Post by ruth on Apr 21, 2008 12:57:37 GMT
What is Karma?
Simply put, karma is the result of previous acts or deeds, either in the past or in past lives. Many people for some reason, think there is only 'bad' karma. But think about it, if you owe karma to someone, then someone is in a position to receive a karmic repayment. So there is both positive and negative karma.
There are a few laws to karma.
What you put out you get back, what you sew so shall you reap.
All these little riddles, rhymes and philosophical quotes all say the same thing. The karma you gain must be paid back in the next life in the opposite direction. So the Lady Warrior conquers, in the next life will be conquered.
The soul experiences this karmic effect until it can detach (let go and let God) from the past life. When this occurs the soul has reached At-one-ment. If the soul can't let go, it can rubber band itself back to the "conquered" life so to speak. So it is very important to learn how to accept, and let go.
Now how can you tell the difference between karma and a spiritual lesson. Both can come in the form of recurring patterns. But karmic situations (especially negative karma) can not be avoided, and usually come with some degree of drama/trauma. These are the situations that give you physical, mental and spiritual concern, stress or grief. But you have to be a little careful not to judge karma from the surface.
Let's take an example.
Helen Keller came into a life where she was deaf, dumb and blind, as the labels went back then. This doesn't necessarily mean she was afflicted with negative karma. Consider this: She may have been born that way in order to bring communication to others like her, through the creation of Braille and expansion of sign language, she brought the gift of communication to millions of people. And that legacy continues today. So would you say her 'affliction' was from a karmic debt? Or a gift of sacrifice to serve humanity?
Releasing Karma
It is the resolution of karma that we travel the path to divinity. This is both repaying and receiving karmic debts or credits, as well as, the karmic situations our soul has taken on to learn lessons to advance our own spirit. Some think of this as karma of self.
Several theologians adhere to the principle of 5 steps to enlightenment:
We're born.
Kundilini energy opens and prepares the soul for the work it came into this life to do.
Through events of Drama/Trauma, we repay our karmic debts.
Accepting the Divine Consciousness within and our connection to the Universal Divine Spirit, we learn to acknowledge, accept, take action and release the issue to clear karma.
Divinity, we achieve At-One-Ment.
How can you change old patterns and release karma?
Through the process of Acknowledgment, Acceptance and Action, you can work toward releasing old patterns. You can't release something until you know it exists or are willing to admit it exists. So you first have to acknowledge the situation. Once you've faced the fact it does exist, you have to accept it. That's part of unconditional love. To accept the characteristic or action without judgment, without regret, without guilt, just accept it with love. Now the Action to correct or repay the debt can be put into motion.
You can resolve the issue through Affirmations, service, forgiveness and release. There are many affirmations you can use. You can develop your own general affirmations, or affirmations that focus on a particular issue.
Making Change In Your Life
So how can you change old patterns and release karma? What simple exercise can you do each day to help the evolution of your spirit? Through the process of Acknowledgment, Acceptance , Forgiveness, Action and Letting Go.
Acknowledgment
You can't release something until you know it exists or are willing to admit it exists. So you first have to acknowledge the situation.
Acceptance
Once you've faced the fact it does exist, you have to accept it. That's part of unconditional love of the self. To accept the characteristic or action without judgment and to just accept it with love.
Forgiveness
Now that you've accepted the pattern, give yourself a break and forgive yourself for taking on this pattern. You're human and we all do this. No one expects you to be absolutely perfect. So don't expect that from yourself. It is what it is, you've acknowledge the pattern and you want to change it. There's no reason to feel regret or guilt, you can't change the past. But you can change the future. Focus on that.
Action and Letting Go.
Now the Action to correct these thought patterns, or repay this karmic debt can be implemented. In affecting change in your life, you are letting go of the past and moving toward self-growth and enlightenment.
Using Affirmations for Healing
One way to help bring about change in your life it so focus on replacing negative thinking with positive thinking through affirmations. Affirmations are a way of reprogramming the subconscious to think differently and to automatically react in a more positive way when trigger situations occur in your life.
