Are destiny and 'free will' contradictory ideas? How and where does an astrologer fit in?
Free will is your willingness and desire to do karma. Karma can be good or bad. The definition of "good karma" versus "bad karma" is defined in terms of righteousness.
So who defines what is right or wrong?
Certainly not astrologer :-)
The right or wrong, in vedic text is defined as 'dharma'. In modern times, the Sanskrit word 'dharma' has come to be used as a poor Hindi/Sanskrit translation for English word 'religion'.
Vedas, of which Indian astrology (jyotish), ayurveda (vedic health system), ganit (vedic mathematics) etc. are part (derived in Upanishads), is about life, not God. Dharma is only about righteousness, not about "religious" congregations.
If someone does the right deeds (karma) according to dharma, he/she earns good "karma points". If the karma is bad, bad "karma points" are earned. These points create destiny.
Life experiences are often a combination of happy and sad moments, proportionate to good versus bad "karma points".
What is destiny?
Destiny is nothing but pay back time for your deeds, good or bad. While we get paid in kinds and happiness for good karma (deeds), pain is inflicted upon us for our bad karma.
The cycle of karma and destiny works like this: you have a free will to do your karma, but you do NOT have any will to subvert the destiny, which is a result of your karma. Just like a student or candidate has a good control over his/her performance in examination, there is no way to escape the results.
Karma and destiny: The relationship
Karma and destiny compliment each other, far from being contradictory. Destiny then, is a reflection of past karma.
What's the time gap between doing karma and it's pay back (destiny) time? The payback time after doing the karma is known through the time-table of destiny which vedic astrologers study under predictive systems eg. dasha, transits, etc. There are close to 80 different dasha systems in vedic astrology, but that's a topic for another day.
We go about our lives doing karma, good or bad, we get happy or sad life experiences thereafter. There is no way out of this cycle. This karma-destiny cycle explains the control we all have on our lives yet it exposes our vulnerability to consequences of own karma.
Role of an astrologer
So, what is the role of an astrologer and how does one fit in this picture? An astrologer or even a psychic can not alter your destiny. A knowledgeable astrologer can help understand the basic character and life patterns better, to prepare the native for good or challenging life experiences.
To rephrase in more academic fashion, an astrologer can do a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis for your life. Just like a corporate house hires external management consultant to identify gaps and opportunities to grow, a native can seek astrologer help to grow in life and face challenges.
Credibility of an astrologer
Just like a corporate consultant should enjoy good credibility and trust, an astrologer should have credibility, character and honesty. There are far too many fraudulent practices by dubious, ignorant astrologers due to lack of any regulation for them.
Thankfully, this situation is changing since last decade or so, although slowly. Astrology is no longer the exclusive domain of priests or "family clubs". Now-a-days, educated professionals like engineers, doctors etc. have researched vedic astrology on scientific basis and penetrated that self proclaimed exclusive club.
Conclusion
Educated and bright professionals from many countries in the world have added lot of credibility to the way vedic astrology is practised in 21st century. This is highly encouraging situation for people who have analytical and scientific approach to life.
