On The Road with Gary Renard

April 6, 2005. Hi friends. Every week, unless I’m busy running from airplane to airplane, I’ll be writing a new message here for visitors to the website. (If I’m busy it might get on a day or two late.) This week I’m off to Arizona for the first time. Aside from being happy about doing my first workshop in Mesa, I’m also looking forward to it because I hear the temperature is in the 80s. And I’m VERY excited about appearing on the Coast to Coast AM radio show on Monday, April 11 with George Noory. You can see the details for both of these events on the “Appearances” page. And don’t forget to check out the 7-minute video at the site. It may take a little while to download but I’m told the quality of the video is very good for a website. This is a new video and not the same as the 2 minute video that used to be here. I’ll talk to you next week. Until then, don’t forget what my teachers in The Disappearance of the Universe said, “Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road.” Peace, Gary

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April 13, 2005. Hi fellow mind travelers who appear to be in the projection of time and space (but of course we know we’re really not.) I’ve had a fascinating week so far, and the second half promises to be just as amazing. There are a lot of firsts for me this week. I appeared on the Coast to Coast AM Radio Show with George Noory on Monday night and talked about The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles to an audience of 5 million people. It was a lively interview. I’ve received many encouraging and helpful comments from people about the show, and sales of the book have taken off even more than before. I’m psyched! And for another first, I’m off to Las Vegas in the morning as I take on another new experience, being a featured speaker at the I Can Do It Conference sponsored by Hay House. I’ll be speaking to bigger crowds at this Conference than I ever have before. I have two, two hour presentations, plus radio and magazine interviews, 3 book signings, various meetings, plus I hope to get to know about 30 Hay House employees and 18 other authors! Hmmm, we may need more time.

For those of you who haven’t seen the new 7-minute video at the site please check it out. Also, D. Patrick Miller, my original publisher and still my publishing consultant and webmaster has added a link at the Appearances page to listen to that interview from Coast to Coast AM. Notice how I keep my cool and practice forgiveness even in the face of a difficult situation some 45 minutes into the show. Yikes! It took 12 years of practicing forgiveness to be prepared for that night. And remember, practice makes perfect. Talk to you next week. Love, Gary

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April 20, 2005. Hi friends. I had a fantastic 4 days in Las Vegas at the Hay House “I Can Do It Conference” held at the Sands Expo Center. Seventy-eight- year-old legend Louise Hay gave the keynote talk on Friday night, and as I sat there listening along with 3000 other people she surprised me by naming me as one of the new mentors in her life. She also credited The Disappearance of the Universe with inspiring her to try to practice forgiveness all the time. I was deeply honored. I gave two workshops at the Conference and did three book signings. I also spoke on Hay House Radio and did a magazine interview. And that’s not counting getting to meet literally hundreds of wonderful people. I spoke in front of larger crowds than I ever have before and it was fun. There was a dreamlike quality to the whole thing. As D. Patrick Miller told me just before my first trip to Vegas, it’s “the ultimate illusion.” I agree. I’m grateful to Hay House and its CEO Reid Tracy for putting on such a great event. Now it’s on to Salt Lake City for the International A Course in Miracles Conference and Tribute. I’ll give you my impressions here next week. Love, Gary

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April 27, 2005. It was my great honor to give the keynote talk at the International A Course in Miracles Conference that was held the weekend of April 22 thru the 24th in Salt Lake City. Over 300 Course students from all over the world gathered, and there was a great feeling of love and joining. Twenty-three of the most well-known Course teachers gave workshops and other presentations. My two-hour keynote focused on forgiveness, and a turn away from controversy and back towards using the Course for the purpose it was intended: practicing forgiveness in order to awaken from the dream of time and space. The Conference was organized by Sue Borg of the It’s a Miracle Center in Salt Lake City. I answered questions along with six other teachers during an Introductory session on Thursday night in front of 200 people. All of the speakers spoke and introduced themselves on Friday night. My keynote on Saturday was very well received, resulting in a standing ovation that told me most of the Course in Miracles Community is ready to return to basics and stop wasting time. I think we’re at a real and exciting crossroads in Course history. Let’s get the job done. Love, Gary

