Fate versus Free Will - How Much Control Do We Have?

A reader commented "I have read that when we don't live consciously, things then 'happen' to us as fate. I have also read that the outer planets (Uranus, Pluto) bring situations into our lives that are (seemingly) out of our control. Or do we attract these situations into our lives? How much control do we really have?"

In my experience, we have tremendous ability to control our responses; we have no control over when we will have to confront the need to rise to an occasion, as these are set at birth by the timing on our birth chart. We also must live within the larger configurations that affect us all. That said, we can shape what happens and how long we will be maneuvering through the rapids of life by what we do, feel, and think in any given moment. We can get beyond certain problems fairly quickly, but we cannot escape our need to keep learning all we can to BE our Highest Self.

I originally answered the comment with

Briefly, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto represent transpersonal pulses that affect EVERYONE. The rising or sinking tide that floats all boats, so to speak.

So it is probably safe to say we have little to no control over how and when these operate in our lives, since they are transpersonal and therefore beyond personal issues and biases. They are in fact often associated with "forces beyond our control," or Divine Energies that move us dramatically into new ways of doing our Being. For example, we can choose to fear or love while we're enduring a life revolution. We can gripe or celebrate, but we can't do much about the fact that there IS a life revolution going on. We can only shape our responses to what happens, and override the lower self's tendencies while moving with the Divine flow. I continued

The Sacred Seven are the planets we learn to master, turning dysfunction into conscious utilization of each type of energy in productive ways that further the evolution of self and life. I did a post awhile ago on the dualities of the planets.

The Sacred Seven are the 7 visible planets that symbolize our inner "Lights," our planetary principles that we bring out of error into an ever greater perfect functioning. For example, Saturn's duality is Dominion/Slavery, which show us how to be more conscious of our Great Work of becoming ever more effective in our living Self-realization, as well as the fears and control issues that keep us enslaved.

We are attracted to whatever lessons we must learn through our thought-forms and desires, conscious and unconscious. These set up our lessons, where we learn love, wisdom, and intelligent action. By learning about these, and finding a healthy self-control of the lower nature, we come to BE, instinctively and consciously, our Higher Self. That prevents many negative experiences, and facilitates many positive experiences. That's our true control over life.

Comments

[Shelley]

Robert, I am very interested in the subject matter of this blog post. I get an Edgar Cayce "Quote of the Day", and this is what it said today on this issue:

"Then all of these influences astrological (as known or called) from without, bear witness--or are as innate influences upon our activity, our sojourn through any given experience. Not because we were born with the sun in this sign or that, nor because Jupiter or Mercury or Saturn or Uranus or Mars was rising or setting, but rather:
Because we were made for the purpose of being companions with Him, a little lower than the angels who behold His face ever yet as heirs, as joint heirs with Him who is the Savior, the Way, then we have brought these about because of our activities through our experiences in those realms! Hence they bear witness by being in certain positions--because of our activity, our sojourn in those environs, in relationships to the universal forces of activity.
Hence they bear witness of certain urges in us, not beyond our will but controlled by our will!

Edgar Cayce Reading 1567-2"

I just can't seem to make any sense of this- and it seems to go against what you have written in your last post. Sounds like "As below, so above", instead of the other way around! Can you make any sense of what Edgar Cayce says about astrology and will?

[Robert]

Hi Shelley- The Piscean sage is merely re-stating that the planetary positions reveal what we already are, rather than compel us to be different than we are. "Hence they bear witness by being in certain positions--because of our activity, our sojourn in those environs, in relationships to the universal forces of activity. Hence they bear witness of certain urges in us, not beyond our will but controlled by our will!"

The first paragraph states that they bear witness to our experience, in other words we have those positions due to our experience. He confirms it by stating "we have brought these about because of our activities through our experiences in those realms!" (the lessons (realms) of Saturn, Sun, etc.)

Maybe it makes more sense to say it is not "As below so above," or even the time honored "As above so below," as much as "As above IS as below, so below IS as above." The two realms do a perfect mirrored dance, with no separation of either from both. Both conceal AND reveal the perfect patterns we are, statically and dynamically.

[Shelley]

Thanks for elaborating on Cayce- sometimes he just baffles me, but I have always respected his wisdom (as a fellow Piscean). The "mirrored dance" image you offered helps me wrap my mind around this reading- as always, I appreciate your input! I think having Jupiter retrograde in Scorpio in my 3rd house lately has been making my mind work in strange ways that even I don't understand sometimes, LOL...

