When Patrice Karst awoke on the morning of November 11, 1995, she saw one phrase hovering in mid-air: “God Made Easy.” She sprang into action, driven by a strong inner voice and conviction to write a book based on this vision. The words came to her as if someone were feeding them directly onto the page. “Like taking dictation,” she recalls. She wrote the entire manuscript in one hour, printed it at Kinko’s, and immediately began looking for publishers.
The result was God Made Easy, a slim, straightforward book that approaches God and other spiritual ideas — love, connection, the divine — in language intended to feel open rather than intimidating. Karst is quick to add that the “God” she refers to is not God in the traditional sense. It’s an umbrella term, she says, and readers can substitute any name that fits their own understanding. “One God of many different names.”
The book was first released by a small Los Angeles press shortly after she finished it and later picked up by Time Warner/Warner Books in 1997, a house that has since closed its doors. Determined to bring the work back into the world, and inspired by thousands of letters from readers, Karst is now releasing a new edition of God Made Easy this month. Ninety-nine percent of the book remains the same as the original, she says, explaining that she made only small updates to reflect the modern landscape.
At its heart, God Made Easy is Karst’s attempt to take “the most complicated thing man has been pondering since the beginning of existence” and render it simple and accessible. Written as a book for adults, it is short, straightforward, and spiritual — an invitation to explore themes such as love, connection, and the divine without the weight of heavy theology. The goal, she says, was to remove intimidation from the conversation and offer readers a gentle doorway in.
“It makes people feel like they’re not alone,” Karst reflects of the book. “That there really is a creator, and they don’t have to go to church to find the creator.”
Karst, who lives in Santa Barbara, is also the author of the children’s book The Invisible String, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide. She will celebrate the new release with a talk and signing on March 5 at 6 p.m. as part of the Godmothers Gather series, where Karst will discuss the dream that first delivered the words “God Made Easy” to her and the conviction that grew from it.
For more information about the Godmothers event, see godmothers.com/events/4602620260305.
