Cheating, Infidelity, Spirituality, and Marriage: 7 Ways to Betray Your Spouse

One of the most popular love topics peoplenask us about is infidelity and how it relates tonfate and karma.

The American Heritage English Dictionary definesninfidelity as “Lack of fidelity or loyalty, especiallynto a spouse.” It defines fidelity as “Faithfulness tonobligations or duties.”

Let’s consider several forms of infidelity, besidesncheating.

1. Withholding affection, and s.e.x in your marriagenor relationship, for whatever reason, causes a hugendivide between you and your partner. Respectndeteriorates, as does trust. Everyone wants to benvalued and needed. If someone is denied affectionnor s.e.x in their relationship, they may feel justifiednin getting it elsewhere. Would that incur negativenkarma, you ask? If it involved lying and deception,nit’s likely to, as would using sex as a bargaining chipnor manipulation tool in a relationship.

2. Being fiscally irresponsible.

3. Allowing yourself to become unattractive to you
partner, such as gaining a lot of weight, is considerednby some just as bad as fooling around behind you
partner’s back.

4. Suddenly ignoring your partner’s emotional needsnor their need to connect with you on any other level,nsuch as intellectual.

5. Carrying on an emotionally intimate relationshipnwith a person other than your spouse, flirting n(in-person and online), and even fantasizing aboutnsomeone other than your spouse (even thoughnfrom a spiritual viewpoint, it’s natural) could benconsidered forms of infidelity. Some have asked usnif we believe mutually agreed upon non-monogamyncreates negative karma and our response is alwaysn“no,” if you are honest and act responsibly with allninvolved.

6. Not making time spent with your partner anpriority, while always going out with your friendsninstead could be considered a form of infidelity.

7. Promising to cook and run the household innretu
for your significant other providing financially,nthen failing to uphold your end of the bargain afte
getting married is infidelity and also creates negativenkarma.

Changing your tune in any way that disappointsnyour partner, after the commitment has been made,ncould be considered a form of infidelity. This also napplies to unspoken agreements and when a personnhas represented themselves to be a certain way.

In an attempt to maintain fidelity (and in some cases,nignore destiny and karma), prenuptial agreements arencommon today. Some think prenups should also includenthings like how household chores will be divided, andnexactly how much s.e.x (frequency, style, requirednattitude about it, etc.) will be included in the union.

After all, as traditional marriage is a legally-bindingnagreement, like a business arrangement, each partne
could be said to be legally obligated to uphold thei
part of the deal.

It’s unknown what exactly a partner would do in 5,
10, 20, or more years if they’re not getting whatnthey want and need in their relationship. Therefore,ntaking a business-like approach to love (legally-nbinding agreement, i.e., marriage certificate)ndemands business-like negotiations prior to thenevent in the interest of fai
ess and to protectnboth parties.

Not very romantic, you say? Neither is a 60%ndivorce rate in the U.S. and the fact that manyn(statistics say about 50%) of those who don’tndivorce are cheating.

However, from a spiritual viewpoint, you can’tnexpect your love
to act a certain way and then nhonestly say you are expressing unconditionalnlove. Unconditional means that you are expectingnnothing in return. Yet in today’s world, wherenlife savings, businesses, careers, the security ofnchildren and more are at stake, a less thannpragmatic approach with relationships is oftennregretted.

Attempts to re-write personal fate and avoid you
karma with a legally-binding contract may never bensuccessful, but openly and realistically discussingnhopes and expectations in the beginning of anrelationship will at least help now. Putting them innwriting will help later.

If one disappoints, should the other be f.r.e.e to ninvestigate other options without financial or othe
penalties? Perhaps that should be part of thencontract as well.

Copyright © Scott Petullo, Stephen Petullo