The drive in a karmic relationship is to resolve or exhaust the karma. But what does that really mean?

You will find lots of explanations of karma — from the idea that it is a fixed and fatalistic structure of lifetimes and reincarnation to the notion that it is just action taken and that whatever you do will come back to you in some way. From our perspective, karma is not a thing that is fixed or mutable but is more of a belief or a concept that can be helpful in understanding the relationships you cultivate in your lifetime. Some relationships are a product of your genetics, like your parents, siblings, and other relatives. Other relationships are the result of your choices, like your business partners and romantic partners.

The Drive to Feel Loved

It is clear that emotional patterns run through all relationships. There is nothing that causes only certain patterns to emerge in particular relationships, and anything can show up anywhere. These patterns are ways of acting that come out of not feeling loved. The primary drive in a relationship is feeling loved and accepted. Since most of you don't feel completely loved and totally accepted, the tendency is to try to fill that hole in relationships. This is an ordinary, common drive. In awareness, or one life consciousness, this drive subsides as you begin to feel the shift toward knowing you are loved and unconditionally accepting yourself and thereby diminishing actions taken through patterns of behavior.