How to Have a Conversation with God Like Neale Donald Walsch

“You've got to read this book!” A couple of friends insisted while we were hanging out at the Sivananda Ashram in Madurai, India. They were talking about Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch.

I had seen that book many times before but it never really called my attention. That title “Conversations with God,” because of its religious connotation, was not very appealing to me.

But since we were all staying at the same ashram in India, learning together the deepest Vedantic truth, “Brahman (God) alone is real, the universe is unreal, Atman (individual soul) and Brahman (God) are one and the same,” I became curious.

One of my friends lent me her copy for a little while.  In the first few pages, I felt an immediate connection with it. It was not what I expected at all.

I knew then that I had to read this book, so as soon as I left the ashram I got myself a new copy.

Can any of us have a conversation with God?

The author, Neale Donald Walsch, says that the book happened to him.

In a moment of desperation, at a time when he was feeling like a failure at all levels, he decided to pour out all his emotions by writing them down in a letter, a letter addressed to God.

Surprisingly, after emptying himself of his very last bit of anger and confusion through multiple questions, all of a sudden Neale felt his hand wanting to write something. The answers started to flow.  At that moment, he started having a conversation with God.

I was a bit suspicious but as I continued reading this conversation everything that was said felt right to me, and I could easily make the connection with the teachings of the Indian yogis.

“When you truly know yourself, when you realize yourself then you will understand that you have also realized God.” Swami Rama

But as usual, although my intuition was already agreeing with these conversations, my doubtful-judgmental-mind started to interfere.

“Maybe he has simply read many books and now decided to write his own interpretation,” I thought. So I turned to my own journal and had a little conversation with myself:

“Why couldn't you trust that this is real? If you don't believe that the author has really talked to God, and God talked back to him, then you don't believe you can also have a conversation with God.

And let me tell you something. If you don't really believe that you can talk with God, how can you ever expect to be able to listen to him?

What difference does it makes if you believe the author wrote the book or that God wrote the book through the author? If you truly believe that God's spirit is within each one of us then there is no difference at all.”

All this reminds me of a lesson that I've recently learned when meeting with Swami Veda Bharati, a Himalayan Yogi in Rishikesh: “Don't run here and there to find answers, just listen and trust your inner guide.”

What is the book, “Conversations with God” about?

But the book is not about believing that we can all talk with God, that I think is probably the underlying message for me, my personal lesson, something that I've been learning recently and why this book means so much to me.

The content of these conversations, recorded by Neale Donald Walsch, is actually extraordinary and life-changing.

They contain answers to questions that each one of us have asked at some point in time: Why are we here? What is the purpose of human life? Why is there so much suffering in the world? How can we achieve success in life?

We can also read about the law of attraction or manifestation, the power of affirmations, the power of thoughts, the power of words, how to pray, the real meaning of the Ten Commandments and a lot more.

All the concepts included in the film “The Secret,” are explained in this book but in a more profound, more beautiful and less commercial way.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

“The process of creation starts with thought - an idea, conception visualization.”

“All you see in your world is the outcome of your idea about it.”

“Think, speak and act as the God you are.”

“Do you want your life to take off? Begin at once to imagine it the way you want it to be.”

“The universe has no choice but to bring you the direct manifestation of your thought.”

“Feeling is the language of the soul. If you want to know what's true for you about something, look to how you're feeling about it.”

“Mine is always your Highest Thought, your Clearest Word, your Grandest Feeling. Anything less is from another source.”

“Listen to Me in the truth of your soul. Listen to Me in the feelings of your heart. Listen to me in the quiet of your mind.”

“Whenever you have a question, simply know that I have answered it already.”

“God is in the sadness and the laughter, in the bitter and the sweet. There is a divine purpose in everything and therefore a divine presence in everything.”

I really love this book and I believe it to be authentic, a true source of inspiration and wisdom. I can definitely recommend it to you.  It's one of those books that you'll like to read over and over again.

You can find the book on Amazon.com right here: Conversations with God, An Uncommon Dialogue (affiliate link).  You could also get the Audible version for free with your Free Audible Trial.

So, how can we have a conversation with God?

First, believe it's possible. His spirit is within us right here right now, all the time. Wherever we go, whatever we do, whoever we are with, His spirit is always present within. We just need to become aware of this truth.

Then make your questions. Know that they are already answered and sit still, in silence, calm, relaxed and just listen within. Trust your inner voice, your intuition. Don't expect to hear a deep strong “male” voice coming from the clouds. Just be still, quiet and listen.

You could also write down your questions in your spiritual journal, and then write down whatever answers come to your mind. That's my preferred method. Don't worry about who is doing the writing, simply write down without questioning, without judging, without analyzing.

When answers come from the ultimate source within, you will know it without a doubt. They might not come right away but they will certainly come, in one way or another.

“God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.” Mother Teresa

Does this actually work? Well, I believe it does and.... I trust my intuition. But it doesn't matter what I believe, what matters is what you believe. Can we really talk with God? That's a question that you'll need to answer yourself. What do you believe?

“If we ignore our inner teacher then a teacher outside will be of no use to us.” Swami Rama

Don't forget to visit my blog 10 Reasons Why You Should Start a Spiritual Journal Today.  Journaling is a form of dialogue that we can have with our highest self.  You can learn all about it in that article.

Also, don’t forget to visit my top 10 Yoga Philosophy Books That Will Change Your Life for more book recommendations like this one.  I’m sure you’ll find books that you never heard about before.  

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