The year was 1948. The Fiske Family moved from the city of Lynn, Massachusetts into their new home five miles north-northeast of the city, into one of the last of the primordial deep woods in the region. The house was nestled amongst tall pines and oaks on a terraced hillside, the last to be built on the left-hand side of the road at that time.

It was here that I first discovered Nature in the raw, more or less untouched by human habitation, therefore, the home of Nature's God. There are many wonderful tales that I could regale you with here, and perhaps I will intertwine them into other essays later.

I was born into a very strict Roman Catholic household, and even at this early age I had problems understanding the Christian myth when ranging the deep woods, hillsides, and high cliffs created by the last Ice Age.

But remember, I had been programmed not to question "The Word of God," so I kept my questions to myself until I was 10 years of age. For several weeks a sermon had been raging from the altar excoriating Judaism. I had had enough, and in a private moment later on, I questioned the priest about his hatred of Jews, telling him that the population of the present-day world could not be held accountable for events occurring 2000 years ago. Besides, the Roman Legions used crucifixion as method of warning to conquered territories that rebellious attitudes would be punished in this manner. Roadways were littered with crosses throughout the Empire. I let him know some of my best friends were Jewish. Well, all "kingdom come" broke loose after that, and I caught it from the parish and from my folks.

This, my good friends, marked the beginning of a Deistic attitude that would continue rising to the surface. It would lay dormant again, building till my first real big break away from Catholicism at age 25. Then began an on-again-off-again struggle with organized revealed religion that continued till the beginning of this year, nearly 60 years in the making.

I was reading the Declaration of Independence when the words again struck me, "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God". What were our founding fathers' real religious leanings? DEISM pure and simple. I explored Deism briefly, as I had Buddhism, Shintoism and Taoism( the latter being the closest to Deism) during my 10 years of world travel around the globe, thanks to 12 years in the U.S. Air Force.

For me there was no great "Ah-Ha!" moment. After exploring several Websites and reading the interpretations offered by each, I found  that Positive Deism and Unified Deism carried messages that most closely matched my own.

Let me stress a point here and tell you that I do not in any way begrudge people their beliefs on spiritual matters. I respect and honor their choice of worship. Therefore, I expect the same of them; we can agree to disagree respectfully. This is the story of my own experience, not a purposeful criticism of any revealed religious belief that gives comfort and peace of mind to those who practice it.

Several years ago I started to study Pelaguis, a Celtic Monk who lived 354-418 AD. Little is known of him, other than the fact that he came from Britain and personally played an important role in shaping the early character of Celtic Christianity. He had tremendous Deistic tendencies and a huge following, especially after his death. His fights with Rome and St. Augustine were legendary until he was finally excommunicated for the last time. If Deism would ever choose to have a Saint, Pelaguis would definitely qualify. Look him up and read more, and I think you'll find his story fascinating.

Deism is not for the faint of heart or for those looking for perfection in spiritual philosophy. Nature, which abounds everywhere, provides all the answers you'll ever need. That is, if you are willing to  apply the following:

1. Open your mind and eyes and observe carefully.

2. Try not to intellectualize or build grand theories till your head and heart hurt.

3. Remember, there are no rules or dogma to curtail your progress.

4. Think logically and critically.

When I was a young lad I devised a routine when exploring the deep woods, cliffs, ridge tops and valleys that served as my back yard. Later in life I transformed this attitude into a methodology that I am starting to apply again to my life.

This attitude will weave its way into several tales to which I alluded earlier. I will share this philosophy with you in the next essay in this journey of discovery that we are all are traveling on, each of us in our own way.

I will be here for you at Unified Deism from here forward to be counseled by you and to share freely my experiences and any wisdom that I may have gained during my almost three quarters of a century. Let's take this journey together.

So till next time, let me leave you with a new slogan I adopted recently from the Website: "Made possible by God, and Powered by Humanity"

Let us return to the year 1948 and the discovery of the deep woods of my youth. Unfortunately, a good portion of those woods have disappeared over the past 40 years due to selective human development, and it broke my heart several years ago to see this.

After settling into our new home as a boy, I set off exploring past the edge of the property into the forest primeval. This region is full of high ridges and deep valleys that are nestled below big pine and oak trees, where a huge pine forest existed centuries ago. Massive deteriorating stumps remain as evidence. My first reaction to all the beauty around me was one of overwhelming awe. The quiet of the woods, with only the whisper of the breeze through upper branches, enveloped me with a delicious sense of well-being and comfort.

I had been swept into a different world. My clumsy tromping downward to the valley floor had cleared the area of all but the most curious of wildlife. Here was my first lesson to be learned: how to pass quietly through the woods and slowly settle into a sitting position along the way at selected spots to carefully observe all that nature had to offer. This took many months to master, and here, my good people, is the routine I alluded to towards the end of the first chapter of this essay.

