Everyone knows that human beings are conscious, and many also believe that other animals and perhaps even plants may also be conscious. But what does this really mean? How does consciousness arise in the world? What is its nature? Is it something special or just a useful adaptation? And can we learn anything about how consciousness works from non-human animals or plants? 

These questions about consciousness — its origin and meaning — have been debated for as long as humans have thought about such things. The recent surge of interest in “panpsychism” represents a new wrinkle on this old problem. Panpsychism is the view that everything has a degree of consciousness, even things like tables and chairs. This isn’t just because all things have some sort of “spiritual essence” but because everything has properties like size, shape, color, smell or taste; properties that are essentially also ways of sensing the world. This post will explore the relationship between consciousness and panpsychism.

What Is Consciousness?

Philosophers, scientists and cognitive scientists have long wrestled with the question of what exactly consciousness is. Due to the inherent epistemological difficulties of exploring consciousness in an objective way, there is no consensus over the precise definition that captures all of the essential features of consciousness. Nevertheless, there are a few features that most definitions of consciousness have in common: – There is a subjective aspect to the experience of consciousness. 

When we are directly experiencing the world, we are only aware of our own subjective consciousness. In other words, the contents of our experience are private and cannot be directly accessed by other people. – Consciousness is an integrated whole. Our experiences don’t feel like a random collection of disconnected sights and sounds, but like a unified “field of consciousness”. – Consciousness is known as “what it is like” to be an experiencing subject. When we experience the world, we aren’t just passively receiving information; we also have a “feeling of what it is like” to be that subject.

What Is Panpsychism?

Panpsychism is the view that all matter has some degree of consciousness. This might sound like a strange or even ridiculous view, but the truth is that no one really knows how consciousness arises. Therefore, any theory that purports to explain the origin of consciousness is going to seem strange or ridiculous at first glance. The main problem with panpsychism, as a theory about consciousness, is that it seems to “qualify” consciousness. 

In other words, panpsychism suggests that consciousness is a quality that all things possess — like size or shape. This runs into problems because we often think of consciousness as something more than a mere quality. We think that only certain types of things can be conscious — living things, for example. We don’t think that consciousness is a generic property of the universe; it’s something that is rare and special.

Why Have Qualifications?

One way to respond to the problem of qualification is to argue that consciousness isn’t a mere quality; it is a special kind of relation between an experiencing subject and the things being experienced. This “relation theory” of consciousness isn’t a solution to the problem of qualification because it isn’t a form of panpsychism. It’s an attempt to redefine what we mean by “consciousness” so that we aren’t forced to admit that everything has consciousness.

A better way to respond to the problem of qualification is to argue that consciousness isn’t just a simple quality like size or shape. It is a highly complex and sophisticated phenomenon that depends on underlying neural and cognitive processes that are specific to living creatures. Consciousness isn’t a generic quality that all things possess; it is a specific ability of living things that comes about as a result of very particular underlying processes.

Is Consciousness Present in Everything?

One way to respond to the problem of qualification is to argue that consciousness isn’t a mere quality of the world — it’s a fundamental aspect of the nature of all things. This would mean that consciousness isn’t something that we discover like an underlying law of nature; it is something that we create when we observe the world and use language to give meaning to our perceptions. This is the reasoning behind the “panpsychist” approach to the problem of qualification: consciousness isn’t something that some things have; it is something that all things have.

Consciousness isn’t something that is added to the world; it is something that is implicit in all things. It’s not something we discover when we observe the universe; it’s something that we impose on the universe when we make meaning out of our observations.

Consciousness As An Adaptation: The Epistemological Argument For Panpsychism

One way to respond to the problem of qualification is to argue that consciousness isn’t something that all things have; it’s something that only living things have. This would problematize the “epistemological” approach to the problem of qualification: consciousness is an adaptation that gives a particular advantage to living things. This is one way to respond to the problem of qualification by arguing that consciousness isn’t a generic phenomenon but a specific ability.

However, panpsychism challenges this view by suggesting that consciousness is not merely an evolved adaptation but an inherent aspect of reality itself, extending beyond biological organisms. This isn’t a form of panpsychism because it doesn’t suggest that everything has consciousness — only living things do. Consciousness is an adaptation that has been shaped by natural selection to give living things an advantage in the struggle for survival.

Consciousness As An Adaptation: The Ontological Argument For Panpsychism

One way to respond to the epistemological problem of qualification is to argue that consciousness isn’t something that only living things have; it is something that all things have. This would problematize the “ontological” approach to the problem of qualification: consciousness is a fundamental aspect of the underlying nature of all things. This is one way to respond to the problem of qualification by arguing that consciousness isn’t a specific ability but a fundamental feature of the universe.

It isn’t something that we discover when we observe the world; it is something that we create when we give meaning to our observations. This isn’t a form of panpsychism because it doesn’t claim that everything has consciousness — only things that are capable of meaning-making are given a degree of consciousness.

