August 2026 Newsletter
Allowing for the presence of the divine
By Peter Mulraney, author of Mystical Journey and Making Space for the Divine
It doesn’t matter whether you believe in God or not. Belief doesn’t change reality.
Believing in God is a bit like believing in Father Christmas. It’s fun when we’re children but believing in Father Christmas doesn’t make him any more real, despite the efforts the adults go to with men in red and white Santa suits and Christmas parades. At some point, we see through the fiction.
It’s the same with God. Most of us in the West grow up with an image of God that isn’t that far removed from that of Father Christmas – a benign father in heaven. At some point, though, that image disintegrates and we start looking for answers.
Belief is a mental construct. In fact, you can believe in anything, if you choose. Some of us demand evidence to support our beliefs but evidence appears optional for others, when you consider some of the things we’ve believed in over the ages.
But here’s the thing I learnt. Either we feel the presence of the divine within and around us or we don’t. Belief has nothing to do with it, and no amount of believing will manifest that presence.
So, what does? Making space for the divine in your life. If you want to open yourself to feeling the presence of the divine you need to allow that presence into your awareness.
The presence of the divine is always there. It’s what manifests life, the universe and everything in it. But we’re usually too busy to notice.
If you want to feel the presence of the divine, you need to slow down. Unfortunately, some of us don’t get the message until life forces us to stop and we experience a midlife crisis.
I gave the journey of self-discovery kicked off by my own midlife crisis a name: the mystical journey, and realised that if I wanted to become aware of the presence of the divine in my life, I needed an answer to the question: who am I?
I discovered that you answer that question by peeling away the stories your culture and family told you about yourself and how the world works. And, at some point, the veil becomes thin enough for you to feel the presence.
This is not a secret. Meditators and contemplatives have known about it since the dawn of time. Now, it’s been shared with you.
Book Royalties for Soul Talks
Royalties from the sales of Joy’s books and partial royalties from Elizabeth Keane’s book are now being directed to Soul Talks.
Book covers have been updated to reflect the relationship with Soul Talks and are available from online retailers.
Soul-Centered Care
Soul Talks has released a new book by Joy on Soul-Centered Care.
Soul-Centered Care is rooted in the belief that every person is on a self-awareness path, and that caregiving is an opportunity to support that journey with practical activities, respect, and compassion.
Soul-Centered Care appreciates that we are souls experiencing a physical existence with the opportunity to bring our thoughts and emotions into alignment with soul energy which is the vibration of pure love. In an ideal world each soul is given the opportunity to be of service to self and others - or not!
Soul-Centered Care is based on the work of former palliative care nurse and author Joy Nugent OAM. Joy saw end-of-life through the eyes of the soul and made end-of-life discussions non-threatening and reassuring.
