“Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause;
everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name
for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation,
but nothing escapes the Law.”–The Kybalion.
The law of “Cause and Effect”, also known as Karma or referred to as “Causation”, is an immutable universal law. According to this law, nothing in the universe happened by chance. For every effect, there is a cause preceding and for every cause, there is an effect.
There are absolutely no exceptions to this law. Every action we take has a corresponding effect, which will appear now or later.
This principle has been widely accepted and respected throughout the ages. In fact, we are all very familiar with this law, because many great spiritual and philosophical leaders have taught us about it. There are also many contemporary sayings on the same topic.
Check out these quotes:
- “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” – Galatians 6:7, New American Standard Bible
- “Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Every why hath a wherefore.” – William Shakespeare
- “Scientific research can reduce superstition by encouraging people to think and view things in terms of cause and effect.” – Albert Einstein
- “Nothing comes from nothing.” – Lucretius
- “To believe in a just law of cause and effect, carrying with it a punishment or a reward, is to believe in righteousness.” – Ernest Holmes
- “The universal law of karma … is that of action and reaction, cause and effect, sowing and reaping. In the course of natural righteousness, man, by his thoughts and actions, becomes the arbiter of his destiny.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Where no bondage is, there is no cause and effect.” – Swami Vivekananda
- “There isn’t smoke without fire” – French Proverb
Religious leaders, scientists, philosophers, all in one way or another believed in this Hermetic principle. So, if the Law of cause and effect were important for them it makes sense to examine this law a little more.
The Law of Cause and Effect in History
We can trace the law of Cause and Effect (or Causality), at Hebrew, Babylonian, Greek and modern civilizations, as the principle that maintains order.
Hebrews did not accept the notion of chance and its result, chaos. They believed in a creator who created the universe and maintains it through the law of cause and effect. Thus, the Creator (God) is both the first cause and the cause of conservation in the universe. This concept was later adopted in Christianity.
In the Babylonian civilization, the main concept of the law maintained but changed significantly. From their perspective, all events on earth caused by the whims of gods. This notion was unsuitable for any scientific attempt to explain any natural phenomena because natural laws could not be applied to the decisions of the gods.
The law of cause and effect (or causality)was also expressed by the Greek natural philosophers. Initially, Hippocrates declared: “Every natural event has a natural cause”. It was followed by Plato, the absolute rationalist, who “considered that intellectual designs and purposes were the formative and guiding principles of all natural processes”.
Finally, Aristotle elaborated on the concept and indicated four main types of cause.
- The Material cause. There is a primary matter out of which all objects were made.
- The Formal cause. The forms were impressed upon the primary matter.
- The Efficient cause. Which provided the mechanisms for the realization of the forms.
- Final cause. The purposes for which the objects were designed.
Around the Sixteenth Century, the law of cause and effect became a fundamental principle of the Scientific revolution.
The famous mathematician Galileo, used mathematics to state scientific processes that showed clear cause and effect relationships.
Until the end of the Nineteenth Century, scientists applied the law to their research and as a result, many discoveries came to light (like the Periodic Table of the Elements). Michael Faraday incorporated causality in his discoveries in electricity and magnetism that led to great benefits for humanity.
For more details on the History of the Concept of Cause and Effect, read the paper of David L. Bergman and Glen C. Collins “ The Law of Cause and Effect – Dominant Principle of Classical Physics “
Understanding the Law of Cause and Effect
Nothing happens outside the Universal Laws or by chance. Everything happens in accordance with these laws. Every action has an equal reaction or effect, which in turn becomes the cause of something else. This produces a series of chain effects, one following the other in perfect succession.
In this process, there is always a relationship between any particular effect and those preceding it, and consequently everything that follows.
This principle is universal. Nowhere in the world can there be any action that does not produce a certain effect, and is not caused by any previous action.
An easy to understand example is our own existence. You and I would not exist today if certain men had not met certain women. Starting from our mother and father back to our ancestors, thousands of years ago. We are not here by chance, but as the outcome of a series of chain effects.
There are no accidents in the universe. There is no such thing as a coincidence or chance.
There Are No Coincidence
“…Chance is but a name for Law not recognized…”
According to the law of cause and effect, nothing happens by chance or as a random occurrence. Every single effect or action has an underlying cause and there are no exceptions to it.
Chance is just a term we use when we cannot identify the exact causes behind an effect.
” words like luck, chance and coincidence were invented to express the known effects of the unknown”Voltaire
The same is true in our lives. Life is not built upon chance, luck or accidents. What we are today, our circumstances, our good or bad things in our lives, all come to life through a series of chain effects. It is the result of specific causes.
For all the good things that happen in our lives, it is easy to take full responsibility. And why not? We did it!
The hard part is taking responsibility for the bad things that happen in our lives. It is easier to say that it was bad luck, out of our control or blame everyone else.
But the law of cause and effect is immutable. It cannot distinguish whether something is good or bad. It has no favorites. The effects we have in our lives are direct results of the causes we had previously created.