Can Consciousness Exist Without Self-Awareness?

One way to respond to the problem of qualification is to argue that consciousness isn’t a generic phenomenon; it’s a specific ability of living things that only living things have — the ability to be self-aware. This would problematize the “epistemological” approach to the problem of qualification: consciousness is a specific ability that only living things have — the ability to be self-aware.

This is one way to respond to the problem of qualification by arguing that consciousness isn’t a basic ability of all things; it’s a complex ability that only living things have: the capacity to be self-aware. Self-awareness is a heightened cognitive ability where we can experience ourselves as subjects in the world. This kind of view is widely accepted, but panpsychism presents an alternative and suggests that self-awareness is a higher-order manifestation of consciousness that exists in everything to various degrees.

Still Searching for the Nature of Consciousness

Despite the lengthy discussion of consciousness above, it might seem that we’re no closer to understanding what consciousness is. The truth is that no one really knows how consciousness arises in the world or what it really is. We are forced to make educated guesses in the absence of any clear consensus.

Panpsychism offers one of the most radical yet compelling perspectives in this debate, proposing that consciousness is not an emergent property of complexity but an intrinsic feature of reality itself. This doesn’t mean that we can’t learn anything from the debate about consciousness; it just means that we should be careful not to overstate the certainty of our conclusions. Whatever view we hold about the nature of consciousness, it would be wise to remember that we don’t fully understand the phenomenon we call “consciousness.”

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner is an Intuitive Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships. Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE.

On the journey to finding enlightenment and enhancing your spirituality, don’t neglect your body and real-world matters along the way. Here are 13 quick notes of reasonable life advice that can help any human being be more loving, balanced, and wholesome. 

Reasonable Life Advice About Using Body Products

1. Do Not Buy Any Soap, Other Than Pure Soap

The only brand that meets the highest mark is Dr. Bronner’s. Their jug of rose soap is lovely and effective. Their bars of lavender and citrus soaps are wonderful. You can add baking soda to Dr. Bronner’s liquid peppermint, rose, lavender, and citrus soaps and make your own laundry detergent.

2. Do Not Buy Cosmetics That Have Any Unnatural Ingredients in Them

Most of them have metals that get into your blood and cause damage and disease. It’s best to make your own lotions from all-natural cream bases.

3. Do Not Buy Deodorant 

It either has chemicals in it and/or blocks your pores and causes illness down the line. Whatever you put into your armpits goes directly into your bloodstream. Use warm oil at night to nourish it. Wipe it off with a steamy, hot cloth. If your diet is healthy, over time, you will have very little smell coming from that part of your body.

Reasonable Life Advice About Relationships

Relationships shape our emotional well-being and personal growth. The way we connect with others can either empower us or drain us, making it essential to recognize when to nurture a bond and when to walk away.

4. You Can Exit a Relationship at Any Time 

Your primary relationship is with The Universe, not individuals. Boundaries are helpful; exits can be transcendent. Why break yourself to appease people who have no interest in making room for who you are? You can exit a relationship at any time.

5.  Angry People Are Often the Most Loyal – Until You Judge Them Into the Ground for Their Anger.

Like all emotions, we must allow ourselves to feel them as much as we can and then find healthy pathways to release them. We can’t blame anger for being itself. 

Reasonable Life Advice About the Beliefs and Desires That Rule Us

Our beliefs and desires shape the way we experience life, but not all of them serve our highest good. Understanding which ones truly align with our values can help us lead a more fulfilling and authentic existence on our path to enlightenment. 

6.  Don’t Live in Tiny Religious Boxes

Living in tiny religious boxes, believing that your representation of God is “the only one,” will leave you limited while living and also upon your death. Embrace all love-based religions as doorways to the illumination of the Self and enlightenment. In most cases, the stories are repeated from one religion to the next, but with different deity names and timeframes. To The Divine Consciousness that permeates all reality, these stories are nothing.

7. Sharing Secret Desires and Goals Feeds Your Ego

Telling everyone your secret desires and goals leaks energy and gives your ego the illusion that it is satisfied. Over time, the chemicals related to healthy creative aggression will subside, and you will give up on the desire or goal – or perform it half-heartedly with little success.

8. Most Desires Will Result in Pain

Some desires will result in joy and then pain. The majority of our desires are useless to us, often defrauding us of our happiness. Thoroughly vet your desires and goals before diving into them. Put them through the most arduous scrutiny before deciding to pour your lovely heart into them or bring them to life.

9. Conspiracy Theories Are for Egoistic Minds  

Conspiracy theories are built for fragile, childish, egoistic minds to appease their fear of uncertainty. The vast majority of conspiracy theories are untrue. Even if you found a conspiracy theory that is true, what can you really do about it at this point in your life? Besides blabbering on about it, what are you willing to actually do or sacrifice? Nothing! 

