I have been running a successful family business for the last 25 years. This business was started by my great grandfather. Across generations, the tradition of succession has been to appoint the eldest son of the family as the CEO. This has resulted in great growth for the business. When my father passed away, he made me promise to continue the family tradition and choose my son as the next heir. Now that I am planning to retire, I am torn between my promise to my father and the gut to appoint my daughter as the head of the family business. She seems to be better suited than my son. However, I fear that breaking the family tradition might lead to the downfall of our empire.
Ans: Only if sons could guarantee the success of an empire, none of the dynasties would have ever come to an end. Your fear is stemming from the Ancestral Karma (construct of values and beliefs built by society and upbringing across births) that has dominated the whole world. This deeply seeded Ancestral Karma created the illusion that males are superior to females. Your forefathers operated under the influence of this Ancestral Karma. Your gut is telling you to stop being a slave to this Karma. The fear is the byproduct of this Ancestral Karma fighting back. Also, you might feel the Ego Karma getting triggered as you are considering breaking the promise to your late father. So, be aware and cognizant about these two Karmic triggers and then make the decision from a place of clarity and not fear.
For the last seven years, I have been developing my ancestral land holdings into commercial and residential complexes. Since the last two years of the pandemic, the business has slowed down considerably. My family is pushing me to sell my ancestral lands. I am torn as I don't want to tarnish my family legacy. What should I do?
Ans: My friend, what you are facing is Land Karma, a very strong subset of Ancestral Karma. Land Karma has been the primary trigger behind almost all wars and disputes. This type of Ancestral Karma has been driving our Ego Karmas for aeons. Ancestral Karma is our belief system inherited from our ancestors and shaped by society and Ego Karma is what we keep creating in the present birth, every time we judge or feel judged. Property ownership has been used as a primary factor in judging everyone's legacy. So, instead of becoming a slave to these Karmas, the legacy, free yourself and choose from a place devoid of Ego Karma.
I have been reading about your framework on Karma and its effect on our lives. It has helped me to become aware of the triggers behind my patterns. However, even after being aware, I end up sometimes falling into the same patterns. Will I ever be able to find my Destiny Karma or be a slave to these patterns for life?
Ans: You are now aware of the matrix that we are stuck in. There are a few steps towards realising Destiny Karma. Awareness (truth) leads to Desire (to be free) which leads to Action (to be free). Once we keep doing the action repeatedly, we reach a state of understanding. It's at the understanding stage that we become aware of our Destiny Karma — our true desire in this birth. It is our connection to universal energy. You have cleared the first set of hurdles and have reached the action state. It's at this state that we have to be persistent; doing, failing and doing again. So, even if you fall into the same patterns, use your awareness and desire to pull you back into the action state of doing again and again. It’s like finding out the existence of a new muscle and to strengthen it, we must exercise it consistently. The more we exercise the stronger our understanding state will be.
(Kushagra Patwa is Founder & Karma Counselor@ Karma Is Not A Bitch; www.kinab.in)
