(A Reflection Through the Lens of A Course in Miracles)
When I first wrote about karma, I saw it through the lens many of us are taught to accept: karma as a cosmic form of retribution. A balancing of the scales. A universal boomerang that hurls back at us the pain, injustice, or harm we have caused others. The phrase itself—Karma’s a bitch—carries a certain sting of satisfaction, as if the universe were a judge and jury, ensuring that no one escapes the consequences of their actions.
It’s easy to understand why we frame karma this way. In a world that often feels unjust, the idea of an unseen force holding people accountable offers a sense of order. It can be a satisfying, if sometimes vindictive, belief: You get what’s coming to you.
But as I continue my spiritual journey, especially through the lens of A Course in Miracles, my understanding of karma has softened, deepened, and expanded. I’ve come to see that karma isn’t about punishment at all. It’s not about retribution, but about correction. It’s a gentle teacher, lovingly offering us opportunities to awaken from the dream of separation and remember the truth of who we are.
ACIM teaches that everything we experience is either an expression of love or a call for love. And karma, in this sense, is nothing more than the learning environment in which we are invited to remember love, over and over again. It’s the teacher that gently places in front of us the very lessons we most need to learn—lessons we may have ignored or resisted before.
Rather than punishing us, karma patiently shows us the places where our thoughts are out of alignment with love. When we judge another, karma helps us feel the sting of judgment so we can learn empathy. When we attack, karma gives us an opportunity to experience the pain of separation and choose again.
ACIM says, “Every loving thought is true. Everything else is an appeal for healing and help, regardless of the form it takes.” (T-12.I.3:4)
Seen through this lens, karma isn’t here to punish us—it’s here to wake us up. It’s a mirror reflecting our own misperceptions so we can correct them, not out of fear of cosmic payback, but because we no longer want to suffer the illusion of separation.
As I reflect on the old version of this essay, I realize how much I once longed for the scales to balance. I wanted to see those who had hurt me get what they “deserved.” But now, I see that this desire was rooted in fear, in a belief that I was a victim of the world.
ACIM gently corrects this thinking: “I am not the victim of the world I see.” (W-31)
If I am not a victim, then neither are those who appear to wrong me. And karma isn’t here to punish anyone; it’s simply the law of learning, giving each of us the perfect curriculum for our own awakening.
So perhaps karma isn’t a bitch after all. Maybe karma is the kindest teacher we’ll ever have.
It reminds me of another Course lesson: “I can choose peace instead of this.” (W-34)
When we see karma as a call to love rather than a sentence of punishment, we step out of the courtroom and into the classroom. We stop waiting for justice, and we begin to experience healing.
And that, I believe, is the true gift of karma—not retribution, but redemption.
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