I did play around with these ideas in my second (published) novel, The King is Dead. It took the form of a science fictional account of how the population of a planet within some far distant galaxy, way out there, were in the process of watching us here on earth, with the assistance of super-telescopes, and with such a degree of accuracy that they could perceive the cell structure within anyone's body, to an extent that they could replicate the nucleus from such a cell, and literally clone any one of us up there upon that distant planet. And once they had re-created this identical twin to myself (or yourself) up there, they would also be able to feed it with our personal memory of the life we had led here on earth, since they would have it all recorded on tape, so to speak, over the prolonged course of time during which they had been observing us. There would be no way for you or I to distinguish between the person that once had been, down here on earth, and the person we then found ourselves to have become - up there. But I am still not clear whether the ideas that I introduced into this novel should come under the heading of reincarnation, or resurrection. Not that it really matters of course. It merely stands in illustration of the fact that I cannot regard such matters as a total impossibility. But I feel more comfortable in regarding the subject of death in a different manner.

I prefer to perceive my life as part and parcel of the permanence, which constitutes our universe. I have my niche in it, and my task is to reconcile myself with the existence of this life, standing as it does in perpetuity within that universe. And in doing so, I might hope to discover my peace of mind.

With regard to the essential ethic for a Pantheist, there are always two poles of thought which need to be brought into such consideration. They concern on the one side the Individual, and on the other the Totality of the Universe which contains him. On balancing out the best interests of a person's individualism, with the best interests of society at large (which is to say the universe as a whole,) the recommended codes and precepts for moral conduct may gradually be worked out. That is what lies at the heart of the subject.

On the one hand we require extensive reading (or study in the field) of individual psychology. On the other, the necessary reading is upon the sociology of human populations, or upon the ecology of our planet - coupled with an acquaintance of all theories upon the nature of the universe. The emergent persuasion is on how to obtain the maximum bloom of individualism, while it remains compatible with the best interests of society at large.

As to a purpose in life, a Pantheist might reason that it is to discover his own sense of integration with the Totality of the Universe: to perceive his niche, and to fill it to the best of his ability. This conception of a niche might be an ambitious one, or something on the most modest of planes. The local woodsman, or plumber, is entitled to as much self-pride in the performance of his prescribed duties as the landowner who employs them. We all stand in service to society, and to the Universe which contains us.

But if Pantheism is to emerge (as I anticipate) as an umbrella faith for the existing monotheistic religions of the world, then the ethic peculiar to each individual religion will be liable of course to remain predominantly intact. Tradition counts weightier in these matters than any amount of logical innovation. More explicit conversion to Pantheistic ideas will depend upon a possible mounting scepticism concerning the tenets of faith within a particular religion. Whenever people start to doubt such matters, then the focus is liable to shift in a direction where the scientific emphasis might appear more sound.

As the practice of this global religion emerges, there is likely to be no radical change to the calendar for special days to celebrate within the year. Easter will remain peculiar to the Christian tradition, Ramadan to the Moslem, Passover to the Jew, Janmastmi to the Hindu and Dharma Day to the Buddhist. But it could well emerge that the special days for Pantheistic celebration will be points on the solar calendar, such as the Winter and Summer Solstices - indicative as they are of natural points within the seasonal cycle of each year, to be observed after careful note has been taken of the way in which our planetary system (if not the universe itself) functions.