Throughout the years I have had many personal experiences that have left me in awe of
the Mystery of Life and have proven that all of creation is somehow connected. Whenever I have shared my wonder by telling
my chains of stories, the listener has almost always suggested that I write a book. Considering why I hadn't done just
that, I concluded that I had to have an underlying theme to write about, and I really had no idea what that might be.
Pondering the contents of those occurrences I would share with the world, I found a common thread -- communication.
At first I thought this was odd -- that at the center of all I had observed or participated
in was something as simple as communication. What I wished to tell about were uncommon happenings that had almost a
touch of the metaphysical about them because they transcended most normal experiences and beliefs. How could communication
lie at the heart of the Mystery of Life and Death? Mentally regrouping, I reviewed what I knew about this very common
function:
Between a man and a woman, lack of communication leads to the death of
their relationship.
Between the mind and the body's organs, lack of communication through electrical
and chemical signals leads to the death of the organism.
Between peoples, lack of communication leads to the death of nations or
cultures through war.
Among suns, planets, solar systems, and galaxies, lack of communication
(in the form of gravity) would lead to complete chaos, collision, and the death of these bodies.
Electrons, protons, neutrons, and atoms communicate electrically, to produce
the building blocks of all of Creation and Life.
The first book of the Bible states that God communicated with the void and
darkness of primordial chaos, and brought forth order and creation with the words, "Let there be..."
Clearly, communication was much more than just a connecting pathway along which ideas, emotions,
or information could travel. Since this function did contain the keys to life and death, I thought that "communication"
must certainly be a most sacred and holy word! I had to grab my dictionary to validate my conclusions.
Beginning with the intransitive root-verb "commune," I found: 1.
to hold intimate converse. 2. to receive Holy Communion
(!). 3. to commune with the self -- to think; ponder.
The intransitive verb "communicate" was defined as: 1. to receive
Holy Communion. 2. to give, or give and receive information, signals, or messages in any way,
as by talk, gestures, writing, etc. 3. to be connected: as, the living room communicates
with the dining room.
Under "communication" itself, along with the above definitions (excluding the
reception of Holy Communion), I found: 4. a means of communicating; specifically, a) plurally, a system for sending
and receiving messages, b) a system for moving troops and material, and c) a
passage or way from getting from one place to another.
Lastly, the root from which these words are derived means: to make common!
We take for granted that which is "common," and the further we move from the origin of a
word, the more the original intent of that word becomes obscured. It is no wonder that we have lost the true meaning
-- and implications -- of communication.
Intimate: inmost, most inward, essential;
most private or personal. (Essential implies the basic essence of a thing -- something
that is necessary to make a thing what it is; something indispensable and fundamental.)
Holy Communion: bread and wine consecrated as symbols of Christ's
body and blood, representing eternal life beyond death, to be consumed among like minds and hearts as a binding
force.
Ponder: to think about deeply and deliberately; to converse with oneself. (I think, therefore I am!) This
form of communication consciously begins in the womb or egg, when the unborn becomes aware of and reacts to the
environment that surrounds its being.
To give and receive information, signals, or messages in any way:
as in perception; an infinite number of
means for communication -- languages without end throughout all of creation (most of which we do not perceive!).
To be connected: the infinite ability to communicate (which runs
through every essential particle of creation) not only allows us to "connect" with anything in existence, but also acts
as the binding force that holds existence together in delicate balance!
A passage: a road, path, or opening for movement
from one to another -- anything, anywhere; that which connects and allows movement.
(Everything that "is" moves or vibrates. Metaphysicians say that the vibrations caused by the Breath of God saying,
"Let there be..." set Creation into motion.)
Common: collective; familiar to the totality
of the whole.
In the light of these definitions, communication can therefore be spoken of as "Common
Sense."
What was uncommon, then, was my ability to listen and understand. It seemed as if all
of Life had been communicating to me that every perceivable (and imperceptible!), tiniest bit of creation was sentient,
alive, and sacred. In this sense, God Was, Is, and Would Always Be Everywhere, All-knowing, and therefore All
Powerful -- maintaining the delicate Dance of Life -- through the ability to communicate.
Now more able to comprehend the essential nature of my intimate experiences and perceptions,
I would humbly try to transmit their messages to you. These stories are all true -- remembered and translated to
the best of my ability.
Feeling enriched, honored, and humbled by our conversations, I send out this call to
all of Creation: "Speak to me, Life -- I'm listening!"
Paula M. Warrener
November 25, 2001
