The 4 Levels of Karma

Karma has been an issue for so many people I talk with, and at times, hard to explain to every person. My understanding (it may not be yours) is that karma has many layers. Read on:

1. Personal Karma. The first is how you handle yourself during the entire day. Just a simple “thank you” can make another person’s day! A waitress would be a good example of just that. She’s been on her feet all day, and just might require a thank you for her kindness. It builds your karma in a small way… but the small things really do matter. I call this karma building – and yes, we build karma all day long, negative and positive. We always need a good balance between negative and positive energy (I feel so, anyway). I tell everyone to do the best they can in this lifetime, not worry so much, and to live life and try and be the person you really are, and not fake. This really does make a difference in a life. 

2. Family Karma. A very difficult issue to deal with. So many things can go wrong – but they can go right, too. We all try and do things better than mom or dad did; the key is to try. It’s good to help your family out to a degree, but there’s a time you need to take care of yourself and your finances, too. After all, we all want to be able to retire comfortably someday. In our lives, we all have the takers, the givers, the users and the ones that are just out for themselves. We love them all, and what a karmic mess this can be. I tell clients just be themselves and to learn how to let the takers have just a little less, the givers give a little less and the users use you a little less. Family is family, and we all try the best that we can, but karma with family runs very deep and can be hundreds or even thousands of years old. Just keep this within your own personal comfort levels and you’ll be fine. That isn’t always an easy task, I admit, but it sure is one that needs more work from us all. I can go on forever with this layer, but space has a limit here.

3. Friendship Karma. What can I say about this one? Friends as well as family shape who we are as people. If you haven’t noticed, some friends hang around, others really don’t, and some only when they want something. Friends are nice to have, yet sometimes a pain. The karma building here just happens to be very good, and sometimes hard to deal with. A good friend is more like family itself, and others you sometimes wish you never met. Still, call them friend. Every interaction with them is building karma, and it’s the same with anybody, really, as we all know. With friends we are more open to speaking how we really feel about everything, so this builds karma nicely. Just be yourself, without all the bull of being guarded, like you can be with family members. Karma building with friends can be fun and full of lessons to learn, positive and negative, but with a good balance of both as long as you pick friends wisely – as most of us do.

4. World Karma. This is a good one, and I’ll do my best to explain in a simple way as I do everything. Holding that door open just a little while longer so the other person can make it through, or sharing your umbrella with a complete stranger, or just not being rude all the time. Building karma a little at a time with so many good deeds, you may not know you’re even doing it. You drop the penny in the bowl next to the cash register just because you don’t want it in your pocket as you leave the store and another person walks in and is a penny short, picks up your penny and good karma is being built again. Remember, it’s all the small stuff from not wasting water and overusing any energy source, too. This is how we can all make a difference with life in a general sense.