I want to explore the epic poem, the Iliad, as a way to help me understand what a Tarot reading might be able to accomplish.
Can a Tarot reading predict the will of the gods, human free-will and fate, or are our lives fixed?
I’ve read Homer’s Iliad three or four times now. I like this book for several reasons, but the main reason is Homer’s exploration of Fate, Free-Will and the Gods.
The Illiad is a war story and in my view, the best ever written. Written by Homer, whom we know nothing about, this story is some 2700 years old. It is also an epic poem; the word Iliad means “a poem about Illium” (i.e., Troy). The first line of this poem best sums up the story,
Rage – Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans (another word for Greeks) countless losses,
hurtling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
great fighters’ souls, but made their bodies carrion,
feasts for the dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.
Although the war between the Greeks and Trojans lasted for ten years, the book itself is set in the final year of the war and focuses on the Rage of Achilles against Agamemnon. In the last paragraph I quoted the first lines of the poem, in which the will of Zeus was moving towards its end. Who then is responsible for the events of the poem? Is it Achilles and his Rage or is it the will of Zeus?
The next lines in the poem give us some clues:
What drove them to fight with such a fury?
Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto. Incensed at the King
we swept a fatal plague through the army – men were dying
and all because Agamemnon spurned Apollo’s priest.
To what extent then was Achilles a free and responsible person, when both Zeus and Apollo ‘willed’ these events? Throughout the poem people are rescued, restrained, inspired and terrified by the gods. It seems, at first glance, that men have no free-will according to the world created by Homer. However, there are several sections throughout the book that indicate something much more subtle going on. In the first section of the book, Achilles refrains from killing Agamemnon after the goddess Athena grasps him by the hair and stops him. Has Achilles used his free will or was the goddess Athena entirely responsible for saving Agamemnon’s life? Interestingly, Achilles had already considered the alternative before he drew his sword.
Should he draw the long sharp sword slung at his hip,
thrust through the ranks and kill Agamemnon now?-
or check his rage and beat his fury down?
As his racing spirit veered back and forth,
just as he drew his huge blade from its sheath,
down from the vaulting heavens swept Athena…
There seems to be a direct correlation between the intervention of the gods and free-will. Interestingly, in the case of Achilles and Athena, she does not command him to restrain his murderous rage but uses persuasion instead.
This is not the only contradictory idea presented in the Iliad. Although Homer often refers to the overriding power of the will of Zeus to determine events, there is also Destiny and Prophecy which stands side by side to Zeus, the gods and human fee-will. On more than one occasion the will of Zeus is defeat by fate. Zeus can predict the future, he can see the deaths of Achilles and the fall of Troy. He could also intervene to prevent, as an example, his sons death, but his wife Hera often reminded him of his duty. Is this a case of maintaining the order of events to prevent chaos?
How does fate, free will and the gods influence our lives?
This is a difficult question. Impossible to answer. For Homer, it is a subtle interaction. What is fixed, in the sense of destiny, is flexible. What I really like about Homer’s universe is that what is fated or fixed can actually be overturned or annulled by divine intervention or human free-will.
The Rage of Achilles is the best example of this. His rage almost puts a stop to Zeus’ plan. When Achilles was at the walls of Troy, Zeus commands the gods to go into battle and delay the advance of Achilles.
Now, he says, with his rage inflamed for his friend’s death, I fear he’ll raze the walls against the will of fate
The implication is that free-will can overturn the will of the gods as well as fate.
Let me know what your thoughts are on free-will, fate and the gods. Can human free-will overturn destiny? Can a Tarot reader divine all these different factors? If we can divine these different factors, does it change the outcome for the person we are reading for?
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5 comments… Let's discuss
Love this post and your continuing exploration of Free-Will vs Fate.
I’ve pretty much sat on the fence with this subject to be honest, I think a lot of people have, if they were honest with themselves. They may say they have strong beliefs either way, but even they must have questioned their ability to change things over the course of their lifetime.
