What is the voice of god?

I think I have had a number of experiences that I would say constitute the experience of hearing god, but they are not what I expected them to be.

I have the view of the voice that has been given to me from books, music, films, friends, etc. which is that of a booming deep voice speaking to me from the clouds and resonating around my head, it's something so loud that you cannot fail to hear it, it's a terrifying experience and one that leaves one in awe of god.

This is not what I have experienced though, I feel this view is a mighty big metaphor, a lie if you prefer that enables preachers of whatever kind to get their message across. Instead I have experienced a mental whisper, something so small, so quiet, and so peaceful that if you were not looking for it you would not hear it.

To hear is actually too strong a word even, hearing is to use your ears and this is not an audible voice, it's something that speaks directly to your brain. You feel it more than hear it. As far as the awe part goes, it does leave you in awe, but not of this hairy creature in the sky, but in awe of yourself and of the power contained within.

What do I mean by this, well it's tricky to describe... I don't really have a view of what god is, it's something indescribable to me; something that is very impersonal and yet so very near to me, its shapeless and without form. Many religioous folk actually support this view as the right one but I just feel that I don't understand enough about it yet. God seems to me to be an ultimate truth coupled with a realisation that this affects me and means something deep down in me, it's almost intangable, something that can change your perspective of life for life.

Where does the voice of god come from?

It comes from any situation and any source, it's like something that's connected at a fundamental level but on the surface it looks like nothing. The voice could come from a passage of a religious/non-religious text, a piece of music, a particular lyric in a song, a picture that you see, a comment that somebody makes, an action that you take in your life, a connection that you make in your thoughts between two previously unrelated things. When it happens though you certainly know about it's like a little magic spark, something to live for, something to remember, something that make you want to look for more.

Will you find the answer in all you say and do,
will you find the answer in you.

Enya,
pilgrim