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Karma models
By now you are probably wondering, if reincarnation is true,
then how does it operate? What is the purpose of living many
lifetimes, and what is the purpose of reincarnation? So far, we
have discussed religious, spiritual, and scientific
underpinnings for reincarnation. Now it is time to learn how
reincarnation operates and to explore which natural laws
determine the course of reincarnation. Most people have heard
the term karma. While you may associate this term with India, it
may surprise you to learn that it is equally embedded in Western
culture. Simply put, the concept of karma states that you reap
what you sow—or, to put it another way, you get back what you
give or do to others. As you probably already know, the Golden
Rule states that you should treat others just as you would like
to be treated. However, you may not have realized that,
according to psychologist and past life therapist Hazel Denning,
this principle is expressed in differing forms in all the 10
major world religions. The Golden Rule is one of the first major
principles taught to young children—and it is one of the hardest
to truly learn and follow. Most religions teach this rule, yet
many of our actions are based on our needs and self-interests At
the same time, we are all aware that there are great inequities
in life. People hurt others and seem to get away with little or
no obvious consequences. Often, it does not seem that treating
others as you would like to be treated is rewarded in this life.
While the principle of karma seems quite simple, its operation
is very complex. As you begin to think about karma, you might
wonder how it works and functions in your life.
The Illusion of Separateness
If you try to practice the Golden Rule, yet think of your life
as a one-time experience, it is hard to make sense of the
apparent unfairness in the world. Still, when you begin to
incorporate the viewpoint of karma and reincarnation, life
appears even more complicated. At the same time, however, much
that goes on beneath the surface of the material world can be
explained and explored by the concepts of karma and
reincarnation. All esoteric teachings emphasize that we are
connected to one another spiritually. However, in our material
world, it is obvious that we are separate. In addition, because
there is incredible diversity among people and the natural
world, you often pursue your own interests at another person’s
expense. Yet the evidence, the natural law of Karma, and the
Golden Rule are all aimed at helping you pierce through that
veil of separateness to see the interconnection of all people
and things … to see the oneness of everything. This is not just
an intellectual concept—it is primarily an experiential one.
Thinking Exercise: Examining your relationships
Write down the names of people in your life whom you currently
see as important. Include relationships that are both negatively
and positively charged. 1.Write down relationships from your
past as well as from your present life situation. 2.After each
name, think about the nature of the relationship and the way you
relate to each person. a.What is the emotional tone of the
relationship? 3.Are there strong feelings in the relationship
that are difficult for you to explain and understand?
Karma as Memory
In a broader sense, karma can be defined quite simply as memory.
That is because the karma you carry from one lifetime to the
next is the accumulation of all your interests, abilities,
tendencies, and both good and bad moral choices. This is not
unlike the situation in your current life, where your childhood
experiences have shaped your adult preferences and tendencies.
For example, if as a child you showed some musical interest and
talent, took lessons, and practiced regularly, as an adult you
would be able to play a musical instrument with some skill. This
may help you to view karma in this way as well.
Preferences, Talents, and Aversions
As you know, preferences and aversions acquired during childhood
can carry on through to your adult life. Perhaps you have a
particular sensitivity and/or passion to different kinds of
music and art that was acquired through exposure in childhood
and adolescence. For example, your parents may have loved
classical music. Through exposure, you may have grown to love or
dislike it. This preference may carry on through to your adult
life. However, if you have a particular aversion to some foods,
a visceral dislike of certain parts of the world, or even some
prejudices against certain ethnic groups, these may all be parts
of your karmic memory; the results of many lifetimes of
experience that are shaping the propensities you carry in your
current life. Think of taking this analogy further, and imagine
previous lifetimes shaping some of your interests and skills in
this lifetime. It is in the same way that you have a genetic
inheritance. Karma as Learning
What happens here on earth is a process of learning and
self-development that occurs on many levels. In this model,
situations arise that challenge you to learn and grow or respond
… even if they do not directly affect you. This model is much
less determinable than other models of reincarnation.
