karmic responsibility
Spiritual Maturity Is A Lifelong Journey
What does spiritual maturity mean to you? Every time I ask someone this question, I get all kinds of different answers.
A Baby Boomer I asked said it meant going to church, donating to charities, studying the Bible, and following the Ten Commandments.
When I asked a Gen Z client, she said it meant minding your own business and not caring what others think of you because it is none of your business what they think. She also said she was a Wiccan and didn’t believe in wishing negative energy on others, because she knew it would only come back to her if she did.
I recently asked four people at a social gathering, and they had different opinions on the subject. They were in their 30s and 40s and had a young teenager with them. Interestingly, one thing they all agreed on was that it is spiritually mature to create healthy boundaries with family and friends for your own mental and spiritual well-being. One woman shared, for exxample, that if she hadn’t stopped hanging out with one of her friends, she would have hit rock bottom emotionally.
“I just could not put up with the way she treated me. I used to spend a lot of time stressing about the things she would say and do. I was always overthinking every toxic interaction with her, and our so-called friendship was not good for my mental state,” she explained. “So, for me, spiritual maturity is walking away from those who bring you down.”
Honoring Your Soul Contract
Each of us came into our current life for a reason that is relevant to our soul evolution. Regardless of how, where and when we arrived, we all came into this physical existence with a planned mission known as our soul contract, or pre-birth soul plan.
Before entering this life, our souls deliberately choose certain experiences and lessons to learn and contributions to make for the purpose of our own spiritual evolution. It’s essentially our cosmic to-do list!
We come for a variety of reasons: some to learn, some to teach, some to grow, some to heal. Some come to observe, others to participate. Some come to navigate a profound dark night of the soul. Some even come to influence the masses or change the world forever.
Whatever the nature of your soul contract, you can be absolutely certain that there is a divine purpose to it all. Never forget that your soul mission is your own doing. We owe our existence and our journey to no one. It is ours alone to experience and ours alone to complete.
One of the most empowering things we can do in this lifetime is to uncover the nature of our soul contract to ensure our ultimate success. We must reflect on our true purpose and the meaningful connections and experiences we encounter.
What Reality Will You Create Today?
In this lifetime, it is important to remember that we are all the creators of our own realities, as well as the co-creators of our shared reality.
This means that as an individual we have the divine gift of free will. Free will is our personal power to make our own choices in life. It is one of the most important and valuable aspects of human existence because it allows us to determine our own fate and shape our own destiny.
Without free will, we would not be autonomous and responsible spiritual beings in human form. Instead, we would be robots, pre-programmed to act in a certain way. Being born with free will allows us to make moral choices, to love and be loved, and to create our own unique paths in life.
Of course, with free will comes responsibility and accountability. We are responsible for our own thoughts and actions, both good and bad. We must therefore think carefully about our choices and make sure that we are acting not only for our own highest good, but also for the greater good.
Free will also does not mean that we are completely free from the constraints of external circumstances and worldly influences. We also share a collective free will with the rest of humanity. Just as we create our own daily reality and shape our individual destiny, we also co-create a shared global reality with the rest of the world.
Transform Your Life With Sustainable Resolutions
Every new year, I hear my clients complain about what they hope to change about themselves, what they want to change about themselves, or what they should be changing about themselves.
I then ask them why they are not claiming their power to change right now?
You do not have to wait until the New Year or some other major life event to make a change in your life. Once you’ve decided on a new path or course of action, the key is to stick with it for the long haul, taking small steps every day.
The Japanese call this kaizen, a philosophical concept that emphasizes continuous improvement, often in small increments. The idea is that by making consistent progress, even if it is just a little bit each day, you can eventually achieve significant results.
Sustainability should be the ultimate goal of whatever you decide to change in your life. While New Year’s resolutions are all noble and lofty, you have to acknowledge the inherent resistances and blockages you carry within and agree to be patient with yourself in order to ultimately get there.
I’m still working on some New Year’s resolutions I made in 2016. Do I look back in horror and say, “Why is it taking so long?” or “I really should be doing better!” Sometimes, yes! Do I use that as an excuse to backslide, fall off the wagon, or throw in the towel? Not at all, mostly because I’ve come to realize that if I hadn’t decided years ago to make those resolutions to make powerful changes in my life, I’d still be where I was, or worse. I’d be living a life of regret, not progress.
Free Yourself From Karmic Debt This Year
With the start of a new year, many of us are eager to set new financial goals and improve our overall financial situation. For those struggling with debt, the new year can be a great time to take control of your finances and make a plan to get out of debt.
But there is more to our life journey than financial debt. There is also the much more important soul debt known as our karma. A debt that for some of us may require much more urgent attention.
Karmic debt is the result of all the negative actions we take in this life, and in past lives, that have consequences beyond our present existence. If we accumulate bad karma through actions that cause harm to others or ourselves, we will experience negative consequences in this life, or in a future life. These karmic consequences will in time manifest as difficulties, challenges, obstacles and sufering in our lives. Similarly, if we accumulate good karma through deeds that benefit others, we will experience positive consequences such as abundance, happiness, health, and success.
If you feel persistently stuck in some kind of negative cycle, burdened by what feels like repeated bad luck, hard times, or difficult relationships, karmic debt is most likely playing a role. Breaking these patterns requires that you take responsibility for your misdeeds or inappropriate actions in the past.