ECKANKAR, Author at ECKANKAR Hub site

Unwinding the Coils of Karma

By Michael Ikpoma

A few years ago, I began to wonder if the profession I’d chosen was the right one for me.

I work as a nurse. It is a career where I know I can help people. But the hospital working conditions caused me a lot of emotional pain. With an overload of work, a lack of appreciation from my supervisors, and a generally unfriendly environment, I questioned if this really was my destined career.

One evening, I was tending to a sick child in my ward. His mother sat beside him. The sun was setting, and soon it would be dark. My heart was filled with sadness as I thought about my dilemma. With a syringe, I drew out some medicine from an ampoule to infuse into the IV bag attached to the child’s arm.

Suddenly, a bright light engulfed the whole ward.

The intensity of the light forced me to close my eyes. Wanting to see what was happening, I opened my eyes again. But I couldn’t see anything but the light. I didn’t see my patient, the hospital bed, or even the walls of the room.

Afraid I’d gone blind, I silently called out to the ECK Masters to help me. Slowly, the light began to wane, and the room came into vision again.

“My son,” the mother of the sick child asked, “is anything the matter with you? You’ve been staring at nothing!”

I realized the syringe was still in my hand. Quickly I delivered the medicine, then left to ponder the experience.

I knew I had experienced the Light of ECK. Often an experience like this can bring you greater spiritual wisdom. But I didn’t understand the message.

That night before bed, I sang HU and asked the Inner Master to explain the experience to me. Early the next morning, I had a dream.

I am the commander of a battalion. My troops and I have just quelled a rebellion by putting our enemies to the sword.

Now I’ve received a message that the rebel leader has been caught. I send word to keep him alive, then ride off with my most loyal men to meet my enemy.

When we arrive, I show no mercy to the captive rebel leader. I cut off his head and hold it in the air in bloody jubilation for all to see.

When I woke up, I realized the dream was a violent past life where I had not understood the sanctity of life.

Now the message of the Light of ECK was clear. The Inner Master was letting me know that through my nursing profession, the ECK and the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ were helping me unwind the coil of karma I had created during that and other lifetimes. Now, it is time for me to serve life and not destroy it.

The experience at the hospital showed me my profession was the right one after all. Now I know that, as Soul, we are always learning and growing spiritually, especially during periods of pain and hardship. We are always at the right place in life!

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Good Karma, Bad Karma, Beyond Karma

By Sri Harold Klemp

What do you suppose makes people unhappy? A survey would probably list a hundred reasons, both real and imagined.

Now how many of those people do you think would like to hear the true reason for their unhappiness? Just a guess—very few.

The choices you’ve made in the past are the direct cause of all your unhappiness today.

If this answer doesn’t suit you, don’t read another word. You have better things to do. But maybe you’re one of the few people who doesn’t absolutely reject the above explanation for your unhappiness. Then keep reading. Perhaps you’ll see how and why individuals make bad choices.

Most important, you may learn how to stop making them.

So how do we get here?

Soul enters this world to pursue a series of tasks, for each is an exercise in spiritual purification. Taken as a whole, these assignments make up one’s destiny. To set the tone for Its mission, Soul enters a new lifetime with a body of strength or weakness, of great intellect or a simple mind, in a popular shade of skin or not, either as a male or a female, into wealth or poverty.

The idea of destiny as a concept is out of fashion in much of today’s Western society. People want to be captains of their own lives. They wish to run their own fate. They will shape their own tomorrows. Yet how can they do so without a knowledge of and an appreciation for the meticulous Law of Karma?

Or especially, of the Law of Love?

In spite of all fictions about who is the master of their own fate, they cannot even set the conditions of their birth. So the rules of karma and reincarnation remain a mystery, and they find a great deal of sorrow and disappointment in the outcome of their plans.

How could the stiff rules of karma include them?

Many would like to think they don’t, sure of being above the common pool of humanity and thus exempt from these rules.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

By and large, though, the Lords of Karma—not the individual—select a family for each Soul. They are responsible for the distribution of karma from the time each Soul first enters this world.

The Lord of Karma is like a minor’s guardian. He administers a trust on behalf of a spiritual infant, arranging for him or her to join a family with the best prospect for that Soul’s unfoldment. In selecting the time and place of reincarnation, the Lord of Karma is the sole judge. He is the sole arbiter in the choice of a body, health, family, or future. The Lord of Karma alone sets the conditions of most people’s fate.

Placement is a simple karmic detail. The Law of Karma governs all such placements, and he is only its agent.

The primal seed for each incarnation exists under the umbrella of destiny, which we also call past-life karma. On a practical level, genetic, cultural, and social elements combine to decide Soul’s place in this world. For people on the lower end of the survival scale, the Lord of Karma alone chooses the time and place of rebirth.

Soul then follows the script of destiny and enters a physical body.

What about free will?

After birth, the name of the game is survival. The survival scale, by definition, is a measure of one’s can-do instincts.

