When I know that every life is sacred, I act in ways that are respectful, kind and loving. I begin with myself.


Ernest Holmes is very clear that God is everywhere present. He is clear that the Absolute, indestructible Power of Life Itself resides within each one of us. Since God is taking up residence in me as me, my life is sacred. Since God is residing in every being, all beings are sacred.

It follows that we would not want to harm with words, actions or inaction any other being.

What a difference that would make in our world. If we could embrace and embody this idea, our individual lives would change. We would become transcendent. I love the phrase that we would be transparent to transcendence. It would be God AS us .

I think of my personal habits and realize that some of them that do not honor the Divine presence within me. I sometimes set an intention to change those habits… and often find myself mindlessly breaking them the very same day. Then an even more odious thing happens… I criticize and judge myself. I certainly would not be silent if someone was saying those things to a good friend. Yet, part of our spiritual practice  is to form new habits while being as kind, generous and loving as we can. I can practice self-forgiveness in honor of the Divine in me. And I can begin again. A powerful practice is to write good thoughts about your life. If you can’t find any, borrow from someone like Ernest Holmes.

The twentieth Season for Non-Violence began on January 30 and will end on April 6. It is a great time to practice.

If you would like to know more, the following is a beautiful video about the purpose of non-violent communication.