The Karmic Fruit Of Our Past Life Seeds
To be the architect of our own destiny is a spiritual concept that has been spoken of for thousands of years. The Vedas call it Karma. The Bible refers to it as ‘reaping what you sow.’
Karma is a Sanskrit word that means action, as well as reaction. It has made its way into our everyday language to represent the good or bad we create in life that will eventually come back to us.
However, the true meaning of karma goes much deeper than that. In this life it does refer to ‘sowing and reaping’ in the short-term, but it also extends into the long-term, over thousands of years and many lifetimes.
The Padma Purana, an ancient Hindu encyclopedic text of spiritual truths, compares karma to seeds that are sown and harvested in due course of time. It explains that every activity we perform bears four kinds of effects. The first is merely a seed, the second is not yet fructified, the third is in the process of being fructified, and the fourth has blossomed and is already mature.
The karma we are experiencing today, are the sweet and sour fruits of the past seeds we have planted, – not only in this lifetime, but also from thousands of years and lifetimes before this life.
Therefore, we may not be able to recognize why certain things are happening that seem out of sync with the efforts and energies we are extending in the now. Similarly, it may sometimes be disheartening and difficult to understand why the desired results of our best endeavors do not appear to be coming to fruition.
To thoroughly resolve these misgivings, a broader scope of our soul’s journey before and beyond this one body and lifespan must be considered. Clarity can come with spiritual vision and higher consciousness.
Astrology Forecast March 15 – 21, 2021
Happy Equinox and Astrological New Year! In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal or spring equinox arrives this week, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is the autumn or fall equinox. Equinoxes are a point of balance or equilibrium and either represent the beginning (spring) or ending (autumn) of a phase. It is a powerful time for self-reflection and taking stock.
The Sun moves into Aries on Saturday, followed by Venus on Sunday, and sets a brand new tone for the remainder of 2021.Use this week to realign with your goals and ambitions for the year ahead.
The week starts out with Mercury moving into spiritual Pisces on Monday, which will turn our thoughts to the mystical, the soulful, and the metaphysical for the next three weeks. This is a wonderful time to advance our meditation or spiritual practice and lean more fully into following our intuition.
The Taurus Moon prevails overhead Tuesday through Thursday, enabling us to tackle our physical worlds and restore balance to our health, finances, and work obligations. A Gemini Moon will take us into the new season, as our heads fill with creative ideas and hopes for a bright new future.
The Sun’s move into Aries on Saturday inspires a fresh start and new beginnings, making this the ideal time to recommit to any New Year resolutions we’ve let slide and to bolster our commitments to live a more purpose-filled and vibrant life! But we can take a breather on Sunday as Venus tiptoes into Aries and the Cancer Moon inspires staying in, working on home projects, or simply take a long nap to catch up on our sleep.
The Spiritual Life Lessons Of The Spider
I recently saw with my own eyes a burly, grown man run screaming from his garage because he saw a spider! I could not help but wonder what he thought might happen to him? Was the tiny spider going to pounce on him and consume him entirely?
Of course, in some places in the world there are indeed deadly little creatures that could cause irreparable harm, or even death. However, in the area where we live there is really not much chance of this ever happening. Instead of running away screaming, the arachnophobic lumberjack should have appreciated instead the spiritual wisdom and life lessons his petite visitor embodies.
When we look closely at the life of a spider, we must recognize and respect its truth. It operates in a world that is dictated only by nature and honest survival. It makes its living by adhering to the laws of nature.
The spider creates creates a home for itself where it can be safe and comfortable by applying formidable patience and diligence. It takes infinite care in this process with extreme precision.
The spider does not have a strict deadline as to when it’s home must be complete. The web is carefully spun after a perfect spot is chosen that will be most advantageous. This miraculous, fragile home must be able to withstand rain, sleet, snow, extreme winds and any other element that nature sees fit to throw it’s way.
Once this arduous and time-consuming task is completed, the next phase is just as critical. The spider will then take on the task that all creatures, man and beast, must comply with and that is securing a source of nourishment.
Making The Most Of Today’s New Moon In Pisces
The New Moon in Pisces today offers us the chance to get in touch with out creative side and enhance our intuitive gifts.
Pisces is the zodiac sign of fluidity, inspiration, sensitivity, perception, softness, and going within. This cycle gives us the opportunity to connect with spirit and trust in the mysteries of life, without over analyzing every detail.
Going with the flow and patience is the key to thriving during this month’s New Moon. Since Pisces ends the zodiac wheel, it is a wonderful transit to release and tie up any loose ends, before the Aries New Moon next month.
Pisces is a water sign. So, staying hydrated, getting in touch with our deeper emotions and beautifying our physical bodies will create lovely results moving forward.
The shadow side of Pisces involves being too passive, self-defeating, over-indulgent, having a victim mentality, lacking focus, addictive behavior and holding onto unhealthy situations or people who are toxic.