Because you are not 100% certain about it and the conspiracy has no tangible impact on your life. Here is some good life advice to carry with you: 99% of conspiracies are nothing more than marketing funnels for ideologues or toxic gossip created for idiots. Focus on allowing uncertainty in your life so that you do not waste so much energy on childish things that you fail at concreting love and joy in your life. 

Reasonable Life Advice About What We Put Into Our Bodies

What we consume directly impacts our physical, mental, and emotional health. From the food we eat to the beverages we drink, making mindful choices can improve our overall well-being. Here’s some life advice on how to fuel your body wisely.

10. Sugar is Bad for You 

If you drink a glass of orange juice, it yields an overwhelming amount of sugar for your body. The sugar crashes can impact your metabolism and make you feel lousy, putting your body into a sugar overload. Instead, drink water to nourish your body and make orange juice a weekly cocktail. 

11. Ice in Your Beverages is Bad for You

Your body needs room temperature or warm beverages to assist in digestion. Ice stops the flow and puts your digestive system into slow motion by restricting the blood flow to your stomach and intestines. Some evidence shows it reduces enzyme secretion and makes your digestion, and you, sluggish. Sipping on warm or room-temperature water supports healthy digestion by boosting circulation and digestive “fire,” which is also known as agni in Ayurveda.

Reasonable Life Advice About Activism

Taking a stand for what we believe in can be powerful, but activism should be rooted in action, awareness, and genuine change. Simply rejecting what we dislike isn’t enough—true activism requires effort, education, and constructive engagement.

12. Healthy People Never Play the Victim

Healthy masculinity, femininity, men, and women are strong, robust, resourceful, and never play the victim. Toxic masculinity is most often obvious and requires drastic repercussions. Toxic femininity and toxic feminism hide behind contrived, judgmental new-age concepts and trending varieties of cancel culture. Canceling someone you never knew is just a harsher form of gossip. Canceling someone does not help their soul advance – it drives them deeper into their wounds and self-hatred. 

Each of us is masculine and feminine: You were male or female in many prior lives. Be more allowing and truly get to know someone before spreading gossip. Look at yourself deeply and address your own misconceptions before barking wildly at the moon. Why waste so much energy on someone else’s illusion?

13. Non-Allyship of Brands You Hate Does Nothing for Anybody

This life advice is about avoiding toxic, passive, do-nothing gossip. It’s what preachy bullshitters do when they have too much free time and not enough intelligence to evaluate the trajectory of it. If you don’t like a brand, buy something from a different brand. Breaking a brand with non-allyship sends a terrible message – and it wastes the possibility of the brand and its employees experiencing transformation and transcendence into a new way of doing and being. 

If you’re motivated to help, then get involved with the brand. Inform it, inspire it, and reach out to the decision-makers. Not buying Chick-fil-A because the CEO is an LGBTQ+-hating jackoff does nothing for anybody. The more loving you are, the more people will change. There’s always another way. Even if a wave of non-allyship shuts a company down, the investors and executives will find new pathways to express their prejudice. Non-allyship is egoistic and it wastes an opportunity to help others grow.

More Reasonable Life Advice from Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner is an Intuitive Life & Business Coach, clairvoyant reader, and a five-time EMMY Award-winning writer. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships. Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE.

Mindfulness, Meditation, & Other Inward Practices

The world stops for no one. Sometimes, though, we wish we could just hit the pause button and take a breath. We wish we had time to take stock of our lives and check in with our wellness physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. At the same time, we often get in our way by procrastinating and doubting ourselves.

Are you hoping to improve yourself inwardly for 2022 and beyond? Looking for inspiration for inward practices you can add to your daily life to slow the world down and help you cope with stress? Look no further–I’ve dedicated my life to helping people build healthy spiritual and psychological habits that improve their lives from the inside out.

Practicing Mindfulness

There’s no better building block to all other spiritual and mental habits than practicing mindfulness every day. Practicing mindfulness helps you to be more aware of yourself and your environment. You’ll be able to live in the present rather than in the past or the future. Ultimately, you can begin to appreciate life for what it is at that moment rather than stressing over the past or wishing for a better future.

For example, mindfulness helps you to stay in tune with your body. Practicing mindfulness can improve your fitness efforts, as you are constantly checking in to make sure you’re not in pain, hurting yourself, or pushing yourself further than is healthy. It also helps with tracking your progress by seeing and feeling the benefits of your efforts physically. At the same time, mindfulness can help you detect when you might be falling ill as you’re very aware of the way your body usually feels, and even slight changes can alert you long before others who are always rushing through their days.

Similarly, mindfulness can help you be one with your mind. Those who live in the past or rush towards the future are often running away from how they are feeling in the moment. Maybe there are responsibilities they want to avoid or overwhelming thoughts and feelings. Being mindful of how you feel in the present forces you to confront your feelings and any emotional problems you might be experiencing. Then, you can get to understand yourself better and apply solutions to enjoy your life better.

