Is everything in our lives predetermined — or can we change our karma?
The word karma has become part of everyday language. We say “that’s karma” when something bad happens to someone who behaved badly, or speak about “good karma” as if the universe kept an invisible account of rewards and punishments.
But the original idea is both simpler and much more profound.
The Sanskrit word karman (कर्मन्) comes from the idea of doing or action. Karma is not a supernatural punishment imposed on us from outside. It is a process of action and consequence. What we think, what we desire, how we act — and, importantly, how we respond to what happens to us — continuously participates in shaping our experience. This changes the question from:
“Why is this happening to me?”
to:
“How will I respond to what is happening?”
And that distinction lies at the heart of understanding karma.
Karma is not punishment
One of the most persistent misconceptions is that karma is a system of cosmic justice: Do something good → receive a reward. Do something bad → receive a punishment. The actual concept is more subtle. An action sets something in motion. That action has consequences, which may themselves become causes for further actions and consequences. Barbara Pijan Lama describes karma through this action–reaction relationship rather than as a punitive force. She even points out that the word karma can sometimes be misleading precisely because people associate it so strongly with punishment. Consider something very ordinary. If we repeatedly react to criticism with anger, that reaction influences our relationships. Those damaged relationships create new circumstances. Those circumstances provoke further emotions and decisions. A pattern develops. Nothing supernatural is required. The seed eventually produces its fruit.
Intention matters 🧠
Actions alone are not the whole story. Motivation matters. The same external action can arise from very different internal states. We might help someone because we genuinely feel compassion. Or because we want admiration. We might remain silent because we are peaceful. Or because we are afraid. We might work hard because we enjoy contributing. Or because our entire sense of self-worth depends on recognition. The outward behavior may look similar, but the internal causes are different — and therefore the patterns they reinforce within us are different. The article draws particular attention to the role of thoughts, emotions and intentions in the karmic process. Destructive mental patterns tend to perpetuate suffering, while qualities such as compassion and loving-kindness can gradually counter them. In this sense, karma begins before the visible action. It begins with consciousness.
Does karma mean everything is predetermined?
This is where karma becomes particularly important for understanding Jyotish. If our present circumstances are partly the result of causes already set in motion, does that mean our future is fixed? Not necessarily. A useful analogy is a seed. Once a seed has been planted and the necessary conditions appear, it may begin to grow. We cannot pretend that the seed was never planted. But we still have choices about what we do when it sprouts. Barbara's interpretation of Jyotish strongly rejects absolute fatalism. The chart can describe patterns, tendencies and periods in which certain karmic themes are likely to manifest. But conscious choice still matters — particularly our choice of response. This creates an important distinction: We may not control everything that happens. But we can develop greater control over how we meet what happens. And our response becomes a new action — a new cause.
Living on autopilot
Imagine two people encountering the same difficult situation. Both are criticized. The first reacts immediately: anger → accusation → conflict → resentment. The next time something similar happens, the reaction repeats. Eventually it becomes so automatic that the person hardly notices there was ever a choice. The second person feels the same initial anger but recognizes it. They pause. Perhaps they still disagree. Perhaps they defend themselves. But they consciously choose not to turn the situation into hostility. The original event may be similar. The karmic continuation is different. This is one of the most interesting ideas in the article: unconscious patterns make behavior increasingly predictable. Fear produces familiar reactions. Desire produces familiar reactions. Those reactions produce familiar consequences. We begin to live on autopilot. Awareness introduces another possibility.
Can we change our karma? 🌱
Perhaps not by erasing the past. But we can change what happens next. Suppose someone has spent years reacting defensively whenever they feel rejected. They cannot undo those years. They cannot remove every consequence their previous behavior has already created. But the next time the familiar situation appears, there is a tiny space between the event and the reaction. Inside that space is a choice. React exactly as before — and reinforce the pattern. Or respond differently. This is why developing awareness is so important. The more clearly we recognize our fears, desires and habitual reactions, the less automatically they control our behavior. Consciousness creates room for choice. And choice creates new karma.
Karma and personal responsibility
There is an important distinction between responsibility and guilt. Understanding karma does not require us to blame ourselves for everything that happens. Responsibility asks:
“What can I do with this situation now?”
Guilt says:
“This happened because there is something wrong with me.”
These are very different positions. The first gives us agency. The second can simply create another cycle of suffering. Barbara repeatedly emphasizes accepting responsibility without guilt. We may not understand the origins of every circumstance, but we can still become conscious of our present response to it. That alone is enough to begin changing the pattern.
Do we need to believe in reincarnation?
Karma is traditionally inseparable from the much larger Vedic framework of reincarnation. Actions performed in one lifetime may bear fruit beyond that lifetime, while circumstances encountered today may have causes that are not visible within our present biography. Jyotish traditionally uses this framework when interpreting the birth chart. But there is an interesting practical point: You do not need to understand a past life in order to work with a pattern today. We can observe karma within a single lifetime. Childhood experiences influence adult behavior. Habits repeated for years shape character. Decisions affect relationships. Fear changes choices. Choices create consequences. Consequences influence our next decisions. The action–reaction cycle is visible everywhere. Whether someone interprets its deepest origins through reincarnation or limits the discussion to the present lifetime, the practical question remains the same: What are you creating through your response right now?
Where does Jyotish fit into this? 🪐
This gives us another way to understand the purpose of a birth chart. Jyotish does not have to be viewed as a document declaring:
“This is your fate.”
It can instead become a map showing where certain patterns are likely to emerge. A difficult planetary period does not necessarily mean “something bad must happen.” It may describe circumstances in which particular fears, desires, attachments or unresolved patterns become especially active. Knowing this in advance creates an opportunity for awareness. And awareness creates choice. From this perspective, the purpose of astrology is not simply to predict events. It is to help us recognize the pattern before we react to it automatically. That may be one of the most practical uses of Jyotish.
You are not only experiencing karma — you are creating it
We often imagine karma as something coming from the past. But karma also points toward the future. Every response occurring now becomes part of what follows. A harsh word changes a relationship. An act of compassion changes one too. A fear repeatedly obeyed becomes stronger. A fear consciously observed may gradually lose its control. A habit repeated becomes easier to repeat. A different response practiced again and again can eventually become the new habit. So karma is not merely something we have. It is something we are continuously doing.
The most important moment is now ✨
We may never know every cause that brought us to the present moment. Perhaps some began yesterday. Some in childhood. And, within the traditional Vedic understanding, some may have begun before this lifetime. But we do not need perfect knowledge of the past to work with karma. The place where we actually have power is much closer: the next response. We can observe. We can pause. We can recognize fear without automatically obeying it. We can experience anger without immediately turning it into another action. We can choose compassion where previously there was hostility. And gradually, the chain changes.
🙏 Karma is therefore not simply the story of what has already been done to us or by us. It is also the possibility contained in what we choose to do next.
