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InSight of God by Deborah Claire
Concept
Statement
About
the Book Mystics, however--and there are more of us than most people imagine--seem to agree that there is something within the human heart or soul that is indivisible. When we connect with this oneness, we gain such great understanding, compassion, and knowledge that we are able to accept life as it is and find that the contradictions that consume so many of us are really no more than partial truth facing off against partial truth. InSight of God puts the mystical experience into words, and it takes a whole book to do so. While most mystics agree on the words used to describe the core experience—oneness, indescribable beauty, awe-inspiring—these words do little to enable the audience to fully comprehend the mind-boggling deeps of a vision. In fact, they have become so cliched and overused that they are virtually meaningless. The only way to share a mystical experience is to make it possible for the reader to experience it himself. This is no easy task, and it took many years and many mistakes before I began to see how it could be done. Although I cannot guarantee that everyone who reads and understands this book will have a mystical experience, I can say that everyone who reads this book will begin to see the structure beneath the physical universe and understand how opposites can connect in one truth. With this knowledge, the experience of oneness is a matter of learning to see beyond appearances and taking the next steps toward spiritual awareness. InSight of God enables the mind to find its pivot and follow the attached conduits into the infinite reaches of time and space. About the Author Deborah Claire is an artist as well as a writer, and works in television and film--industries where the ability to visualize is as important as the ability to put words together. Her work is the mainstay of her life, and only her children take precedence. As a mother of two teenage girls, she is concerned with the state of the world, which is why this book was finally written. When Deborah was younger she would drop everything and travel around the world to the remotest places she could find just for the experience. Today, because of her children, that’s a little hard to do, but she still “goes where no one has gone before” in spirit and in the worlds she creates with language and, when she has time, with paper and paint. Deborah is thrilled by ideas. She has spent the last ten years honing her ability to put ideas into words by getting a Master’s degree in Communication, and then going on to create children’s books, screenplays for feature films, and television documentaries. She supports herself and her children through her writing. In college, one of her professors described her as an “original thinker.” Original or not, Deborah has dedicated her life to creating works that entertain and teach without being exploitative or moralistic. She loves what she does, and considers it a privilege to be able to share what she has learned with others. The
Competition InSight of God offers a unique account of a young woman’s mystical vision, and then applies the knowledge gained through that experience to life. Beneath all forms--matter, energy, time and space--is structure. This book paints a picture in words of the structural moment that creates reality, and then examines this conceptual event as it affects and continually molds the material realities of life. The mystical experience, translated into language or art, is at the root of all spiritual expression. It has been classified by scholars and examined by critics for as long as humans have walked the earth. Mystics who have personally made contact with the Infinite are the touchstones of organized religion. Outside of religion, mysticism is discussed either by mystics themselves or by authors like Jonathan Robinson, (The Experience of God. Hay House: 1997) who have examined the reports of little known mystics, or in this case well-known religious leaders like the Dalai Llama and Mother Theresa, with an eye toward what they have in common. Mystics often try to express their experience in some way, but because of the difficulty in discussing an event that is essentially beyond words, they often end up talking about the results of the encounter and how it transformed their lives instead of the encounter itself. Other books, like those written by Carlos Castaneda and Lynn Andrews, draw us into the emotion of the moment by wrapping the mystical event inside a personal story. While this technique involves us in the passion of the moment, it doesn’t help us see how the experience pulls everything in life together into one cohesive whole. The paradox inherent in translating the mystical experience into language is the reason InSight of God was written--words cannot contain it, yet it must be said. Ralph Kish tries in his book, Divine Light, Eternal Life: Experience and Reflections of a Mystic, published by Visionary Books in 1997. He claims that “[he] united with an infinity of love, bliss and peace that was so inexpressibly boundless and magnificent that it defies description.” According to Publisher’s Weekly, because of language like this “his book ends up being almost a caricature of the quest for enlightenment.” What, after all, is the point of writing about something that “defies description?” InSight of God is different from all of these. Going to the core of mysticism, it looks directly at a personal experience of God and discusses how this vision impacts thought, belief, and behavior, but it does this in a completely unique way. InSight of God took twenty-five years to write because that’s how long it took to figure out how to describe the indescribable. What makes the book unique is that rather than discussing the effects and the transformation brought about by the experience, the author describes what was actually seen and demonstrates how this vision impacts our ordinary lives, thus making it possible for others to see it as well. For Deborah, “seeing God” was seeing the structure of Reality, the rhyme and reason behind events, the framework upon which the matter and energy of the universe is laid. The purpose of InSight of God is to open the eyes and reveal the governing structure hidden beneath everyday events. The reader of InSight of God can expect to come away from this book having gone through the closest thing to an actual mystical encounter that can be found outside the human heart. The purpose of the book is to make the reader aware of the joining of contradictions that is the nature of truth, thereby opening the doors to his or her own mystical experience. By explaining the relationship between life and death, men and women, power and love, freedom and responsibility, disease and health, and God and self, the author leads the reader to an awareness of how opposites connect, and beyond that coupling, to the vastness of “all-that-is” that is the source of life itself. InSight of God is an experience that can stimulate individuals to grow toward greater awareness of themselves and of each other. The book is a step forward on a journey that each of us is meant to take.
