There's A Big Difference Between Fate & Destiny — Here's How To Spot Both In Your Life

Spiritual Guides

3 Jan

The words fate and destiny are often used interchangeably to describe areas of life that seem divinely planned and timed. We hold the belief that some things cannot be accidental, such as a meeting between soulmates, a well-timed promotion, or even a near-death experience. And while we are right about there being divine reasoning behind our experiences, a lot of what we consider to be fate is actually the destiny that we forge on our own.

Fate Is Not Changeable

The simplest way to differentiate fate from destiny is the following: Everything fated is inevitable and out of your ability to control. You cannot change your race, who your biological family is, the country that you were born in, or your astrological birth chart. Circumstances such as these were carefully planned by your soul before your entry into Earth to ensure that you would have the perfect environment to grow and fulfill your evolutionary requirements. In a way, fate could be considered your karma. That’s not to say that your unchangeable circumstances reflect a debt that you must pay for past-life deeds (karma is not punishment!). Based on the lessons you chose to tackle in this lifetime, your soul had to choose an environment that would facilitate such tests.

Let’s look at an example of someone who is born into wealth

If their soul chose to learn the importance of detachment from the material world that feeds into their ego, they would actually have an easier time doing so if they weren't naturally surrounded by luxuries. However, the most memorable lessons often come with hurdles, and being born into wealth would provide a challenging environment for them to embark on this journey. Being born into wealth was their fate as it was a factor that was decided before their life began. No matter what kind of lifestyle they pick as an adult, this factor of where they began will always remain true.

We tend to view fate pessimistically because we feel dissatisfied with the life circumstances that aren’t within our control to change. It’s an objective observation that some circumstances are more challenging than others. Yet a perspective of a good or bad fate indicates that you are only viewing life from a two-dimensional level, forgetting that there is a divine purpose to everything and that your soul chose the fate best suited to your evolutionary growth. It’s easy to think the lines are blurred when it comes to changeable things, such as appearance, language, and your hometown, but they aren’t. It was your fate to start life looking a certain way, speaking the language you do, and living in a particular hometown; however, it's the destiny you forged that caused these factors to change.

Destiny Is Shaped By Your Actions And Decisions

Destiny differs from fate because it is shaped by decisions made earth-side. Destiny is what we, and the people around us, choose to do with the circumstances we are presented with. Destiny causes us to feel empowered to push our lives in a particular direction; however, it’s not always in our own hands. For example, losing your job, having a partner leave you, or even something as preliminary as the name you were given at birth are destined decisions that may not have been within your means of control. Nevertheless, these are factors in your life influenced by other humans, which separates them from fate.

Let's look at an example in terms of relationships

Take two people who are ex-lovers. They’ve dated in the past but couldn’t make their relationship work. However, they’ve previously spent many lifetimes together supporting each other from the position of friendship, marriage, and even as colleagues. Before they both incarnated on Earth, their souls agreed (like an energetic contract) that they would meet once again to facilitate each other's growth. As this meeting was decided before they were born, this decision was fate. Nevertheless, their choice to be romantic with one another later in their lives was destined as it was a decision made after they’d met that wasn't previously agreed.

Not all of our relationships are fated in the way we think they are. However, they are all destined as it is our decisions that lead us to meet the people in our lives. The strings of fate create seemingly unexplainable soulmate connections. However, the only fated relationships we have are the ones we choose before our lifetime, on Earth, and are bound by genetics that we cannot change (such as parents, siblings, and ancestors).

Fate And Destiny Are Of Equal Importance

Fate and destiny both play major roles in your life. However, human ego and desire tend to play a large part in what influences your destiny. If we were to look at things from an astrological perspective, it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that some people are fated to be more materially successful than others. As we cannot change our birth charts, the placements that we have and the essence of our cosmic energy are our fate. However, that isn’t to say someone who isn’t fated to be naturally good at money-making couldn’t come into wealth in other ways (such as inheritance or winning the lottery).

Nevertheless, fate is divine and out of our human hands, meaning there was karmic reasoning behind why they didn’t have this natural talent all along. Fate and destiny are equally important to ascend through challenges and pass tests here on Earth. Destiny gives us free will, which is one of the many beautiful things about life. However, we must also consider the deeper meaning behind the factors of life that we cannot change before we take the reigns.