Finally, mindfulness can put you in touch with your spirit. Those who are mindful are comfortable checking in on their soul and faith experience. They are highly aware of their daily practices and how they affect their spirituality. These people are also very aware of internal and external factors that might be getting in the way of fully delving into their spiritual life, helping to more quickly and effectively clear any spiritual blockages.

How Can I Start Practicing Mindfulness?

Mindfulness can be as simple as frequently remembering to stop and breathe for beginners. Try forcing yourself to stop throughout the day to turn inward regularly. Start asking yourself questions such as:

1. 1. 1. What am I feeling right now?
      2. How is the current action I’m doing affecting the way I feel?
      3. What is surrounding me in my environment?
      4. Is there anything in my environment that is affecting the way I feel?
      5. Am I alright to continue what I’m doing, or should I stop?

You can apply these questions to your physical, mental, and spiritual life by asking yourself these questions as they relate to your physical wellness, emotions and thoughts, and finally, your spiritual health.

Some practices for mindfulness that you can apply to your daily life are to focus on one task at a time, eat slowly, schedule brain breaks, limit time using devices, and spend more time in nature. Question your habits and automatic reactions throughout your day. The ultimate goal is to live intentionally, understanding the reason behind every action, thought, and emotion and paying attention to how these affect you.

As you become a mindfulness master, you’ll start noticing patterns in your behavior and be able to pinpoint the good and bad energy working in your life. Then, you can seek to address those. Mindfulness, meditation, and other inward practices put together can skyrocket your spiritual journey.

Add Meditation to Your Daily Routine

Mindfulness and meditation go hand-in-hand. You can start one or the other first, but ultimately, one will improve your practice of the other. For example, if you are meditating regularly, you’ll naturally become better at slowing down, breathing, and turning inward. If you start with mindfulness first, you’ll have built up your self-awareness skills and break up the monotony of your daily routine with breaks to reflect. Consequently, practicing both simultaneously is key to self-awareness and improving your life.

Meditation comes in many forms, some instituted by religions, others recommended by health professionals, and others still invented by those just looking for ways to slow down and turn inward. Meditation can be as simple as deep breathing and as complex as focusing the mind on spiritual energies within the body. Regardless of your skill level or exposure to meditation practices, you can start right away with nothing but yourself and the will to learn. Combine mindfulness, meditation, and other inward practices for the best benefits.

How to Begin Meditating

The most common and popular way to meditate is to get into a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Taking deeper, slower breaths can help the body and mind relax. Meditation can stop right there, or it can go deeper. You can choose to find a happy place, imagine your favorite place to go, focus on your most happy memories, and try your hardest to stay in that place for as long as you practice. Or, you can begin focusing on the physical world, listening to the sounds and textures around you, how the floor supports your weight, and how each limb and appendage feels in this position.

Those with a deep spiritual practice go even further by focusing on their chakras or spiritual energy centers within the body. If certain things are ailing you, such as back pain or emotional stress, focusing on the chakra in charge of those things can help you unblock that energy center and restore you to complete wellness. Many choose to combine mindfulness, meditation, and more with yoga, mantra, and other forms of outward meditation.

Fasting and Prayer

There are many other forms of meditation and practices you can combine with mindfulness meditation, including fasting and prayer. Once you have slowed down your body and mind, prayer can be that much more potent for tapping into your spiritual life and connecting with the Universe and the Divine. During your meditation practice, you can choose to add prayers, whether they are candid or rehearsed, as a way to delve deeper into your practice.

A great way to focus on prayer is to pick a focus on the Divine. Is there a deity or divine master that inspires you? Is there a spiritual practice or trait that you’re seeking to improve within yourself? Set your intentions for your day and inward practices so that you always have the motivation and the reasons to guide you.

Fasting is another way to enhance your mindfulness as well. Intentionally choosing to skip meals or reduce the amount of food you consume is both physically and spiritually good for your wellness. It helps your body slow down and reset the digestive system for your health. For your mind, it enables you to be more mindful of the way you eat and how often. For the spirit, you’ll be able to focus on your sacrifice and how it has made you feel.

Take Your Inward Practices to the Next Level

If you love rituals, check out my Free Resources pages. You’ll find ancient ceremonies, lovely prayers, and encouragement that you might find helpful during times of change and transition. You might also consider using my Personality Cards – they’re wonderful for all sorts of rituals.

REMEMBER!

What is good for you and your body is entirely up to you. Experiment with these practices, do what you feel is comfortable, and only continue with things you feel benefit your life. Please realize that these aspects are only suggestions to help ease some stress and improve your inner life. You are far more powerful than you realize.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras. Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

YOU ARE LOVE!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Have you ever wished that there was some scientific evidence you could point to that would prove how profound an effect our faith has on our physical bodies and mental health? Or maybe you’re hoping to prove that a divine presence doesn’t exist, so you’re looking for studies that assess the mind’s ability to create illusions and imagine spirituality.

