January 5, 2006. Happy New Year friends, and welcome to the first weekly message of 2006. Next week the weekly messages will go back to being put online every Wednesday, so when I start traveling a lot again at the end of the month it will be the most convenient for me. And speaking of traveling, those of you who have read The Disappearance of the Universe know that my favorite place in the whole illusory world is Hawaii. And guess where my first workshop of the year on February 4th is? Hawaii!!! I’m so psyched I could pass out. That workshop is at Diamond Head Unity Church on Oahu, and the contact info is available on the Appearances page of this website in case you’re in Hawaii or you have a yearning to go there like I do (It snowed again today in Maine, and I’m not a winter person.) Not only will I be in Hawaii in February, but the next workshop is in another warm place, Ft. Lauderdale. Then, I’ll be headed for Costa Rica to do a week long workshop for Omega Institute, attended mostly by people from the U.S. Once again, the registration contact info is available at this website. Hmmm....There seems to be a pattern here. Three workshops in February and all at nice, warm locations. Yeah, I knew it was a dirty job when I got into this healing the world stuff, but somebody had to step up and volunteer.
I’ll be pretty busy the next couple of weeks putting the finishing touches on the second book, moving to a different place down the road so I can have some more space, and getting ready to make a couple of surprise announcements. If you’d like to be on my e-mail list in order to receive personal announcements that I send out every couple of months, then you can sign up very easily on the home page of this website. Stay warm everyone! Love, Gary
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January 11 & 18, 2006. Hi Friends, this message will be on the site for two weeks because I want everybody to see it. I’m really psyched to let you know about a movie that will be released sometime this year called The Serious Business of Happiness. The exact date of the release hasn’t been set yet, (my guess is the fall; I’ll keep you posted) but one of the reasons the movie is near and dear to my heart is because I’m in it. It’s about a real life guy named Sean who wants to know how he can live a spiritual life and still have all his friends and girlfriends and, well, he has a lot of questions. So he decides to seek out wise people he’s heard of who should be able to help him. Sean finds some pretty interesting teachers to learn from, including Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now) and Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements) who you can see in one of the pictures above.
I flew to California in August and the production team took me to Marina Del
Rey. In the scene I’m in, Sean and I go out on a boat and have a talk. I also did a scene in a courtyard. My guess is they may just include the part on the boat because the director really got into shooting the ocean and the dolphins and the sunset and stuff, but you never know. I had a great time getting a taste of the movie world, meeting Don Miguel Ruiz, who filmed his scene the same day I did (I had already met Eckhart Tolle at another time), and getting to know the people who were working on the film. This is a movie well worth seeing for anyone who’s on a spiritual path. I’ve seen some of the footage of the other teachers and it’s very well done. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for The Serious Business of Happiness. Please visit this website regularly for updates! Love, Gary
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January 25, 2006. Hi Friends, it’s with great happiness that I announce the completion of the second book with Arten and
Pursah, entitled Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death. The book is now safely in the hands of my publisher, Hay House, and will be available on September 1st. There are several features in the second book I think you’ll find both enjoyable and enlightening, not the least of which is Pursah’s personal presentation of the original Gospel of Thomas. Pursah actually recited all 70 of the original sayings that were in the Gospel, leaving out the 44 she says were added on at various times during the 300 years between her execution by beheading when she was Thomas in that lifetime, and the time the only copy of the Gospel we have now was buried in Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Some of the authentic sayings are also a little different when Pursah speaks them. It was quite a trip to be there and record this, and there are some mind-blowing implications to the whole thing.
That’s just one small part of the story, and I’m very excited about the whole project. I did get to ask A & P a couple of questions people had requested that I ask; for example, what about The Mayan Calendar? Is the world really going to end in 2012? There are all kinds of fascinating things about the book, one of the most important of which is my teachers’ total unwillingness to compromise on the principles of A Course in Miracles. Participating in this project has been a great experience, and because of my travel schedule, certainly more hectic than with the first book. I’m glad I did it, but I’m also glad it’s finished! Next week I’m off to Oahu (Hawaii!!!) for one day’s work sandwiched in between 8 days of play. It’s a dirty job, guys. Then just to make sure everybody’s covered, I’ll be headed to Fort Lauderdale to make sure it’s still warm there. I am doing a couple of workshops on this trip, and the contact info is available on the appearances page of this website. Aloha and Mahalo nui loa, Malama pono, Gary
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 February 2, 2006. Hi Friends, and Happy Groundhog Day! A fresh viewing of the Bill Murray film is always in order. At the Yahoo group that discusses The Disappearance of the Universe, we made a list of our favorite spiritually themed films and Groundhog Day was consistently voted among the member’s favorites. It’s also one of mine.
And speaking of favorites, I happen to be running around my favorite place on the illusory planet right now, Hawaii. I gave a talk and booksigning last night at Serendipity Books in Honolulu, and I’ll be doing a workshop this Saturday at Unity Diamond Head. I’m swimming with Dolphins tomorrow at Dolphin Quest, and I’ve been exploring Oahu ever since I got here on Sunday. The high temperature during the day has been around 80 degrees with sunny skies. It was snowing in Maine on Tuesday; I think I made a good move. I’d write more but hey, I’m in Hawaii. Aloha and Mahalo nui loa, Malama pono, Gary
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February 9, 2006. Hi Friends. Well, I just flew into Ft. Lauderdale from Hawaii, and I’ll be doing a workshop on Saturday at the Church of Religious Science. If you’re thinking about being a last minute participant the contact details are on the Appearances page of this website.
Hawaii was more than I could have hoped for. I was blessed with great weather the whole time I was there. We had a very diverse group for the workshop, including people who came from the outer Islands plus four people who flew all the way from Australia. I was amazed by the enthusiasm that surrounds the workshops. I also did a book signing and spoke at two Unity Church services on Sunday.
I can’t begin to describe what a great time I had exploring Oahu. I went all over the Island. They say in Hawaii that you go there for the beauty, and you stay for the people. I can see why. It was a wonderful experience and I’ll be back. BTW, if you haven’t seen the pictures from the upcoming movie “The Serious Business of Happiness” then scroll down below this message. Gotta go. My buddy Gene Bogart, who speaks the voice of Arten on the audio book of The Disappearance of the Universe, is taking me out for a good time tonight. Pray for us. Love, Gary
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February 16 and 23. Warning: The following message is an illusion. Hi Friends, after two and a half weeks on the road to such exotic destinations as Hawaii and Florida, you’d think I’d want to settle down with a good book next to the fireplace and hang around Maine for a while, right? No! Are you kidding? Maine in the winter? Get me out of here!!!
It’s been two whole days since I returned, and even though the weather is unusually warm right now for Maine in the winter, the forecast is that it will be zero degrees by Saturday night. So the hell with reading the last three weeks mail, doing my taxes, writing a movie screenplay and engaging in shameless self-promotion. I have a stroke of luck when it comes to my schedule. Yes, it may be zero degrees here by Saturday night, but I won’t be here. Hah!
I’m off to Costa Rica on Friday night to do a week long workshop sponsored by Omega Institute at Sueno
Azul, which is in the rain forest. This is my first rain forest gig, so to prepare myself I finally went to see King Kong. That really got me in the mood! Actually, it was a pretty amazing movie, and hopefully it will be a pretty amazing workshop. I’m describing it as: “Survivor: Costa Rica. It was beauty that killed the beast, and it was Costa Rica that killed the ego.” What d’ya think?
