Annette to God:

Some of what I ask may seem unnecessary in light of what You have been saying in Heavenletters, but I am still feeling a need to have explicit answers. My husband seems to interpret what You say differently from the way I do, and then I feel confused again.

We don't feel like we've particularly done anything to deserve You, but here You are, sweeping us up in Your loving arms, saying that we need not struggle to find You, You have been here all along, closer than hands and feet, and You are free for all to enjoy. We only need align ourselves with You.

How does Your present availability relate to what spiritual masters teach about the state of enlightenment and how most quickly to achieve it?

We're obviously far from the state of enlightenment, yet we find ourselves having an interactive conversation with God, an experience that until recently we thought was reserved for only saints and maybe a few lucky people like Neale Donald Walsch.

Do we still need a spiritual master or saint to achieve enlightenment? Do we need to practice for enlightenment? Can we align with You without instruction? If God is free, why would we need something else?

And above all, what does all this have to do with aligning with God? Is aligning with teachers really the same as aligning with God, as many of our friends seem to think? They hold the teacher as supreme, and few seem to really experience You. I'm suddenly finding it confusing and a bit scary, because I want to tell all my friends about Heavenletters, but I am in a circle where the teacher has become so holy that even the name of God has taken a back seat in their minds. Or do they believe that our master IS God? Or am I seeing everything cockeyed, as usual?

Also, my mind still craves to experience once again those few spontaneous glimpses of higher states of consciousness that I enjoyed so many years ago, when I was young and more innocent and trusting. Did I have these experiences because I was aligned with You then, even though I didn't consciously know God? Must I wait long to know such joy again?

God to Annette:

A mother on earth teaches her child devotion. Yet it is I.

A stranger on the street could point you to Me, dear Annette.

A book can.

Spiritual masters can.

But it is always I, and it is always you.

You are the seeker, and I am what you seek.

There is a fire you want to put out. Someone hands you a pail of water and so on. But you had to accept the pail of water from the hand that held it out to you.

I bless all who lead you to Me.

I bless the chance encounter.

I bless the formal schools of divinity.

I bless the saints that hug you, and the saints that stand at a distance.

Perhaps, after a while, you no longer believe that a particular fire brigade puts out the fire. What you had believed and adhered to no longer holds your heart. You never thought this would happen. Where does belief go? And why? You cannot pretend you hold belief that you once held and no longer do. Nor can someone to whom the beliefs are dear throw them away at someone's behest. And how does a loving couple work in unity when their hearts diverge?

Belief cannot be worked at. You cannot make yourself believe. Your husband cannot make himself stop.

But all this is the relative, you understand.

All hearts are Mine.

It matters not to Me the steps of your realization of Me. You matter to Me. All My children matter to Me. And all are My children.

My children fall in love with a man or woman and hold the object of their love as love itself. My children marry not only husbands and wives but ideals. My children join societies that fill their hearts and, after a while, their heart may not feel so full. Change is the name of the relative. It is a dance, My dears.

But I do not change. My love does not waver. My love is not dependent upon you or what you do. I do not hold you to Me. Yes, I free you and give you freedom. I give you freedom to believe and to doubt, and through it all, My same love for you shines. My love is not dependent on what you do or don't.

You seek Me. There is no doubt of that, dear Annette.

Remember to seek Me before seeking experience of Me. I am Eternal. Experience is passing. No one can hold onto an experience.

Enlightenment does not have to be signaled with flashing lights. What do you mean when you say, obviously, you are not as yet enlightened? When My children consider Me as something far away outside of themselves, it is hard to believe that you deserve Me because you see Me as something to attain. I am not attained. I am realized. I am already Yours; you just have to notice. The light that goes on is within you not outside. The light was lit long ago. It has never dimmed.

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Joyce M. to Heavenletters:

The July 30 Heaven letter was great. Well, they've all been great!

Abby to Heavenletters:

Dear Gloria and Heavenreaders, I absolutely loved the July 30 Heavenletter! It was exactly what I needed to hear. I've been so attached to the past, especially lately. I've also been experiencing hurt feelings a lot lately and the things that God said in this Heavenletter really spoke to me. Thanks!