Q: When you mention your experience "unasked" the types of questions I'm asking, does this mean you no longer cared if "the being Augie" survived your encounter with the "giant magnet" of the universe? Does this mean those questions no longer needed to be answered because all that mattered was reuniting with that magnetic source?

A: Yes, that is exactly it. Remember what Rose said when I asked him what he found in the Void: “Everything and nothing – or no-thing.” Describing God as “nothing” is common among mystics, which is why they are often misunderstood as atheists or nihilists. God is not a thing. A thing has an objective existence, exists in time and space, and can be described by comparison to other things. God in his ultimate state is unknowable—"a sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." So, God is nothing, not a thing the relative brain can comprehend. Rose also said that dimensions, visions, and questions are metaphors—more lies than truth. In the Absolute Eternal Now, there are no thoughts, no questions, no "I" to have them. If there is no “I,” how can there be questions? Who or what is asking them?

Q: Are you familiar with the film Inception? I see an interesting connection between its concept and the "God in His own story" view you're describing.

A: No, I never saw Inception. But Rose used to say that if you’re having a nightmare, the answer isn’t to stay in the drama and try to fix it—the answer is to wake up and realize it’s all a dream. This raises the question: Is life “real?” Dreams are real, but they don’t have the same substance as our waking experience. Someday we may have virtual realities that feel just as real, and people might never know the difference. Many physicists speculate that we could already be living in a Matrix-like virtual reality created by a super-advanced life form.

Q: When sharing Rose and Tom's stories, is your focus more on promoting a "mood" of gratitude and wonder, rather than offering step-by-step instructions on how to reach the Void?

A: No, you're wrong here. Like you, I believe the first step is to “prepare the ground.” It’s useless to give people answers to questions they aren’t asking or don’t care about. Our job is to create a hunger for the step-by-step approach. We need people motivated enough to ask the right questions. You’ve been doing great with the bottom-up approach, focusing on discontent and dissatisfaction. But we can also work top-down, emphasizing the positive benefits. In golf, bottom-up is showing someone their terrible swing, while top-down is getting them to hit one pure shot. Once they’ve experienced that, they’re hooked. Peak motivation comes from balancing inspiration and desperation—what I call the "push/pull" method.

Q: What is your ultimate goal in terms of getting people to seek enlightenment?

A: Most people don’t consciously seek enlightenment, but as Father Christian said, “Even the boy banging on the brothel door is really seeking God.” All people seek Truth, whether they know it or not. The ultimate form of selflessness is enlightenment, and our job is to turn unconscious longings into conscious intent.

Q: Can enlightenment be forced on someone, even by those who try?

A: No, but effort is essential. Rose said, "All people seek the Truth." The key differences are whether they realize it, how much energy they’re willing to apply to the search, and how effectively they use that energy. Effort is necessary for the right kind of surrender required for enlightenment. It’s similar to learning to drive—initially, you need a lot of effort, but eventually, you relax and surrender to the process.