This guide is intended as a brief discussion of karma, it's causes and it's effects. As with many Eastern concepts that have become Westernized, primarily through the New Age movements, traditional understanding of karma and it's implications have become lost. I have been a student of both the Bhagavad Gita and Advaita Vedanta for many years as part of my spiritual studies, so I feel that I am qualified to speak on the subject of karma.

We tend to think of karma as simply "you reap what you sew", but karma is much more complex and multi-layered than a simple "eye for an eye" energetic exchange. In Hinduisim, karma refers to the cumulative total of a persons actions both in this and previous lifetimes as well as their reactions in this life and the next. Karma does not always have an immediate effect. Indeed, it can take many years or lifetimes for specific karma to manifest itself.

The word karma itself is derived from the Sanskrit root word "kr" which means "to make" or "to do". Karma refers to the original act and all of the actions and reactions which spring from it. Contrary to the simplified explanation of karma as essentially "receiving ones just due", karma is much more complex and filled with variables. Karma, rather than simply punishing a wrong act or rewarding a good one, actually transforms the soul of the individual at it's core. Therefore, one ultimately becomes good by good actions and evil by evil actions. This takes a cumulative toll over many lifetimes.

We are not just flesh, blood, and water--we are spirit. In these bodies, we are temporal, and the bodies, names, and personalities that we have today will be gone when we leave our bodies behind to dust. Our karma however, is the one thing that we will bring with us since created karma remains within the etheric body through lifetimes. It is believed that the effects of certain negative karmas can be mitigated or accelorated through the help of a satguru or other holy person, or through various rituals and meditations.

Karma can be accelorated or mitigated through magick or satguru, provided the practitoner has a full understanding of karma and the personal intricacies of the individuals karma. A practitioner can use the persons karma as a base to perform what some might consider a "curse", but in reality, it is a blessing to the individual. Accelorating someones karma might cause them to experience what seems like very negative effects, though in reality they are experiencing what they must experience in order to move closer to a purer and more virtuous place. These seemingly negative effects can include emotional and/or mental upsets, personal calamities, or something as seemingly trivial as stress or anxiety. In some cases, the person may have to lose everything they hold dear in order to resolve their karmic debts. It is only by undoing the cumulative damage that the individual personality has done to it's own soul and the souls of others that truth can be reached and karma can be resolved. This process works very much like removing a thorn from the skin. It is a very painful process, but it removes the sharp object and prevents it from doing further damage to the skin.

It is important to have compassion and to remember that we have all been the thief and the victim, the murderer and the murdered, the child and the parent. None of us are exempt from all manner of virtues and wrongdoings, roles and situations. But it is also important to remember that no good deed goes unrewarded and no dishonest deed goes unpunished. But, the most important thing to remember is that karma is in our hands because we have the gift of free will. Free will allows us the freedom of choice, and those choices are what will ultimately create our karma. When I cast revenge spells, I do not cast with the typical wiccan or voodoo methods. I cast according to the laws of karma and of simple cause and effect. This ensures no negative repercussions for the caster and the petitioner of the casting. It is one of the swiftest and most dramatic ways to bring wrongdoers to justice. This is why I prefer to call my revenge spells "justice" spells.

The subject of karma is very complex, and I have only scratched the surface here.  Here is one of my favorite quotes pertaining to karma:

"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand."   Thich Nhat Hanh

Blessings,

Meena