Van Auken's book: From Karma to Grace

John Van Auken talks about his latest book: From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruits of the Spirit



Here are some notes from the video:

John defines Karma as: A universal law of cause and effect, that as one expresses and uses their free will to do things (not only externally but in their own minds and hearts, as one thinks and feels), it creates an action to that. It's that flow back to you. This force reacts to your use of free will, in thought, in feeling, in action, in words. What you dish out comes back to you.

Another aspect of Karma is that it creates patterns and habits and these become hard to change. As a soul acts or thinks in a certain way, it creates these habit patterns.

John describes two aspects to Grace that overcome Karma:
(1) The love of our creator for us. The Force that brought us here did so with a motivation of love. Therefore it cares for us when we try to apply ourselves, and is called "the Grace of God."
(2) That which comes from practicing the Fruits of the Spirit. Karma is suspended when you attempt to learn by using these fruits.

John said the Fruits of the Spirit are mentioned throughout the Bible and Paul writes directly to them. Inside the fruit is the Seed of the Spirit. As you assimilate the fruit into your thoughts, feelings, actions, and words, you give life to the Spirit and it grows within you. John mentions some of these fruits as: Love, Patience, Faithfulness, Humility, and Meekness.

John also discusses "Gifts of the Spirit." The Fruits of the Spirit generate the awakening of the Spirit within you. When awakened, you receive the benefit of the Gifts of the Spirit. They are listed as Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Better Council (responses don't come from the ego, but from the essence of the Spirit), and Fear of the Lord. You come to know the Fear of the Lord when you know the power of the forces of the cosmos and nature, and quit struggling against it. You seek to know this force and come into harmony with it.