SAGE TALKS

Conversations with Gods, Deities, and Avatars

… they are surely there, the divine people, for only we who have neither simplicity nor wisdom have denied them, and the simple of all times and the wise men of ancient times have seen them and even spoken to them. They live out their passionate lives not far off, as I think, and we shall be among them when we die if we but keep our natures simple and passionate.

—W. B. Yeats, The Celtic Twilight

They are surely there – the divine ones. I had always felt a correspondence with Yeats’ proposition that such otherworldly beings exist but that, by and large, we had denied them. I’m not talking here about the notion of the omnipresent and omniscient “God”; I am speaking of all the other deities, or avatars, that have existed and continue to exist throughout the realms. The book that I wish to introduce you all to today is about my talks with such a varied degree of colourful characters.

Sage Talks: Conversations with Gods, Deities, and Avatars considers, debates, and answers these questions in a series of ‘inspired’ interviews with deities from Pagan religions. In each interview I follow a different theme, resulting in varied, unexpected, enlightening, revealing and often humorous conversations with deities from Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hindu, and pagan figures. These include deities as Hecate, Eris, Horus, Aditi, Morpheus, Hermes, Ra, and many more.

The book consists of twenty-five inspired conversations, each one based on a different topic such as the nature of chaos; the perception of time and reality; our disconnection from nature; our human struggle; and our need for healing, balance, and harmony. Accompanying each conversation is a personal reflection from myself, alongside a tale or story taken from ancient sources and placed into contemporary language and setting.

In the haste of our modern lives, we have forgotten. We have forgotten so many things. I don’t mean here about forgetting to get an item on the shopping list or other mundane daily items. I am referring to the “big” forgetting. We have forgotten to remember our connection to the greater cosmos and our participation with the vast canvas of existence. We have forgotten to remember why we came here, and from where we came. We have forgotten that there are other intelligent, sacred intelligences within the greater realms that exist beyond the confines of our known material reality. And, most importantly of all, we have forgotten that we – each one of us – are a part of that Greater Family.

Sage Talks is about chatting with the family. That’s how I wanted to envision it. It is nothing grand, opulent, or prophetic. It is not about “channelling” or any other popular categorisation. It is simply a recognition that we are, and always have been, connected to a grander reality. And it is about having a conversation. That’s it really.

I think the ancient Greeks referred to it as talking with the muses. They also went to the temples to speak with the Oracles, often through a translator. It used to be that only specially trained people (priestesses, priests, initiates, etc.) were blessed with communing with the deities. Perhaps it was because only these people had the sufficient intention, focus, and receptivity to accept the “other voices” into their lives. And yet, these voices exist for all of us. We only need to have the correct intention and receptivity in order to allow the communion.

For many of us, especially in today’s fast-paced, technologically driven, material world, there is no room for such “gods”. They have been banished into the hinterlands, expelled from human belief and acceptance. It seems as if they have drifted away from us. But there is no time and space – no “distance” – in such matters. We can bring them back with a sincere thought and a genuine heart.

Our life here on this planet is but brief. It is a temporary stay. Soon enough, each one of us shall be checking out of our temporary hotel rooms. Everyone you have ever known, everything you have ever seen, will one day be gone too. This is a transitory realm. Nothing – or no one – either overstays or stays for too long. I heard it reported that an old sage once said that life is a gift; it is a gift of three days and two days are gone.

With one day left, can we still remember?

This new series - SAGE TALKS - will offer a range of ‘inspired’ interviews with a selection of deities. The next installment in this series will begin with an introductory essay titled ‘Where Have All the Gods Gone?’

Sage Talks: Conversations with Gods, Deities, and Avatars will be published on 31st March (Aeon Books). Readers of this Substack can get a 20% discount if they order from the publisher direct - until 30/04/26 - both in the UK and the US at links below by using this code at the checkout: ST20

(UK): https://spirit.aeonbooks.co.uk/product/sage-talks/95400

(US): https://spirit.aeonbooks.com/product/sage-talks/95400