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May 5, 2005 (That’s 05-05-05!). Hey friends, I’m writing this from St. Louis where I’m going to do a workshop this weekend. (Not to be a stay-at-home boy, I’m also going to the top of the famous St. Louis Arch, and I’m going to take in a Cardinals game at Busch Memorial Stadium, where the Boston Red Sox won the World Series last October. Go Sox!) As if that’s not enough, I’m going to visit (or re-visit) the Cahokia Mounds, where the great American Indian teacher known as the Great Sun lived. The Great Sun and my relationship with him is discussed in the second chapter of The Disappearance of the Universe. Hey, we had a GREAT workshop last weekend at The Church Within in Indianapolis. The big crowd was great to work with, and the love and support I felt during the breaks, lunch and the Church service the next day was inspiring. Like Indiana, this is my first trip to Missouri. This makes 26 states where I’ve taught A Course in Miracles. I’m very grateful to be sharing the message. Talk to you soon, and keep on forgiving. And if there’s nothing to forgive, celebrate! Love, Gary

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May 11, 2005. Hey guys, I’m happy to let you know that the publisher, Sirio, of Malaga, Spain has finished it’s first draft of the translation of The Disappearance of the Universe (DU) into Spanish. I am now having two associates who understand the Course well and speak Spanish go through the translation to make sure it is a good one. One of these translators is Martha Constain. Martha shares the same goal as me that the translation of DU be one that will work for cultures in our hemisphere such as Mexico, Argentina, the Spanish speaking people in America and Martha’s original home, Columbia. I’m very grateful to Martha and Miguel Munevar in Florida for their work in teaching A Course in Miracles (ACIM) in Spanish and helping with the Sirio translation of DU.

I personally believe that Martha Constain will be one of the most important Course teachers in Spanish. She also has a great personal story to tell and I’m looking forward to her own writing. This is very important because more people in the world speak Spanish than English, and A Course in Miracles is growing more quickly in Spanish than in any other language. BTW, the hundreds of quotations from ACIM that are used in DU will come from the official translation of ACIM into Spanish that was published by The Foundation for Inner Peace. Our goal is that the Spanish translation of DU be as faithful as possible to the meaning found in the original English edition as well as in the teachings of ACIM itself. I hope my Spanish speaking friends will spread the word that DU will be available in Spanish, probably in about six months. Love, Gary

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May 18, 2005. Hi friends, I had a wonderful time and we had a great workshop last weekend at Pathways of Light in Kiel, Wisconsin. “Pathways” is an excellent “A Course in Miracles” based teaching center. Their focus is on empowering people to hear the Holy Spirit’s Voice for themselves, rather than telling people what to do. Revs. Robert and Mary Stoelting, who run Pathways, are the salt of the earth, and I’m honored to have them as my friends. We also made my second DVD, which will be available in the fall. The four-hour DVD is available through them.

This weekend I’m off to Unity Spiritual Center in the Pattenburg-Asbury area of New Jersey for a Sunday afternoon workshop. I’ll also be speaking at the church service on Sunday morning. That’s right, I speak at church services too! Who’d a thunk it? In any case, I’ll be taking most of July and August off this year to focus on finishing my second book. But I WILL be doing a 5 day workshop at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York in late July. For info on that you can go to my Appearances page and click on the link at the July 25 listing. Thanks and love, Gary

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May 26, 2005. Hi Friends, I had a lot of fun in New Jersey last weekend, appearing at the Unity Spiritual Center in Asbury, toward the Pennsylvania border. It’s always a kick to land in Newark and see the New York City skyline across the river, with the Empire State Building dominating the scene, and feel the excitement of the area. The workshop was a great experience, with 130 participants determined to get the most out of our time together. It’s been very important to me to be able to meet people face to face. Because of that I’ve been able to see what a difference the book is making in people’s lives. When you’re on the Internet and people communicate with you, you can’t see the expression on their face, you can’t hear the tone of their voice and really get their attitude. But in person their are no such restrictions, and I’ve been deeply moved by the sincere reaction of people to the book and the workshops, which make me know that The Disappearance of the Universe is making a profound difference in the personal mindset of countless students. I’ve more than grateful to be able to participate in this process.