If the new field of neurotheology has taught us anything so far, it’s that you won’t find the dismissal of a divine presence here. In fact, scientists seriously following these studies are calling for open-mindedness about how impactful religion and faith practices can be for our minds, bodies, and spirits.

Neurotheology evidence is being compiled using brain scans and vital monitors to show the differences in anatomy and brain activity between religious and non-religious people and how increased religious practice can improve our brain function over time! That’s not to dismiss other effects, either, regarding how faithful devotion to a God and rituals can change our hearts and spirits.

What is Neurotheology?

In simple terms, neurotheology is a subsection of neurology that focuses on the impact of religious practices on people. Scientists in this field wish to understand the relation between religion and the brain.

Neurotheology is a new field, and there is friction for many reasons. To begin, scientific and religious leaders have never been at greater odds with each other–the political divide, sweeping generalizations, and the creeping hatred taking over many hearts have set those with religious views against those who glorify science. While there’s no reason at all that science and religion should clash, it can be challenging to move past differences and assumptions born out of these challenges.

At the same time, there is a divide even within science itself. A common misunderstanding of neurotheology has caused miscommunications and incorrect attributions to the term. At first glance, many might think the field is a religious take on neurology. Leading neurotheologists are working to define and refine the word so it is only applied to truly neurotheological studies.

While the field of neurotheology is still young, the studies have shown amazing and promising results so far. Evidence for religious practice changing our brain function, for instance, spans across religions and demographics, even in some cases to help those who suffer from brain disorders!

Leading Neurotheology Studies

Dr. Andrew Newberg is one of the leading scientists who has paved the way for neurotheology. He has even authored a book called Principles of Neurotheology in which he has sought to set the story straight about the field and its potential. His work has mainly focused on brain scans to show brain function differences across religious and non-religious practices and their effects over time.

In one of his most fascinating studies, Dr. Newberg started with a group of older adults experiencing memory difficulties and taught them a meditation mantra. Over 8 weeks using meditation for only a few minutes per day, that group of elders was able to reshape their brains and improve their memory! The most compelling finding from this neurotheology study is that we no longer have to rely on subjective reports from the study participants but can confirm with scientific evidence that the memory areas of their brains improved function.

Dr. Newberg explained that this improved function at about 10 to 15% was achieved only after two months. You can only imagine the effects this same study would have over years to mimic those who are religious for their entire lives.

Beyond basic brain function, many neurotheology studies have linked religious practices and spirituality to improved mental health. Lower rates of suicide, depression, and anxiety have been found in people who use their faith practices as a form of coping with stress and understanding the world around them. Scientists delving into these studies have linked these mental health improvements with the physical practices that most religions promote, such as participating in the community, avoiding bad habits, and even better dietary choices like meat avoidance.

But that’s not the end of it! While many would seek to explain away the effects of spirituality on the brain by using the excuses above, neurotheology experts like Dr. Newberg emphasize that spirituality itself changes the way the brain functions beyond just improved memory. In fact, meditation and prayer can increase the effectiveness of the brain’s ability to modulate emotional responses and the release of hormones like serotonin and dopamine.

Finally, religious therapies have even been proven to improve symptoms for those who suffer from ADHD, Alzheimer’s, and epilepsy.

Philosophical Angles of Neurotheology

Aside from trials and experiments, several sects of neurotheology are approaching the field from a philosophical angle. Some scientists are claiming that there must be a spiritual predisposition of the brain or human genetic makeup if religious practices change the function of the brain so drastically. Taking it further, some are working to apply quantifiable measures to a person’s spirituality.

Opposers question whether the two fields–neurology and spirituality–could ever be empirically linked beyond how some rituals train our brains to work differently. Some have posed a striking question of whether atheists and agnostics are defective if they do not possess a predisposition to spirituality.

Again, the field of neurotheology is still young. When push comes to shove, it is questionable if science and religion will ever entirely disprove the other. Thankfully, some scientists are willing to stay open-minded and operate assuming that both science and religion can exist in harmony!

What Does the Evidence Mean for Worship?

Faith-filled spiritual people can look to neurotheology studies as even more reason to delve deeper into our practices! If it’s proven that spiritual practices, including deep prayer and meditation, can shape our brains and improve their function, then that lends even more support to practicing our rituals and daily practices.

The results are also a huge breakthrough during our mental health crisis across all groups. Spirituality reminds us we’re not separate from each other or the Divine and feel a sense of oneness and purpose. We can find solace in others and the divine presence. Those with mental health issues can find strength to turn away from bad habits and toxic cycles that worsen their situation. Instead, they can turn to spirituality tools, such as prayer and meditation to find balance, peace, and harmony with the Universe.

REMEMBER!