The Major Points of Value: Distinguishing this book from others: 1. Describes a first-hand mystical experience as the structural essence of all-that-is. 2. Is designed to help others reach a level of awareness that can make a mystical experience possible. Before this can happen, one first has to step beyond duality and see that opposites are actually parts of the same material expression. Advertising Blurbs: 1. InSight of God helps us see the God within. 2. Without the experience of God, life resembles a machine. With it, life is a celebration. 3. There is nothing greater than to know God directly. 4. Whether you believe or you don’t, InSight of God will make you wonder. 5. You hold within your hands both the questions and the answers. 6. “The difference between living life purposefully and just living is inside.” 8. “The bridge between timeless awareness and momentary joy, Love is the essence of what and who we are…” 9. “The face of Love is twofold, but its heart is one…” 10. “And from Love would flow the universe, time, space, the stars, the earth, mathematics, art, all of life, the Goddess, and the God…” 11. Warning: This slim volume could change your life. 12. InSight of God looks beyond the face of reality and into its heart. 13. InSight of God reveals the structural nature of reality... 14. InSight of God is a looking glass that reflects the universe. The
Market Today, one in three Americans have either switched religions or abandoned traditional forms of worship completely in favor of more experiential types of spiritual sustenance. Most conventional religious denominations have lost worshippers as former adherents seek out meaning that goes beyond dogma and doctrine. Desiring more from religion than Sunday sermons and rote repetitions, the mass behind this spiritual awakening--the baby boom generation--is having, as usual, a huge impact on society. Aging baby boomers, heading four out of ten American households and holding considerable financial power, now face the reality of their own mortality and actively seek the direct experience of God (American Demographics, April 1999). What began in the ‘60s as a quest for transcendence through drugs is still with us, although the methodology has changed. Today, we explore new age activities that help us reach within. A 1994 Gallup Poll revealed that 96% of Americans believed in God or a universal spirit. This belief coupled to a desire for deeper meaning drives what marketing gurus describe as “a multi billion dollar business,” and is behind the explosion of products, seminars, retreats, and experiences available to those who seek greater knowledge and awareness. The market for this book also includes individuals in their twenties and thirties who are exploring the limits of materialism and commercialism, and discovering a need for more substance in their lives. Most readers will have some college in their background and a middle range income and social class. This market is already buying books on religion and spirituality that represent “the fastest growing adult tradebook category,” according to Lynn Garrett, religion editor of Publishers Weekly, a category that is growing steadily at a rate of 27% a year. Over 5,000 New Age bookstores target this market, as do all major booksellers. InSight of God is unique among books on the mystical experience and will be a must read for those who are exploring their awareness and seeking greater knowledge of the divine. In addition, a secondary market for this book is colleges and libraries. It can be used as a teaching text and as a source for instructors exploring the religious experience. Other Books by the Author The author writes movies, television, and books. Some highlights from her work include educational science documentaries for The Science Screen Report, Kids’ Day, a young adult novel and feature film, Mirror Mirror a movie based on a true story, and Deterrent, a movie thriller now making the rounds in Hollywood. (Resume is included.) Books in progress are The Healer, A Work of Art, and The Cave, two of which have already been written as feature films. Production Details Length: Approximately 30,000 words Prologue: 1625 words Chapter I: 1131 words Chapter II: 2346 words Chapter III: 5188 words Chapter IV: 2171 words Chapter V: 5953 words Chapter VI: 4662 words Chapter VII: 2763 words Chapter VIII: 2241 words Chapter IX: 1892 words Delivery: The book is already written. Computer format: Produced on Microsoft Word 6.0. Available on 3.5 inch disk or via modem. Illustrations: Would be nice, but are not necessary Sidebars: No Permissions: None needed Front Matter: Dedication, Prologue; Foreword Back Matter: Bibliography, Index About Promotion Other Information About the Author: 1. Strengths: public speaking, marketing, and public relations 2. Organizations: 3. Periodicals: related to subject of book: none, but have written for television shows like “Today’s Health,” and “Healthy Solutions,” both of which often deal with wholeness and health. 2. Media Interview Programs: Oprah, Sally Jessie Raphael, Quest Four 3. Organizations: New Age church study groups, colleges with courses in religion and mysticism 4. Possible authorities: Deepok Chopra, Lynn Andrews, Frijof Capra 5. Bookstores: Borders, Barnes and Noble (both in Coral Springs, FL) Reaching the Audience Besides bookstores, this audience can be reached through television talk shows like Oprah, Sally Jessie Raphael, or Quest Four, a Los Angeles metaphysical interview show, as well as new age magazines such as New Age Journal, East-West, and New Realities. The internet and other mass media can also target this market, and college and municipal libraries might stock the book. The author is willing to help market InSight of God through magazine articles, by presenting lectures and workshops, and through media appearances. She is personable, taught public speaking at Florida Atlantic University and Screenwriting at Palm Beach Community College, and is an excellent speaker. Table of Contents Prologue--A
Mystical Experience The
Center - Inspiration The
First Spiral -- God and Goddess
The Authors
The Goddess
The God
Union of Goddess and God The
Second Spiral -- Life and Death
The Stage
Riding the River of Time
Destination: Compassion
Death?
