Are You On The Karmic Path Of Grace?

Every step we take in life shapes not only how we feel, but also where we end up in life and how others respond to us.

Sayings such as “you reap what you sow,” “what goes around comes around,” and “your vibe attracts your tribe” represent the complex interplay between our choices and actions and the reality we experience each day.

This is known as the universal law of cause and effect, also known as the spiritual principle of karma. Every choice we make has consequences, whether seen or unseen. Every action we take – whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual – has a corresponding result or consequence.

Nothing in life happens by accident. Our values, beliefs, mindset and attitude all help to shape our life path and destiny. Our choices, behaviors, and even our thoughts have a ripple effect. Our free will choices ultimately determine our life journey and the legacy we will someday leave behind.

In essence, the energy or intent behind our actions affects the results we experience in life. Positive actions attract positive results, while negative actions can lead to challenges or difficulties. Over time, the cumulative effect of these causes and their consequences determines the course of our lives, affecting relationships, opportunities, and personal growth.

For this reason, it is essential that we be mindful of everything we say and do. We must cultivate self-awareness and take personal responsibility because every step we take affects our future and our destiny.

Before you act, you have freedom, but after you act, the effect of that action will follow you whether you want it to or not. That is the law of karma ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

When it comes to our karma and quality of life, we have a simple free will choice to make: you either live your life as a GRAVE person, or you choose to be a GRACE person. I use these two simple acronyms every day to guide my life choices and actions.

The Karmic Path Of GRAVE

Someone who chooses the GRAVE approach to life tends to act in the following ways:

G – Greedy
R – Revengeful
A – Angry
V – Vindictive
E – Egotistical

Greed, the insatiable desire for more, often leads to negative consequences in both the personal and spiritual realms. When consumed by greed, people act unethically or harm others in their pursuit of wealth, power, or possessions, creating much bad karma.

Traditional teachings such as those found in Buddhism emphasize the importance of non-attachment and generosity, warning that greed leads to suffering (dukkha) and entraps one in the cycle of samsara, the endless wheel of birth and rebirth. Similarly, in Hinduism, greed is seen as an obstacle to spiritual liberation because it fosters desires that divert one from the path of dharma (righteous living).

Revenge and vindictiveness, driven by the desire to “get even,” perpetuate cycles of harm not only to others but also to ourselves. Acting out of vengeance creates a negative energy that inevitably returns to the person who initiated it.

Many indigenous spiritual traditions, such as the Native American belief system, emphasize that harming others, even in retaliation, upsets the balance of harmony and peace in the world. Similarly, an ancient Hermetic teaching states, “As within, so without,” implying that clinging to revenge poisons the mind and attracts negativity into one’s life.

Anger and ego, left unchecked, distort perception and lead to destructive actions and disastrous results. Anger clouds judgment, causing people to act impulsively and often harmfully. In Taoism, for example, anger is seen as a disharmony in the flow of life-force energy (qi), and practitioners are encouraged to cultivate inner peace and patience. The ego, on the other hand, separates us from others and feeds selfishness and pride.

In Christianity, the Bible warns against pride and ego and emphasizes the importance of humility. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,” and Proverbs 29:23 warns, “The pride of a man will bring him low, but a humble spirit will exalt him.”

Mahayana Buddhism (especially Zen Buddhism) refers to the “ego” as a construct or illusion created by the mind. The goal of many Buddhist practices is to transcend this egoic self, leading to a state of enlightenment or nirvana.

In esoteric traditions such as Gnosticism, for example, the ego is seen as a limitation of our material existence that must be overcome to achieve spiritual liberation. The emphasis is on recognizing the divine spark within oneself and striving to reconnect with one’s inner divinity. The ego is seen as an obstacle to spiritual enlightenment because it blinds us to the interconnectedness of all things.

Are you greedy with your money or your emotions? Are you someone who is always planning revenge on a person who has wronged you? Are you constantly angry at others because you feel wronged and unforgiving, unable to move forward? Are you vindictively plotting and talking about others in horrible and disrespectful ways? Are you self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic? Do you think you are better than others?