[Robert]

I always liked the mirrored dance between Groucho and Harpo Marx that was re-created on "I Love Lucy" many years later. A brilliant metaphysical statement whether they knew it or not!

[Chris]

This is one of the biggest misconceptions that people have about astrology, and to a lesser extent, pure, unaltered spirituality.

I was reading someone's chart the other day and it amazed me how much the individual repressed so many parts of his own psyche. He actually relinquished so much of himself that he's basically under the control of his repressed attributes. Living life by whim, he shrouds himself in a self-imposed helplessness and misery. Every time he makes some kind of gain in his life, before long, he does something to diminish his advancements. Unbelievably, he was conscious of it most of the time, but just didn't care to stop and think about what he's doing and why he's doing it when he knows the devastation that's to come about as a result.

Worse yet, his chart indicated many positive and wonderful talents and skills and so on, yet because of a painful upbringing and excessive resentment thereof, he simply chose not invoke the necessary courage to turn inward and see himself as he really is; thereby releasing his gifts to his own benefit. It was all too sad to see such a talented person breeze through life with no true self-awareness or the will to evolve into what the universe has "predestined" him to be.

The one thing that he kept mentioning as I made the reading was the fact that his life is just composed of bad luck and that he needlessly suffers a meaningless existence to not fault of his own. He actually kept trying to get me to blame all his problems on his astrological configuration, and certain planets in particular. Repeatedly, I had to point out that the cosmos is merely a reflection of what goes on down here on Earth. The planets have no control over us by divine mediation or wicked fate. It is up to us to utilize our internal drives for their positive expression, and not their negative.

Although I couldn't help him much since he wishes not to help himself, the reading wasn't very useful to him, but it was to me. I was able to see how easily some people relinquish their own free will out of fear and move around like a shadow. I’m lucky that I am able to utilize astrology in my life to give me the comprehension I need to make it through each moment I’m here.

Personally, I believe existence is governed by both free will and fate at the same time. There are certainly some events or experiences that we are scheduled to experience in our lifetime, but how, when and to what extent is up to us to consciously or unconsciously decide. For example, we have to get to work everyday and certainly point A (home) and point B (work) are definitively distinguished, but how we get there, the traffic along the way, transportation issues which might arise or simply the route we take, all determine our experience at our destination. The journey to work could be quick and efficient, making our arrival easy and early, therefore, making us happy and more productive. In this instance work is pleasurable and gives life more meaning and depth since it is conducive to accomplishing our required responsibilities. Otherwise, the journey could be arduous, fraught with hazards and unnecessarily strenuous, making our arrival at work sullen and regrettable as we are in a bad mood and can't concentrate well enough to produce adequate work.

We do exert a lot of control over our journey in life, but the destined events given to us pre-natally will transpire no matter what we try to do. The best thing, as always, is to remain positive, turn every mishap into a learning experience and help those around us who feel burdened by life's seemingly uncontrollable progression. Also, our predestined experiences are there to teach us the lessons we must learn in this life so we may graduate to a higher state of consciousness afterwards. Heed their curriculum and never forget what they teach us or we will have to go back to the start and do it all over again. In which case, we would be encumbered by our missed opportunites and would have to learn twice as much and in less time, as we are forcibly taken on a journey that requires more of us then we wish to employ.

[Robert]

Hi Chris - Yes, and that's why in my own counseling practice and approach to subjects I write about is that we have a lot more ability to steer our "ship of fate" than most suspect. Often timing is everything, and if we just don't lose our cool at the wrong time, then things right themselves and we haven't messed anything up. Those who make argue for and make excuses for their limitations will no doubt have them. You'll find much in the archives that supports what you've said here.

