Fate & Free-will
Are we free or is our destiny dictated by the planets? Which part is fate and which part is free-will in our lives?
Let me clarify my position about the issue of determinism and non-determinism.
I think Astrology is far more flexible and less fatalistic than what some astrologers tend to assume. Without making final judgments, astrology leaves plenty of scope for free-will and evolution.
FATE & FREE-WILL IN ASTROLOGY
If an astrological birthchart reflects who we are, and gives us direction as to the evolution to follow, do the planets determine the other conditionings of which we are the object (family heritage, education, culture…etc.)? Does the birth pre-determine the entire biological, psychological and sociological factors that condition us? Or does a birthchart encompass our whole life (in which country we were born, which people we will meet, etc.)? Here are the real questions.
Let's face it none of us can live with the idea that some divine puppeteer is pulling our strings!
Astrology is above all a tool for self-understanding and evolution. It is a form of applied and advanced psychology, a means to understand our own mechanisms, and why some events are happening to us, or occurred to us at a particular time in our lives. It is also a means to understand others, and may be to judge them less, and love them more.
Through the study of life cycles and the study of Transits (the daily position of planets) or other predictive methods (Solar Return, Progressions, Solar Arcs, etc.), astrology allows us to predict a subject's behaviour. It is also very much like a weather forecast of our life, leaving plenty of room for free-will.
Astrology does not remove our free will in any way, and does not replace our own initiative or eliminate freedom of choice. However, what astrology proves is that we are bound by our temperament, our choice of personality and character, and our family patterns. For example, we cannot decide for ourselves in which country we will be born or what family we will have. In other words, we are only free within limits, i.e. free within those parameters.
On the other hand, we have freedom in the way in which we handle our circumstances, whether they be difficult or easy.
It is wrong to say that astrology is fatalistic, and also wrong to assume that we have complete freedom when we are already restricted by our own unconscious automatisms... and therefore by our own life choices.
Let's not forget the human and psychological dimension of astrology. Astrology has to remain human.
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命运与自由意志
我们拥有自由意志吗，还是说我们的命运已经被行星所规划好了？在我们的生命中，哪些是命定的，又有哪些是可以自由选择的？
就让我在关于决定论和非决定论这一话上题阐明我的观点。
我想占星学远不是像很多占星师所认为的那样宿命论和缺乏弹性。占星学并没有给我们的人生下判决书，它为我们的自由意志和生命演化留下了足够的空间。
占星学里的命运和自由意志
如果一张出生图能揭示我们是谁，并指引我们演化的方向，那么是行星决定了塑造我们的环境（家庭传统、教育经历、文化背景等等）吗？是生日预先确定了塑造我们的全部生理、心理和社会因素吗？或者一张出生图涵盖了我们的整个人生（我们在哪个国家出生，我们会遇到哪些人，等等）？这才是问题所在。
让我们正视这个问题，没有谁愿意相信自己只是在某种神秘力量的操控下过着傀儡人生。
占星学首先是帮助自我认识和生命演化的工具。它是心理学的一种实用而先进的形式，它帮助我们了解我们的心理机制，了解为什么一些事情会发生在我们身上，或者在我们生命中的某个特定时间发生。它还帮助我们了解他人，也许是更少地下判断，更多地奉献爱。
通过对生命周期和行运的研究（每天的行星位置），或者其他预测手段（专业术语不会翻……），占星学让我们有能力预测主体的行为。这也很像一个关于我们人生的“天气预报”，给自由意志留下了足够空间。
占星学并没有以任何一种方式夺走我们的自由意志，它没有收回我们的主动权或者阻止我们自由选择。然而，占星学证实，我们被我们的习气、我们所选择的人格和性格、我们的家庭模式所束缚。例如，我们不能决定我们要在哪个国家出生或者拥有一个怎样的家庭。换句话说，我们的自由是有限度的，也就是一定限制下的自由。
另一方面，我们有选择生活方式的自由，活得艰难或轻松一些。
说占星学是宿命论的不正确，同样不正确的是，把我们在无意识情况下的自发反应当做是我们自己对生命的选择，以至于认为我们拥有完全的自由。
我们不应忘记占星学的人本心理学立场。占星学必须保持它的人本主义精神。
Are we free or is our destiny dictated by the planets? Which part is fate and which part is free-will in our lives?
