June 6, 2024 • 49 mins
What if a near-fatal car accident, losing your job, and ending a relationship—all within ten days—wasn't the end, but the beginning of an incredible spiritual journey?
"Your life isn't about you but the lives you touch".
-Neale Donald Walsch
Join us as I sit down with best-selling author Neale Donald Walsh, who opens up about his life-altering experiences that led to a profound dialogue with God.
Neale's transformative story, marked by resilience and faith, has inspired millions worldwide, and in this episode, he shares how these trials became the catalyst for his series, "Conversations with God."
During our heartfelt conversation, Neale recounts the moment his manuscript was accepted for publication—a beacon of hope during his darkest days. He discusses the often paradoxical messages received during his divine conversations, which challenged societal norms and his personal beliefs. Despite facing accusations of blasphemy, Neale emphasizes the importance of personal authority in spiritual exploration, encouraging listeners to seek their own truths and discard what doesn't resonate with them.
We also delve into practical guidance from Neale's latest book, "God Talk," where he outlines a six-step process for connecting with the divine. Neale believes that everyone is in constant communication with God, often perceived as sudden insights or epiphanies. By embracing this connection and understanding our true spiritual nature, we can find profound fulfillment and purpose in our lives.
Don't miss this inspiring episode that highlights the unity of all existence and the transformative power of faith.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In this episode I speak with best-selling author
Neil Donald Walsh of the bookseries Conversations with God.
Neil's story is truly inspiringand has gone on to sell
literally millions and millionsof copies and turned into a
movie as well.
His latest book, god Talk, isteaching you how you can connect
with your higher power.
Stay tuned for a very upliftingand enlightening conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome, Neil.
Thank you, James.
It's lovely to be here.
How may I serve you?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I think what's really beautiful how we could help the
audience here is just tounderstand a little bit about
what helped you become an author, what made you feel inspired to
write in the first place,because there may be a few
people who may not have comeacross your work and I'd really
love to understand what made youbegin your journey before
(00:54):
writing this beautiful new bookof yours.
God Talk, because you've got afantastic and interesting
journey and story that I'm surepeople would just love a little
recap on.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, james, I didn't sit down to become an author.
I didn't say to myself one day,you know, I think I need to
write a book or I want to dosome writing.
That's not how it happened withme.
I was simply having a very whatI presumed would always be a
very private, personal, sacredexperience.
I was going through a verytough time in my life.
Actually, james, it wasinteresting because within 10
(01:29):
days I lost my relationship, Ilost my job and I lost my health
All within 10 days.
Regretfully, a marriage that Iwas in was coming to an end.
We were congenial, we were notbitter with each other, we just
realized it wasn't working.
But we decided to part company.
So, you know, that was kind ofa defeat for me.
(01:49):
But you know, I thought, okay,I can overcome this.
But five days later I lost myjob.
The corporation I was workingfor needed to downsize and so I
did not have the seniority.
I was the most recent hire, soI was the first one to be let go
.
So now I lost my relationshipand lost my job within the same
(02:11):
five-day period.
But wait, life wasn't done withme yet.
I'm on the road to an interviewfor another job, which I was
certain I was going to getbecause I had all the
qualifications.
I never got to the interviewbecause I had all the
qualifications.
I never got to the interview.
An elderly gentleman turned hiscar in front of me, made a left
turn in front of me, smashedinto my car, totaled my car and
(02:32):
almost totaled me.
I wound up with a broken neckand, of course, naturally, I was
in the hospital and the doctorsaid to me you know, people who
suffer this kind of a brokenneck generally die or, if they
don't die, the few who dosurvive wind up with being
paralyzed from the waist, I meanfrom the neck down.
He said you know, neil, youhave suffered neither
(02:55):
consequence.
What do you intend to do withthe rest of your life?
Because you've been given agreat gift and I thought wow the
doctor saying that.
Yes, because he wanted me toknow that.
You know, I was one of the veryfew people who could survive
such an accident.
Right, and he wanted so.
He was just, you know, layingout right in front of me.
(03:18):
But I couldn't get a jobanywhere because I was wearing
what they call in the UnitedStates a Philadelphia collar.
It's a therapeutic device thatholds your head up.
It's a plastic device, and thedoctor explained to me that you
have no way to support your headbecause your neck has a
three-quarter inch gap in it andit's going to take a long time
(03:38):
for that to heal.
But he didn't want to dosurgery.
He said it will heal itself,but you have to wear this device
.
James, I had to wear that collararound my neck for over a year
and a half and it was no bigdeal.
I said, okay, so I'm wearing acollar.
It was no big deal, except noone would hire me.
I would go to interviews andthey would say you know what?
(03:59):
We can't hire a person withsuch an obvious physical
disability.
One wrong move and youre-injure yourself and we're
paying your hospital bills forthe rest of your life.
We can't come back and applyfor a job here when you're
healed, we'd hire you in aminute because you got all the
qualifications.
So I was out of work.
(04:20):
I couldn't get a job anywhere.
Nobody would hire me.
I wound up running out of mysavings after many months, and
then I wound up being evicted bymy landlord from the small
apartment that I had rented whenmy marriage ended, and so he
had to ask me to leave.
Now I'm living on the sidewalk,james, on what's known in the
United States as a street person.
(04:41):
I'm living on the street,sleeping on the ground, going
from person to person with myhand up, asking for whatever
they might be able to spare sothat I could maybe even eat that
day.
And you know the greatestindignity of all.
You know I hate to talk aboutthings like this, but when
you're living on the street,where do you use the bathroom?
(05:03):
You have to sneak intorestaurants and hope that the
manager doesn't throw you outwhen he sees you coming in,
because you're obviously someonewho's been on the sidewalk for
a year with your hair down tothe middle of your back, wearing
the same clothes every time youwalk in, and and I had to sneak
into restaurants just to usethe restroom.
So then I realized, oh so I'mdown to nothing.
(05:26):
I'm down to one pair of shoes,two pair of jeans and a couple
of shirts, and that's it.
This is my, this is thetotality of my, of my life,
possessions.
Finally, I got a little weekendjob.
Some guy had pity on me andhired me to do a weekend job
filling in for one of hisfull-time employees.
So I got a weekend job.
(05:47):
I worked on Saturday and Sunday, just making barely enough
money to afford a one-roomapartment on top of somebody's
garage.
Somebody had remodeled theirgarage and put a little
apartment, a little open studio,on top of the garage.
But no complaints, I'm out ofthe weather.
And guess what?
It even had a bathroom.
(06:16):
Wow, you talk about luxuriesand so.
But I woke up one night, james,I'm telling you this story so
you know where I was coming from.
I woke up one night after beingin there about three or four
months and I thought, okay, comeon, come on, be fair with me.
What have I done to deserve alife as such?
One thing after another, afteranother, after another.
I'm living in somebody's garage.
I mean, come on, I can dobetter than this.
(06:39):
What does it take to make lifework and I had a yellow legal
pad on the coffee table in frontof the couch where I slept.
There was no bedroom, it was aone-room place.
You sleep on the couch, you siton the couch, very spartan
environment, but at least it wasinside.
Yeah, and I had this yellowlegal patch.
I started writing an angryletter to God.
(07:00):
It's 2 30 in the morning.
I woke up and you know,actually it's 4 20.
I recall the time exactly.
It was 4 23 in the morning andI started writing this angry
letter to god.
Dear god, what does it take tomake life work and what have I
done to deserve a life of suchcontinuing struggle?
I recall writing the words tellme the rules, I'll play.
(07:21):
I'll play this game.
Just give me the rules and stopchanging them every third day,
because, you know, I just didn'teven understand how life was
supposed to work.
Then I heard a voice.
I heard a voice that was soreal.
I thought there was someone inthe room behind me, but in fact
obviously there was no one thereand I thought, oh great, and
now, on top of everything else,I'm losing my mind.
(07:42):
But the voice was then movedinside my head and it said very
clearly.
Neil, sweetheart, do you reallywant answers to all of these
questions, or are you justventing?
And I remember thinking yeah,you think I am venting, but if
you've got answers, I'd sure ashell like to know what they are.
(08:03):
And the voice said you are sureas hell, neil, about a lot of
things, but wouldn't you ratherbe sure as heaven?
And I'm writing on the illegalpad okay, what's that supposed
to mean?
God said take down everything.
I'm going to tell you and ifyou have any questions after I
finish, ask any questions youhave.
(08:24):
Tell you.
And if you have any questionsafter I finish, ask any
questions you have.
And that became what is nowknown as the Conversations with
God Dialogue.
I never in a million yearsintended for anyone else to see
it.
I wasn't sitting down to writea book, but if you've read the
book, you know that about athird of the way through this
spontaneous dialogue I washaving which, by the way, was
going on morning after morningafter morning, this went on for
(08:47):
about two or three months.
Every morning, around 4.23 inthe morning, I would be awakened
and so I'd rush back to thelegal pad and continue, and
about one third of the waythrough.
I'm hearing a voice now say tome you will make of this one day
a book and it will be accessedby many people.
And I thought to myself no, Igot you because you know, this
(09:11):
is just my imagination, thatnobody's going to publish them.
No, no legitimate publisher isgoing to put a book up.
Because the guy says it'stalking to me you got to publish
this stuff and that's's notgoing to happen.
So I sent my notes to apublisher, just on a dare, just
to dare God.
(09:33):
A week and a half later, I get acall from this guy.
He says we want to put yourbook out.
I said you're kidding me.
He said no, this is a greatwork of fiction.
It's going to sell a lot ofcopies.
I said hey, wait a minute, waita minute.
We're not publishing it as afiction book.
This is not fiction.
This actually is happening tome.
The guy said no, no, no, noreally.
(09:56):
I said yes, so, but thanks forthe call.
He said oh wait, don't hang up.
Don't hang up, we'll publish itas a non-fiction book.
He said it's not going to sell500 copies.
I mean it as a nonfiction bookbecause people are going to
believe that God is actuallytalking to you.
Who do you think you are?
The Pope or somebody?
It's not going to happen.
It's not going to be real, butit's fascinating enough.
