Dear Dad,
I've been away so long, I thought I should write to fill you in
what I've been up to. You didn't try to stop me when I first became
bored and thought I wanted to leave our perfect home. In Your
wisdom, You knew that couldn't really happen and you let me fall
asleep and dream that it was so.
Such adventures I have had, You wouldn't believe. I have to say
that maybe I didn't use the unlimited creative powers you gave
me wisely and ran a little wild. I was in a rebellious state and
to be honest, I didn't want my world to be the least like Yours,
so I made everything exactly the opposite, just for the hell of
it. First I decided Oneness would have to go. That didn't serve
my needs at all so I dreamed up duality as the basis of a thought
system that would ensure the continuance of my kingdom.
In place of your ever-expanding universe of love, I made up 'life'
like a carousel, seeming to advance but never really getting anywhere
and always reinforcing duality. Now, away from Our Home, I had
unlimited scope for my inventive mind and each new idea built
on the one before ending up with such a complicated thought system,
no one could ever fathom out what was going on.
I wanted my world to be different, so I dreamed up form with a
multitude of individual bodies with different sexes, colours and
shapes and provided built in obsolescence to everything here.
It was one of my best ideas, as nothing here lasts forever; I
could deny your existence as a loving God.
Constant change was the order of the day: I set it up so that
the only way anyone could exist was to kill in some form or other
living off someone else or being killed themselves. As a result
it meant everyone has to live here in a state of fear knowing
that something or someone will get you eventually. No matter how
hard you try to avoid it ageing and death is inevitable. It doesn't
make as much sense now as it used to, as I'm not quite as insane
any more, but it sure seemed like a good idea at the time.
I know You wouldn't have any idea what I mean, but I thought up
my own 'trinity' of sin guilt and fear giving me the opportunity
of categorising people to suit my needs. The end result was always
pain. 'Pain'. Did I tell you about that one? I found when I experienced
pain I could not experience You, which suited my delinquent mind
perfectly. Sex was another 'good' idea, because with it I could
seem to join and yet remain separate. I could even imitate your
creative power by creating other separate bodies. It kept my mind
occupied for quite a while let me tell you. I thought pleasure
and pain were different never realising they were opposite sides
of the same coin.
'Sickness' was also a 'brilliant' idea as it gave me a feeling
of isolation and separation from my brothers and of course, You.
The powerful mind you gave me enabled me to deny it was all my
own idea and in this amnesic state I could blame someone else
for my lack of peace and condemn You for setting up this horrible
world in the first place.
Throughout the dream I've been searching for some new experience
never realising all I ever wanted was to return Home again. I've
done everything and been everywhere, many times over.
In my mind I've experienced every possible alternative. I've been
a murderer and a saint, a king and a pauper. I've been male and
female I've lived in every kind of body all over the world and
in every universe. I played the role of victimiser and victim
and switched from one to the other frequently. I've been beautiful
and healthy, crippled and diseased: I have died as an infant and
lived to be very, very old. I have been generous and kind. I've
been hungry and I've been greedy and uncaring. Not that I didn't
have fun playing all these dramatic roles, rebelling against you
in every possible way. If they ever hand out academy awards for
our performances here, I will at least will be nominated in all
the categories.
I managed to forget most of the time Your Love for me was changeless
but there were periods when my guilt of leaving you made me feel
very unworthy and I had this crazy fear, it would only be a matter
of time before you would catch up with me. I tried to totally
fill my mind up with unlimited distractions to avoid thinking
about You and Your Love.
You remember how I wanted to be special. Well let me tell you
in my dream, I achieved just that. I knew somehow that you would
never treat me as special as you can only love every one of your
Sons equally, so an idea came to me I could find someone else
who would. I thought this would solve all my problems and I would
never need to think about my guilt again. How wrong I was. I soon
found out special love is constantly changing and isn't love at
all. After a while the shine goes off everything. I realise now
my attachment to those special people and things represented my
guilt, as the purpose of the relationship was to cover it up.
By listening to your voice in my mind, I am slowly learning how
to change my special relationships to holy ones. I know that I
must love my brothers as you love me or I have no chance of ever
knowing you.
I thought I made a real mess of things and You would never forgive
me, but deep down I think I always knew that regardless of what
state my mind is in, or whatever I think I have ever done, and
no matter how wretched I thought I was or am now, You remain oblivious
to all these experiences I am talking about. You know nothing
at all of this nonsense and have never changed your mind about
me, nor would you ever do so.
All through my insanity I have had Your gift of the Holy Spirit
in my mind, constantly and gently leading me back to my real Home
with You. I'm beginning to tire of the dream in which all the
myriad of alternatives always end up looking the same. I am waking
up gradually and looking forward to coming home to You, this time
for good.
Thank you Dad for your patience.
Your prodigal Son