If you do not release the things that represent these traits, their karmic consequences will eventually bring you down. Your life will simply be one of suffering, drama and unhappiness.

People pay for what they do, and, still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it simply: by the lives they lead ~ James Baldwin

The Karmic Path Of GRACE

Choosing to live a life of GRAVE does not serve our highest good, nor the greater good of the world around us. Instead, we should always strive to live a life of GRACE.

G – Generous
R – Relaxed
A – Awe-inspiring
C – Compassionate
E – Empowered

Generosity and charity are key principles in many religious and spiritual traditions. Giving freely without expecting anything in return generates positive karmic energy and attracts abundance and prosperity. In Buddhism, for example, the concept of dāna (generosity) is one of the highest virtues, teaching that giving to others helps reduce attachment and ego, creating good karma that leads to favorable outcomes in this life and future reincarnations.

Similarly, Christianity views the act of giving as sacred: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The Bible emphasizes generosity as essential to a righteous life and teaches that giving to those in need is a source of great blessing that cultivates gratitude, goodwill, and a sense of fulfillment in one’s life.

Being calm, relaxed, and at peace promotes positive karma by fostering a harmonious inner state, which then radiates outward. Esoterically, practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and breathwork in various wisdom traditions emphasize the importance of becoming calm, centered, and grounded in order to access deeper states of awareness and alignment with the universal flow, leading to a more fulfilling, peaceful life.

In Taoism, the principle of wu wei, or “non-action,” emphasizes the importance of letting things happen naturally. By living in harmony with the Tao and surrendering to the universal flow of life, rather than fighting against it, we create a ripple effect of serenity and balance in our own lives and in our interactions with others.

Awe-inspiring people, those who live with a sense of wonder and inspire others, naturally generate positive energy that attracts good karma. In the words of New Thought teacher Abraham-Hicks, “You cannot get poor enough to help poor people prosper, or sick enough to help sick people heal. You can only ever lift from your position of strength and clarity and alignment.”

Compassion and kindness are cornerstones of good karma, as taught in both Hinduism and Buddhism, because selfless love and kindness (karuṇā) lead to the purification of the soul.

And finally, personal empowerment, rooted in self-awareness and a strong connection to spirit and the divine, also creates a fulfilling life. In the Hermetic teachings, for example, personal empowerment comes from understanding the laws of the universe and using them to uplift oneself and others, thereby creating lasting positive effects in one’s life.

A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind ~ Daisaku Ikeda

How To Live With More GRACE

So, how does one live a life of karmic GRACE?

It begins with being more generous with your attention and your heart, knowing that you can change someone’s day with just a kind hello or a smile. Add to this being more charitable with whatever you can spare or share, whether it is your talents, time or money.

Become more relaxed about your life. This does not mean sleeping your life away, being lazy, or doing nothing, but being more relaxed and calm in everything you do. Do things in a way that makes you feel good and uplifted, instead of tense, worried, or stressed. This grounded, calm state of mind will rub off on others and transform your life.

Next, trust yourself more to be the amazing person you were born to be. You are a child of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine. You have the divine spark within. Live and act accordingly. In the words of Howard Thurman, “Ask not what the world needs. Ask what brings you alive, and go do that, for what the world needs is people who are alive.”

Be compassionate and kind. This is imperative. Compassion is important because you do not know what others are going through. Someone may have wronged you, but do you know, absolutely know, without a doubt, that what they did was purely aimed against you, or was it simply where they were in their own life? Did someone important to them hurt them, leave them, betray them, abuse them, etc.? Everyone has a story and a reason for the wrongs they do.

I choose grace over the grave every day. When I find anger or vengeance rearing its ugly head in my life, I stop, look at the real person behind the curtain, and return to my power to be compassionate, inspiring, relaxed, and generous. It centers me back to where I need to be.

Finally, empower yourself every day in every way. Self-care, conscious living, and a spiritual routine are key elements to this. When you are mindful, at peace and in alignment with your higher self, you become more empowered to accomplish what you were put on earth to do. You begin to live with greater purpose and can manifest, attract and achieve so much more.