God is a gender neutral energy that is around and in everything, creator of the entire universe and everything in it.
Host: We say welcome to the program to Ms. Olivia S. Benson. She’s been a student and practitioner of new thought and metaphysics for over 30 years, grew up in various religious teachings and eventually sought to find real answers to life challenges, and her book, Answers from Within. I’m reading that book and, man, I’m really finding some answers here. Olivia Benson, welcome to the program. How are you doing today?
Olivia: I am well, thank God. All is well. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
Host: Man, my first question is, what started the whole writing and getting your thoughts out there? What sparked that?
Olivia: Well, I have another book and it’s called For the Love of My Father, which is about growing up without my father. I grew up with a lot of challenges, a lot of hardship, a lot of suffering. You get to a certain point in your life and you start saying, well, what is this? This can’t be the way that it’s going to be forever. So I went on a journey, what I would consider to be my spiritual journey.
And Answers from Within was really my first book. This is the second edition. But it was really my first book, because the first question that came to mind is, what on God’s earth am I doing here on this planet? Why am I here? And the book talks about that. Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing? Who is going to be with me on this journey? And things along those lines. So that’s really what got me started.
I am a church girl
Host: What I like is your whole concept of — and I’m going to say this — your concept of God is a little different from what most people would say. Because first, most people ascribe God as him. And you have a different concept. Explain that concept for our listeners.
Olivia: Right. Yeah, well, first of all, I want you to know this. I am a church girl. I grew up in the church. And if you read any of my books, you’ll find out I was a Jehovah’s Witness. I was a Catholic. I went to Baptist school. So I’ve grown up in church. So that is on the side.
But then came a point where, to find the answers — we know that in the Bible, it says God is a spirit. And he that worship him must worship him in spirit. So that began me on the pattern. And ultimately, I get to the place where I find God is an energy. God is a spirit. God is a force. And we fight as human beings all the time about what to call it. But it’s neither any of those names. That’s fine. We can call him whatever we want.
But the bottom line is that God is a gender neutral energy that is around and in everything, creator of the entire universe and everything in it. That is what we’re talking about, which is something amazing and magnificent. Right? You can’t even describe it. There’s no word to say what everything that this energy is. And so that’s where I come in. It’s not just him that I learned as a child in the Bible. It’s bigger than that.
Recasting the Relationship Between Men and Women
Host: That is so awesome. God is an energy. God is a spirit. God is a force. And you also take a look at humanity and how the relationship between men and women. Comment on that for me.
Olivia: Yes. Well, so, you know, this month on my website and on all my social media, we’re talking about a chapter in the book, in Answers from Within, that’s called Recasting the Relationship Between Men and Women. And the creator creates. And usually the problem, as we look around, is us. Right? The humans on the planet. Whatever we get, we take it and we make issues and problems with it.
So God made women and men. And we organize the system in a way that puts women — that used to put women — in a certain position. And I say this all the time, I don’t have any problem, because people, ancient people, worked out what worked for them. The thing is that now when we look at what God is and we begin to understand what it really is, we know that God created all humans, male and female, black and white or any other race — black, white, Chinese, and I’m not leaving anybody out. Everybody is a creation of the creator and everybody is the same.
Now when it comes to men and women, historically we have this drama. Right? Because we’re told, you know, Eve deceived Adam. For some reason Adam couldn’t make up his own mind, but poor Eve is the one that messed up the whole thing. And forever and ever women are in this position where they are to be. And you can go all around the world. And generally speaking, there’s a story, right, about why women are in this position.
But when we begin to see God and the universe as something bigger than just that story, now we realize that what God did is create two versions of humans, male and female. And there was never anything that intended one to be beneath the other. Of course men were stronger, men were the hunters, so to speak, and there were roles that had to be played. And I don’t have any problem with that. That was what it was.
But let’s talk about right now. If you, creator of the universe, create male and female, you give them all their own stuff, why would it be that we have women in this position where they cannot be all that they can be, so to speak? And then as we realize it, you know, because there were times where a lot of things were not allowed for women, and in some places in the world they’re still not allowed, and all kinds of things that are going on. But now we get to the point where, okay, fine, women can do certain things.
And then you get to the relationship between men and women and how that looks. I have tons of friends who are wonderful men, who are wonderful in their relationship with their wives, whose wives are professional and stuff like that. But there are some guys who feel some kind of way about it. There are some men that still feel like women should be at home and taking care of the kids and pregnant.
But then the question is, okay, why would the creator of the universe create every human being with gifts, talents, skills, abilities, and everything, and then limit one of them? Limit. You can only do this. That’s the old paradigm. Now we’re in a new paradigm. And all we’re saying is, let’s update, people.
If you tell a child that God is a man in the sky
Olivia: Let’s update. And I’ll give you an example how this works when I talk about children and what we say to them about what God is. If you tell a child that God is a man in the sky, in a robe, with a beard, with tablets, right? You know the old-timey story where you have tablets and stuff like that? Stone tablets. Right.
And this kid has an iPad, an iPod, an iWatch, and every possible thing. And not only do they have that, but they have the ability to know almost anything with the click of a button. And you’re trying to sell him that? What are the chances?
