Why Am I Here?. Joyce Keller

       What is Karma, Really?

      You’ve heard of “karma,” of course. By now, nearly everyone has. In fact, we’ve been pretty much deluged by self-help gurus theorizing on the subject, so much so that phrases like “instant karma,” “it must be karmic,” “good karma,” and “bad karma,” have invaded our vocabulary, seeming to threaten either perpetual doom or good luck by an unknown and a grossly unfair set of gods.

      The fact is that karma is a centuries-old school of thought linked to the Eastern concept of reincarnation. Reincarnation’s basis is that through each rebirth we are given new opportunities to develop ourselves and alter past mistakes by changing the attitudes associated with making these mistakes. Not changing the underlying attitudes causes a worsening set of circumstances, and as we undergo increasingly difficult experiences, we seem to be caught in the grip of a relentless downward spiral. But this is not cause for worry. The purpose of these bad or unpleasant experiences is to bring about a positive change in our temperament, leading to our soul’s evolution. Someone who wantonly takes life for granted without regard for the pain and suffering of others, for example, may find himself in a situation that elicits his compassion for others while providing the opportunity for him to experience the sacredness of life. That’s what karma is—an opportunity.

      For this reason we select our own experiences prior to birth—yes, we select our situations!—and these experiences become opportunities for growth. Likewise, our astrological chart is preselected with our highest good in mind, put into place for us to best experience spiritual progression. Nothing about our births is arbitrary, but instead consists of a design created to set into motion our one constant and greatest gift, the meter by which all our decisions are made on earth: that of free will. Free will is the motor that propels us forward with the assistance of our moral compass, spiritual rudder, and sense of discernment.

      Helping us along the way to evolution is inner knowledge, knowing ourselves and the meaning of the pitfalls we face, so as to best dodge them and create a blissful, caring, and fulfilled life.

      You may be asking, with so many how-to-succeed books offering creative visualization, positive thinking, and success affirmations, why do so few succeed at creating a beautiful life for themselves, filled with all the good things humans yearn for, such as success in career, family relationships, and love?

      Many of the self-help gurus today have obviously read up on karma. While they have gotten some of it right, many have missed the point by focusing on karmic causes in this lifetime. In truth, karma is brought about by past life attitudes that need to be corrected before we can succeed in the present.

      The other misconception is in not understanding another great truth: karma is changeable. This misunderstanding has given the karmic principle a ring of finality, ignoring the power within each of us that is capable of influencing and changing our life direction and experiences. This is why we have been given free will. Karma is not to be suffered through like some harsh penance or punishment; rather, karma is intended to be transformational. Our karma is influenced by our every step through life, shaped by our growing attitude and understanding, and can be washed away just as the waves wash away our footsteps in the sand.

      So, the missing part of the equation involves the personal karma of the individual, and his or her freely-chosen actions and attitudes that can change it.

      More than half of our current life problems stem from past-life actions. This is the first key to take into account on your journey to life improvement.

       The Karmic Doctrine and Past-Life Hold-Overs

      The Karmic Doctrine is a spiritual law that is meant to keep us moving toward greater development of our individual soul—the link to our consciousness and individuality that survives physical death. This doctrine carries forward from lifetime to lifetime and through the non-physical in-between periods as well as those in the third dimension here on earth. If we touch a hot stove, we instantly react by jerking back our finger, learning to never do that again. There are thoughtless, ignorant, ill-advised, inconsiderate, mean, or evil acts committed by those who do not appear to undergo an instantaneous reaction or learning experience. We see people doing terribly bad things in their lives while living out their days in comfort and wealth. We wonder why there is no justice and how the universe could let this happen.

      This is where the Karmic Doctrine comes in. It is a law that balances our actions and attitudes and carries over from one physical lifetime to another, or sometimes several. It turns the tables and subjects us to the same or similar conditions we imposed or wished on another in a past life. These conditions are not meant to punish but to enhance our understanding through experiencing what the other person or people went through as a result of our actions, or lack of action. Soul memories from a past life, lying deep in our subconscious, affect us in our current lifetime through emotions. Past-life experiences become part of our emotional makeup in a new lifetime. Strong likes, dislikes, fears, and phobias in this life are usually due to subconscious memories of our experiences from a past life.

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