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Magickal Themes In "Conversations With God"

15:44 / 24.07.02

Has anyone read this book? What do you think of it's views on the creative power of thought, and the ramifications that has for Magick as we know it?

I know this thread could also fit under Books, but this book deals with so many questions and topics related the creative, magickal aspects of life that I thought it would get a better workout here. And that's really what I'm interested in discussing here -- the creative, pretty much magickal approach to drawing circumstances to oneself described in this book seems fully in line with everything I know about magick, certainly seems in line with almost all the discussions I've read here in the Magick forum. Using thoughts to attract things to you by thinking "I have this," "I am this", before that is your actual reality.... not being attached to results, thanking the universe as if your wish has already come true (that kind of trust in the universe, that kind of faith)....

Book 1 is the best of the three, I think. And this book's views on God and organized religion also fit many of my own (but that's another topic).

15:51 / 24.07.02

It sounds interesting. Who wrote it and in what section of the average bookstore would I find it?

16:07 / 24.07.02

It's by a guy named Neale Donald Walsch. To be found in, most likely, the New Age section of any bookstore. The book isn't as cheesy as it sounds, IMHO.

Although the follow-up books to the original books strike me as cheesy.

Basically it's three books of a guy who has a conversation with God/his subconscious/God in his subconscious. He experiences automatic writing and transcribes all that "God" has to say. And aside from the occassional syrupy joke, "God" has a lot of interesting stuff to say that makes a lot of sense. Check it out! (I only put "God" in quotes because it might offend some - I genuinely think this guy was contacting some manifestation of the ultimate creative Power that is in each and every one of us.)

17:00 / 24.07.02

Some of the reviews of the book think differently about him contacting "God". They've got a copy of the book at the library so I'll swing by and get it tomorrow and if we're all still here I'll be happy to either start discussing or join in on the discussion of it.

You know, this could be the start of a magick forum book club deal. The headshop has one going on. We'd just have to focus more on the magickal aspects of the books and not the literary merits of it.

19:39 / 24.07.02

I've just found the Kulshreshtha Online library that as I can see has chapter 1 of Conversations with God as a teaser. Looks as good brain-washing night-recording stuff at first glance, somewhat like the Seth material but better blooded. I am printing a copy to read before going to bed amidst waves of yawns -guess this boosts the effect. I'll let you know tomorrow what happened or you'll either see me in the headlines.

18:55 / 03.01.03

So who ended up reading this book?

It is like the Seth material in many ways. I've recently been revisiting it -- it also has many basic ideas which seem very much in line with Magick in general, and also some nice thoughts on Jesus (echoing the thread about Jesus that's been here recently).

19:04 / 03.01.03

Wow!, love the book club idea, Trijhaos. Can we start a thread for that?

19:21 / 03.01.03

I did end up reading the book, but for some reason forgot all about this thread.

It's been while, but I do remember lust for things being discussed in one of the chapters and how if you realy really wanted something and prayed for it and thought about, you probably wouldn't get it because of all the emphasis you were placing upon it. It reminded me of the whole sigil deal where if you charge a sigil and then go around thinking about the result, the sigil probably won't work.

I think I may have to go back to the library and pick it up again and refresh my memory.

18:04 / 04.01.03

Not only lust for results, but the book basically says if you keep praying for something then that implies that you are lacking in it, and the universe will produce exactly what you're thinking: namely, that you're lacking it.

So the book suggests you do affirmations/thoughts "I have ______" instead of "I want _____." Because wanting something produces wanting it/lacking it. Thinking about having it as if you have it now will attract it to you...will produce having it. One passage has God saying "The universe is really just a big xerox machine, it produces copies of your thoughts!"