(10:18):
We'll publish it.
But it's not going to sell 500copies.
And he was right, it didn'tsell 500 copies, it sold 5
million.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Sold 5 million copies .
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Not bragging, just saying.
Just saying when God says thisis what's going to happen, you
probably want to believe her,yeah probably want to believe
her.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, so did that.
Can I ask you, when theyaccepted that manuscript, what
did that make you feel like?
Because you know you, theposition you were in wasn't
necessarily the nicestenvironment.
Yet you know someone somewherewanted something that you were
experiencing.
So how did that make you feelin that moment, when it was
almost as if life was giving youa hand, to say, hey, this is
valuable.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Well, you know, I didn't know.
Honestly, I didn't know what tofeel.
I just felt kind of a gee, Iwonder what this is really all
about.
I didn't, frankly, know what tofeel, you know, because, number
one, I was not given anyadvance, they just agreed to put
the book out and he reallydidn't think it would sell that
many copies.
So I thought, well, you know,maybe I'll get a couple hundred
bucks out of it, who knows?
When all is said and done, so Ididn't really have a lot of
(11:34):
feeling about it, except that,isn't it interesting that some,
an actual publisher, would wantto put this stuff out into the
world?
Okay, fair, fair enough.
So I guess what I felt was justa sense of wondering what's
next?
Gee, I wonder what's next?
Interesting, fascinating, couldthis be real?
(12:01):
In the meantime, my experienceof interacting with the divine,
I want to say, my conversationswere continuing and they were
ongoing.
So I continued to have myconversations with God
sporadically, and so that wasanother whole experience of my
life.
And then my little part-timejob was working out okay, I was,
(12:21):
you know, making enough moneyto put a few pieces of food in
the refrigerator and, you know,and have a roof over my head.
So I had no complaints comparedto what life was like when I
was on the street and, by theway, I was on the sidewalk
living outside, not for a fewbad weeks or a couple of tough
months.
I was out there for over a yearof my life.
Yeah, long time you fun.
(12:43):
Take it, take, take, take allof your you know possessions,
put them in storage and walkoutside and don't come back
inside for a month, much less ayear, sure.
And when you go outside, don'ttake any money with you.
See how, see how it feels.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yeah, interesting experience neil, thanks for
sharing that, because you'rereally sharing the heavy emotion
of where you were at at thattime and anybody going through
any difficulty, and it soundedlike you were going through like
hitting rock bottom.
This felt like a hand of hopejust sort of reaching in to your
life at that time and just sortof pulling you up from the
(13:19):
quagmire.
You know, from the real soundslike total rock bottom.
How did that make you feel as ahuman being?
Did you feel loved?
Did you feel humbled?
You know, because suddenlysomeone's giving you a chance
(13:40):
that you didn't have a chancebefore and someone wanting to
publish this, this manuscriptthat you'd been writing on in
this legal paper.
I'm just trying to sort of getinside your heart and mind to go
.
You know what was going on withyou.
Like you're thinking, I've beenhaving this phenomenal
conversation with a voice insideof my head and the words that
(14:01):
are coming out seem reallyprofound and beautiful and clear
.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
And the words that are coming out seem really
profound and beautiful and clearand let me add, not only
profound and beautiful and clear, james, but words I never
dreamt of in my life.
It's not like I had read themsomewhere or been taught these
things.
Almost everything I was beingtold not only was something I
never heard of, but violated orcontradicted everything that I
had heard of about God, aboutlife and about who I was.
(14:27):
So what was coming through isnot just wonderful information
but, from my point of view,totally contradictory
information.
I couldn't you know.
Just to give you an example, Iwas told by God there's no such
thing as right and wrong.
I'm like what?
(14:48):
There's no such thing as rightand wrong, god said, not in the
human sense that you havedefined, and there's no such
thing as the Ten Commandments.
You made that all up.
I said whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Wait a minute, you're takingeverything away from me.
No, ten Commandments.
That doesn't even exist.
Those are just two of the many,many, many statements in
(15:11):
conversation with god that rancontradictory to everything I
had ever been taught, told orbelieved.
So now I'm sitting here on thisinformation like do I dare even
share this with anybody?
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, because it would almost feel blasphemous,
should you share it.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Oh, not only that, I've been told that I was a
blasphemer.
I mean, since the book has beenpublished, of course, okay,
some religious figures haveactually said, of course he's a
blasphemer, he's a heretic, he'san apostate, the instrument of
the devil.
So it's not been an easy roadin that respect.
(15:50):
But I've decided to share thiswith as many people who wish to
access it.
I'm not trying to convinceanyone of anything, james.
I don't want anyone to thinkthat I'm out here trying to
proselytize because I'm not.
I don't want anyone to thinkthat I'm out here trying to
proselytize because I'm not.
I don't need anyone to believea word of it.
As a matter of fact, if youread the book, in the book it
(16:11):
says right in the dialogue don'tbelieve a word you find here.
Do not believe any of this.
If it intrigues you, try it out, step into the living of it,
and if it doesn't work for you,step into the living of it, and
if it doesn't work for you, tossit away immediately.
Always be your own authority inall spiritual matters.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, I think that's one thing that I have held very
clear with my own experience andmy own story, and I always
share with my clients and myaudience is don't believe
anything.
I say Get your own experienceand let your experience be the
teacher, because words can be alittle empty.
(16:52):
They can inspire, they canguide, they can potentially
change your emotion, but it'sreally your experience that
matters Because, when all issaid and done, your experience
gives you feedback, feedback tosay did that work or did that
not work.
And I think that if youactually do read conversations
with god, anybody in thataudience, in the audience, if
(17:12):
you have already, I'm sureyou're going to take away
absolute nuggets of wisdom.
You know, like one of thethings that took me back, which
was always to say thank you inadvance, just say thank you
before anything, thank you justbefore.
I love, yes, it's just sosimple, but to execute is not
(17:33):
always as easy as it sounds.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
But to say to explain to our audience what I meant by
that.
Most people use gratitude as anemotional response to something
that's occurred.
But but God said no, no, no.
Here's a new idea, neil Don'tuse gratitude as a response to
something that has occurred.
Use gratitude as a predictionof what is going to occur.
Allow yourself to be thankfulin advance for the outcome that
(18:01):
you wish to experience in yourlife.
Thank you for sending me theperfect partner.
Thank you, god, for allowing meto know that my needs are being
met.
And my favorite prayer, whichis a prayer that I say
frequently, my favorite prayeris thank you, god for helping me
to understand that my presentproblem has already been solved
(18:25):
for me, and, by golly, within 48hours, the problem has gone
away.
Wow.
So what I discovered is thatgratitude is a powerful
manifesting energy and one canbe grateful and one can be.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I've created this thing.
What I don't know, I'm justgonna put it out there.
I've created this thing in mylife where I call it the art of
extreme gratitude, whichbasically means that just don't
be grateful for a few thingshere and there, I mean be
grateful all day long, non-stop,24 7.
See how you get on for a monthand then see how you get on for
(19:07):
two months.
I've been doing it non-stopthis year.
I started sporadically at thebeginning of the year, but this
year, now for the for two months, I've been doing it non-stop.
This year, uh, I startedsporadically at the beginning of
the year, but this year, nowfor the last two months, it's
been all day long and the thingsthat have been happening to me
are uncannily beautiful andmagical and healing.
And you know I I'm gonna sayit's openly this show I get
(19:30):
tears of gratitude every singleday and I don't know why, but
it's humbling.
I just feel incredibly gratefulfor all the little blessings
that continue to pour in my lifeevery single day and I'm like
right, what's this all about?
What's all of this about?
What's this all about?
(19:56):
What's all of this about?
And and I really like, if wemay, to go in and talk about
your new book, because this is alovely sort of bridge into your
new book.
God talk experiences ofhumanity's connection with a
higher power.
So can you share a little bitabout your core messages of that
particular book and how thatinfuses what you've been doing
with your previous books,because I listened to this book
(20:16):
in one day last weekend and Iwas like sitting on the beach
listening to this neil, and Iwas like this is just beautiful
to to breathe in this message.
So yes, well.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Thank you, I'm glad you've had that experience of it
, james.
Briefly, the book first of allexpresses the opinion that all
of us are having conversationswith god all the time.
We're simply calling itsomething else.
Maybe we call it you know, anepiphany, you know, or a sudden
insight.
We might call it women's youknow an epiphany, you know, or a
sudden insight.
(20:50):
We might call it women'sintuition, you know, or whatever
words we can find to describewhen some wisdom you know
becomes clear to us and we don'tknow where it came from.
Where did that come from?
But no one, I mean the averageperson, doesn't say well, god
(21:11):
told me this morning, because wedon't, we don't want to be
ridiculed or marginalized ormade fun of, so we don't use
those words.
But I called it a conversationwith god because that's exactly
how I experienced it.
But we're all having the sameexperience.
We're just calling it somethingelse.
So that's, that's one of thepoints that the books make, that
(21:31):
the book.
The book makes, I should say,and the book also makes the
point that we are more than mostpeople think we are.
We're not just bodies and minds.
This is not the sum total ofwho we are.
We are, in fact, spiritualentities having a body and
having a mind, but this is notour total identity and we are
spiritual entities, spiritualbeings on an eternal journey
(21:56):
that never ends.
Death is simply a change ofaddress.
We never stop existing.
And the third point that thebook makes it was just the
biggest point of the book.
The whole reason for the book isthat there is a way that we can
each have our own conversationwith God, and I was asked to by.
(22:16):
The publisher called me andasked me if I would write this
book for them.
I was asked to list, you know,the process by which I move
forward with my own conversationwith God.
So yeah, I said OK, I'll dothat.
Move forward with my ownconversation with God.
So yeah, I said okay, I'll dothat.
So I came up with what.
When I looked at how I wasexperiencing it in my life, I
(22:42):
realized that there were kind oflike six short steps that I can
take and that most people couldtake if they want to have their
own experience of a directconnection with the divine.
So that's what makes the bookdifferent from my other books,
because none of the other bookslists a step-by-step process
through which the conversationthat is included in those prior
books was generated.
