My dear friends...

I was in Tokyo some time back talking about God.

Incredible, wonderful, marvelous discussion. Three hundred-plus in the audience. Not a one of them looked bored, or "out of it." Everybody was paying rapt attention. Many asked incisive, important questions.

At one point I was describing God in this way:

"God is not a Super Being in the Sky, with the same proclivities and emotional needs as human beings, including the need for love and for revenge when love is betrayed or not given. God is life's Essential Energy. You might want to call that energy Pure Intelligence.

"Intelligence doesn't care whether you believe in It or not. It doesn't care whether you use It on purpose or not. If you do use It on purpose, It doesn't care how. It makes no judgment about any of this. In fact, It makes no judgment about anything at all.

"Pure Intelligence wants nothing, needs nothing, seeks nothing. It simply Is. It exists in a way that allows Itself to be used. It does this, it allows this, it makes this possible, by placing Itself inside of Everything. Wherever you look you will find Pure Intelligence. It is at the basis of all things that exist. Snowflakes reflect Pure Intelligence. The tiniest atoms reflect Pure Intelligence. The biggest swath of the night sky reflects Pure Intelligence. The process of life Itself, examined at every level, reflects Pure Intelligence.

"The energy that I am here calling Pure Intelligence can be used -- is being used -- at every level of life, by Life Itself. You are using this energy, you are focusing this energy, every second of every minute of every hour of every day...usually without knowing it.

"The fact that this energy exists, and the way to focus it, therefore using it to one's personal advantage, is what has been called The Secret. A movie by that very name was made a few years back and is sweeping across the world. This energy that I am calling Pure Intelligence, and that I am telling you about is another name for God, and has no opinion about anything. That is because It doesn't need anything. It is singularly without  need, for the simple reason that it is Everything That Exists in Any Form Whatsoever. This includes not only physical things, but metaphysical things as well. This includes all spiritual things, and anything in any form that simply IS...including thoughts, emotions, feelings, ideas, and, yes, the Black Holes of Space.

"Think about this. If God is truly Everything That Exists in Any Form Whatsoever, what in the world could God want or need or require? Why would God punish us for not giving God what we imagine that God wants or needs or requires? The answer to these questions is self-evident. It need not be discussed in great detail, because simple logic reveals it to us and makes it clear how we have been held captive by the mythologies of our own culture and its past.

"The opportunity that lies before us, and before all sentient beings, is to use the Essential Energy of Pure Intelligence in the way in which it was designed to be used. Not all things that exist in the universe can use this Essential Energy consciously. That is, with full self-awareness and with intention. Only those elements of Life Itself that are self-conscious -- that is, aware of themselves -- can do so.

"I should correct that last statement. Not even all elements of life that are self-conscious can use the Essential Energy consciously. It is not only a question of being conscious, it is also a question of the level of consciousness that a being or a species has attained. For instance, a dog, while highly intelligent, is not sufficiently self-aware (as far as we know) to be able to use Essential Energy with intention.

"Human beings are not only aware of themselves, they are aware that they are aware, and so have risen to at least the Second Level of Consciousness. This level of consciousness allows sentient beings to notice themselves, and even to notice themselves noticing themselves. That is, we can stand 'outside of ourselves' and watch ourselves doing what we are doing and thinking what we are thinking and saying what we are saying. We can even watch ourselves watching ourselves. We can step back into the hallway of awareness, looking through doorways both forward and backward -- and, according to some, ultimately seeing and experiencing our Divine and Sacred Self."

When I finished with my comments a man in the back of the room rose to ask what he said was a burning question: "When I first read Conversations with God I was very touched because it allowed me to believe in a God who loved me. Now I am confused. You have just described a God who doesn't care what I do or how my life turns out. I feel desolate after hearing this description from you. This is not what I came expecting to hear today. It is very little short of depressing. Can you help me?"

It was a marvelous question. A question from a man who was tracking every word and thinking about every nuance and implication. Others in the audience nodded their approval of the inquiry. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, cleared my throat, and began to speak in a slow, steady voice, the words coming from somewhere beyond my conscious mind.

NEXT WEEK: The Answer

 With Pure Love,