Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 1

«First, last, and always, I want to acknowledge the Source of everything that is in this book, everything that is life—and of life itself.» — Walsch abre los agradecimientos en su propia voz poniendo en primer lugar a la Fuente de cuanto hay en el libro, que es la primera vez que el volumen dice de dónde viene lo que contiene.

«Second, I want to thank my spiritual teachers, who include the saints and sages of all religions.» — y cuenta entre sus maestros a los santos y sabios de todas las religiones, sin nombrar ninguna.

«For me, most of these have been creative or performing artists, because it is from art that I receive inspiration, to which I retreat in moments of reflection, and in which I find that which we call God most beautifully expressed.» — Walsch, en su propia voz, sitúa en el arte el sitio donde dice recibir inspiración y hallar mejor expresado lo que llamamos Dios.

«Who not only taught me that God exists, but opened my mind to the wondrous truth that God is my best friend; and who was far more than a mother to me, but gave birth in me to a longing for and a love of God, and all that is good.» — la dedicatoria a su madre, donde Walsch enuncia en su propia voz la tesis que el libro entero desarrollará, que Dios es su mejor amigo.

«Mom was my first meeting with an angel.» — y cierra esa dedicatoria nombrando ángel a su madre.

«Who told me repeatedly throughout my life, “There’s nothing to it,” “You don’t have to take No for an answer,” “You make your own luck,” and “There’s more where that came from.” Dad was my first experience of fearlessness.» — la dedicatoria a su padre, con las cuatro fórmulas que Walsch le atribuye y con la lectura que hace de ellas, la primera experiencia de intrepidez.

«You are about to have an extraordinary experience. You are about to have a conversation with God.» — Walsch abre la Introducción en su propia voz anunciando al lector no una lectura sino una conversación con Dios.

«You probably think (or have been taught) that’s not possible. One can talk to God, sure, but not with God. I mean, God is not going to talk back, right?» — y enuncia de entrada la objeción que da por sabida, que a Dios se le habla pero Dios no contesta.

«That’s what I thought, too. Then this book happened to me. And I mean that literally. This book was not written by me, it happened to me. And in your reading of it, it will happen to you, for we are all led to the truth for which we are ready.» — Walsch niega la autoría en el sentido corriente y dice que el libro le ocurrió, extendiendo lo mismo al lector.

«And whatever inconveniences the book may cause me (such as being called a blasphemer, a fraud, a hypocrite for not having lived these truths in the past, or—perhaps worse—a holy man), it is not possible for me to stop the process now. Nor do I wish to.» — anticipa los nombres con que espera ser tratado, entre ellos el de santo varón como el peor, y declara que ya no puede ni quiere detener el proceso.

«Those instincts say this book is not nonsense, the overworking of a frustrated spiritual imagination, or simply the self-justification of a man seeking vindication from a life misled.» — Walsch nombra él mismo las tres lecturas escépticas que su instinto rechaza, desvarío, imaginación espiritual recalentada y autojustificación.

«So I gave this material to a few people to read while it was still in manuscript form. They were moved. And they cried. And they laughed for the joy and the humor in it. And their lives, they said, changed. They were transfixed. They were empowered. Many said they were transformed.» — y da por prueba del valor del material lo que dice haber visto en sus primeros lectores.

«You could say that this book is “God’s latest word on things,” although some people might have a little trouble with that, particularly if they think that God stopped talking 2,000 years ago» — Walsch propone para el libro la fórmula de última palabra de Dios y consigna en la misma frase la dificultad que espera de quien crea que Dios dejó de hablar hace dos mil años.

«The truth is, God talks to everybody. The good and the bad. The saint and the scoundrel. And certainly all of us in between.» — y niega que la palabra sea privilegio de nadie, extendiéndola al bueno y al malo por igual.

«How many times have you heard the old axiom: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear? This book is our teacher.» — Walsch aplica al libro el adagio del discípulo y el maestro, y nombra maestro al libro mismo.

