Karma Explained

Author :     Yildiz Sethi

Karma means action. Wherever there is an action there is a reaction. As we are not only physical beings, but also emotional and spiritual as well, any thought, word or action will have an effect. Nothing takes place without causing a ripple of some description in the universe.

Karma is not retribution, reward or punishment that is dealt to you by an external judge or God.

According to Jyotish each soul itself keeps a tally of the total karma due to thoughts, intentions, words and actions.

On death, the soul re evaluates the karma and decides what experiences it needs to further spiritual evolution.

The soul does not have the same view of unpleasant earthly experiences that our conscious mind might have. You might be amazed to think that your soul decided to give you each of the experiences you have had in your life. The good and the more challenging. There are lessons’ to be learned by all of them if you look at it from the bigger picture.

Before the next incarnation the soul waits until the planets are at exactly the correct position over a particular point on the earth, to match the karma that must be experienced in this life, in order to give it the chance for further development.

Your Vedic Astrology birthchart is the sum total of the karmas to be experienced in this life.

In the beginning we were delivered into our earthly rebirth cycle. We forgot that we are spiritual beings and became deeply involved in the physical and material world and the pursuit of pleasure and desires. This state is called Maya. This is the illusion that the physical and material world or sensory gratification will make us happy and content. Eventually through experience and a need to find the “truth” we start to progress back to our spiritual world and eventually reach liberation or Moksha.

What Can we Do About Our Karma ?

At an unconscious level or a soul level you have set this up yourself by your previous or present thoughts, actions and attitudes.

These may have been set in motion long ago and needs to come into fruition in this life for you to experience.

If at some level you can come to a level of acceptance and take full responsibility for your karma, then you are starting to breaking the karmic cycle. At face value, it may indeed feel totally unfair that bad situations happen to you, especially if you are conscious of trying to be a good person. However, if you can accept that at some level this is what you have created, even though you may not be able to remember or understand when, how or why this took place, then you will not be making any more difficult karma for your future.

It is also important that you also do not “beat yourself up” over this.

It is likely that in the past you were doing the best you could with what you had, at that time, in terms of knowledge and wisdom.

The only thing you can do is to change your perception of it now. 
Look for the teaching or the lesson that it is telling you about yourself. 
Perhaps seek help in coming to an acceptance or understanding through the counselling process and through spiritual practice.

Resolving Karma

According to Eastern philosophy we are in a cycle of reincarnation, so that our thoughts and actions come back to us, either in our present or future lives.

There is a cause and effect relationship. Action-reaction.

Most of us experience mixed karma in many areas of our life, a mixture of pleasant and more challenging situations.

Life is full of experiences. You may have a good job and valuable assets, but without good relationships it is likely that meaning, purpose, happiness or peace will be missing for you.

The family you were born into is also part of your karma.

Facing it and accepting it, as it is, is usually all that is required to release you from the karmic cycle and improve your relationships from now onwards. Not being connected or resolved with your roots, in terms of family, can be the cause of a wide range of difficulties, such as, relationships to; partners, children or in the work or business arena. Family Constellations is an effective way of dealing with your karma, in terms of relationships, that is relatively cost and time effective. The ultimate, in personal development and soul therapy.