by Michele Fulton
There are many benefits in learning about what Karma really is and what Laws govern it. You can learn how to go about changing your thinking so that the Law Of Cause and Effect can assist you in bringing about the changes you want to see in your life.
Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. It is equivalent to Newton's law of ‘every action must have a reaction’. When we think, speak or act we initiate a force that will react accordingly. This returning force maybe modified, changed or suspended, but most people will not be able eradicate it. This law of cause and effect is not punishment, but is wholly for the sake of education or learning.
The 12 Laws of Karma
1. The Great Law
- "As you sow, so shall you reap." This is also known as the "Law of Cause and Effect."
- If what we want is happiness, peace, love, and friendship, then we should BE happy, peaceful, loving and a true friend.
- Whatever we put out in the Universe is what comes back to us.
2. The Law of Creation
- Life doesn't just happen. It requires our participation.
- We are one with the Universe, both inside and out.
- Whatever surrounds us gives us clues to our inner state.
- Be yourself, and surround yourself with what you want to have in your life.
3. The Law of Humility
- You can't change something if you refuse to accept it.
- If what we see is an enemy, or someone with a character trait that we find to be negative, then we ourselves are not focused on a higher level of existence.
4. The Law of Growth
- "Wherever you go, there you are."
- For us to grow in Spirit, it is we who must change, and not the people, places or things around us.
- The only given we have in our lives is ourselves, and that is the only factor we have control over.
- When we change who and what we are within our hearts, our lives follow suit and change too.
5. The Law of Responsibility
- Whenever there is something wrong in my life, there is something wrong in me.
- We mirror what surrounds us, and what surrounds us mirrors us; this is a Universal Truth.
- We must take responsibility for what is in our life.
6. The Law of Connection
- Even if something we do seems inconsequential, it is very important that it gets done as everything in the Universe is connected.
- Each step leads to the next step, and so forth and so on.
- Someone must do the initial work to get a job done.
- Neither the first step nor the last are of greater significance, as they were both needed to accomplish the task.
- Past, Present and Future are all connected.
7. The Law of Focus
- You cannot think of two things at the same time.
- Because of this, when our focus is on Spiritual Values, it is impossible for us to have lower thoughts such as greed or anger.
8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality
- If you believe something to be true, then sometime in your life you will be called upon to demonstrate that particular truth.
- Here is where we put what we CLAIM that we have learned into actual PRACTICE.
9. The Law of Here and Now
- Looking backward to examine what was or forward to worry about the future prevents us from being totally in the here and now.
- Old thoughts, old patterns of behavior, and old dreams prevent us from having new ones.
10. The Law of Change
- History repeats itself until we learn the lessons that we need to change our path.
11. The Law of Patience and Reward
- All rewards require initial toil.
- Rewards of lasting value require patient and persistent toil.
- True joy comes from doing what we're supposed to be doing, and knowing that the reward will come in its own time.
12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration
- You get back from something whatever you have put into it.
- The true value of something is a direct result of the energy and intent that is put into it.
- Every personal contribution is also a contribution to the Whole.
- Lackluster contributions have no impact on the Whole, nor do they work to diminish it.
- Loving contributions bring life to, and inspire, the Whole.
Sources: Raven Emrys and Social Consciousness