I’ve had many conversations with people over the years about their ontology. By ontology I mean, the study of the nature of who you really are. Not just your psychology, which is the study of your thoughts and feelings, but going deeper, to understanding who you really are. This brings up questions like, “What are my standards of integrity?”, and “What are my intentions for my life overall?”. It also brings up questions of “what is my path in life?” and “what do I do if life has taken me off my path?” My response question to all of this is: “Do you actually accept who you are and your path in life, that you yourself chose to experience? Do you need to keep pretending that you don't know already who you are, or what you like or what you want in life?” Let’s dive deeper.
Something that comes up over and over again is the challenge of truly accepting what your path is, and thereby all the lessons and paths of growth necessary along the way. This isn't to say you need to "suffer your fate" or anything else along those lines. It's actually quite the opposite. It even comes down to a deeper question, once asked to me by a dear friend, “do you believe in fate/existentialism, or do you believe in freewill?” It was a question that actually threw me off quite a bit because at that time, even before I knew what I know now, I really didn’t think it was an either/or answer. I truly believed that it was both. And it is. Life is not quite so black and white, where we are either destined to live our lives according to some “grand plan” that is seemingly out of control. Neither is it simply a ride of just doing whatever we want, or feeling like we have to work hard all on our own to achieve success and fulfilment in life. There are so many lies and "untruths" that we've bought into from external influences that can really shift our experience.
That is a very important distinction in my book, and is something that through the use of astrology, I’ve found that basic understanding that we are co-creators to be the ultimate in answering the question about existentialism versus free-will. When you look at your chart, and you begin to make the connections between your past lessons & evolution, as well as what you’re currently going through, and how you show up in life energetically, it becomes quite clear that there are definitely cosmic energies at work in our lives. It also becomes quite clear that we always have the choice of how we want to respond to and work with those energies we face.
I recently had a conversation with someone who was talking about a past situation that she felt was completely outside of her control, and that there was no way that Great Spirit, or the Universe or even herself, would’ve chosen that path for her. It seemed unfair that she should have to experience what she did (she was abused and controlled by others in various ways) and it made her doubt herself, other people in relationships, and ultimately the Spirit of Life itself. She became very detached from ideas about cosmic connectivity, and any perspective that espoused beliefs that sounded in any way shape or form like “everything happens for a reason”, or “you choose your path in life”, or “God/Life doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle”, etc. Hearing things like that only infuriated her more, and she pushed hard against the Spirit of Life. Against the Great Mystery. Against taking any sort of responsibility for how her life was turning out. She fell completely out of the state of Trust.
I don’t share this story to condemn or judge in any way, but more-so to express my deepest understanding of and relation to these feelings in my own life. It certainly was hard to come to a place of accepting all responsibility for how my life experience turns out. This is not to say that undesired things don’t sometimes happen, or that it’s okay to let others hurt you, but it is about getting into the state of empowerment. When you feel like a victim of life, it’s impossible to feel like a hero. Or a leader. It’s impossible to feel connected to your dreams, your infinite potential, and it makes it hard to make space for more creativity, joy and blissful self-expression in your life. We are really infinite beings equipped with every single possible tool that we could ever need in order to create a meaningful & joyful life that we love, expanding in our abundance & joy everyday, & inspiring those around us simply with our magnanimous presence. This is not only possible, but this is your birthright, to shine as who you really are. To enjoy life. To be happy. That is truly your purpose in life.
This is why I use astrology as a tool. It’s amazing how I can see every single one of my life lessons show up in a way that actually brings me to a place of compassion and understanding. It’s a tool for owning up to your own life. To accepting your path so that you can be empowered to make empowering choices and changes when necessary, & to make a change in a way that best fits you & what you want & according to how you want to feel. When I decided to own up to my own life, and trust my life process, I became my greatest advisor, my greatest source of inspiration, and my greatest and dearest friend.
Trust doesn’t mean that everything always has to go your way or else you stop trusting. Trusting your process sometimes means zooming out of your current situation, to see your life from a higher vantage point, and to acknowledge that you are always on your path. I heard an amazing story (from an interview with Bill Moyer & Joseph Campbell) about what King Arthur would do to initiate his knights of the round table. They would all be placed alone at the edge of a forest, and would have to make their way to find the Holy Grail in the center. None of them knew where to go, or could see any sort of path illuminated ahead of them. The idea was, if they could indeed see a path, then it was actually not theirs. It was from someone who had gone before them. The point was to discover their own path as they went along.
That story gave me chills when I heard it, because it demonstrated one of the key tenets of the astrological coaching work I do with clients, is that no one knows your path better than you do. And by you, I mean all of YOU! Your Higher Self, your soul, your connection with Source for starters. The higher energy within you, your Spirit that is eternally with Source, that can always zoom out and give you direction for what way to go on the path in this instant. Maybe you didn’t trust yourself before, and you feel like you veered in the wrong direction, but my friends, let me tell you that that is not possible. Your Higher Self will never let you go the “wrong” way. If anything, it’s just the “longer” way, & you probably learned a lot from that experience, so it wasn't a waste, & you can always get more into alignment with your beliefs and how you want to feel throughout this experience we call life. Also, you can tap in to the tools the cosmos specifically left for you to use in order to get to know your path a little better.
Again, to re-quote Abraham Hicks: “you’ll never get it done and you can’t get it wrong and you’ll never get it done and you can’t get it wrong and you’ll never get it done and you can’t get it wrong (repeated for emphasis)”. So just relax, and for the love of yourself & the love of life, get into the state of Trust!