[dcu]

While Robert Wilkinson is busy I wanted to post this article by Robert Ohotto. I work with Robert O's mom and recently spoke with him. He gave me permission to reprint this article:

The 'Real' Secret - Fate, Destiny, and the Law of Attraction

-Robert Ohotto

Fate, Destiny, and the Law of Attraction

First of all, let's define some terms for this article. I mean what the heck is Fate? I don't know about you, but I hear people mixing up the terms Fate and Destiny all the time as if they are the same thing-which to me they are not.
I did an article for Myss.com years ago titled 'Fate vs. Free Will' in which I explored Fate. For the purposes of this article, I will define Fate as: that which has been predetermined and written into our life's contract before we were born, which is facilitated into our life, manifesting on many levels and in many different forms, but primarily serves as the vessel and structure through which our Destiny is fulfilled and contained.
In other words, Fate is a blueprint of sorts, a Divine design of certain limits that the soul agrees to before birth. Within the first few years of working as an intuitive and astrologer, the idea of our soul making an agreement with Fate became very real to me. In fact, I began to sense that before we are born, we meet with certain Earth Guardians who interface with our Spiritual Guides (I call them your Team) and our soul in order to devise a plan for our creative journey on this planet. During this process, amongst other things, a body, family, culture, and archetypes are selected. This means that the agreement made with Fate and these Earth Guardians is both mortal and psychic.
Mortal Fate deals with our soul's agreement with the many limitations we each must negotiate as human beings: genetics, ethnicity, race, gender, appearance, and our final Fate-death. Many of these things we can't change, but must simply work within as part of our mortal experience. The terms of our Mortal Fate are pretty morbid, I know, but none of us on Earth are getting out of here alive!
Psychic Fate deals with the archetypal patterns we've agreed to create with and negotiate on this planet. For we are not only fated to our bodies, we are also fated to an archetypal architecture housed within our psyche. It's in understanding this Fate that my favorite intuitive tool-astrology-becomes an incredibly useful guide. For when I intuitively pick up data on clients and read their soul, I yoke that information to the astrological birth chart; which is a symbolic map of what patterns your soul fused with when you incarnated into this dimension of time and space.
You see, when you agreed to journey onto this planet, you also agreed to have your soul's personal archetypal structure be shaped by the archetypal processes already managing creation on this planet; this is what astrology so brilliantly elucidates through its symbolism. The planets are not just balls of gas and ice; rather they are living archetypal symbols. And they mirror back to us, through the synchronicity of their movements, the cyclical, collective, and archetypal creation of reality.
As these collective archetypal energies manifest through us, they individuate and seek expression through the unique way we decide to work with them-but we can't work with them until we know what they are and what's already in our own soul!
Therefore, working with your Psychic Fate means identifying your archetypal patterns and understanding their relationship to time, cycles, and the maturation process of the psyche. This is at the heart of what I do for clients via a reading; and what Caroline's work with Sacred Contracts is all about. This kind of work is important to understand because what is going on at the psychic level of reality patterns energy into form.
Thus there is a dance between our Mortal Fate and Psychic Fate-both of which speak to the intentions of our soul to create with the Earth's soul. And understanding the core inscription which was written on our soul and the world's soul is the first key to our Destiny.
That said, what's Destiny, and what does the law of attraction have to do with all of this?

Destiny

The word Destiny is derived from the Latin verb destino from which we derive our English words: destination, design, destine, determine, intend, and even the word 'choose'. Destiny is learning to work with our life challenges, our Fate, so that we can be who and what we truly are because there is simply nothing else we can be, and then, yoking this "being" into service to the collective/others around us.
Though Destiny demands the actualization of our potential and the fullest expression of our essence, Destiny is never completed because it is the transitive verb of life, whereas Fate acts as the noun. In other words, Destiny is the doing, Fate is the being and both dance together in our lives, forming the sentences, paragraphs, and stories of our experience as human beings.
You may have heard it said before that Fate is the hand of cards that life deals you, and Destiny is how you play that hand out through your intentions and choices. This means that you have the opportunity to transform your Fate into something more life affirming; thus leaving this world a better place by your having lived on the planet. Destiny is your capacity to live out the threads of your Fate in a unique way that only you can do, while leaving a positive vibrational impact on the world's energy and soul.
In simpler terms, Destiny is that which we create within the boundaries of the Fate we are given. I sense that our soul really makes two agreements before birth: one with Fate, and the other with Destiny. But our Destiny issues forth from the Fate that was written on our soul before we incarnated, and matures into this world through the journey of our lives as we become who were born to be, learning how to manage the powers of creation at our disposal-one of which is the law of attraction. What exactly is this law, and how can we use it to fulfill our Destiny?