While scientists are working to find more evidence for the effect spiritual practices have on the brain, please realize that these are only suggestions to help. You are far more powerful than you realize. It might also be that you have other influences in your life that might greatly enhance your ability to receive what you desire.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras. Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

YOU ARE LOVE!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Last updated: Aug. 15, 2025

Philosophies on life are innumerable. So many different cultures, belief systems, religions, and other institutional or social factors cause each person to have a unique view and journey in life. While everyone is different, there are efforts to apply labels or categories that make general mindsets or stages of life identifiable and easier to discuss. Two popular labels like this are “karmic” and “dharmic,” Sanskrit terms for concepts held in Indian regions.

I would never force anyone to choose a label for themselves to identify their beliefs. Still, if you’re looking for an opportunity to discuss your mindset and life journey, labels can be the easier way to bridge that gap. These categories can also help you assess what you want out of life and whether your current relationships are healthy. Let’s discover what karmic and dharmic mean and how these mindsets can help guide your life.

What Is Karma?

Many more people in the West have heard of “karma” than “dharma.” You might hear someone warn another person not to do something because it’s “bad karma” or that karma will “come back around.” Because it has been popularized in Western culture, the karmic system is often presented in oversimplified ways, making it easy to approach but hard to truly understand.

“Karma” literally means “action” in Sanskrit. At its most basic, it refers to the sum of your actions and the impressions they leave on your consciousness. Yet karma is not only about visible deeds – it is a vast, intricate collection of memory that shapes perception, decision, and destiny. 

In the deeper teachings, karma can be held in up to nine distinct categories, from physical and emotional imprints to subtle energetic, ancestral, and even soul-level memories. Each act, word, and thought generates a trace, adding to these stored layers.

Karma works within a moral and energetic framework, where each moment plants seeds in the fertile field of your consciousness. Holding a door for someone or offering comfort to a friend can sow harmonious seeds, while acts of selfishness or harm create disruptive ones. 

Over time, these patterns accumulate – not just in this lifetime, but across lifetimes – influencing circumstances, relationships, and the trajectory of your soul’s evolution.

In its simplest folk interpretation, karma is seen as the guarantee that everything you do will return to you in kind, balancing the scales of the Universe. But the deeper truth is that karma is the architecture of memory itself – the subtle coding that binds you to certain experiences until the patterns are understood, dissolved, and transcended.

When you see karma in this way, you begin to grasp that liberation is not about collecting “good points” for a better rebirth, but about freeing yourself from the weight of stored impressions altogether.

For a more in-depth nuanced discussion on karma and how we can liberate ourselves from it, read my article How To Clear Karma And Transform Your Life.

What Does Dharma Mean?

Not as many people have heard of the word “dharma,” as there aren’t many popular sayings in the West that use the term. It might seem foreign at first, but dharma is actually a concept that is familiar once you grasp a true understanding of it.

“Dharma” is a much more expansive term than “karma.” Dharmic refers to your life’s duty or goal, which is different for everyone and is generally determined by your social class and life situation.

While dharma is certainly a motivation for the structure of Indian culture and society, it is not much different from concepts originated in other religions and belief systems. 

Many faiths, including Christianity, believe that physical life on Earth is not the beginning or the end of a soul’s journey but just a point at which humans are tested and given the opportunity to do good or bad things. What Christians do here on Earth directly affects where they believe they’ll end up after death, and they feel their life’s mission is to fulfill their highest purpose, which is very similar to the concepts of karma and dharma in India.

Strictly focusing on dharma alone, though, has its downfalls. For many in India who seek to live a dharmic life, it’s difficult to determine whether strictly staying within the tradition and your social class is enough to fulfill dharma. 

Some believe actions taken to stretch beyond the confines of one’s community are necessary to discover one’s true life purpose. As you can see, the dharmic system is much more focused on one’s life overall rather than day-to-day actions like karma.

 

Karmic vs Dharmic Life: What’s the Difference?

While dharma and karma are sometimes spoken of as if they sit on opposite ends of a spiritual spectrum, they are inseparable currents in the river of a human life. In the simplest sense, karma is the collection of actions and the imprints they leave – the layered memories in up to nine categories – and dharma is the soul’s guiding mission or rightful path.

Your karma is the day-to-day momentum you create, and your dharma is the deeper purpose that momentum is meant to serve.

Not every karmic action will directly express your dharma, yet every action subtly shapes your relationship to it. Ideally, your karma becomes a vehicle for your dharma – the refinement of your daily thoughts, words, and deeds clearing the way for your life’s truest direction to unfold. But here lies the complexity: karma and dharma are so interwoven that what is considered “good karma” for one person could be destructive for another. 

A warrior whose dharma is to protect might create harmony by taking up arms, while another soul – whose dharma is to heal or teach – could create inner distortion by doing the same, no matter how noble the intention appears.

The challenge is that dharma is rarely obvious at the start. It is uncovered through self-inquiry, discipline, and the gradual clearing of karmic memory that clouds perception. Until then, a person may generate “good deeds” that are misaligned with their core purpose, unintentionally weaving more karmic threads rather than dissolving them.