Today I head for Nova Scotia, my fifth visit to Canada, to do book signings, interviews and a workshop in Halifax. I love Canada, the people are so laid back. If you’re in the area you can contact the person listed on the Appearances page of this website and drop in to say hi. I hope to meet you! Love, Gary

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June 2, 2005. Hi friends. It’s been another wild week for this ramblin’ guy. I spent last weekend in Halifax, Nova Scotia, We did a great workshop at a local college sponsored by Denise Leppard of “One Spirit”. I also spoke at a local church and did a book signing at an area store. The people of Canada have been very receptive to me and the book, and I always love to hop over the border. I’ve been there 4 times in the last year, and I’ll also be going to Toronto on June 25. But I’ll give you an idea of how much I travelled before the book came out. I live in Maine, and until last year I had never been to Canada!

I spent the last two days taking care of some business in New York City, including meeting with producer Sandra Martin about taking part in a potential TV project. Hey, you never know. And now it’s off to Denver, where I hope to be Rocky Mountain high by the weekend. I’m doing a talk Friday night as well as an all day workshop on Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Miracle Center. I love this place because they concentrate exclusively on A Course in Miracles. I was there last year and I’m very happy to be going back. Have a great week and I hope you’ll remind people there’s a 7 minute video of me for all to see if they scroll down on the home page of the website. Love, Gary

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June 8, 2005. Hi friends. I had an extraordinary time in Denver last weekend. We had a good crowd for both events at the Rocky Mountain Miracle Center, including over 120 people on Friday night (despite torrential rains and flooding!) and another 150 for the all day workshop the next day. I’d like to thank David, Liisa, BJ, Charlotte, Sheron and all the people who made the weekend so memorable. This weekend I’m off to North Carolina and the Raleigh-Durham area, where I’ll be doing two workshops sponsored by the Janis Foundation. Joe Janis was a Catholic Priest who was very close to Helen Schucman, the scribe of A Course in Miracles. In fact Jon Mundy told me that Joe was like a son to Helen, along with Jon, Ken Wapnick and Judy Skutch, who was like a daughter. I’m honored to be working with the Janis Foundation on this workshop. If you’d like more info about this weekend you can use the contact info at this website. Well, I’d better hit the sack if I’m going to make that plane in the morning.. There’s a lot of upcoming news, so please check the weekly message here and let your friends know about the website! Love, Gary

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June 16, 2005. Well friends, I’m out the door to Oregon, where I’ll be doing a workshop this weekend near Portland. If you’re in the area and want to attend you’ll find the contact info on the Appearances page of this website. I had a wonderful conversation last night with Judy Skutch, the publlisher of A Course in Miracles (ACIM). Judy was in great spirits and really enjoyed telling me stories about her adventures, as I enjoyed telling her about some of mine. It’s been a great joy for me to be able to communicate with people who were there at the beginning of the birth of the Course, like Judy and Ken Wapnick. They’ve been very nice and helpful to me. I also appreciate their sense of humor, which I take as a sign of wisdom. I was also honored to go to North Carolina last weekend and do appearances that were sponsored by The Janis Foundation. Joe Janis was a close friend of Helen Schucman, the scribe of ACIM. The very first ACIM group in the world was started by Joe, and I got to meet several of the original members. Helen herself visited that group along with Bill Thetford, her partner in the scribing of the Course, in 1976. While in N.C. I had an extremely busy weekend. There were big crowds for two book signings, two workshops and two Sunday morning church services. The airline also lost my bag twice. I guess everything was coming up twos. Thanks to the Janis Foundation and all you guys in North Carolina. I had a great time, and I can’t wait to come back. Love, Gary