In the same way, the conditions and circumstances that we are going to experience in the future are in direct result with the causes we have set in motion today.
These causes include the actions we take and the decisions we make on a daily basis. Whether they are small and insignificant or very serious, it doesn’t matter.
Each of our actions triggers a chain of events that leads to specific results. Since our thoughts define our actions, it is essential to take a closer look at our inner world to see what we are going to manifest in the future.
If the outcome is desirable, we may enhance this causal process. But if not, we must stop it and consciously start a new chain of effects that will land us in a desirable place.
The Law of “Cause and Effect” and our Thoughts
Every effect you experience in your physical world has its origin in your inner world. Thoughts and images you hold in your conscious (and consequently slip into your subconscious mind), are the root causes of your life.
Our thoughts, define our emotions and actions (either consciously or unconsciously). Through repetition, they become our mindsets that create our reality.
Every single thought sets into motion an invisible chain of effects that create our life circumstances. The outcome sometimes happens instantly and others take more time even years.
So, in a few words, we create our experiences and the main tool in this process is our thoughts. Right?
Yes, but there is a tricky part also. This process could be conscious or unconscious. Interestingly, most of us do not know that we are shaping our reality through this process.
We react unconsciously to everyday situations based on our past experiences and as an outcome, we continue to create more of the same results.
Moreover, most of our thoughts are not even our own. We have adopted them from other people (especially those with authority).
This could be done through social media, news, socialization and many other ways that allow the message to be received without conscious evaluation. This makes us victims of our own thoughts.
The good news is that we can alter our reality and move from the unconscious to the conscious level. This could make the law of cause and effect to work to our advantage.
Use the Law of Cause and Effect to Alter your Reality
No matter how adverse your circumstances may be, you can change them and get the result you want, by fixing the cause.
In order to master your destiny, you must master your mind.
Now you know that every thought, feeling, and action produces corresponding effects similar to the nature of the cause.
Watch your thoughts
Therefore, is imperative to start monitoring your thoughts. Ask yourself: Where does this thought come from? Does it lead to a desirable outcome or not?
Then make a conscious choice to accept it or reject it. In this evaluation, your feelings will be a precious assistant. If you are feeling great about the corresponding result, accept and nurture this thought. If you are not feeling well with the result, you need to replace it with another thought that leads to the desired result.
It is not easy, you need to identify the polar opposite and switch your thinking between these polarities. Then focus your thoughts on the desired outcome and consciously raise your vibrations.
Hermetists call this process “The art of polarization”. Hermetists call this process “The art of polarization”. You can read how to do it in our article about the Law of Polarity.
Control your Thoughts
When you start this process and make a deliberate effort to produce the results you want, random thoughts that are in contradiction with your intension will pop up.
These thoughts come from the existing belief system (program) that runs in your subconscious mind. This is the program that created your life so far. Therefore, it is important that you take control of these thoughts and, in time, erase them. (Further reading: “How to Speak to Your Subconscious Mind“)
At this point, you will need some of the fiery dynamic force of the masculine principle, as the “Law of Gender” indicates. You can read everything you need to know in our article on the “Law of Gender“.
You see, the universal laws are interweaved and cooperate constantly.
Take full Responsibility
Perhaps the hardest part is taking full responsibility for your results so far. But now that you have the knowledge of how the law of cause and effect works, it may be a little easier. You know that there is no such thing as a coincidence, and you have a method by which you can change things in your favor.
This does not mean that you should accept any kind of abuse or mistreatment by other people. You should not take the blame for other people’s misbehavior.
Nothing ever happens outside the law and no one can act contrary to the law. Sooner or later, all we will reap the results of our actions.
It just means that you are starting to take responsibility for your own thoughts and actions. This will gradually change the existing conditions.
Everything in nature takes time. It is not possible to make massive changes in your life overnight. You must persevere.
Persistence, commitment, patience are values you need to develop to achieve your goals. Remember that you will begin to see change first in your inner world (mentally) and then in the physical world. Be disciplined with your purpose.
By aligning your thoughts and actions with the universal laws, you can manifest your ideal life.
Nothing happens by chance! Everything in the whole universe happens according to the law of cause and effect. Nothing escapes the law.
The history of this law can be traced through Hebrew, Babylonian, Greek and European cultures.
The principles behind this universal law are very deep and profound. Our lives are not just a combination of random events. All of our experiences have certain causes. Every thought and action we take today will form our future experiences. There is a predictable formula that we can consciously use to create the life we would like to experience.
The law of Cause and Effect is emotionless, immutable and relentless. Nobody can defy it. Nobody has ever tricked it. If you try you will receive a reminder of its existence. We do not know if this reminder will come in a mild or hard way, but it will come.
So, remember the law whenever you think, feel or do something. If you have negative feelings about a situation you will not improve it. You have to change the cause, there is no other way around.
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Featured Image by Erik Stein from Pixabay