Beyond philosophy, “karmic” and “dharmic” also describe two modes of living. A karmic life is reactive, guided by the weight of past impressions, habit patterns, and unexamined desires.

A dharmic life is intentional, aligned with your deepest truth, and lived as a conscious offering to the Divine. Most of us move between these modes daily – the art is in leaning more and more toward the dharmic, so that the karmic layers dissolve and the soul stands unbound.

What Does It Mean to Live a Karmic Life? Understanding Karma & How Your Daily Actions Shape Your Path

As we’ve explored before, the karmic system focuses on the finest details of our daily existence – each action leaves an imprint in the layered memory that forms our karma. This is not just a ledger of “points” but a storehouse that can hold impressions in up to nine categories, from physical habits to emotional tendencies to the most subtle spiritual residues. 

Living a karmic life means moving through the world with the underlying belief that every act is transactional, done with an expectation of return. Actions are approached like contracts, and the measure of success is often what you gain in exchange.

In this mode of living, intention is often secondary to outcome. You excel at work to secure higher pay. You extend politeness to neighbors so they will reciprocate in times of need. You drive cautiously to avoid fines and legal trouble. It is a pragmatic, utilitarian worldview, in which actions are valued less for their inherent goodness and more for the benefits they yield.

A karmic life is not about freely expressing your soul’s highest calling – it is about navigating a system of cause and effect in hopes of shaping a favorable future. In its purest mechanical sense, it is indifferent to your personal desires. You may appear generous or responsible, but beneath the surface, every choice is tethered to the calculus of return.

Some even argue that intention is irrelevant, seeing people and situations as tools to be leveraged toward desired ends. For many, this orientation feels natural, even sensible. It aligns with how they were raised, how they were taught to measure value, and how society rewards behavior. 

Yet this very mindset can deepen karmic grooves in the memory field, making it harder to shift into a dharmic way of being – one that acts from alignment with truth rather than from the architecture of transaction.

What is Dharmic Living? What Is Dharma and How Does It Guide Your Life Purpose?

While karmic lives are based on contracts and expectations, dharmic lives are about treating life with the view of the bigger picture. Everything is done with an overall view of life and the Universe in mind, making one less attached to the minute details and everyday actions than those who focus on a karmic life.

In other words, actions are not done for the immediate result they will achieve. Those seeking to live dharmic lives do not do a nice thing for a neighbor in order to turn around and immediately ask for a favor. They do not smile at others in order to be treated better, and they don’t help others fix their problems because they want to get something out of it.

Dharmic lives are based on love, truth, and virtue. Actions are done because they are the right actions to be done, because they are based in truth and love. Dharmic lives build themselves around virtue no matter what that means, and they do not expect anything in return. Overall, those who live a dharmic life are idealists-they have their eyes set on the bigger picture and fulfilling their life’s purpose, not necessarily their everyday utilitarian needs and desires.

What Is the Difference Between a Karmic and Dharmic Relationship?

By now, it is clear that the concepts of karmic and dharmic living can be applied to relationships. Seeing karmic as utilitarian and dharmic as idealist can help us understand how these approaches shape families, friendships, and romantic partnerships.

In karmic relationships, connection operates on an unspoken contract – I will love you if you love me back. Each person gives only as much as they are receiving, withdrawing when their needs are not met. 

Because the relationship is rooted in expectations and reciprocity, people can be reduced to roles or tools, valued for what they provide rather than for who they are. Affection and commitment may be tied to sexual access, financial support, social advantage, or other forms of utility.

While entering such a relationship might appear consensual, it is often driven by unconscious karmic memory – the pull of patterns formed in this or other lifetimes – rather than a deliberate, conscious choice to align with one’s life purpose. These patterns can bind people together in attraction or conflict, without either person realizing that the bond is sustained more by habit and unhealed memory than by true freedom of choice.

Dharmic relationships, by contrast, arise when two people meet without needing each other to fill emotional gaps or supply material stability. The connection is built on mutual love, respect, and the shared wish to experience life side by side. 

While these partnerships may also include intimacy, shared resources, and joyful experiences, such exchanges are not demanded or held as conditions. The deeper aim is for each partner to help the other realize their highest potential – and for both to walk a path toward truth and liberation together.

Because dharmic relationships require a high level of emotional and spiritual maturity, they are rare. Each person must already have done the inner work of self-discovery and healing. These bonds are not for fixing wounds – they are for walking into the light of awakening, free from the contracts of the past.

Karmic vs Dharmic Relationships: Why It Matters for Love & Growth. Are Karmic Relationships Doomed?

As wide as the gap can be between a karmic and a dharmic life or relationship, not all is lost. A karmic relationship can absolutely evolve into a dharmic one. For many people, early relationships are karmic simply because their souls and emotional maturity are still young. In the earlier stages of life’s journey, people often have not yet discovered what they truly need to live in alignment with their deepest truth – and so they relate through the lens of unconscious karmic memory and contractual expectations.