The Law of Attraction

I have been involved in the study of metaphysics for nearly sixteen years, and remember when I discovered the law of attraction right at the very beginning of my studies. I remember feeling like "Yippie, the key to everything I want!" Boy was I headed for a crash and burn.not unlike many of those out there who are currently buying into the law of attraction as if it were the only law in the universe.
Nonetheless, the law of attraction is indeed real. It is a universal law of creation that posits like energy attracts like energy in this universe. And as we all, in essence, are energetic beings pulsating at certain frequencies; the law of attraction causes your personal vibratory frequency (which is a by-product of what you do, focus on, believe, and think about) to attract to you people, situations, events, and opportunities that are a match.
In their book based on channeling the teachings of Abraham, The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent (Hay House, 2006), Esther and Jerry Hicks write this about the law of attraction:
" In the same way that the law of gravity consistently responds to all of the physical matter of your planet, the Law of Attraction consistently responds to all vibrations. Every projection of thought, whether you are focused into the past, present, or future, is vibration and has attraction power. Each thought offers a signal, similar to a radio signal, that the Law of Attraction recognizes and matches. This powerful, consistent Law of Attraction (that which is like unto itself is drawn) offers consistent results in response to the vibrations that you offer."
So the law of attraction is about consciously aligning ourselves vibrationally to thoughts and intentions that carry frequencies which hold the most affirming creative potential in any circumstance. To use the law of attraction we must learn to manage our thoughts, engage our imagination, and master our perception of reality. Essentially we learn via the law of attraction that what we focus on is empowered and animated, attracting to us a quality of energy and informing how we experience events.
The power of the law of attraction can't be denied. How many times have you woken up in a bad mood that you couldn't shake off? The next thing you know, your day just keeps getting worse as you draw to yourself one accident and frustrating scenario after another! Heck, this just happened to me the other day as I had a car accident, which led to a bad mood.I then watched as I attracted more accidents and frustration the whole day long!
That said, how many times have you woken up with a smile on your face; only to be greeted by the smiles of others and positive happenstance at each turn of the day's corners? I am still waiting for that to take hold of my day! lol!
So alright, we can all relate to this law, but just how powerful is this law, and what are its limitations? After watching 'The Secret' DVD you'd wonder if there even were any limits at all. Yet to say that it has no limits of operation absolutely negates our own experiences here on this Earth.
For example: what do you tell the parents of a one year old that has leukemia? That their child or they as parents attracted the disease because of the law of attraction? Or if they just focus on positive thoughts without counter-intending with negative ones that their child is guaranteed to heal?
What about those who died in the massive tsunami in Indonesia a couple years ago? What do we say to them about the law of attraction? Come on now folks, things happen in life because of other laws; and sometimes because of a law like Fate.
I must suggest that we embrace the law of attraction in a more mature way by integrating what's often missing in our understanding of this law, which is something very crucial regarding our soul's agreement with Fate: The law of attraction can only be effective, both in positive and negative ways, within certain limitations of our soul's agreements with Fate and Destiny. Therefore it has limits of operation within our life's purpose, and can only transform Fate into Destiny when it is connected to the intentions of our soul and the Divine.
In other words, the law of attraction is a creative power of the soul and simply can't be used to acquire what the ego wants if the soul is not on board, for better or for worse. And positively speaking, the law of attraction can only magnetize the greatest potential that your life was designed to hold per your life's purpose. It can only bring to you that which can be contained within the fated limits put in place to support your Destiny.
Having said that, I hope you can begin to grasp the enormous importance of discerning the Divinely designed circumference within which the law of attraction can magnetize your potential.
For example, I have met many people in workshops who have approached me and asked, "Robert, I'm using the law of attraction, and still I can't seem to get what I (ego) want, what am I doing wrong, am I 'counter-intending' against what I am trying to manifest?"
I have often given them a quick intuitive once over and had to tell them that they are pursuing the manifestation of something that was not intended for them this lifetime. Rather, their ego, often driven by a cultural spell to want something, is chasing something the soul is not on board with - and if the soul is not on board, the law of attraction can't blow wind into their sails and move the boat of their life forward toward the next shore.
In addition I have also been asked, "If I can't stop focusing on my desire to see harm visits someone that I am angry at, will that attract to them or myself disaster?"
To which I have often said, "You're not quite that powerful that you can change the course of someone's life negatively simply because you are mad at them, and if your soul's contract demands otherwise."
Can we send others funky negative vibes, or constructive positive vibes, and does that have an affect on them? Absolutely! But there are certain limits that protect us when it comes to how we can use the law of attraction to achieve both what seem to be positive and negative ends. And please be clear that I am not speaking here to Divine interventions resulting from the power of prayer.that's a whole other alchemy completely. Moreover, I am addressing how we use our own personal power to affect each other through the law of attraction.
Yet still, I find it poignant that most people only think of using the law of attraction for material gain or ego based agendas-which makes sense as that is the primary focus of much that has been put out there in the media and books regarding this law. Let's face it, you don't hear of many folks using the law of attraction to simply be closer to God, but why?