The technique I learned on my own is actually similar to a form of meditation practiced by many Pacific Rim and Asian cultures. My technique differs in that it is an external approach with eyes wide open, not an internal  practice, with eyes shut muttering a mantra. I would sit absolutely still for as long as it would take for the local wildlife to return (this means not moving a muscle, including the eyes). One must actually blend into the landscape. This may take 30 minutes to an hour, based upon how skittish the birds and other creatures have been.

Remember, a young boy, without any prior knowledge of meditative skills, practiced this instinctive behavior. This is part of the natural ability of all species. Civilization has dulled this ability in us, but it is easily brought back with practice. I know many of you woodsmen and hunters know exactly the skills of which I speak.

I am going to take you now into the past 150,000 years, back to our beginnings as Homo sapiens, by quoting briefly from a trio of novels that I have recently been reading.

I highly recommend these books, since they will open your eyes to a whole new world of understanding about why we act the way we do as human beings, which in turn will lend much credence to Deism, so much so that you will never again doubt that you have chosen the right path of spiritual philosophy for your belief system.

Bryan Sykes, the author, is a Professor of Genetics at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, U.K. His studies and laboratory work there led him, by pure happenstance, to a chance introduction to an archaeologist, one Robert Hedges, who runs the Carbon-Dating laboratory there at Oxford. Sykes has put together a tantalizing exploration into the human genealogical past using his knowledge of living cellular structure. This is still ongoing discovery process through the Genome Project. The titles are: "The Seven Daughters of Eve," "Adam's Curse" and "Saxons, Vikings, and Celts." They are worth every minute spent reading if you are serious about Deism. These books do become very scientific in terms of writing style, intensely so at times, but this is necessary so that you will comprehend the gravity of the story line.

Let us consider the prehistoric past for a taste of the subject at hand. Nearly three million years ago, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo erectus (our direct cousins) emerged from Africa to spread out across Europe and Asia. Then, one hundred fifty thousand years ago, we emerged as Homo sapiens. We were still hunter-gatherers until the discovery of planting of grains and the domesticating of wild beasts for nourishment in the Fertile Crescent along the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. Here agriculture was born, and it has been a battle of the "have's and the have nots" ever since. The cellular structure of the Mitochondria DNA (female) and the Y-Chromosome (male) are what define our magnificence and downfall as a species, continuously waging an ongoing war against each other. I have taken the liberty of paraphrasing portions of all three books here.

Does this "teaser" help you understand why these novels are a must read? We are supposed to consider ourselves critical thinkers as Deists, so this book series is definitely worthy of adding to our knowledge of the history of human development.

This episode may help you see why I have had a distinct interest in nature and science for over six decades. I have also been fascinated by the periods from prehistory and ancient times to the 19th Century.

Well, my fellow Deist explorers, here we are again. In this chapter we will take a break from examining the past and will review a few recent events from my present life.

Let me update you very briefly on the Prof. Byan Sykes books mentioned in Chapter Two. I just recently finished reading the second in the series, "Adam's Curse". Since, I had received them out of sequence, this completed my reading of the trilogy. For all you humans of the male persuasion, the last several chapters concerning our survival are rather disconcerting. So be forewarned if you choose to read this series (which I recommend).

Remember how I described to you in the previous chapter the process of observing the world around you with a total, laser-like focus? So many people today are wrapped up in their internal struggles with life that they miss many of the wonders around them that the Creator provides. We have senses to experience the external world: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Observing and experiencing nature is the most important thing in our lives. It is the "Word of God." Each moment spent in observation brings something new for us to learn.

Let me share two significant recent events. First, my son sent me a very enlightening link. Please go to http://www.wimp.com/centuryenlightenment and experience the presentation there. View it and mull it over to see how you think it relates to Deism. It touches on our spiritual side of life only briefly, but the overall message there is, in my opinion, important for our future. Please share your interpretations. I think this notion for 21st century enlightenment could lead to at least one more wonderful essay all on its own.

Second, I highly recommend that you visit NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day. The one from 8/23/2010 is especially beautiful. After viewing the picture, click on the 31-second video. Viewing these pictures, along with an obligatory visit to www.stardate.org, are my spiritual moments for each day. Try them and see if they also provide you with a sense of the magnificence of our universe.

Finally, let me direct your attention to http://www.fourthturning.com. These observations were made and documented by William Strauss, speaker, writer, and historian (deceased), and his partner Neil Howe, historian, economist, and demographer. This site breaks down the cyclical events of human endeavors in life, into Four Turnings reminiscent of the Seasons. The visit will be very much worth your while.

All of the items I have referred you to here I will elaborate on in the next chapter of "The Journey". For now, I hope I have provided more than enough to keep you stimulated till the next chapter.

Till we meet again, my fellow Deists.

"Made Possible by God, Powered by Humanity"

The Old Allentown Curmudgeon