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June 23, 2005. Hi Friends, I had a wonderful time in the Portland, Oregon area last weekend. We did a fine workshop at the Unity Church in Beaverton. I also spoke at two church services on Sunday morning. I’d like to thank Ted Brunnel for doing such a great job setting the whole thing up. I’m always moved when I meet people who express to me how much the book has meant to them. That’s what keeps me going. Of the thirty states I’ve been to so far, I think Oregon is one of my three favorites, after Hawaii and California. It’s really beautiful and the people are friendlier than anyplace else I’ve been, except Hawaii. By that I mean the people in general. The people who come to the workshops are the same everywhere, because most of them have read the book and/or they are students of A Course in Miracles. You can’t lose with those kinds of people, at least not in person. (The Internet is another story. Don’t get me started!) Tomorrow morning I’m off for my fifth visit to Canada, this time to Toronto. Hey, maybe I’ll go to the top of the CN Tower. That would be wicked cool. I have a gig on Saturday for the Learning Annex of Canada. The contact info can be linked to from the Appearances page of this website. Next week I’m going to do something unusual; I’m staying home! When people ask me when the summer weather happens in Maine I tell them, “The 4th of July.” So I guess I should be here to enjoy it. Have a happy. Love, Gary

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June 30, 2005. Hey, guys and guyettes. What a way to end the first half of the year! The workshop I did in Toronto for the Learning Annex of Canada was nothing less than a revelation, as I met many people whom I felt an affinity for. I don’t want to offend America, but I’ve always felt that the people I’ve met in Canada ( 5 visits now ) have a certain laid-backness that we could all learn from. Maybe it’s because they don’t have an investment in running the world. (LOL) Many of my workshops end up being personal, in the sense that the people there share with me their spiritual experience. I could never express how much this means to me, or how much I realize that none of this would have been possible if I had not listened to you, the readers of the book, and gone out there and taken the plunge to express and reveal myself to you, and been greeted with nothing but love, acceptance, and encouragement. I’m deeply grateful. I’m shifting gears now. I have a second book to finish. I’m not a writer, much less a scholar, but I do feel that I have a responsibility to finish this project, in which I think my teachers prove their brilliance, and reinforce my place as a student. I thank you for a level of support that I never would have imagined. I grow more and more certain that this is not about me, but about an awakening that is way beyone the concept of silly individualism. Love, Gary

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July 7, 2005. Hi friends. Well, I’ve taken off my Workshop hat for a few weeks and I’m here in Maine pretending that I’m a writer. The work on the second book is progressing, although Arten and Pursah have needled me a little bit, all in good fun, about my slowness. The part I have the most difficult time with is my narration. It’s hard to capture what was going on for me and get it just right, but I don’t feel good about the narration unless it rings true to my experience. So I keep going over it until it feels perfect. Also, the Holy Spirit is always correcting me as I go along. So I end up being edited by a higher power than myself. My inserted notes and narration are how I tell my story. The Disappearance of the Universe may be a critically acclaimed spiritual teaching, but it’s also my life from 1992 through 2001. The second book, which is subtitled “How To Break The Cycle of Birth and Death” (I’m instructed not to tell you the title until after the book is done) is also an advanced spiritual teaching, as well as a very practical one. But once again, it’s also my life, that is, what I was going through at the time and how I was changed as a result of it. As for the conversations in the book, they just happen. So it’s mainly a question of transcribing them accurately. Incidentally, I was watching this good movie called “Wonder Boys,” in which Michael Douglas plays a writer who is struggling to finish his second book. The movie has a good cast, including Robert Downey Jr, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes, Richard Thomas, etc. I’m not having quite as much trouble with my second book as the Michael Douglas character (although we both have a common problem of having too much material rather than not enough), but I could identify with the situation of a writer who is finding it a great challenge to follow up on his first successful book. With any luck, and the Holy Spirit, the result will be a happy one. Love, Gary

