Today we ask you to celebrate works of art that are created with love.

For that is at the heart of an “awards show.”  Beyond all that is false about these events, beneath the shiny and unreal surfaces, it is about celebrating human beings who create work with great love and commitment.  Often they must do so in the face of tremendous opposition — for generally speaking, creating work with great love and commitment is not necessarily the path of easy profit.  Creating work with great love and commitment can be profitable; but it is not easy.

So it is good, when watching an awards event, to connect with the true heart of the occasion.  We gather to celebrate humans who are creating meaningful work.  The awards system itself may be imperfect, messy, unfair and really rather silly.  But the spirit behind it is good.

It is like giving a gold star to a child who brings you a drawing he created with love; or who went out of his way to help a classmate or sibling do something.  It is good to give gold stars to someone who goes out of his way to do something meaningful.

There is, of course, nothing special about famous people.  What makes an awards event meaningful is that you are watching human beings, in all their frailty, no different from you.  Neither put them on a pedestal, nor look down on them in contempt.  They are no different from you.  They are simply dressed up for the evening.

Celebrate anyone who does good, meaningful work.  And as you do, ask yourself, “What have I done that deserves celebration?”  Be generous in your answer!

All of you do things that deserve awards, truly.  Little acts of kindness in your daily lives, in situations that are far from easy.  All of you create works of art.  Any parent who raises a child with love and care is creating a work of art.  Anyone who does work with a loving heart — who values meaning and a job well done over easy profit — is creating a work of art.  Celebrate yourselves, and celebrate others, engaged in such efforts.

Celebrate all humans who create with love.

Today we ask you to contemplate giving something to someone.  It can be a donation of time and energy, or it can be a financial donation — which is another way of giving your time and energy.  It can be a very small amount, either of time, or money.  The key is to give it with a whole heart, to a person, animal, charity or cause that you completely believe in.

Please know that acts of charity, when undertaken with a whole heart and no thought of personal reward — i.e. no need even for a “thank you,” or any form of receiving credit for the good deed — please know that these acts do immeasurable good for you, the giver.

Acts of giving, of pure, wholehearted altruism, always bring good energy to the giver.  Always.  ALWAYS.

And usually that good energy will come back to you doubled, or tripled.  It may not come in the same form in which it was given, but you will receive a greater flow of energy.  It may come back to you as creative energy, as physical vitality, or as a stroke of good luck.  The point is, it will come back.

To that end, one could argue that giving is a selfish act.

And yet we repeat: for the magic to work, you must do it with a loving heart.  It is like the Princess who kisses the Frog, or the Beauty who unconditionally loves the Beast.  You must do these things with a pure heart, expecting nothing.  Then, and only then, a Prince will appear.

Today we ask you to do something difficult.

We ask you to look at ways you are in conflict with who you really are.

We ask you to look at ways in which you are inauthentic to your true nature.

Inauthenticity arises when one feels fearful, or insecure, and so engages in false, deceptive behavior as a defense against perceived threats.

People lie.  Even if they do not lie to others, they may lie to themselves.

People engage in behaviors that are harmful to themselves, or other beings.

People put on false fronts.  They wear masks in order to hide who they really are from others.

People engage in inauthentic relationships with other people.  They may date, or even marry, people whom they do not truly love, usually to win status, or security.

Inauthentic behavior is like taking drugs to feel better.

It covers up symptoms, and soothes anxiety — but only temporarily.

As with drugs, the security craving/anxiety will always come back — and only gets stronger.  

As with drugs or alcohol, it is very, very hard to kick an inauthenticity habit.

Like many alcoholics, you may believe that a little inauthenticity on a daily basis can’t cause any real harm.

But it is just as with alcohol.  Over time, this addiction will cause great sickness and misery.

For the human soul cannot abide lies, masks, and inauthenticity.

Deception is as toxic to the soul as drugs and alcohol are to the body.

If only people knew this.

Today we would like to discuss integrity.

Integrity means wholeness.  It means being whole in what you choose to do, and whole in what you choose not to do.

When you are integrated in your actions, there is great power in what you do.  It is like watching an athlete, or a dancer.  When an athlete is in movement, he or she is wholly integrated.  There is no conflict.  No internal struggle.  There may be external obstacles — opposing players, limits of physical endurance, and so on.  But there is no internal conflict.  If there were internal conflict, the athlete would not be a very good athlete.  His movements would be tentative, and half-hearted.  That is not how you run a race, or play a game.

Life itself is not dissimilar from an athletic pursuit.  To the extent that you are integrated and wholehearted in your actions, you may face external obstacles, but you will not be hampered and held back by internal conflict. You will need to practice at what you love.  You will try, and fail, and learn.  But eventually you will get there.  If the goal you seek is pure-hearted — as pure-hearted as a dancer’s grace, or an athlete’s desire to test the limits of his body — then you will get there, one way or another.

However, if you are bogged down with internal conflict — if you lack integrity — then it will be very slow going indeed.  You may even be paralyzed.

Integrity is a feeling.  It is a feeling of being pure-hearted, wholehearted, and strong in your actions.  You know what you are doing, and why.

It is an elegant way to live life.

Today we ask that you consider what it means to “honor your mother and father.”

Many of you have extremely complex and conflicted relationships with your parents — even if your parents are no longer in physical bodies.  This deep conflict is a part of the human experience.  It is natural.

Some parents are healthy, and supportive.  Others are destructive, and unsupportive.  How does one relate to these beings who are so very close to you — the Mother, and the Father — in a way that is both loving and compassionate, yet protective of one’s boundaries as an individual?

