How to deal with our karma "How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." ~ Wayne Dyer Please click on the following if you have not read "part 1" or "part 2" of this series. The title of this last post is fitting because we need only concern ourselves with "our own karma." It is a natural tendency for people to fixate on the flaws of other people, (which ironically creates more bad karma,) we rarely turn inward to reflect on our own flaws. This is what our karma is meant to teach us. In his book "Letting Go" Dr. David R. Hawking answers the following regarding karma: Question: What if a negative feeling toward someone or a situation persists, despite my intention and effort to let it go? Answer: Sometimes one is more or less forced to surrender to a situation and presume that it’s karmic. With...

What Creates Karma ? Before we can answer what creates karma we need to first define the types of karma. There are basically three different types of karma: Good karma Bad or negative karma Repeating experiential karma Note these definitions of "good" or "bad" are accepted "labels" and are not personal judgments. It may be better to define "good" as those actions which lead to less suffering and more happiness, unity and greater spiritual awareness. "Bad" can be defined as that which leads to less happiness and more isolation, pain and suffering. We must remember "bad" action ultimately leads to understanding through pain and suffering, so all karma, whether "good" or "bad" ultimately leads to greater awareness. This is karma's purpose, to teach and bring the soul to a greater awareness and understandin...

What is Karma ? Everyone is familiar with the term karma. The term is usually used when someone does something mean and then something bad happens to them. We then use a phrase such as “Karma’s a bitch.” Karma however goes much deeper than the misfortune of a not so nice person. It is about one’s actions in life creating a sort of imbalance. Another way to think of karma is as a depository for all our thoughts, judgments, likes, dislikes, intentions and actions in each life. Think of all of these going into a large storage locker (our Akashic record.) As we live each life we must clear out a little bit of that storage locker until all that is left are the items related to love, compassion, unity and peace. What is karma ? - definition from other sources Jesus stated it simply as "A man reaps what he sows." The Buddh...

We tend to think of success as happiness, but are they the same thing? Most people think success is synonymous with material wealth and happiness. Certainly material success can lead to happiness especially if it satisfies our basic survival needs. However, material success beyond basic needs produces a happiness that is often short lived, and each success thereafter raises the bar for happiness. For example, one of our first successes may be buying our first new car, but our next car tends to only bring happiness if it is nicer then the first car. We must also admit that a new car only brings true happiness for the first day, week or month after we buy it. The thrill or actual happiness of driving the new car fades quickly, and what happens to that happiness when someone scratches it or dents the door? The same...

Getting to unity from isolation The opposite of isolation is unity. It is the bond and loss of boundaries between a mother and her newborn. It is the sense of love and closeness experienced with family during the holidays or a special occasion. It is the timelessness and sense of oneness experienced by two people in love. It is the state of mind experienced by all enlightened humans throughout history. We have all felt examples of this type of unity in our life but unfortunately it erodes away with a growing ego. Love and unity is a natural spiritual state that exist between all things until we start down the path of isolation (see previous post on"Isolation") Unity is a conscious choice If we choose to live a life of love and unity then we must allow our spiritual nature to guide our life. Choosing love and unity i...

From unity to isolation We have all felt a terribly sense of isolation or loneliness at some point in our lives, but what brings about loneliness? Why do we feel a sense of isolation? Isolation and unity are opposites on a spectrum. We don’t just wake up one morning and feel an overwhelming sense of isolation and loneliness, we get there through a process. The same can be said of feeling connected, unified and loved. Isolation is a natural consequence of becoming more egotistical just as unity is a product of becoming more spiritual. “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” ~ Mother Teresa While it is true that some are born into poverty and perhaps abandoned by their parents, most of us have the advantage of living in the most prosperous nation on earth. Here in the United St...

Finding life purpose Many start out life with no real conception of a life purpose. In fact most people go through a significant portion of their life wanting only to satisfy their own personal desires. These desires are usually ego driven such as the accumulation of wealth or material possessions, or to rise to a position of power or recognition. This life purpose may also include wanting to satisfy a host of physical bodily desires. Finding purpose in life is something we eventually arrive at when most of those other desires are fulfilled. Once all those other desires are fulfilled people find they are still left with a certain emptiness. In other words, they find out fulfilling all their physical desires did not bring lasting happiness, contentment, satisfaction or sense of fulfillment. How to analyze your life pu...

What life lessons can older people teach us? The old and elderly are probably the most qualified authority on life lessons. They acquire this knowledge through the perspective of living a full life while looking back at its end. If you are familiar with my Abyss theory of life, you will see this is the clear perspective of having risen to new plateaus while being able to look back on life and the lessons learned at the lower levels. What most people don't realize is all these life lessons involve learning about ourselves, specifically they are lessons in choosing between the ego and spirit. In reviewing many "Top Ten List" of life lessons learned from the elderly I have compiled a list of common advice. The common thread to all this advice is personal truths about our own growth in life. If you examine each more cl...