So I'm very happy to have beenasked by the publisher to
(23:06):
explain to people how that worksfor me and give them an
opportunity to see if it worksfor them no guarantees it may or
may not work, but anopportunity to give them a
chance to see if it could movethem into a closer relationship
with the God of theirunderstanding.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Beautiful.
So I guess what I wanted to askyou is with this book.
So how would you distinguishthis book differently from the
other one?
Is it because of the practicaltools?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Yes, yes, as I was hoping to explain, this book is
different because it includes astep-by-step process.
The other books were simply,you know, frankly, just a
dictation.
I felt like I was takingdictation and so when you read
the other books, what you'rereading is a dialogue.
My question, the answer I got.
(23:55):
Question answer.
Question answer.
Question answer.
Some people have found itinteresting to read that
material, but what makes thisbook different is it shows
people how they might be able tomove forward in having their
own interaction with the divine.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
So what are the practical steps that one could
take in the audience if theywere listening?
Just the short form of that,what could someone do if they
wanted to have that connectionwith their higher power?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Well, first of the six steps is they have to agree
that there is such a higherpower.
So the first step is what Icall possibility.
They have to agree withthemselves that it's possible
that A God exists and that B Godwould talk to us.
Which takes us to step numbertwo, which is worthiness.
Even people who believe in Godmany people who believe in God
(24:44):
would think that, yes, there isa God, but I'm not worthy to be
spoken to directly by God.
I mean, if I was the head ulamaor the chief rabbi or the pope
or the archbishop of Canterburyor somebody with some credential
, maybe God would talk directlyto me.
But God isn't going to talkdirectly to me.
So the second step is toacknowledge our own worthiness,
(25:06):
that God will speak to everyoneand does speak to everyone all
the time.
Which takes us to step numberthree, which is willingness.
We have to be willing to acceptthat this is what's occurring,
that this is what is going on.
That's not a small step, james,because most of the world's
religions tell us, as wementioned a minute ago, that if
we think, much less ever eventell anybody else that God is
(25:29):
speaking directly to us, thosereligions will say that we are
blaspheming, that we areapostate.
They're going to make you wrongin a very big way.
So we have to be willing tomove against the cultural story,
because humanity holds anenormous cultural story that
says God does not talk directlyto human beings.
Maybe to Moses, but come on,not to you and me.
(25:51):
Well, maybe to me, but come on,not to you and me.
Well, maybe to me, butcertainly not to James.
I mean, look at this guy.
Would God speak to this guy?
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I don't think so All day long, all day long.
And I'm actually going to saysomething even more crazy,
because when you startmeditating which is what I did
when I had my near-deathexperience I crashed my dad's
car when I was 19 and walkedaway unscathed and I went
through the windscreen and I hadnothing on my face.
And to be able to walk awayunscathed and my friend to have
(26:20):
one stitch in his head, I neverlooked at life the same ever
again.
I thought, and I was told you,you are blessed, you are lucky.
Are you a ghost?
Because you should be dead,dead, dead.
And I went, but I'm alive, andyou know.
And I had to ask the questionwho am I?
(26:41):
Why am I here?
Why am I still here?
What's my purpose?
And I'm asking that at the ageof 19.
And whilst I didn't haveanything figured out, then, that
question was constantly in theback of my mind, constantly
needing to be answered.
And eventually, when I gotaround to it, I started
meditating, which I knew nothingabout, and then I realized
(27:03):
these answers that I had to,these questions that I had
starting just appearing in myexperience, and as they began to
appear, the answers to thesequestions, I realized that I was
like a radio I was receiving.
I was receiving information tomy questions and it was a
(27:24):
non-stop communication.
But at that time, even thoughI've been brought up a catholic
or a christian and I went to anall boys Catholic school,
christian school and I was like,right, yeah, but something
about this doesn't feel quiteright.
But now I'm having thisabsolute direct connection,
because there is no way I shouldbe alive no one can tell me
that because I had that in myexperience and then I realized I
(27:46):
am part of that, that which I'mtrying to listen to.
So and then I am a fragment ofthis one beam of sunlight.
Essentially, if the sun is likebuilding and putting all these
rays on this beautiful planetand around the galaxy, I am part
of that source that's radiatingout into this world and just a
(28:09):
fraction of that light happensto be entering this physical
form.
And I found that reallyfascinating, to have that
insight, and I was like, wow.
It took me a while to be ableto actually articulate that, but
I've just done it here and Ithink your book does it
beautifully.
How you are able to to say that, and some may have different
opinions, but I guess when youreally ask the questions, you
(28:31):
you do get the answers.
So that's why I love this titleGod Talk, because you've got to
ask the question and be willingto receive the answer as well.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
The real question is having come to that kind of a
realization and, by the way,thank you for sharing with me
your own experience, because I'mfascinated by it.
It's very similar to my own.
But the real question is, onceyou come to that awareness, what
difference does it make, I meanin your everyday life?
How does it change the way youmove through your everyday life?
Speaker 1 (29:07):
How does it change?
Well, it means that I feelprotected is why I feel like.
I feel like protected thatthings are.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
I feel like someone's got my back the whole time and
so that makes you feel more safeas you move through life.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
I feel safe as I move through life.
There's a sense of security,there's like this, because of
that awareness now that I didn'thave before, that I do have now
feels like I've got roots in insomething bigger and then it's
my job to try and water thoseroots and nurture those roots
with my work and in myday-to-day life, trying to be
(29:44):
the best imperfect version ofmyself and have fun throughout
my day and with my work andtouching my clients' lives and
touching people's lives.
In a way that's uplifting.
And I feel like when I takecare of God's business, god
takes care of mine.
Or I could say, when I takecare of life's business, life
(30:04):
takes care of mine.
When I say I can take care ofthe universe's business, the
universe takes care of mine.
And that gives this beautifulcommunion of, like this
reciprocity of life, where Ijust feel like I'm working in
harmony with life or being onewith life, and that gives me a
(30:26):
great sense of joy andfulfillment and then it starts
to become light and fun, whereason those heavy days it can be a
bit like oh yeah, but then you,that's just because I've just
disconnected in that moment.
So taking time to eat a goodmeal or move the body or
meditate or all the beautifulthings that life can offer,
(30:48):
gives me a chance to retune inand reconnect again so I can
hear that message amazing,amazing, amazing.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
James, I got it.
You just you just gave me thetitle of your, of your book,
your next book which is oh, thebook you're going to write is
going to be titled.
Mind your own business mindyour own business.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, and that's going to be after my next book,
my first book, which is calledNatural High.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Yeah, mind your own business is going to be the book
, and you'll describe just whatyou said to me that your
business is God's business andGod's business is your business.
So when you mind your ownbusiness, you're minding God's
business, and when you'reminding God's business, you're
minding God's business.
And when you're minding God'sbusiness, you're minding your
own business.
And when people see theconnection and see the two as
one, as you've just described,that can change a person's
(31:38):
entire life.
I think your book will describethat in such terms that the
average person will pick it upand read it and go oh my
goodness, why didn't somebodygive me this book when I was 13?
Speaker 1 (31:54):
It's interesting that when you do try and take care
of something bigger than youlike helping your community or
helping your family or helpingother people in some capacity,
which is helping God or helpinganimals, pets, nature, something
that's part of this biggersystem that we live in it's
amazing how well your needs areprovided for because, like
(32:15):
before it used to be in myexperience, it was like what can
I get, get, get, and now it'skind of like now, what can I
give, give, give, because giving, giving, giving means you're
abundant.
Right, and this is the bit thatI kind of picked up on.
That took me years to get to,but as soon as I got it, I was
like this is now easy and Ireally just, if anybody in this
(32:36):
audience picks up on this and isable to run with this, just
consider this idea and I like touse the word consider because
I'm sure Neil's used that beforein the title of the
conversations God you like,consider these ideas, let you
run with it.
So when you're looking to toassist nature, people, pets, any
(33:02):
of those types of things,you're taking care of life's
business and, in turn, life willjust look after you and have
your needs met as well, it'speculiar.
It sounds so simple, but that'sreally how it works.
Can you tell me why?
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Sure, because what goes around comes around,
because there's only one of usin the room, because we are
united with everything we'retalking about.
We're not only united withevery other person, but with
every tree, with every plant,with every blade of grass.
We are all one, as I was toldin conversations with God.
Nothing, you do not know, james, but just for the sake of your
(33:40):
audience, as I was told inconversations with God, neil,
all things are one thing.
There is only one thing and allthings are part of the one
thing.
There is so, naturally, whenyou serve, the one thing there
is, whether you're serving otherpeople or serving nature in
some way, you know, or servingyour pet dog or an animal or
(34:05):
anything, when you're in serviceto that, which is that which is
winds up being in service toyou.
Because what goes around comesaround.
There is only one thing.
Or, as God put it to me verysimply, neil, there's only one
of us in the room.
I said God, can you just give me, you know, just a simple
statement.
What is the most importantthing I could ever be told?
(34:27):
That I wasn't told when I was13, in school, in that same
Catholic school you went to, andwhat God said to me was Neil.
Here it is.
Write this down in one simplesentence your life has nothing
to do with you.
It's about everyone whose lifeyou touch and the way you touch
(34:48):
it.
And when you understand thatyour life is about everyone
whose life you touch and the wayyou touch it, and when you
understand that your life isabout everyone whose life you
touch and the way you touch it,you will discover that your life
all along has been about you.
Because there's only one of usin the room, obviously, what you
do for another, you do foryourself, because there's nobody
(35:09):
else but other versions of whoyou are.
And I realized wow, some guytold us this 2,000 years ago.
He didn't put it that way.
He simply said do unto othersas you would have it done unto
you, because it will be doneunto you in precisely the same
(35:34):
way.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
So if you make someone laugh, you're going to
laugh.
Of course You're going to laugh.
If you make some, of courseyou're going to make, going to
get happy if you, if you cheersomeone up, you're going to get
cheered up.
If you leave people surprisepresents, you're going to get
some surprise presents.
