I have found that the work of discovering destiny involves freeing oneself from the patterns of the past, so that the patterns of the future, of "what wants to happen" in one's life, can pull one forward into the future. 

Hearing one's calling involves becoming still enough, and deconditioned enough, so that the voice of the soul can be heard.  Often we need another person to help settle us to this point and to help us free ourselves from entrenched patterns and conditioning that make it difficult to discern the truth of the heart and soul.  Likewise we sometimes need help to overcome the various patterns in consciousness that make it difficult to act on what we know as well. 

A Different Kind of Career Counseling

In counseling for this issue, I do not practice the usual tests and assessments.  I believe that while these tests can sometimes mirror what is real for you inside, they are severely limited in their scope and in the options they can point you to. 

Instead, my approach is rooted in much older lineages and practices used to understand why you are here, in the historical moment, now.  These are approaches that involve taking yourself seriously and believing that your life has special meaning, that the world hungrily awaits for exactly the person you are and are becoming. 

One of the most powerful practices is that of life review; the ancients say that time is a river, and that to understand and discern the future we must discern the past.  Life review involves looking over your life, discovering the moments of fate, trauma, and gifts that point to your deepest longings and opportunities. 

Divination practices are another powerful tool.  Work with your astrological chart and cycles, trips into nature, art, and dreamwork all offer glimpses and intimations of future directions -- "signs and wonders" of what wants to happen in your life.  In all of these, you are the authority, and your direct experience of their accuracy and meaning is the way through.

Most people find that this kind of soulful journey creates powerful transformation.  It connects us to the deeper meaning of life and creates a greater satisfaction.  Much more than finding and following what you should do, this is about finding and following who you are, and bringing that person into fullest expresion in the world.

We are very fortunate to have some way-showers on the path of destiny in our culture these days.  I highly recommend these two books, both of which I use in the Career and Life Development class I teach to counselors-in-training at Southwestern College.

Fate and Destiny by Michael Meade

         Soulcraft, by Bill Plotkin