An Interview with
Marianne Williamson
By Virginia Lee
Reprinted with kind permission from
Common Ground
Magazine
An articulate and insightful speaker on metaphysics matters and the
power of prayer, Marianne Williamson brings the realm of spirit into
her unique perspective on American politics. In The Healing of America
(published Fall 1997 by Simon and Schuster), the author outlines the
political, economic, environmental and moral crisis we are facing in
the 21st century against the background of the constitutional ideals
of our founding fathers. Williamson calls for nothing less than
reclaiming our democratic destiny through an inner revolution before
we are collectively swept away by the tides of apathy and
self-interest.
Although The Healing of America is a departure from her former
emphasis on The Course of Miracles, the same guiding principles are
still evident in her newest work. Many know of Marianne Williamson
through her first book, A Return to Love, which has sold over 1
million copies and was on the New York Times bestseller list for 35
weeks in 1992. Her subsequent writings, A Woman's Worth (1994) and
Illuminata (1994), have both met with their own measure of success.
CG: Many people know you from your first book, A Return to Love,
which is a collection of insights and reflections on The Course of
Miracles. How did you first discover this path?
MW: I'm not sure any of us can point to the particular moment or
even book that started us on our mystical path. After all, it's an
innate yearning. I took my first philosophy class when I was 14 and by
the time I started reading The Course of Miracles at age 27, I was a
full-blown seeker.
CG: Do those same principles continue to guide your life? MW:
Absolutely. CG: What is a miracle? How would you describe The Course
of Miracles to those who aren't familiar with it?
MW: A miracle is the breakthrough that occurs when we shift our
perception of a situation. The Course of Miracles is a self-study
system of spiritual psychotherapy that helps us to dismantle a thought
system based on fear -- and to embrace one based on love. Essentially,
it removes the obstacles to the awareness of love's presence.
CG: Do you consider your spiritual beliefs to be akin to
Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism or shamanism? Are
all the world's religions embraced by The Course of Miracles?
MW: The Course deals with universal spiritual themes that are at
the heart of all the great religious teachings. CG: In your new book,
The Healing of America, you say that "the level of consciousness that
is the salvation of the human race is not something new, so much as
very old but forgotten." Is this what the New Age is all about?
MW: The phrase "New Age" has become so bastardized that it's
difficult to talk about what it means anymore. But the fundamental
shift in consciousness now occurring on the Earth is clearly something
which simultaneously goes backwards and forwards.
As Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." And T.S. Eliot wrote
that we're always seeking to go back home. The root of the word
"religion" is religion , which means to "bind back." I think the realm
of consciousness we most hunger for is a return to something basic and
fundamental within us.
Because the Western mind thinks in linear terms, we are tempted to
ask ourselves whether this means past or future. For people such as
the ancient Egyptians, time was thought of in concentric circles. To
this kind of mind, time has a more cyclical meaning. You can look at
many cultures throughout history and see these same themes repeated.
The Jews say that the Messiah is coming, while the Christians say that
the Messiah already came. But Einstein said, "There is no time."
Eternity exists outside time. And The Course of Miracles says that
the only place where eternity intersects time is in the present
moment.
Interview with Marianne Williamson (continued, page 2)
CG: What was the role of the freemasons in American history and how is
their philosophy relevant today?
MW: There are a lot of differing views on the role of the freemasons
in the founding of our country. Because the freemasons were a secret
organization, it is hard for anyone to speak definitively about
membership.There are those who argue that some of our founding fathers
were freemasons and there are those who argue with equal passion that
they were not.
We do know, however, that the Great Seal of the United States, which
was designed by Adams, Washington and Jefferson and appears today on
our dollar bill, is clearly a Masonic symbol. On it there is a picture
of the Great Pyramid at Giza, with the now-lost capstone returned to
its top. In the center of the capstone, illumined in the Great Seal,
is the eye of Horus. The return of the capstone and the eye signifies
the return of the Higher Mind. Underneath the picture is written Novus
Ordo Seclorum, which means "New Order of the Ages." So, regardless of
who actually studied what (and we do know that Ben Franklin was a
Rosicrucian), the Great Seal is what it is.
CG: On an evolutionary scale, would you say our form of government is
distilled from the wisdom of the ages?
MW: I would say that the founding principles of American democracy are
as close a reflection of higher law as any governmental system
throughout history has ever been. Religious pluralism is the
cornerstone of American liberty, the notion that people can worship or
not worship, however they see fit. Thomas Jefferson said "I care not
whether my neighbor believes in 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my
pocket nor breaks my leg." James Madison and Thomas Jefferson both
emphasized that tolerance is not enough. To merely tolerate another's
religious beliefs is to undermine true liberty, because judgment is
still implied. They believed we must seek to move beyond tolerance and
embrace genuine respect for the religious beliefs of others.