But karmic placement does set other standards for individuals on the high end of the spiritual scale. Most of them enjoy a voice in the choice of a human body or place of birth. They sense the need for spiritual freedom, a view gained from many past lives, and the self-responsibility that goes along with the package. So these Souls demonstrate creative ideas and inventiveness in their incarnations. For the most part they are cheerful, upbeat people.

Spiritual gains in past lives have given them a voice in choosing some of the conditions in their present incarnation.

They have earned the right.

Think of destiny as the equipment, talents, or gifts that one brings to this life. They carry a divine mandate to use them for the good of all life. It’s our responsibility to do so, with wisdom.

The idea of destiny, or fate, is poked fun at in many Western circles. Yet it is an age-old principle of the spiritual life.

What is the basis for a cultural bias against fate?

People are in a state of confusion about it. They wonder, How can fate and free will exist side by side? Destiny controls the conditions at birth. Much of what an individual does after birth is an open book, an exercise in free will.

To sum up, fate governs the conditions at birth; free will allows a choice as to how to move beyond them.

Free will can offset or even overcome the drawbacks of destiny, but only through the awakening of one’s consciousness. One may thus reshape both his material and spiritual life.

“You’re Welcome”

Karma

By Deena Wolfson

Some years ago I opened my home to another student of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ. She had come to Chicago to undergo major surgery. I happened to have space in my home, so I invited her to stay with me while she recovered. We became close friends.

Since that time, whenever we see each other, she always tries to thank me, saying, “I can’t believe this stranger opened her home to me.”

I have always had difficulty accepting expressions of gratitude, because it seems as if I’m patting myself on the back. So, I’d shrug off her comments with, “No, no, that’s fine. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

In doing that, I would just push my friend’s gratitude away.

That is, until recently when she and I were talking. I suddenly realized that in denying her the gift of showing me gratitude, I may have been letting her feel she owed a debt she could not repay. I asked her to please forgive me and told her quite simply, “You’re welcome.”

I remember her gentle and loving smile. We both acknowledged the role of Divine Spirit in all this. I am more grateful for this lesson than words can express.

Giving and receiving are opposite sides of the same coin.

Welcome the Miracles

Stories of Miracles

By Sri Harold Klemp

“Irene,” a student of ECK, was on her way to a store when she saw a sign that read Garage Sale. It sparked her curiosity, so she checked it out. To her disappointment, there were mostly items for babies and little children. Not much for Irene, a senior citizen.

But, over to one side, she spotted a child’s rocker. For some reason, it just struck her. Then the quiet voice of the Inner Master said, “Buy this rocker, and it will give great comfort.” Curious, Irene bought it.

That night, her daughter came over. Her daughter is a teacher at a special-needs school. Irene happened to think of the rocker, which was still in her car. She asked her daughter, “Would you be able to use this?”

Her daughter agreed to take it to the school.

The next day, after lunchtime, all the kids were supposed to nap. But there was an autistic child who would never settle down. He just roamed the room in circles. Never any rest. The teachers had to keep a close watch on him. However, on that day his eye caught sight of the rocker on the far side of the room.

He went over to it, sat in it, and rocked and rocked and rocked. It felt so good.

When Irene heard about this, she had her confirmation—indeed the rocker was giving great comfort. Such are the simple ways Divine Spirit finds willing helpers to pass along a blessing.

The ECK teachings offer spiritual exercises to enliven your personal connection with the God Current. With a little practice, you will come to trust this endless wave of love and guidance as you navigate your days.

Enjoy the miracles!

Healing of the Heart in Its Way and Time

Spiritual Healing

By Adelheid Reinhardt

During my childhood in Germany, my relationship with my father was always challenging. We hadn’t been close, and I hadn’t felt loved. He offered my sisters and me experiences such as little vacations, music lessons, and visits to the theater or a concert. This was unusual for families right after World War II because there was so little money. Yet our family dynamic, on the whole, was not a loving one. I was an unhappy child, lost in a big, unknown world. Growing up was difficult and I had major challenges.

Then I found Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, which brought me a new point of view. I don’t know how I would have gotten through life if I hadn’t found the teachings of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ and the love of the ECK Masters.

Years later, when I was in my late fifties, I made the decision to emigrate to the United States. I needed to inform my dad, who then was ninety years old and fragile. When he heard about my plan to move to Arizona, he was furious. I had rarely seen him like that before. His opinion was that nothing good could come from the United States. “There is corruption,” he said. “There is gunfire and killing. The action movies are horrible. There is no common culture.” The litany went on and on.

I was in a predicament, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I knew I needed to live with the situation and I couldn’t help him. I was still in Germany when he translated (died) two months later.

Emigrating to another continent takes time and preparation. Another two months passed, then came the day my household belongings were packed into a giant overseas container to be shipped to the United States. I spent the last night in my home on a makeshift mattress provided by a dear friend. That very night, my dad entered my dream—something that had never happened before. He was young, strong, handsome, and obviously happy. I didn’t doubt for a second that it was my dad. He looked at me and said, “I will support you in the United States. I love you.”

I awoke in tears. I’d never been able to imagine something like this. I was speechless. My heart was pounding. Tears flowed. I was overwhelmed with gratitude I will never forget.