If you give money, you're goingto receive money and conversely,
on the other side of the coin,I want to take my experience,
(35:58):
yeah, and you've lived it andyou've shared it, and you are a
messenger of like that beautifulunderstanding and awareness
which the audience is likepicking up.
And I guess I wanted to justask you this next question,
which is navigating challenges.
(36:18):
You said something just alittle while ago about how to
best navigate challenges withthis divine connection.
How do we do that?
Again, because I think peoplewould really like to have that
practical tool to to navigate,how to navigate challenges using
this divine connection that youtalk about in the book, and
(36:41):
then maybe, overcoming fears aswell, because we sometimes, you
know, have moments in our lifewhere we get those feelings,
those emotions come up and theysometimes feel like they come
out of nowhere.
But how would you use thisconnection to God, to life, to
be able to soothe yourself?
Speaker 2 (37:02):
Well, I think I start by coming to an understanding
of who I am, which we talkedabout a minute ago, that I am
not just my body and my mind,but that I am a soul.
Then I go to the next step.
If I really am a spiritualbeing, if that's the truth, a
spiritual being that livesforever, then what am I doing
here?
What's the point of my life?
(37:23):
Because if I don't understandthe point of my life, I mean my
larger, as the French would say,my raison d'etre if I don't
understand my reason for being,then I will have a whole
different way of dealing withwhat you call the challenges of
my life.
I'll be resisting them,resisting those challenges, be
resentful of them, be angryabout them or maybe frustrated,
(37:44):
at least frustrated by them, andsometimes set back by those
challenges.
But once I understand my realreason for being on the planet,
who I am and why I'm here, thenI see my challenges not as
challenges at all in the truesense of the word, but really as
possibilities, opportunities.
Oh, this is not a challenge,this is an opportunity to do
(38:09):
what I came here to do, toexperience exactly what I came
to this planet to experience.
Why did I come to the realm ofthe physical.
What was the point of my beinghere If I'm a spiritual being?
Why didn't I just stay to therealm of the physical?
What was the point of my beinghere?
If I'm a spiritual being, whydidn't I just stay in the realm
of the spiritual, where thingsare all wonderful?
And I asked God that question.
I said you know, help me outhere, tell me the rules of the
(38:30):
game, what's going on?
And God said well, neil, takethis down In the realm of the
spiritual.
You can know exactly who youreally are.
You can know that you're wiseand clear and wonderful and
compassionate and pure love andall the wonderful things that
you are.
But knowing that you are is notenough.
(38:51):
You want to experience who youare.
So knowing who you are is onething and experiencing it is
quite another.
So you've come to the realm ofthe physical, one of three
realms in the kingdom of God therealm of the spiritual, the
realm of the physical and therealm of pure being.
And you come into the realm ofthe physical in order that you
(39:13):
might demonstrate and express,thus to experience, what you
know of yourself.
You know and I use a simpleexample when I explain this to
audiences, I know myself to bekind of a generous person.
Frankly, I'm not praisingmyself, but I'm just declaring
(39:33):
I've always known myself to bepretty generous.
You know, if people ask me forhelp, I give them help.
If they ask me for some time,know I give them my time if they
ask.
Even if they ask me for somemoney, I've been generous with
the money that I've had.
I'm a pretty generous person.
But it's not a well and it'snot enough for me to just know
that I'm generous.
I want to experience myselfbeing generous.
(39:56):
So when the experience of whatI know myself to be flows
through me, then I feelfulfilled.
So our reason for being on theplanet is to demonstrate and to
express our true identity as anindividuation of divinity, and
once we do that, life suddenlymakes sense, no matter what
(40:20):
so-called challenges we'refacing, because we see them all
as opportunities.
When I face what some peoplecall a challenge, I ask myself
life's magic question, and I'veshared this with audiences, I've
shared this with people allover the world for the past 30
years Life's magic question.
So, to answer your question howdo I meet challenges?
(40:40):
What tool do I use when achallenge comes my way, whatever
it might be, I ask myself thefollowing question what does
this have to do with the agendaof my soul?
You know what, james?
The answer comes to me likethat.
I suddenly become very clearwhat this present challenge has
(41:04):
to do with the agenda of my soul.
That is, I recontextualize theexperience.
I don't resist the experience.
Conversations with God told mepoint blank, neil, what you
resist persists.
Therefore, resist nothing.
Embrace everything withgratitude and see the
opportunity that it has providedyou, and know this always, neil
(41:27):
.
Remember this for the rest ofyour life.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
To the best students go the most difficult lessons,
because you're on your way tograduation I hope you got that
audience because you're on yourway to graduation and if you're
going through any challengeright now, I think neil's words
(41:50):
are heavenly in your pocket totake with you.
And whether you're listening tothis or watching this, I think
that this beautiful conversationthat Neil and I have had is a
lovely reminder to let you knoweverything's going to be all
right, everything is being takencare of and no matter where you
(42:13):
are, no matter what's happening, it's about to get a lot better
, as long as you can keep yourchannel open and be willing to.
Number one let it be open, asyou said, which I think was your
number three on your practicaltool list.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
Yes, number four, very briefly, was wakefulness.
Stay awake to what's happening,don't let it pass you by.
Number five was acceptance.
Don't reject what's happening,don't let it pass you by.
Number five was acceptance.
Don't reject what's going onand call it just sheer
coincidence or you know it wasjust, you know serendipity.
But accepted is exactly what itis A conversation with God, a
(42:49):
communication from life to lifeabout life itself.
And number six of those stepsdiscernment.
Be willing to discern thedifference between actual
communications from life andjust stuff that happens.
You know, you know littleaccidents that occur.
Don't make everything it's asign.
(43:10):
I know people who've gotteninto their spiritual point, a
spiritual point of view, to theplace where they start seeing
everything as a sign.
They reach into their pocket toget their car keys and as they
pull the car keys out of theirpocket, maybe some folding money
happens to fall onto the ground.
It's a sign.
I'm supposed to throw all of mymoney on the ground.
(43:32):
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Not everything is a sign.
Relax, let yourself usediscernment to know the
difference between sheerhappenstance and what is a
natural communication from lifeto life about life itself, all
that is contained in the book.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
That last bit, I think, is the most important to
really take away.
Important to really take away,discern that last bit between
what is actually your higherpower talking to you, or god,
versus what you think is justsort of regular.
So how to discern those, thatdifference?
How would you see that in yourown experience?
What would you say?
(44:12):
Oh right, that is god speakingto me and that is happenstance.
How does Neil go?
Speaker 2 (44:18):
I know the difference there for me, communication is
from the divine, always filledwith joy, freedom and love.
Joy, freedom and love neverfear, never apprehension, never
worry, never concern and neverwaste.
Nothing is ever wasted.
(44:39):
So but when, when I went andwhen, how I feel after I receive
information from the divine isjoyful, I feel joyful, I feel
free and I feel both loved andloving.
I feel that I'm receiving loveand that all I want to do is
give love to everything.
(45:00):
You know something, james?
I've been known to go out in thebackyard and hug my tree.
I'm sorry to say yes, yes, yes,he's a tree hugger.
I really am a tree hugger.
When my tree was droppingapples by the dozen during its
season, I went out there and Igave it a big hug and I said oh
man, thank you, look at thisabundance, look at these
(45:22):
beautiful, rich apples.
And I gave the tree a hug.
You know I do that.
I don't care what people thinkof me.
That's how I behave.
And when I sold my home and webought a smaller place because
we had outgrown the big house wehad and we moved into a little
smaller, little bungalow.
But when I said goodbye to thathouse, believe it or not, if
(45:44):
somebody was watching to think Iwas crazy.
I walked up to the house and Igave it a hug.
I hugged the corner of thehouse.
I said thank you, man.
Thank you give as much joy tothe next inhabitant of this
house and thank you for the joythat you brought to me.
I hug everything because youknow what?
(46:04):
Guess what folks?
Everything is alive.
If you see that anything isdead, you don't understand how
life works.
If you took a piece of wood offthat house, you'd see, see that
it was consisted of simplemolecules and atoms that are
doing what Moving.
Everything is constantly inmotion.
(46:25):
That's called life.
So if you think that your houseis an inanimate object, then
you don't understand your houseat all.
So thank your house, thank yourcar, thank everything,
everything in life, includingevery other person in your life,
for making your life theblessing that it is and always
(46:46):
will be.
Speaker 1 (46:46):
And then, when you're done, thank yourself for coming
to this community oh, neil, Ireally love your words, I really
appreciate them and and I lovethe way that you you talk to
your inanimate objects, you know, which are alive, like your
computer, or your plants, oryour home, or your car, or your
(47:07):
phone, even your bank accounts.
I mean I dare you to look intoyour bank accounts and go thank
you whatever you've got.
I mean I do that.
It's just gross, thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you.
You know, like even looking atyourself in your eyes and going,
thank you for showing up today.
You know you gave it your bestshot today.
Thank you for showing up foryourself, you know, and I just
(47:29):
want to say to you thank you forfor joining me in this amazing
conversation, um, and thank youfor the work you've done and
thank you for uplifting,inspiring and, you know, being
vulnerable and open enough to becandid with us with regarding.
You know your entire journey towhere you were when you first
(47:50):
got that legal pen and paper outto you know the journey that
you've had for the last 30 oddyears.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
James, I would say the exact same words to you.
It's clear that you are doingwork in the world that brings
value to everyone whose life youtouch.
So, quid pro quo, thank you forwho you are and what you're
doing.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
And I'd just like to say I'd love to say thank you
too, thank you for who you areand what you're doing.
And I just like to say I'd loveto say thank you to the
audience and all of you guys wholisten and watch and tune in
every time one of these showsgoes out.
And you know, without you guysthis show wouldn't be what it is
, and I'm so grateful to havepeople like neil on the show and
you guys tuning in, becauseit's such a joy for me to be
(48:39):
able to to have guests andcommune and talk and converse
with people like Neil, but alsoto share this wisdom and
hopefully a little empowermentand wisdom and upliftment with
you guys.
So just a big thank you toeverybody.
Anything else you'd like to say, just in closing, neil?
Speaker 2 (49:00):
Blessed be everyone.