Just in case you want to hop on a jet and join me, the info is on the Appearances
page of this website. By the way, that picture above was taken of me at Dolphin Quest on Oahu, Hawaii. It’s always fun to kiss a fellow Pisces. Hawaiians consider Dolphins to be very spiritual, and believe they can read our thoughts. From what I saw at Dolphin Quest, I see no reason to think they are not more intelligent than we are. And speaking of pictures, you can still see 14 pictures that were taken on the set of the forthcoming movie, “The Serious Business of Happiness” which I’m in, by scrolling down below this message.
This illusory message will remain on the site for two weeks because I may not be able to plug my computer into a tree. But you never know. Have a great week and keep on forgiving. Love, Gary
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March 2, 2006. Hi Friends, I’m back from Costa Rica, where they say, “Pura Vida!” which means, “Pure Life!” I’m also flying off to Spokane, Washington for the first time this weekend to do an all day workshop on Saturday. If you have a last-minute urge to join us you can find the contact info for the workshop on the Appearances page of this website.
Costa Rica was a joy, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my fellow A Course in Miracles practitioners while doing a 5-day workshop with them, getting to know them well, and doing excursions on some days. The workshop was run by Omega Institute at the Sueno Azul resort, about two hours northeast of San Jose in the rain forest. We did a tour on the river, where we saw crocodiles, monkees, and many other types of animals, and we even did a zip line course (seven different length and height ziplines, where we were sometimes hundreds of feet above the ground) and enjoyed the temperature in the 80s all week. What a blast! We also spent over 20 hours together in an open air classroom environment and deepened our experience of spirituality in such a way that I believe will last for the rest of our lives. The year has gotten off to an amazing start between Hawaii, Florida, and Costa Rica.
I’m also delighted to let you know that my fellow Hay House author and colleague, Dr. Wayne Dyer, has just released a new book entitled Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling. This work will be featured on public television March 6, 2006 (my birthday!) across the United States. Be sure to watch. I’m supporting Dr. Dyer’s new book. I’m also honored that he mentions me and The Disappearance of the Universe in Chapter 3. Is there no escaping my fame? (LOL) Love, Gary
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March 9, 2006. Hi Friends. Well, it’s been a wild year so far, spent mostly doing workshops in the tropics (and playing in the tropics; hey, you’ve gotta take advantage of those perks) and I also just got back from the Pacific Northwest where I did my first workshop in Spokane, Washington. I wasn’t there that long but what I saw of it I really liked. The people were wonderful, like all the people I meet at the workshops. I’m always struck by what a difference the book is making in people’s spiritual paths and in their study of A Course in Miracles.
 Which reminds me, I’d like to thank Dr. Wayne Dyer for writing about me and the book in his new book called, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling. He calls The Disappearance of the Universe “fascinating” and “profound” and actually adapts some of it for the next couple of pages in his book. (See pages 29-31 of Inspiration.) He also mentions that two spiritual beings appeared to me and explained the teachings of A Course in Miracles. He said he’d let people make up their own minds about that, but he found the teachings to be worthy of consideration. That’s cool. And I find the the teachings to be the most important thing in my life. Which is why I’m off to Austin, Texas to one of my very favorite venues, The Crossings. The Crossings started out as part of Omega Institute and then went off on its own and is doing very well. They have a great location in the hills overlooking a nice lake, and they also have a spa, swimming pool, great food and fine teaching facilities. I see on the weather report that the temperature will be in the 80s. I hate to leave the Maine winter for something like that, but if you’re going to spread the word you’ve got to travel. I’m really looking forward to this 3-day workshop. Most of the workshops are one-day, so I get to be more in-depth at The Crossings and also when I do Omega Institute, which I just did in Costa Rica and which I’ll be doing in Rhinebeck, New York again this summer. The Rhinebeck location is great in the summer, and if you’re interested in attending you can go to the Appearances page of this website and link to more info. (See July 21-23.) BTW, there’s also a link to buy copies of the book on the homepage of this website. You can get a good price at the page it links to and also fast delivery. So if you’d like to share the book with someone that’s a great way to do it.
I’ll be spending a lot of time traveling and teaching this year, and now that the second book is done I’ll be turning my writing time to the screenplay based on the first book. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could go to the movies, which I love to do anyway, and see Matt Damon playing me? Nah, he’s not good looking enough (LOL). Anyway, it would also make the teachings better known. Right now the book is more of an underground hit. Yes, it will sell hundreds of thousands of copies (I once confided to my first publisher, D. Patrick Miller, that Arten and Pursah had told me that), but it’s too radical and specific to be a mainstream thing unless something like a movie makes it better known. The middle of the road TV talk show hosts (who think they’re so progressive when they’re not) won’t touch it. So maybe Arten and Pursah have other avenues to get these teachings to those who are ready for them, just as has been happening all along. Well, maybe I should pack up and head out. The eyes of Texas are upon me. Maybe George will have me over to the ranch. Have a great week. Love, Gary
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March 16, 2006. Hi Friends, today I flew into Chicago and was whisked away to the snowy suburbs just north of the city where I’ll be doing an all day workshop on Saturday. If you’re in the area and would like to be a last minute participant the contact information, as always, is available at the Appearances page of this website. It’s quite a contrast between snowy Illinois and the Lone Star State I went to last week, where the temperature was in the 80s every day. It’s fun to be in the Chicago area though, and it’s also fun to think that Monday is the first day of spring.
The 3-day workshop I did in Austin last weekend, at The Crossings was great for me to experience, and I got to go in-depth and also share some new material from the second book. The people were wonderful, and I got a kick out of the way they shared The Disappearance of the Universe with the students who were attending other classes. The onsite bookstore had about 100 copies of the book and they sold out while I was there. The message is definitely being spread. In fact, The Crossings and I have decided to do the same length workshop twice in 2007, in March and September — so you guys in Texas as well as those around the country who like to get away to a great retreat environment, which also has a wonderful spa, may want to keep that in mind for next year. The only other in-depth workshop I’ll be doing this year will be for Omega Institute at the Rhinebeck, New York location July 21-23. Rhinebeck is a perfect place to have a 3-day summer workshop, and I’m really looking forward to going back there as well. Have a great week and keep on forgiving. Love, Gary
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March 23, 2006. Hi Friends. Well, spring has sprung, and so have I. And there’s nothing like a new illusory project to get your heart beating in tune with the illusory universe. In this case it’s my pleasure to tell you about some beautiful “Enlightenment Cards” that my publisher, Hay House, has produced called Thoughts from The Disappearance of the Universe.
I’m honored to present to you the enlightenment thoughts that my teachers in the book, Arten and
Pursah, asked me to pass along in the form of these cards. Also known as St. Thaddaeus and St. Thomas, they are very happy to help lead you to an enlightened mind, and I’m honored to play my part in sharing this message. The cards consist of mostly (but not exclusively) the quotations that were set aside in boxes on the sides of some of the pages in the book, and the artwork is beautiful. I hope you enjoy them. The cards can be purchased at the Hay House website via this
link. Enjoy, and happy spring! Love, Gary
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March 30, 2006. Hi Friends, Today my dream finds me in Mesa, Arizona, where I’ll be doing a workshop this Saturday at the Unity Church. You last-minute types can find the contact info for this workshop at the April 1st listing on the Appearances page of this website. Arizona is really great (this is my second time here) and I hope to stop by Sedona for the first time on Sunday just to look around. I came here from Fort Collins, Colorado, where I spoke on Tuesday night in front of my biggest crowd ever at the Lincoln Center. It was a great experience.
