Fate vs. Destiny
On the journey of the Soul, there are no rights and no wrongs. Only choices and consequences.
Yoga recognizes two basic roads every soul travels on its journey back to Source: (1) fate and (2) destiny. Both rivers lead to the same ocean, but one is a raging rapid and the other a meandering creek.
The flow of fate is like a winding river littered with debris. The momentum of the water is dispersed by scattered obstacles and runoff points. These blocks to an otherwise focused and fast flow are representative of our karma, or that which delays our return to Source.
From the yogic perspective, our karma is given to us through the mind. And in the river of fate, it's the untrained mind's default habits, thoughts and fears that take us for a slow and frustrating ride. This riverboat cruise is marked by confusion and a sense of separateness from the flow of creation. Pushing up against challenges, we even tend to enlist the mind to double down on its efforts to control the journey. So often by "doing" and "forcing our way out of a mess," we create an even bigger mess. And though you might actually get your way in the end, there will still be a price to pay.
Though it can feel safe and familiar, the flow of fate is the path of greatest resistance. It often looks like resigning ourselves to something known but usually mediocre, outgrown or less than fertile for our growth.
Instead of looking at karma as a punishment, many Eastern spiritual philosophers view karma as Grace. That is to say, a set of hidden instructions to get unstuck. But not by fighting against the current... On the contrary, only when we fully accept our circumstances can we begin to move into the freedom that comes with the higher octave of destiny.
The natural world, our bodies and our higher Selves are always sending us personalized clues to live a life true to our spirit. These hints are all around us. And their omnipresence points to a powerful gift that awaits us in the flow of destiny -- an interconnected experience of our consciousness with all Creation.
Destiny, or dharmic action, is that which allows us to progress faster back to Source. Instead of being led astray by our minds, we train them to be tools of discernment and projective possibility.
The flow of destiny the path of least resistance and highest win-win abundance. But like the river rapid, it's a powerful current. To step into it takes great courage and trust. Unlike the mind-dominated fate, destiny moves fast according to the will of the Higher Self. Perhaps so fast that it takes time for our minds and bodies to catch up to what's happening or understand where it's going.
In fate, we might rationalize against the signs from our intuition that are trying to take us on a faster more prosperous route. But in destiny, we connect to ever abiding trust in them. And as we start to surrender to our inner guidance, we find ourselves floating down the river with the all the support we need appearing at exactly the right time.
But just as we need proper gear to ride a whitewater rapid, so too do we need the right resources to ride the river of destiny. A connection to soul, a balanced mind to make decisions without bogging down the process, a magnetic and protective aura, and the fearlessness of a strong pranic body are essential. And they are all the things that a spiritual practice helps us cultivate.
For many on the planet, this new year will be about giving up the ill-fitting circumstances and lower octaves we've resigned ourselves to in the past. it is about embracing our power to ride the flow of our destiny or dharma. And we will need the inner resources and tact to navigate that rapid for ourselves and each other.
The beauty of the soul's journey is that we can choose which river to ride at any time. And often, it's a choice we must make every day. For attaching to the choice that connected us to destiny yesterday might be what's putting us in the flow of fate tomorrow.
Our prayer is that we grow our capacity to see the unseen and trust the unknown. That we never put ourselves in a box just for the sake of committing to consistency. And that our commitment be ever to the truth inside of us, even as it moves and changes.