Dear Sonia- please consider A Course in Miracles. There are a few books about it (rather than the Course itself) which are a good jumpstart, like "A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson and "Disappearance of the Universe" by Gary Renaud (though I have some issue with this one). Also, "Conversations with God, Book One" changed my life.

You seem to post a lot about how unhappy you are about the way it is, or at least how it seem to you. Do you see that his is a choice? We used to think the world was flat, but it is not. If you want new thought, you must create it, and there are good ways to get started on the path. But it takes some effort, and there is no shortcut. Like the expression says, "Chop wood and carry water."

Think of it this way: now at least you know what it is NOT. Life is a process of experiencing it all so that we can choose best....

I too was very depressed and angry for many years because somehow I got the idea I could and should expect more, better, greater--- and my life was not at all like that. What changed was me. I try never to "should" on myself any more as I find it is someone else's idea, not mine.

It is how it is because of choices we have made, or failed to make. I am only suggesting we can make better choices.

Love and Light,

Thomas

Here's a take on Karma Sonia which I think ties in with both ACIM and the Buddhist view. (pardon the length again, I find it hard to be conscise on this stuff) Not everybody will agree with this, as not all here are comfortable with the ACIM/Buddhist view.

Karma in Buddhism at the level of teaching we normally experience (aimed at people at a relatively early stage on the path) is described as pure cause and consequence. That is it's got nothing to do with punishment, fairness or anything like that, just that we no more no less experience the consequence of egotistical/unwise behaviours as the outcome of  the application of an apparently definable set of laws to our lives.

It may seem unfair, but perhaps only because the logic and view we use in assessing this is essentially selective perception, and not based on a true seeing of the whole reality.

It's rather like fate - starting from a given point a given set of actions in this world inevitably brings us to a clearly predictable outcome.

Its taught that there is only one possible escape, and that's by transcending this reality via realisation or enlightenment. That (in Buddhist terms, and for a variety of reasons) amounts to no longer having any investment in outcomes in this reality (equanimity), and our gaining the wisdom to not act in a manner detrimental to ourselves and others. (living through wisdom and compassion - love)

ACIM says much the same, but uses the term 'forgiveness' - of this reality, ourselves and all its contents and happenings - to describe the means by which we gain the equanimity needed to transcend it and return to God/Spirit. (it's a truly inspired use of language, one that points so clearly to the required behaviour I think)

Fully realised behaviour (or behaviour fully aligned with the view of Spirit, or not driven by the relativistic and egotistical view of this world) does not generate karma - but the mechanism is subtle.

Consider the following. Ego is that part of universal mind separated from God, and this relative reality in its entirety is as above the creation of ego mind. We each experience a small part of it that we perceive as being individual to us, although at higher collective levels it's common to beings in this reality. (there is in effect only one ego, or one Son of God) This in turn was made possible by God's allowing us the free will to experiment with separation.

It's consequently we ourselves (at a higher level of mind than we are normally conscious of) and not God that create the rules and mechanism by which karma seems to bear on us.

The (egotistical) behaviours we indulge in in this reality are ultimately driven by our collective guilt at our separation from God. We made this entire reality as a bolt hole to escape from God, to place him 'outside'.

We think that by blaming and acting aggressively towards others and the world we live in we're furthering our self interest, but since these targets (despite their appearing external) are in fact the creation of ego or our own higher mind which has projected those aspects of itself it dislikes outwards, we're in effect attacking ourselves. Not to mention  driving ourselves ever deeper into samsara (Buddhist word - this reality which leads only to suffering) which of course is what the ego wants.

Most of us of course don't see this, and continue to act as self interested individuals.

We progress along the spiritual path by progressively dropping false beliefs as to the nature of reality, and learning (with the help of Spirit) to live instead with God/in accordance with true reality (or love - but that too is not simple)) - as Spirit/absolute mind would have us do.

To sidestep karma we need only (ha! - not so easy) to drop our belief in it. To in ACIM terms forgive ourselves, and those realities created by our mind that seem external, and so make it possible. That is drop our belief in the apparent but ultimately misleading appearance of the reality of individual self, of our world - or awaken from the dream.

When we for example react with like or dislike to the apparently real happenings and objects in this actually unreal and impermanent world we actually reinforce our belief in its existence, and hence make the dream more real for ourselves.

Awakening probably amounts to our dropping our guilt at separation, to dropping the mistaken collective and individual belief in all of the other creations of ego  and in ego as a separate entity - at our level individual selfhood and the reality we each experience, and all the egotistical behaviours that go with selfhood - I suspect that if we get as far as seeing through karma that the whole edifice comes tumbling down.