The first three years in the United States were tough for me. Sometimes I could feel my father’s presence. It’s hard to put into words how he supported me, but he accompanied me inwardly, which was so helpful. I felt his love, but then after a few years I started to forget.

Mom suffered from dementia during her last years after Dad’s death, so my sisters in Germany cared for her in loving ways. I was still in the United States, so I couldn’t help. But I began serving as a hospice volunteer to give back to life.

Recently, a hospice client I’ll call Robert asked specifically for a German-speaking volunteer. I was free at this time, so I made a commitment to accompany Robert through his last months on earth. Little did I know what was going to happen, but it became clear the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ had orchestrated this.

Robert had experienced a stroke which left his entire left side paralyzed. Unable to move, he watched his world shrink. One moment he was living an interesting cosmopolitan life in an important position with demanding responsibilities, speaking seven languages fluently. The next moment, there he was in a tiny, one-room world, trapped in a recliner. He needed help, and I determined to do my best.

Robert and I developed a deep, trusting friendship. This was not the usual relationship between a hospice patient and volunteer; it was a heartfelt, loving relationship between two Souls. We shared similar childhood experiences, having grown up during and after World War II. We shared our experiences at school and our moves to the United States as if we were old friends who had known each other forever. I always looked forward to our visits.

I listened carefully, but it wasn’t until later that it dawned on me there was a deeper meaning to what I was experiencing. In talking about his father, Robert showed me that my own beliefs about my father and my childhood were wrong. Many old, long-forgotten memories came back. I realized how much my father did for me, what he taught me, and what he shared with me. I had not been able to acknowledge and identify this as his love for me. One little example is how he taught me to pack a suitcase. Even today I still pack my suitcase the way I learned from him.

I was so humbled. I could see Dad and my childhood in a totally different light. I can’t express my gratitude in words. It was huge. It took my time with Robert, and more than seventy years, to fully understand and experience my love for my father.

I felt I needed to express this new love. But how? Then I had an inner nudge to write to my father, even though he had been gone for so long. I tearfully wrote about how much I loved him. “Please forgive me for making your life so difficult.” I said, “I’m sorry for being ungrateful for what you did for me and for not being able to return your love.” As I wrote, my heart opened, and I experienced a huge amount of love. It was a divine gift.

Only a few days later, Dad came into my contemplation. This is a word for the daily spiritual practice we do in Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ. Again there was no doubt; it was Dad. With a soft voice, he said to me, “I got your letter. I heard you. Thank you.”

My love for Dad is now absolute. There is no past anymore. We have unconditional love for each other.

My story started with a dream of my father. It continued with my friendship with Robert, and it ended with a healing experience with Dad in contemplation. All three experiences are ways the Master teaches us about God’s love.

All these experiences are reminders that the Inner Master’s words, “I am always with you,” are true. He offers us spiritual wisdom, expands our consciousness, and opens our hearts to divine love.

I’ve learned that we have to live life fully to truly experience God’s love. Yet the presence of the Master is always with us.

An Opportunity to Resolve Past-Life Karma

Reincarnation Realities

By Phil Aghedo

When I met my husband, he had just been divorced. His wife had deserted him, leaving behind their two young children. Around the same time, he also lost his job. Now he had no wife, no job, and no money.

His life might have seemed miserable and uninviting to most young women. But despite all his troubles, I was attracted to him and wanted to marry him.

When my parents and friends discovered I was interested in this man, they were angry with me. Why would I want to marry an unemployed, divorced father of two?

Yet no matter how hard my friends and family tried to separate us, I was determined not to be dissuaded from this relationship. Each time I saw this man with his children, my heart melted. I had boundless love for him, and nothing people said could make me change my mind.

But their fears worried me. I began to wonder why I was so strongly attracted to this man and his children.

One night, the Inner Master gave me an answer. I had a dream where I was shown a vivid scene, as if I were watching a television show.

In the scene, there was a man and his wife with two little children. The husband and wife had a serious disagreement. Their argument led the wife to abandon her husband and children and get a divorce.

Filled with pity and compassion, I watched as the man struggled to raise his children alone. I blamed the wife for her callousness. Then the Inner Master spoke to me.

“You are the lady in that scene,” he said. In that lifetime, those two children were yours, and you abandoned them. Now they are back in your life, and you have the opportunity to give them the love you denied them in that previous incarnation.”

I awoke filled with shame for my reckless conduct in that lifetime. But I was grateful to the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ for giving me an answer to my question. Now I knew why I had such love for this man and his children. We’d been together in a past life. This current lifetime held an opportunity to resolve the karma between all of us.

Eventually, my parents let go of their concerns, and we contracted our marriage a few months later. Today we are a happy family and have been blessed with more children. My husband’s new business is also flourishing.

I am grateful for this past-life dream from the Inner Master. It helped me see a greater truth about my relationship with my husband and his two children. It also showed me that all my experiences in life come from choices I made in the past.

Now I know that the relationships in my life are sacred opportunities to help me take another step on my journey home to God.