Neil Donald Walsh began writing books after experiencing a mystical experience. His very first work, Conversations with God, became a bestseller. The author came to world fame, recognition, success.
Adolescence
Neil Walsh was born on September 10, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, into an American Catholic family. The craving for spiritual pursuit manifested itself from childhood and was encouraged by adults.
He graduated from a Catholic school. More than other students, he was interested in issues of life and religion. This astounded his parents and teachers. They constantly wondered: where did he absorb all this wisdom from?
The parish priest tried to satisfy the boy’s religious curiosity. They met once a week. Over time, Neil began to ask his questions more confidently.
By the age of 15, he was completely immersed in the process of comprehensive knowledge of various religions and spiritual writings. He read the Bible, Rigveda and Upanishads.
For higher education, Walsh enrolled in a college at the University of Wisconsin. But his heart did not lie to the academic sciences. He dropped out and went into the broadcasting industry. He began to work at the age of 19.
Career
As for the professional plan, Neil Walsh developed diversely. He has held such positions as the director of the radio station program, newspaper reporter, editor-in-chief, and public relations specialist.
He did not just skip from one job to another. So the existential saturation of his inner world was reflected in his actions and actions. He preferred to live his own way, and not "as it should be for all normal people." Ultimately, he founded his own public relations and marketing firm.
Complete collapse
In the early 1990s, Neil Walsh fell into a maelstrom of difficult life situations. All his property was destroyed by a fire. There was a break in marriage. During a car accident, he was seriously injured - a broken neck.
Walsh was left all alone. Sick. Without work and livelihood. He had to start from scratch in order to build life anew. It was necessary to find a place to live and money to pay off numerous bills.
Circumstances forced him to temporarily choose a tent in Jackson Hot Springs, near Ashland, Oregon. I had to collect bottles and aluminum cans for processing in order to provide myself with at least some kind of food.
At that moment it seemed to him that life was coming to an end. But it was after reaching the bottom that he began his path of rebirth.
The turning point in the life of the writer was a letter
Neil Donald Walsh “Conversations with God” began to create in the spring of 1992, however, then he did not know about it yet. Just wrote a letter to the Almighty ...
He had such a habit, formed over the years, to scribble messages for his "tormentors" that were never sent. He poured out his thoughts and feelings into a notebook specially designated for these purposes. So he usually let off steam.
In those years, Neil Walsh felt miserable, believed that life failed. Therefore, I decided to address the letter not to anyone, but directly to God himself. The lines were filled with despair, bewilderment, censure and angry questions. Why doesn't life work out? What did you deserve? How to fix everything? It was a cry from the soul.
The future author, to his great amazement, began to receive answers. According to his own statements, the words sounded in his head. The voice uttering them was soft and kind. He dictated the answers to all the questions written on paper.
These conversations were repeated more than once. Walsh woke up in the middle of the night to ask questions and write down answers. Thus began his fellowship with God, and at the same time work on the first book, stretching over 3 years.
At first he did not believe in these records. Then I thought that they would be valuable to him personally. And only then he realized that the text was not intended for him alone. Neil Walsh has published conversations with the Creator. Notepad notes have become best sellers.
Unorthodox views on fellowship with God
Neil Walsh “Conversations with God” did not immediately publish. Many publishers refused to cooperate. This upset him. Did he represent the scale of future circulations then? In 1995, the first book was published and became an international bestseller.
The ideas of the book do not correspond to traditional ideas of a religious nature. Instead of strict and punishing, the concept of a good and friendly God is proposed. There is no need to be afraid of this. He will not reproach, condemn. He has no reason to punish.
The goal of any life is the same - the acquisition of the experience of happiness. Everything else that a person thinks and does only serves her. The most amazing thing is that it is like an endless staircase. If there comes a moment of feeling the fullness of life, immediately a more grandiose state will become visible, which one wants to achieve.
All the necessary knowledge is already inside a person. He comes into this world in order to experience what he already knows at the level of concepts. His life is a creation process. Man does not discover, but creates himself anew. Therefore, one should strive not so much to discover oneself as to determine who one wants to be.
Freedom of choice allows you to choose actions either out of fear that fetters, draws in, closes, or out of love that radiates, expands, develops. The inner voice - feelings, sensations, experience, thoughts - is a divine radar that guides, sets the course, paves the way, if a person allows him to do it.
Prayer should be expressed in the form of gratitude for what is not yet. The request itself confirms the fact that something is lacking; as a result, the person receives precisely the experience of the absence of what is desired.
Screen adaptation of the book
For 10 years, Walsh received offers to turn his book and life story into a film, but rejected them. However, one person still managed to persuade him - Stephen Simon, aka Stephen Deutsch.
Neil Donald Walsh's Conversations made a lasting impression on Stephen. As a producer and director, he was always guided by his main rule: cinema should be from the heart. And his heart said, “Yes!”
On October 27, 2006, the movie "Conversations with God" was first shown in US cinemas. The plot tells about the dramatic events, life's upheavals that pushed the author to create a book. Neil Walsh was played by actor Henry Czerny.
Filmography
In 2003, the feature film "Indigo" was released, where Neil Walsh played the main role - the grandfather of a ten-year-old granddaughter with extraordinary abilities. He himself, jointly with James Tuyman, wrote a script for him. Directed by Stephen Simon.
In 2006, the documentary "Secret" was released, which became very popular. The already-established television producer and author of the idea, Rhonda Byrne, with her team, worked on its creation for about a year. Successful leaders in various fields of business, economics, medicine, psychology, theology, and science were interviewed. 25 of them took part in the filming of the picture, including Neil Walsh.
In the film, he discusses the meaning of life. Many people think that the destiny of man by God has already been spelled out somewhere. And to understand why they are here, they certainly need to find this knowledge.
According to Neil Walsh, there is no need to seek the purpose God has appointed. It simply does not exist. The meaning of life, the goal of each individual person is what he sets for himself. His life will be the way he will create it.
Filming of the documentary films “Three Magic Words” - 2010, “Touching the Source” - 2010, “Life in the Light” - 2012, also could not do without his participation.
Personal life
By his middle age, Neil Walsh was married several times. But each of these relationships did not work out and ended in divorce. In total, he married four times. He is the father of nine children.
He is currently married to the poetess Em Claire. Together they live in southern Oregon. They travel a lot around the world, meet with large audiences, and share messages regarding Conversations with God.
Contribution of the author to society
Neil Walsh has published 28 books. His works have been translated into 37 languages of the world. They touched the hearts of millions of people.
In 1995, to cope with the response to published works, he and his wife Em Claire created the non-profit educational organization ReCreation Foundation, Inc. Its goal is to inspire and help people around the world move from negative to positive vitality.
In 2003, Walsh founded the Humanyty team. This organization works with children from different countries - South Africa, Australia, China, Romania - collecting and donating clothes, food, furniture, small household appliances, provides assistance to terminally ill children.
With his inspired creativity, he contributed to the transformation of the concept of God and spiritual paradigms around the world. His books provide answers to questions of an existential nature. They help people overcome semantic crises, choose new goals, and change their lives for the better.