We achieve this through self work, study, and more importantly meditation and the like to open our minds and improve our seeing. It's the resulting experience of higher realities that enables the dropping of these beliefs.

What does all this mean? It seems that if we are at a stage on the path where we can't (with the help of Spirit) yet work with the level of mind responsible for creation of this apparent reality, or experience the reality of such an approach that we'll perceive/experience karma as a natural law that functions independently of us, but to which we are subject.

If on the other hand we can reach the point where we can transcend this reality (as in experience the greater reality, see past our tendency to perceive in accordance with the dictates of ego) then karma disappears.

Either way it seems unlikely that karma is the creation of God/absolute mind....

I used to have the same problem with thinking about karma as an eye for an eye.  because I was wondering if I had done something wrong, but maybe I'd forgotten I'd done this, and then therefore the consequence of my actions was  going to catch up with me, and this made me always look over my shoulder, so I couldn't enjoy my now moment, if I always thought I was guilty of something.

I no longer have a fear that I'm guilty of something, so I don't believe in bad or good luck anymore either.
It was ACIM basically got me headed out of the guilt trips we put on each other. and believe me, that's another book to write.

on another thread Bird is talking about choosing either love or fear, as most of us talk about this love or fear thing and we know you cannot feel both love and fear at the same time. so you are choosing.

It's what we are choosing right now that counts, that makes the future. and as for the choices we made in the past, we have the capability to change the past also, by the choices made right now.

was speaking about a self retrieval I did. I felt I changed the past when I retrieved her, the little girl, and I brought her into the present. I let her experience the love in the present, that was not in the past, so she had a chance to mature into her fullness, otherwise she would still be in the past, all alone, with no love.

I feel we each have a child we can go back and retrieve, and then that is sort of like clearing the karma.

love, alysia

The simple "cause and effect"-Karma in my view would be pretty ineffective. It would throw people who made a mistake into situations which are worse than the one before, but the person isn't smarter than before, so this person is likely to again make mistakes, so rather than an ascension, it's more likely to turn out to be a decension for most people. This is because, in this simple version, there is no teacher. The person is left alone. That ain't gonna work.
   So, it needs some modifications to prevent it to become a downward spiral, this would be educational elements, such as guidance, life-review, and very wisely picked incarnations.

Spooky

Hi I think if we all had a thousand lives to live,we would still owe karma and the reason for that is because we are human and humans are forever making mistakes,i dont know what i did in past lives but ive been paying back karma since as long as i can remember.

Love and God bless  love juditha

half full-half empty....The creation of future karma possabilities. It is difficult in changing the past yet so simple to change the future.

Sonia,
I dont know much about Karma etc. However I did want to extend something you to in regards to your sentence:
"At what moment in this entire cycle is there somebody to teach you how to break this circle. I think there is no teacher, until you look for one yourself."

My oppinion is:
EVERYDAY you come across someone - something whom is a spiritual tool! Look in the mirror and you will see the most beautiful gift of love, you`ve every laid eyes on.

Let me use kids as an example, for better understanding of my view.

Kids tend to rebuttel in many things whilst growing up. Not one of us is exempt from ever have bad mouthed our parents at least once. What does growing up essencially mean? Learning & experienceing responsibility for the whole. Look at our Being from the beginning strictly neutral for a moment so to recognise teachers:

We are born, helpless: Our teachers are mom & dad - they are obvious to us for we are helpless.
We become teenagers: our teachers become friends and extended family, the streets, the norm of society.
We become adults: Our teacher becomes the harshness of life`s lessons, the good, bad and the ugly.

However once we become adults we have a tendency to close our eyes to the "obvious" signs of learning, close eyes to the "obvious teachers" however we inturn also "teach" others in the process by merely being a part of society.

We have history books which teach us of what our Fore-fathers have done in previous days, even though history can be a teacher it has a tendency to repeat itself until the students learn the lesson.

My point:
Everyday of your life, theres a teacher. It may be a kitty cat or a puppy whom shows/teaches you how to love because it loves unconditional.

It may be a humanbeing whom shows/teaches you how to feel content because he/she shared a smile unconditionally without even knowing you.

It may be a bush in the yard which shows/teaches you how to get back up after a harsh tornado because it reaches towards the sunlight for food.

or a someone whom helps you out of a crises, gives you a hug, gives you driving directions when your lost all such is extending whats called PUL.

So ergo: You are right, the circle is broken when "you open your conscienceness level to recognise the teachers everyday". Or how you put it:
I think there is no teacher, until you look for one yourself.

Hugs,
Nanner