In coming weeks I’ll be telling you about the new Spanish edition of The Disappearance of the Universe, which is just starting to find its way around the world. I’ll also be telling you about two new audio tapes I’ve recorded that will be released nationally. There will be many exciting things happening leading up to the release of my second book with Arten and Pursah in September. Have a great week and keep on forgiving! Love, Gary
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April 6, 2006. Hi Friends. Well, it was one year ago today when I started writing these weekly messages, and it really has added some fun to all of my travels and other work. I hope when you get a chance you’ll check out the weekly archives, which give kind of a running history of the last year. It’s been a real trip!
My visit to Arizona last week was very interesting. I did a workshop in Mesa, not far from Phoenix, spoke at a Sunday morning church service, and also got to visit Sedona for the first time. It’s a pretty place. One thing, though. The Indians won’t live in Sedona because they know that all that magnetism isn’t good for your mind. In fact it can drive you a little crazy after a while. So the question is, what are all those teachers like David Hawkins and Robert Perry doing there? (LOL) Anyway, I’ve been told it won’t affect you to visit there for a week or so. So if you haven’t been there and get the opportunity to visit, I’d highly recommend it. Have a great week! Love, Gary
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April 13, 2006. Hi Friends. This message will be repeated below in Spanish. It’s with great pleasure that I tell you about the Spanish Edition of The Disappearance of the Universe, La desaparicion del universo. I hope you will share this message with your Spanish speaking friends and relatives. More people in the world speak Spanish than English, and the Spanish were the first Europeans to come to the new world, including America. (You’ll notice the oldest buildings in California are Spanish.) Today, A Course in Miracles, which is the major teaching that is revealed in The Disappearance of the Universe, is spreading more quickly in Spanish than any other language.
Great care has been taken to present the message of Disappearance to the Spanish speaking community of the Americas. Originally translated by Editorial Siro of Spain, I received cooperation from them in allowing a team of Spanish speaking students of both The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles composed of Martha Lucia Constain assisted by Patricia Besada and Miguel Munevar to revise the translation so it would be clearer for Spanish speaking people in North and South America. The result is a Spanish Edition of the book that is just as clear as it was in the original English. I think this is important, because many Spanish speaking people’s introduction to the Course has come from a cult that does not really represent the message of the Course. I think it’s vital to spread the authentic message to everyone.
In that spirit, there is a Spanish page dedicated to the book, presented by The Another Way Foundation. Also, here is a direct link to buy the Spanish Edition of The Disappearance of the Universe at Amazon.com. I know this Edition will be an important contribution to sharing the message of A Course in Miracles and my Ascended Master Teachers, Arten and
Pursah, in Spanish, and I’m honored to be able to play a small role in presenting this great teaching to my Spanish speaking brothers and sisters. Love, Gary
Message in Spanish follows. Please forward!
Hola Amigos. Es un gran gusto hablarles de la Edición en Español de “La Desaparición del Universo” (“The Disappearance of the Universe” en Inglés). Espero que puedan compartir este mensaje con sus amigos y familiares que hablen el Español. Hay más gente que habla Español en el mundo que gente de habla Inglesa y fueron los Españoles los primeros Europeos en llegar al Nuevo
Mundo, incluyendo a los Estados Unidos de América. (Inclusive, los edificios más antiguos en California son de Arquitectura Colonial Española). Hoy en día, Un Curso de Milagros, que es la enseñanza mayor revelada a través de “La Desaparición del Universo”, se está desplazando más rápidamente en el idioma Español que en ningún otro
lenguaje.
Hemos tomado muy en serio la tarea de presentar el mensaje de “La Desaparición” a la comunidad Hispano parlante de las Américas. Originalmente fue traducido por la Editorial Sirio de España, y recibí su cooperación para permitir que un equipo de estudiantes del Curso que hablan el Español, integrado por Martha Lucía
Constain, asesorada por Miguel Munevar y Patricia
Besada. Siendo estudiantes de ambos Un Curso de Milagros y La Desaparición del
Universo, ellos revisaron la traducción para que fuera más clara para los lectores de habla Hispana en Norte y Sur América. El resultado es una Edición del libro en Español que es tan clara como lo es en el original idioma Inglés. Yo creo que esto es importante pues mucha gente de habla Hispana ha conocido inicialmente el Curso de Milagros a través de una organización cultista que no representa realmente el mensaje del
curso. Creo que es importante desplazar el mensaje auténtico a todo el
mundo. Siguiendo esta idea, hay entonces un sitio web en Español dedicado al libro al cual se puede enlazar de la página principal de este sitio web. (Es presentado por “Another Way Foundation” o “Fundación Otro Camino” y pueden hacer click aquí para visitarlo. También hay un enlace directo para aquellos que quieren comprar el libro en Español de La Desaparición del Universo en Amazon.com. Yo sé que esta Edición será una contribución importante en el compartir el mensaje de Un Curso de Milagros y a mis Maestros Ascendidos Arten y Pursah en Español y es un gran honor para mi poder jugar un pequeño papel en presentar esta gran enseñanza a mis hermanos y hermanas Hispano
parlantes. Con amor, Gary
P.D. Favor compartir y reenviar este
mensaje!
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April 20, 2006. Hi Friends, I made my first trip to Delaware last week. A friend of mine said, Dela-where? But I must say I was surprised at how pretty a state it is. The green (very green) rolling hills of the horse country were beautiful. Driving past the Dupont estate over a covered bridge and heading to the University of Deleware where the workshop was held on Saturday, and then speaking at the Sunday church service at the Awakened Heart Spiritual Center, were all wonderful experiences. The people were so awesome that I’ve already arranged to go back next year.
I want you to know that I’m very excited about my new audio CD that’s been released by Sounds True. It’s a 7.5-hour presentation that I did in a recording studio, entitled Secrets of the Immortal. I spoke longer in the studio than at most workshops, and there will be a second 2-hour presentation available within a couple of weeks. I did these CDs as though I was talking to just one person (you) and I think it’s the best recorded work I’ve ever done. I hope you enjoy it. Have a great week! Love, Gary
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April 27, 2006
TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY THE HAY HOUSE ENLIGHTENMENT CARDS TITLED
ENLIGHTENMENT CARDS FROM THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE UNIVERSE NOTE: Hay House has released a beautiful set of 72 cards that show statements made by Arten and Pursah. This message explains the top ten reasons you should consider acquiring this potentially important contribution to my retirement.
1. When reading the cards you may have enlightening thoughts because they’re enlightenment cards, which means they’re supposed to make you enlightened, so if you read the enlightened thought on the card you could have more enlightened thoughts, which could then lead to enlightenment. 2. You don’t have to think too much when you’re reading them because they’re really short. 3. Arten and Pursah said the lines in the book that are on the cards, not me. 3 and a half. As it says on the box, if you read these cards everyday it’s guaranteed to lead to enlightenment.