Pisces often times has dualistic tendencies in extreme, which means that it will be vital to question anything that is out of balance and correct it. These changes don’t necessarily have to happen overnight, but acknowledging them now will allow you to heal whatever is holding you back from living your best life.
Karma And The Law Of Attraction
It is quite common to hear of the ‘Law of Attraction’ these days. However, although the concept has become popularized in mainstream culture, it is actually an ancient spiritual concept. In metaphysics, it is one of the primary Universal Laws.
However, what is less commonly known is that the concept of Karma is secondary or sub-law to the Law of Attraction. The principle of Karma or Karmic Law is found in various religions and wisdom traditions, particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It prevails over multiple lifetimes and is associated with our soul evolution and rebirth.
To understand Karma, it is usually helpful to consider what it is not. Karma is not a punitive concept of punishment for the bad, and rewards for the good. Karma does not ‘come for us’ when we do bad or evil things. In fact, we can potentially resolve karmic patterns within a single lifetime, even before they manifest into actual events and experiences.
Karma is created through core belief patterns we have about ourselves, about life, and the world around us. These beliefs, mindsets and paradigms are often accumulated through many experiences over several lifetimes. And ‘negative karma’ is created when we consistently believe, for example, in things like fear, lack or limitation.
A good example is the Great Depression of the 1930s. During that time, many people focused on lack or limitation. There was a fear of poverty and hardship. These beliefs created many cultural challenges. For example, many parents abandoned their children and families.
This created a karmic paradigm for them, and if that paradigm was not cleared out in their lifetime, it will be repeated in future lifetimes, until it is cleared out. They will reincarnate in the next lifetime with this core belief still attached to their subconscious mind. In their next life they will likely experience abandonment themselves. Their abandonment is not the karma, their abandonment is the result of the actions that were taken as a result of their fear or false beliefs.
Take A Moment To Breathe!
In today’s harried, hurried world we all too often go through life just going through the motions. In our actions and in our words, day in and day out, we rarely take the time to stop and smell the roses. We get up, we go to work, we take care of what we think needs our attention the most, often neglecting ourselves in the process.
Then one day you become burned out. You have no energy to do what you used to be able to do. Your energy seems ‘all clogged up’, rather like a blocked drain, and you can’t breathe. You may feel suffocated. The answer lies in all the excess and adverse energy that you have taken into your body over the years, or over a certain period of time.
Our muscles have what is known as ‘muscle memory’ and we inadvertently have become used to doing what we do, day in and day out. And our bodies remember the feelings. It happens with amputees a lot where they often complain about pain or itching where the missing limb used to be.
It can be triggered by stressful situations, things that bring fear or some sense of trepidation into our lives. Our necks begin to tighten; perhaps your jaw starts to lock up from the stress of not saying what you really want to say. The blocked, burned-out feeling comes from this place of tension and remembered circumstances, and it can be cleared by the power of your breath. We hold so much in psychically that taking some deep cleansing breaths to help us expunge the energy taken on during our daily life.
Do some simple breathing exercises for five minutes when you awake in the morning, to prepare the mind for the day ahead. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results. If you are able to take a break during the middle of your day to practice some additional cognizant breathing, that would be great!
Asking ‘Why’ When A Loved One Is Lost
When you lose someone you love in a sudden, unexpected way, such as suicide, a car accident, murder, or domestic violence, it always seems so unfair and tragic. It is usually so difficult to understand why this had to happen?
The truth is that we will never truly know the ‘why’ of things. The biggest regret that I hear from so many bereaved people is that they never had a chance to say goodbye.
Someone passing due to old age or illness usually affords us the time to prepare for the loss and to say our goodbyes. Typically, you will haves some time with the person, to be kinder, to be compassionate and to let them know how much they are loved. A sudden passing robs us of all of this.
I am personally very aware of the emotions, feelings and experiences that come after a loved one’s life is lost so suddenly and unexpectedly. More than a decade ago, I lost my stepson to suicide. He was only 32 years old. Within 2 days of this tragedy, a another local young man also took his life. He was only 22.
The widespread trauma of the pandemic over this past year has brought back many of these feelings for me. Many people I know, all men, have taken their own lives because they have lost their jobs, businesses or life partners. Some of these men were successful business owners, but the lockdowns triggered something inside of them that led them to think suicide was a better way, or the only way out.
I talk to an abuse counselor at least two to three times a month and we discuss the unavailability of abused women to get help, because the shelters that are there to protect them are usually full to capacity. I personally know two women whose lives were tragically ended by an abusive partner or ex-partner who they just could not get away from. You read about these cases almost every day. It makes zero sense if you try to find the logic in it.
And accidents happen in the blink of an eye. Yesterday, it was two locals snowmobiling in our area, who hit each other head on. One passed instantly, the other suffered only minor injuries. The week before it was a tractor trailer hitting a car that pulled out in front of it. The truck driver is fine, but the car and passenger is no longer with us. Continue reading
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