‘Karma’ is often associated with Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, and other religions as “… the force produced by a person's actions in one life that influences what happens to them in future lives” (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/karma). According to this belief, ‘good’ intent and actions contribute to ‘good’ karma and happier reincarnations, while ‘bad’ intent and ‘bad’ deeds contribute to bad karma and bad rebirths. This definition is too narrow because it doesn’t specifically address your current life, your current incarnation.
Another way to look at ‘karma’ is, “…a situation in which things happen to someone as a result of their previous actions, or the force that makes this happen” (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/karma). In other words, you are either creating ‘positive/good’ or ‘negative/bad’ karma now, or, you are healing ‘negative’ karma now in your current life, your current incarnation.
The concept of ‘cause and effect’ is universal; that is the concept of ‘karma.’ According to an article written by Amber Felton for WebMD, “Karma promotes intentional action. For example, when you help someone in need, the action leaves an imprint, and as these imprints develop with experiences, it opens the possibility of you receiving help in return when you need it. Conversely, harmful actions bring about negative consequences — you won’t receive help when you need it, but instead, you may be harmed. But how does karma work? Let’s look at karma examples this way: if you were to plant oregano, would you expect something else to grow in its place? Of course, not. Oregano seeds would grow into oregano, just like lavender seeds would grow into lavender” (https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-karma). I have heard Christians say they don’t believe in ‘karma’ and claim the concept is unbiblical. When they claim this, however, I recall that the Christian Bible addresses ‘karma’ in at least 25 places in their holy book: Galatians 6:7 and 9-10, James 3:18, Job 4:8, Proverbs 11:27, Psalm 7:16, for example. While you may not call the cause and effect of an action ‘karma,’ that is what it is. Common idiomatic sayings in our culture point directly to the concept of ‘karma’: “What goes around comes around,” “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” “You get back the same energy/effort you put forth,” “You reap what you sow,” “Fortune favors the brave,” “Seal your fate,” “Reversal of fortune.” So, the notion of ‘karma’ is credible no matter what your religious leanings may be.
What’s ‘karma’ got to do with it? A lot! Often I have heard stories from friends who have experienced ‘karma’ first hand. One friend began an affair and divorced her husband to be with the other man. As soon as she was single again, the other man cheated on her with another woman. The karmic lesson was a very hard one for my friend and for her children. Now my friend has learned the cause and effect of the actions she took. She cheated on her marriage and then she was cheated on. Fortunately, she got the opportunity to learn her karmic lesson and restored her values to heal that karma in this life rather than delaying it to learn in future incarnations. Another friend was out of work so money was tight. She struggled with giving her regular tithe to her church because she needed that money to buy groceries for her family. Through tears she went ahead and gave the money to her church. The next day, an unexpected windfall in the exact amount of money she gave away came to her in a letter from an old friend who was paying back a loan to my friend. The positive action - giving the money to her church -was repaid with positive karma.
What are signs you receiving a karmic lesson?
“1. You're repeatedly in situations that bring up the same theme.
Shannon Kaiser, spiritual author of The Self-Love Experiment, notes that when you repeatedly find yourself in situations that push the same buttons or triggers, it's probably a sign that there's a lesson to learn there.
2. Red flags and repeated patterns.
Do you face many of the same issues in all your friendships or romantic relationships? Whether it's attracting [people who have narcissistic traits] or overcoming your attachment style, Kaiser says it's often a karmic lesson when we find ourselves in relationships or circumstances full of red flags and repeated patterns.
3. You're being forced to face your fears. Are you terrified of commitment? Being alone? Expressing yourself? Kaiser says that karmic lessons might lie in the situations and relationships that bring out your worst fears.
4. You feel hypercritical.
If there's a lesson you're avoiding, it could cause you to feel hypercritical about your choices, beliefs, and habits, Kaiser says. This is why it's so important to fully embrace karmic lessons and integrate them into your life” (qtd. in https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/signs-youre-receiving-a-karmic-lesson-and-what-to-do-about-it).
Shannon Kaiser continues by giving us 5 ways to incorporate karmic lessons into our lives:
“1. Align with your values.
Issues tend to arise when we're not embodying our truth. So, Kaiser recommends getting clear about your own role in each situation and taking accountability for yourself, your thoughts, and actions.
2. Live life for yourself.
Only we can truly know what's best for us on our path. ‘Work on finding your own happiness,' she says, ‘and appreciate what is going well in your life.’
3. Practice self-compassion.
Practicing self-love and compassion can help you ‘integrate the aha moments,' Kaiser says. ‘When we practice self-love, we trust ourselves, and when we trust ourselves, we have faith and become stronger. We no longer allow for things we once settled for.’
4. Strengthen your independence and intuition.
By strengthening your independence and intuition, you can also better align with your truth. This will help you face your karmic lessons head-on so you can stop the cycle.
5. Trust the journey.
While these soul lessons are never easy, we need to trust that they're the ones we're meant to learn. Trust that these lessons are playing out as they should. ‘Approach your life journey with a student mindset and see Earth as a classroom,’ Kaiser says. ‘You are always learning and growing—karmic lessons are always at work in our life’” (qtd. in https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/signs-youre-receiving-a-karmic-lesson-and-what-to-do-about-it).
While ’karma,’ as an abstraction, is shunned by some, it is obvious that ‘karma’ exists as the phenomenon that our actions result in other actions - positive or negative. If you decide to steal from a store and you are caught, the law says you must pay for that negative/bad action. You may spend jail time; you may have to do community service; you will have a blight on your reputation. This is karma, and, hopefully, a karmic lesson is learned and karma is healed so you won’t steal again.
How many times have you been driving when someone passes you at a dangerously high speed, and you hope the police will catch them? Usually, we don’t get to see the speeder ‘get it.’ But, eventually, the speeder will have the opportunity to learn a karmic lesson, and hopefully, before the speeder injures self or others. Sometimes, however, we don’t see the karmic debt paid. But, it will always come due, in this lifetime or in the next one. Creating positive 'karma' is easy; creating negative 'karma' is easy. Healing from negative 'karma,' however, is not usually easy, not comfortable, and not pleasurable. We can choose to live our lives in such a way that we do not rack up lots of negative karmic debt.