Significant situations offer karmic opportunity. You have
choices to make about how to handle different situations and
relationships that arise in your life. When, the karma is about
learning, not everything is predetermined; but significant
situations offer karmic opportunities. In addition, you are
simultaneously creating new karma or growth, or setting up
future situations in which you will have to continue to work on
the consequences of your choices … either in your current life
or in a future life. When karma is learning, you can use current
opportunities to help you evolve or grow.
Thinking Exercise: Learning From Your Karma
Was there a time when you felt challenged to learn or grow by
life events that seemed beyond your control? If so, take a
moment to think about that time, and then address the following
questions. What was challenging about that time? Why did it seem
out of your control? Was another person involved who seemed to
be controlling the events? If so, who? Why was that person able
to control the events when you could not? Did you feel at that
time a sense of deja vu or repetition? How was this challenge
resolved? Were you able to take control of the events or did
they resolve without your intervention? What did you learn from
this challenge?
Karmic Development of the Soul You are working on karmic themes
through many lives. Your karmic themes represent the repetitive
signposts that your soul encounters through its many lifetimes.
Many past life issues are psychological in nature and play out
through many lifetimes in what can be called karmic scripts.
These scripts can involve the same souls, with whom you meet
repeatedly over many lifetimes. Sometimes you might be working
out problems and experiences together, while other times you may
be bonded through trauma or issues of karmic justice. Some souls
travel together to help each other. Sometimes, a mixture of
motives operates to bind souls.
Thinking Exercise: Finding Karmic Themes
We would like to now discuss the hardest lesson you ever had to
learn. How did the lesson present itself? Did you recognize it
as a lesson, or it initially as a challenge? Did you resist the
challenge? Did you try to ignore it, go around it, or otherwise
not face it? How did you ultimately learn the lesson that
challenge presented? Do you feel that you have now learned this
lesson, or do similar challenges present themselves repeatedly?
If so, why do you think you may not have yet learned this lesson.
Karmic Patterns
Karma is the spiritual equivalent of the law of cause and
effect. The existence of favourable or unfavourable karma
depends on whether past deeds were good or evil. Most people
have both good and bad karma because they have performed both
good and bad deeds in the past. So most people lives are a
mixture of misery and happiness. Karma is not limited to actions
taken during one's present life, but can extend back into the
infinite past and forward into the infinite future. Thus, karma
forms the connecting link between one's consecutive lives. Karma
applies mostly to the acts of individuals, but it may also be
the overall result of actions by many people acting as a group;
such as groups of persons, family groups, groups of nations, and
the like. In other words, there are such things as group karma,
family karma and even national karma. Further complicating the
mix are the needs and agendas of others around you that affect
you on a deep and profound level. Sometimes you may have made
agreements with other souls to work on certain issues together,
helping each other through several lifetimes. Karma is attached
only to souls. There is no such thing as a karmic place.
However, strong emotions can easily imprint themselves on the
world around us. Homes, workplaces, even hotel rooms, can
develop a distinct build-up of emotional residue. These residues
linger in the subtle reality, affecting everyone who encounters
them on a deep and unspoken level.
Thinking Exercise: Family and Group Karma
Think of your family relationships, including your parents,
siblings, spouse, children, aunts, uncles, and in-laws. Who in
your family have you felt close to? Who have you felt distant
from? Think of your friends. Are there any that you felt closer
to than your family? Are there any that you think that you have
been with before? Think of your neighbours and/or co-workers.
Are there any that you instantaneously liked or disliked for no
apparent reason? Do you feel that there is something more to
them than meets to the eye? Try to visualize it or make a story
about them.
About the author:
Bio: Janet Ilacqua is a freelance writer living in Tracy. She
specializes in spirituality, business, and prosperity issues.
She can be reached at jilacqua@aol.com. Also check out her
website at http://www.writeupondemand.com.
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