For instance, if you have problems with anxiety, you can use an affirmation to alter the underlying thought process associated with this ailment. First thing to do is understand what causes your anxiety. The underlying metaphysical cause of anxiety is "Not trusting the flow and process of life."
Affirmation Example:
I am the embodiment of the Great Spirits,
I trust the process and flow of life.
I love and approve of myself . I am safe.
And So It Is.
It sounds simple, but reciting this kind of basic affirmation can do a lot to change your thoughts and automatic reactions to situations that bring up anxiety in your life.
Creating An Affirmation
You can create your own affirmation to address patterns you want to change in your life. There are a few basic characteristics to remember.
The Divine Self
The first part of your affirmation should connect your physical mind to your subconscious Higher Mind or Divine Self. Such as one of the following:
- I am the embodiment of the Great Spirits,
- I can make change because I am one with the Divine Spirit,
- I am one with God,
- I am a divine creation of the Universal Spirit
The Corrected Thought Pattern
The second part of your affirmation corrects the negative thought pattern you're trying to change. This is done on a subtle level, you don't want to focus on the pattern but rather the corrected pattern. So if you're trying to stop sabotaging relationships, don't focus on the negative action. Rather your affirmation should focus on the new positive reaction.
Here are a few examples:
- I am open and accept love into my life. To be open for a loving relationship.
- I choose to create a life filled with joy. To change patterns of sadness or anger
- I move with ease through time and space. To move forward and stop living in the past
- I freely take in new ideas To be more accepting of change in your life
A Statement of Action
Next you want to put the new thought into practice with a statement of action. You can use one or two sentences to do this. But keep them short.
Here are a few examples using the corrected thought patterns above.
- I love and approve of myself Start a loving relationship with yourself
- I am happy and see beauty in all things Be happy and appreciate your life
- I look forward to the future with joy Focus on the future with excitement
- I adapt to the new with ease Accept and work with changes as they come easily
Embedding the Affirmation In the Now
The final part of your affirmation is to set it in stone as something you are doing now. Not something you need to do, or need help doing. But rather something you've already implemented into your life and are doing in the here and now. The best way to put a fine point on that is to simply end your affirmation with So It Is, or Amen.
So Mote It Be, is a very common pagan saying that is basically asking to "let it be". It's a petition of action. An affirmation should be an action that isn't waiting for approval, but rather has already been enacted by the subconscious. This is ok for a prayer or incantation, but not an affirmation.
So It Is and Amen, in contrast are solemn ratifications of an expression of faith. They are a hearty approval that the previous statement has been asserted into reality.
Using Affirmations
Affirmations are designed to change your subconscious thought, which will require a light meditative state of being when they are recited. That doesn't mean you have to sit down and prepare a meditation space. Simply taking a moment to focus your being on your Divine self, seeing and feeling your connection to the Divine force in your life and then reciting your affirmation is all you need to do.
An affirmation is recited at least twice a day. Typically in the morning when you rise and at night before you go to bed. The best method is reciting your affirmation 3 times a day, in the morning, at lunch and at night.
There are many ways you can write your affirmation to remind you to read it. Here are a few examples to help give you some ideas:
Mirror Method
Place a copy of your affirmation on a mirror you use in the morning and at night. Each time you look in the mirror, read the affirmation and really feel yourself pulling the words into your Divine self.
Visual Cards
Place multiple copies of your affirmation in various rooms or places you spend your time in during the day. At home on the fridge, on your mirror, in your office at work, next to your bed, or even in your car. Recite your affirmation while you're sitting still and take a moment to focus on it's words and see them being imprinted on your subconscious mind.
Using Your PC
One of the most creative methods I've heard of, is using your PC's screen saver to pop up a graphical image of your affirmation. I've seen people use a simple text scroll for their affirmation, to a little more creative graphical image that has the affirmation with a supporting picture next to the words. Each time the screen saver pops up, the affirmation is read.
Another PC idea is using the wall paper feature on your PC to hold your affirmation. This way you see the affirmation when you first start up your PC, and then again when you close all the applications before you shut your PC down for the night.
