Karma

Week 21 - the letter "K"

The idea of Karma was one of the main reasons I converted from Catholicism to Paganism.  Besides always asking the questions that weren't "appropriate" I had major issue with a god who was all-powerful but "allowed" bad things to happen all over the world, and to seemingly good, non-deserving-of-wrath people.  I couldn't understand it.  And when my younger brother suffered a tragic accident that was nearly fatal, me and this god had a little bit of an argument.

When I stumbled onto Paganism and really started looking at what Karma was, I felt a bit of relief.  I still struggled with it because what could a child have done that was so bad that Karma visited and caused them immense pain and suffering?  Digging into the idea, I began to understand it better, especially if I tied it in with reincarnation.

To me, Karma is attributed to your soul and crosses over into all your lifetimes.  Because of this, your Karma can come back on you - good or bad - for something you did in a previous life.  It is your soul that has to learn the lesson.  It is your soul that benefits from the good Karma and suffers from the bad Karma.  If you put out good, good comes back to you.  If you put out bad, bad comes back to you.  It is both simple and complex.

I also believe that Karma can work in mysterious ways.  Many feel that Karma only affects the person who is the recipient of the boomerang their soul has sent out.  I believe this is mostly true but I also feel that Karma can come back on someone other than the person who put the energy out there, as long as it still affects the original sender.  To me, this would be an extreme case but it does allow me to better rationalize some events in the world.

Recently, I found the graphic that is located to the left.  I really like the idea of embracing Karma as a love-based ideal.  Lessons sounds so much better than consequences.  I think both the fear-based and the love-based versions or Karma are accurate, it just depends on the perspective you elect to have.  The fear-based concept is good for holding yourself to your personal morals and ethics because you don't want something "bad" coming back on you.  Fear-based is the gut-check.  Love-based, on the other hand, caters to the boomerang that comes back to you.  It allows you to accept that the "bad" or "negative" in your life is there to make you stronger and allow you to grow and learn.

Being a Grey Witch, I take Karma seriously.  I know that what I put out there will come back to me as a consequence or a lesson.  I may have to make the first strike in certain situations and I will do so, knowing full well the potential reactions.  There are instances when it is worth the potential pain if it means keeping me and mine safe.  I am responsible for myself and what I do, or do not do, is my choice and I accept whatever it is that may come from my choices.