Reversing the Effects of Karma

Today I was giving a reading to a client and Spirit gave me this message about karma. I thought that we could all benefit from this suggestion from Spirit so I am sharing it here.

Most of us are aware that there is a balancing of the scales in the spirit world. We know it as "what goes around comes around" or in Biblical terms, the law of sowing and reaping, or in scientific terms, the law of reciprocity. I think it was Einstein who said, " every action is met with an equal and opposite reaction" or something like that. This is known as karma. Anything we do, think, say or feel is a message that we send out into the Universe that at some point comes back to us.

If only those who are looking for justice on behalf of murdered or violated loved ones understood this!

My husband loves to watch those shows that describe how murderers and other violent criminals are brought to judgement, or in some cases, not. The family members and loved ones sometimes spend years and millions of dollars bringing criminals to justice. The law of karma states that this is an inevitable fact: every one will eventually have the payback they deserve. We may not see it happen, but it will occur.

Some people spend a large time of their lives trying to escape justice. Others always feel like they are a victim of circumstances, that justice is never on their side. There is also the field of thought that according to the law of attraction, our beliefs and thoughts bring to us what we think about most.

So what should you do if you seem to always be getting a "raw deal?" Do you sometimes feel like the scales of justice never tilt in  your favor, that as soon as one tragedy is dealt with, there is another one coming right along behind?

Today Spirit suggested to my client that she start a "karma" savings account. She should mark down every time she did something kind for someone else, gave to a charity, or blessed someone or something else in any way. This would be a "deposit" into her karma savings account. Every time she received something from someone else, or was the recipient of charity, she was to make a mark in the "withdrawal" section.

We all know people who are addicted to charity. They cannot function without it, and even come to expect it, and get angry when it is denied to them. What if each time someone was offered charity, they had to do something nice in return? It did not have to cost them money, but perhaps a little of their time, or require some effort on their part? It could be as simple as picking up litter, or helping someone across the street.

If we find ourselves always in the predicament of experiencing lack in some form, Spirit suggests that we open up a "karma" savings account and begin to make regular deposits. This does not have to cost you money! It could be something simple, like letting someone in front of you at the grocery store, or allowing someone to get in front of you in traffic. It could be sending out a prayer of blessing to someone you don't really like. It could be putting extra money in the parking meter, or giving that dollar to the charity of the day at the local grocery store.

Spirit says the amount of the deposit or withdrawal is not a factor, only the amount of entries. If you find yourself a regular recipient of the charity of others or the charity of the state, then you are running on a depleted "karma" account. It is time to balance the scales!

Just for today, do something nice for someone you don't know. It is really good if no one notices what you have done. When you get noticed or congratulated on your acts of charity, they don't count!

Be creative!

Spirit says that as you build up your entries into your karma savings account, Spirit will regularly "pay you back!" It is much better to be paid back by Spirit than whatever it cost you to perform the act of charity in the first place. I believe the Bible states that God pays back a hundredfold!

Contrary to what I was taught in church, I don't believe that God curses you if you don't give a specific amount of money to "Him" or his earthly representatives. I do believe that if your karma account begins to show a deficiency, you will begin to experience challenges in your life. This explains why some people seem to have all the bad luck! Their karma account is operating in the negative! You can reverse this trend!

Okay, it is time to go make a deposit into your karma account!

If you need direction from Spirit, I am always available to help! Check out my website, www.WhispersofJoy.net for information on the various ways I can connect to Spirit for you, or find the dates and times where you can meet with me in person!

Blessings to you as you navigate your path through this lifetime!

The Magician

Today's card is the magician! I love this card!

This card is all about manifesting. What is it that you would like to see happen in your life? A new job? A new relationship? More time to travel or pursue other interests? This card appears when it is time to create something new in your life.

This card, the magician, contains elements of all the suits on the table in front of him. He is holding his magic wand up in the air, and there seems to be a halo around him in the background. The figure eight is portrayed above his head. There seems to be blooming life all around the edges of this card, representing the possibility that your life is about to burst forth into bloom.

I love to think about possibilities.

I was listening to a recording on manifesting once and the woman suggested that when faced with a challenge, instead of fretting, say to yourself or to the challenge, "What else is possible?"