«Shortly after this material began happening to me, I knew that I was talking with God. Directly, personally. Irrefutably.» — declara, en su propia voz, el momento en que dice haber sabido con quién hablaba, y lo dice sin matizarlo.

«And that God was responding to my questions in direct proportion to my ability to comprehend. That is, I was being answered in ways, and with language, that God knew I would understand. This accounts for much of the colloquial style of the writing» — y explica por ahí el registro coloquial del libro, como acomodo de la respuesta a su propia capacidad de entender.

«2. The second would deal with more global topics of geopolitical and metaphysical life on the planet, and the challenges now facing the world.» — el segundo de los tres libros que Walsch dice habérsele anunciado, del que consigna la materia aunque el volumen no esté en esta biblioteca.

«3. The third would deal with universal truths of the highest order, and the challenges and opportunities of the soul.» — y el tercero, también ausente de esta biblioteca, con las verdades universales y lo que llama las oportunidades del alma.

«Though I have profound remorse that it was through others’ pain, I am unspeakably grateful for all that I have learned, and found that I have still yet to learn, because of the people in my life. I apologize to everybody for the slowness of that learning.» — Walsch consigna remordimiento por el daño ajeno y gratitud por lo aprendido, y se disculpa por la lentitud del aprendizaje.

«Yet I am encouraged by God to grant myself forgiveness for my failings and not to live in fear and guilt but to always keep trying —keep on trying—to live a grander vision.» — y cierra atribuyendo a la voz del libro el estímulo a perdonarse y a no vivir en miedo ni en culpa.

«Fourth and finally, I want to recognize some people I have never met, but whose lives and work have impacted me with such force that I cannot let this moment pass without thanking them from the depth of my being for the moments of exquisite pleasure, insight into the human condition, and pure, simple Lifegefeelkin» — Walsch agradece a quienes no conoce y acuña para lo que dice deberles una palabra propia, que el troceo imprime pegada; la declaración de que la inventó sigue en la plana siguiente.

«You know what it is when someone has given you a taste, a glorious moment, of what is really true about life?» — y describe eso mismo como el instante glorioso en que alguien da a probar lo que de veras es verdad sobre la vida.

«I was very unhappy during that period, personally, professionally, and emotionally, and my life was feeling like a failure on all levels.» — Walsch narra en su propia voz el estado en que dice haber empezado a escribir.

«As I’d been in the habit for years of writing my thoughts down in letters (which I usually never delivered), I picked up my trusty yellow legal pad and began pouring out my feelings.» — y describe el hábito de escribir cartas que nunca entregaba, del que sale el cuaderno amarillo en que dice haber transcrito el diálogo.

«This time, rather than another letter to another person I imagined to be victimizing me, I thought I’d go straight to the source; straight to the greatest victimizer of them all.» — Walsch dice haber ido derecho a quien tenía por el mayor culpable de su desgracia, que es como nombra a Dios al empezar.

«Why wasn’t my life working? What would it take to get it to work? Why could I not find happiness in relationships? Was the experience of adequate money going to elude me forever? Finally—and most emphatically—What had I done to deserve a life of such continuing struggle?» — las preguntas con que Walsch dice haber abierto la carta, que son las que el libro se pondrá a contestar.

«Do you really want an answer to all these questions, or are you just venting?» — la primera línea que el libro atribuye a la voz de Dios, que llega como pregunta y no como respuesta.

«Both. I’m venting, sure, but if these questions have answers, I’d sure as hell like to hear them!» — y la contestación de Walsch, que el capítulo imprime sin marca de hablante; en el impreso las dos voces se distinguen por la cursiva, que la capa de texto no conserva.

«You are “sure as hell”…about a lot of things. But wouldn’t it be nice to be “sure as Heaven”?» — la voz que el libro atribuye a Dios juega con la fórmula que Walsch acaba de usar y la invierte, que es el registro con que hablará todo el volumen.

