Most people, at some point in their lives, have tried to understand the relationship between free will and destiny—if such a relationship even exists—seeking some kind of balance in answering whether the events that unfold in our lives are predestined, or whether everything ultimately depends on our choices.
For me, the explanation that resonates most deeply as true is the following:
1. Events Chosen Before Birth
If one does not believe in reincarnation, what I am about to explain may be difficult to grasp. After death, we return to higher, non-physical planes, where we review our life and our actions. Did we accomplish what we set out to do? Did we learn what we intended to learn? Our consciousness examines the experiences and lessons gathered, and prepares a new “curriculum” for the next incarnation.
We choose our parents based on their qualities and social circumstances, and we select the environment in which we believe it will be most suitable to carry out our plans. We also choose the key people who will accompany us throughout our life journey.
Our Higher Self—an aspect of who we are, together with our oversoul and our “local” soul—then selects the situations and events we must go through in order to fulfill our purpose, and arranges for them to appear at key moments in our lives. These events are predestined, and they act as the pillars that will allow us, at the end of this incarnation, to evaluate whether we have truly learned and achieved what we intended.
2. The Path of Life and Free Will
The best way to visualize life is as a labyrinth with multiple paths. There is an entrance, which is birth, and an exit, which is death. Along the way, our Higher Self places key predestined events—like fixed points in the maze—and gently guides us toward them.
However, how long it takes us to reach those points, and which path we choose to follow, is entirely up to us. This is where free will comes into play. Based on our decisions and actions, our Higher Self continuously adjusts the journey so that these important events eventually intersect with our path in one way or another. In a sense, those key points shift and adapt depending on the choices we make.
3. Moving Forward Is a Personal Choice
There may be stages in life where we feel so comfortable that we choose to stay there. And that is perfectly valid—it is our decision. At the end of our life, we will be the ones to evaluate whether staying in that place was the right choice.
Whatever we do not accomplish in this life can be carried into the next, if we choose to continue the process. Meanwhile, what we call our guides and our Higher Self are always present, subtly sending us signals and gently encouraging us forward. Their influence has limits, since their energy is more subtle and, above all, because our free will always comes first—but they are constantly supporting us in fulfilling what we set out to do.
4. Synchronicity and Signs
If we pay attention, we begin to notice meaningful coincidences—things that seem random but happen at exactly the right moment. This is known as synchronicity, and these events are designed to help guide us toward our goals.
If we follow these signs, we tend to reach important milestones more quickly and with less resistance. If we ignore them—or fail to notice them—we may find ourselves wandering through dead ends or taking longer routes than necessary.
Recognizing these signals requires awareness: listening to our intuition, paying attention to unexpected encounters, noticing the books that come into our hands at the right moment, or the words someone says that suddenly resonate. There are countless ways in which messages can reach us. The more we learn to recognize them, the more frequent and clear they become. The second step, however, is essential: we must act on them. Guidance is of little use if we choose to go in the opposite direction.
5. Every Decision Has Value
The simple act of making a decision is already positive. There is no such thing as a wrong decision, because not deciding means remaining stuck in the same place within the labyrinth.
For this reason, any path we choose is, in some way, the right one. When we stand at a crossroads with multiple options, it is very likely that more than one choice will lead us toward our goals, even if some involve detours. Our Higher Self will ensure that, whichever path we take, the lessons we need will eventually appear.
If we understand life as a forward-moving journey, shaped by a set of objectives we designed before birth and guided by our freedom to choose how we reach them, then it becomes clear why it is so important to understand our purpose and learn how to recognize the signs that lead us toward the most meaningful experiences of our life.
Whatever our goal may be, the key is to keep moving forward, enjoying the journey. And when things do not go as expected, it may be worth pausing and asking whether we have reached a point in our personal labyrinth where we need to step back and choose a different path.
At every crossroads, new lessons and unexpected opportunities await us, and sometimes what appear to be obstacles are simply small barriers meant to teach us how to overcome them—because just beyond them, there is often something far better waiting for us.