Law of Attraction and Western Capitalism

To get a grasp of how we can truly use this wonderful universal law of creation, we must take a much needed cultural assessment of how we are interpreting it through our Western mindset. Though many spiritual teachers and motivational speakers today stress the importance of using the law of attraction through positive thinking, visualization, and affirmations to manifest abundance; unfortunately, I have noticed that quite often one is taught to focus on using this powerful law via a capitalist drive for attracting more stuff. This is not surprising as we are in a capitalist culture after all, and are bound to first interpret life through that filter.
Thus, many people begin visualizing financial abundance, new cars, homes, or perhaps soul mates, and healing of illnesses (often exclusively defined as the result of negatively mismanaging their thoughts.) To be sure, what we focus on is expanded via that focus and the thoughts we empower, and the healing of certain illnesses can be aided (and often healed) by positivism.
But what about the illness that comes as a necessity to the soul's awakening? What about the creative depression that must be experienced as an initiation into the unlived life inside of us? What about the financial straits that must be endured in order to squeeze choice out of our lives, not allowing us to choose out of the ego's pride-ensuring that the soul's journey is kept on course?
Can the law of attraction take away these necessary situations intended to grow our soul into our life? Does visualizing and acting 'as if' these situations of necessity are as our ego would like them to be always objectively change them? Does simply deciding to see them differently make them go away? No. They are sometimes there for a very important reason per our Fate that is integral to our Destiny and must be accepted as such.
In other words, there is a difference between the denial of reality-such as having one hundred dollars in your bank account, though you keep visualizing a million and acting 'as if' it's there, while nothing changes-and the reorientation towards events and experiences in our lives as affirming and meaningful, such that we can empower ourselves to co-create reality through our inner response to them.
Thus, though you may want a million dollars, maybe you're simply not meant to have a million dollars this lifetime, but you can still see your life as abundant regardless of your outer wealth. So how then should we use this law? It's in choosing to see every situation as being infused with meaning, guidance, and grace that the law of attraction is really meant to be applied.
Which means the best way to access this fantastic law is quite simply through 'an attitude of gratitude'. In this way the law of attraction is always effective in activating the highest potential of our lives, and will bring to us the greatest abundance our lives are designed to hold-yet this abundance means nothing if it's not transformed into service which gives back to humanity. That said, I can't say I've heard to much talk, if any at all, of service within the material out there about this law. But that's not the only thing that's not talked about!