Actually, I never said that and I don’t know how it got on the box, but it sounds really good. 4. I’ll get about $2 for every box that’s sold, which will help me with my ministry in Hawaii. 5. The designs on the cards are very beautiful. Really. Excellent artwork. 6. You can draw cards at study groups and then say what you feel inspired to say about what you just read, even if what you’re saying doesn’t have anything to do with what the card means. 7. If you don’t know how to read, the cards could help you learn. 7 and a half. 72 pick up. 8. All the other big Hay House authors have cards based on their work, and I wanted to have some too. 9. The cards could produce more interest in The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles, which proves that the Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways. 9 and a half. Coasters. 10. You can take the cards to bed with you and pretend you’re spiritual, which may impress your lover.
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May 4, 2006. Hi Friends. First, a heartfelt thanks to Rev. Yvonne, her husband Cal and everyone at The Church Within in Indianapolis for putting on such a great workshop and making me feel so welcome. The Church Within is the coolest place there is, and it was great being there. I’m not even going to wait a year to come back. I’ll see you guys again in October!
I did a talk at the Church service on Sunday morning (I’m such an altar boy) and then after going out to lunch we went to the movies. It was one of the most intense movie going experiences I’ve ever had. "United 93" is an almost real-time recreation of events on September 11, 2001, with the main focus on the only one of the four hijacked planes to not reach its target, due to the heroic actions of the passengers. The film is so well done that as it goes on you begin to feel like you’re actually there in the plane with them. You can’t help but ask yourself what you would have done if you were put in that same situation. I think the answer is that most of us would have done the same things they did. But as a spiritual person going through the experience via the movie, your way of looking at things cannot help but be examined by you.
Would it be possible to forgive and do what needed to be done at the same time? I think it’s possible. Those of you who have read The Disappearance of the Universe may recall an incident I relayed late in the book about a time a man was stabbed to death at a mall I was at, and how I was able to forgive the situation and still help him and the paramedics at the same time. That’s because forgiveness is done at the level of the mind, and it’s possible to take action on the level of the world at the same time. In fact, the clear-headedness that comes as a result of forgiveness can make you MORE effective in dealing with whatever challenge confronts you in the world.
In the critically acclaimed “United 93,” there is no political commentary or judgment made against anyone. They are simply shown as they are. There was great ingenuity and bravery on that day on the part of ordinary people doing their jobs, and passengers thrust into a horror they never could have expected. Both “sides” are seen as devoutly religious, praying to God at the same time. By the end of the film my heart was in my mouth.
It doesn’t matter if you think you know the ending. You still haven’t seen it until you do. It’s not easy to get me to cry anywhere, much less at the movies, but I must admit I had a tear or two in my eye by the end of this extraordinary film. You may not want to go through such an intense experience. But if you’re up for it, “United 93” is a great film that brings to life one of the most unsettling days in American history. Is it too soon for such a film? When asked that question by Larry King on CNN, one of the relatives of the victims simply replied, “It’s too soon to forget.” That may be true, but for our own peace of mind, it’s never too soon to forgive. If you see this film try to practice forgiveness at the same time. It may not be easy, but it certainly is good for you. I not only told myself, “It’s only a movie,” but I found myself saying that if I was one of the passengers in that situation I would have been thinking the same thing, “It’s only a movie.” A very intense movie. Love, Gary
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May 11, 2006. Hi Friends. For this week’s message I’m going to include the e-mail that I sent out to my subscriber base today. The reason is simple: I’m really happy with these new audio CDs from Sounds True. I hope you’ll consider using them to help facilitate your journey home. Here’s the message:
I’ve recorded 10 hours of enlightening material in the studio for Sounds True. I consider this to be easily the best recorded work I’ve ever done. It includes much material from my workshops, some new material never heard before, as well as a preview of my second book with Arten and
Pursah. These are NOT audio books but audio CDs of my personal and workshop materials, put together in an intimate setting where I envisioned myself talking to just one person: you. The longer one, “Secrets of the Immortal” (more than seven hours) has already made the top 10 best sellers at Sounds True, the premier audio company of the spiritual community.
You can go to the link below and get descriptions of the CDs and even preview clips from them. The second CD, which is two and a half hours long, is titled “The End of Reincarnation” and is about no less than that — breaking the cycle of birth and death once and for all. This CD previews some of the material from the second book, to be published on August 15th by Hay House. I hope you’ll enjoy these CDs, which include the most detailed, advanced, and personal work I’ve ever done as a speaker. Love, Gary
ps: Please go to this Sounds True link and click on the names of the titles for more details.
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May 18, 2006. Hi Friends, it was my pleasure last weekend to visit Pathways of Light in Kiel, Wisconsin for the third year in a row. Pathways is an excellent spiritual teaching organization that’s run by Reverends Robert and Mary
Stoelting, who have been there since the early 1990s. Robert and Mary have been involved in the spiritual movement however, since the 1960s. Their location may be out in the boonies, but their hearts and minds are definitely in the right place.
Every time I go there we do a DVD of the workshop. I think the one we did last weekend is the best. If you’d like to preorder it you can do so through Pathways. It’s also possible to preorder my next book from them. Here’s the link.
One of the reasons I love Pathways of Light is that they’re into empowering people to hear the Holy Spirit’s Voice for themselves. They’re not into telling people what to do; they’re into training people to receive their own Guidance. There’s another organization in Wisconsin, which Pathways of Light should not be confused with, that’s very much into telling people what to do. It’s a cult that uses A Course in Miracles for its own purpose, rather than the empowering self-study Course it was meant to be. I’m very grateful that there are wonderful teachers such as Robert and Mary who recognize that no teacher is superior to the students, except in illusions. I’ll be back at Pathways next year, and I encourage you to give your support to Robert and Mary and the great group of people who make up their membership. Love, Gary
* * *
May 25, 2006 •
A Fun Time at the Movies: The Da Vinci Code • Hi Friends, After getting home from Atlanta I decided to go see “The Da Vinci Code” at my local Flagship Cinema here in Auburn, Maine. I was fascinated by the inconsistent buzz I was hearing about the film. On the one hand, the reviews were almost universally negative, with critics falling over themselves all over the world to bash it. On the other hand, I watched the “Ebert and Roeper” TV show (which I recorded while on the road) and they gave the movie two thumbs up! I thought what’s going on here? These guys really know their movies, and when they agree with each other it’s usually a pretty good indicator. So I had a feeling maybe the movie wasn’t so bad after all. Besides, it was directed by Ron Howard. Anyone who can make a film like A Beautiful Mind isn’t exactly an amateur. I was looking forward to seeing who was right about this movie.
 An hour into this two and a half hour film I knew the answer. The critics around the world who have been putting down this movie are, to put it gently, full of crap. It’s a good movie. Does it really matter if some people aren’t used to Tom Hanks’ haircut? I’ve never seen him look so good. (LOL) Hanks does a credible job playing a professor. People have said his part is boring. No! Professors are not known for their charisma, but he definitely has at least a hundred fascinating things to say and do during this movie. There are interesting and even occasionally humorous performances turned in all around him. And there’s actually a lot of interesting history revealed in the film. The scene that visually dissects Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” is mesmerizing. It leaves little doubt that this great artist was making a very provocative statement about Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
Incidentally, the books The Da Vinci Code and The Disappearance of the Universe both came out at the same time, and my teachers, Arten and
Pursah, would agree with The Da Vinci Code about J and Mary being married. They do NOT agree however, with the idea that they had children. They also emphasize that the LAST thing Jesus would have wanted people to do is be distracted by heirs in a so-called “bloodline,” which does nothing but make the body real, and which would be the opposite of what Jesus and Mary were teaching. That notwithstanding, The Da Vinci Code is full of other ideas that Arten and Pursah and both of their books would agree with. The second book, Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death was finished in January and will be released by Hay House on September 1st. In it A & P talk further about Jesus and Mary, Thomas,
Thaddaeus, and a great teacher named Stephen, who like Mary, was almost written out of history.