I love that! Instead of looking at your circumstances and thinking of the worst that could happen, which is usually what worry entails, instead, think of the best that could happen. Play the scene out in your head. This person will do this, that person will do that, etc etc. Maybe you are going to a job interview. Imagine the interviewer asking you questions and you giving amazing responses. Imagine the look in the eyes of the interviewer as they admire your abilities or potential.

Maybe you are having personality conflicts. Instead of imagining the conflict ending badly.. "I will say this and they will say that.." instead, think of "what else is possible?"

I was recently confronted with a conflict. Instead of confronting the issue head on, I decided to spend a day or two just sending the person love. I did that popular meditation where I said, out loud or in my mind.. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you." Over and over I said these simple sentences. When I laid down to bed at night I would go to sleep saying the words. Upon awakening I found the words to be the first thoughts that were going over and over in my head as I slept.

You guessed it. I didn't have to confront the issue. It resolved itself.

The magician card says that whatever you would like to create, you have the power to do it!

I was on the elliptical machine today, just lost in my own little world of electronica music and my own heart beating, when I remembered a story that a man once told of a time when he was living in a rundown motel building. He was on an upper floor, with a balcony that overlooked an old, rundown and nonworking swimming pool. He decided that every day he would go out on his balcony and imagine that he was sitting on a beautiful, new and lush balcony overlooking the ocean. He did this for a time, I don't remember how long. I bet you can guess the end of the story. Yes, now he lives in the place that he imagined for himself.

You can do it too!!

How do you start? First, you have to decide what kind of life you want for yourself. Imagine that life and what it will entail. Visualizing is not enough. You have to make a plan. How are you going to manifest that house on the beach, or that new job? What steps can you take today that will get you there. I am here to tell you that your house on the beach is not going to drop out of the sky. Yes, the magician card says you can manifest whatever you want, but you are the one who has to do the work! Make a plan. See yourself where you want to be, and then make a plan for getting you there!

Sometimes your fairy godmother will appear and wave her wand and give you your wishes. More often, you have to create your life yourself. Take a step today in the direction you want to go. The magician card appears today to say, "Today is the day!! You have the power to manifest your heart's desires. It is up to you to create that life you are dreaming of.."

Now go do it!!

The Gift

I have heard many times over that celebrating the Christmas holiday has become too commercialized, with stores displaying Christmas decorations well ahead of Thanksgiving, sometimes before the Halloween decorations have been removed. In past years I have been in agreement with this philosophy, wishing out loud that we could just skip right over the whole month of December. Looking back I am not sure what fed my disdain for Christmas. Perhaps it was feeling obligated to buy gifts for people I didn't really even like, or feeling the superficiality of the whole gift buying obligation. I recognized that many times people feel the financial strain of having to buy presents when they were having a hard time making their rent, or paying their electric bills, but for some reason there is this mentality that it is expected. I remember many years ago when I had no money for presents, I would give presents of things that I made myself, and I still find this a wonderful alternative for people with limited income. But this year something within me shifted. I found myself looking forward to the holiday season. In contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that this is what changed.

When we look at an obligation as an obligation, as a sacrifice that we are making that is taking away from us in some form, then that obligation becomes to us a burden. We feel we are losing something. This applies to gift giving but it also applies to anything that we do. If we feel that in the giving of a gift that we are sacrificing our hard earned income in order to give something to someone else, then that gift is a burden to us and to the other person it will be a burden as well, because even if it is a fine gift, that person will always feel the energy of our sacrifice.

If we look at Christmas as a time when businesses are all rallying to rid us of our hard earned money, then rid us they will.

If we think that the real meaning of Christmas is being lost, that there is no real Christmas Spirit left, that Santa Claus has replaced Jesus, then this is what will be true for us.

What I am suggesting is that the real meaning of  Christmas cannot be lost if it is not lost within each of us as individuals. Gift giving is not a burden unless we make it one. Businesses are not trying to rid us of our money. Most of them are trying to make a living, just like we all are.

Why not change our perspective? Look at a gift we are giving to another as an extension of the love that we have within us. Look at it as a blessing we are happy to give, not a burden or an obligation that is somehow taking away something from us. Look at the different aspects of the holiday from a perspective of something that we want to do, not something that we have to do.

I have news for you. Jesus wasn't born in December anyway. I am happy to celebrate his birthday, but what if the gifts we give each other were one way of giving a birthday gift to Jesus? He is not here in physical form to accept a gift for his birthday, so the gifts we give each other are our way of giving him a gift. And for my non- religious readers, what if the gifts you give represent some aspect of the giving of the love you have within your heart? Fill your gifts with the energy of the love in your heart. Give with the attitude that you are just sharing of the abundance that is within you, not that you are sacrificing your hard earned income and that you really don't like so and so anyway, why do you have to give them a gift?