A Lesson in self control. What do we really control in life? It seems we are conditioned from birth to control the world around us, yet we are taught very little about self control. From the moment we are born we struggle to control our body, movements and coordination and this is where much of our self control ends. As life moves on we start trying to control everything external to us or outside of our control. In other words we try to control things which we have no control over. These include situations, relationships and how other people think, etc.. The irony is many people struggle their entire life trying to control what they cannot control. Self control lesson #1 We have no absolute control over the world around us. Yes, we can exert influence over our world and we can also try to control things using the ...

How can we start to think happy thoughts ? First, let’s figure out what happy thoughts are. What if you found out your private thoughts and conversations are not private at all; you might be terrified. Suppose your every thought and every conversation through the day was posted on your social media account? Terrifying? Yes, for most people this would be more terrifying then death itself. As a matter of fact many would choose suicide over the consequence of exposing our true thoughts. Yet this example will help to highlight the nature of our thoughts. The truth is many people are thinking thoughts which do not lead to happiness. The truth of this is available for anyone willing to seek it and ponder this social media scenario. No, of course your thoughts will not be broadcast through the internet, but your thoughts an...

Loving someone like a pet. To love a pet is a demonstration of unconditional love. First let me clarify the statement of loving someone like a pet, this title can sound either condescending or downright disrespectful. Let me also clarify I am talking about a pet you love, not one that bears the brunt of ones anger and ignorance. Pets are wonderful for providing companionship but they mostly become the object of our affection. In other words, they become an object in which we can express our unconditional love. I have to be very clear about defining the type of pet owner I am referring to. Unfortunately there are some pet owners that seem to have pets to express their frustrations, anger, intolerance and ignorance, or they wish to have control over another creature. Oh these pet owners will show their pets love when...

Have you ever walked through a field or in the woods and followed a path that already existed? This would be normal behavior by anyone’s standards. The brain does the same thing by creating neural pathways connecting various regions of the brain. In a previous house where I lived there was a small wooded section between my backyard and an open field that led to a pond. The first few times I made my way through the thick brush I had to fight my way through carefully avoiding the thorn bushes and weeds full of burs. Gradually I cut through the thicket and through the years a clear path developed. Each time the path was used it served to mat down the grass and weeds creating well-worn trail and easy access to my destination. Once this path was established there was no sense in taking any other way since it required great...

Anxiety results from Garbage in, garbage out... How anxiety and the output of your life experience is created by the input of what you allow into your consciousness. Have you ever wondered where your thoughts come from? Have you ever wondered why you have anxiety or are scared of certain things? Have you ever asked yourself why your life is the way it is? Hopefully you answered yes to one of these questions, otherwise check your pulse, you might be dead... I had dream the other night that left me with a feeling of anxiety when I awoke. It involved a dog that had taken on a somewhat human persona and it was being mean to me. Wait I take that back, it was being downright nasty. I don't normally have bad dreams so it surprised me when I woke up with a sense of anxiety.  I started thinking about how it might have ori...

Understanding The Soul - Human Experience - Part 6 of 6 In this series we have talked about all aspects of the soul, its attributes, its purpose and its progression.  Ok, so now let’s bring it back down to earth to discuss the human experience... Evolution in the physical phase of human experience is a long process. Souls who have mingled in the physical plane have experienced a great fall. They find themselves in bodies with minds more similar to animals rather than the spiritual beings which they are. Observing our closest relatives in the animal world we see many of those traits remain as part of the human experience. In the animal world we find territorial wars, male or female domination over a group, fighting for the right to mate, fighting for resources, etc.. The soul - Human experience - Animal instincts ...

Understanding The Soul, Astral Realms - Part 5 of 6 In this post we discuss the various astral realms, where the soul goes after death and the conditions that determine which realm a soul will go to. If you haven't done so already please read the previous post on understanding the soul Understanding The Soul, Introduction Part 1 of 6 Understanding The Soul - Part 2 of 6 Understanding The Soul - Part 3 of 6 Understanding The Soul - Part 4 of 6 Do you ever wonder if there is truth to the heaven and hell concept? Do you ever wonder why we are unable to see or experience people who have crossed over after death? Many religions have espoused the concept of heaven and hell. To a great extent this teaching gave many religions a great deal of power. After all, if you believe you get one shot at your final re...

Understanding the soul - Death and the experience of death.  History has shown a belief of life after death in many civilizations and cultures. While the nature of those afterlife beliefs differs there is a similar theme to most. While we can't say with certainty what some ancient cultures believed, anthropologist use archaeological evidence of the rituals surrounding death as evidence. In many ancient cultures the dead were buried with personal artifacts indicating some belief in comforting them on the other side. There are text and pictures that have survived through time of ancient civilizations describing the afterlife as a sort of journey. In some cases religions have made death a fearful event based on being judged, after which you either go to heaven or hell. Who wouldn't be fearful in the prospect of spending ...