The moral of this story is that Dan Brown had a book that was so big, having sold 50 million copies, that the hype about the movie was overwhelming and some people couldn’t stand it, so they were pre-conditioned to knock it. That says nothing about the movie and everything about the egos of its critics. As for me, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this interesting and entertaining film to anyone, whether they’re on a spiritual path or not. Go see it with a nice big box of popcorn in front of you, and be prepared for a fun time at the movies. Love, Gary
* * *
 June 1, 2006: The Tao of Travel. Hi Friends, I’ve been thinking this week about the challenges of traveling all over the map to share the message. Two clear things emerge in the mind. 1) It’s worth it, and 2) Getting there is definitely NOT half the fun, especially lately. I completely enjoy meeting people who are into The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles. In fact, it’s been one of the best experiences of my life. It’s not hard once you’re at the location of an event. It’s fun. If it’s not fun then you shouldn’t be doing it. However, I"m starting to understand what Woody Allen meant when he said, “Eighty per cent of life is showing up.” It’s not easy to get from Portland, Maine to Green Bay, Wisconsin in one day to do a workshop the next day, especially when the airline cancels your flight. I left my house at 6am on Friday, May12, and arrived at my destination at midnight. This was in order to do a workshop that would be recorded as a DVD the next morning!
Part of the reason for this is the trend of most airlines to use smaller planes in order to cut costs. They want the planes to be full. Two years ago just about all the planes I flew on had at least 100 seats. Now it’s usually more like 50 seats. I’ve had airlines deliberately cancel the flight I was on in order to have two half full planes combined into one full one. When they do that they usually can’t have all the lugguge on the plane because of a weight issue, so they have an excellent solution: they just leave yours behind! These kinds of “forgiveness opportunities,” as Arten and Pursah and I jokingly refer to them, are happening with great regularity.
So far, I’ve managed to keep my sense of humor (most of the time.) For those of you who are familiar with the idea of The Tao, (pronounced
dow) it is absolute stillness. It’s possible to have the peace of that stillness regardless of what appears to be happening in the world. As long as I know how to practice forgiveness I should be able to find that place within me. Send me your thoughts, and have a great week. Love, Gary
* * *
June 8, 2006. Hi Friends, we had a great workshop last weekend in Cincinnati. It was my first time to Ohio, as well as Kentucky, where I was taken out to eat in Newport. Newport is on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River and Cincy is on the Ohio side. We had a really good crowd at the Garden Park Unity Church, where I also spoke at the Sunday morning Church service the next day. I never could have pictured myself speaking at Church services until I first did so a couple of years ago. But as A Course in Miracles says, “I am among the ministers of God.”
This morning I’m headed for Ft. Myers, Florida, where I hear the temperature is in the 90s. That will be quite a contrast from Maine, where the temperatures are in the 50s and it’s pouring rain. In fact, we’re having a “Noreaster.” Hopefully the delays won’t be as heavy as the rain.
I’m having fun on the road, but I’m also looking forward to a few weeks off this summer before the stuff really hits the fan with the release of the second book and all of the promotional activities that involves. I’m very excited about the second book, Your Immortal Reality, which will be released on September 1st, as well as the success of my two new audio CDs at Sounds True (currently number one and number eleven in sales rankings there.) These are not audio books but recordings I did in a studio of my personal and workshop materials. Have a great week! Love, Gary
* * *
June 15, 2006. Hi Friends, my timing has been good this week in missing the tropical storm that just hit the Southeastern U.S. You see, I was in Ft. Myers, Florida last weekend for a workshop and got out of town and back to Maine on Monday night, just in time to miss the storm hitting Florida. Now, I’m headed off to do another workshop on St. Simon’s Island in Georgia, where the tropical storm just left in time for me to go there. It’s fun when things work out like that. Times have been busy. I taped a radio interview today, and also did a 90-minute presentation tonight on the Internet on “Paltalk.” Thanks to my friend David Fishman for setting that up.
This weekend’s workshop in Georgia is being organized by Lucia
Constain, who some of you will recognize as one of the moderators of the online discussion group that discusses the book, The Disappearance of the Universe. Lucia was also in charge of the team that translated the book into Spanish. It promises to be a great workshop in an idyllic setting, a beautiful island that is also forcast to have good weather. If you’d like to join us the contact info is on the Appearances page of this website. Have a great week and keep on forgiving. Love, Gary
* * *
June 22, 2006. Hi Friends. I was very happy to receive this e-mail this week from Peter Meijer who, along with his wife Vera, translated The Disappearance of the Universe into Dutch. It’s very exciting to see the message of the book and A Course in Miracles being shared around the world in this way, and I’m very grateful to all of the translators.
Your book, our translation, it sells really good and we have not done any advertising except then in a magazine in which we did a review on the book. A lot of people who haven’t read the course are now ready to read it. Of course we do not know what the effect will be on them but somehow the message is spreading. We both experience a new life, another look at this world in which love and kindness is growing. We sincerely hope that you announce the translation in your weekly message.
The publisher of your book at Altamira-Becht informed us yesterday that he has bought the rights of your second book. He has asked us to translate this one too and we gladly accepted!
We want to thank you for the good news you have brought into our lives! We also asked him to sponsor your trip to our country and we really want you to be our guest then.
Peter and Vera, your Dutch friends….. peterjan.eckstein@planet.nl
Hi Peter and Vera, I’ll post your message as well as this answer at the weekly message section of my website. I’m very excited that the book is selling well in your country and you will be translating the second book. And it’s fun to see demand for the foreign rights to Your Immortal Reality before it’s even published. As you know, I’ll be coming to Europe next May and Rita Curtis, who does my international bookings, will work with you and your publisher to arrange my appearances there.
I hope people in the Netherlands who read this will contact you about the Dutch translation. I’m including your e-mail address. I know many people there speak both Dutch and English but would prefer to read the book in Dutch. I’m very grateful to you for your work and attention to detail. Also, I haven’t forgotten to send you back the signed copy of the book in Dutch! I’ll do it soon. God Bless you and the work we all share to spread the message of The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles. Love, Gary
* * *
June 29, 2006. Hi Friends, I’m in Maine, where we’ve finally entered our cherished fourth season of the year. For those of you who don’t know, this is what we call our seasons here: First we have what we call “almost winter.” Then after that we go into our longest season, which we call “winter.” Then after that we have our third season of the year. We call that “still winter.” Then finally, we have the season we’ve all been waiting for, which we are going into right now. We call that “road construction.”
But I love Maine this time of year. It’s a great place to be, and so is the place I visited this week, Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth is right on Lake Superior, the biggest lake in the world. It kind of has the feel of being on the ocean. I stayed in a cool place that was right next to a bridge that instead of opening from the middle to let ships through, actually raises the entire bridge vertically! There’s a great park and a walking area for miles along the lake, and many nice restaurants. I’d highly recommend a visit there. It’s very laid back and the people are wonderful. I’d like to thank Carolyn, Jean, and all the people in Duluth for putting on such a successful workshop. I can’t wait to come back. Have a wonderful and safe fourth of July you guys, and keep on forgiving. Love, Gary
* * *
July 6-13, 2006. Hi Friends. FYI, this message will be on the website for two weeks while I take a vacation, sort of, before resuming my travel schedule with a weekend workshop at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. BTW, the info to sign up for that intense workshop can be linked to from the Appearances page of this website.
