Karma is often considered negatively, as in “if you do evil, you will be punished later.” Sometimes we even say “karmic debt” and a debt just doesn’t sound good.

However, karma simply means action or deed in Sanskrit. From there, karma took on the meaning of cause and effect, one action being the cause of a certain effect.

In the system of reincarnation, karma is just one way to ensure meaningful learning.

Karma as a way of learning

We are all here to experience love and abundance in a tangible manner. However, such learning is a big project, so it’s a good idea to break it down to smaller, more digestible lesson pieces. These lesson pieces need to be organized in some way. Further, let’s remember that learning cannot be free from making mistakes. In a sense, we learn by making mistakes — just think of how you learned anything. So we need a way to review our mistakes and learn from them.

Let’s say, for example, a soul mistakenly thinks love is about getting people do things for them. So this soul (for the sake of discussion, let’s say it is incarnated as a girl) practices how to effectively manipulate men. She polishes her appearance and learns various manipulation techniques. She successfully marries an influential man and her life is great — she has all the things she want to buy and so many people try to please her.

Then she realizes something is wrong. She doesn’t feel loved. But why? Everything went according to her plan of getting love.

Now, if she is wise, she may notice that her idea of love, which was the foundation of all her life endeavors, was wrong. If she is courageous, she can start realizing true love as soon as she notices, regardless of her age in this lifetime. But what if she doesn’t notice? Is she just left behind in the misery?

Reincarnation and karma

No way. At the very least, she can review her life with a guiding spirit when she gets to the other side. The spirit, being respectful, will not just tell her how she is wrong. But it will indicate where the wrong premise may be, so that she can try it differently next time.

Sometimes, however, it takes more than the spirit’s guidance to really understand our mistakes. It may take actual experience. So, in this example, she might come back as someone who eventually get involved with a manipulative partner. When you are in the other person’s shoes, quite literally, you get to see the whole picture.

When a soul takes the role of receiving difficulties that it previously imposed on others, we call it karma.

It’s really nothing mysterious — we often experience it in the same lifetime. For example, someone who stole a lover from another may lose that lover in a similar way later. Again, it’s not a punishment, it’s a way of learning.

Paying karma, or being born on the receiving end of the difficulty that you previously imposed on others, is not the only way reincarnation works. There are various approaches to learning.

Another common approach is to keep one of the major characteristic or the birth setting the same throughout the multiple reincarnations.

Do you have any questions about karma and reincarnation? Please let me know in the comment. Thank you.

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(This is the second half of the story. If you missed the first part of the story, it’s here)

So the beautiful woman’s soul sat together with one of the Guide spirits. She said,

“Last time I was incarnated, I became an actress and then I had to work as a spy. I was rich and famous, people admired me, but for me, that was not a happy life.”

“What do you think went wrong?” the Guide asked.

“I lost my freedom when I was forced to work as spy,” she replied.

“I feel sorry for that,” the Guide said, “but are you sure you were happy before that? As a famous actress?”

She thought about this for a while, and said, “Well, no. I never really felt people understood me when I was an actress. They just saw how beautiful I was and that was it.”

“My life before the last one sucked, too,” she continued. “I was forced to become the king’s mistress. I had everything money could buy, and people treated me with respect, but for me, that was not a happy life.”

“What do you think went wrong?” the Guide asked.

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe. . . I get into troubles because I am too beautiful.”

***

“Can I be born into a more common-looking body? I don’t want to be ugly, but I don’t want to be too beautiful.”

The Guide went through her file carefully. After a long silence, the Guide said,

“No. You are destined to be beautiful. Your colors may change, but you are to be born with exceeding beauty, you always have been, and always will be.”

The woman was shocked.

“Am I . . . cursed? Did I do something wrong to be this way?”

“No. It’s just one of the parameters that stays the same throughout the many lives you go through.

Some souls always have the analytical mind. Some are always talented in music. Likewise, you are always born into beauty.

At the same time, we want to experience life differently each time, so you can choose different settings, such as the place of birth, social status, or gender.”

The beautiful woman thought about this carefully. She also noticed the thickness of the file the Guide was holding.

“How many lives have I had? I only remember the last two.”

“You’ve had thousands of lives on Earth,” said the Guide.

“Well, will you tell me about the other past lives I’ve had? Maybe I can learn from them.”

The Guide shook his head and said, “No, the reason you remember only the last two is because that is enough for your reflection.