There was a movie out a few years ago of a girl who was a chef, and every emotion she felt would go into the food she prepared in such a way that the people in the restaurant would respond in direct response to the emotions she was feeling as she prepared the food. So if she was mad, then all her customers would be mad. If she was upset, those eating at the restaurant would all start crying. What if this was an exaggerated illustration of a profound truth? What if the emotions we feel really do go into everything we do and into the food we prepare and the gifts we give one another?

What if everything we did, we did with the attitude that we were choosing to do this thing, that it was something we wanted to do, not something we felt obligated to do? I think our world would change. If love went into all our activities, that we had the attitude that when we went to work that we were giving a gift to our employer, that we enjoyed working and even looked at our difficult bosses with the attitude that we were giving them a gift of love and blessing, and not obligation, not sacrifice, how would our days change?

Just for today, any time you think that you are sacrificing of yourself of that you are giving something up, change your perspective. Decide to think instead that you are choosing to do an activity that you would otherwise think of as an obligation or a sacrifice. Choose to give a gift to someone who you don't really care for. Instead of thinking about what you want, think about what you can give. Instead of thinking about what you need, think about what you have. Give to someone something that you would like for yourself. If you would like to be understood, give understanding. If you would like respect, give respect. Most of all, if you need love, then give love.

Put love into every gift you give this year. Remember that every thought you think in some way is transmitted energetically to those around you. Even that crazy driver who just cut you off. Even that ex that did this or did that. That boss who annoys you or that check out clerk who is rude to you. None of them can take from you unless you allow it. Choose to be a blessing.  Go the extra mile. Send out the energy of love into every activity.

Give everyone the respect to celebrate the holidays the way that they decide to do so. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to deal with the holidays. The only thing you are responsible for is how you choose to live your life. Do so with abandon!!

The World

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Here is a card we all would like to see when we are getting a reading, the card entitled the World. This card indicates that the world is at our command. We are fulfilled. We are happy. We are complete.

In the picture there is a woman, seemingly dancing in thin air, covered only by a loosely wrapped scarf of some kind. She is surrounded by a laurel or a wreath, with four figures looking from each corner of the card. She is holding a baton of some kind in each hand. It is a happy card, a card that sings of completion and wholeness.

Most of us will have to admit that we are all aspiring to this card. We all want our lives to be at peace. We want to meet our goals. We want to be perhaps in a relationship which has weathered the storms and now has settled happily into bliss. We want that perfect career, that happy home, that feeling of completeness and perhaps enlightenment. If this is your goal, then the world card might be the one you carry around with you today.

Most of us will admit that sometimes this seems like a lofty goal, perhaps unreachable. We cannot imagine our lives this way, because we have not seen ourselves in this light. If you can admit to yourself that you have a hard time imagining your life without any struggles, then it may take some time before you embrace this card.

It is said that the reason that a large percentage of those who win the lottery are out of money within a relatively short period of time is because they are not in resonance with large amounts of money. In other words, they could not feel or see themselves without struggle. I wrote a blog once about my first adventure in building a pond, in which I took some fish out of the icky green water in which they had been accustomed to living and placed them in a bowl of fresh clean water and they died within a half hour. In other words, we are victims of our environment.  Many of us are fish living in an icky green algae infested pond. We cannot just jump out into a bowl of clean water. In order to create a life for ourselves in which we are able to embody the essence of this card, we must first feel it, see it, taste it, and smell it deep within the recesses of our being.

Just for today, imagine that perfect life, in which you are at peace with all that touches you. You are in a happy, fulfilled relationship. You have that perfect job or have created that perfect income. Your children are happy and settled. Your home is at peace. Your bills are paid. Pay attention to the feelings that come up. Deep within yourself, is there a small voice that is whispering that it could never happen? It is time to displace that voice and replace it with the essence of fulfillment, happiness, contentment, accomplishment. Feel complete. Feel enlightened. Feel safe. Imagine yourself as that woman, dancing in mid air in the midst of a crown of accomplishment. Do this regularly. Then just see what happens.

