Can We Rewrite the Stars?
I often use music to wake up the kids for school, somehow it makes things easier. There's a song in the film The Greatest Showman that has become a frequent request in our house. It's the one where Zac Efron and Zendaya dramatically explore whether they could possibly be together.
I grew more appreciative of "Rewrite the Stars" through it's early morning loop on repeat. It got me wondering...
Can we rewrite the stars?
It's something that speaks to the give and take between free will and determinism.
Since I've begun intimately studying ancient astrology nearly a year ago, the push and pull between a person's ability to exercise free will and the idea that our lives are determined follows me everywhere I go.
It's easy to study and debate mostly anything. I find the real challenge (and nectar) to be in the quiet reflection and subtle observation of how things play out in our own life events, interactions and mental tendencies.
It does feel rather difficult to fully cast aside the idea of determinism in its entirety after engaging with the study of natal charts and seeing how the themes present therein play out over the course of a lifetime.
With that awareness though, I wholeheartedly believe in free will and that we have the ability to choose.
The ability to choose what? You may ask.
I believe we have the ability to choose how we react to the circumstances in front of us. And I believe that this ability is similar to a skill - when you practice it and do so with self-awareness, the skill gets sharpened.
Here's an idea:
Say that I'm someone who has a fiery temper and it gets ignited with even the smallest of matches. This may feel completely out of our control, so much so that it technically is out of our control. Deterministic.
Say that through different practices I learn how to support my moods with nutrition and exercise and find safe outlets to let my fiery temper burn in constructive ways. With that practice and dedication, over time, the rage tendency may still exist but through self-awareness and attuning to my body, I feel empowered by choosing my response. The rage doesn't always feel like such a tidal wave. Free will.
Perhaps both are always at play - determinism and free will. If my very optimistic self has anything to say about this topic, it is that we always have a choice.
But then I quickly pause. And GASP.
If I was created to be an overly optimistic person, is my belief in the existence of free will just another component of what I was determined to be after all?
P.S. Maybe Zac and Zendaya were actually written in the stars all along and this struggle is part of that laid out path.
Disclaimer: My ideas are always evolving. This is where I am today.
Photo by Vincentiu Solomon on Unsplash
One of my favorite things to ponder. I’ve decided it’s a dance we do. But I have other thoughts, too. My Sagittarius ascendant refuses to settle for one answer, LOL.