Perhaps we can interject a bit of controversy into an otherwise dull topic.

All these arts of divination, like numerology, vedic astrology, runes, i-ching, etc., when done correctly and interpreted correctly have validity. That they have validity is due to the notion that free will does not exist.

The characters that make up a name, the position of the planets, do not in themselves, cause events to happen. There are no coincidences and these seemingly unrelated events are associated together, not through causality, but synchronicity.

We only have the illusion of free will. Or if we really do have free will, it's actually quite irrelevant.

In all the dimensions that make up the physical, astral, and causal planes, (all of this constitutes Maya or the Matrix) we think we are responsible for our actions. ("You've already made the choice, you only need to understand why you made the choice." - but is that really choice???)

The illuison of free will is what drives karma which in turn drives Maya. At the highest level (Pure Consciousness) from which energy emanates as Maya, there is no free will. Everything has been predetermined and we're all acting out scripts on the universal stage. Maya is a dream (or computer simulation) of Brahman, the One who created all this.

The whole rationale for karma is to provide lessons for learning experiences. The true self, or Atman, is here to experience the many variations of karmic game-playing in order to learn. These roles that we assume in each lifetime tend to be scripted affairs. Randomness just would not do since it is a waste of time to re-experience a karmic lesson that's already been learned.

The key to becoming liberated from karma is to realize the futility of free will. There is no do-er. For example, you can't hate someone because of what they did to you. They were just trying to learn the lesson or set themselves up for a future one. The Atman is just tagging along for the ride as an objective observer. You become liberated from Maya (and the samsara of endless rebirths) when you realize there is nothing more for you to learn. But then that's all been predetermined anyway.

Admittedly though, most people enjoy playing the Maya game and don't want to leave it just yet. So you see, spiritual growth is just the accumulation of game points. The name of the game is to become liberated and become a siddha like - Super Sayan or Neo!!!

Do we gamers like it when we see the words:

GAME OVER

or do we play more rounds like the addicts that we are.

shr33m