Allow yourself to be a blessingto all those whose life you
touch, and allow everyone elseto touch you with their
blessings.
See the whole experience as aprocess divinely inspired.
Speaker 1 (49:19):
Beautiful.
Thank you, neil.
Us divinely inspired beautiful.
Thank you, neil.
Neil donald walsh is thisweek's super soul model.
Thank you, neil thank you, myfriend, lovely to be here with
you thanks for tuning in and ifyou've enjoyed this episode or
any other, please remember tohit that subscribe button,
because it does make adifference and if you'd like to
(49:40):
contribute, you can support theshow to keep getting more free
content like this.
Thank you in advance.
In this episode I speak with best-selling author
Neil Donald Walsh of the bookseries Conversations with God.
Neil's story is truly inspiringand has gone on to sell
literally millions and millionsof copies and turned into a
movie as well.
His latest book, god Talk, isteaching you how you can connect
with your higher power.
Stay tuned for a very upliftingand enlightening conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome, Neil.
Thank you, James.
It's lovely to be here.
How may I serve you?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I think what's really beautiful how we could help the
audience here is just tounderstand a little bit about
what helped you become an author, what made you feel inspired to
write in the first place,because there may be a few
people who may not have comeacross your work and I'd really
love to understand what made youbegin your journey before
(00:54):
writing this beautiful new bookof yours.
God Talk, because you've got afantastic and interesting
journey and story that I'm surepeople would just love a little
recap on.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, james, I didn't sit down to become an author.
I didn't say to myself one day,you know, I think I need to
write a book or I want to dosome writing.
That's not how it happened withme.
I was simply having a very whatI presumed would always be a
very private, personal, sacredexperience.
I was going through a verytough time in my life.
Actually, james, it wasinteresting because within 10
(01:29):
days I lost my relationship, Ilost my job and I lost my health
All within 10 days.
Regretfully, a marriage that Iwas in was coming to an end.
We were congenial, we were notbitter with each other, we just
realized it wasn't working.
But we decided to part company.
So, you know, that was kind ofa defeat for me.
(01:49):
But you know, I thought, okay,I can overcome this.
But five days later I lost myjob.
The corporation I was workingfor needed to downsize and so I
did not have the seniority.
I was the most recent hire, soI was the first one to be let go
.
So now I lost my relationshipand lost my job within the same
(02:11):
five-day period.
But wait, life wasn't done withme yet.
I'm on the road to an interviewfor another job, which I was
certain I was going to getbecause I had all the
qualifications.
I never got to the interviewbecause I had all the
qualifications.
I never got to the interview.
An elderly gentleman turned hiscar in front of me, made a left
turn in front of me, smashedinto my car, totaled my car and
(02:32):
almost totaled me.
I wound up with a broken neckand, of course, naturally, I was
in the hospital and the doctorsaid to me you know, people who
suffer this kind of a brokenneck generally die or, if they
don't die, the few who dosurvive wind up with being
paralyzed from the waist, I meanfrom the neck down.
He said you know, neil, youhave suffered neither
(02:55):
consequence.
What do you intend to do withthe rest of your life?
Because you've been given agreat gift and I thought wow the
doctor saying that.
Yes, because he wanted me toknow that.
You know, I was one of the veryfew people who could survive
such an accident.
Right, and he wanted so.
He was just, you know, layingout right in front of me.
(03:18):
But I couldn't get a jobanywhere because I was wearing
what they call in the UnitedStates a Philadelphia collar.
It's a therapeutic device thatholds your head up.
It's a plastic device, and thedoctor explained to me that you
have no way to support your headbecause your neck has a
three-quarter inch gap in it andit's going to take a long time
(03:38):
for that to heal.
But he didn't want to dosurgery.
He said it will heal itself,but you have to wear this device
.
James, I had to wear that collararound my neck for over a year
and a half and it was no bigdeal.
I said, okay, so I'm wearing acollar.
It was no big deal, except noone would hire me.
I would go to interviews andthey would say you know what?
(03:59):
We can't hire a person withsuch an obvious physical
disability.
One wrong move and youre-injure yourself and we're
paying your hospital bills forthe rest of your life.
We can't come back and applyfor a job here when you're
healed, we'd hire you in aminute because you got all the
qualifications.
So I was out of work.
(04:20):
I couldn't get a job anywhere.
Nobody would hire me.
I wound up running out of mysavings after many months, and
then I wound up being evicted bymy landlord from the small
apartment that I had rented whenmy marriage ended, and so he
had to ask me to leave.
Now I'm living on the sidewalk,james, on what's known in the
United States as a street person.
(04:41):
I'm living on the street,sleeping on the ground, going
from person to person with myhand up, asking for whatever
they might be able to spare sothat I could maybe even eat that
day.
And you know the greatestindignity of all.
You know I hate to talk aboutthings like this, but when
you're living on the street,where do you use the bathroom?
(05:03):
You have to sneak intorestaurants and hope that the
manager doesn't throw you outwhen he sees you coming in,
because you're obviously someonewho's been on the sidewalk for
a year with your hair down tothe middle of your back, wearing
the same clothes every time youwalk in, and and I had to sneak
into restaurants just to usethe restroom.
So then I realized, oh so I'mdown to nothing.
(05:26):
I'm down to one pair of shoes,two pair of jeans and a couple
of shirts, and that's it.
This is my, this is thetotality of my, of my life,
possessions.
Finally, I got a little weekendjob.
Some guy had pity on me andhired me to do a weekend job
filling in for one of hisfull-time employees.
So I got a weekend job.
(05:47):
I worked on Saturday and Sunday, just making barely enough
money to afford a one-roomapartment on top of somebody's
garage.
Somebody had remodeled theirgarage and put a little
apartment, a little open studio,on top of the garage.
But no complaints, I'm out ofthe weather.
And guess what?
It even had a bathroom.
(06:16):
Wow, you talk about luxuriesand so.
But I woke up one night, james,I'm telling you this story so
you know where I was coming from.
I woke up one night after beingin there about three or four
months and I thought, okay, comeon, come on, be fair with me.
What have I done to deserve alife as such?
One thing after another, afteranother, after another.
I'm living in somebody's garage.
I mean, come on, I can dobetter than this.
(06:39):
What does it take to make lifework and I had a yellow legal
pad on the coffee table in frontof the couch where I slept.
There was no bedroom, it was aone-room place.
You sleep on the couch, you siton the couch, very spartan
environment, but at least it wasinside.
Yeah, and I had this yellowlegal patch.
I started writing an angryletter to God.
(07:00):
It's 2 30 in the morning.
I woke up and you know,actually it's 4 20.
I recall the time exactly.
It was 4 23 in the morning andI started writing this angry
letter to god.
Dear god, what does it take tomake life work and what have I
done to deserve a life of suchcontinuing struggle?
I recall writing the words tellme the rules, I'll play.
(07:21):
I'll play this game.
Just give me the rules and stopchanging them every third day,
because, you know, I just didn'teven understand how life was
supposed to work.
Then I heard a voice.
I heard a voice that was soreal.
I thought there was someone inthe room behind me, but in fact
obviously there was no one thereand I thought, oh great, and
now, on top of everything else,I'm losing my mind.
(07:42):
But the voice was then movedinside my head and it said very
clearly.
Neil, sweetheart, do you reallywant answers to all of these
questions, or are you justventing?
And I remember thinking yeah,you think I am venting, but if
you've got answers, I'd sure ashell like to know what they are.
(08:03):
And the voice said you are sureas hell, neil, about a lot of
things, but wouldn't you ratherbe sure as heaven?
And I'm writing on the illegalpad okay, what's that supposed
to mean?
God said take down everything.
I'm going to tell you and ifyou have any questions after I
finish, ask any questions youhave.
(08:24):
Tell you.
And if you have any questionsafter I finish, ask any
questions you have.
And that became what is nowknown as the Conversations with
God Dialogue.
I never in a million yearsintended for anyone else to see
it.
I wasn't sitting down to writea book, but if you've read the
book, you know that about athird of the way through this
spontaneous dialogue I washaving which, by the way, was
going on morning after morningafter morning, this went on for
(08:47):
about two or three months.
Every morning, around 4.23 inthe morning, I would be awakened
and so I'd rush back to thelegal pad and continue, and
about one third of the waythrough.
I'm hearing a voice now say tome you will make of this one day
a book and it will be accessedby many people.
And I thought to myself no, Igot you because you know, this
(09:11):
is just my imagination, thatnobody's going to publish them.
No, no legitimate publisher isgoing to put a book up.
Because the guy says it'stalking to me you got to publish
this stuff and that's's notgoing to happen.
So I sent my notes to apublisher, just on a dare, just
to dare God.
(09:33):
A week and a half later, I get acall from this guy.
He says we want to put yourbook out.
I said you're kidding me.
He said no, this is a greatwork of fiction.
It's going to sell a lot ofcopies.
I said hey, wait a minute, waita minute.
We're not publishing it as afiction book.
This is not fiction.
This actually is happening tome.
The guy said no, no, no, noreally.
(09:56):
I said yes, so, but thanks forthe call.
He said oh wait, don't hang up.
Don't hang up, we'll publish itas a non-fiction book.
He said it's not going to sell500 copies.
I mean it as a nonfiction bookbecause people are going to
believe that God is actuallytalking to you.
Who do you think you are?
The Pope or somebody?
It's not going to happen.
It's not going to be real, butit's fascinating enough.
(10:18):
We'll publish it.
But it's not going to sell 500copies.
And he was right, it didn'tsell 500 copies, it sold 5
million.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Sold 5 million copies .
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Not bragging, just saying.
Just saying when God says thisis what's going to happen, you
probably want to believe her,yeah probably want to believe
her.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, so did that.
Can I ask you, when theyaccepted that manuscript, what
did that make you feel like?
Because you know you, theposition you were in wasn't
necessarily the nicestenvironment.
Yet you know someone somewherewanted something that you were
experiencing.
So how did that make you feelin that moment, when it was
almost as if life was giving youa hand, to say, hey, this is
valuable.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Well, you know, I didn't know.
