{"id":761,"date":"2011-12-06T06:00:38","date_gmt":"2011-12-06T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/awakeintheworld\/?p=761"},"modified":"2011-12-05T20:00:29","modified_gmt":"2011-12-06T01:00:29","slug":"karma-101-learning-lessons-of-cause-and-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/12\/karma-101-learning-lessons-of-cause-and-effect.html","title":{"rendered":"Karma 101: Learning Lessons of Cause and Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thoughts lead on to action; actions form habits; habits create character; and character creates our destiny. &#8211; Debra Moffitt<\/p>\n<p><em>Karma<\/em> simply means the effects of our actions. When we eat a little too much today, tomorrow, and again the next day, the result is a need to buy new pants to accommodate that expanding waist line. Like overeating, the consequences or results of karma are not immediate. It takes months or even years (and some would say lifetimes) for some actions to bear fruits. Though it\u2019s often associated with negativity, karma can be good and bring good results too. Anyone raising a child knows that each day of loving care results in a healthy adult. Writers putting pen to paper know that long-term, the many words together can result in a book. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/%7E\/media\/7E77DFC59DF447268801367846C06E6D.ashx?w=280&amp;h=210\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our lives are created through each moment. The decisions we make, either conscious or not, create our future. If we follow human values and focus on uplifting thoughts, words and actions, we can create a beautiful and meaningful life. This is guided by a deep spiritual connection to the Divine<\/p>\n<p>If we choose the path of ego instead, then we will harvest the results of ego. We see it clearly in the lives of criminals. A small decision to lie may dull the conscience which warns when actions bear bad karma. The conscience wears away and the inner mechanism that keeps him or her from doing acts that harm himself and others no longer functions. He may move onto cheating, theft and even murder.<\/p>\n<p>By listening to that inner voice of wisdom that elevates us to take the harder path and do the right thing at the right time, we naturally know what direction to take. Take a moment to contemplate where you are and the thoughts, decisions and actions that have brought you here. Consider, too, where you\u2019d like to be in a year or ten years. If you\u2019re searching for peace, love and compassion, begin by extending the same to others today. Every action counts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is author of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Awake-World-Practices-Divinely-Inspired\/dp\/0738727229\">Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a>. A visionary and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind\/body\/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com\/\">http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thoughts lead on to action; actions form habits; habits create character; and character creates our destiny. &#8211; Debra Moffitt Karma simply means the effects of our actions. When we eat a little too much today, tomorrow, and again the next day, the result is a need to buy new pants to accommodate that expanding waist&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,10,4,26,125,3],"tags":[346,345,48,516,517],"class_list":["post-761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-meditation","category-oneness","category-spiritual-practice","tag-awake-in-the-world","tag-debra-moffitt","tag-karma","tag-law-of-cause-and-effect","tag-understanding-the-power-of-actions"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Karma 101: Learning Lessons of Cause and Effect - Awake in the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/12\/karma-101-learning-lessons-of-cause-and-effect.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Karma 101: Learning Lessons of Cause and Effect - Awake in the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thoughts lead on to action; actions form habits; habits create character; and character creates our destiny. &#8211; Debra Moffitt Karma simply means the effects of our actions. When we eat a little too much today, tomorrow, and again the next day, the result is a need to buy new pants to accommodate that expanding waist&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/12\/karma-101-learning-lessons-of-cause-and-effect.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Awake in the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-12-06T11:00:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-12-06T01:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/%7E\/media\/7E77DFC59DF447268801367846C06E6D.ashx?w=280&amp;h=210\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"debramoffitt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Karma 101: Learning Lessons of Cause and Effect - Awake in the World","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/12\/karma-101-learning-lessons-of-cause-and-effect.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Karma 101: Learning Lessons of Cause and Effect - Awake in the World","og_description":"Thoughts lead on to action; actions form habits; habits create character; and character creates our destiny. &#8211; Debra Moffitt Karma simply means the effects of our actions. 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