Simply put, karma is the result of previous acts or deeds, either in the past or in past lives. Many people for some reason, think there is only 'bad' karma. But think about it, if you owe karma to someone, then someone is in a position to receive a karmic repayment. So there is both positive and negative karma.
There are a few laws to karma.
What you put out you get back, what you sew so shall you reap.
All these little riddles, rhymes and philosophical quotes all say the same thing. The karma you gain must be paid back in the next life in the opposite direction. So the Lady Warrior conquers, in the next life will be conquered.
The soul experiences this karmic effect until it can detach (let go and let God) from the past life. When this occurs the soul has reached At-one-ment. If the soul can't let go, it can rubber band itself back to the "conquered" life so to speak. So it is very important to learn how to accept, and let go.
Now how can you tell the difference between karma and a spiritual lesson. Both can come in the form of recurring patterns. But karmic situations (especially negative karma) can not be avoided, and usually come with some degree of drama/trauma. These are the situations that give you physical, mental and spiritual concern, stress or grief. But you have to be a little careful not to judge karma from the surface.
Let's take an example.
Helen Keller came into a life where she was deaf, dumb and blind, as the labels went back then. This doesn't necessarily mean she was afflicted with negative karma. Consider this: She may have been born that way in order to bring communication to others like her, through the creation of Braille and expansion of sign language, she brought the gift of communication to millions of people. And that legacy continues today. So would you say her 'affliction' was from a karmic debt? Or a gift of sacrifice to serve humanity?
Releasing Karma
It is the resolution of karma that we travel the path to divinity. This is both repaying and receiving karmic debts or credits, as well as, the karmic situations our soul has taken on to learn lessons to advance our own spirit. Some think of this as karma of self.
Several theologians adhere to the principle of 5 steps to enlightenment:
We're born.
Kundilini energy opens and prepares the soul for the work it came into this life to do.
Through events of Drama/Trauma, we repay our karmic debts.
Accepting the Divine Consciousness within and our connection to the Universal Divine Spirit, we learn to acknowledge, accept, take action and release the issue to clear karma.
Divinity, we achieve At-One-Ment.
How can you change old patterns and release karma?
Through the process of Acknowledgment, Acceptance and Action, you can work toward releasing old patterns. You can't release something until you know it exists or are willing to admit it exists. So you first have to acknowledge the situation. Once you've faced the fact it does exist, you have to accept it. That's part of unconditional love. To accept the characteristic or action without judgment, without regret, without guilt, just accept it with love. Now the Action to correct or repay the debt can be put into motion.
You can resolve the issue through Affirmations, service, forgiveness and release. There are many affirmations you can use. You can develop your own general affirmations, or affirmations that focus on a particular issue.
Making Change In Your Life
So how can you change old patterns and release karma? What simple exercise can you do each day to help the evolution of your spirit? Through the process of Acknowledgment, Acceptance , Forgiveness, Action and Letting Go.
Acknowledgment
You can't release something until you know it exists or are willing to admit it exists. So you first have to acknowledge the situation.
Acceptance
Once you've faced the fact it does exist, you have to accept it. That's part of unconditional love of the self. To accept the characteristic or action without judgment and to just accept it with love.
Forgiveness
Now that you've accepted the pattern, give yourself a break and forgive yourself for taking on this pattern. You're human and we all do this. No one expects you to be absolutely perfect. So don't expect that from yourself. It is what it is, you've acknowledge the pattern and you want to change it. There's no reason to feel regret or guilt, you can't change the past. But you can change the future. Focus on that.
Action and Letting Go.
Now the Action to correct these thought patterns, or repay this karmic debt can be implemented. In affecting change in your life, you are letting go of the past and moving toward self-growth and enlightenment.
Using Affirmations for Healing
One way to help bring about change in your life it so focus on replacing negative thinking with positive thinking through affirmations. Affirmations are a way of reprogramming the subconscious to think differently and to automatically react in a more positive way when trigger situations occur in your life.