As I said, in all your past lives, you were exceedingly beautiful. There have been many tragedies because of this. Many men died fighting to have you. You have been killed many times by women who thought they lost their men because of you. You have also been raped multiple times, sometimes by your brother and other family members.

Believe me, it is to your own benefit that you don’t remember all your past lives. You will be overwhelmed if you remembered them all.”

“How can I change the pattern?” the beautiful woman asked, almost crying.

“Pay attention to what you value in life. And be a bit more assertive about it.”

***

The beautiful woman’s soul came back to the physical world. Needless to say, she was born exceedingly beautiful.

As soon as she was old enough, she asked her parents to send her to a boarding school. The one she chose was in a convent and had a school for the blind on the same ground.

“I want to study nursing and special education,” she said, “and become a teacher for the blind.”

Her parents were surprised and disappointed. This girl was so beautiful that she could easily become an actress or model or marry a very rich man or . . .

But the girl was determined. “If money is the problem, I will apply for scholarship. I can also work for the blind school as part-time assistant.”

So she went off to the boarding school in the country. Although it was not required, she covered her head like a nun. She worked hard at her own school and at her work, the blind school.

She actually enjoyed the quiet life in the country and the small circle of people there.

And when she became a teacher, people finally appreciated her for who she was — even though she was still exceedingly beautiful.

Of course, her students never saw her. They simply liked her.

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Once upon a time, there lived a very beautiful woman. Not just common-level “beautiful” but she was breath-taking. Everyone who saw her couldn’t help staring her. They forgot all they were doing and thinking, and just kept watching her. This included not just men but also women who considered themselves straight.

She lived in a small village in the remote area. Nonetheless, the rumor of her exceeding beauty spread all over the country. People traveled a long way just to see her.

Numerous men courted her, sending her letters and gifts. However, she returned all of them because she was in love with a boy in her village. They knew each other since childhood, and all she really wanted was to marry this plain boy and have a loving family.

The ruling king heard of her and came to see her one day. He, too, was impressed with her heavenly beauty and said,

“You must come to my castle to be my mistress.”

“Oh, Your Majesty,” she replied, “That is such an honor. But I already have a fiancé, a man that I promised to marry. Please have mercy and allow me stay here.”

“No way,” the king replied, “You, who may be more beautiful than the goddesses, marrying a common man? That is so unbecoming of you. You must come with me. Anyone who objects my will must die.”

So she had to leave her home village and her love. In the king’s castle, she led an exceptionally luxurious life. She was dressed in glossy silk and handmade laces, adorned with gold and precious stones, perfumed with the most expensive flower oils, and many servants cared for her.

When the time of death came, she found her soul leave her still beautiful body. When she arrived at the other side, she went right to the Reincarnation Service Center and said,

“That was not a happy life at all. I want another try, please.”

***

She reincarnated in another country, in another time. The color of her hair and skin were different from the ones she had before, but she was beautiful all the more.

As she grew, the rumor of her exceeding beauty spread all over the country. Newspapers and magazines ran her photos and they sold out. A large talent agency contacted her and persuaded her to appear on TV.

“With your beauty, you can become the most sought-after actress. People will be delighted to see you. You should use your God-given assets to make people happy.”

She preferred to have a quieter life with the people she knew, but the agency told her it would be selfish not to share her blessings and asked her to try just once. So she obliged. After that, she just couldn’t avoid the cameras — there was so much demand of her appearance. People were looking at her anytime, anywhere, anyway.

Soon she became a famous movie star indeed. One day, the government agent contacted her secretly.

“We know you travel all over the world as actress and are invited to the privacy of very important men, the big shots in politics and finances. That is a privilege few can have. We want you to work for our country’s secret service.”

“What, you want me to work as a spy?” she gasped in surprise.

“Yes, indeed,” the agent replied, “Be patriotic and accept this offer, or your family will be imprisoned.”

So she had to sleep with men she didn’t love, in order to steal information and to manipulate those men, while still working as world-famous actress. Her lavish lifestyle became legendary.

When the time of death came, she found her soul leave her still beautiful body. When she arrived at the other side, she went right to the Reincarnation Service Center and said,

“That was not a happy life at all. I want another try, please.”

***

The angel at the counter of the Reincarnation Service Center looked up at her and said, “You are entitled to have another try, or as many tries as you want. But why don’t you talk with one of our Guides before you go back to the physical world?”

Before, she was so eager to have another life that she forgot about the Guidance service.

(To be continued)

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