The Lady of the Wheel of the Year, having learned that Death was a necessary part of Life, returned to her Bright King, and together they Danced with great joy, greening the Earth — so that all was again covered in blossoming, bursting Life. From time to time, She would see one of Her People in sorrow and travail, and She would remember that existence. She felt a pang of sorrow, recalling the despair at pain and trouble that mortals felt all through their lives.
Only in the midst of Love or at the end of physical existence did they know bliss. Too often, even the bliss of Love was forgotten in the throes of hardship and misery. Too, She realized, that though there was rest and succor at the end of physical existence, the mortals knew no hope for betterment, other than peace at Life's end.
At first, She did not speak of this to either the Bright Kin or the Dark Lord. She pondered privately upon the cycle of Life, Death, and Rebirth; the Seasons of the wheel of the year, and at last made a decision. Conferring first with One then the Other, the Lady persuaded her two Lords to consider a plan to help Her people. That They might more readily accept Her plan, She presented it as a game.
This game, She called Karma: it was an elaborate system of debits and credits by which the players could judge the progress of the playing pieces — the pieces being the People. Now, the actual living on Earth was only part of the game — the first stage — to be clever enough to survive danger, disease, hunger and other pieces maneuvering for the same. the second stage was how well the pieces maneuvered for the prizes — and how honorable they went about achieving their goals (a credit), and how dishonorably they chose to act (a debit).
Adding a further twist to the game, She insisted that when a piece had achieved the full round of the twelve-spoked wheel — having experienced and mastered the lessons of each spoke and returned a final time to the hub (known as the Summerland), that a third level be added. this third level, being on of the Spirit, gave the pieces a chance to grasp from a Higher Existence than that of merely bettering the Physical Self.
To expedite the counting up of credits and debits for each piece, She created a body of beings known as the Lords of Karma. She set before Them the cosmic Laws of Order and Existence, and gave into Their keeping the Akashic Records — the golden, flowing source of all that is, was, and ever shall be.
Then She instructed the Two Lords in the Game, that They might watch with interest and understanding. Too, that They might cheer on or aid a piece that caught Their fancy or touch Their hearts with its struggles. They, nor the Lords of Karma were judged — for it is only by the Cosmic Laws of Order and Existence in the Providence of the Divine One to judge the Creations.
As the Game advanced, much to the enjoyment of the observers, there seemed to be a missing element. the Dark Lord too the Lady aside and said, "Never meaning criticism, My Dearest Lady of Life, but is it not pointless if Your piece do not know they can strive toward better lives and higher aims?" The Lady thought upon this, and told the Lord that He was correct, and that She, herself, must resolve this flaw in the pattern.
She gave a banquet and invited all those of the Greater and Lesser Pantheons, explaining to them the Game, and the reason She must prepare for a Journey — Journey which would take Her once again into the World of Mortals.
All the Beings of Light were grieved, for They love the Lady fully, and did not like her to be absent from Them. but She promised Them that though She must journey far, as long as Love was, there was She, also. She then departed on Her Journey to the Plane of Mortal Existence and was not seen again for a Tim in the Halls of Light and Love.