Karma
What Comes First: Friendship Or Romance?
Is it really necessary to build a solid foundation of friendship when you already have a gut feeling that the person you just met might be “the one”?
This is a question I sometimes get from clients seeking a love or relationship reading. They want to know whether they should focus on building a friendship first if they feel that their relationship has the potential to lead to a long-term commitment or marriage.
The answer can vary depending on the people involved and the unique dynamics of their relationship.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, building a friendship can provide a stable foundation for the deeper layers of a romantic relationship. Friendship helps create a space where mutual respect, understanding, and shared values can flourish – qualities that are crucial to a lasting partnership.
I find many folks jump into a relationship with both feet, convinced they’ve found their true soulmate, only to be disappointed later.
Developing a strong friendship with your partner can be incredibly beneficial. It allows you to get to know each other on a deeper level without the pressure or distractions that often come with romantic and physical intimacy. In a friendship, you’re more likely to feel comfortable being your authentic self. This authenticity can lead to a stronger emotional connection, which can then become the foundation for a more serious romantic connection.
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.
The Empowering Eight Energy Of September 2024
As this month unfolds, we find ourselves in a powerful and transformative period in terms of numerology.
September 2024 carries the dynamic energy of the number 8, which resonates strongly with the overall vibration of the year, as this is a year of the number 8.
In numerology, each month is assigned a number based on its position in the calendar year. September is the 9th month of the year, so the number for September is 9.
To find the numerological number for a year, you add up each digit of the year until you reduce it to a single digit. So the number for 2024 is 8.
2024 → 2 + 0 + 2 + 4 = 8
To find the combined energy for a particular month within a particular year, add the number of the month to the number of the year and reduce the sum to a single digit (if necessary).
9 (September) + 8 (year 2024) = 17
Reduce 17 to a single digit: 1 + 7 = 8
Thus, September 2024 carries the dynamic combined energy of the number 8. This creates a powerful alignment that amplifies the qualities of the number 8 this month with significant opportunities to achieve personal growth, balance and abundance.
The Karmic Lessons Of Our Past Lives
Each lifetime offers us karmic lessons inherited from our past lives, often presenting what we perceive as hardship or misfortune, but are actually opportunities for soul growth.
These soul lessons are “karmic” because they were created or caused by our free will choices, decisions and actions in previous lives. They resurface in our current lifetime to be resolved, redeemed, released, and healed.
In ancient Sanskrit, karma (कर्म) literally means “action” or “deed.” It is derived from the root word kri, which means “to do” or “to act.”
According to many spiritual and philosophical tradition the essence of karma is that every action (physical, verbal, mental, spiritual) has consequences that reverberate through time and space and affect our present and future circumstances. Our actions in every lifetime create karmic ripples that influence the fabric of our existence, shaping our future life experiences and soul growth journey.
Karmic imprints are the energetic residues of our past actions, thoughts, and emotions that carry over from previous lives into our present existence. These imprints often manifest as recurring patterns, challenges, or opportunities in our current lifetime. The core principle is that our actions, thoughts, and emotions create a cause-and-effect relationship that extends beyond a single lifetime. Positive actions result in positive consequences, while negative actions result in negative consequences.
Karmic imprints are stored in the etheric energy field known as the Akashic Records, or Universal Consciousness, that records all human experience. When a soul reincarnates, it brings these imprints with it, influencing its experiences and choices in the current life.
Letting Go Of Guilt
We all like to be seen as good people, and it can be deeply unsettling when others perceive us otherwise. When we find ourselves in a disagreement with a dear friend or colleague and take the blame for something we’re not responsible for, it’s natural to feel unhappy.
Spirit teaches that while it’s important to own our actions and the roles we play in conflict, guilt only serves to amplify feelings of remorse. If we allow guilt to fester, we may begin to believe that we are “bad” people who do not deserve happiness and success.
This is far from the truth. We are human, and human beings have the ability to change. Our actions may not always be right, but that doesn’t mean we are inherently bad or deserving of punishment.
Making mistakes is part of being human, and sometimes we need to adjust our responses, especially in challenging situations, in order to grow and improve. Spirit suggests that this is a much healthier perspective.
However, taking this “healthy approach” is often easier said than done. We’ve grown up in a world where elders, peers, and society define what is good and bad – even when they’re not always right. This can lead us to judge ourselves harshly and feel unnecessary guilt.
Many traditional spiritual teachings emphasize the importance of forgiveness, both of oneself and of others. In Christianity, for example, the concept of repentance is central; believers are encouraged to confess their sins, seek divine forgiveness, and then release their guilt, trusting that God’s grace has absolved them.
The Unresolved Karmic Bonds Between Souls
Have you ever found yourself thinking about an old friend or flame that you haven’t spoken to in years, and they suddenly show up in your life in the most unexpected place? This often happens when we are still energetically connected to someone.
There are invisible energy cords that connect us to many different souls across dimensions and incarnations. These karmic connections are deep soul bonds that transcend time and space and span multiple lifetimes.
Those we love (or hate) – whether a partner or spouse, family members, friends – are all karmically connected to us.
Karmic connections aren’t easily severed. They also don’t simply disappear when we physically part ways in this world. These invisible cords keep us tied to those we’ve loved, lost, or even hurt—until we consciously choose to break free.
Karmic connections continue across lifetimes unless they are consciously severed and dissolved. But these energetic cords of attachment can be difficult to break. We may believe that a relationship is over on a logical level, but energetically the connection remains.
When betrayal or heartache occurs, an energy cord remains between the heart chakras of both individuals, often leading to a recurring cycle of pain and energy depletion due to these lingering connections.
Traumatic events, emotional or sexual attachments, promises, contracts and vows all create strong connections between souls. We often feel a sense of unfinished business when a promise or vow is broken or left unfulfilled.
The Spiritual Power Of Choosing To Forgive
Forgiveness is a much-discussed topic in spiritual circles. It is also often deeply misunderstood.
Forgiveness does not mean condoning wrongdoing or accepting abuse or cruelty. Instead, it involves choosing not to carry the darkness and negativity that has been inflicted upon you, and refusing to allow it to affect your well-being, either physically or emotionally.
While it’s ideal to find compassion for those who have wronged you, it’s not always possible. Understand that those who caused you harm are often suffering themselves.
Happy and fulfilled people are naturally kind, generous, and honest. In contrast, those consumed by self-loathing and misery tend to spread chaos and cruelty. Their relationships are full of conflict and dissatisfaction.
I once worked with a man who was clearly struggling with mental illness. Circumstances placed us in a business relationship that I initially tried to avoid, preferring to distance myself from unhealthy situations. However, I was compelled to help him because I was told that my true role was to support his children and providing help where it was needed most.
This unfortunate man is consumed by rage from his own traumatic past-abuse by his mother, mistreatment by her successive husbands, and conflict with his first ex-wife. His life is a testament to the destructive power of unresolved anger and lack of forgiveness. His toxic energy is rooted in past hurts and a cycle of inflicting pain on others.