by Siri-Gian Khalsa

So many people ask me,

"So why do I have to go through all this pain and suffering? Is God or my Soul just playing some kind of cruel joke on me?"

So, I made a study of this, asking Soul what the heck is going on here! These are the answers that I was given. And they bear out every time I do a Soul-level healing with folks.

THE READER'S DIGEST EXPLANATION OF KARMA

As you know, simply put the Law of Karma says that whatever you do will come back to you. So, if we do something to or for someone, we will be the recipients that exact same situation at a future time.

The "Law of Attraction" has been so overdone in coaching circles lately that it's become the default mantra for many in the self-help biz. "Like attracts like," they say. (Hm. So whatever happened to "opposites attract"?)

I just think the world is more complex than one simple statement that "like attracts like."

As much as I think positive thinking is powerful, as much as I think intention is an amazing force, and as much as I believe visualization can effect personal change...I don't think these things are infallible.

But people respond to soundbites, so I'm wondering if there is some sort of snappy way to say, "Well, yes, thinking positive is great but be realistic and don't expect to become a supermodel when you are a 60-year-old overweight man with a harelip!"

How about something like, "Manifest all you want, but remember God has the final say."

Or: "Think positively, but be open for something else to happen."

Sharon Stone has been all over the news due to a comment she made that China's earthquake was karmic payback for Tibet.

It's hard not to want to sing (cue Boy George):

Karma karma karma karma karma confuuuuusion...
Oh Sharon Stone, Sharon Stoooooone...
Talking is easy when you're a celebrity
Celebrity...celebrityyyyyy...

OK, enough kidding around. Sharon's heart is in the right place, but she really doesn't get the concept of karma if she thinks peasants dying in China will somehow punish the people responsible for the mess in Tibet. Those people responsible (i.e., the people in power) are safe in Beijing (or wherever they live), probably ensconced in lavish homes with better building codes that won't easily crumble in an earthquake. They were not hurt by the earthquake, the poor people were.