Karma
Karma: You May Not Be Prepared for the Truth You Seek
A human wanted the world to see the truth about who another human really was. They went to church and prayed, “Dear God, please let all the world see who this person is.” God replied, “May eyes see what is true.”
Next, lacking faith in God and wanting to cover all bases, the human went to a witch and asked that a spell of truth be placed upon this person’s head. The witch replied, “The spell has been cast; and soon, you will know the truth about who they really are.”
The seasons turned; and the human went into nature and spoke aloud, “Neither the spell nor the prayers are working. All I can see in this person is everything that drew me to them in the first place: that they are loving, sensitive, and kind; vulnerable, but strong; quirky and thought provoking; and frustratingly enigmatic. Where is the damaged soul that I believed the truth would reveal?”
Spirit, a voice within, spoke.
Spirit: You asked for “the truth,” not “your truth.”
Human: Why did I see a broken person if none existed?
Spirit: Because that person held up a mirror to you.
Human: Are you saying that I’m the broken one?
Spirit: No, you are more than that; but you deny the broken parts within, the ones that make you feel like a “bad” person. You’re so preoccupied with protecting your reputation that when forced to face your own imperfections you can’t see the forest through the trees. When presented with the whole truth of who you are: light and dark, good and bad, saint and sinner, all you see is the negative, because that’s all you think the other person sees when they call you out, or call you in, by holding up the mirror when your words and your actions are not aligned. It’s your skewed perspective that creates the illusion of brokenness that neither exists within you nor the other. Until you integrate all your parts, you will continue to project “damaged” unto the person who had the courage to hold the mirror up to you. You built up so much contempt for them and fear of them that you abandoned and pushed them away as a survival mechanism of self-preservation.
Human: But they’re not perfect!
Spirit: No one is!
Human: But they’ve been broken, and anything broken is damaged.
Spirit: Then every human is just a break away from being damaged; and if you’ve managed to live this long without any breaks, give thanks for your privilege and use that to have compassion for those not as lucky. When a person who has been broken does the brave work to heal, they create “golden repair,” the Japanese art of Kintsugi, in which broken pieces are mended with the gold of authenticity for all to see where they have been and where they are now. This is so they may inspire others who have been broken too, not through false attainment of perfection or toxic positivity, but through the integrity of their wholeness (success/failure, saint/sinner, joy/sorrow). Their cracks are a sign of their humanity and that they have lived. Broken and repaired isn’t “damaged,” it’s “restored.” All humans are renewing constantly—creating new versions of who they are—and yet are ever present as to who they have always been. If all you see are the damaged parts in another, then you are not seeing what’s whole. No one can ever see the whole picture. But if you stand in the middle, you’re more likely to see all sides. The goal should be to embody more of a camera lens persona that takes in and observes rather than act as a projector that projects your judgment unto others.
Human: I’m not the only one who thinks this, I’ve spoken to others about them, that proves I’m right.
Spirit: That proves you’ll go to great lengths to avoid accountability by blaming another and finding a tribe to support your divisive tactics so that you don’t have to take ownership for the changes required to heal. Finding people who agree with you doesn’t make it true. It only illustrates that you’ve engaged in gossip with people of your ilk. Birds of a feather flock together. A murder scene is a group of crows who don’t like the shadow of their own reflection, so they attack the light that creates it. Crows are smart but not wise; there is a difference. You tend to shoot the messenger when you don’t like the message, thereby shooting yourself in the foot. Do you even have any toes left? Don’t you understand the concept of oneness, that when you shoot another you kill a part of yourself, that blame is meaningless if it’s beyond your control?
Human: Sometimes people are to blame. This human hurt me by showing me the mirror.
Spirit: Every person is your mirror. Some reflect lies to make you feel good and some reflect a truth that triggers you into blame from a pain spiral of shame. To blame is to point to that or to whom you have no control over. When your index finger is pointing at another, your middle finger, ring finger and pinky are pointing at yourself, representing the three things you actually do have control over: your thoughts, your words, and your deeds. If you don’t like your thoughts, change your beliefs and place your focus on something more empowering. If you don’t like the words someone is speaking, use your words to communicate those feelings and work it out; people can’t change if they don’t know what needs to change. If you don’t like your actions, change your behavior and do something you do like. You can’t control others, and others can’t control you; but running away will never solve your problems, because wherever you go, you take yourself with you. As long as you have someone to blame, you will transfer blame from one person to another, until you learn to stop blaming and start taking accountability for the things you’re being called out for. Say what you mean, and mean what you say; and follow through with what you’ll say you’ll do.
