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by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.

If you're like most people, you've probably wondered whether things are meant to be: are you destined to be with that special person, or to have that job, or that friend, that dog, or that really difficult time in your life? Or do we create it all as we go along?

If you're like me, you've wrestled with it for years. There were things that I felt strongly were meant to be in my life, like going to the University I attended and also doing my Ph.D. in the research group I ended up in, to even not getting the job I wanted in the pharmaceutical industry but instead getting one that exposed me to evidence of the placebo effect. This facilitated my route into writing books about the power of the mind, which I believe is my 'destiny.'

But at the same time, I am 100% certain that I shape my own life too, sometimes through taking action to make things happen and other times when seemingly coincidental things happen shortly after I've been thinking about them.

I wrote my book, Is Your Life Mapped Out?: Unravelling the mystery of destiny vs. free will to attempt to set my own mind at rest. This is what I came up with:

R=IEBpFeFiOX

Before you go, Whhooooaaaaa, hey what's with the math? it's actually much simpler than you think. Let me explain what the letters mean.

R is the letter I use for 'the Reality that you experience' and it's caused by the letters that come after it. Here's what they mean:

I is your intention. It's the force of you Intending for something to happen, which often results in you acting on your intentions, or subconsciously setting in motion a chain of events that move you towards your goal.

E stands for your emotions. Emotion is a powerful force. If you have an intention to achieve something but your overall emotion about it is negative, then emotion usually overrules intention and you don't go anywhere. Alternatively, when you have a goal and you feel strongly positive when you think about it, you tend to move towards it (or attract it to you).

B stands for your beliefs. Beliefs can propel you to where you want to go or they can sabotage your efforts. Say you had a desire to be financially abundant, but had a belief that it's wrong to have money because people are starving, or that people with money are selfish or unkind, or that money is the root of all evil, for instance. Then chances are these beliefs will overrule your intention to have money. No matter how hard you try, something will always seem to block your efforts.

You can usually tell what kind of beliefs you have about something by looking at your life. Stuff and experiences in your life that you are happy with, that tend to come easily to you, usually represent positive beliefs. Stuff and experiences you feel frustrated you're not having usually signal negative beliefs in those areas. It's best if your beliefs are in line with what you want to achieve.

P stands for momentum of your current experience. Just like a large ship in the ocean can't make a sudden 90-degree turn, but turns throughout a large arc due to its weight or momentum, so most people, when they decide to make a life change, still experience elements (circumstances, types of people, etc.) of their old life for a while as their life turns in an arc rather than in a sudden straight line off to the right or left. Intention works a lot with momentum because the stronger your intention, the faster you break your momentum and the shorter the turning arc in your life.

Fe stands for external forces. These are forces in your environment that have an impact on your life and the kinds of choices you make. They can be the weather; chronobiological in terms of how the Earth's rotation, the sun, and the moon can impact biology; they can be effects of food or anything else that represents how we interact with our natural environment. They can even represent the physical or social environment a person lives in, which can be a very strong force for some.

Fi stands for internal forces. These are what I refer to as spiritual forces. I believe that consciousness transcends time and space, and thus 'you' existed in some form or other before you were born on Earth. Rather than your life being a random event, then, it is likely that you were born at a particular time (given the entire span of Earth's history), in a particular place, into a particular set of social and economic conditions, even into a particular family environment, and often with a latent skill set or direction you intended to move towards. These preconditions would set the tone of the early years of your life, which would then have a strong bearing on the kind of adult you become and the direction of your life. When I talk of destiny, this is what I refer to.

O stands for the effect of other people on you. We're all influenced by other people either directly, by family, friends, colleagues, or even people we meet throughout our day, or indirectly, as world events affect the financial or social environment that we live and move in, or as our choices are influenced by marketing efforts, propaganda, or just information we pick up through watching or reading the media.

X is for any other forces that I haven't though of. 🙂 I'm sure I've not thought of everything.

So the reality that you experience is related to your intentions, your emotions, your beliefs, the momentum of what's currently happening in your life, external forces, internal (spiritual) forces, and the influence of other people.

So how do these forces interact with one another? Well, I think we are born into a set of conditions and circumstances that set the landscape of our lives and its colour tones. As we travel through our landscape, we are occasionally pulled left and right and even nudged back or sucked forwards from time to time. But amid these winds, we are always choosing, always creating, always shaping our lives. It is impossible not to. Thoughts are creative. What we focus on we move towards. That, to me, is a Law. Some call it the Law of Attraction or 'the Secret.'

Some people believe in destiny, others don't. What I've written here is just my belief, coloured, perhaps, by the influences I've experienced in my life and also by what I've always sensed. In some ways, I've sought scientific evidence to explain what I've always believed.

Whether you take comfort in an overall direction you feel you're supposed to be going in or whether you're more motivated in taking the actions that are necessary to get to where you want to get to is up to you. We're all different. Some are more comfortable with the former, some with the latter.

As long as you're comfortable with whatever you personally believe, then great. Happiness and contentedness arise when we're comfortable with our own beliefs regardless of whether there is an ultimate truth or not.