Honestly, I didn't know what tofeel.
I just felt kind of a gee, Iwonder what this is really all
about.
I didn't, frankly, know what tofeel, you know, because, number
one, I was not given anyadvance, they just agreed to put
the book out and he reallydidn't think it would sell that
many copies.
So I thought, well, you know,maybe I'll get a couple hundred
bucks out of it, who knows?
When all is said and done, so Ididn't really have a lot of
(11:34):
feeling about it, except that,isn't it interesting that some,
an actual publisher, would wantto put this stuff out into the
world?
Okay, fair, fair enough.
So I guess what I felt was justa sense of wondering what's
next?
Gee, I wonder what's next?
Interesting, fascinating, couldthis be real?
(12:01):
In the meantime, my experienceof interacting with the divine,
I want to say, my conversationswere continuing and they were
ongoing.
So I continued to have myconversations with God
sporadically, and so that wasanother whole experience of my
life.
And then my little part-timejob was working out okay, I was,
(12:21):
you know, making enough moneyto put a few pieces of food in
the refrigerator and, you know,and have a roof over my head.
So I had no complaints comparedto what life was like when I
was on the street and, by theway, I was on the sidewalk
living outside, not for a fewbad weeks or a couple of tough
months.
I was out there for over a yearof my life.
Yeah, long time you fun.
(12:43):
Take it, take, take, take allof your you know possessions,
put them in storage and walkoutside and don't come back
inside for a month, much less ayear, sure.
And when you go outside, don'ttake any money with you.
See how, see how it feels.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yeah, interesting experience neil, thanks for
sharing that, because you'rereally sharing the heavy emotion
of where you were at at thattime and anybody going through
any difficulty, and it soundedlike you were going through like
hitting rock bottom.
This felt like a hand of hopejust sort of reaching in to your
life at that time and just sortof pulling you up from the
(13:19):
quagmire.
You know, from the real soundslike total rock bottom.
How did that make you feel as ahuman being?
Did you feel loved?
Did you feel humbled?
You know, because suddenlysomeone's giving you a chance
(13:40):
that you didn't have a chancebefore and someone wanting to
publish this, this manuscriptthat you'd been writing on in
this legal paper.
I'm just trying to sort of getinside your heart and mind to go
.
You know what was going on withyou.
Like you're thinking, I've beenhaving this phenomenal
conversation with a voice insideof my head and the words that
(14:01):
are coming out seem reallyprofound and beautiful and clear
.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
And the words that are coming out seem really
profound and beautiful and clearand let me add, not only
profound and beautiful and clear, james, but words I never
dreamt of in my life.
It's not like I had read themsomewhere or been taught these
things.
Almost everything I was beingtold not only was something I
never heard of, but violated orcontradicted everything that I
had heard of about God, aboutlife and about who I was.
(14:27):
So what was coming through isnot just wonderful information
but, from my point of view,totally contradictory
information.
I couldn't you know.
Just to give you an example, Iwas told by God there's no such
thing as right and wrong.
I'm like what?
(14:48):
There's no such thing as rightand wrong, god said, not in the
human sense that you havedefined, and there's no such
thing as the Ten Commandments.
You made that all up.
I said whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Wait a minute, you're takingeverything away from me.
No, ten Commandments.
That doesn't even exist.
Those are just two of the many,many, many statements in
(15:11):
conversation with god that rancontradictory to everything I
had ever been taught, told orbelieved.
So now I'm sitting here on thisinformation like do I dare even
share this with anybody?
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, because it would almost feel blasphemous,
should you share it.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Oh, not only that, I've been told that I was a
blasphemer.
I mean, since the book has beenpublished, of course, okay,
some religious figures haveactually said, of course he's a
blasphemer, he's a heretic, he'san apostate, the instrument of
the devil.
So it's not been an easy roadin that respect.
(15:50):
But I've decided to share thiswith as many people who wish to
access it.
I'm not trying to convinceanyone of anything, james.
I don't want anyone to thinkthat I'm out here trying to
proselytize because I'm not.
I don't want anyone to thinkthat I'm out here trying to
proselytize because I'm not.
I don't need anyone to believea word of it.
As a matter of fact, if youread the book, in the book it
(16:11):
says right in the dialogue don'tbelieve a word you find here.
Do not believe any of this.
If it intrigues you, try it out, step into the living of it,
and if it doesn't work for you,step into the living of it, and
if it doesn't work for you, tossit away immediately.
Always be your own authority inall spiritual matters.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, I think that's one thing that I have held very
clear with my own experience andmy own story, and I always
share with my clients and myaudience is don't believe
anything.
I say Get your own experienceand let your experience be the
teacher, because words can be alittle empty.
(16:52):
They can inspire, they canguide, they can potentially
change your emotion, but it'sreally your experience that
matters Because, when all issaid and done, your experience
gives you feedback, feedback tosay did that work or did that
not work.
And I think that if youactually do read conversations
with god, anybody in thataudience, in the audience, if
(17:12):
you have already, I'm sureyou're going to take away
absolute nuggets of wisdom.
You know, like one of thethings that took me back, which
was always to say thank you inadvance, just say thank you
before anything, thank you justbefore.
I love, yes, it's just sosimple, but to execute is not
(17:33):
always as easy as it sounds.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
But to say to explain to our audience what I meant by
that.
Most people use gratitude as anemotional response to something
that's occurred.
But but God said no, no, no.
Here's a new idea, neil Don'tuse gratitude as a response to
something that has occurred.
Use gratitude as a predictionof what is going to occur.
Allow yourself to be thankfulin advance for the outcome that
(18:01):
you wish to experience in yourlife.
Thank you for sending me theperfect partner.
Thank you, god, for allowing meto know that my needs are being
met.
And my favorite prayer, whichis a prayer that I say
frequently, my favorite prayeris thank you, god for helping me
to understand that my presentproblem has already been solved
(18:25):
for me, and, by golly, within 48hours, the problem has gone
away.
Wow.
So what I discovered is thatgratitude is a powerful
manifesting energy and one canbe grateful and one can be.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I've created this thing.
What I don't know, I'm justgonna put it out there.
I've created this thing in mylife where I call it the art of
extreme gratitude, whichbasically means that just don't
be grateful for a few thingshere and there, I mean be
grateful all day long, non-stop,24 7.
See how you get on for a monthand then see how you get on for
(19:07):
two months.
I've been doing it non-stopthis year.
I started sporadically at thebeginning of the year, but this
year, now for the for two months, I've been doing it non-stop.
This year, uh, I startedsporadically at the beginning of
the year, but this year, nowfor the last two months, it's
been all day long and the thingsthat have been happening to me
are uncannily beautiful andmagical and healing.
And you know I I'm gonna sayit's openly this show I get
(19:30):
tears of gratitude every singleday and I don't know why, but
it's humbling.
I just feel incredibly gratefulfor all the little blessings
that continue to pour in my lifeevery single day and I'm like
right, what's this all about?
What's all of this about?
What's this all about?
(19:56):
What's all of this about?
And and I really like, if wemay, to go in and talk about
your new book, because this is alovely sort of bridge into your
new book.
God talk experiences ofhumanity's connection with a
higher power.
So can you share a little bitabout your core messages of that
particular book and how thatinfuses what you've been doing
with your previous books,because I listened to this book
(20:16):
in one day last weekend and Iwas like sitting on the beach
listening to this neil, and Iwas like this is just beautiful
to to breathe in this message.
So yes, well.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Thank you, I'm glad you've had that experience of it
, james.
Briefly, the book first of allexpresses the opinion that all
of us are having conversationswith god all the time.
We're simply calling itsomething else.
Maybe we call it you know, anepiphany, you know, or a sudden
insight.
We might call it women's youknow an epiphany, you know, or a
sudden insight.
(20:50):
We might call it women'sintuition, you know, or whatever
words we can find to describewhen some wisdom you know
becomes clear to us and we don'tknow where it came from.
Where did that come from?
But no one, I mean the averageperson, doesn't say well, god
(21:11):
told me this morning, because wedon't, we don't want to be
ridiculed or marginalized ormade fun of, so we don't use
those words.
But I called it a conversationwith god because that's exactly
how I experienced it.
But we're all having the sameexperience.
We're just calling it somethingelse.
So that's, that's one of thepoints that the books make, that
(21:31):
the book.
The book makes, I should say,and the book also makes the
point that we are more than mostpeople think we are.
We're not just bodies and minds.
This is not the sum total ofwho we are.
We are, in fact, spiritualentities having a body and
having a mind, but this is notour total identity and we are
spiritual entities, spiritualbeings on an eternal journey
(21:56):
that never ends.
Death is simply a change ofaddress.
We never stop existing.
And the third point that thebook makes it was just the
biggest point of the book.
The whole reason for the book isthat there is a way that we can
each have our own conversationwith God, and I was asked to by.
(22:16):
The publisher called me andasked me if I would write this
book for them.
I was asked to list, you know,the process by which I move
forward with my own conversationwith God.
So yeah, I said OK, I'll dothat.
Move forward with my ownconversation with God.
So yeah, I said okay, I'll dothat.
So I came up with what.
When I looked at how I wasexperiencing it in my life, I
(22:42):
realized that there were kind oflike six short steps that I can
take and that most people couldtake if they want to have their
own experience of a directconnection with the divine.
So that's what makes the bookdifferent from my other books,
because none of the other bookslists a step-by-step process
through which the conversationthat is included in those prior
books was generated.
So I'm very happy to have beenasked by the publisher to
(23:06):
explain to people how that worksfor me and give them an
opportunity to see if it worksfor them no guarantees it may or
may not work, but anopportunity to give them a
chance to see if it could movethem into a closer relationship
with the God of theirunderstanding.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Beautiful.
So I guess what I wanted to askyou is with this book.
So how would you distinguishthis book differently from the
other one?
Is it because of the practicaltools?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Yes, yes, as I was hoping to explain, this book is
different because it includes astep-by-step process.
The other books were simply,you know, frankly, just a
dictation.
I felt like I was takingdictation and so when you read
the other books, what you'rereading is a dialogue.
