Karma vs the Law of Three

A prominent concept within Neo-Paganism is Karma. Many people equate this with the Law of Three: everything you do comes back to you, times three. Interestingly, though, the Law of Three and Karma have nothing to do with each other. They are merely similar concepts on the idea that every action has a consequence that must be dealt with.

Karma is originally a Hindu philosophy. It has been mistakenly equated with the Law of Three, a purely modern Western invention, because of this similarity, however Karma does not deal with "amounts" of payback. Nor, as is commonly believed, is the point of Karma to acquire "good" Karma through good deeds. Karma is neither good nor bad: it is simply the consequential energy that must be handled, either in this life or a future one, that comes about from any action, good or bad. This energy accruement is what perpetuates samsara, the cycle of reincarnation.

The goal, here, is to end samsara and attain moksha: enlightenment. This is accomplished by achieving a balance and by not creating Karma all together. This allows one to break the cycle and return home.