Perhaps there are really only two choices in life: either we are the creators of our destiny or we are slaves to our circumstances.
I'd prefer to claim responsibility.
As far as I can see, we either live by design or we die by default.
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I have come to think that all of life is symbolic.
Looking at the events is your life as symbolic can help you interpret them and thereby control the outcomes in your life, too.
This philosophy as an extension of the work of Louise Hay.
She's the author of Heal Your Body, a really great book that correlates physical illnesses with mental and emotional patterns.
The idea is that if your change your thought patterns, you can heal conditions and diseases.
The diseases are actually symbolic because they are giving you a message.
If you have a hip injury, then this may correlate to a reluctance to move forward in life.
Thyroid problems often relate to a lack of self-expression and so forth.
This is pretty simplified and I'm sure there are any number of other factors related to health and illness, but it's a place to start.
For example, I don't believe that all of the saints and spiritual leaders who have suffered from challenging physical conditions including the stigmata were simply suffering from unhealthy psychological patterns.
However, both illnesses and events in our lives can be symbolic.
If the plumbing in your house keeps backing up, then maybe you have a backlog of emotions you haven't released.
Water relates to the emotions and plumbing is the conduit for the water in your house.
Looking at events this way can help make sense of seemingly random occurrences and challenges as messages from life to help guide you to greater health and well-being in every way.