
God Made Easy
..or How The Whole Thing Started.

In this oh so baffling and confusing world, I have spent my life in search of the answers to the mysteries of the universe – some sense of understanding. From ashrams in India to workshops in California, I continued praying and meditating that God would reveal to me the true nature of the spiritual worlds, and what it all meant. Along the way I indeed was fortunate to experience things that absolutely blew my western rational mind: miracles that challenged all of my belief structures; beings and visions that would appear and instruct me in my dreams and half-awake states; holy ones who knew things about me "impossible " for them to know. After a while I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that the world as I knew it was but a tiny glimmer of what was really out there.
Along the journey, so very many amazing things occurred. I was now the single mother of wonderful child named Elijah. Working a full time job and living at the ocean in Los Angeles, I continued to study all of the esoteric, spiritual, metaphysical and new age teachings I could get my hands on. I wrote about my hopes, fears, dreams and gripes, and the struggles of being a seeker living in crazy times on our planet Earth... always wishing I could figure out what my true life's work was.
Then the miracle.........
On the morning of 11/11/1995, at 6 A.M., I was awoken from a dream. Elijah was still sound asleep and I groggy, yet there, plain as day in giant bold letters right in front of my eyes were the words, GOD MADE EASY. I had absolutely no idea why I was seeing this, but I remember thinking to myself, "What a great book title!"...and trying to go back to sleep. The only way that I can describe what happened next was that I was absolutely not allowed to drift off again. From deep within me came a command, "Get up and write it now!!" Let me add here that this did not thrill me, for as a sleep deprived single mom I desperately cherished my rest. Still, thank God, I reluctantly did as told, grabbed a spiral notebook and started to write.
What occurred next was a most extraordinary experience. The words began to pour out of me. There was no pausing, thinking or rewriting just a stream of consciousness that spilled out faster than I could get it down. At exactly 7 A.M. it was done. In just one hour. I was holding in my hands a piece of writing that upon reading, gave me goose bumps (God bumps) and the voice spoke again. "This is to be a book. It will go all over the world reaching and reintroducing all the people of this planet to the great magnificence that is God. Whether they are ten or one hundred and ten. Buddhist, Jew, Christian or no particular belief at all. This tiny book will simplify once and for all everything that we need to know about life here on Earth, Heaven, God and how to be happy. And now Patrice, your job is to get it published."
Now bear in mind at this point I couldn't tell if I was completely deluding myself or if indeed Spirit had finally revealed to me what my mission in life really was.
If I had known then what I now know about the correct protocol process of trying to get a book published, I might have given up. Luckily for me however my ignorance was bliss as I simply, naively went into a bookstore writing down the names of three publishers that had spiritual books and proceeded to call them on the telephone. Introducing myself I informed them that I had written a mass market book about God and that I had been told to get it published. (Of course I at least had the savvy to not tell them who told me to get it published!).
Three and a half weeks later I was sitting at a restaurant in Marina Del Rey, California signing my first publishing deal ever with a medium size metaphysical publisher here in Los Angeles. I was elated. I had done what I was told to and my book was on it's way to bookstore heaven. But the story doesn't end here, it gets even wilder.....
"...Simple, touching and profound, God Made Easy is a gift that will remind you of spiritual truths we all need to remember."
— Barbara De Angelis
author of Real Moments
I had heard that it's a really good idea to get endorsements for your book. Hopefully a couple of nice testimonials from famous authors that can be printed on your book or used in advertising to help create even more interest. So I began sending out the galley of my manuscript to some of the most well-known inspirational speakers and authors of that time. Lo and Behold! I started to get back the most wonderful quotes from people that I had always looked up to. It was such a thrill to know that these big names really loved my tiny (64 page) book.
One person that I had sent the book to was Marianne Williamson (a wonderful writer/teacher /speaker), yet my envelope came back "wrong address". I almost gave up but something in me knew that I must somehow try again and send the manuscript to her. Finally convincing her assistant to give me her new address in New York. I sent off the book and forgot about it. After all it was a long shot (her assistant had informed me that Marianne wasn't doing "blurbs" any more).
I was sitting at my desk at my day job when I got the call that changed my life. It was Marianne Williamson's literary agent, one of the biggest and best in the business (Joan Lundon, Suzanne Sommers, Carrie Fisher, Lynn Andrews are just some of his clients) calling from New York. He informed me that he had never in his life chased down an author (they try by the thousands to get to him), but that he had had a very strange and mystical experience. Apparently while Marianne was in Egypt leading a spiritual tour he had gone over to her apartment in Manhattan to collect her mail. While there, in a pile of mail on the floor, he had found GOD MADE EASY, which he said, "jumped into his hands and said read me, read me, read me." (Which, praise God, he did) and the next words out of his mouth and those that I will never forget, "Honey I think this book is going to be a best seller and I want to be a big part of your life!" I then went through a long period of waiting where I heard nothing from him – it was during this period that the Cross miracle occurred.
Weeks later, I finally I heard from him! He had sold GOD MADE EASY to Time-Warner, one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. Ellen Burstyn (one of my favorite actresses) did the reading for the audio version of the book. It was published in 1997, and translated into French, Dutch and Spanish...indeed making its way, one person at a time around the world. Showers of grace, one after the other have opened the doors, that this little tiny book with the BIG message can soar and ultimately perhaps is even flying to you.
By far, the best part of this whole adventure has been the chance to talk to so many people everywhere of that which has always been my favorite topic of conversation, God . The letters that I have been receiving from people around the world that have been touched by this book, have choked me up so many times and brought me such sweetness. From convicts, drug addicts and suicidal teenagers, to CEO's, rabbis and housewives...ages 6 to 96, God is in the hearts and minds of all that have written to me expressing gratitude for a little book that somehow made it's way into their hands at the perfect time and helped them feel the Supreme Connection once again. I have decided to share bits of these beautiful letters here on my site ...so many different beings all experiencing God in their own unique and beautiful way.... I have also been guided to share some of the love letters I receive. Please feel free to keep those letters coming. They mean a lot to me and they speak volumes.
Life, since waking up that morning that so long ago, has been an unfolding miracle beyond my grandest dreams. I have been given the great honor and privilege to bring forth and share this message yet again. That God is here for us all no matter what name we choose to call Him, Her, It., and that we are Loved beyond anything we can possible fathom!
Now so many years after my book was originally written, I believe its message can now reach a world that needs it more than ever. Although the search continues still, the ancient universal truths woven in gold are now beginning to make themselves crystal clear to us all. May we together embrace both our individual searches for God and respect the different roads we all take to reach the peak called Home. May we laugh together often, cry less ,and as brothers and sisters in this glorious global family, celebrate the search together.
Just Love!
Copyright 2019 Patrice Karst