Do you think of karma as absolute and unyielding? Do past deeds bring about current suffering until you have paid for your misdoings in equal measure? This explanation is the commonly accepted definition of karma. Yet, karma is not a shrewdly maintained balance sheet. We do not live in a world governed by “an eye for an eye.” Karma is not objective and impersonal, but subjective and personal. It is the unfolding of our lives as dictated not by our actions, but by our belief systems. We act according to our unconscious beliefs about ourselves. These beliefs rotate through our minds like a tape, telling us who we are. They affect our choices, and our lives develop accordingly. For example, if deep down you feel unworthy, you may grow to resent successful and confident people. You may try to undermine another’s success, and your own success will continue to elude you. To the unknowing observer, this type of cycle (undermining another’s success and failing to achieve your own) may look a lot like the law of karma exacting retribution for your behavior. In truth, though, you cannot achieve your own success because you believe you are unworthy of it. Your belief is the karma. All of your feelings, choices and actions are a manifestation of this belief. It will penetrate all of your perceptions. Everything you see will be tainted with this insecurity. Thus, you will create (through poorly informed choices) a life based on this belief, and you will wonder why you cannot get ahead. That is the real karma, and we can shift it. Easier said than done, perhaps; but it is entirely possible. Here are three simple steps to begin the journey. 1. Turn your focus inward. Forget the world and what it appears to be. Your perceptions are skewed at best and entirely off base at worse. So, when you feel an uncomfortable emotion, don’t run from it or look for someone to blame. Sit down, become very still and acknowledge it. Can you locate the thought that accompanies this emotion? What are you telling yourself? If the thought is about someone else, ask yourself how that person reflects your own negative feelings. Learn to use your emotions as a path to inner knowing. When you do this, you give yourself the chance to heal the faulty beliefs that lead you astray. 2. Forgive. We will never free ourselves without forgiveness. When we hold onto negativity, we create a very effective dam against love, joy and light-heartedness. Even the most heinous crimes must be forgiven. It is not for the sake of the transgressor that we forgive, but for ourselves. Whatever it takes, finding a way to forgive those who have hurt us opens the way to greater joy. It’s the only way to truly free ourselves from the past so that we can experience fully the present moment. Our belief systems arise out of past experiences. When we heal past events, we give ourselves the opportunity to live without preconceptions. Our perceptions become fresh, spontaneous and accurate. We must also remember to forgive ourselves. Often we harbor more anger and shame towards ourselves then we do towards others. These feelings also need acknowledgement and healing. 3. Be light of heart. Approach life as an adventure. Be like children – gentle, eager, loving and joyful. Even in the darkest moments, children are capable of lightness and love. In ancient Egypt it was said that upon death the heart of the deceased would be weighed against a feather. If the scales were equal, then the soul could move on to the afterlife. If the heart was heavier, then a beast would devour the soul and there would be no afterlife. Metaphorically speaking, this is true of life as well. If we walk through life with a heavy heart, we are devoured by our own misery. If we can awaken to the divine light within us, we will live a life of peace. Like children, even during difficult times, we will still have awareness of our true nature, which is light and joyful. These suggestions are in this particular order for a reason. As we begin to go within, we familiarize ourselves with the truth that we are all one. This may be a slow process, but it is unavoidable. For, our connection to everything is based on our infinite and divine nature, and we can uncover this nature by going within. As we realize our oneness with the whole, we develop a lasting sense of empowerment. We feel safe and secure; forgiveness becomes natural. As we forgive, we free ourselves from past burdens, thus lightening our hearts and giving ourselves permission to feel joyful once again. All of life is a process of unfolding, and when our choices are governed by belief systems formed from past experiences, we trap ourselves in the karmic cycle. The past continues to repeat itself. But if we peel back the layers of belief one by one, we slowly uncover the true nature within: the divine self. Only then do we realize that it is these layers of belief systems (karma) that prevent us from experiencing the life we long for. They also prevent true camaraderie with all beings for the divine self is everywhere: not just within us, but within all things. When we live in ignorance, unaware of the divine within us, we feel separate and threatened, and we allow our pasts to justify fear and judgment. It is our timeless and everywhere-present divine-self that teaches us oneness and acceptance. It teaches us to exist in the present moment where karma has no hold. When we awaken to this divine center, our choices will be based on clear thought and accurate perceptions, untainted by lessons of the past. They say knowledge brings freedom, but ultimately, it is true freedom that brings knowledge. When we remove the shackles of the past, knowledge becomes wisdom: spontaneous, embracing and utterly unbiased. Sara Chetkin was born in Key West, Fl in 1979. When she was 15 she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, and spent much of the next 15 years traveling around the world seeking healing and spiritual insight. These travels and explorations are the basis for her first book, The Healing Curve. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. After graduation she moved to Somerville, MA and worked in various cafes and restaurants, while pursuing an education in herbal medicine as well as in spiritual studies at Delphi University in McCaysville, GA. In 2004 she began a master’s program at the New England School of Acupuncture, and in 2007 earned a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine. She is a Ro-hun therapist and an Ordained Minister with the Church of Wisdom, Delphi University. She lives in New York State with her husband, Brecht, and two children. The Healing Curve: A Catalyst to Consciousness, published by Rainbow Ridge Books, ISBN 978-1-937907-8, is available on Amazon.com, BN.com, and bookstores everywhere. |
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