Since the beginning of recorded history, man has created just three major theories to explain existence.

The first, that of the Materialist, being that the only “real” thing about life is that which is physical.  Therefore, when the body dies, the mind dies, and the individual being is no more.

The second is that we are souls, created at the moment of our physical birth, and meant to live on as souls after the death of our flesh and blood bodies.  The Christian expression of this is that, depending on how “good” or “bad” we are during our one lifetime on earth, our souls will spend eternity in either a perpetual state of bliss (Heaven) or eternal punishment (Hell).

The third, reincarnation, asserts that our essence is spirit (energy) which assumes physicality while living on Earth.  Spirit/energy cannot die; however, it can “transform.” I agree with the physicist, Raynor C. Johnson when he states:  “The idea of reincarnation presents no logical difficulties whatever the emotional reaction to it.  What the soul has done once by the process of incarnation in a physical body it can, presumably, do again.”

A vast number of people on Earth embrace this third worldview, which expresses itself in many world religions and philosophies including:  Hinduism; Buddhism; mystical Judaism (Kabalists) and Christianity (Theosophists & Rosicrucianists); the Sufi sect of Islam; tribal religions world-wide; and the many New Age teachings by Ascended Masters, Deepak Chopra’s “Chopra Center,” channeled information from well-known psychics such as Edgar Cayce, hypnotic regressionists, and more.

At the time I wrote Karma: How To View it, Use It, and Lose It the most recent polls conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corporation and The Harris Poll concluded that approximately One Third of Americans, from various faith expressions, believe in the possibility or probability of reincarnation.

Inherent in this world view is the belief that each soul is a unique expression of its Creator and will enter into many physical bodies/life experiences in order to learn, grow, and express its individuality until it attains spiritual self-actualization.  In Cayce’s words, the goal of successive lives is coming “To know ourselves to be ourselves and yet be one with God.”

These cycles of physical death and rebirth will come to an end when we have finally attained the perfection and wholeness of our original, immaculate conception. “Rewards” and “punishments” come by way of experiencing the effects of all we have caused through our thoughts, words, and deeds–our Karma.

Eventually, all mankind will attain union (re-union) with God.

Though these terms might appear to be mutually exclusive, they are all parts of the same WHOLE of human experience.

Karma is both a natural and a spiritual law.  And, while we occupy our bodies we, like every other material thing in existence, are subject to the laws of nature.  In the observable universe, everything has a cause and every cause has a determinate effect.  And “Nature” includes not only the universe with all its phenomena, but the laws and principles which guide that universe, as well.

While we a part of this natural world, how could it be that everything under the sun is governed by the same laws and principles–except human beings? The concept of karma is simply the extension of this law of universal causation to include man’s moral and spiritual life.  It asserts that every decision we make must result in determinate consequences.  As an impersonal, impartial, natural law, it has nothing at  all in common with the man-made ideas of “predestination” or “luck.”

Most of the world understands and–to some extent–takes seriously the law of cause and effect/karma–even Americans! How often have you heard:  “What goes around comes around,” “You reap what you sow,” “Do unto others as you want others to do unto you,” or, “Sow a thought to reap an act, sow an act to reap a habit, sow a habit to reap a character, sow a character to reap a destiny.”

Destiny represents the results (effects) of our thoughts, words, and deeds throughout our current and past incarnations on Earth. This is very different than the belief that an outside Source determines our life experiences for us–what many refer to as “predestination.” In all lives and in all circumstances we have freedom of choice and possess Free Will. 

Even if you find yourself in a situation you believe you had no hand in creating, and believe you in no way deserve, you will be able to deal with it in a much more constructive and effective manner if you accept the fact that even if you don’t remember the cause you created to set these results in motion–in this or a past life– you can be sure that nothing “just happens.”  The only other plausible explanation for your predicament would be that you chose your experience/situation as a learning or teaching opportunity to fulfill your soul purpose for being here. And, don’t forget that no matter how unable you might be to change a circumstance, there is always free-will and free choice regarding how you think about and react to your circumstances as well as what you choose to learn and “take away” from each experience.

When life is viewed from this perspective, it becomes easy to understand why, among Easterners and those who clearly comprehend karma and reincarnation, the concept of “victimization” is non-existent.

My book, Karma: How To View It, Use It, and Lose It, published in 2011, has run its contract and gone out of print with the original publisher.  Though I have had an offer from another House for a second printing, I have decided to try something different.

Though writers own the copyright to their words;  when published, the publisher owns rights to everything else:  the physical book, how it is listed/promoted, sale price, how portions of the content may and may not be used, etc.

Therefore, I have decided to retain all rights to my work and republish on Amazon.  This printing will be available for sale, at a lower price, in the near future. In the meantime, I will use it as the subject for my blogs at least until my next book–dealing with the human-animal connection–is completed and published, probably a year or two from today.

To begin, I will present the definitions I assign to terms which will be used frequently in upcoming entries:  Words like karma, destiny, reincarnation, free will, grace, soul-purpose and others. I will attempt to be as concrete and clear when discussing these terms as possible so that we can then move on to various topics within these broader and integrated categories without the need to backtrack or repeat myself as we move along.

So, if you find a definition or explanation unclear or troublesome to you, please contact me via the “contact Karen” tab on my website– in an open forum– so that all will have access to our discussion. If you have a question, chances are high that others do as well.

I will attempt to post on Wednesdays of each week; but cannot provide the guarantee that some have asked for, as time must be spent in many competing quarters and forums these days.

We’ll begin next Wednesday, October 30th.  Welcome along!