Cause & Effect: Karma in Business Ethics

By Nicole, Founder of Mystic Ryst

"Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized."

Nothing happens by accident. Every result in your business is the effect of specific causes—your actions, thoughts, beliefs, and choices. This is the Principle of Cause and Effect, also known as karma.

For spiritual entrepreneurs, this principle is both empowering and sobering. It means you're not a victim of circumstances—you're the creator of them. Your current business reality is the effect of past causes. Your future results will be the effect of causes you're setting in motion right now.

This is radical responsibility. And it's the key to conscious, ethical business building.

Understanding Cause and Effect

There Is No Such Thing as Chance

What we call "luck" or "chance" is simply law we don't yet understand. Every effect has a cause, even if we can't see it.

This means:

• Your success isn't luck—it's the result of specific causes
• Your struggles aren't bad luck—they're effects of causes you've set
• You can reverse-engineer success by identifying the causes that create it
• You can change your results by changing your causes

The Three Levels of Causation

1. Physical causes: Your actions and behaviors
2. Mental causes: Your thoughts and beliefs
3. Spiritual causes: Your intentions and alignment

Most people only work with physical causes (taking action). Masters work with all three levels.

Karma in Business

What Is Business Karma?

Karma isn't punishment or reward—it's simply cause and effect. What you put out comes back to you.

You reap what you sow:

• Sow value → Reap abundance
• Sow manipulation → Reap distrust
• Sow generosity → Reap goodwill
• Sow scarcity → Reap lack
• Sow integrity → Reap reputation
• Sow shortcuts → Reap instability

The Karmic Lag

There's often a delay between cause and effect. You might not see immediate results from your actions. This tests your faith.

The principle: Keep setting positive causes even when you don't see immediate effects. The harvest will come.

Becoming a Cause, Not an Effect

Most People Are Effects

They react to circumstances, blame external factors, and feel powerless:

• "The economy is bad" (effect)
• "The algorithm changed" (effect)
• "My clients are difficult" (effect)
• "I can't succeed because..." (effect)

They're at the mercy of external causes.

Masters Are Causes

They create circumstances, take responsibility, and exercise power:

• "I create my economy" (cause)
• "I adapt my strategy" (cause)
• "I attract my clients" (cause)
• "I create my success" (cause)

They set causes that create desired effects.

The Shift

From: "Things happen TO me"
To: "I make things happen"

This is the shift from victim to creator, from effect to cause.

Ethical Business Through Cause and Effect

The Golden Rule as Universal Law

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" isn't just morality—it's physics. What you do to others, you do to yourself through the law of cause and effect.

In business:

• Treat clients how you want to be treated
• Give the value you want to receive
• Be the integrity you want to experience
• Create the energy you want returned

The Causes of Sustainable Success

Positive causes to set:

• Value: Overdeliver, serve genuinely
• Integrity: Keep promises, be honest
• Generosity: Give freely, share abundantly
• Excellence: Do your best work always
• Respect: Honor clients, collaborators, competitors
• Gratitude: Appreciate what you have

These causes create effects of: Loyalty, referrals, reputation, abundance, ease, sustainability

The Causes of Struggle

Negative causes to avoid:

• Manipulation: Tricking people into buying
• Scarcity tactics: False urgency, fake scarcity
• Underdelivering: Promising more than you give
• Dishonesty: Lying or misleading
• Taking advantage: Exploiting vulnerabilities
• Comparison: Tearing others down to lift yourself up

These causes create effects of: Distrust, refunds, bad reputation, scarcity, struggle, unsustainability

Practical Application

The Cause Audit

Look at your current business results (effects). For each one, ask:

What causes created this effect?

• What actions did I take (or not take)?
• What thoughts and beliefs did I hold?
• What energy was I in?
• What intentions did I set?

This reveals the causes you're setting.

The Future Cause Setting

Decide what effects you want. Then ask:

What causes would create these effects?

• What actions would lead to this result?
• What thoughts and beliefs would support it?
• What energy would attract it?
• What intentions would align with it?

Then set those causes consistently.

The Integrity Check

Before any business decision, ask:

• Is this aligned with my values?
• Would I be proud of this cause?
• What effect will this create long-term?
• Am I treating others as I want to be treated?

If the answer is no, don't set that cause.

The Karmic Business Principles

1. You Can't Cheat Karma

Shortcuts, manipulation, and unethical tactics might create short-term effects, but the karmic consequences always come.

The principle: Build on solid causes, not quick fixes.

2. Good Karma Compounds

Every positive cause you set creates ripple effects. Value creates loyalty creates referrals creates abundance.

The principle: Invest in positive causes consistently.

3. You're Always Setting Causes

Even inaction is a cause. Staying silent, avoiding decisions, not taking action—these all create effects.

The principle: Choose your causes consciously.

4. Karma Is Neutral

The universe doesn't judge your causes as good or bad—it simply returns effects that match them.

The principle: Take responsibility without shame or blame.

The Ultimate Responsibility

The Principle of Cause and Effect is the ultimate empowerment and the ultimate responsibility. You are the cause of your business reality.

This isn't about blame—it's about power. If you created your current reality through past causes, you can create a different reality through new causes.

Every thought, belief, action, and intention is a cause. Choose them wisely.

What causes are you setting in your business right now? I'd love to hear about your journey with conscious causation.