Q: Dear Todd, what exactly is God’s role in being within us and present everywhere? Why is it so helpless while witnessing all the violence, crimes, suffering, and misery? How can it not do anything? If this was the design, this big puzzle, then what’s God’s role? We cannot even hear His voice because our minds are constantly playing games. If there’s a divine energy within us, how do we access that energy? Where is God located in us? Some say it’s in the forehead area. How do we access Him in our lifetime? For example, when we are asked to pick heads or tails on a coin, we ask ourselves which side it landed on after tossing, and the mind says, “It’s heads.” Who is saying this? Is it God, the mind, or a demon? Why is it sometimes right and sometimes wrong? How can God misguide us? If God is love and light, the answer should be positive. But it’s just chance. Wouldn’t life be easier if we started getting answers for our questions from the Almighty? I have so many questions to ask you. When you say to watch those thoughts playing games, is there a Satan sitting there? If so, how do we disconnect from that force?

TODD ANSWERS: God/the divine/the sacred/universal consciousness is omnipresent. It isn’t within every atom. It is the whole of every atom.

The thoughts in our head are the result of the neurocircuitry in our brain, which is itself conditioned by the past. When we have a pause in our thoughts, a deeper wisdom is understood. In this state, we rise above the physical demands and desires of these physical bodies. From here, we can discover our highest intentions, intuitions and insights.

We do not live in a universe where God calls the shots. We call the shots, we live with the consequences, we learn and we grow. Suffering is our test and teacher. We are not supposed to know the answers beforehand.

In this plane of existence, we are souls learning to be more loving. The game is to see suffering and stay loving. According to pretty much every religious tradition, whoever alleviates the most suffering wins (for example, that person would go to heaven, or they are reincarnated into a fortunate life). When everyone learns this lesson, we will have reached a time when there is no more needless suffering or cruelty. Until then, peaceful harmony will tell us when we’re on the right path, and suffering will continue to guide us back when we have lost our way.