Not all Lions Are Created Equal

As I alluded to in my book, The YOGA of POOL, spiritedness is something that comes naturally to the lion and so we commonly hear an alpha male’s heart is compared to that of a lion.

However, not all lions are created equal and establishing that superiority is what creates balance and order in a society. There is no way to avoid this urging of nature, just the same as there is no way to avoid women fighting over who is the most attractive.

The fact is, none of us are created equal and so resolving that hierarchy is critical to the success of any community.

However, although we all have our unique material circumstance (body, mind, family, country, income level, social status, etc.), and are thus all uniquely different, there is one part of our reality that connects us all – the equality of spirit. In other words, our external situation may be dramatically different from the next person but our true essence as soul unites us in a loving brother/sisterhood since each and every one of us shares a common energetic signature. We all ultimately originate from the same singular energetic source – be that God or the big bang.

So, although we have this energetic familiarity, we are all still uniquely different from each other and so the fact is if our karmic destiny does not allow it, no matter how hard we try we may never reach our aspirations. There are unlimited examples of athletes reaching levels of greatness but never being able to win a world championship. They typically receive accolades like, “The greatest to have never (fill in the blank).” All this means is that their karmic destiny did not synch with their aspirations. In other words, what they so passionately desired did not synch with what they karmically deserved.

So, what is karmic destiny?

Karma is a fundamental mechanism of our existence in this material world. It applies to everyone, regardless of belief. Our karmic destiny is a roadmap that takes us through this material journey, providing the appropriate lessons and experiences we need and deserve to facilitate our spiritual advancement.

Everyone can understand the rationality of karma, and all great spiritual teachers have taught some version of the law of reactions to our actions. In the Bible, for example, we find the statement of Jesus Christ: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” This is clearly describing karma.

Another way to understand karma is to compare it to a contagious disease. Sometimes when we get sick there are symptoms right away, and other times there is a long incubation period. But once you’re infected, it’s just a matter of time until the symptoms of the disease catch up with you.

Similarly, imagine you are spending money from your bank account and you are not allowed to see the balance sheet. Eventually, all the money will run out and you’ll be in trouble. That’s what happens with good karma. If you’re not accruing more good karmic credit through pious deeds, one day your good karma will run out.

In the material realm, everything is temporary; it comes and goes “like the Winter and Summer seasons,” states Krishna. Both good and bad things have an end. In the Bhagavad-gita (5.22) it is stated:

The pleasures which are due to contact with the material senses are sources of misery. O son of Kunti such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.

When you take into account this immutable law of karma, it is easy to see that no one is really innocent. Although a baby may appear innocent at birth, the consequences of their past deeds will reveal themselves in due course. In fact, getting a material body itself is a symptom of the soul’s entanglement in karmic reactions, just as fever is a symptom of the disease. In other words, we take on a physical form and are born into a particular situation, all based on our past karmic activity.

The good news is that there is a way to break free from this cycle of birth and death, which is driven by karma. Moreover, there is no eternal hell as some religious zealots preach. That is just a manipulative tactic to keep us imprisoned in their dogma.

The truth is, we have come to this material domain to exercise our independence from God, to be “lords of our domain” if you will, but until such time that we properly use this independence through responsible pious behavior and unconditional loving exchange, we will be forced to take another physical form.

Once we have cleansed our consciousness and depleted our bad karma there won’t be a need for another physical form and we can gracefully move beyond this material veil into a higher dimensional spiritual realm.

EXCERPT from my forthcoming book, The Alpha Omega Male – How to Reclaim your Lion Warrior Spirit