Do We Have Free Will to Make Our Own Decisions?

What Exactly is Free Will?

While there is ongoing debate about the definition of free will, free will is generally defined as the concept that entities have the capacity to make conscious choices. Some even go so far as to say that free will includes being able to control our actions independently of outside influences, past events, or physical determinism. Ergo, we would be considered the true authors rather than puppets of cause and effect, natural laws, or karma. Free will is often confused with freedom of action. For example, if we’re locked in a room, we still have the capacity or free will to choose to go to the park, but we lack the freedom of action to get there — ergo, we have free will but are unable to exert it.

According to the Law of One (13:8, 15:21, 27:8), free will is considered the first distortion and a facet of creation. Perhaps it’s also what was exercised in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (The Bible: Genesis, 3:6). Swami Mukundananda (Bhakti Yog Saint & Yoga Teacher) explains that free will is the basis of play for creation, and it accounts for the varieties of consciousness amongst the souls in existence (Bhagavad Gita, 5:15). Swami further explains that love is only possible when there is a choice (Bhagavad Gita: 9:2, 18:63). So perhaps free will is the freedom to turn away or toward Source (Bhagavad Gita, 13:23) which could also be seen as the capacity to choose between obedience and rebellion in some ideologies.

Free will is generally broken down into several major schools of thought. The first is that free will does exist and some choices are not the inevitable result of prior events or fate, meaning we could have chosen otherwise. This is consistent with libertarianism — not to be confused with the political ideology. The second is that free will is more like an illusion because everything is the result of karma (cause and effect), natural laws, genetics, and samskaras, meaning our lives are shaped by powers outside of our control. This is consistent with determinism. The third is a combination of the two.

Free Yet Bound by Necessity

While the mainstream scientific community seems to lean toward free will being physically impossible, we resonate with the concept that free will or the capacity to make choices in the present moment does exist. Now, how much free will we have and whether we can exert it is debatable because these concepts seem to be based on various factors including if one is the observer (higher self) versus the instrument (lower self) and if one is liberated versus unliberated.

The Kybalion (C12:179) suggests that as unliberated souls we are both free and yet bound by necessity. This is consistent with the Law of One (42:20, 64:10) which explains that we are born under a series of influences or laws: lunar, planetary, cosmic, man-made and, for the unliberated, karmic. For example, according to Unlocking the Soul, higher selves have the free will to plan certain aspects of incarnations for their lower selves while other aspects — such as maya and natural laws (Bhagavad Gita: 2:47, 3:8-10, 18:7, 18:59) – would be predetermined by celestial gods, guides, and logoi. In this sense, the higher selves would be considered the observers of lower-self actions and could therefore exert more free will to help with lower self life planning.

What does this mean for lower selves — those of us taking action in material bodies? Lower selves have the freedom to exert free will during incarnations. They are considered the instruments or mechanisms through which decisions and processes are carried out with limited self-awareness. In other words, aspects like our prescribed worldly duties, consciousness levels, catalysts, and karmic duties – seem to be predetermined as a result of lower selves exerting their free will to act on desires without external coercion or restraint. As previously mentioned, man-made laws play a factor, such as those associated with certain age groups.

What does this mean for liberated souls? Do liberated souls have the highest capacity for making decisions and can they exert the most free will since they are not bound by maya, samskaras, karma, biases, desires, or natural laws?

No Free Will

The mainstream scientific community seems to lean toward free will being physically impossible. How could this be? They attribute this to the laws of nature. Could it also be possible to accumulate so much karma and so many samskaras that one essentially does not have the capacity or awareness to freely think or act? Think about that for a second fellow souls. If one’s mind is constantly operating in a perpetual feedback loop — like operating on autopilot — based on preprogrammed samskaras and biases and one was not aware of this, then wouldn’t every choice made essentially be predetermined, meaning we have no control or free will?

While the challenges and opportunities we experience are dependent on and influenced by several factors, perhaps greater awareness provides us with greater willpower to determine how we perceive, respond to, and act on those opportunities in the present moment – consciously or unconsciously – and if/when we ask for help. So even though we have the capacity to make choices, we also have the capacity to not act on those choices. Does this mean we can choose to not incarnate? Unlocking the Soul suggests we’re strongly encouraged to continue evolving spiritually, while the Bhagavad Gita (2:22, 8:6) suggests incarnation is inevitably based on our karma.

