FREE WILL
I've had a few, different variations on the question of free will. Meaning, sometimes the chart or tarot cards are so accurate that people wonder if everything is fated - were they always going to do X.
I believe we do have free will, to a point. You always have a choice regarding how you can use natal influences. Two people have a natal Mars/Neptune square - one person chases after illusions and addictive substances. The other person transcends the limits with their actions and pours all their energy into athletics or art or fighting for the rights of others.
Transits and progressions create an energetic climate and how you respond is up to you. One person uses the Pluto conjunction to their Sun to stare down their shadow issues and transform their purpose. Another person refuses to face what Pluto stirs up and they never recover from their ego death. How they react is within their control but they will both be impacted by something bigger than them - the Pluto event itself is outside their control.
Free will does not mean carte blanche. As much you may want to win the lottery/become a world-class gymnast/write a best seller if the potential is not implied in your natal chart it's not going to happen.
The more you mature (in most cases) the more agency you have. You can choose not to carry on the toxic family patterns that are illustrated in your chart. You can choose to make the most of any privileges you grew up with (or you can take them for granted). It's an astrological cliché that the most challenging charts often belong to the most successful, motivated individuals while the easiest charts belong to people who are unmotivated or even destructive. Not always true of course but an example of free will- the difficult charts "should" be crushing and the easy charts should enable people to meet their highest potential but often the reverse happens.
And of course, some events will hit you as an adult and you'll have zero control over them. Assuming you're not consciously putting yourself in the path of destruction, some events are just bigger than you (war, earthquakes, illness, etc). Free will arises in how you react to those events.
Looking specifically at Tarot, predictive cards are based on your current behaviour. If you're not happy with the outcome the cards describe, you can alter your behaviour and this will alter the outcome, within reason. We all know you can't force an event that's not meant to happen.
Here's a Tarot experiment you can try. Pick a low-stakes outcome that you have full control over. Pick a specific future date (two or three weeks ahead). Start out acting in a certain way (that will definitely impact the outcome) and pull a card to see what the outcome will be. Wait a week then change your actions. Pull another card, asking the same question about the outcome. Note how or if your altered behaviour has resulted in a different card. And then, note the outcome itself when you arrive at the end date.
Usually, when your behaviour changes the card(s) will reflect this (and so will the outcome). Free will in a nutshell.
