I am filled with awe¹ and reverence² at the reading of those words. Thank You for being here with me in this way. Thank You for being here with all of us. For millions have read the words in these dialogues, and millions more will yet do so. And we are breathlessly gifted by the coming of You to our hearts.

My dearest beings—I have always been in your hearts. I am only glad you can now actually feel Me there.

I have always been with you. I have never left you. I am you, and you are Me, and We shall never be sepa-rated, ever, because that is not possible.

Hey, wait a minute! This feels like déj? vu. Didn’t we just say all of these words before?

Of course! Read the beginning of Chapter 12. Only now they mean even more than they meant the first time.

Wouldn’t it be neat if déj? vu was real, and that we really are sometimes experiencing something “over again” so that we can get more meaning out of it?

What do you think?

I think that’s exactly what’s sometimes happening!

Unless it’s not.

Unless it’s not!

Good. Bravo again. You are moving so rapidly, so quickly, to massive new understandings that it is getting scary.

Yes, isn’t it—? Now, I have something serious I need to dis-cuss with You.

Yes, I know. Go ahead.

When does the soul join the body?

When do you think?

When it chooses to.

Good.

But people want a more definitive³ answer. They want to know when life begins. Life as they know it.

I understand.

So what is the signal? Is it the emergence⁴ of the body from the womb—the physical birth? Is it the moment of conception, the physical joining of the elements of physical life?

Life has no beginning, because life has no end. Life merely extends; creates new forms.

It must be like that gloppy material in those heated lava⁵ lamps that were so popular in the Sixties. The globs would lay in big, soft, round balls at the bottom, then rise from the heat, separating and forming new globs, shaping themselves as they rose, rejoining each other at the top,

点击收听单词发音  

1 awe
n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧
参考例句：
The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。 The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 reverence
n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬
参考例句：
He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。 We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

3 definitive
adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的
参考例句：
This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。 No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

4 emergence
n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体
参考例句：
The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。 Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

5 lava
n.熔岩，火山岩
参考例句：
The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。 His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

6 cascading
流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流
参考例句：
First of all, cascading menus are to be avoided at all costs. 首先，无论如何都要避免使用级联菜单。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓 Her sounds began cascading gently. 他的声音开始缓缓地低落下来。

7 metaphor
n.隐喻，暗喻
参考例句：
Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。 In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

8 lyric
n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的
参考例句：
This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。 His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

9 blasphemy
n.亵渎，渎神
参考例句：
His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。 You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

10 abortion
n.流产，堕胎
参考例句：
She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。 A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 logic
n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性
参考例句：
What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？ I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

12 impunity
n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除
参考例句：
You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。 The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

13 justification
n.正当的理由；辩解的理由
参考例句：
There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。 In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

14 pregnancy
n.怀孕，怀孕期
参考例句：
Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。 Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

15 killing
n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财
参考例句：
Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。 Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

16 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

17 affected
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。 His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

18 arrogant
adj.傲慢的，自大的
参考例句：
You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。 People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

19 dealing
n.经商方法，待人态度
参考例句：
This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。 His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

20 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

21 mightier
adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其
参考例句：
But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier. 但是，这种组织总是重新产生，并且一次比一次更强大，更坚固，更有力。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言 Do you believe that the pen is mightier than the sword? 你相信笔杆的威力大于武力吗？

22 mightiest
adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的
参考例句：
\"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里，你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字 Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实，沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网

23 acting
n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
参考例句：
Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。 During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

24 condone
v.宽恕；原谅
参考例句：
I cannot condone the use of violence.我不能宽恕使用暴力的行为。 I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.我绝不允许任何导致战争的行为。

25 condemn
vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑
参考例句：
Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。 We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

26 insanity
n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐
参考例句：
In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。 He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

27 troublemakers
n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 )
参考例句：
He was employed to chuck out any troublemakers. 他受雇把捣乱者赶走。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers. 她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 insanities
精神错乱( insanity的名词复数 )； 精神失常； 精神病； 疯狂
参考例句：

29 villains
n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼
参考例句：
The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

30 inviting
adj.诱人的，引人注目的
参考例句：
An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。 The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

31 heed
v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心
参考例句：
You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。 For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

32 primitive
adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物
参考例句：
It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。 His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

33 sentient
adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地
参考例句：
The living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage.生还者认识到，他们不过是上帝的舞台上有知觉的木偶而已。 It teaches us to love all sentient beings equally.它教导我们应该平等爱护一切众生。

34 condoning
v.容忍，宽恕，原谅( condone的现在分词 )
参考例句：
I'm not condoning what he did, all right? 我并不是宽恕他的所作所为，好吗？ 来自电影对白 Communist Party conservatives abhor the idea of condoning explicIt'sex. 党内的保守势力痛恨对赤裸性爱内容的宽容。 来自互联网

35 condemning
v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地
参考例句：
The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。 I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

36 counterfeit
vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的
参考例句：
It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。 The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

37 reminder
n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示
参考例句：
I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。 It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

38 minor
adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修
参考例句：
The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。 I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。