This book shares a spiritual path out of hell. God Is contains the true story of one man's spiritual journey over 60 years. It is also a presentation of the metaphysics of the holy teaching, A Course In Miracles. In particular, this book presents a specific spiritual approach to understanding and healing depression and all forms of suffering. It is a map for those dying of thirst in the desert of depression.
In the summer of 1976, I was a member of a monastic community in New Mexico, and something spiritual happened one evening.
My eyes were closed and I felt a spinning within. I started to feel dizzy. The feeling was unpleasant; I felt I might get sick if the spinning continued, much like nausea from motion sickness. Then the spinning stopped and I felt no discomfort. I was no longer conscious of the chapel, or the people I invited to prayer, or even of my own body, but I was aware. This awareness is not of the senses or mind, but prior to those ways of perception. I became aware of an invisible, most holy presence, a holiness I had not experienced before. I perceived nothing, no light, no sound; not even a mental image; nothing but a basic awareness of this holy presence. The presence seemed somehow personal, and I was aware of three, invisible, silent beings. One in the middle seemed primary, or of a higher order. Two other beings accompanied, one on each side of the central one. The presence did not identify itself and I speculated for years as to its identity. Neither did I speak and my attention was riveted to this invisible, holy presence. There wasn't any fear. As far as I remember, there wasn't any thinking going on; just awareness and awe.
I was aware also of invisible "rays" (for lack of a better word) coming from this presence and passing through me like an x-ray might. I did not know what these rays were but I sensed "healing" and "purification," not so much in words or thoughts, but as an intuitive, non-verbal impression. The rays passing through me seemed like an immersion or a baptism. Could this be the baptism in the Holy Spirit I sought?
Then I noticed something different, also like an invisible ray. I can best describe it as the greatest love I ever experienced. It seemed like the most powerful, most stable thing in the universe. To call it a thing is not right, words fail here. It was not a thing as in an object. It was more like an activity or a power, and attitude. I had not experienced this kind of love before, not from any person, even though I did feel the rare person loved me. The difference in nature and magnitude between this higher love and human love seemed immense and categorical.
This experience of love included an awareness of the attitude of this indescribable, numinous presence towards me. I describe this attitude as unconditional acceptance. This acceptance is not like, "I accept you warts and all," but somehow It saw me as perfect and even delightful. Without using words, it communicated "I take delight in you."