My question, the answer I got.
(23:55):
Question answer.
Question answer.
Question answer.
Some people have found itinteresting to read that
material, but what makes thisbook different is it shows
people how they might be able tomove forward in having their
own interaction with the divine.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
So what are the practical steps that one could
take in the audience if theywere listening?
Just the short form of that,what could someone do if they
wanted to have that connectionwith their higher power?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Well, first of the six steps is they have to agree
that there is such a higherpower.
So the first step is what Icall possibility.
They have to agree withthemselves that it's possible
that A God exists and that B Godwould talk to us.
Which takes us to step numbertwo, which is worthiness.
Even people who believe in Godmany people who believe in God
(24:44):
would think that, yes, there isa God, but I'm not worthy to be
spoken to directly by God.
I mean, if I was the head ulamaor the chief rabbi or the pope
or the archbishop of Canterburyor somebody with some credential
, maybe God would talk directlyto me.
But God isn't going to talkdirectly to me.
So the second step is toacknowledge our own worthiness,
(25:06):
that God will speak to everyoneand does speak to everyone all
the time.
Which takes us to step numberthree, which is willingness.
We have to be willing to acceptthat this is what's occurring,
that this is what is going on.
That's not a small step, james,because most of the world's
religions tell us, as wementioned a minute ago, that if
we think, much less ever eventell anybody else that God is
(25:29):
speaking directly to us, thosereligions will say that we are
blaspheming, that we areapostate.
They're going to make you wrongin a very big way.
So we have to be willing tomove against the cultural story,
because humanity holds anenormous cultural story that
says God does not talk directlyto human beings.
Maybe to Moses, but come on,not to you and me.
(25:51):
Well, maybe to me, but come on,not to you and me.
Well, maybe to me, butcertainly not to James.
I mean, look at this guy.
Would God speak to this guy?
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I don't think so All day long, all day long.
And I'm actually going to saysomething even more crazy,
because when you startmeditating which is what I did
when I had my near-deathexperience I crashed my dad's
car when I was 19 and walkedaway unscathed and I went
through the windscreen and I hadnothing on my face.
And to be able to walk awayunscathed and my friend to have
(26:20):
one stitch in his head, I neverlooked at life the same ever
again.
I thought, and I was told you,you are blessed, you are lucky.
Are you a ghost?
Because you should be dead,dead, dead.
And I went, but I'm alive, andyou know.
And I had to ask the questionwho am I?
(26:41):
Why am I here?
Why am I still here?
What's my purpose?
And I'm asking that at the ageof 19.
And whilst I didn't haveanything figured out, then, that
question was constantly in theback of my mind, constantly
needing to be answered.
And eventually, when I gotaround to it, I started
meditating, which I knew nothingabout, and then I realized
(27:03):
these answers that I had to,these questions that I had
starting just appearing in myexperience, and as they began to
appear, the answers to thesequestions, I realized that I was
like a radio I was receiving.
I was receiving information tomy questions and it was a
(27:24):
non-stop communication.
But at that time, even thoughI've been brought up a catholic
or a christian and I went to anall boys Catholic school,
christian school and I was like,right, yeah, but something
about this doesn't feel quiteright.
But now I'm having thisabsolute direct connection,
because there is no way I shouldbe alive no one can tell me
that because I had that in myexperience and then I realized I
(27:46):
am part of that, that which I'mtrying to listen to.
So and then I am a fragment ofthis one beam of sunlight.
Essentially, if the sun is likebuilding and putting all these
rays on this beautiful planetand around the galaxy, I am part
of that source that's radiatingout into this world and just a
(28:09):
fraction of that light happensto be entering this physical
form.
And I found that reallyfascinating, to have that
insight, and I was like, wow.
It took me a while to be ableto actually articulate that, but
I've just done it here and Ithink your book does it
beautifully.
How you are able to to say that, and some may have different
opinions, but I guess when youreally ask the questions, you
(28:31):
you do get the answers.
So that's why I love this titleGod Talk, because you've got to
ask the question and be willingto receive the answer as well.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
The real question is having come to that kind of a
realization and, by the way,thank you for sharing with me
your own experience, because I'mfascinated by it.
It's very similar to my own.
But the real question is, onceyou come to that awareness, what
difference does it make, I meanin your everyday life?
How does it change the way youmove through your everyday life?
Speaker 1 (29:07):
How does it change?
Well, it means that I feelprotected is why I feel like.
I feel like protected thatthings are.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
I feel like someone's got my back the whole time and
so that makes you feel more safeas you move through life.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
I feel safe as I move through life.
There's a sense of security,there's like this, because of
that awareness now that I didn'thave before, that I do have now
feels like I've got roots in insomething bigger and then it's
my job to try and water thoseroots and nurture those roots
with my work and in myday-to-day life, trying to be
(29:44):
the best imperfect version ofmyself and have fun throughout
my day and with my work andtouching my clients' lives and
touching people's lives.
In a way that's uplifting.
And I feel like when I takecare of God's business, god
takes care of mine.
Or I could say, when I takecare of life's business, life
(30:04):
takes care of mine.
When I say I can take care ofthe universe's business, the
universe takes care of mine.
And that gives this beautifulcommunion of, like this
reciprocity of life, where Ijust feel like I'm working in
harmony with life or being onewith life, and that gives me a
(30:26):
great sense of joy andfulfillment and then it starts
to become light and fun, whereason those heavy days it can be a
bit like oh yeah, but then you,that's just because I've just
disconnected in that moment.
So taking time to eat a goodmeal or move the body or
meditate or all the beautifulthings that life can offer,
(30:48):
gives me a chance to retune inand reconnect again so I can
hear that message amazing,amazing, amazing.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
James, I got it.
You just you just gave me thetitle of your, of your book,
your next book which is oh, thebook you're going to write is
going to be titled.
Mind your own business mindyour own business.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, and that's going to be after my next book,
my first book, which is calledNatural High.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Yeah, mind your own business is going to be the book
, and you'll describe just whatyou said to me that your
business is God's business andGod's business is your business.
So when you mind your ownbusiness, you're minding God's
business, and when you'reminding God's business, you're
minding God's business.
And when you're minding God'sbusiness, you're minding your
own business.
And when people see theconnection and see the two as
one, as you've just described,that can change a person's
(31:38):
entire life.
I think your book will describethat in such terms that the
average person will pick it upand read it and go oh my
goodness, why didn't somebodygive me this book when I was 13?
Speaker 1 (31:54):
It's interesting that when you do try and take care
of something bigger than youlike helping your community or
helping your family or helpingother people in some capacity,
which is helping God or helpinganimals, pets, nature, something
that's part of this biggersystem that we live in it's
amazing how well your needs areprovided for because, like
(32:15):
before it used to be in myexperience, it was like what can
I get, get, get, and now it'skind of like now, what can I
give, give, give, because giving, giving, giving means you're
abundant.
Right, and this is the bit thatI kind of picked up on.
That took me years to get to,but as soon as I got it, I was
like this is now easy and Ireally just, if anybody in this
(32:36):
audience picks up on this and isable to run with this, just
consider this idea and I like touse the word consider because
I'm sure Neil's used that beforein the title of the
conversations God you like,consider these ideas, let you
run with it.
So when you're looking to toassist nature, people, pets, any
(33:02):
of those types of things,you're taking care of life's
business and, in turn, life willjust look after you and have
your needs met as well, it'speculiar.
It sounds so simple, but that'sreally how it works.
Can you tell me why?
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Sure, because what goes around comes around,
because there's only one of usin the room, because we are
united with everything we'retalking about.
We're not only united withevery other person, but with
every tree, with every plant,with every blade of grass.
We are all one, as I was toldin conversations with God.
Nothing, you do not know, james, but just for the sake of your
(33:40):
audience, as I was told inconversations with God, neil,
all things are one thing.
There is only one thing and allthings are part of the one
thing.
There is so, naturally, whenyou serve, the one thing there
is, whether you're serving otherpeople or serving nature in
some way, you know, or servingyour pet dog or an animal or
(34:05):
anything, when you're in serviceto that, which is that which is
winds up being in service toyou.
Because what goes around comesaround.
There is only one thing.
Or, as God put it to me verysimply, neil, there's only one
of us in the room.
I said God, can you just give me, you know, just a simple
statement.
What is the most importantthing I could ever be told?
(34:27):
That I wasn't told when I was13, in school, in that same
Catholic school you went to, andwhat God said to me was Neil.
Here it is.
Write this down in one simplesentence your life has nothing
to do with you.
It's about everyone whose lifeyou touch and the way you touch
(34:48):
it.
And when you understand thatyour life is about everyone
whose life you touch and the wayyou touch it, and when you
understand that your life isabout everyone whose life you
touch and the way you touch it,you will discover that your life
all along has been about you.
Because there's only one of usin the room, obviously, what you
do for another, you do foryourself, because there's nobody
(35:09):
else but other versions of whoyou are.
And I realized wow, some guytold us this 2,000 years ago.
He didn't put it that way.
He simply said do unto othersas you would have it done unto
you, because it will be doneunto you in precisely the same
(35:34):
way.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
So if you make someone laugh, you're going to
laugh.
Of course You're going to laugh.
If you make some, of courseyou're going to make, going to
get happy if you, if you cheersomeone up, you're going to get
cheered up.
If you leave people surprisepresents, you're going to get
some surprise presents.
If you give money, you're goingto receive money and conversely,
on the other side of the coin,I want to take my experience,
(35:58):
yeah, and you've lived it andyou've shared it, and you are a
messenger of like that beautifulunderstanding and awareness
which the audience is likepicking up.
And I guess I wanted to justask you this next question,
which is navigating challenges.
(36:18):
You said something just alittle while ago about how to
best navigate challenges withthis divine connection.
How do we do that?
Again, because I think peoplewould really like to have that
practical tool to to navigate,how to navigate challenges using
this divine connection that youtalk about in the book, and
(36:41):
then maybe, overcoming fears aswell, because we sometimes, you
know, have moments in our lifewhere we get those feelings,
those emotions come up and theysometimes feel like they come
out of nowhere.