Your post does a great job in looking at both sides of the debate: Free-Will or Fate; and I love the Greek Myths as the backdrop for your exploration. Though I’m no expert, it is a rich and varied scene to look at a subject that causes a lot of angst amongst many.
For myself, after reading both of your posts now, I’m leaning to the middle, though this time it’s less fence-sitting and more definition of my thoughts. Let me explain:
This paragraph lays out the possibility that we all have Free-Will, and yet when the gods want to play, we are caught up in Fate. Some people seemed destined for greatness, or seemingly spend a lifetime suffering with no obvious explanation – are they victims of Fate, ie, victims of being caught up in the games played by the gods?
It also brings into play another often-used term in this modern day – karma. Is it karma to suffer in this lifetime because of unsavoury deeds we might have been guilty of in a previous life? Are we over-using the term karma in an effort to explain what we cannot? Humanity seems to do that a lot, rightly or wrongly. It makes me wonder though after reading your posts, how much is really karma, and how much is the hand of Fate (or Zeus
)
Looking forward to exploring this more, and of course hopefully more posts from you to help me (and others) think about these things logically and with a free mind.
Awesome!
Hi Catherine, thanks for dropping by and leaving such an awesome comment. I’m glad you got a lot out of this post
I share a similar view of the subject as you do. That is, somewhere between the middle of free-will and fate. In Homer’s Universe, Fate is an independent agent that the gods themselves are also subject to. What’s interesting about the whole thing, if we use the Fortune card as an example, is that free-will, fate and the gods all get a chance to sit on top of the top of the Wheel. They all have power to shape existence.
Your ideas on Karma are something I hadn’t thought about while writing this post
. If we take the Fortune card again as an example, then the complete dissolution of all these concepts (free will, fate and the gods) could be attained by seeking the hub of the Wheel. In other words, by remaining at the Wheels axle we escape from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, which is also, in some senses to escape the influences of fate, free will and the gods.
People who come to me for a Tarot reading have problems, whether or not it’s financial, their daughter in prison, being deported, or any other issue to which they want to know the outcome. When I think about problems I think about obstacles to the human Will. People who come for a Tarot reading have obstacles, whether it is Fate or the gods, they want to know if their ‘Will’ will be successful at some future date. By implication, it has not been successful up until that point.
I think your right to say we all have free-will and that we are all subject to the hand of Fate and the Will of Zeus and the gods. In the Illiad, prophecy is completely interwoven into the story. Take the example of Achilles, he is given a prophecy as to the outcome of going to Troy. If he goes to Troy then he will die but his name and reputation will not. If he doesn’t go then he will live a long and happy life, but after his death, his name will die out and he will be forgotten.
Achilles was given a choice. Is this the purpose of a good Tarot reading?
I don’t believe in fate. I also don’t believe in predictive tarot.
I don’t believe in handing our power over to someone or something else.
We can’t control the events and forces of our life environment but we can certainly be proactive on our own behalf.
Interesting post, thank you, Sharyn
Thanks for dropping by Sharyn/Aj, I’m glad you liked the post
Your comment reminded me of the Serenity prayer:
Everything comes down to balance, equilibrium, flexibility and then we align ourselves to the tao, we start to witness the outer world reflected. Starts as coincidences, synchronities and you start to wonder what could be occuring? Patterns start to emerge from our observations and they are continually refining. Fractal universes from atom, solar system, galaxy all have the same characteristics. So inner is outer, macro is micro, As above so below is the mantra of creation. The point of reflection between worlds can be a mirror or a veil depending on relative health of the observer. Gaining clarity to SEE is called Adjustment or healing toward WHOLENESS and GRACE is the key. If we are thankful for the magic of this world it is reflected. Will manifests for benefit of the whole. Not my will but thy will be done, because when i’m attuned, they are the same.
While reading the post above regarding Karma, i remembered Crowley relating it the the Adjustment card. Once we know we aren’t seperate from the world outside ourselves these concepts won’t be opposed like Fate vs Free-will, one over the other… again equilibrium– what thoughts or actions were committed must be atoned by the opposite reaction with LOVE.