Karma: The Cause and Effect of Our Actions
Written by Randi Fine, Narcissistic Abuse Expert
Narcissistic Abuse Awareness and Guidance with Randi Fine
Karma, the cause and effect of our actions, is often thought of as reciprocal punishment, with the same connotation as, “An eye for an eye.” Many people use the word "karma" to describe negative forces that they are powerless over, using comments like, “I can’t help that I keep losing my job. It’s just my karma.” And some people misinterpret the word to mean fate.
How many times have you heard people who were in the middle of a crisis say, “Why is God punishing me like this” or “What did I do that made God so angry with me?” Many believe that an omnipresent, supreme being keeps track of their behavior and hands out punishments either accordingly or at will.
Karma, a word that comes from the Sanskrit language, basically means “action.” It has nothing to do with punishment. It doesn’t describe the effect of our action – it’s the action itself.
There is universal accountability but it isn’t always cut and dry. Karma is the cause and effect of our actions; a the law of nature. The law of nature is rigid like basic math. No matter how you look at it, one plus one equals two. There is no weighing and consideration done by the universe, no absolute right or wrong, no gray area. It is not some kind of cosmic game. Karma is strictly cause and effect. It’s a guiding law that holds us completely accountable for our words and actions.
We cannot trick karma by just going through the motions of living a good life and doing good things. It’s not about material success or earning merit awards. It is the intention behind your motives that counts. Doing things that benefit you but hurts others creates bad karma. Anything you do from the heart that is beneficial to others produces good karma.
Say you are driving on the highway and it begins to rain. The road gets slippery and somehow you lose control of your car. You cause a terrible accident and someone dies as a result of it. Was it your intention to kill another human being? Of course it wasn’t. Killing someone was not a deliberate act therefore it was not a karmic act. You are not spiritually responsible for what occurred when it was not your intention to do it. The person who died may have been fulfilling their karma. You could create good karma out of this horrible situation by offering the family of the deceased heartfelt kindness and compassion in the aftermath of the tragedy. That is an intended act and therefore karmic.
Pay close attention to the way you word things because words do create karma. If you start sentences with, “I’ll never be,” then you never will. If you make comments such as, “I’m not lucky,” then you won’t have good luck. When speaking, try to use phrases that are positive and hopeful. Instead of saying, “I don’t think I can do that,” say “I’ll try my best to do that.”
There are actions that do not leave a karmic footprint. General things we do to care for ourselves, like eating, showering, and exercising are karma exempt. So are neutral activities such as reading or watching television. These are things that don’t self promote or self praise, and they don’t affect the lives of others. Foolish, irrational, or risky acts that end badly, but only impact the person doing them aren’t karmic. Neither are the actions of someone who is mentally challenged or mentally ill. And the same goes for our general life experiences. Not everything that happens to us in our life or in the world, whether good or bad, is karmic.
There are techniques that can be used, to cleanse karma that’s not based in this lifetime. A regular practice of meditation, mantras, or prayer is likely to help to cleanse karmic residue. There are many meditation exercises, prayers, and specific mantras that can be found by doing an internet search for “clearing karma.” Another very effective tool for cleansing negativity and negative karma is the use of light energy called, the violet flame, or violet fire. This fascinating and easy technique is done through meditation and visualization.
Maintaining karma is just as important as cleansing it. Through maintenance you will continue to improve on achievements accomplished throughout your soul's journey. Without it you may set back whatever progress you brought with you. To further the karmic progress you’ve made in this life and then take it with you on your soul's journey, strengthen positive inclinations like kindness and compassion. Always be mindful of your actions, intentions, and words.
Karma may be responsible for many of the good things that occur in your life so practice being grateful. Remember to give thanks for every gift you receive, large and small.
As long as we live, breathe, and reincarnate, we will continue to create karma. Take an inventory of all the good things that exist for you and that have happened to you. By doing this you may change your perspective which in turn changes your karma.
Randi Fine is an internationally renowned narcissistic abuse expert and coach. She is the author of the groundbreaking book Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing and Recovery Second Edition, the most comprehensive, most well researched, and most up-to-date book on this subject. In addition to helping survivors recognize their abuse and heal from it, this book teaches mental health professionals how to recognize and properly treat the associated abuse syndrome. She is also the author of Cliffedge Road: A Memoir, the first and only book to characterize the life-long progression of complications caused by narcissistic child abuse.