Rebirth
The Role of Coincidence The
Third Spiral -- Men and Women
The Actors
Male vs Female Culture
Dancing Together
Mapping the Steps of the Dance
And on and on… The
Fourth Spiral -- Power and Love
The Conflict
Power in Relationships
Negotiating Power
The Balance of Power
Give and Take Relationships
Two Takers
Faces to the Wall
So What Can We Do? The
Fifth Spiral -- Freedom and Responsibility
The Plot
Making Choices
Finding the Balance
The Tree of Life
Living Creatively The
Sixth Spiral --Happiness and Disease
Subplot
Emotion and Health
Emotional Expression
The Balance Between Happiness and Disease The
Seventh Spiral -- God and Self
The Climax
God is Born
The Divine Universe
The Multiple Nature of Truth Epilogue
– Between Madness and Reason Chapter Summaries Prologue: Looks at the mystical experience that inspired this book--where it happened, how it happened, what it felt like--and explains how deeply this event affected my future choices. It inspired me to become an artist and to search out others who had had similar experiences. I learned that though the mystical moment is rare, it does happen to many people. I also explain that my purpose in writing InSight of God has been to create a picture of the underlying order beneath the confusion by examining science, the natural world, human nature, and mysticism in this context. The work is organized into eight chapters, each looking at the tension between a pair of opposites, which I have defined as the foundation of reality as we know it. Chapter I The Center: Relates the original event that inspires creation. By using highly descriptive and lyrical language, this chapter recreates the conceptual moment and gives it form. Around the center spins the universe. It exists both within us and outside of us. “It is the structural moment of life, the motion that joins space and time, matter and energy. Repeated again and again in an intricate web of relationships, this concept supports the cosmos….The structure of the universe is therefore, relational, not physical…” Chapter II God and Goddess: Looks at the duality between God and Goddess, and explains the evolution of both forms of worship and belief. Goddess religions predate those that feature a male deity, yet both male and female principles have meaning and authority. This chapter joins Goddess to God and discusses these opposites as two sides of one equation. Between them is love, a relationship that binds them to each other and flings them out in a cosmic dance. The boundaries of space and time are outlined within the limits of that dance, and our ability to reach into the infinite is no more than the ability to see into the heart of love. Chapter III Life and Death: These two opposites create the stage upon which we live out our lives. Discusses life and death metaphorically as a trip down a river: “Caught in an eddy of flesh in this moment, we lose track of the river, of the sky, of the cycle of change, and think that this …is all there is, when in truth, it’s just a moment in time…” The purpose of our journey down the river is to learn compassion, “the connection between one and other, the nexus of the dance of creation…For in compassion we know that all things are One, and that the suffering of one is the suffering of all.” Besides looking at reincarnation, this section also questions the ideas, “dead” versus “alive,” and suggests that these two values are parts of the same thing. The universe pulses with life, therefore everything in it is alive. To see “death” is to look without really seeing. From death to rebirth we see how babies are born not just with genetic information, but with a spirit, a personality all their own. It’s the reaction of this spirit to the environment and the people in it that makes it possible for identical twins to turn out to be completely unique individuals. Finally, the role of coincidence is examined as it relates to faith. Chapter IV Men and Women: Talks about female versus male culture and the differences between them. When these two cultural forces came into contact with each other thousands of years ago, female culture hid itself within the dominant patriarchal systems and was passed on from mother to daughter, continuing to exist to this day. Though men and women are different due to the cultural training each experiences growing up, today more than ever, there is a crossover of training. Boys learn from their mothers and girls from their fathers. The result is that we each embody both male and female ways of knowing. Discusses sex as a sacred act that reiterates the beginning of time and consciousness-the birth of God. “The act of love…recreates that moment of universal conception which lies at the heart of time and space. Sex is the coupling of Goddess and God repeated in human form, and in performing the act that creates life, we recreate ourselves…” Love, the cause of our greatest triumphs is also responsible for our deepest despair, but without it we cannot grow. And growing toward compassion, as we said before, is what it’s all about. There is a mechanism within us that makes it possible for us to experience disillusionment and to still hope. This internal mapping and remapping capability enables us to learn, over time, to integrate the male and female parts of ourselves into one being, and to ultimately integrate the one we love into ourselves as well. Disintegration and re-integration is the process we go through over and over again on our journey outward. Chapter V Power and Love: Power always figures in our relationships, and when love is also involved conflict