For instance, if you have problems with anxiety, you can use an affirmation to alter the underlying thought process associated with this ailment. First thing to do is understand what causes your anxiety. The underlying metaphysical cause of anxiety is "Not trusting the flow and process of life."
Affirmation Example:
I am the embodiment of the Great Spirits,
I trust the process and flow of life.
I love and approve of myself . I am safe.
And So It Is.
It sounds simple, but reciting this kind of basic affirmation can do a lot to change your thoughts and automatic reactions to situations that bring up anxiety in your life.
Creating An Affirmation
You can create your own affirmation to address patterns you want to change in your life. There are a few basic characteristics to remember.
The Divine Self
The first part of your affirmation should connect your physical mind to your subconscious Higher Mind or Divine Self. Such as one of the following:
- I am the embodiment of the Great Spirits,
- I can make change because I am one with the Divine Spirit,
- I am one with God,
- I am a divine creation of the Universal Spirit
The Corrected Thought Pattern
The second part of your affirmation corrects the negative thought pattern you're trying to change. This is done on a subtle level, you don't want to focus on the pattern but rather the corrected pattern. So if you're trying to stop sabotaging relationships, don't focus on the negative action. Rather your affirmation should focus on the new positive reaction.
Here are a few examples:
- I am open and accept love into my life. To be open for a loving relationship.
- I choose to create a life filled with joy. To change patterns of sadness or anger
- I move with ease through time and space. To move forward and stop living in the past
- I freely take in new ideas To be more accepting of change in your life
A Statement of Action
Next you want to put the new thought into practice with a statement of action. You can use one or two sentences to do this. But keep them short.
Here are a few examples using the corrected thought patterns above.
- I love and approve of myself Start a loving relationship with yourself
- I am happy and see beauty in all things Be happy and appreciate your life
- I look forward to the future with joy Focus on the future with excitement
- I adapt to the new with ease Accept and work with changes as they come easily
Embedding the Affirmation In the Now
The final part of your affirmation is to set it in stone as something you are doing now. Not something you need to do, or need help doing. But rather something you've already implemented into your life and are doing in the here and now. The best way to put a fine point on that is to simply end your affirmation with So It Is, or Amen.
So Mote It Be, is a very common pagan saying that is basically asking to "let it be". It's a petition of action. An affirmation should be an action that isn't waiting for approval, but rather has already been enacted by the subconscious. This is ok for a prayer or incantation, but not an affirmation.
So It Is and Amen, in contrast are solemn ratifications of an expression of faith. They are a hearty approval that the previous statement has been asserted into reality.
Using Affirmations
Affirmations are designed to change your subconscious thought, which will require a light meditative state of being when they are recited. That doesn't mean you have to sit down and prepare a meditation space. Simply taking a moment to focus your being on your Divine self, seeing and feeling your connection to the Divine force in your life and then reciting your affirmation is all you need to do.
An affirmation is recited at least twice a day. Typically in the morning when you rise and at night before you go to bed. The best method is reciting your affirmation 3 times a day, in the morning, at lunch and at night.
There are many ways you can write your affirmation to remind you to read it. Here are a few examples to help give you some ideas:
Mirror Method
Place a copy of your affirmation on a mirror you use in the morning and at night. Each time you look in the mirror, read the affirmation and really feel yourself pulling the words into your Divine self.
Visual Cards
Place multiple copies of your affirmation in various rooms or places you spend your time in during the day. At home on the fridge, on your mirror, in your office at work, next to your bed, or even in your car. Recite your affirmation while you're sitting still and take a moment to focus on it's words and see them being imprinted on your subconscious mind.
Using Your PC
One of the most creative methods I've heard of, is using your PC's screen saver to pop up a graphical image of your affirmation. I've seen people use a simple text scroll for their affirmation, to a little more creative graphical image that has the affirmation with a supporting picture next to the words. Each time the screen saver pops up, the affirmation is read.
Another PC idea is using the wall paper feature on your PC to hold your affirmation. This way you see the affirmation when you first start up your PC, and then again when you close all the applications before you shut your PC down for the night.