Well, the first half of the year has come and gone and I must say it’s been an interesting one. I’ve been very happy with the continuing success of The Disappearance of the Universe as well as the success of my two audio CDs of my workshop and personal material that was put out a couple of months ago by Sounds True. The longest one, “Secrets of the Immortal” (over 7 hours long) is currently number 4 on their best seller list. More info here.
I’m also very happy with the completion of the second book, Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death. The book should be available for delivery by August 15. It’s a controversial book and the initial indications from pre-publication readers are that they either love it or hate it, mostly love it. But that was also the case with The Disappearance of the Universe. I notice most of the reviews of DU at Amazon.com are either one star or five stars (mostly five stars.) But there’s no in between. People either love it or hate it. Maybe that’s a good thing, because it says you’re doing something different. Or, as Monty Python used to say, “And now for something completely different.”
My favorite movie so far this summer is “The Lake House.” There’s something about the subject of time that always intrigues. Prayers for a speedy recovery go out to Roger Ebert, my favorite film critic. BTW, I’ve seen The Da Vinci Code twice, and I attended a family wedding yesterday in New Hampshire. Life is but a dream. Enjoy, and I’ll be back in two weeks. Love, Gary
* * *
July 20, 2006: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Hi Friends. You know, sometimes I think my life has taken on a surreal quality. About a week ago when I dreamt myself starting a “vacation” I heard about this sincere, and perhaps not extraordinarily intelligent woman, calling 911 because she wanted to meet the “cute cop” that she had seen earlier.
I’m not going to pretend to be superior to her. We’re all “calling out for love.” The only difference is, she did it literally! Okay, she may go to jail. But does she deserve to? If she does then I do. I say, let her go! We’re all looking for something. On this level, we think it will show up in the form of a perfect love partner. Yet what we’re really looking for is God. As A Course in Miracles puts it, and as my teachers emphasized in both of the books I’ve written describing my experiences with them, “A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need correct.”
I think that’s true. I think most of us are looking for love and make mistakes in the process. If mistakes are things to be punished then we should all go to jail. But if we’re all just people calling out for love, I’d like to see all of us receive it.
I spent last weekend on Cape Cod. I was born in Massachusetts and yet I never saw the places I saw last weekend. I feel very blessed to be in a position of seeing the sights that remind of the beauty of the illusion, and yet also give me the opportunity to see it through the perception of the Holy Spirit. That’s how I spent my summer vacation. Love, Gary
* * *
July 27, 2006. Hi Friends, we had a great time last weekend at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. First of all, we had a good crowd and they put me in the main hall for the first time. Second, the people were great! It was an in-depth, three-day workshop, and it gave us a chance to explore the dynamic of forgiveness very deeply. It also gave me a chance to answer more questions than usual. I like the question and answer format. A lot of speakers nowadays have the audience write down questions in advance and then pick the ones they want to answer and ignore the ones they don’t want to answer. I don’t do that. I answer people’s questions face to face, no matter what the question is. I’ve been doing it for the last three years, and I’ve answered all the questions about my experiences with Arten and Pursah as well as thousands of questions about A Course in Miracles. I also like the experiential exercises in forgiveness and the meditations we do in the workshop. These develop over time and have evolved. I know that process will continue.
This weekend I’m heading to Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, way out west near the Canadian Rockies. I’ve been to Edmonton but this will be my first time in Alberta. I’m also promised a ride over to see Banff, which is supposed to be absolutely stunning. Before the first book came out I’d never been to Canada, even though I live in Maine, which borders Canada! But this will be my seventh trip to Canada in the last two and a half years. I love it there, and I’ve got my passport all packed. Have a great week, and keep on forgiving. Love, Gary
* * *
August 3, 2006. Hi Friends, as I write this I’m about to take off to the friendly skies again toward the metropolis of Atlanta, or as they call it in the summer,
Hotlanta. There’s a workshop in the area on Saturday and if you’re the last minute type you can always find the contact info for every workshop on the Appearances page of this website. It’s going to be a hundred degrees there on Saturday (as it is in many parts of the country right now) and that air conditioning could be a perk! I’m talking a lot more about the second book now in the workshops and I’m making the transition to speaking about both books instead of one. It’s both fun and challenging.
I also include a question and answer session in each workshop of at least an hour, in which I answer any questions people may have face to face. I notice some of the speakers lately are having the audience write down questions and then picking and choosing what they answer. Hah! I don’t do that. I’ll continue to answer any questions you have about my experiences with Arten and Pursah or any of the teachings and events in the books until the cows come home, and I won’t just choose the questions I like. I’ve been doing this for three years now, and I have nothing to hide. (Except my sex life. LOL.)
Last weekend, aside from doing a fun and interesting workshop in Calgary, Alberta, I got to go to Banff, at the beginning of the Canadian Rockies, which is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I’m told it’s like going to the Swiss Alps, and even though I haven’t seen the Swiss Alps I believe it. I won’t bother trying to describe Banff. I’ll just say if you ever get the chance to go there, do it. And make sure to see the Banff Springs Hotel both inside and out and enjoy the views. Walk around town and also do the Gondola ride. We saw the area in bright sunshine with temperatures in the 70s, and then got caught in a snowstorm at the top of the Gondola ride! Thanks to Raquel and Dave for being such great hosts, Ay? I love the Canadian people. They’re so laid back. I think it has something to do with not trying to run the world. Have a great week and keep on forgiving. Love, Gary
* * *
August 10, 2006. There has been tremendous attention to and concern about the war in the Middle East. Many people want to know what they can do. The best thing they can do in the world, which is the level of effect, is be normal and work for peace. However, if they want to know what they can really do to help bring about world peace, then the answer will not be found in the world at all, but in the mind. That’s because, as my teachers Arten and Pursah so adamently stress in our new book, Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death, the mind is where you’ll find the cause of the problems that show up in the world, and the world is just an effect.
People have been trying for thousands of years to bring about world peace through diplomacy. Recently, we’ve had a League of Nations, which failed, and a United Nations, which has produced mixed results at best. Today, many people want to make a Department of Peace in the U.S. government. As my teachers point out, that’s a nice idea. Just don’t expect it to work. That’s because it doesn’t deal with the real problem, it just deals with the effect. That can only have a temporarily helpful impact. Any permanent solution to the problem must be found at the level of cause.
In The Disappearance of the Universe, my teacher Pursah said something that for me hit the nail right on the head. She said, “The people of the world will never live in peace until the people of the world have inner peace.” That’s because, as A Course in Miracles puts it, what we see on the outside (which isn’t really there!) is simply an outer reflection of an inner condition. As long as there is conflict in the mind, there will be conflict in the world, and any attempt to end it is a temporary fix, doomed to failure in the long run. Ironically, what will really help the world is not done in the world. It’s done in the mind, and it’s a certain kind of forgiveness which takes responsibility for being at cause and not effect. This kind of forgiveness undoes the conflict in the mind. And when you fix the cause then the effect, by definition, must follow.
