Karma, or otherwise the ‘Law of Retribution’ is summarized in the phrase ‘You reap what you sow’. Whatever we may have said, thought, acted out and chosen in the past has its natural consequences at present. According to Evolutionary Astrology our natal chart isn’t random at all. This means that since it is the most suitable for us as it reflects our issues in the very best of ways, the reasons why we have the chart we have must be looked for in the past and in the notion of Karma. There is a misunderstanding in the use of the word ‘Karma’, which is negatively charged, because it is often used to denote punishment. Therefore it is wrongly interpreted as ‘you get what you deserve’. However Karma is nothing more than habit. It is a pattern that repeats itself or our own tendency to repeat past patterns and let them define our choices and who we are today.
Maybe in a past life I have behaved in a dishonest way, I may have blackmailed or deceived someone. A very large possibility is -especially if I act without being conscious- that I continue repeating past patterns and thus continue behaving dishonestly, blackmailing, or deceiving, because I haven’t succeeded in breaking the chains that bide me to this habit that is a learnt conduct, something that is familiar to me. In this regard, Karma is our tendency to react to life and not respond consciously to what it brings to us. It seems that we are so accustomed to this learnt behavior that it easily becomes second nature to us and we don’t even think of acting out of this framework.
This tendency of repetition and habit has been recorded in our emotional memory and it manifests with the corresponding behavior. Unfortunately most of the times we don’t doubt it, but we look for the culprit outside, in the outer world and we wonder ‘why we keep attracting such circumstances’. We may not recognize our compulsive reactions to life that are based on repetition and even if we recognize them we don’t easily accept that they are negative in our growth process. We may not even have the courage to change them. Take as an example an addicted smoker that even though he accepts in his mind that smoking is bad for his health and his general well-being, he will find a lot of excuses to avoid breaking this bad habit.
Nevertheless, there comes a point that Karma ripens. The Soul decides that it can no longer stay imprisoned in past patterns and that times has come to break free from the known and the familiar, daring to make a step forward and embracing that which is unfamiliar and foreign to it that may hide a big reward. This happens when it is the right time and the Soul is ready. The Soul creates the right conditions for her broader evolutionary plan.
Imagine that after a tiring journey in the desert you find yourself in front of a tree that has ripe fruit – not accidentally. The reason you found yourself there is because we can taste the fruit and benefit from their juice the right time, when they are ripe. If we eat them very early they are unripe and they taste sour, if we eat them too late they have rotten and they have nothing to offer. From our side it is good for us to reflect on being more receptive with life experience and less critical with other people’s choices. This could help us grow spiritually and make us understand that each person’s divine plan and path in life is different and unique.
We are all in the same destination but on different stations. Somebody may travel by car in a fast lane, another may travel by train and a third one may decide that he wants to reach the end by going on foot. The essence is the same in every case. We are all on a journey and we have a common terminal. The actions, thoughts, words within this journey count. Still, it is mostly our choices and the degree of awareness we bring to them that define what we learnt what we didn’t learn, what we need to repeat, where we need to change and grow. All these are our personal Karma.