6 Steps to Clear Old Love Karma

If you feel stuck in your love life, unresolved karma may be to blame. Old karma is particularly effective at blocking relationships from progressing. Many people misconceive their karma for “what goes around comes around,” but this is such a narrow explanation of an elaborate, eternal principle. The truth is that we all carry karma, both good and bad. Your karma can draw its origins in your past lives, and chances are that you’ve created a bit of new karma through your current experiences, too. Karma can also be shared among people or “passed down” through generations.

Your karma is yours like your eye color, voice, and blood type are yours. It belongs to your being, although you can’t see it the way you see your physical features when you look in a mirror. But karma makes sure its presence is felt, manifesting as the repetition of events, situations, and people in your life. It will knock at your door time and time again until you open and say, “I get it!” In terms of love, unsettled karma will cause you to experience similar scenarios over and over, such as meeting the same types of partners and enduring the same heartache, until you become aware and take appropriate action. If you want to clear your love karma once and for all, you must welcome it as you would an old (but annoying) friend. You must come to terms with it, accepting what has happened while acknowledging that you hold the power over what will happen. A clean karmic slate sets your soul free to fulfill your highest purpose, and to give and receive the love you deserve.

Carry out these six steps to attract a new relationship with unlimited potential or help your current relationship overcome karmic hurdles:

1. Understand your karma. If you want to change a story’s ending, you have to revisit its beginning. Understanding your karma requires that you return to the origin: When, where, how, and why did this pattern start? What exactly keeps repeating? Is it that you keep bringing in partners with toxic qualities (cheaters, addicts, narcissists, etc.), that identical problems pop up in your relationships, or that your romances all end in disappointment? Identify the issue then its source: Did your parents suffer similar circumstances, or was it something that happened to you as a child? Recognizing the reality of your karma entails a bit of introspection, but it’s the first step towards true karmic resolution.

2. Respond differently. Karma likes to test us by steering us towards the same situations to see if we’ll respond as we did before. If we do, we repeat the karmic cycle. It’s like playing a video game: Go down the road where you know the monster is hiding, and you’ll never get past that level! You have to remember to take the road that’s clear. A real-life example would be that if you keep attracting “bad” partners, yet you turn down good guys and give every notorious cheater a chance, how do you expect to meet an honest person? Reverting to habit will keep you stuck in frustrating patterns. Break the behaviors that tie you to negative karma. Implement new intentions, thoughts, and actions to reap new results.

3. Change environment. Staying in a place that carries bad memories won’t lead to personal progress. Sometimes the best way to close a karmic door is to remove yourself from an environment that’s heavy with reminders of the past. One of my clients was so devastated by her husband’s betrayal that she developed cancer. After she divorced, my client continued living in the same house and suffering from the same illness. Karma can attach itself to a place and trap us both physically and emotionally in the pain of the past. I advised her to move, let go of this ordeal, and start over. As my client settled into her bright new home, her health not only started to improve but she even met a new partner. Don’t be afraid to leave behind a place that is burdened by bad energy or impeding you from a happy relationship.

4. Practice forgiveness. No one can hurt you if you forgive them because forgiveness is an act so strong, it takes away their power. When you forgive, you regain control of your karma. So forgive your former partners, your parents, your younger self who didn’t know any better, your mailman—forgive everybody! Forgiveness breaks down hardened karma and detaches it from you. It helps you move forward by gifting you with wisdom, resilience, and new drive. A great way to start the process is to acknowledge who has hurt you and determine whether you still harbor emotions like resentment or bitterness. Even if someone caused you harm a decade ago, the memory can still rear its ugly head in your relationships. Know that no matter what happened or what was done to you, you always have the ability to heal yourself; Forgiveness is the glue that makes you whole again.

5. Generate good karma. One of the best ways to eradicate negative karma is to replace it with positive karma. The general rule behind good karma (as well as most religions) is to do what you want done to you. When it comes to love karma, this means not interfering in other people’s relationships, not being with someone who’s already taken, and treating your partner with honesty and respect. Be careful not to succumb to situations that trigger new karma, like retaliating against lovers who have caused you pain, acting egoistically or deceptively to get your way, or leaving a lot of loose ends when you walk away from a relationship. When in doubt, follow the Golden Rule.

6. Perform cleansing rituals. Small, symbolic acts performed with mindfulness and meaning can reshape your karmic reality. Close your eyes and inhale deeply, feeling your core fill up with fresh air. Hold your breath for a few seconds then exhale slowly. As you exhale, imagine any dark, pent-up energy being released from your being. Affirm to yourself: “I am letting go of old karma that has held me back from finding unconditional love” and “I welcome a relationship with endless possibilities into my life.” If you’re already in a relationship, you can say: “I’m sending the bad karma back where it began. I’m free to manifest love, loyalty, and joy in my relationship.” This breathing exercise is one of the many rituals you can repeat each day to move out stagnant karma and purify your love energy.

Your karma may be part of you, but it’s a part you can improve. Follow these steps to clear old love karma and foster a fulfilling relationship.

To good karma and great love,Dr. Carmen Harra