Stephen G Post – Revelation On Route 80
OMTimes: You’ve written God and Love on Route 80 is a story of synchronicity, not luck; that it is about perfectly timed occurrences that flow along too miraculously not to be planned by a cherishing universal Mind, with which you felt a secure oneness. How do you explain the universal Mind and how it speaks to each of us?
Stephen G Post: Simple. Beyond space and time, an original infinite and loving Mind gave rise to the universe in the Big Bang, more or less. All the thermodynamic constants and mathematical principles of the universe come from this infinite Mind. It also underlies all of the reality both seen and unseen, in the heavens above and at the quantum level. But we also have in a very special way a small drop of this Mind within us, and this is our spiritual being from when comes the tendency toward spiritual experience, the highest emotions like pure love and joy, and even astonishing moments of creativity like the Indian mathematician Ramanujan.
OMTimes: Do you believe Mind precedes Matter?
Stephen G Post: Yes, Mind before Matter, although “time” is a hard category, so maybe it is better to just state that Mind is the basis of all that is, seen and unseen. The mind has a non-local aspect that goes far beyond the brain, tissue, and cells in this little local place (a.k.a. the brain).
OMTimes: Raised a Christian, you attended an Episcopal church, although you seem to have followed several spiritual paths during your travels on Route 80, starting with Nichiren Buddhism when you landed in San Francisco’s Mission district after your route 80 road trip. Where are you at now, and how has your spiritual connection deepened by exploring other paths?
Stephen G Post: I learn so much from so many and believe that there are many pathways to spiritual growth. I am impressed with Jesus because he responded with infinite love to incredible persecution, and this has an atoning value to me. I also think Jesus was a great teacher and healer and was fully aware of infinite Mind. But as far as the concept of Mind and “God” go, I think I was the only kid at St. Paul’s who actually believed in Emerson’s “Over-Soul,” a totally Hindu idea, although we all had to read it.
OMTimes: You prescribe volunteering for health, happiness, resilience, and longevity, and cite reports saying volunteering can actually lower levels of inflammation and cholesterol, and lower body mass index, and those with mental health issues such as depression and schizophrenia are helped by volunteering. How can we take advantage of the benefits of volunteering?
Stephen G Post: Volunteer for something that you find meaningful, and do it for others. Pay it forward. Don’t think tit for tat. Try to debrief about your experience with your peer volunteers. Usually, as a by-product, you will feel happier, more resilient, and have deeper friendships. This is what the science says. But the benefits to the giver are a side-effect. In the giving of self lies the unsought for the discovery of a deeper and happier self.
OMTimes: Does giving money have the same benefits as face-to-face help?
Stephen G Post: Not quite, but it does have benefits as measured in PET scans, activating a part of the brain associated with feelings of happiness. But you must give from a good motive.
OMTimes: What message do you want people to glean from God and Love on Route 80?
Stephen G Post: If you take one message from this book, it has to be this: Acknowledge adolescent spiritual experiences, and realize that a teenage love-based dream can shape the entire course of a life. Be sure to notice the winks and whispers of divine love in your own life because they are the threads that let us see how much we are all cherished by a “God” that is pure and entirely forgiving, no matter what. So much in our culture pushes us away from a spiritual focus on our inner being, and on noticing the whispers, but this is all changing now, and we are heading toward an age of pure unlimited love. Really, it is the only option left. Be “all in” for God and let miracles happen along Route 80 or whatever path you find.
Connect with Stephen G Post
Visit Stephen G Post online at:
www.unlimitedloveinstitute.org
