YES!!! "YOU" manifest everything in your life....no exceptions. There is NO "plan". It is all free will and all your choice! Life is GREAT!

The answer is both. The way that the law of attraction works is that it matches up our thoughts with other similar vibrations. Only the Universe has the power to create and link up all the vibrartions until manifestation occurs. What we do is to match up with the vibrations. Whatever thoughts you were putting out to the Universe was matching up with similar vibrations that brought about the current situation that you are facing. The wonderful thing about this experience is that we can reverse it. When you start thinking and living consciously then you begin to build the life that you truly want to have.

I used to think that there is a plan for me and and an invisible guidance. Lately I have come to the realization that well, even if there is a force that looks after you all the time, it is definitely a bad approach to withdraw the responsibility for your life and place your fate in the hands of some invisible guardian angel.

(...)
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley, Invictus

I want to think and I will think like that even if it weakens my faith, I do not care. The truth is, if you do not take your life in your own hands and make it the way you want it to be, you will die miserably. I am sure you knew 80 year old people that died in their loneliness, and no one was there to magically save them. They were not the captains of their souls and lived in the reality they created, most likely unconsciously.

i wish i could muster up the belief that i control my destiny, i love this website, but i am inclined to believe all is random, i see so much suffering, senseless suffering, im having a hard time putting it all together, you all are so wonderful here,

we are a child of the universe,
there is a destiny for mankind,
and we operate/live within 'mother' nature as a manifested being,
so, do you know who you are or do you not care?

Regardless of your beliefs, there is a map drawn out for each of us. It's been drawn by whoever or whatever you choose to believe. The universe...God...whoever.

Yes we do have free will and we do make our own decisions but I'm sure each and every one of us have experienced that "twist of fate" or "co-incidence".

We control our own actions but we do very little to control the actions of who or what is around us.

Our own free will can take us off the course we are meant to follow but if we stray too far off, fate/coincidence will intervene and put us back on track.

We've all said things like "That was lucky"

Was it luck? Or was it a course correction put in place by some greater being?

You decide.

yes thing are out of balance in this world and in constant change. people often go to extreme and end up on the complete opposite from where they where going.

people when they are at the very bottom it is often when they start to look for what is truly important. you can call it the dark night of the soul. when they start to seek with faith it is when they find what matter most. you see the body (the flesh ) is not the problem don't seek to destroy the flesh. waste of time trying to end the thing that is not the problem. the reel problem is on the water the veil that stop you from having the right reflection. find your desert. sit wait on the lord your God. eventually you will start to see your water and purify it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQvVnDrlQ-Q

as for seing the obvious. Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed.

Let there be light, be the light that you can be, experience and enjoy.

There is no plan. We each create it all. There are different aspects of our consciousness, the personality part being the most obvious to us. But all parts including a very connected and high-vibration aspect work together in creating our lives. The high-vibration aspect will not get too much in our way if we decide to focus mainly on pain, challenge, struggle, etc. Though it may use that avenue to get us to a better alignment with the overall general well being flow of the entire Universe - like your experience.

Hello, I think therefore I am

I think the answer is both. I think some of us get to do what we want. Call that free will and some of us are given a plan. Their lives are decided for them. There are patterns to my life that suggest my life is mapped out. A latent force has decided what I am going to do. The problem is, I don't want a planned life, What right does a latent force have to say what I am going to do? How does it decide what happens to me and why? Who or what is behind it all?

Take care Chris