I speak at a lot of Sunday morning Unity Church services, and they always end with that pretty song, “Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.” When enough people learn that it begins with them, at the level of cause and not effect, then peace on earth will be inevitable. Until then, we do our part and know that there’s no such thing as an idle thought, and that every thought of love and forgiveness is having an effect on the world, but more importantly, is healing the cause of the world. Love, Gary
* * *
August 17-24, 2006. Hi Friends, this message will remain on the website for two weeks and the next one will be on August 31. I got back from Canada on Monday and I'm taking this weekend off. It will be the last one I take off this year as I'm getting ready to go out and share the second book with everyone. I’m very excited. The initial reaction to Your Immortal Reality
(YIR) is very encouraging, and I appreciate your messages.
I started off last Thursday morning with a two hour bus ride to Boston (ah, the glamorous life of an author!) and when I got to Logan airport I found out about all the terrorist concerns. I’ve never seen such long lines and tight security before. My job just got a little more challenging. We can’t even bring water on the planes with us. Can you say dehydration? (LOL) I had two flights that day, from Boston to Toronto and Toronto to Fredericton, with a 3-hour delay in Toronto. This is what travel is becoming more and more like. It was that way coming home too. I’m getting used to it all though. As we say at the Yahoo Discussion group called, “The Disappearance of the Universe” it’s JAFO (just another forgiveness opportunity.)
Canada was a lot of fun, as usual. I went to Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, for the first time. I even got to walk around St. Thomas University. Fredericton is a lovely town of 80,000 and I’d like to thank everyone there for putting on such a great workshop. Next week I’m off to Colorado to start the YIR tour. I'll be integrating the message of both books into the workshops from now on. You can always see the up to date schedule, including contact info, on the Appearances page of this website. I hope to meet you, or to see you again! Love, Gary
* * *
August 31, 2006.
Hi Friends, it’s a bittersweet week for the history of this website, as the person who designed it, D. Patrick Miller, will be leaving as my webmaster. I’ve received so many compliments the last year and ten months since the website has been in operation that I have to think it's one of the best sites going. Patrick is completely responsible for that. As you know, he’s also been my publishing consultant and was the first publisher of The Disappearance of the Universe. Can this guy pick ’em or what! (LOL) I originally started out with a page or two at Patrick's website ( www.fearlessbooks.com ) and then he was happy to design this site for me when Disappearance was picked up by Hay House. It was also Patrick who recommended that I participate in the Yahoo discussion group that talks about my books. Since then the group has grown to become the biggest online discussion group about A Course in Miracles. Patrick foresaw that before I did. Don’t tell him, but I think he’s really smart.
Patrick has recently decided to concentrate on literary services rather than publishing, and he performs many kinds of services, including critiquing manuscripts. If you want advice on something you’ve written or how to proceed with a project, I’d recommend you take it to him. As I say in the Introduction to my new book, Your Immortal Reality, Patrick is more directly responsible for my success than any other person. I’ll alway be totally grateful for what he’s done for me. For as A Course in Miracles says, “...love can walk no road except the way of gratitude, and thus we go who walk the way to God.” (W373) Peace, Gary
* * *
September
7,
2006.
Hi
Friends,
I'm
off
to
Santa
Fe,
New
Mexico,
where
the
air
is
rare
(almost
8,000
feet
up!)
to
give
a
workshop.
I
was
there
a
couple
of
years
ago
and
had
a
great
time.
The
last
couple
of
weeks
I"ve
been
to
some
REALLY
cool
places,
like
Boulder,
Colorado,
where
I
took
in
the
town
and
spoke
at
the
Boulder
Bookstore,
and
Denver,
where
I
did
a
workshop
at
the
Rocky
Mountain
Miracle
Center.
Then
I
found
myself
in
Texas,
where
I
visited
San
Antonio
and
enjoyed
the
Riverwalk
and
visited
The
Alamo.
I
have
a
lot
of
affection
for
the
Alamo
and
maybe
I'll
tell
you
why
sometime.
Then
I
went
to
the
coolest
place
in
Texas,
Austin.
I
also
heard
an
excellent
band
downtown
called
"The
Texas
Sapphires."
Great
group.
I
did
a
workshop
at
Unity
Church
of
the
Hills
in
Austin
last
Saturday
and
then
spoke
at
both
of
their
Church
services
on
Sunday
morning.
The
people
were
great
and
the
second
book,
"Your
Immortal
Reality:
How
to
Break
the
Cycle
of
Birth
and
Death"
is
already
taking
off.
I"m
really
encouraged
by
the
comments
of
the
readers.
Thanks
a
lot!
Well,
I
have
an
early
flight.
Things
are
hectic
as
I"ve
been
doing
a
lot
more
interviews
than
I
did
before,
but
it's
fun
too.
Have
a
great
week
and
keep
on
forgiving.
Love,
Gary
* * *
September
14,
2006
Movie
Recommendation:
Little
Miss
Sunshine
Hi
Friends,
As
you
may
know,
once
in
a
while
I
like
to
share
a
movie
recommendation.
Last
night
I
had
an
excellent
experience
at
my
local
theater.
Tuesday
is
bargain
matinee
night
(hey,
$2
saved
is
$2,
LOL)
and
I
went
to
see
Little
Miss
Sunshine.
This
is
a
movie
with
a
great
cast
that
knows
how
to
deliver,
including
Greg
Kinnear,
Toni
Collette,
Steve
Carell,
Alan
Arkin,
Paul
Dano,
and
Abigail
Bresline,
who
steals
some
scenes,
and
also
your
heart,
as
Olive.
I
won't
go
into
detail
about
the
plot
because
I
think
it's
better
to
just
experience
this
film,
but
I
will
say
that
the
people
involved
are
a
somewhat
dysfunctional
family,
and
that
they're
basically
what
the
world
would
call
a
bunch
of
losers.
They
take
to
the
road
to
bring
Olive
to
compete
in
a
child's
beauty
contest
out
of
state.
But
what
the
movie
is
really
about
is
their
resiliency,
and
ultimately
their
love.
Throughout
the
film
there
are
scenes
that
are
hysterical,
and
others
that
are
gut
wrenching.
It's
a
reflection
of
the
world
of
relationships
that
we
appear
to
live
in.
The
movie
is
rated
"R"
because
grandpa
has
a
tendency
to
use
the
"f"
word.
That
shows
you
how
silly
our
rating
system
is.
If
someone
gets
shot
in
the
belly
it's
rated
PG-13,
but
if
someone
says
a
naughty
word
it's
rated
R.
But
I
digress.
If
you
have
a
chance
to
see
Little
Miss
Sunshine,
take
advantage
of
it.
This
is
a
great
movie,
and
I'd
recommend
you
see
it
if
you're
ready
to
smile,
cry,
and
be
uplifted
before
you
leave
the
theater.
Love,
Gary
* * *
September
21
and
28,
2006
Hi
Friends,
This
message
will
remain
on
the
site
for
two
weeks,
as
today
I'm
headed
for
sunny
California
where
I'll
have
a
nice
variety
of
adventures
in
the
next
9
days.
Among
other
things,
I'll
be
doing
a
workshop
at
Unity
of
Tustin,
near
Anaheim
and
Disneyland.
It's
a
two
day
event
where
I
speak
at
two
church
services
on
Sunday
morning,
September
24,
(9am
and
11am)
and
then
do
the
first
part
of
the
workshop
from
1:30pm
to
4:30pm.
The
last
part
of
the
workshop
will
be
done
from
7pm
to
9pm
on
Monday
night,
September
25.
