Karma Is A B****

There are many aspects of behaviour exhibited by us humans that upset and anger me, including intolerance, injustice and cruelty to ourselves, others and the world around us. And there are few common misconceptions that produce an exasperated response from me more than Karma. It's not the philosophical notion of Karma itself that gets me on edge but the common tendency to frame a spiritual belief in the human notions of revenge and retribution. 'Karma is a b****' is a common response used by some to reflect a feeling of justice when they hear of something unpleasant happening to someone they feel has wronged them or others.

When framed in this context, the concept of Karma is used by us humans as the Universe exacting its will, dealing out its punishment, but it is really only a way for us to express our own feelings of satisfaction at our own concept of justice, often borne from our conditioning, whether this is societal or institutional. Our perceptions of justice are essentially nothing to do with the Universe, whose own position is from a place of infinite love - to me, there is nothing bitchy, vengeful or punishing about Karma. That is revenge and retribution and those are human thoughts, judgements and actions based on what level of pain experienced by another is required for us to consider that the scales become balanced, for them to have 'paid for' what they have done to us.

Justice is also different from these and there are many forms of justice based on our own perceptions of what is 'fair' or 'right'. Our human institutions - courts and associated establishments - have their process of justice, and the outcomes are often at odds to our own personal sense of justice.

Cosmic Soup

If we feel we have been wronged and are looking to seek justice, this is different from revenge and retribution. Truly spiritual seekers question their motives; personal accountability for our thoughts, choices and actions is something we must accept.

Our actions have repercussions. Every action comes from a place of choice and while sometimes we can feel that we have no choice, we always do; it's just that some choices are not as appealing or as viable as others. In making our choice, we have stated an intention and our follow on actions produce an energy, a vibration that we transmit out into the cosmic soup that affects us all. This is something that indigenous peoples, with their knowledge of healing practices gained over centuries and passed down through generations, have known for a long time, that we all originate from the same divine source of energy. And this is why The Golden Rule is so prevalent as a cornerstone of spirituality; what damages other living creatures also damages us. This sheds some light on the repercussions of revenge.

Science is slowly but surely catching on to this spiritual truth, with quantum physics' theory of Entanglement. Quantum Entanglement occurs when two particles remain connected, even over large distances, in such a way that any actions performed on one particle has an effect on the other. They interact in ways that the state of each particle cannot be described independently of the other and it must be described as a whole. Many modalities support the entanglement theory between life forces, that essentially everything is connected; we are all connected to each other and that nothing exists on its own.

Waves Of Light

We've all done things that we wished we hadn't, things that we would do differently if presented with again and it can be difficult to be mindful of our thoughts and actions, which are often from a place of a conditioned upbringing, which we all have. We have all had life experiences that we consider to be cruel or unfair. But thoughtless, unfeeling, unpleasant or cruel actions in response does not create balance, they just creates more unpleasantness and cruelty. We must consider the motives behind our actions. When we come from a place of love, a place of grace - rising above the unfeeling, the unthinking - can we truly heal ourselves, others and the world we live in. This is one of the many reasons why I will never promote the practice of hexing, spell casting with the intention of bringing harm, or to restrict the free will of another - I talk a little more about this in one of my YouTube videos, 'Do Spells Backfire?'.

The cosmic soup hears the energy of our actions and communicates to us on the same wavelength. And to my mind, this is what Karma is about - an opportunity to learn the lessons lovingly presented to us. It is not about punishing ourselves or each other, quite the opposite. Everything is an opportunity to know ourselves, to understand ourselves better so that we can become kinder to ourselves and each other, a releasing of the old ways so that we can welcome in a new, more compassionate and loving way of being. But this isn't about submission or surrender to cruelties inflicted upon us; it is about self awareness and responsibility, boundaries, informed choices, personal accountability and the best course of action to heal ourselves. The more actions created from a place that is motivated by love and healing, the more loving energy we transmit to the world and this is the only way we can change it. By healing one, we heal all.

Copyright © Andrea Doran, VOLVA and Contributors - Original Date of Publication June 2019, updated April 2025 | For personal use and information only