is inevitable. Discusses the three ways in which we negotiate power—both individuals give power, both people take power, and one gives while the other takes. These three ways of relating create different scenarios and results in our love relationships. For example, the first stage of love is characterized by the fact that both partners usually give more freely than ever. Power flows from one to the other and back again, setting up a loop that draws more power from the source itself. That’s why we get so high on love. At later stages this may no longer happen. One partner may begin holding back or may even become a taker of power and thus throw the whole self-perpetuating system into depression. Power becomes scarce, and both partners begin to compete for it. Talks about keeping the flow of power in motion, and relating without fighting over power. Contrary to James Redfield’s claims, power can be drawn through any positive relationship with anyone or anything. We don’t have to find a virgin forest. Chapter VI Freedom and Responsibility: Making choices and taking responsibility for those choices is not the terrible thing that some people fear. In fact, responsibility is the highest freedom and freedom the gravest responsibility. When we take responsibility for our own lives we begin to experience power—not power over other people, but power over ourselves, the power to do what we want to do. Often we grow into the habit of letting other people take responsibility for us. We blame someone else for the conditions of our lives and expect someone else to make things better. By choosing to take responsibility, we take back the power we have given to others and reestablish our creative presence on this planet. Like freedom and responsibility other so-called opposites can also be reconciled. “Nothing in life is black and white—it’s all in color—and the dualisms we tend to think in are caused by faulty methods of perception. Every duality exists on a continuum—grief goes to sadness to mild depression to contentment to happiness to joy, hot gradually becomes cold etc.—and opposites are an illusion.” Once we recognize that choices aren’t really a question of this or that, but are often more like this and that, we can begin to live creatively, to say “yes” to experience. Then life becomes an adventure, and everything we do is imbued with mystery and power. Chapter VII Happiness and Disease: According to Dr. Candace Pert, emotion is not located in our heads, but in our entire bodies. In fact, emotions, caused by short amino acid chains called peptides can be lodged in any organ. Unexpressed emotions are literally located in the body, and this, Pert suggests, is the cause of illness. While psychologists have been saying for years that unexpressed emotion can make us sick, it’s only now that scientific proof exists to back this up. Learning to express emotion through positive activities can help us stay healthy. Dancing, painting, exercising, writing, studying, learning, meditating, psychoanalysis, yoga, acting, singing, loving, and daydreaming are all good ways to keep our bodies fit and our minds unstressed. Happiness and dis-ease are opposites and need to be in balance for us to fully experience contentment, honor, integrity, commitment, respect, purpose, and dignity. Physical health is the outcome of healthy emotions. Chapter
VIII God and Self: The universe itself is divine, and God is present in all things. From the highest to the lowest, the smallest to the largest, it’s all God. Our spirits are divine as are our bodies; there is no separation. When we understand this we begin to see that God is both transcendent and immanent, existing both above us and within us. As we realize our divinity we shed our fear and survival mentality, and start to see that we are not alone, that each of us is part of us, that the human race is our family, and every individual a brother or sister. When we learn to see humankind as one being, each part of which requires love and care, we will begin to change ourselves and create a better world. “When we succeed in obliterating poverty, hopelessness, misery, usury, tyranny, environmental degradation, and all the rest of the ills that besiege us, we will have raised ourselves above ourselves and onto a new level of life and perception, where other spirits abide, waiting to welcome us.” Chapter
IX Epilogue—Between Madness and Reason: We live in the so-called postmodern era, marked by a lack of reality in our reality. As our technology and forms of mass communication improve we spend more and more time with television, video, movies, the internet, video games, cars, appliances, clocks, frozen food, office machines, electric lights, and so on, and less time involved in the natural world. When was the last time you watched the sun set, or sat in the grass and watched the stars spin around the heavens? This disconnection from nature makes it difficult for us to understand reality. “Living in a world where all we see are reflections of ourselves in the media and in each other, we…get lost in a house of mirrors; it’s no wonder that children brought up under such conditions become violent and turn to drugs. It’s madness.” Living purposefully and reasonably requires us to become creative about our lives. As each of us is a reiteration of God itself, a spark of divine awareness, we can make anything we want out of our lives. This takes more than thinking and affirmations. It takes creativity. We have to get out there and master the art of living.
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