Page of Pentacles

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Another pentacles card. Pentacles represent the earth, money and material possessions. Whereas the other suits may represent abstract ideas, relationships, and the mental realm, pentacles represent the practical application of these ideas into our everyday lives.  The pages represent youth, new ideas, inexperience, Thus the page of pentacles can represent having a new idea in the area of career or life work, or bringing our ideas into the physical reality.

If you look at the picture on this card, there is a young man, well dressed, fixated on the pentacle he holds out in front of him in both hands. He holds the pentacle up in the air, and seems completely unaware of anything else around him. The scenery around him is green and lush, with no apparent obstacles in his path. This is a young man who is going places, has his act together, and, despite his youth, has a goal in front of him.

To me, when I look at this card, I see focus. It is important to be focused on a goal, and to keep that goal in the forefront of our consciousness as we move in the direction of our dreams. The old saying comes to mind here, "what you focus on grows." What are you focused on?

It is impossible to create what you want in your life if you are not an energetic match to that desire. That is why it is important to focus on what you want. If you don't know what you want and are just waiting for your ship to come in, get ready for a long wait. If you don't know what you want, how will you know when it gets here? This card indicates that in order to achieve a goal, you have to first have a goal, and then you have to focus on that goal wholeheartedly, to the exclusion of other things.

Is your goal to have your own business? Or perhaps to have a fulfilling relationship? Maybe you would like to run a marathon, or lose fifty pounds. That is the first step. Have a goal. Then, to the exclusion of everything else, focus on that goal. Put that goal out there in front of your attention span every day, several times a day. Think about that goal. Focus on it.

This is what advertisers do. Or those running for political office. They want you to think about their products and their ideas. Last evening within an hour I must have seen five or six pizza commercials. Guess what. I wanted pizza.

 And then there is politics.  I don't know how many people come up to me and say how the world is going to end if their chosen political party does not win this election. They have put in the forefront of their mind a decisive outcome relative to a political agenda. Now I am not saying it is not wise to be politically active. Not at all. I am just saying that my world will continue to move forward no matter who gets elected because I am focused on those things that I desire to create in my world. Yes, I do have a political opinion. But no matter what, I will be okay. My life is not dependent on someone else and what they are doing in their world.

What if we spent as much time focusing on creating in our life something worthwhile as we do allowing others to put ideas into our heads? What if we spent a few minutes, several times a day, focusing on something we desire and imagining how our lives would be if this were a reality the same way we do tasting that pizza in our minds when the commercial comes on? I daresay if we watch enough pizza commercials, sooner or later we are going to go get a pizza. Let us use the same ideas when it comes to creating something worthwhile in our lives. Think about it. Taste it. Smell it. Feel it.

Just for today, think about what you would like to create in your life and spend some time imagining and feeling and tasting what it will be like when it gets here. Remember that as you think about what you are having for dinner and who you are going to vote for. Who has been dominating  your thought processes? Did you come up with those ideas yourself or have you been persuaded by those around you? Focus. Focus. And then go out and bring your ideas into material form.

King of Pentacles

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Today's card is the King of Pentacles. What a wonderful card!! This card represents prosperity, wealth, and being at the top of your game. All is going well. You are sitting on your throne. Your kingdom is at peace; your crops are producing; you are manifesting all you have put your intentions toward. All is well.

Isn't it wonderful when you reach this point in your life? I know I have readers who will say that they have never been at this place in their life, when there is no struggle, no obstacles to overcome, all is well. Sometimes in our lives we are so used to the struggle, the hard work, the feeling like as soon as one trial or struggle is overcome there is another one right on the horizon. There are even belief systems out there that tell us that life is supposed to be hard. We are supposed to work hard and struggle. That is what life is about.

Today Spirit is telling us that it is time to change our perception. If we believe that life is supposed to be a struggle, then it always will be. If we believe that the economy is bad and we will never have enough, then we will experience the manifestation of that belief. If we groan every time we stop to put gas in our gas tank and complain about the price, then we will always struggle to pay for our gas. What if, instead of complaining about gas prices, say thank you to Spirit for the ability to fill your tank up no matter what the price? What if you place a love stamp on your bills because you love to have the ability to pay them?

Just for today, imagine that you are that king sitting on his throne.  Your crops are growing in the fields and ready to be harvested. Your kingdom is at peace. All your needs are met and there is nothing that you want that you cannot have. If this is the life you desire for yourself and your family, then maybe you should meditate on the King of Pentacles.

