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Karmic Cycles

Sama’ Letters

December 7, 2024


Life isn’t a series of random events. It’s more like a masterful tapestry, intricately woven with threads of actions, choices, and lessons stretching beyond this single lifetime. Mystics across traditions—Ram Dass, Vedic sages, and Kabbalists—point to a shared truth: our present reality is deeply tied to unfinished work from before. Each moment is an echo, an opportunity to heal, grow, and align with the divine purpose that fuels our soul's journey.


Karma as a Blueprint

Ram Dass saw life as a classroom for the soul, with every experience designed to teach us. Karma, in his words, isn’t a reward or punishment but the unfolding of cause and effect—a loving, intelligent system guiding us toward awareness. He reminded us that life gives us endless chances to complete lessons we couldn’t master before.


Vedic sages held a similar view. They believed each birth is chosen by the soul to work through unresolved samskaras—deep impressions from past lives. These patterns shape our relationships, challenges, and gifts, nudging us toward growth and liberation.


Kabbalists bring in the concept of tikkun olam, repairing the world. According to them, every soul carries a spark of divine light, a unique mission to fulfill. When this mission isn’t completed in one lifetime, the soul reincarnates to finish the work, both within itself and in the collective. This process is intensely personal and universal: healing the fractures within is how we heal the world.


Recognizing the Past in the Present

Our karmic patterns reveal themselves in the body, the psyche, and our relationships. The aches, emotional triggers, and cycles we can’t seem to break—they all hold clues to unfinished business.


Imagine someone who struggled with betrayal in a past life. They might now find it hard to trust others. Or a soul that faced persecution for speaking truth may carry a deep fear of expressing themselves. These aren’t just obstacles; they’re invitations to heal and reclaim power.


Vedic texts even suggest that our physical ailments can mirror unresolved energy. Chronic pain in the knees might point to lifetimes of being blocked or unable to stand firm in one’s truth. Kabbalistic teachings expand on this, linking these physical and emotional blocks to disruptions in divine flow, showing us where we’ve lost alignment.


From Karma to Dharma

Understanding karma isn’t just about knowing your past; it’s about stepping into your dharma, the work your soul is here to do. Ram Dass often said that aligning with our dharma transforms the weight of karma into a path of freedom.


This teaching aligns across traditions. Vedic wisdom points to meditation and self-awareness as keys to dissolving karmic patterns, while Kabbalah emphasizes using pain as a pathway to self-refinement and deeper connection with the divine.


Take the example of reclaiming a silenced voice. A mystic whose truth was suppressed in a past life might face fear or resistance in speaking up today. But choosing to speak—to honor the voice they were once denied—can transmute that karmic wound into a sacred offering.


Completing the Cycle

What does it look like to complete a karmic cycle? For Vedic sages, it’s about fully learning the lesson and transcending the need to repeat it. Kabbalists see it as balancing the forces of chesed (compassion) and gevurah (strength), harmonizing the soul’s path with the divine will. Ram Dass described it as dropping illusions of separateness and resting in the eternal now.

Completion isn’t about erasing the past but integrating it. It’s standing fully in the present, transforming old wounds into portals for wisdom and creation.


The Path Forward


Your karmic cycles aren’t punishments; they’re opportunities to remember who you are. The pain, challenges, and longings you carry are keys unlocking the unique plan your soul is here to fulfill.

By embracing courage, forgiveness, and love, you can take the threads of the past and weave them into something new, a radiant tapestry that reflects your deepest truth.

Ram Dass often said, "We're all just walking each other home." With every step, we’re not only redeeming the past but creating the future—one choice, one healed moment, one act of love at a time.


Much love,


Samuel Axel





 
 
 

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