Cards for the Day: R’d Judgement/R’d 9 of Pentacles: How to Purify Karmic Debts

Looks like the zombie apocalypse is upon us, with the dead falling out of their coffins (Judgement reversed). Think about what that would mean symbolically. Old issues that we thought were dead and buried, arising to haunt us in the present. Maybe, as well, people from our past. Or maybe regrets about things we wish we hadn’t done — or wish we had done. Karmic debts become apparent.

Either way, the questions of forgiveness and letting go are arising today. And because these issues are unresolved, and because we are haunted by the past, it is proving impossible to move forward and be independent in the present (reversed Nine of Pentacles). Instead of moving forward, we are full of self-doubt, and we may feel isolated and unhappy.

We need to turn these cards upright and move forward independently on our paths. How? My suggestion is that we focus on purifying our karmic debts. You aren’t stuck with your bad karma — that’s a misconception. You can, in fact, purify it. How? There may be other ways other than the ways that I am aware of. But here is a short list:

• Forgive. Forgive yourself, and forgive others. Forgive the people who have done terrible things to you, not because they “deserve” it but because you don’t deserve for past negative experiences to be a part of your future. This is easier said than done. It’s in fact, a sticking point that many people cannot ever get past in their lifetimes. But the secret to making forgiveness possible is simply this: aspire to do so. Form the intention to forgive. Pray that you will develop the ability to forgive. This is one of those times when forming the intention will actually bring about the change that you aspire to make. It will still take time, but this is one thing you CAN do that over time will bring about deep healing and resolve the karma that you have connected to it. Oh, and by the way? You can use this same forgiveness technique to forgive yourself, for even deeper healing.
• Repay your debt. If you have done something negative, or failed to do something positive that you feel you should have done, make it right. Apologize. Try to rectify the wrong in whatever way seems appropriate. If you have seen the movie Gandhi, you may remember the scene in which a Hindu man confesses to Gandhi that he cannot forgive himself for having murdered a Muslim child. Gandhi replies that there is a way to get past this: the man must adopt an orphaned Muslim child and bring that child up as a Muslim. Think about how you can set aside your self-criticism and take a positive, creative action to make things different.
• Pray and/or meditate. Maybe you don’t know where your karmic debt is coming from. Maybe you just always have bad luck. Maybe this is something you have carried with you from a past life. That doesn’t mean you have to be a fatalist about it and assume you are stuck with it for your whole life! Pray over it. Meditate. And take time, while you are at it, to pray for all sentient beings or at least for some other sentient beings who you may be aware need prayers. Prayer and meditation are both tremendously purifying. And science has shown us that these practices can make actual changes in the physical structure of your brain.
• Make offerings. Offer your actions to something/someone good. This could mean that you go out and do volunteer work. But it could also be as simple as saying prayers before and after you do something. It could be saying grace before a meal and dedicating your meal, by making your meal an offering to God/the universe/sentient beings, or by eating your meal with the heartfelt wish that all beings could be equally well fed. Another type of offering might be to, at the moment when you share a beautiful or humorous video or photo with your social network, make an aspiration that this offering to your network will bring beauty or laughter or [you fill in the blank] into the lives of others. This kind of practice, regularly engaged in, CAN help to purify negative karma. Try it and you will be surprised.
• Make dedications. Dedicate all your positive actions to all sentient beings (or to God, or to the idea of goodness, or to the universe). Dedicating your action to something good will help you to act in an ethical and spiritual way. The idea of making a dedication or making an offering is a Buddhist way for me to put this, but essentially, even if you are not a Buddhist, this type of action is a way to purify your spirit and simply feel better — about everything.
• Say affirmations. Are you full of self-doubt? Write some affirmations that express what you feel is the best you that you can aspire to become. And then tell yourself, every day, that you ARE that person. This is kind of a New Age, feel good technique, but it works.
• Try hypnosis. This may sound crazy, but you can use hypnosis to reprogram yourself. You’ll have to Google this and find out more on your own, as I’m not an expert. But it does work.
• Clear out negative energy from your body and your space. There is a reason why churches always smell like incense — it’s great for knocking negative energy out of  physical spaces. You can light a stick of incense, walk around your home or office, and say prayers (open a window or door so that the negative energy can flow out). This sounds very woo-woo, but it works. You can also clear out negative energy from your body, using mind-body-spirit practices such mind-body-spirit exercises (yoga, martial arts, etc.) or reiki or other energy work.
• Clear your aura of negative energy. This is related to the previous point, and you can do this through reiki or energy work. But you can also just take a shower — water is very cleansing to the aura. Better yet, take a shower and scrub yourself with some salt scrub (gently) to intensify the effect. You could also mist yourself with a spray of water and White Angelica oil, or water and basil oil, or water and flower essences.

Do you have other ideas for purifying negative energy and bad karma? Please add them to the comments section below.