Let me clarify my position about the issue of determinism and non-determinism.
I think Astrology is far more flexible and less fatalistic than what some astrologers tend to assume. Without making final judgments, astrology leaves plenty of scope for free-will and evolution.
FATE & FREE-WILL IN ASTROLOGY
If an astrological birthchart reflects who we are, and gives us direction as to the evolution to follow, do the planets determine the other conditionings of which we are the object (family heritage, education, culture…etc.)? Does the birth pre-determine the entire biological, psychological and sociological factors that condition us? Or does a birthchart encompass our whole life (in which country we were born, which people we will meet, etc.)? Here are the real questions.
Let's face it none of us can live with the idea that some divine puppeteer is pulling our strings!
Astrology is above all a tool for self-understanding and evolution. It is a form of applied and advanced psychology, a means to understand our own mechanisms, and why some events are happening to us, or occurred to us at a particular time in our lives. It is also a means to understand others, and may be to judge them less, and love them more.
Through the study of life cycles and the study of Transits (the daily position of planets) or other predictive methods (Solar Return, Progressions, Solar Arcs, etc.), astrology allows us to predict a subject's behaviour. It is also very much like a weather forecast of our life, leaving plenty of room for free-will.
Astrology does not remove our free will in any way, and does not replace our own initiative or eliminate freedom of choice. However, what astrology proves is that we are bound by our temperament, our choice of personality and character, and our family patterns. For example, we cannot decide for ourselves in which country we will be born or what family we will have. In other words, we are only free within limits, i.e. free within those parameters.
On the other hand, we have freedom in the way in which we handle our circumstances, whether they be difficult or easy.
It is wrong to say that astrology is fatalistic, and also wrong to assume that we have complete freedom when we are already restricted by our own unconscious automatisms... and therefore by our own life choices.
Let's not forget the human and psychological dimension of astrology. Astrology has to remain human.
--------------------------------------------------
命运与自由意志
我们拥有自由意志吗，还是说我们的命运已经被行星所规划好了？在我们的生命中，哪些是命定的，又有哪些是可以自由选择的？
就让我在关于决定论和非决定论这一话上题阐明我的观点。
我想占星学远不是像很多占星师所认为的那样宿命论和缺乏弹性。占星学并没有给我们的人生下判决书，它为我们的自由意志和生命演化留下了足够的空间。
占星学里的命运和自由意志
如果一张出生图能揭示我们是谁，并指引我们演化的方向，那么是行星决定了塑造我们的环境（家庭传统、教育经历、文化背景等等）吗？是生日预先确定了塑造我们的全部生理、心理和社会因素吗？或者一张出生图涵盖了我们的整个人生（我们在哪个国家出生，我们会遇到哪些人，等等）？这才是问题所在。
让我们正视这个问题，没有谁愿意相信自己只是在某种神秘力量的操控下过着傀儡人生。
占星学首先是帮助自我认识和生命演化的工具。它是心理学的一种实用而先进的形式，它帮助我们了解我们的心理机制，了解为什么一些事情会发生在我们身上，或者在我们生命中的某个特定时间发生。它还帮助我们了解他人，也许是更少地下判断，更多地奉献爱。
通过对生命周期和行运的研究（每天的行星位置），或者其他预测手段（专业术语不会翻……），占星学让我们有能力预测主体的行为。这也很像一个关于我们人生的“天气预报”，给自由意志留下了足够空间。
占星学并没有以任何一种方式夺走我们的自由意志，它没有收回我们的主动权或者阻止我们自由选择。然而，占星学证实，我们被我们的习气、我们所选择的人格和性格、我们的家庭模式所束缚。例如，我们不能决定我们要在哪个国家出生或者拥有一个怎样的家庭。换句话说，我们的自由是有限度的，也就是一定限制下的自由。
另一方面，我们有选择生活方式的自由，活得艰难或轻松一些。
说占星学是宿命论的不正确，同样不正确的是，把我们在无意识情况下的自发反应当做是我们自己对生命的选择，以至于认为我们拥有完全的自由。
我们不应忘记占星学的人本心理学立场。占星学必须保持它的人本主义精神。