Human: What do I do now?
Spirit: Integrate.
Human: How?
Spirit: You must accept all parts of yourself, without judgment; and in doing so, you will learn to accept all parts in another. This is integration; this is wholeness; this is integrity.
Human: How do I move on with this person?
Spirit: You must acknowledge the fears and contempt you projected. You have a bad habit of taking things personally, making assumptions, and not coming clean when something is bothering you about a person or a situation. You sweep things under the rug until someone gets hurt by all the unspoken words piling up under foot. You admitted that they were an enigma to you. You must remember that those who communicate in fine detail are often misunderstood by those who interpret with broad strokes. Are you interpreting this person’s nuance of colors with your own black and white thinking? Apologize, atone, and offer repair. You’re holding the broom and the rug again, waiting for enough time to pass to act as if nothing happened; but broken pieces lay between you two, and they require glue and dustpans, not brooms and time.
Human: I walked away, and I thought I buried them.
Spirit: You did. You reduced that person to shattered pieces, but they transmuted those pieces into seeds of growth. The salt from their tears nourished the soil; and they grew roots, allowing the phoenix to rise again. You’re haunted by thoughts of blame and vindictive vengeance, because you cannot keep this person down; and seeing them shine lines your tongue with the bitter craving for revenge—the act of hanging yourself with your own karmic rope.
Human: What even is karma?
Spirit: Karma translates to the word, “action.” Various religions have different interpretations on its meaning. What I’m referring to are the 12 laws in karma, all featured in our dialogue here, see if you can match the things we’ve discussed to each karmic law. Karma is not punishment; it’s a form of empathy, of balance; it teaches that what goes around comes around—what you do to another will be done unto you—not as a form of discipline, but simply as a natural consequence, the way a pendulum swings to create a reaction from an action. Karma is being on the end of the seesaw that is on the ground and walking upwards to balance in the middle, in order to walk downward to the seesaw that had been off the ground in order to have all experiences: up, down, and balance. Karma allows humans to experience oneness in seeing themselves in all things and seeing all things in themselves.
If you say you do not care about natural consequences because of your own self-destructive tendencies, sometimes the universe will co-conspire with your soul’s higher purpose to evolve to allow an expression of karma that makes you care enough to change and to create a more conscientious choice so that your actions do not bring harm to another. This can become an even more painful experience, as you can inadvertently pass your karma unto your children, your grandchildren, or those who are most vulnerable and beloved by you, if you are not taking responsibility for what you put out into the universe. This means your loved ones can suffer for your sins if you don’t take ownership and change. Until you have the courage to be accountable for the hurt you caused, take action to fix, correct, and repair this situation, you will not be able to break the karmic cycle so that all may heal and move on. Learn about each law of karma, stand in your integrity, understand that you will fall, get back up with grace, realign with intention, and find joy in the process—then you will be able to embrace the truth you seek.
The 12 Laws of Karma
1. The Great Law or The Law of Cause and Effect
(We reap what we sow)
2. The Law of Creation
(We co-create our world)
3. The Law of Humility
(We play a part in every conflict)
4. The Law of Growth
(We must take personal accountability)
5. The Law of Responsibility
(It’s our job to maintain our integrity)
6. The Law of Connection
(The words of today create our tomorrow)
7. The Law of Focus
(Our experience of reality begins with where we place our focus)
8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality
(Walk your talk; be of service to humanity)
9. The Law of Here and Now
(Breathe and be present)
10. The Law of Change
(Change is the only constant thing in life. If we resist change, we continue the cycle of pain)
11. The Law of Patience and Reward
(Good things come to those who never give up, who pray but move their feet)
12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration
(Find purpose in being the light that ignites the flame in others)
If you enjoyed this piece, please check out, Imperfection.
I’m Sage Justice, author of “Sage Words FREEDOM Book One.” and my purpose in life is to infuse empathy, wisdom, integrity, and humor (whenever possible) into universal challenges. When you like and share my posts, and follow my author page, it helps me spread messages of unity to create peace and understanding. If you’d like to read more pieces like this, please check out the book on Amazon, monthly articles at SageJustice.Substack.com, videos on YouTube (Sage Words: Almost Everything You Need to Know), inspiration on IG @SageWords2027, website and the podcast: Sage Words (Apple & Spotify). A like and follow on the Sage Justice, author page, on facebook is greatly appreciated. Thank you.