"It’s karma baby!" How often have you heard that term? Most people think of it as being a bit of a fun term, as in "your karma ran over my dogma."  However, it is actually a very difficult word to translate from the original Sanskrit. It actually means a lot of different things. Mostly, the word means "action." Some people see karma as being those events in our life over which we have no control.

Still, it would be a mistake to think that karma is a matter that should be treated irreverently. That and the phrase "call it karma" are often used to describe what happens when you reap what you should sow. 

 

In fact, to define karma is to think of it as being what you send out coming back to you. One of the most famous of karma quotes is actually, "Whatever you send out, comes back to three times three times three." This is a saying that is recognized in many different religions, including those that do not have real karma symbols like Wicca. 

The three times three rule is the justification also for doing onto your neighbor as you would have them do onto you. It is the law of karma in action. People do not often think of karma as being Biblical, but that is a good example of how it is.

 

For the early Buddhists, karma was a non-linear matter. Other Indian schools believed that karma operated in a simple straight line, with actions from the past influencing the present, and present actions influencing the future. Later on, it was seen as more complex. Often, Karma acts in multiple feedback loops, with the present moment being shaped both by past and by present actions. The idea is that present actions shape not only the future, but also the present. Furthermore, present actions need not be determined by past actions, which mean that paying attention to your karma can alter future events. In fact, this is how Buddhist witches attempt to alter the future.

The problem with karma is that once it starts, it is hard to stop. When you are unable to break free of certain very bad patterns that you repeat again and again, it is called a karma loop.

A popular karma symbol is the Ying Yang medallion, which looks like two embracing teardrops. They symbolize the union of both the male and female principles in life �?the union of opposites