“Simply, this may be considered to be ‘what goes around comes around’. The theory of karma is relatively simple but the range of its consequences can be intricate and mysterious.

As you are reading this book it is likely that you already have some awareness of karma and have a sense of yourself as stardust on your spiritual journey. You will be creating and living the fruits of your karma at all times. Put another way, what you create is what you experience.

This relates to your intentions, actions, thoughts, beliefs and emotions. You are constantly projecting these into your environment, consciously and also unconsciously. Your projections flow from you and eventually come back to you, either immediately, or later in your present or future lives. So it is helpful for you to become aware of your projections of thought, word and action and even aware of your most involuntary private thoughts as well.

It will take many souls a very long time before they are able to believe this, as they may not be able to see the link from their thoughts, desires and actions into their physical reality. They may not realise that much of what comes their way is coming not only from this life, but from previous lives, too; a mixture of past and present creations. It may take many people a long time to realise that they are a creator. In addition, they may eventually realize that it is not an external God or Creator that judges their karma, but their person al soul, particularly between lives.

You may of course look at your karma at a conscious level, at any stage of your life, if you have the courage to do so. There is no right or wrong, black or white in karma. It just IS; it is action. Karma is not punishment.

For me it is impossible to separate karma from Vedic astrology, as the position of the planets over the place of your birth (forming your birth chart) determines our personality and also the events that are due to unfold at particular points in life. People will come into our life, that we are due to meet at particular periods in time, according to karmic and astrological lore. Our karma will unfold in perfect time. Some people will be new to us in our soul’s journey; while others will be those with whom we have ‘unfinished business’ from previous lives that is seeking completion.

These may be a love affair that ended badly, or could not be consummated due to choices, social restrictions or any other limitation; or possibly a business partner, parent or child with whom something is not yet resolved satisfactorily. Each of these experiences provide us with the ability to make choices and to experiment with different outcomes. From the beginning, events and situations will seemingly happen to us as Surya. We may have an attentive and loving mother or not, be born into a war or famine or alternatively an abundant and soft environment. At a soul level these events will be p re-ordained.

Our gender is chosen to provide the necessary specific experiences we require, even though gender, as we know it, is not a part of the spirit world experience. Gender is an important part of our physical earthly experience. These are the events that will help to shape us through the events of our life and create more karma.

There are many kinds of karma. You have personal karma and are also involved in much collective karma, such as your family karma and also the other collective karma involving race, culture, religion or generations. There are experiences to learn from on many levels simultaneously. You are seemingly thrown into your life and have chosen to experience it for many reasons. It is possible that you may find your family loving and harmonious or alternatively so challenging or distasteful that you would like to cut them off.

However born into this family is no accident. It is very much part of your spiritual journey regardless of its ease, dysfunction or pain. Simply disowning family or relationships will not be enough to release you from the karmic connection. You must experience it in all its facets and perhaps look or the treasures within it, whilst also acknowledging any shortfalls in the people, situation and also ultimately in yourself. Perhaps then you may be able to understand it, integrate and let it go. In letting go of the pattern and changing the destiny you may be able to go into a different way of being, in being truer to who you are and emerge richer from the experience.

In collective karma you may need to acknowledge your collective destiny with others. Accept them and yourself as part of this group. You are experiencing the consequences of what has gone before f or some reason, in a personal way and also from what was set in motion from previous generations in your genetic line. Such karmas are played out in the rise and fall of nations or the spread or demise of religions and the waging of wars. Through being part of so many different karmic experiences, you make choices in the best way you can, in setting down more of the same, or different situations on your karmic map. Continuing in the cycle of cause and effect of what goes around comes around. This means at best having the courage to face your karma and attempt to resolve it, which must provide valuable growth.

Particularly through the spiritual teachings of Vedic Astrology I have learned that there is a mixture of karma to unfold in life that comes in three basic strengths. These are fixed, mixed or light karmas.”