I
also
have
a
radio
interview
Monday
at
11am
PT,
2pm
ET
on
the
premier
of
the
I
Can
Do
It
Hour
on
Hay
House
Radio
(
www.HayHouseRadio.com
).
In
the
middle
of
next
week
I'll
be
heading
on
down
to
Carlsbad,
California,
near
San
Diego,
which
is
the
home
of
my
publisher,
Hay
House.
I'm
going
there
to
attend
Louise
Hay's
80th
birthday
party.
God
Bless
her.
It
should
be
a
blast!
Then
it's
off
to
Salt
Lake
City
for
a
workshop
on
October
1st.
The
last
time
I
was
there
I
checked
out
the
20
foot
high
statue
of
Jesus
at
the
visitor
center
in
Mormon
Square.
I
don't
remember
him
being
that
tall,
but
it's
a
beautiful
place
to
visit.
BTW,
contact
info
for
both
workshops
mentioned
here
can
be
found
on
the
Appearances
page
of
this
website.
Have
a
happy.
Love,
Gary
* * *
October
5,
2007
Hi
Friends,
It's
been
an
exciting
couple
of
weeks
as
I
made
a
long
trip
to
California
and
also
saw
both
of
the
books
with
Arten
and
Pursah,
"Your
Immortal
Reality:
How
to
Break
the
Cycle
of
Birth
and
Death"
(YIR)
and
"The
Disappearance
of
the
Universe"
(DU)
go
near
the
top
of
the
best
seller
list
at
Amazon.com.
YIR
was
number
2
overall
as
I
write
this,
and
DU
was
number
11
overall.
(They
were
number
1
and
number
5
respectively
in
the
category
of
Religion/Spirituality.)
I"m
really
excited
to
see
two
books
that
are
specifically
about
the
message
of
A
Course
in
Miracles
doing
so
well.
Two
weeks
ago
I
flew
to
Southern
California
and
did
a
sold
out
workshop
at
Unity
of
Tustin,
which
is
right
near
Anaheim.
Southern
Cal
is
a
lot
of
fun,
and
the
people
were
great.
After
working
for
a
couple
of
days
and
doing
a
Hay
House
radio
gig
(and
being
shown
around
the
lovely
area)
I
headed
further
south
to
the
San
Diego
area
and
Carlsbad,
the
home
of
Hay
House.
There
was
a
big
80th
birthday
party
for
the
legendary
Louise
Hay,
and
it
was
a
lot
of
fun.
The
birthday
party
was
held
at
the
Four
Seasons
Resort
and
there
were
450
people,
including
about
200
authors
that
Louise
Hay
has
worked
with
and
helped
over
the
years.
It
was
great
talking
to
so
many
of
the
people
at
Hay
House
who
I've
been
e-mailing
so
much
the
last
two
years,
including
my
new
webmaster
Roberta
Grace.
Louise
Hay,
who
looks
and
acts
30
years
younger
than
she
is
spoke,
as
did
Wayne
Dyer
and
Marianne
Williamson.
Wayne
and
Marianne
also
danced
with
each
other
a
lot.
I
didn't
know
Marianne
was
so
hot.
Anyway,
a
splendid
time
of
food,
music,
dancing
and
talk
was
had
by
all.
I
even
ran
into
my
old
compadre
and
first
publisher
D.
Patrick
Miller.
It's
a
small
world
after
all.
I
also
did
a
workshop
in
Salt
Lake
City
last
weekend
before
heading
back
to
Maine.
I've
always
enjoyed
going
to
Morman
country
and
the
mountain
views
from
SLC
are
the
best.
On
the
way
home
Monday
night
I
got
stuck
for
fourteen
hours
at
O'Hare
airport
in
Chicago
and
ended
up
sleeping
on
the
floor.
Ah,
the
glamorous
life
of
a
best-selling
author.
Have
a
good
one.
Love,
Gary
* * *
October
12,
2006
Hi
Friends,
I
had
a
great
time
at
my
favorite
Church,
the
Church
Within
in
Indianapolis,
Indiana
last
weekend.
I
feel
like
I'm
a
member
of
the
Church
and
the
people
there
are
always
so
good
to
me
it's
inspiring.
I
spoke
at
a
Church
dinner
on
Friday
night,
did
an
all
day
Workshop
on
Saturday,
and
I
spoke
at
the
Church
service
on
Sunday
morning.
It
was
a
lot
of
fun
and
there's
just
something
about
the
people
there
that
makes
it
an
awesome
experience.
I'd
like
to
thank
my
great
friend,
Rev.
Yvonne
Brandenburg
and
her
husband
Cal
for
being
so
wonderful
to
me,
and
the
same
goes
for
all
you
lovely
people
who
I
spent
the
weekend
with.
This
weekend
it's
off
to
Michigan.
I
hear
there's
some
snow
there.
Yikes!
Love,
Gary
* * *
October,
2006
Hi
Friends,
Well,
my
travel
and
interview
schedule
has
become
so
hectic
that
this
weekly
message
section,
which
has
been
going
for
over
a
year
and
a
half,
is
now
going
to
become
a
monthly
message.
Starting
around
November
1,
I'll
post
a
monthly
message
that
will
talk
about
what
happened
the
previous
month
and
what's
coming
up
the
next
month.
We're
going
to
keep
the
archive
section
so
you
can
see
all
of
the
messages,
whether
they
be
the
weekly
or
the
monthly
ones.
So
I
hope
you'll
check
this
section
every
month
starting
on
November
1st.
I'll
give
you
a
hint
about
the
first
monthly
message:
October
was
so
fast
I
could
barely
keep
up
with
it!
Keep
on
forgiving
and
I'll
talk
to
you
soon.
Love,
Gary
November,
2006
Hi
Friends,
October
was
a
wild
month
in
the
annals
of
Renard
travels
and
various
adventures.
Having
just
attended
Louise
Hay's
birthday
party
in
California
and
also
done
a
workshop
in
Tustin,
California,
near
Anaheim,
I
was
also
in
Indianapolis,
Indiana,
East
Lansing,
Michigan,
Minneapolis,
Minnesota,
Houston,
Texas
and
Orlando,
Florida.
On
my
"days
off"
I
went
back
to
Maine
and
tried
to
catch
up
on
e-mails,
regular
mail,
phone
calls,
appointments,
contracts,
writing
articles
and
postings
on
the
Internet,
and
seeing
about
one
movie
a
week.
(In
October
I
saw
Man
of
the
Year,
the
Illusionist,
The
Departed
and
The
Prestige.
All
of
them
good.)
I'm
thrilled
that
the
second
book,
Your
Immortal
Reality:
How
to
Break
the
Cycle
of
Birth
and
Death,
is
doing
just
as
well
or
better
than
the
first
book,
The
Disappearance
of
the
Universe.
It's
a
lot
of
fun
to
be
traveling
around
sharing
it
and
meeting
so
many
people
who
say
the
books
are
changing
their
lives.
Also,
the
7
hour
audio
CDs
of
my
personal
and
workshop
materials,
Secrets
of
the
Immortal,
has
become
one
of
Sounds
True's
most
successful
titles
of
the
year.
I
couldn't
ask
for
much
more.
I'm
really
grateful
to
you
guys
for
sharing
the
message
with
others.
I
hope
to
meet
you
or
to
see
you
again
soon.
Have
a
great
November
and
I'll
have
time
to
write
more
at
the
beginning
of
December.
Love,
Gary
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