On Fate and Free Will (Serafina)

We all exist as holographic expressions of the Divine, expressed as complex, layered beings of light. Our individuality is both an illusion and our most treasured reality, for it is this which gives the gift of Free Will and the ability to grow and to co-create this Universe with others. Just as the unborn child is part of the mother’s body, so are we, while in this temporal world, unborn to the wonders of Eternity. Born knowing everything, then gradually forgetting so much in order that we may dance, and sing, and laugh, and cry, in this world of flesh and substance. The fact that it is naught but a mere ephemeral illusion makes it all the more precious and rare an experience, and the learning we do here is best achieved in a joyful manner. To learn as we play is always the most effective method, and to take the game seriously is the only way to truly have fun.

The perceptive reader will realize that the previous paragraph is paradoxical in many ways; to play with paradox is to explore the Veil of Illusion itself, for every paradox is an equation of sorts, and the mystery at the center is the substance of the Veil.

The Physical is a gross condensation of all the layers separating us all, as ‘individuals’, from our other ‘selves’, both younger and older (and sometimes Other). All of this must be taken into consideration when we look at a problem facing us in the Physical Realm. The reasons behind this problem can be so convoluted by paradox due to the interconnected nature of our various lives, that it is rendered unsolvable in this particular, current, lifetime.

However, this does not necessarily mean that we are doomed to suffer through a series of adverse circumstances as a consequence of ‘Fate’. Our lives are linked in both subtle and unsubtle ways, and the actions of all our other lives have a bearing on the events transpiring in this one, and this is one side of the Coin we call ‘Fate’. Of course, passing through the Veil to examine the other side of the Coin, we see that all of our lives happen simultaneously, and without the linear nature of Time, our lives, and the personalities attached to each, must interact in a different manner.

So we see that the linear ‘abacus’ of Karma as it affects our lives depending upon a multitude of linear factors, is only one half of the story. On this side of the Veil, we could trace our incarnational descent from our first to our last, and we would see a balance, a development of many story-arcs which make logical sense - if we could see the whole story.

Stepping outside of linear Time, we see that the same logic no longer applies. Here there are higher and lower levels of existence, and parts of our Soul-group who can see our present moment from vastly different perspectives may also have vastly different agendas. They may see consequences along the chain of temporal events spanning several lifetimes which may make a great deal of suffering in this life seem a worthy sacrifice compared to what it may balance out for our ‘selves’ or for ‘others’ in future or even past lifetimes.

We are vast, multi layered beings, constantly at war with ourselves, quite literally, on a Cosmic level. The idea that we are all influenced by our own inner demons and angels is an ancient and persistent one for good reason. But these influences which guide our instincts to lead us into ‘good’ or ‘bad’ situations in this life are all our own selves, seeing things from a perspective beyond Time.

Our Shadow Selves may seem to guide our steps awry - perhaps they see the great good which may come to another of our ‘selves’ in balance. Perhaps our Shadow Selves have chosen the darker road through Eternity because they are strong enough to bear the weight of such decisions.

Similarly, our Higher Selves aim always to help us achieve fulfillment in each possible moment, as from their lofty perspective, it makes more sense to add to the good wherever possible, and to mitigate the bad as and when necessary. Just as we are a multitude united in one physical existence, so in Eternity is the multitude sundered, and the game of Life changes, the rules becoming more complex as the game-play unfolds upon a much grander stage.

This is the second side of the Coin of Fate; that the influence of our various Eternal selves upon our present circumstance, achieved through intuition, revelation and synchronicity, is balanced against the linear cause-and-effect action of Karma by the concerted efforts of Eternal beings of extreme intelligence and wit.

Most believe that Fate and Free Will are paradoxical in nature; that one cannot logically exist alongside the other; yet elements of both certainly appear to affect our lives. This is why I say to you that Paradox is the key to the understanding of the Veil, for what appears paradoxical is in fact common sense, when looked at from a broad enough perspective.

All things Metaphysical seem to return to the concept of Trinity, and this is why - for each paradox is in fact a Trinity which merely appears to be a Duality from our limited, Earthbound perspective. The Paradox is an equation, not with two sides, but with three, and in the example I have chosen of Fate vs Free Will, the analogy of the Coin is the key to understanding this.