As life unfolds, it becomes more likely for people to seek dharmic relationships, where the bond is rooted in shared purpose rather than in constant exchange. 

That being said, a karmic relationship from earlier in life’s journey can transform if both partners are willing to grow. When two people evolve together, they can move from a conditional exchange to a union that is free, supportive, and aligned – each walking their dharmic path side by side.

The challenge arises when one partner is committed to emotional and spiritual maturity while the other is not. If one person’s inner work becomes incompatible with the other’s unwillingness to grow, the relationship may stop serving both. 

Mixing karmic and dharmic approaches can create friction – although in some cases, one partner’s dharmic focus can be supported by the karmic patterns of the other, acting as a catalyst for deeper transformation. 

But more often, when a partner steeped in dharmic living engages with a partner locked in a karmic mindset, strain is inevitable. If one partner is overly demanding, transactional, or bound by rigid expectations, the relationship can feel oppressive and unbalanced.

This imbalance can manifest as each partner feeling misunderstood, unseen, and unloved. The dharmic partner may feel they have outgrown the relationship, while the karmic partner may feel alienated or rejected. It is not uncommon for each to believe that the other has changed into someone they can no longer understand.

The most important ingredients in navigating these shifts are communication and honesty. When both people remain open about their emotional and spiritual needs, they can maintain a shared understanding of where they each are in their life’s journey. Regular check-ins help address concerns before they harden into resentment.

Best case scenario – two people living karmic lives can inspire one another to rise, transcending their old patterns and stepping together into the freedom of a dharmic life.

Are You Living a Karmic Life or a Dharmic Life? Learning How to Lead a Dharmic Life

If you are currently living with a karmic mindset, shifting into a dharmic life can feel like a steep climb – but it is absolutely possible. I have guided many people through this transformation, helping them reshape their patterns, perceptions, and daily actions so they align with the clarity and freedom of dharmic living.

While it requires learning, patience, and steady practice, the reward is profound – a way of moving through the world with peace, love, and purpose, even in the midst of life’s challenges and stresses.

How to Transition from a Karmic Mindset to Dharmic Living

 

Self-awareness is the first and most essential step – dharmic living is rooted in conscious choice. It calls for intentional action, mindful presence, and the willingness to examine the karmic memories and habits that quietly drive your decisions. 

I always recommend establishing a daily meditation practice to create space for reflection and clarity. This is only the beginning – dharmic living is not a single shift but an ongoing refinement of how you show up in every moment.

If you are unsure how to begin or want to accelerate your shift into a dharmic life, an intuitive reading with me can help you uncover the patterns, relationship dynamics, soul desires, and spiritual gifts that shape your path. 

Together, we can illuminate the steps that bring you closer to a life that is not bound by karmic contracts – but led by your deepest truth.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

If you want to align more closely with your dharma, an intuitive reading with me can help you take specific steps with clarity. You can learn more about sessions with me and how to book HERE.

Q&A

What is the main difference between a karmic and a dharmic life?
A karmic life is shaped by daily actions driven by expectations – a constant exchange where effort is tied to reward. A dharmic life is guided by truth, love, and alignment with the soul’s purpose, free from attachment to immediate outcomes.

How are karma and dharma connected?
Karma is the collection of your actions and the impressions they leave – dharma is your deepest life mission. When actions align with that mission, karma supports dharma, but what is “good” for one person may be harmful for another depending on their path.

What makes a relationship karmic vs dharmic?
Karmic relationships operate like contracts – each person gives based on what they receive, often valuing the other for utility. Dharmic relationships are free of need – they exist from love, respect, and the shared intention to grow toward spiritual purpose.

Can a karmic relationship turn into a dharmic one?
Yes – growth can transform a relationship. When both partners mature emotionally and spiritually, a transactional bond can evolve into a conscious partnership devoted to truth and mutual awakening.

What are the challenges when one partner is karmic and the other is dharmic?
Mixing these mindsets can lead to frustration and misunderstanding – the dharmic partner may feel limited, while the karmic partner may feel judged or rejected. Without shared growth, imbalance can turn the relationship toxic.

How does one begin to live a dharmic life?
It begins with self-awareness and intentional living – examining patterns, acting consciously, and letting go of transactional thinking. Daily meditation and honest reflection help dissolve karmic habits that block alignment with dharma.

What role can guidance play in this transition?
An experienced guide can help you see unconscious patterns, relationship dynamics, and soul-level desires – giving clarity on the steps needed to move from karmic living into dharmic purpose.

Why does living a dharmic life matter for love and growth?
Dharmic living creates relationships and experiences rooted in freedom, not need – allowing both individuals to evolve without holding each other back. It transforms love into a space where both can reach their highest potential.