Personally, I think destiny and free will interact constantly, just as nature and nurture interact. Genes do not act out with their environment, but in relationship with it. So, too, do our hopes and dreams play out in relationship to our environment, both physical and spiritual.

David R. Hamilton has a first class honors degree in chemistry and specializes in biological and medicinal chemistry. He is the bestselling author of seven books published by Hay House, and offers talks and workshops designed to fuse science, the mind, and spiritual wisdom. He writes a regular blog at DrDavidHamilton.com as well as one for the Huffington Post. The above article was printed here with his kind permission.

For a very long time now, I have had the same recurring dream. It usually takes place in the home I grew up in. A thief is trying to break in. It is raining heavily outside and the night is also stormy, so much so that some of the doors and windows are on the verge of breaking down under the wind. This never actually happens, however. Those doors and windows also seem to be very old so there are holes sealed with tape, etc. I try to buckle them against the great gusts of wind but fear they will eventually give in. The thief never manages to break in but I am in great fear that my family members and our belongings are in great danger. I have never been able to figure out what this dream means. I have also tried to confront the thief in my sleep but was not successful, for it's not easy to guide a subconscious mind. I am currently in great turmoil both professionally and healthwise; I'm feeling completely lost about where am I am going. I was born March 23, 1978, in Kolkata, India.

Dola

Susyn:

Our dreams are often a direct reflection of what is going on in our lives. However, the issues they represent are often presented as an allegory, which can make them difficult to interpret. When we have dreams of a certain house - especially the house we grew up in - the house is often a symbol of our own selves. Let's look at each aspect of this recurring dream and how it reflects a certain aspect of your life.

First, a thief is trying to break in; this is usually a sign that we feel unprotected or vulnerable. Though the intruder never actually breaks in, you may feel like others are trying to take advantage of you or use you in some way. In effect, this dream is telling you that you need to set stronger boundaries and pay closer attention to what you give and receive from others.

The severe, threatening storms may indicate that you do not feel safe or protected on a spiritual or personal level. These storms represent a threat over which you have no power. Metaphysically, they suggest that you feel disconnected from your spiritual source.

The unstable doors and windows in your dreams also reflect the fear that you are not protected. Notice that these edifices never actually give way. What this suggests is that there are areas of your life in which you have become weak or ineffective. As you discover what they are, you can take direct action to create positive change.

When we have a repeating dream, we are receiving a message that change is strongly needed. Though you are under threat in these dreams, nothing bad ever actually happens. However, if you ignore these dreams, the problems driving them will continue, which could eventually cause you trouble in real life.

You mention that you are in great turmoil and feeling lost in regards to your health and your profession. I feel that these dreams reflect the way you feel about your life at this moment. Because a thief and raging storms are always present in these dreams, I sense that the changes you need to make are spiritual in nature.

It may be that you are powerless to change certain health issues or your work situation. When we reach such a place of powerlessness, we must learn to surrender our lives over to Spirit so our circumstances can be transformed in magical ways.

Regular meditation can help you reconnect with Spirit and find a way to turn things around. If you faithfully practice meditation one or more times each day, you'll soon receive direction on how to resolve the issues that are causing you to have this recurring dream.

*****

Oceania:

Important dreams recur until we are able to hear their message. Since our minds often disguise situations in order to make them more bearable, this can be tricky. As you explore the possible meaning of your dream, remember that you are safe here and now; whatever the dream represents happened in the past, and you survived it!

The appearance of your childhood home suggests that this issue dates back to that time in your life. The house represents your physical body and boundaries. The woman inside the house, trying to shore up the windows and doors, is your inner self or soul.

A thief is someone who crosses others' boundaries and takes something that isn't his. I think someone was violating your physical, emotional or sexual boundaries, or at least trying to. The thief could have been a parent or some other adult, a bullying child or a stranger.

The storm represents conflict. Given the violent wind, I suspect there was yelling or arguing. The rain suggests emotional upheaval and tears. Like the doors and windows, you almost broke down - but you didn't! You were strong and you survived. That holes in the doors and windows had been sealed up with tape suggests that you had some outside support but not much, for tape isn't much of a protective barrier.

You fought back in your dream but also feared that you'd eventually give in. It's as if a younger you is still trapped in the past, worrying about the outcome of this traumatic situation. In a visualization, visit the girl holding up the windows and doors during the storm and let her know that she survived the conflict and grew up to become wonderful you, so she can relax and let go now.

It's okay that you've been unable to confront the thief in your dream state, for you can do so when you're awake. Imagine him tied to a chair and say everything that comes to mind. If you prefer to write it down first, go ahead and then read it out loud. You say you are currently in upheaval both professionally and health-wise. Confronting your thief will lead to empowerment, confidence and greater success in your waking experience.

It may help you to realize that, in a way, YOU are playing the role of thief. You successfully upheld your boundaries and survived the trauma, but instead of celebrating your triumph, you live in fear of the next potential crisis. In this way, you are robbing yourself of serenity in the present moment. Know that you are safe and will be able to handle whatever comes your way as you move forward to create positive change.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.