The Voice

By Vince Migliore I always wondered what people were talking about when they mentioned the still, small voice. I never heard any voices when I was a young man. What? Do these people have some kind of special connection with God where they get private messages? Zoom ahead 40 years. Now I realize Ive been hearing that voice all along. Its generally very subtle, but not always small. Id been reading The Urantia Book, which claims to be the Fifth Epochal Revelation to mankind. It claims the voice is present in about all of us. Its a fragment of God, a spark of divinity that whispers to us, as a guide on our long journey to Paradise. Once I read about it I realized I could hear those whispers at every turn; if only I would listen. The Urantia Book calls it the Thought Adjuster, or Mystery Monitor (1). I believe in the Bible because certain words and ideas resonate with something deep inside me that says This is real; this is the word of God. I get that same resonance on every page of The Urantia Book. With the understanding of the Thought Adjuster, I can now look back on events where the voice came through. If you want to be thorough, there are probably thousands of incidents where the advice from divinity broke through to my consciousness, but I will give details on seven episodes that illustrate how it works. 1. Learning long division. I was in grade school. The classroom never interested me. All I ever wanted to do was play outside. We were learning long division. It was hard for me, and I wasnt focused. The teacher was explaining something about carry the six . . . Suddenly I heard a voice in my head: This is important! Pay attention! 2. Exploring the library. I was just getting into reading. I loved science fiction as a teenager. My local library had a Young Adult section, and I was reading all the books by Jules Verne. I asked the librarian if there were any more works by Verne. Not in the Young Adult section, she said, but there are plenty in the main library. Again, suddenly I got a message. It was like an epiphany, as I realized I could read anything, anywhere. This was something of a transfer of ideas as opposed to a voice. If I had to translate it into words it might be Theres a vast universe of knowledge open to you, if you would simply seek for it. 3. Stanford Chapel. Ive always liked photography. I went through a phase where I worked exclusively with black and white film. I was taking photographs around the Stanford University campus, and wandered inside the chapel there. The sun was streaming through beautiful stained glass windows, but I only had black and white film with me. Your whole world will be in color now. It was the voice again, pregnant with symbolism. I wonder if the sacredness of the place had something to do with the message. 4. The data entry clerk. I was hiring a part-time worker for data entry. I stood up to end the interview with a chubby, seemingly dull Filipino woman. Hire this one the voice said. I did. She turned out to be the best data entry clerk I ever had.

5. Breaking up. I kept dating a girl knowing she was not the one. We went to church, and as we got up after the service I heard a distinct You must tell her. I knew what it meant. 6. Breaking up, part II. I was in love. This is the one. Then she suddenly left me for another man. Funny how that let me experience the other side of the break-up coin. The idea of her making love to another man precipitated a series of panic attacks which left me wallowing in misery and self pity. As one such attack began, I heard the voice again. Its not real. I knew in this case the it was referring to bodies. I had been reading another inspired book called A Course in Miracles, which claims our real nature is spiritual, not material (2). 7. Giving thanks. I met my partner. She encouraged me to give up my floundering data processing contracting business. Get a real job. After the first year my income had doubled. My new employer liked my work and gave me a 15% raise. I was overjoyed while I walked the levees overlooking San Francisco Bay. I was so grateful to have emotional stability with my partner and a bright outlook for my career. I was having a conversation with God. Youve given me everything, I thought. What can I do for you now? What is your will for me? This time it was thunder. You ARE my will! Odd things can happen with time. It slows down when youre going into an auto accident. Or when you hear from God. That last one staggered me. I wondered as I lost my balance if I should fall onto the muddy side of the levee, or into the ocean water on the bay side. I decided to fall into the mud; you cant drown in mud, and I was not sure if I was going to faint or not. It wasnt until I regained my balance and my composure that the meaning of the message dawned upon me and the infusion of joy raised me up from the muck. It turns out that A Course in Miracles also has a reference to the Thought Adjuster described in The Urantia Book. In the Course its called the Child. It is this Child in you your Father knows as His Own Son . . . He whispers of His home unceasingly to you. For He would bring you back with Him . . . He will wait until you hear His gentle Voice within you (3). It turns out that listening to that voice is the first step in the atonement; the reconciliation of man with God, and the dispelling of the illusion of the separation from divinity.

References 1. The Urantia Book, Paper 108, Mission and Ministry of the Thought Adjusters. 2. A Course in Miracles, Lesson 97, I am spirit. 3. A Course in Miracles, Lesson 182, I will be still an instant and go home.