«The answers to the questions I was putting on paper never came to me until the question was completely written and I’d put my own thoughts away. Often the answers came faster than I could write, and I found myself scribbling to keep up.» — Walsch describe la mecánica que dice haber observado, la respuesta que no llegaba hasta terminar de escribir la pregunta y apartar el pensamiento propio.

«These conversations are still going on as I write this. And much of it is found on the pages which follow…pages which contain an astounding dialogue which at first I disbelieved» — Walsch declara que el diálogo seguía mientras escribía el capítulo primero, y que al principio no lo creyó.

«It was meant for you and everyone else who has come to this material. For my questions are your questions.» — y pasa de lo suyo a lo del lector, igualando sus preguntas con las de quien lee.

«I want you to get into this dialogue as soon as you can, because what’s really important here is not my story, but yours.» — Walsch aparta su propia historia del centro del libro y pone en su lugar la del lector.

«So let’s enter the dialogue with a question I had been asking for a very long time: How does God talk, and to whom? When I asked this question, here’s the answer I received:» — la fórmula con que Walsch presenta cada turno de la otra voz, que es el único indicio de hablante que sobrevive en la capa de texto.

«First, let’s exchange the word talk with the word communicate. It’s a much better word, a much fuller, more accurate one. When we try to speak to each other—Me to you, you to Me, we are immediately constricted by the unbelievable limitation of words.» — la voz atribuida a Dios sustituye hablar por comunicar y sitúa el estorbo en la limitación de las palabras.

«For this reason, I do not communicate by words alone. In fact, rarely do I do so. My most common form of communication is through feeling.» — y declara el sentimiento su forma más frecuente de comunicación, por encima de la palabra.

«If you want to know what’s true for you about something, look to how you’re feeling about it.» — la regla práctica que la voz deriva de ahí, buscar lo verdadero para uno en el propio sentir.

«Feelings are sometimes difficult to discover—and often even more difficult to acknowledge. Yet hidden in your deepest feelings is your highest truth.» — y acota que ese sentir es difícil de hallar y más difícil de reconocer, con la verdad más alta escondida en lo más hondo.

«I also communicate with thought. Thought and feelings are not the same, although they can occur at the same time. In communicating with thought, I often use images and pictures. For this reason, thoughts are more effective than mere words as tools of communication.» — la voz añade el pensamiento como segundo medio y lo declara más eficaz que la palabra por trabajar con imágenes.

«All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Published simultaneously in Canada.» — la página de derechos reserva la reproducción y declara la edición simultánea en Canadá.

«Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Walsch, Neale Donald.» — el encabezamiento de la ficha de catalogación, que asienta el libro por el apellido del autor y no por la voz que responde, al revés de lo que hacen las fichas CIP de los tomos tardíos de Jane Roberts.

«The people, in addition to my parents, who have been there for me in that way include Samantha Gorski, Tara-Jenelle Walsch, Wayne Davis, Bryan Walsch, Martha Wright, the late Ben Wills Jr., Roland Chambers, Dan Higgs, C. Berry Carter II, Ellen Moyer, Anne Blackwell, Dawn Dancing Free, Ed Keller, Lyman W. (Bill) Griswold, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, and dear, dear Terry Cole-Whittaker.» — la lista de personas que Walsch agradece, aparato del volumen y no doctrina; el troceo imprime los nombres tal cual y aquí no se cotejan contra ninguna otra fuente.

«I want to include in this group my former mates, whose privacy I wish to respect by not naming them here, but whose contributions to my life are deeply grasped and appreciated.» — Walsch declara que deja sin nombrar a sus antiguas parejas por respeto a su privacidad.

