We often experience déjà vu moments, repeated patterns, and recurring metaphors in our lives — certain types of people, events, or situations that seem to loop back again and again, like life is echoing its own story. In Vedic philosophy, these patterns are not random. They are symbolic karma — a subtle language through which the universe (or our own deeper self) communicates. When life repeats in metaphors, it’s not just coincidence; it’s consciousness trying to teach, resolve, and evolve.
Karma as Code: The Operating System of Life
In Sanskrit, the word “karma” means action. But more broadly, it encompasses the idea of cause and effect, memory, and momentum. Just like software runs on lines of code, our lives run on karmic patterns encoded through past actions — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
These patterns can be literal or symbolic. For example, if someone constantly finds themselves in situations where they’re not being heard, the repeated metaphor might be pointing to unresolved throat chakra issues, unspoken truth, or a soul wound about voicelessness from a past life or ancestral lineage.
Karma is not punishment. It’s programming — a spiritual algorithm, precise and purposeful.
The Science of Pattern Recognition
Neuroscience shows that the human brain is wired for pattern recognition. This helps us make sense of the world. But the brain also gets locked into cognitive loops — reinforcing belief systems, emotional triggers, and reactions. These loops mirror karmic cycles.
From a psychological perspective, Carl Jung spoke about the idea of the “collective unconscious” and archetypes — universal symbols embedded in our psyche. When these symbols rise to the surface through repeated life events or dreams, they’re not just coincidence. They’re metaphorical expressions of unresolved karma.
Even modern AI systems learn through pattern recognition — training on past data to predict future outcomes. In that sense, we humans are walking neural networks shaped by karmic data. The only difference? We have the power to become aware and break the loop.
Metaphors in Myth & Folklore
Ancient myths, stories, and folklore across cultures are deeply metaphorical. They reflect universal human experiences — love, betrayal, sacrifice, transformation. In Nepali and Vedic traditions, metaphors are everywhere:
- The churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) is not just about gods and demons, but a metaphor for the inner struggle between ego and consciousness.
- Shiva drinking poison is symbolic of absorbing collective pain without reacting — a lesson in neutrality and transmutation.
When life mirrors these stories, it’s not random — it’s our personal myth unfolding. Each time you meet a metaphor in your life — a toxic relationship, a lost opportunity, a sudden illness — ask: What story is this repeating? What truth is this symbol trying to reveal?
The Spiritual Psychology of Symbolic Karma
Symbolic karma often appears as:
- Recurring emotions: chronic sadness, guilt, fear
- Similar relationship dynamics: abandonment, betrayal, enmeshment
- Repetitive dreams or visions
- Unexplained attraction or repulsion to people, places, or cultures
These are symbols — not just memories or trauma, but encrypted karmic patterns. They’re like dream symbols in waking life, trying to teach us something deeper than logic can reach.
Vedic astrology (Jyotish) supports this. Certain planetary alignments indicate repeated soul lessons. For example:
- Saturn retrograde can show karmic repetition until maturity is achieved.
- Ketu in the 12th house might symbolize letting go of lifetimes of spiritual dependency.
Your birth chart isn’t just a map of your destiny. It’s a cosmic symbolic system showing what you came to resolve and remember.
The Cultural Lens: Symbols Embedded in Tradition
In Eastern cultures, symbolism is foundational. Every ritual, festival, or proverb carries a deeper layer. For example:
- Lighting a diya (lamp) symbolizes invoking inner light — transcending ignorance.
- Walking around a temple (parikrama) symbolizes cycling through lifetimes around truth until union is achieved.
- Offering water to the sun every morning signifies the return of energy to its source — a reminder of gratitude and cyclical awareness.
Life mimics these symbols. We circle around the same themes — loss, love, faith, fear — again and again until the metaphor completes its purpose.
When the Metaphor Becomes the Message
Let’s say you keep encountering the number 108 — in mantras, addresses, even phone numbers. You dream of bridges, or snakes, or falling from great heights.
These aren’t just random.
The universe speaks in symbols, and your higher self designs experiences that are metaphorical in nature:
- Bridge: Transition, crossing over, integration
- Snake: Transformation, shedding old skin, Kundalini
- Falling: Loss of control, surrender, spiritual free-fall
These metaphors repeat until we see them — not just react to them. That’s the key shift from unconscious karma to conscious awareness.
Healing Symbolic Karma
You don’t always need to fix what repeats — sometimes, you just need to understand it.
1. Self-Inquiry
- What in me keeps attracting this situation?
- Is this a childhood wound? A generational belief?
- What metaphor might this represent?
2. Symbolic Journaling
- Write recurring patterns or themes.
- List people or events that feel symbolic.
- Reflect on what story your soul may be retelling.
3. Mantra & Ritual
- Use traditional tools not just for devotion but decoding.
- For example, chanting Om Namah Shivaya when dealing with inner poison (resentment, anger) — helps transmute.
4. Dreamwork
- Your dreams carry the most direct symbolic karma. Start decoding them like sacred texts.
5. Astrological Insight
- Work with a Vedic astrologer to understand your dasha cycles and karmic patterns.
Final Thoughts: You Are the Symbol
You are not separate from the universe — you are a living metaphor. Your life is poetry encoded in biology, memory, and consciousness. Your patterns are not failures — they are feedback loops from a deeper intelligence.
Symbolic karma is life’s way of saying: “Until you understand the lesson, the story will repeat.”
But once you become aware — truly aware — the metaphor ends. The pattern breaks. The karma dissolves.
You become the author of your own myth, not just a character in its endless reruns.
Written with love, reflection, and layers of meaning — for seekers, wanderers, and all who are decoding life’s deeper patterns.
— Janak Raikhola | jraikhola.com.np