One last thing. There is nothing wrong with having all your needs met. Sometimes there is a voice inside of us that tells us that having all our needs met makes us lazy or sinful. Not true. If you hear a little voice inside your head telling you that you can never have this, then that is a sign you still have some work to do. You are not yet connecting with this card or this mentality.

Yes, I realize that there are people out there that have been displaced by acts of nature. I realize that people are struggling with unemployment, sickness, and scores of other challenges. This mentality starts inside of you. I saw a movie once in which a man was unjustly put into prison. He was there for many years. I don't remember the name of the movie or anything else about the movie except this one quote: " you can imprison my body but you can never imprison my soul."  This is the mentality of the King of Pentacles. No matter what you see happening in your physical world, you can embrace this card. Remember that your wealth begins in your soul and eventually manifests in your outer world.

Today Spirit wants you to embrace the King of Pentacles. Be the king of your own throne. Embrace the wealth that is in your soul, just waiting for you to access its treasure.

Letting Go of Anger

Today I received some words of wisdom for a client dealing with some anger issues, and the words that came forth came from a higher place, so I thought them worth repeating.

Some people seem to walk through life always angry about something. Someone cut them off in traffic. That dang mail man gave their mail to the neighbor again. Their significant other won't pick up after himself or herself. Their boss deliberately gave the position they wanted to someone else. Or something.

The most important thing to remember is that on a subconscious level, we create our life. We create all the experiences we call life. If we don't like what we have created, then it is up to us to create something different. We can't always choose all the experiences we have in life. Obviously we don't choose to be raped, or robbed, or laid off from work, or experience an illness or a death in the family. But we choose how we react to those events. Anger is a natural response that it is necessary to work through. However, this is not what I am talking about. There are some who just seem to be angry all the time.

When we walk around in a pool of anger, even if the anger is justified, those to whom we are projecting our anger can feel those feelings even if they are not in our presence when we are expressing our feelings. Even if we never say a word but are thinking angry thoughts, those thoughts are projected onto the object of our anger and on a soul level, they know. We almost perpetuate the actions of those individuals. We are creating in our minds the experience before it happens. We are expecting the object of our anger to behave in a way that justifies our feelings. Even if on a conscious level the person knows nothing of our feelings, on a soul level they know.

The Angels told me that our souls feel things that our minds have no way of knowing. When we get angry, or have any type of negative feelings about an individual, that person's soul hears and feels those emotions. It is almost as if we have cast a spell on that individual and they have no choice but to respond in a way that we expect them to respond. It is time now to change the spell we are casting!!

Instead of focusing on the events or actions that make us angry, think instead about living in a happy environment and all the people in our lives complementing that environment. Create in your mind that all your interactions with others are peaceful, and expect that to be the case. You could even think of the person with whom you are in a primary relationship and recreate in your mind all the things that attracted you to them in the first place. Was it their smell, their smile, the way you felt when they walked into the room? Think about those things. You might expect to come home from work and see the house picked up or the laundry done, you might expect the mailman to deliver all the mail correctly, you might expect that every interaction you have is a pleasant one. This is not living in a fantasy world. This is creating the life you desire!!

Here is a profound statement. Energy follows thought. What are you thinking about? Are the majority of your thoughts filled with worries, or anger, or fear? Do you stay awake at night thinking about what will you do if this occurs or that occurs or do you repeat over and over in your mind all the things that make you angry? How many times do you repeat either in your mind or out loud to others stories that make you feel justified in your anger? It is time to stop all that!! Stop repeating stories of  injustices!!

Imagine instead that the emotions you feel are audible and that the people to whom you are projecting your emotions can feel and hear those emotions. What messages are you sending them? The amazing thing is, this is exactly what is happening!! Their souls do hear and feel what you are projecting. When you change what you are sending out, then the energy that comes back to you is obligated to change as well. It is time to change the silent messages we send out every day. Decide today to change you thoughts and your feelings and your expectations and your life is obligated to change.

Yes I know this is an old message, but one worth repeating. Let us reinvent ourselves and our lives by changing our thoughts and our words. Let us send out the energy of love, and expect that energy to come back to us. Let us be the change we wish to experience.

Just for today, decide to let go of one grudge, one thought of anger or worry or fear. Let go of one resentment, one wound. If we all do that, the world suddenly becomes a little brighter. There is one less grudge, one less insult, one less resentment. And we feel better. And isn't that what it is all about?