Whenever someone cuts us off while we’re driving, some of us wish that person gets what’s coming to them with Karma kicking their butt. Some people don’t believe in Karma. I do. I’ve seen too many things happen to people who have done bad things to others to doubt that she exists. Sometimes she takes her time teaching a lesson, but when it happens, it’s a doozy.

She can do a payback quickly with small things that happen every day, like someone not holding a door open for someone else or being rude. Karma also works on a bigger scale. Big enough to affect our souls through several lifetimes. It means the debts we incur during a lifetime might not come due until the next one. I’ve often asked myself if the dumpster fire that was my life at certain points was due to some karmic debt. Sometimes the answer was yes, sometimes no. There are other factors that play into the creation of the not-so-good things that develop during one’s lifetime, but for right now, we’re focusing only on Karma.

The way I understand it is that when we are terrible in one life, as in we’ve hurt a lot of people or done something horrible, even after we die and we go back to Source, we decide to make up for the destruction we caused. Do we have to do this? I’m not sure, but my instinct says no. We choose to do it. It usually shows up as a soul contract – a document we agreed to and signed before we came into this life, outlining what kind of life we’re going to live. More on this in another article.

In short, we agree to take on that debt and to “work it off” during our lifetime. There is also the other side of the coin. Sometimes we are owed a debt. For instance, if someone did something horrible to us in another lifetime, that person owes us. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded of the Lord’s Prayer. The line may vary depending on denomination, but it goes, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I suppose what I’m getting at is the metaphysical version of that. Break out of the karmic cycle, at least temporarily, by clearing the slate.

The question becomes, how do I step off this karmic wheel for a moment? It is only for a moment because the only way to get off the wheel indefinitely is after all the soul contracts you’ve written have either been fulfilled or destroyed. The long way to get short-term relief would be to go to the Akashic Library, find the soul contract that contains the karmic debt clause, and burn it. The short way would be to forgive. Ask for forgiveness for all the debt you incurred, and forgive all those who are indebted to you. In the interest of balance, you need to do both. It doesn’t make sense to expect other souls you have hurt to forgive you but still hold the markers on the souls who have hurt you. Clearing all the energy from karmic debt is best for all concerned. That doesn’t mean your life is going to be perfect from now on. It does mean you have one less thing to carry around in this lifetime and any future ones

The forgiveness you ask for, and grant must be sincere. If you half-ass it, it won’t work. It won’t make your situation worse, but nothing will change, and your debts, as well as what you’re owed, will remain. If you let go of debt owed to you, does that mean the person got away with whatever it was? No, Karma is still keeping track and may give that person a few trials to go through to make sure the lesson was learned. Same thing for you. It’s possible that while forgiveness was granted to you, you still didn’t learn the lesson, and therefore a swift kick in the pants might still be coming your way. However, you can also say that you would appreciate and be grateful for a kinder, gentler way to learn those lessons. Sometimes there isn’t one, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. We can often be slow in catching on to what the Universe attempts to teach us.

What you’re releasing is the energy binding you to the other person. Connecting to another in that way uses energy. In my opinion, there are better uses for that energy, such as redirecting it toward your manifestation and prosperity. Let go of that other person and focus your time and energy on something more worthwhile, yourself. Forgive yourself, forgive others, and leave Karma to do her job of keeping track of what everybody owes.