As Voltaire and Spider Man’s Uncle Ben once said, with great power comes great responsibility. This is certainly true for those exerting our free will, like seekers, as we understand that our actions can have rippling consequences. It’s also true for those offering guidance, like gurus, spiritual masters, and cosmic helper groups. For example, those providing guidance will need to exercise acceptance, compassion, discipline, and wisdom, as explained by the Law of One (42:20). If they don’t, free will can be breached.

Yes, fellow souls. There have been instances where higher-consciousness entities have breached the free will of others. Sometimes this is done intentionally and maliciously by groups who resonate with fear and separation, like the Orion Group. Although it has been said that these types of groups typically avoid breaching free will because it could result in loss of their negative polarity, as explained by the Law of One (16:9). This suggests that when entities use direct force or when ETs perform actions like mass landings, this would be a direct infringement of free will, which could result in loss of polarization for those entities using force (Law of One, 16:9).

As explained by the Law of One (12:18), instead of directly infringing on free will, fear-oriented groups choose to manipulate from the shadows, using their powers of persuasion to try to get us to do their bidding. This includes:

Trying to influence our thoughts and senses (Law of One, 12:13)
Creating elite hierarches (Law of One, 11:18)
Using tech to encourage conflict and control (Law of One: 11:21-22, 12:9)
Distorting spiritual messages to emphasize judgment, fear, and separation (Law of One, 16:15).

Although it could be considered one of the main culprits of distorting spiritual messages, The Bible (Matthew, 7:15) does warn us to beware of false prophets and wolves in sheep’s clothing. No worries here. These influences can only work if we choose to align with their vibration. Aside from fear-oriented groups like the Orion Group, others have breached free will naively but have had the best intentions in mind, like the Guardians (Law of One: 7:9, 51:1). But this proves that sometimes even the most loving intentions are not always the wisest for all, as explained by the Bhagavad Gita (16:24).

An example of noble intentions gone awry is when Mars entities were said to have been transferred to Earth. According to the Law of One (9:6-13), Guardians transferred entities from Mars to Earth approximately 75,000 years ago. This occurred after Mars was deemed uninhabitable. This transfer, including the genetic adjustments (9:7) that were made to Mars entities to facilitate incarnations, was said to be a breach of their free will (21:8). As a result, it seems that a physical quarantine was placed on Earth. Another instance of free will being breached is when the Confederation gave Russians advanced tech (AT) in the 1950s in an attempt to bring about peace. This was said to have been done in folly, according to the Law of One (8:5-7).

Nevertheless, the Law of One (16:6-7) suggests that interferences like Earth’s quarantine is similar to balancing out energy influxes. This coincides with The Kybalion’s law of compensation (C11:166-170) which states that balance and counterbalance efforts are always in effect. This ensures, for example, that entities always have equal opportunity and free will to turn inwards toward Source or turn away from Source (Law of One: 16:6-7, 67:26). But we digress…

Not only can having the right intentions lead to unintended consequences, but can the same be said for having confidence without clarity? Perhaps having confidence without clarity could lead to entanglement. BK Shivani (Spiritual Teacher) explains that entanglement occurs when we absorb (react to, judge, or consume) others’ negative energy/emotions which can lead to personal energy depletion, suffering, and complex karmic accounts. The Bhagavad Gita (17:22) explains that entanglement can also occur when charity or advice is given at the wrong place or time to unworthy persons, without respect or with contempt.

Swami Mukundananda (Bhakti Yog Saint & Yoga Teacher) offers the example of giving a homeless alcoholic money. Giving money to a homeless person who has an alcohol attachment could be considered a loving thing to do. Afterall, we wouldn’t want them to starve. But, would giving money be the wisest thing to do? Perhaps giving in this manner would be considered charity in the mode of ignorance since it could feed the alcoholic’s compulsive attachment, thus hindering their spiritual growth. And what happens if the alcoholic uses the money to become inebriated and commits a horrendous crime? Think about that for a second fellow souls. Could the giver become entangled in the alcoholic’s energy/karma or could the giver even be culpable for the alcoholic’s offense?