By Philip Goldberg
Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause and Effect for a Joyful, Meaningful Life
FROM KIRKUS REVIEW:
A valuable and inspiring examination of what karma means and how it can be used.
This straightforward guide explains the concept of karma and its real-world applications to help readers move forward with purpose.
While karma is a popular term, many people misunderstand the idea of “cause and effect.” Goldberg touches on the history of karma’s popularization, from the “Hindu Renaissance” in the 18th century to a Taylor Swift title track in 2022. While some “tend to invoke karma only when something bad happens,” it “is not about reward and punishment…We set karmic currents in motion through our thoughts and actions.” Woven into the author’s descriptions of what karma is are the ways in which readers can incorporate its philosophies into everyday life. Serving others, for example, can help move the “karmic scorecard” while a focus on internal actions can ultimately steer one’s decisions in a more spiritually and emotionally fulfilling direction. Goldberg gives the example of someone trying to decide whether or not to do something “ethically or morally wrong” that will help the person in the short run without anyone ever finding out. When considering karma, the individual may realize that this decision would inevitably create negative consequences later on and ultimately decide not to do it. While some points may sound familiar to those even slightly versed in Buddhist philosophy (such as the idea that the individual self and “universal Self” are one), more complicated yogic tenets are included—like a detailed breakdown of the five niyamas (ways to cultivate a positive inner state) and the five yamas (behaviors that people should “refrain from doing”). The book’s smooth, personable narrative clearly explains these complex ideas through plenty of examples and a gradual introduction to a specialized vocabulary. It is an intriguing deep dive into karma that many readers should find enlightening. Goldberg ultimately breathes new life into an often overused concept by breaking down karma’s core principles and applying them to ordinary life.
Official publication date is October 14, but the book can be pre-ordered now. Why pre-order when it won’t be shipped till October? Well, so you don’t forget, and in case price goes up or the book is so popular it immediately sells out. But the real reason is: pre-orders help position the book for media attention and marketing.
So, I hope you pre-order.
Praise for the Book
“Karmic Relief is a wise, inspiring, and beautiful book offering potent medicine for our times. With the clarity and humility that come from a lifetime of dedicated study and practice, Goldberg invites us to embrace the beauty and power that comes from living ethically.”
– Miranda Macpherson, author of The Way of Grace: The Transforming Power of Ego Relaxation
“For years, this frequently misunderstood topic has been crying out for illumination. Goldberg takes it on with a relaxed, accessible voice that makes his solid scholarship go down easy. He embodies the kind of practical, humane, nondogmatic wisdom that all spiritual teachers would do well to emulate.”
—Dean Sluyter, author of The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature
“Millions of people believe in karma. However, believing in karma, much like believing in gravity, is meaningless. If you fall off a thousand-foot cliff, gravity explains why you are falling; karma explains what led you to fall. Belief in either is irrelevant to both. Karma is a law of reality, and Philip Goldberg’s Karmic Relief is a powerful guide to living with it wisely.”
—Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Zen Mind, Jewish Mind
“This eminently readable book explains a foundational worldview shared throughout nearly all Asian religions: through our actions (karmas) we write the script for our own futures. Drawing from his own experience and the wisdom of countless teachers, Goldberg makes this core philosophy easy to understand, and more importantly perhaps, easy to practice. This book is truly a call to right action!”
—Christopher Chapple, Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, and director, Master of Arts in Yoga Studies, Loyola Marymount University
“At last, a concise, friendly book that explains what karma is—and, crucially, what it’s not. In his usual lucid, practical, and entertaining style, Phil Goldberg gives us everything we need to reset our Karmic Positioning System and glide into a happier future.”
—Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Time bestselling author of Happy for No Reason
“The task of transmitting the ancient Eastern idea of karma to the contemporary world is daunting. For years, I’ve been wondering who would take on the challenge—and I have considered it myself a number of times. Philip Goldberg now has, and we should all be grateful. His book is an astonishing feat of high-wire balance. It’s beautifully written; manages to be accessible without losing any of the subtlety of its complex subject; is full of the kind of cultural context that probably only Goldberg is equipped to provide; and most astonishingly, it manages to be both conceptually accurate and extremely practical. As with his previous book, American Veda, Goldberg writes about the ineffable with a master’s touch. It is positively thrilling to read an author at the height of his powers. This book is destined to be a classic.”
—Stephen Cope, scholar emeritus, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health; author of The Great Work of Your Life and many other books
“Karmic Relief is a gripping, erudite, and immensely practical meditation on the workings of karma and its therapeutic and spiritual value. A must read.”
—Swami Medhananda, Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hindu Chaplain at UCLA and USC, author of Karma and Rebirth in Hinduism
“Your karma is not your fate—it’s your freedom. In Karmic Relief, Philip Goldberg hands you the keys to transform your life from the inside out, with timeless wisdom made practical, soulful, and real. Learn how every choice you make can plant seeds of peace, purpose, and joy—for yourself and the world.”
—Acharya Shunya, Vedic Scholar and teacher; author of Sovereign Self
“Philip Goldberg brings wisdom and discernment to everything he undertakes and every book he writes. He explores his subjects deeply and presents them with nuanced, fresh perspectives. When you read one of his books or listen to one of his talks or interviews, you won’t receive a rehashing of ideas you’ve already pondered. You’ll learn something new. This book is no exception.”
—Rick Archer, creator and host of “Buddha at the Gas Pump”
“Karmic Relief marries timeless wisdom with modern sensibility, crafting a blueprint for how to co-create a more ethical and compassionate world. With the erudition of a scholar and the warmth of a friend, Goldberg demystifies karma, rendering it both profound and practical. His wit and insight make the complex accessible, serving up a feast of wisdom and humor that will leave you empowered to make change for the better for yourself and the world.”
—Kimberley Lafferty, teacher-practitioner with The Confluence Experience
“Karma has practically become an English word, yet the depths of this concept are rarely understood in the western world. This book will hopefully go some distance toward correcting this situation.”
—Jeffery D. Long, Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College; author of Discovering Indian Philosophy
“Drawing from Eastern traditions while speaking to universal moral insights, Goldberg encourages us to consider how our choices ripple outward—inviting a more thoughtful, grounded, and conscious way of being in the world, especially for a time when quieter wisdom and humane clarity are often drowned by noise and spectacle.”
—Father Adam Bucko, director, The Center for Spiritual Imagination, Garden City, NY
“. . . an intriguing deep dive into karma that many readers should find enlightening. Goldberg ultimately breathes new life into an often overused concept by breaking down karma’s core principles and applying them to ordinary life.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Meditation teacher Goldberg (Roadsigns) provides a thought-provoking exploration of karma and what it means to live according to its logic…. [A] nuanced and perceptive assessment of an oft-misunderstood spiritual concept.”
—Publishers Weekly


