an astrologer has learnt the basic building blocks of astrology, and learnt to form patterns and analysis based on their study, they can start to write daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly forecasts. The practice of astrology is following these patterns and outliers to form predictions of what will happen next, something we humans can normally only do with our own intuition and gut instinct, and that is where the power of astrology comes into play.

Good astrologers will understand too, that language is key here, to write in a way that connects with their own audience with language, tone and delivery methods. Are you an astrologer who prefers broadcasting on Tiktok and Instagram, with “pop” content, or are you more traditional in writing for emails, newsletters, and blog content? This is completely up to the astrologer of course, and their individual style makes for interesting delivery.

With astrology predictions, one can see a picture of what might happen based on current conditions and events. This information may help you make better choices and avoid problems before they occur.

Astrology in Practice

No matter if you’re convinced the stars have an influence or simply tell it as it is, there is no doubt that astrology is a potent, predictive tool that once mastered, can be incredibly useful, powerful, and influential.

Would you want to know what will happen next?

Or would you rather live your life day to day, oblivious to the larger things at play in the world?

Ultimately, this is a question of control. Astrology also invites us to consider control versus surrender. If you want to take control of your destiny and know exactly how things are going to unfold for you over the coming months, then astrology is for you. After all, rather than being caught off-guard, having absolutely no idea and hope for the best, it is better to be in control, take steps to be aware and always be prepared.