On the Temporal, Physical side of the Coin of Fate, we have the action of Karma, a mechanistic and natural occurrence which works in a Linear fashion. On the Eternal, Metaphysical side of the Coin, we can infer the intelligent Universe in all of her guises from the Highest to the Lowest, all striving in their own way, using their personal Free Will, to affect the general direction in which the Karmic balance moves, in an Atemporal fashion.

The third side of this equation is, of course, the side of the Coin, and this represents the wheel of Time, the Present Moment, the Eternal Now in which we all exist as Physical beings. So at any given moment, our circumstances are being influenced not only by Karmic action on the Temporal side of Fate, but also by the conflicting agendas of the various Cosmic beings which exist on the Eternal side of Fate.

Some of these beings are us, and it stands to reason that one of them must be exactly us, knowing all that is to happen and choosing which events to influence and which to leave alone. Our future, Eternal selves are meddling in their pasts, our present, as much or as little as they feel they must, dependent upon circumstances which are, naturally, beyond our ken at this moment in time.

As Individuals currently Incarnate in the Physical Realm, however, we are in fact in the most powerful position of all. For we exist in the present moment, where every action, every decision, holds the potential to alter a near-infinite amount of future world-trees.

A significant number of powerful beings, of both the Light and the Dark Paths, will be trying desperately from across the Veil to influence this moment in some small way for some unfathomable reason. And Karma itself has its own momentum, also influencing the present.

Yet the secret of the Free Will vs Fate ‘Paradox’ is simply this: that there is no paradox at all. There is only the Veil between the Temporal and the Eternal, causing confusion as it clouds our perspective. When it comes to the present moment, Free Will trumps everything, including Fate.

Karma may set up the board the game of life is played on, and our Eternal Selves may at times influence which way the dice may fall, but in the Present Moment, we each have Free Will. We can choose a different path, we can choose to bend or even break the rules, we can choose to either heed or ignore the hints of intuition which lead us one way or the other. But only we can choose. This power to choose is one of the most powerful forces that exists in the Universe, and it is given to each and every one of us, freely, as a gift.

Most squander it, choosing without thought or wisdom as they move through the Temporal world. Almost as many hoard it, and choose only when necessary, taking the safest possible course. Many are overly influenced by the various Eternal beings who send hints and signs to guide us hither and thither. Just as many become trapped in repeating a Karmic pattern which it is simply not possible to solve in this lifetime. Yet they still repeat the cycle, banging their head against the same brick wall because they are not aware of the fact that they have the ability to choose to stop and take a breath, to gain a broader perspective and see that brick wall coming next time.

The Tarot has been known for many an age as a Book of Wisdom. It is most interesting that the first card of the Major Arcana, the is the Fool. Foolishness can often be the first step on the path to Wisdom - in the card, the Fool dances joyfully along the edge of a cliff, his little dog dancing beside. In his knapsack he has his belongings, he is free, he is happy and he is skating close to danger. And doing so with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.

This is the first step towards Wisdom, knowing our own power as co-creators of the Universe. Knowing that with one simple choice we may doom a world unknown to destruction or raise another into Utopia, Such are the strange connections between events in the Eternity beyond the Veil. Yet the Fool goes on his way, because he has the most important thing - Trust. Trust that all will work out as it should, that Free Will is ours for a reason, and trust that any decision taken in joy and trust cannot lessen the Universe, but must surely nourish it. The Card teaches us one other thing also, that trust begets trust. For just as the Fool dances along his merry dangerous way, so does his dog follow him.

Where people see faith, real faith, others will always follow. This is but the beginning of Wisdom in the Major Arcana, for in the next card, the Magician, we are shown the benefits of restraint, of mastering our impulses and our own nature. And so on, throughout the Tarot, all things are taught in balance.

And that is the key - balance. Do all things in life as you find them - dance and sing, laugh and cry, make love and argue, party hard and study harder. Do all of these things in joy and confidence, and never forget that you have the ultimate power of Free Will in every moment. Learn to defend it, and allow no-one to take it from you by guile or by force, for in every situation, no matter how dire, with calm objectivity and the right perspective, a way forward always exists.

For this entire vast, complex existence we call Life is the greatest game there is. In every game, there is a solution to every problem. If we fail and die, we return to the world beyond the game (which is of course a yet bigger game with different rules), and we can always return, in time, to play again, until we learn what we must.

The words of Serafina, channeled through Maya Dunthorpe.