The Soul's Past, Present and Future

Karma is the natural result of actions. "Karma" is the one word that describes the spiritual law "As you sow, so shall you reap".

Karma is "cause always makes appropriate effect".

"Good karma" is the natural reward and result from good previous actions.

Likewise, "Bad karma" is the natural repercussions from bad previous actions.

But in spiritual terms, there is neither "good" nor "bad" as the correct terms are "positive" and "negative". Likewise, the term "evil" is really "negative". To explain: from a spiritual viewpoint, every action/reaction is viewed from the sense of whether it accelerates or hinders spiritual progress. The spiritual progress of a human is his greater and greater manifestation and expression of divine love, wisdom and action.

Every person, every individualised soul, continually plays his part in the whole. Whenever he is "good" (even to the slightest degree), he is part of the "White Brotherhood" and accelerates the spiritualisation of our Earth system. Likewise, whenever he is "bad" or "evil", he resists or retards the spiritualisation of himself and our Earth system.

But it is not as trite as this for no person is totally good or totally bad, and good and evil are relative. Thus every individual plays either a positive or negative part in the whole, and this may vary minute by minute. Such is the range of humanity, so is its expression. With unstable, uncontrolled personalities it may even oscillate frequently from divine good to the grossest evil. Thus each of us is continually a mix of positive and negative influences on our personal growth and on our surrounding friends, colleagues and the environment. But it is our overall trends determined by our individual wills and choices, actions and inactions, that set our status, our soul attributes, when we leave our bodies at our deaths.

To expand and to summarise:

Each of us, through choice from our free will, knowledge, and evolved attitudes, continually makes actions with particular intents.

Every action has a beneficial (positive) or bad (negative) effect, or a mixture of effects.

The spiritual law of karma ensures that there always is the appropriate reaction (karma) returned to the person who initiated the action, at the appropriate time.

Karmic results return when they are spiritually due- some immediate, some in a few hours, and some after many lifetimes. Thus through our earthly sense limitations we often do not perceive "fair play".

The results of the Law of Karma are often perceived as good fortune or bad luck.

Spiritually, "good fortune" and "bad luck" do not exist. The perception is simply karma returning just deserts from unknown causes, often from previous lives.

So next time you feel disadvantaged, jealous, or superior, remember it is not the result of blind luck that there are differences in people's circumstances, attributes and skills. The differences are the result of karma acting in divine fairness over numerous lifetimes.

Never forget: Each of us is totally responsible for our self, and we each determine our individual spiritual growth and part in the whole.

Any and every action creates karma.

Now you might think "If I sit on my chair and do nothing then I will incur no karma." This is incorrect. Sitting and doing nothing is making the choice to do nothing. It is the "action" of sitting still. In fact the action of doing nothing can earn you negative karma! Keep reading.

You might say "But I want all the good deeds I have done to return to me in this life." Fine, but would you want the consequences of only your negative actions to be returned to you in the following life? More normally our souls choose to manifest a mix of positive and negative karmic results in each life. This can improve conscious assimilation of the karmic lessons.

We do not have to know the causes of our karmic suffering to move beyond it. In fact, in many cases the truth about the bad deeds you have done in past lives would be so disheartening it may bog down your progress. Likewise, rememberance of your past great deeds may lead to an inflated ego and again be an encumberance. Imperfect memory may actually be perfectly essential to the Plan. Many books state that suffering can indicate the karmic cause- e.g., our personal bad health could be due to past lack of respect for our health or other's health.

The Lesson

Knowledge of the Law of Karma, accepted fully, will change all your future as you will have second thoughts and avoid many foolish or selfish actions you have previously been inclined to. So, if you want to "sow" more positive karma in the future then sow more positive things to others now. In the earlier example of "action" I gave the situation of "doing nothing". This may mean that someone we might have helped wasn't helped. Think about that- particularly if you find yourself in a situation where no one seems interested in helping you!

In The Moment

"The Past is past, the Future's to come" so we can only be in the moment. Everything, every action, exists only in the current moment which replaces itself infinitely. Thus it is so important to live in the moment.