8) The understanding of cause and effect
Perceiving life to be one makes available the understanding that what we send out into the universe is part of a never-ending circle of energy that either benefits or detracts from the whole, and that it cannot benefit ourselves if it does not benefit others. What we send out into the universe returns to us because we are part of a circle of life. All behavior is conditioned by this understanding.

    The awareness of the Law of Cause and Effect gives to each individual a sacred responsibility for the choices that are made in thought, word, and deed. There is no aspect of our interaction with life that does not either promote the wellbeing of all or detract from the wellbeing of all. There is none for which we do not bear responsibility or have a choice. This consciousness, when incorporated within the human heart and not received merely as a judgment from 'above', gives to each day a thoughtfulness and meaning that it would not have otherwise. It eliminates the possibility of indifference to one's words or actions, however trivial, for each has a rippling effect into the universe and each ultimately returns in some fashion, though when and how is invisible.

Factors that limit the perception of the operation of the Law of Cause and Effect include:

• Distortions produced by false spiritual beliefs that condition the self to feel that certain actions or certain individuals are exempt from moral responsibility toward others. This is never true.
• A misunderstanding concerning the consequences of behavior, with fear of punishment replacing the more benevolent perception of love being part of the harmonic which needs to guide all action.

  Out of the first perception comes a sense of anxiety concerning the consequences of being limited or unable to do something. Out of the second, comes one's best effort to act in loving ways toward all, with the understanding that the motivation of love, when it is present, is considered part of the action, even if the action itself may be misguided or limited.

• The awareness of a restriction imposed on the self causing rebellion, including a desire to go one's own way, irrespective of the consequences.

  Rebellion against the Law of Cause and Effect, or its invalidation, is essentially a rebellion against the authority of God over life. It is operative when the motivational pattern that guides action is infused by darkness rather than by light. When, however, there is an attitude of humility and prayerfulness and a desire to be guided by light, and when love is not diminished by the effort to fulfill that guidance, then rebellion will have no place in which to grow.

Resolution within the capacity to perceive wholeness: 
    The capacity to perceive life as a sacred whole in which every action, word, and thought makes a contribution, and to perceive the planet upon which we live in the same way, exacts a sacred response from the human heart which can no longer be indifferent to the consequences of its own behavior.

    The capacity to perceive wholeness means that issues regarding the caretaking of the planet, concern for the wellbeing of others who are suffering, and regard for the future of the earth itself, cannot be left to others to address. It is part of becoming a planetary citizen that the perception of sacred responsibility dawns upon the consciousness in a way that compels responsiveness, rather than denial or indifference. This viewpoint contains the feeling that 'everything I do makes a difference all of the time. Everything I do is meaningful, even if no one else sees or knows about it.' Such an awareness is created both by the understanding of the wholeness of the earth and of life, and also by the awareness of how energy operates within the Law of Cause and Effect.