«I am especially warmed by the thought of my helpmate, spouse, and partner, Nancy Fleming Walsch, a woman of extraordinary wisdom, compassion and love, who has shown me that my highest thoughts about human relationships do not have to remain fantasies, but can be dreams come true.» — y agradece a su esposa, Nancy Fleming Walsch, haberle mostrado que sus pensamientos más altos sobre las relaciones humanas no tienen por qué quedarse en fantasía.

«And so I want to thank…John Denver, whose songs touch my soul and fill it with new hope about how life could be; Richard Bach, whose writings reach into my life as if they were my own, describing so much of what has been my experience; Barbra Streisand, whose directing, acting, and musical artistry grips my heart time and time again, causing it to feel what is true, not merely know it; and the late Robert Heinlein, whose visionary literature has raised questions and posed answers in ways no one else has dared even approach.» — la lista de artistas a quienes Walsch agradece sin haberlos conocido, que es el único sitio del volumen donde nombra influencias concretas.

«This book addresses most, if not all, of the questions we have ever asked about life and love, purpose and function, people and relationships, good and evil, guilt and sin, forgiveness and redemption, the path to God and the road to hell…everything.» — la promesa de contenido con que la Introducción presenta el volumen, que es marco editorial y no doctrina.

«“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” —Psalm 16:11» — el epígrafe con que abre el capítulo segundo, tomado del salmo y citado con su referencia; es el único capítulo del volumen que lleva epígrafe.

«What I’ve decided is to write a monthly letter to those with questions or comments regarding this dialogue. In this way it is possible for me to respond to all the inquiries which come in and to react to all the commentaries, without having to write many, many individual letters each month.» — Walsch anuncia el boletín mensual con que dice que atenderá las consultas sobre el diálogo.

«This newsletter, published approximately 12 times per year, is available upon request to: ReCreation PMB #1150 1257 Siskiyou Blvd Ashland, Oregon 97520 Toll free order line: 877-740-0230 e-mail address: recreating@aol.com website: www.conversationswithgod.com» — el domicilio, el teléfono, el correo y el sitio de la organización del autor tal como el volumen los imprime; es aparato del editor y no doctrina.

«In the beginning this letter was made available at no fee, but we never dreamed so many would ask for it. Because of the mounting costs, we are now asking for thirty-five dollars inside the U.S. and forty-five dollars outside the U.S. (in U.S. dollars only) for 12 consecutive issues so that we can continue to reach as many people as possible. If you are unable financially to help us with these costs, please ask for a scholarship subscription.» — las tarifas del boletín y la beca ofrecida a quien no pueda pagarlas.

«Conversations with God: Book One became a New York Times bestseller weeks after its initial publication, remaining on the Times list for more than two and a half years and selling well over two million copies.» — el anuncio del editor, en tercera persona y sin firma, que da el título del volumen con el ordinal y mide sus ventas; es la única plana donde el libro se nombra a sí mismo así.

«Moreover, the dialogue initiated here continued over nine volumes. Now, the author has condensed this monumental body of work into a single book, picking out the 25 most important core messages found in the original dialogue’s three thousand pages, expanding on these messages with new and deep explanations, then offering solid suggestions for their application in everyday life.» — el mismo anuncio cuenta en nueve los volúmenes que siguieron y describe el libro posterior del autor que promociona.

«The follow-up book that readers of the spiritually revolutionary Conversations with God series have been waiting for, What God Said by Neale Donald Walsch, answers the most frequently asked questions generated by the original texts.» — y nombra ese libro posterior con su autor, dentro del mismo anuncio editorial.

«The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.» — la cabecera del índice declara que sus cifras son de la edición impresa y no de esta digital, que es lo que sostiene la fórmula de locator de esta ficha.

«through all your days and endeavors. Neale Donald Walsch Click here for more titles by this author» — el cierre del In Closing con la firma de Walsch y, pegado a ella, el enlace que el editor digital intercala; el troceo abre el tramo en minúscula porque la frase viene de la plana anterior y junta las dos voces sin separarlas.