But how would you use thisconnection to God, to life, to
be able to soothe yourself?
Speaker 2 (37:02):
Well, I think I start by coming to an understanding
of who I am, which we talkedabout a minute ago, that I am
not just my body and my mind,but that I am a soul.
Then I go to the next step.
If I really am a spiritualbeing, if that's the truth, a
spiritual being that livesforever, then what am I doing
here?
What's the point of my life?
(37:23):
Because if I don't understandthe point of my life, I mean my
larger, as the French would say,my raison d'etre if I don't
understand my reason for being,then I will have a whole
different way of dealing withwhat you call the challenges of
my life.
I'll be resisting them,resisting those challenges, be
resentful of them, be angryabout them or maybe frustrated,
(37:44):
at least frustrated by them, andsometimes set back by those
challenges.
But once I understand my realreason for being on the planet,
who I am and why I'm here, thenI see my challenges not as
challenges at all in the truesense of the word, but really as
possibilities, opportunities.
Oh, this is not a challenge,this is an opportunity to do
(38:09):
what I came here to do, toexperience exactly what I came
to this planet to experience.
Why did I come to the realm ofthe physical.
What was the point of my beinghere If I'm a spiritual being?
Why didn't I just stay to therealm of the physical?
What was the point of my beinghere?
If I'm a spiritual being, whydidn't I just stay in the realm
of the spiritual, where thingsare all wonderful?
And I asked God that question.
I said you know, help me outhere, tell me the rules of the
(38:30):
game, what's going on?
And God said well, neil, takethis down In the realm of the
spiritual.
You can know exactly who youreally are.
You can know that you're wiseand clear and wonderful and
compassionate and pure love andall the wonderful things that
you are.
But knowing that you are is notenough.
(38:51):
You want to experience who youare.
So knowing who you are is onething and experiencing it is
quite another.
So you've come to the realm ofthe physical, one of three
realms in the kingdom of God therealm of the spiritual, the
realm of the physical and therealm of pure being.
And you come into the realm ofthe physical in order that you
(39:13):
might demonstrate and express,thus to experience, what you
know of yourself.
You know and I use a simpleexample when I explain this to
audiences, I know myself to bekind of a generous person.
Frankly, I'm not praisingmyself, but I'm just declaring
(39:33):
I've always known myself to bepretty generous.
You know, if people ask me forhelp, I give them help.
If they ask me for some time,know I give them my time if they
ask.
Even if they ask me for somemoney, I've been generous with
the money that I've had.
I'm a pretty generous person.
But it's not a well and it'snot enough for me to just know
that I'm generous.
I want to experience myselfbeing generous.
(39:56):
So when the experience of whatI know myself to be flows
through me, then I feelfulfilled.
So our reason for being on theplanet is to demonstrate and to
express our true identity as anindividuation of divinity, and
once we do that, life suddenlymakes sense, no matter what
(40:20):
so-called challenges we'refacing, because we see them all
as opportunities.
When I face what some peoplecall a challenge, I ask myself
life's magic question, and I'veshared this with audiences, I've
shared this with people allover the world for the past 30
years Life's magic question.
So, to answer your question howdo I meet challenges?
(40:40):
What tool do I use when achallenge comes my way, whatever
it might be, I ask myself thefollowing question what does
this have to do with the agendaof my soul?
You know what, james?
The answer comes to me likethat.
I suddenly become very clearwhat this present challenge has
(41:04):
to do with the agenda of my soul.
That is, I recontextualize theexperience.
I don't resist the experience.
Conversations with God told mepoint blank, neil, what you
resist persists.
Therefore, resist nothing.
Embrace everything withgratitude and see the
opportunity that it has providedyou, and know this always, neil
(41:27):
.
Remember this for the rest ofyour life.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
To the best students go the most difficult lessons,
because you're on your way tograduation I hope you got that
audience because you're on yourway to graduation and if you're
going through any challengeright now, I think neil's words
(41:50):
are heavenly in your pocket totake with you.
And whether you're listening tothis or watching this, I think
that this beautiful conversationthat Neil and I have had is a
lovely reminder to let you knoweverything's going to be all
right, everything is being takencare of and no matter where you
(42:13):
are, no matter what's happening, it's about to get a lot better
, as long as you can keep yourchannel open and be willing to.
Number one let it be open, asyou said, which I think was your
number three on your practicaltool list.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
Yes, number four, very briefly, was wakefulness.
Stay awake to what's happening,don't let it pass you by.
Number five was acceptance.
Don't reject what's happening,don't let it pass you by.
Number five was acceptance.
Don't reject what's going onand call it just sheer
coincidence or you know it wasjust, you know serendipity.
But accepted is exactly what itis A conversation with God, a
(42:49):
communication from life to lifeabout life itself.
And number six of those stepsdiscernment.
Be willing to discern thedifference between actual
communications from life andjust stuff that happens.
You know, you know littleaccidents that occur.
Don't make everything it's asign.
(43:10):
I know people who've gotteninto their spiritual point, a
spiritual point of view, to theplace where they start seeing
everything as a sign.
They reach into their pocket toget their car keys and as they
pull the car keys out of theirpocket, maybe some folding money
happens to fall onto the ground.
It's a sign.
I'm supposed to throw all of mymoney on the ground.
(43:32):
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Not everything is a sign.
Relax, let yourself usediscernment to know the
difference between sheerhappenstance and what is a
natural communication from lifeto life about life itself, all
that is contained in the book.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
That last bit, I think, is the most important to
really take away.
Important to really take away,discern that last bit between
what is actually your higherpower talking to you, or god,
versus what you think is justsort of regular.
So how to discern those, thatdifference?
How would you see that in yourown experience?
What would you say?
(44:12):
Oh right, that is god speakingto me and that is happenstance.
How does Neil go?
Speaker 2 (44:18):
I know the difference there for me, communication is
from the divine, always filledwith joy, freedom and love.
Joy, freedom and love neverfear, never apprehension, never
worry, never concern and neverwaste.
Nothing is ever wasted.
(44:39):
So but when, when I went andwhen, how I feel after I receive
information from the divine isjoyful, I feel joyful, I feel
free and I feel both loved andloving.
I feel that I'm receiving loveand that all I want to do is
give love to everything.
(45:00):
You know something, james?
I've been known to go out in thebackyard and hug my tree.
I'm sorry to say yes, yes, yes,he's a tree hugger.
I really am a tree hugger.
When my tree was droppingapples by the dozen during its
season, I went out there and Igave it a big hug and I said oh
man, thank you, look at thisabundance, look at these
(45:22):
beautiful, rich apples.
And I gave the tree a hug.
You know I do that.
I don't care what people thinkof me.
That's how I behave.
And when I sold my home and webought a smaller place because
we had outgrown the big house wehad and we moved into a little
smaller, little bungalow.
But when I said goodbye to thathouse, believe it or not, if
(45:44):
somebody was watching to think Iwas crazy.
I walked up to the house and Igave it a hug.
I hugged the corner of thehouse.
I said thank you, man.
Thank you give as much joy tothe next inhabitant of this
house and thank you for the joythat you brought to me.
I hug everything because youknow what?
(46:04):
Guess what folks?
Everything is alive.
If you see that anything isdead, you don't understand how
life works.
If you took a piece of wood offthat house, you'd see, see that
it was consisted of simplemolecules and atoms that are
doing what Moving.
Everything is constantly inmotion.
(46:25):
That's called life.
So if you think that your houseis an inanimate object, then
you don't understand your houseat all.
So thank your house, thank yourcar, thank everything,
everything in life, includingevery other person in your life,
for making your life theblessing that it is and always
(46:46):
will be.
Speaker 1 (46:46):
And then, when you're done, thank yourself for coming
to this community oh, neil, Ireally love your words, I really
appreciate them and and I lovethe way that you you talk to
your inanimate objects, you know, which are alive, like your
computer, or your plants, oryour home, or your car, or your
(47:07):
phone, even your bank accounts.
I mean I dare you to look intoyour bank accounts and go thank
you whatever you've got.
I mean I do that.
It's just gross, thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you.
You know, like even looking atyourself in your eyes and going,
thank you for showing up today.
You know you gave it your bestshot today.
Thank you for showing up foryourself, you know, and I just
(47:29):
want to say to you thank you forfor joining me in this amazing
conversation, um, and thank youfor the work you've done and
thank you for uplifting,inspiring and, you know, being
vulnerable and open enough to becandid with us with regarding.
You know your entire journey towhere you were when you first
(47:50):
got that legal pen and paper outto you know the journey that
you've had for the last 30 oddyears.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
James, I would say the exact same words to you.
It's clear that you are doingwork in the world that brings
value to everyone whose life youtouch.
So, quid pro quo, thank you forwho you are and what you're
doing.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
And I'd just like to say I'd love to say thank you
too, thank you for who you areand what you're doing.
And I just like to say I'd loveto say thank you to the
audience and all of you guys wholisten and watch and tune in
every time one of these showsgoes out.
And you know, without you guysthis show wouldn't be what it is
, and I'm so grateful to havepeople like neil on the show and
you guys tuning in, becauseit's such a joy for me to be
(48:39):
able to to have guests andcommune and talk and converse
with people like Neil, but alsoto share this wisdom and
hopefully a little empowermentand wisdom and upliftment with
you guys.
So just a big thank you toeverybody.
Anything else you'd like to say, just in closing, neil?
Speaker 2 (49:00):
Blessed be everyone.
Allow yourself to be a blessingto all those whose life you
touch, and allow everyone elseto touch you with their
blessings.
See the whole experience as aprocess divinely inspired.
Speaker 1 (49:19):
Beautiful.
Thank you, neil.
Us divinely inspired beautiful.
Thank you, neil.
Neil donald walsh is thisweek's super soul model.
Thank you, neil thank you, myfriend, lovely to be here with
you thanks for tuning in and ifyou've enjoyed this episode or
any other, please remember tohit that subscribe button,
because it does make adifference and if you'd like to
(49:40):
contribute, you can support theshow to keep getting more free
content like this.
Thank you in advance.
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