Host: Yeah, I know. Well, you know, one of the things though, we’re created differently, men and women. We’re wired totally differently.
Olivia: Agreed.
Host: And so, sometimes because of what you mentioned, those cultural footprints or imprints that we get growing up, we have that image or that concept that the role of a woman is to take care of the house and prepare the meals and take care of the children. And that’s her role.
Olivia: Yes, that was the role. But even, look, if you take it at the most practical level, women today, in most relationships, women have to work outside of the house. Right? So now, she’s not only washing, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, but she has to go work. How does that make sense? It doesn’t really, because now she’s bearing more burden than the man.
Host: Exactly. No, I get that. I get that. So, what then is your proposition of viewing this situation?
Olivia: Okay. So, first of all, I think it’s key to understand the first question you ask: what is your concept of God? God is this amazing force, this amazing energy that created us all on the planet, and male and female. And for the past, that was the story we had, right? And that’s how we lived. But you have to update. You have to update the paradigm.
I’m going to ask you one, you know, for people, because I am one of those people, was one of those people. And I believe, literally believe the Adam and Eve story. But then, if you read the book, you’ll see I ask a list of questions about it. So, if Adam hadn’t asked God, or told God that he was lonely, does that mean Eve would never have come forward? If Adam was already built as a male, right, with all the functions of being male, what did God do? Retrofit Eve to fit what it had already created with Adam?
So, when I ask those questions — and there are more in the book — when I ask those questions, I’m asking it because the idea is that we have to take a moment to think, to clean out the old program, and put in some new information. We can update our understanding of God. That’s not a crime. You can update it, and there’s nothing wrong with what we used to believe it was for that time. But for this time, what’s the story? And then, we need to update the story, and then we find balance.
The plans of the Creator always include balance
Olivia: Because, by the way, when people talk about the relationship between men and women, I’m not saying that women are angels, by the way. Everybody’s got their stuff. So, what we are ultimately looking for is a balance. Women have certain skills and talents. We’re wired differently. That is the genius of the Creator. It’s like, you’ve got this as your base, and you’ve got this as your base. Now, the idea is, go work together.
And that’s why this chapter is important, because it’s recasting. We understand now what the Creator is. We understand how it works, and we understand that the plans of the Creator always include balance. That’s where we’re going to. Nobody is above. Nobody is beneath. Nobody is made better. Nobody is made worse. It’s always balance.
If you go to India today
Olivia: And so, when we look at that, there’s a lot going on between men and women, and it has been for a while. And one of the recordings that I did — it’s on the YouTube page, which is Olivia S. Benson — I said, listen, let’s talk about India. India, for me, I think about a lot of spiritual teachings that come out of India. I think about meditation. I think about yoga. There’s amazing spiritual teachings coming out of India.
But if you go to India today and look at the treatment of women, and the violence against women in India — that’s not the only country. Many countries have it, but I’m just using that one, because India is the one that taught us meditation. It basically taught the world. And you go over there, and they will murder women who try to step out of line.
Now, what is the solution? We need to begin to update our understanding. But it’s deep, and you said it. It’s like people are brought up with this, and there’s a reason. Because when the world sort of began to get organized, there was a movement to sort of keep women in a certain position. And it’s in the book, and I’m going to say briefly what it is. Men said, okay, I’m stronger. This is a short way of trying to summarize it. I’m stronger, I’m bigger, I’m more powerful, so I should be in charge.
But God is literally genius, right? So God said, okay, I’ll make men that way, and I will make women where their powers are different. They’re intuitive. That doesn’t mean that men are not intuitive. They are also, but women have a great deal of intuition. And they have other qualities that make them very powerful in many, many different ways. It might not be the physicality, but they have other abilities that make them powerful.
And so what men decided in some way is to say, okay, we’ve got to keep this kind of power under control. We might be big and everything, but we want this one under control so that we can run things. And today what we’re looking for is where both energies are running things, because that is true balance, where you have a strong male with their characteristics and you have a strong female with her characteristics. That is when the world comes into balance, and that is what is necessary for relationships.
I want to say for the guys that are out there that are uncomfortable with the changes, I cannot love a man more that allows me to be myself. Literally. I mean, the man I married, my husband, he is absolutely positively supportive of me. You do you. How could I be happy with someone who’s not going to allow me to be?
Host: Well, let me tell you, this conversation is one where we’re going to need another time to continue this conversation. We are totally out of time. We’re way over time. But folks who want to contact you, where can they get in touch with you? Tell folks how they can get a hold of you.
Olivia: Okay. Well, my YouTube page is Olivia S. Benson. Please go there and check out the videos that I did about this series, Recasting the Relationship Between Men and Women, and there’s a contest. So if you comment, you can enter the contest. Also, you can find me on Facebook, AuthorOliviaBenson, on Instagram, OliviaBenson. And if you want to send me an email, you can send me an email at OliviaInfo at OliviaSBenson.com. Also, I have a website, OliviaSBenson.com, and the book, this one and the other one, is on Instagram as well.
Host: Answers from Within, her latest book. Olivia S. Benson, good speaking with you. And listen, I’m going to bring you back here so we can continue this conversation.
Olivia: Okay, great. Thank you.