Darn. I misspoke.
I think we're missing something important here.
I think we're making an illogical comparison.
This is going to be long, if you're interested:
I think we have free will.
I think that everything that happens was meant to happen, and once something happens (since we can't time travel yet) it was meant to happen. So, if things were meant to happen, and what happens was meant to happen, I believe in destiny.
Now, from the free will perspective, let's just think about our own minds since it's the only thing we can really refer to concerning the mind and time and destiny. Everything else could be a lie. So, concerning your own mind, do you, or do you not in some way shape or form make choices in everything you do? Choosing to wake up, or shower, or eat for example. Was it your *destiny* to go to the grocery store and buy some eggos? Or could you just have easily chosen grits? I understand that doesn't seem like a fair argument, especially to the more "serious" occultists who follow destiny. Whenever you came across your first reference to witchcraft (should you not have been raised in it), you could have just as easily chosen not to look into it. As a matter of fact, if things in your life had gone differently, you might have easily tossed any reference to witchcraft aside, at least the first time it was introduced to you. For whatever reason, you made a very distinct choice (if indeed, i am referring to your situation - otherwise, general you) to "go down that path." You certainly didn't have to. And at any moment you could turn away. You could (if you wanted) change your name, dye your hair, get a new wardrobe, sell your belongings and home, and move across the planet, make up a story and start over. My point is, I think there's a very important distinction here to be made between what actually happens, and what you choose.
Isn't it egotistical to think that destiny, "the inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined,(dictionary.com)" can be shaped by our feeble attempts? Let me put that another way. Imagine a funny old movie, with Father God (humor me) and child Man. Man goes out and snoops in father God's notes discovering that Man was destined to be a wood chopper, and infuriated and rebellious, decides to go be a rock star instead. Father God laughs and says after Man dies, "That was your destiny after all. what a fool to think I would let you see your destiny, so that you would lazily accept and not push forward!"
Similarly, should we ever think we are "wandering," or "going the wrong way," first make sure you're not being dumb. If your family is dying, move away from places filled with civil war. If your pets keep dying, remember to take them to the vet and feed them. If people suddenly don't like you, make sure you don't give them dirty looks first, back up off their koolaid, and remember to be kind to everyone in case you 6th degree offended someone without knowing it (if that sort of thing bothers you). Secondly , whatever happens, happens! You can't change the past (yet). Accept your path as you have traveled it so far as it was meant to be - for, by nature, if destiny were to have it any other way, it would have been that way! Whatever you end up becoming or being, everything in your life contributed in every way to that existence - but nothing could have predicted it (save sheer luck - which i'm not entirely against), and if that's what happens, having done anything in your life differently would have *probably* completely changed your situation.
Call it chaos theory, butterfly effect theory, but I don't think we realize how much a difference it makes if you get off the computer now, 5 minutes ago, or the next instant. Every little thing could completely and weirdly effect your reality. Isn't this why so many wiccans and some other pagans make such a big deal about being careful?
Now, like I said earlier, *I* don't believe in destiny, bt if you did, or if I did, it wouldn't change the nature of destiny. Likewise, if you believe in the God of the Bible (which contradicts itself), it's egotistical to think you can change *that* god into your god. Your god, should have changed it from the various denominations interpretations, is completely different. This same example applies to Destiny. It is like a deity. You can twist it into meaning what you want it to mean. Destiny is a philosophical concept that is difficult for the average person to grasp (along with a host of of other religious and philosophical concepts.... hence, conflict?). You can't logically change it to mean whatever you want. It means what ever happened in the past was meant to happen, and everything that is happening now and happens in the future is meant to happen.
Should anyone tell you that something is destined to happen, and you need to protect that destiny, and you take action, and that destiny is carried through - would it have been destiny if you had failed or neglected it? If it had simply not happened, would the destiny gods come after you for ruining their plan? I doubt it. I think you got suckered into thinking you were a god. Should it not have happened, I think that would have just as genuinely been the earth's destiny.
From this perspective, it does not matter what you do. Whatever you do was meant to happen. So long as you carry it out and the actions, steps, thoughts, whatever, are complete - that was meant to happen. You do in that sense hold your destiny in your hands. No one else can change what you do to shape your destiny.
However, they can change the initial conditions - just like you unknowingly everyday change initial conditions for other people.
I hope this isn't getting too long, but a good answer never was short. So someone else told me. I need to bring up a few more points.
First, I do not think that from the time you leave the womb you consciously choose everything to make your life what you want. Besides the fact that our cognitive abilities have not developed that much prowess as such an early age, once that prowess is developed (say now for example) we still do not know which action will bring about the best things for ourselves or what we want.
Second, there does seem to be some sort of consensus reality that we are popped inside to, this existence we're in now, it seems to have a lot of rules and things that generally tend to happen, that we can't easily change. With a lot of discipline and hard work, so the saying goes, you can do anything. But on average, if you do certain things, other certain things will happen. This can be as simple to buying someone a gift and them liking you, to washing your car and it raining.It's not always consistent (because of free will - anyone can always break the curve) but because of the enormous amountof experience we can draw on and the consistency with which certain people tend to do, say certain things, act certain way, hang out with certain people, where certain things - with a lot of research and time, anybody can easily figure out what *most* people will do *most* of the time, which is why some fake fortune tellers can get away with being crooks. Often someone with powerful free will steps in and says, "I will prove this curve wrong." Like I said way earlier - chance is a possibility. The majority of divinators are indeed simply very learned in the ways of most people, but I am sure that some are gifted with this ability to really see what is most likely going to happen. Once again, things may or may not change. But experiences like that are indeed of a more parapsychological nature.
First point (again) Destiny is not the same as predetermination. Often people (especially here Ive read) refer to destiny as something that was set for us. Destiny is unchanging. No matter what we do, whatever happens was meant to happen. Now if you believe that some higher power has predetermined everything to be a certain way, then you get into a much stickier situation. But destiny is not synonymous with predetermination - it is synonymous with karma. And karma, if you do any research on eastern lifestyle and religion at all,you'll learn, is not determined by the actions you make and take in a good or bad way. Sometimes you will do good things that just are not noticed - same with bad. But like destiny, there is a very very strong tendency for certain things to happen in certain ways.
Basically we have free will undoubtedly, unless there is a chip installed in you making you do things against your rationale (though sometimes unseemably so) decision. Likewise, destiny is set in stone. Basically, you choose what you will do, and some things have a tendency to happen accoring to consensus reality - but it is not set in stone. There is always the ability to change the curve. Still, whatever happens was *destined* to happen, by the sheer nature of that concept, "destiny."
I have much more to say, But I'll continue this in my journal, and I hope somebody followed!
