This book shines with love and wisdom and is so simple that anyone can understand it. It really drives home the happy message that we are all one, already whole and perfect, and never alone. ~Amazon reviewer
Cloaked in the deceptively simple guise of a short bedtime story, No One in I Land is a manifesto for humankind to awaken to our true nature and to embrace the possibilities we hold for a remarkable future.
Far-reaching in its political, economic and religious implications, this whimsical tale exposes the absurdity of the ego and its empires, unmasks the link between ego-consciousness and the global crises we face, and inspires us to participate in the emerging consciousness that will change everything.
“No One in I Land” becomes more timely every day. ~Lynn Denton
Request the free study guide for No One in I Land here.
No One in I Land creatively and playfully connects the dots of the psycho-social-spiritual dilemma we find ourselves in globally. The humor and insights are a treat for everyone.
—Sheila Weinberg, author of Surprisingly Happy: An Atypical Religious MemoirI loved this book! It’s a perfectly written little gem of whimsical simplicity and spiritual depth. . . The puns made me laugh out loud! – and the spiritual message is uplifting and leaves you with a feeling of joy.
—Janice MacKenzie, author of Discovering the Five Elements One Day at a Time: A Chinese Medicine Guide to Healthy LivingThrough the delightful imagery of a fairy tale, Patricia Pearce invites readers into a deep wisdom teaching about consciousness and awakening. Resonating on multiple levels, No One in I Land encourages us to see beyond normative reality into the world of spiritual possibility and transcendence.
—Teya Sepinuck, author of Theater of Witness: Finding the Medicine in Stories of Suffering, Transformation and PeaceA new myth for our time.
—Sara Steele, author of Blueprints for Paradise
Patricia Pearce answers questions from a reader
Why did you write the book?
First of all, I never intended to write an allegorical book. I set out to write a book I was going to call Quantum Christianity to share the perspectives my spiritual journey had led me to, including the insights that came during a pretty tumultuous awakening experience I had in 2002. I had preached a sermon series with that title, and I thought I would compile the ideas into a book, the basic premise of which would be that the consciousness of ego had been the lens through which the life of Jesus had been interpreted. This led to Jesus being seen as someone set apart and special (“the” Christ) rather than as the expression of who and what we all are in our intrinsic nature (Christ nature/Buddha nature).
However, when I started working on Quantum Christianity I found the process extremely tedious. The writing felt didactic, dry, and for me there was no creative spark or sense of discovery because I was going over material I had already worked out.
Finally, I decided to let go of all my expectations about what form the manuscript would take and I would just see what wanted to come forth. I was quite surprised when what came to me was the opening of a tale: “Once upon a No Time. . .” From there I let it evolve, and I experienced a few playful synchronicities and some hilarious intuitive guidance along the way.
The term “No One” was something that had come to me in a dream many years before, when I was in seminary, and it became a key factor in the tale. The understanding that we are participating in a dream was something that came during my awakening experience. These things just started weaving themselves together, along with what was happening in our collective dream at the time—the “war on terror,” climate change, the financial crash and such.
All of this says something about the process of writing the book, but the underlying reason I wrote it is because at this critical juncture in our history, the evolutionary step before us is to move beyond the egoic consciousness, since all of the crises we face—climate change, terrorism, economic disparity, racism, xenophobia, you name it—are all manifestations of the ego mind. Currently, with the phenomenon of “Trumpism” we see the egoic worldview expanding, most likely because it is on the brink of collapse—much like a star goes supernova when it has exhausted its energy supply.
Was there someone in particular you were writing about? (Was Trump on your mind?)
I first started working on the tale in 2006, so no, Trump was not on my mind. I had no idea at that time how relevant the book would become. George W. Bush was president at the time, so to the extent that the Emperor is based on a specific leader, it would have been him. But really, the Emperor depicts the egoic delusion within each of us.
Was there a certain parable you were following?
No. There wasn’t. The tale evolved of its own accord.
What spiritual practice/teaching do you follow?
At this point my spirituality is quite eclectic. I have a background as a Presbyterian pastor, and I was still serving in that capacity when I was doing most of the work on No One in I Land, although by that time I had moved beyond mainstream Protestant belief. For decades dreams have played a pivotal role in my spiritual life, and I am greatly indebted to the work of Carl Jung. Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism, has had a great influence on me, as has shamanism. I very much appreciate the work of shamanic practitioner John Perkins, as well as the work of the Pachamama Alliance which is partnering with indigenous tribes in the Amazon to preserve the rain forest.
More recently, A Course in Miracles has crossed my path and has become very important in my spiritual life. Some people have noted that No One in I Land bears a great deal of resemblance to the main teachings in ACIM, although I wrote No One in I Land long before having read the Course.
Was there a spiritual practice/teaching that you fashioned this book on?
The book is based primarily on the understandings that my own spiritual journey has led me to, and it reflects experiences and interests that have influenced those understandings (i.e. my educational background in international affairs, my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, my theological education, my interest in quantum physics). All of this played a role in shaping the story.