Our Cultural Fate Phobia

Let's face it folks, we in the West do not like limits. The way the law of attraction has primarily been embraced by the masses in our culture is a clear symptom of our Fate phobia. We say here in America that we can become anything we want to be, right? Well, not exactly.we can become what our Fate and Destiny will allow, but not anything we want to be, no matter where we live.
For example: Can I just decide that I'm going to use the law of attraction to be the next American Idol? I'm an ok singer, but believe me, that's not within my Destiny and ain't gonna happen! Or better yet, can I use it to live forever or change my race?
But don't take my word for it, look at your own experience.extrapolate something from this for yourself that's less obvious - where do you falsely believe you can use this law to change what your soul is growing toward?
I actually find it ironic that the law of attraction is actually one of the most powerful tools we can use in transforming our Fate into Destiny; yet we can't even begin to use it to that end as we are so fate phobic that we can't even look our Fate in the eyes and greet it!
Nevertheless, because using the law of attraction means that we become responsible for the ways we choose to see our Fate; it can be used to energize the gifts (the Destiny) inherent within our Fate. This is indeed done through what we choose to focus on-making each challenge an opportunity to bring forth the best of who we are and can be.
And though we may want a limitless life regarding our desire for earthly things-whether that be financial wealth, a new house, a new car, to be married, or a healthy body-in my experience its best to first ask the soul/God what's possible within our life's design.
I mean, who among us hasn't wanted to erect a manifestation board and paste on it our wish list? But we must really be clear on what part of us is doing the wishing, our ego or soul? Surely you have heard of the saying, "Want to know how to make God laugh? Tell God your plans!"
Please don't get me wrong. I'm all for going after the best life you can on all levels-including earthly abundance (Bring it on! You know what I'm sayin'?) But, when we try to be or have something other that what our inner design dictates, then we fate ourselves to the exact opposite-an unfilled life, a life of suffering; an idea that I greatly explore in my upcoming book.
In closing; after all these years and hundreds of readings, I have realized that what I primarily do as an intuitive and astrologer is function as an interpreter of Fate and Destiny. In addition, I feel my greatest service to clients is to offer helpful guidance on how they can best participate with the contract they have with Fate. Once the contract is understood and worked with consciously, Fate can become Destiny; and once that alchemy is in place, Fate and Destiny join forces in sustaining the motion of your life-cutting down all obstacles on your path like noble warriors so that you can fulfill your purpose.
The law of attraction is meant to help that process along, not negate it. It simply can't change that which was written into your soul before you came here that must be lived out as part of your purpose. And if you could see your life with your soul's eyes, you wouldn't really want it any other way.
Whether your Fate shows up as conditions and events that happen to you that are out of your control for better of for worse (it could be Fate to win the lottery too ya know!), or unconscious archetypal allies that sabotage you because you have yet to befriend them; if it was ordained as your Fate and chosen by your soul as necessary experiences of spiritual awakening, then it must be.
I think the 'real' secret is that the law of attraction can be quite seductive to the ego, yet is rendered impotent without a connection to the soul's plan and a higher source. An ego lacking in humility is rendered vulnerable to this seduction because it often experiences the choices of the soul as a defeat, and must continually wrestle with the dualism of Earth.
Initially it can be quite painful for the ego to absorb that the soul likes to awaken the personality to its presence through the contrast that polarities like pain and pleasure offer. Therefore to fully appreciate the intentions of our soul and its contract with Fate, we must be willing to relinquish our allegiance to the dualistic ideas of the ego such as, fair/unfair, pain/pleasure, right/wrong, and good/evil. Furthermore, we must approach the law of attraction as a powerful ally, but not as the only law in the universe, so that we can unleash our Destiny.
Suffering and duality, as the Buddha taught, are part of the agreement that Fate often brings to our soul's incarnate journey in this world, and until we include them in our understanding of consciousness, we are not complete. Rather, we are chained to the suffering that polarizing into opposites produces.
I must admit, it's quite tempting to adopt the law of attraction as yet another ego defense against our necessary, purposeful limits and mortal suffering; but to do so is not only ineffective, but does a great disservice to our own humanity.

Robert Ohotto works with Carolyn Myss: www.myss.com
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IMHO there is no greater topic to be discussing than fate and free will. I think "The Secret" is great in that it has prompted much thought and discussion all around. Look at the subtitle to this web site
".....move and groove through the intersections of fate and free will." That really sums it up very nicely, doesn't it? When the ancients stated that the stars "rule our life" they did not mean that they control and dictate our every action. The Latin word for "rule" means "to measure." Remember that wooden stick with 12 inches marked off on it? What was it called? A ruler doesn't control how long something is. But it can be used to accurately measure the length of an object.
Carl Jung explains in "Synchronisity An Acausal Principle" that Astrology works in exactly this way. If you haven't read this seminal work I would highly recommend it. The stars do not control us. They measure the quality of the moment. They provide us with guidance and insight. They help us better understand the intersection of Fate and Destiny. The fuel gauge in your vehicle doesn't control how much fuel is there. But it does measure accurately how much fuel you have available. If a person chooses to ignore the fuel gauge indicator, passes that last opportunity to purchase more fuel, then runs out of fuel in an isolated place, is it fate or free will?
On the other hand if a person sees that Mars is squaring Saturn, goes to work, and finds that his coworkers are being irritable, he can be extra understanding and avoid getting into a conflict with them. When the astrologers told Alexander Ille Magnus that he was fated to rule the world, he still had to make the momentous decision to invade Persia at the time and place that he did. And the rest as they say, is indeed history. Carpe Deim.
dcu

[Robert]

Hi dcu - A bit long, but raises interesting points mostly in agreement with my approach. And yes, we can be told we could "rule the world," but it's still up to us to make our moves in the right way and time.