" 'Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light. Above all things reverence thyself.'
— Pythagoras

"Because of its connectedness to the Whole, the authentic self knows that all people and living things are an extension of itself. When we live consciously in the presence of the authentic self, reverence naturally arises and we are guided to know that to do harm to another would be to harm one's self. Reverence gives birth to compassion and acts of loving-kindness, which manifest as harmony, peace, and joy.

"Having reverence for any person or living thing is recognizing the presence of Life within the form and honoring it as sacred. When living from the authentic self, practicing reverence with others is not a difficult thing to do because we remember we are connected with that person or thing at a very fundamental level and we come from the same essence, the source of all that is — the Original Self. Reverence awakens us to a deep understanding that to do harm to another is to do harm to ourselves. As we make that connection, realizing that all living things are one with the great Whole, we are naturally led to treat each person or thing as we would desire to be treated — with non-judgment, loving-kindness, and compassion. I have heard it said that, instead of flowers, Dr. Ernest Holmes would often dine with a vase of weeds from his garden on his dining room table. He considered it a beautiful reminder that the creative intelligence of the One flows equally through every living thing and that the only difference between a weed and a rose was the value (judgment) we choose to place upon it."

To Practice This Thought: Follow in Dr. Holmes' footseps and dine with a vase of weeds on your table, in honor of the sacredness of all things.