While these relationships are highly complex, the answer is simple:

To thine own self be true.

When dealing with one’s parents, it is essential to honor you.  By honoring you, you honor your mother and father.

When dealing with one’s parents, it is essential to act in integrity.  This means being authentic.  Do not violate your integrity when dealing with your parents.

Being in integrity simply means not being conflicted about your actions.  It means acting with a whole heart, and owning what you do.  Everyone has their own subjective experience of what it means to be in integrity.  Everyone has their own “code of honor,” and this can vary quite significantly from person to person.

The main thing to pay attention to is how integrity feels.  

When you act in integrity, you feel whole and strong in the action.

When you are in integrity, even if a parent says “You are doing the wrong thing!”, you know that this is not true.  You are whole, and strong.  You are honoring yourself, even if you are going against what a parent tells you to do.  Only good will come of this.

When you dishonor yourself to go along with a parent, there is a kind of breakage that occurs.  While it may placate the parent in the short term, it will not work in the long term.  Sometimes people make themselves very sick in their souls, doing what their parents want.

Please know that you do not honor your parents simply by doing what they tell you to do.

Your honor your parents by growing into a whole, strong, beautiful, independent being.

That is how you honor your parents.

Today we simply want to tell you that there is nothing wrong with you.

By “wrong,” we mean defective, broken, or shameful.

There is nothing wrong with your mind.

There is nothing wrong with your body.

There is nothing wrong with the way you do things.

There is nothing wrong with the way you do not do things.

There is nothing wrong with your life.

There is nothing wrong with your life situation.

There is nothing wrong with the people around you.

There is nothing wrong with humanity.

There is nothing wrong with the Planet Earth.

There is nothing wrong with the Universe.

There is nothing wrong with God.

There is nothing broken, defective, or shameful about you, or any part of you.

Please know this.  Please feel this.

There is nothing wrong with you.

Today we ask again that you take this weekend time to relax your nervous system.

Many of you do not believe that things that stimulate the nervous system “wind you up.”  You believe that watching television or surfing the net is relaxing.  You relax with a book.  You watch TV at bedtime to help you go to sleep.

These activities are stimulating.  They stimulate the nervous system.  You do not relax while watching television.  Your brain is assimilating a large quantity of information at every moment — more than you can possibly imagine.  You do not “relax” with a magazine, or book.  Again, when reading, your brain is processing an enormous quantity of information.  You are imagining whole realities.  This requires an active nervous system.

Certainly we are not advocating that you do not read, or watch TV, or enjoy the internet.

However, if you are someone who suffers from insomnia, fatigue, anxiety or depression, headaches, digestive upset, or any stress-related illness, we strongly urge you to cut back on activities that stimulate the nervous system.

If you suffer from these problems, spend more time outdoors.  Exercise — but not at a gym, where you are watching television.  Go for a jog.  Take a walk.  Go for a hike.  Take a swim.  Do yoga.  Dance.  Take a long, luxurious bath.  Take naps.  Play with animals.  Play with small children.  Garden.  Listen to beautiful music.  Eat a nourishing meal — really enjoying and savoring the food, not rushing.  Meditate.  Lounge outside, and listen to the birds sing.  Watch the sun rise, or set.  All these things relax the nervous system.  

By decreasing activities that stimulate the nervous system, and increasing activities that relax it, we promise that you will experience real relief from symptoms of nervous exhaustion — including insomnia, fatigue, headaches, anxiety and depression, and most stress-related illnesses.  It is essential in this fast-paced world.

This weekend is a time for rest.  To that end, we would like to repeat the message of Ten Breaths:

Today we ask that you focus your attention completely on your breath for a very short period of time.

Many of you are familiar with meditation, and working with the breath.  Still, most of you may encounter difficulty keeping the mind free of thought even for a very short period of time.

So we ask you to try a very brief, simple exercise in which you close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and take ten breaths.  Counting each breath.

Inhale, exhale — one.

Inhale, exhale — two.

Inhale, exhale — three.

Inhale, exhale — four.

Inhale, exhale — five.

Inhale, exhale — six.

Inhale, exhale — seven.

Inhale, exhale — eight.

Inhale, exhale — nine.

Inhale, exhale — ten.

Can you be completely and totally focused on your breath, to the exclusion of all else, for ten breaths?  Try it and see.

Know that this simple practice can be of immeasurable benefit in your daily lives, particularly when you feel overwhelmed.

Today we ask that you reevaluate someone whom you have dismissed as a “bad person.”

It may be someone you know, or someone you do not know.

Preferably it is someone you may not know very well.  For the purposes of this exercise, it is good to select someone with whom you do not have an extensive history.  It is easiest to select someone about whom you have made more of a snap judgment.  Someone you do not know well at all, and yet you have decided “I do not like this person.”

Once you have made your selection, bring this person to mind.

Imagine who this person was when he or she was a child.  Really visualize this.  See this person as a child, playing.

Now: imagine the person in an emotional moment.  No one else is around to watch this.  This person is all alone; and he or she is crying, in the midst of an emotional moment.

Now: imagine this person sick with a bad cold.  He or she is in bed, sneezing and coughing.

Now: imagine this person in a state of profound joy.  Perhaps he or she is witnessing something very beautiful, very resonant to the soul.

Now: imagine this person laughing uproariously.

That is all.  Notice if your feelings toward this person change.  All humans beings begin as children, cry, get sick, laugh, and experience profound joy at some point in their lives.  To acknowledge this is to acknowledge the deep humanity of everyone we see, every living human.  By doing so, we expand our compassion.