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July 14, 2005. Hi friends. Happy Bastille Day! In this illusion I’m part French, so I couldn’t resist acknowledging Bastille Day. In fact, my last name means fox in French. I’m hoping people will like The Disappearance of the Universe when it’s finished being translated into French. The release date for the French edition looks to be around January. Happily, after many years of delays, there will finally be a French version of A Course in Miracles next month! I’m sure you guys in Quebec are happy about that. I’m told that French is not an easy language to translate; there are many subtle nuances and meanings that vary with gender. Anyway, Disappearance is being translated by Arianne Publishers in Quebec and will be available worldwide in International French. I hope to go to Montreal next year and talk about the book. Would I need a translator? Would they boo me for not speaking French? Ah, the great unknown. I’ve been to Canada 5 times to talk about the book so far, but I haven’t been to Montreal yet. How about next April right after I do the big Hay House Conference in Toronto? Sounds good to me. Well, as you guys with a sharp eye may be able to tell by the nature of this message, I’m sort of on vacation. I’m also sort of writing my second book. Those of you who read the first one know what a slacker I am, and the beaches of Maine have been beckoning the last couple of weeks. Quite a few people come down to the Maine beaches from Canada, so you hear a lot of French being spoken. Summers in Maine are great, and the sound of the waves and the feeling of being at the coast renew me. It’s not my fault. I’m a Pisces and I love the ocean. Hey, any excuse will do. The word French is used eleven times during this blog. No French people were harmed during the writing of this message. Love, Gary

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July 21, 2005. Hey friends, I went into Portland (Maine that is; swimming pools, movie stars — LOL) tonight to have dinner with some old friends. The full moon on the calm ocean during a rare, hot summer night in Maine was a beautiful sight. We ate on a famous “floating restaurant” in the Old Port section of the city and talked about happy times, past and present. One of the people I was meeting with was Dan, my best friend of many years who drove up from Massachusetts and who also happened to be the lead singer of the band I was in during the last ten years I was a musician. For those of you who don’t know, I was a professional guitar player. I write on pages 3-4 of The Disappearance of the Universe about how I was experiencing conflict at the time (1992) with “a friend and former business partner whom I felt had treated me unfairly.” That person was Dan. I also write in that narration about how I wrote to Dan and told him I wanted to remove conflict from my life. Well, within about six months both Dan and I were doing the Workbook of A Course in Miracles together, and our relationship returned to one of friendship, which is still the case today, twelve and a half years later. We had a great time tonight eating fresh New England seafood, reminiscing about the old days, and discovering that we don’t feel any older today than we did twenty years ago. It’s beautiful to know that the unique brand of forgiveness I started to learn as described in the book made it possible for me to be friends rather than enemies with Dan these last twelve years. I’m deeply grateful for the turns my life has taken, but I know none of it would have been possible without that determination twelve years ago to find a better way. This was the same kind of decision that was made by Helen and Bill, the scribes of the Course, to find another way. We will all make that decision at some time. Perhaps you already have. But if you haven’t, you are invited to do so now. Love, Gary

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July 28, 2005. Hi friends. I’m at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, doing a week-long workshop, the longest I’ve ever done. I’m teaching the same group of people for 22 hours this week! And that’s not counting an introductory talk I’ll be giving to other people at Omega tomorrow night. It’s great to be able to spend so much time with the people here and get to know them so well. I’ve already decided to come back next year. I like the relaxed country setting and an atmosphere that is very good for spiritual learning. I also recorded a video interview today that will be available at the Omega website in the fall to explain what the workshop is all about. It was fun doing the interview. I felt like I was on television. Could that be next? When I get home to Maine I’ll be getting back to work on finishing the second book. It’s not easy finding the time to do everything, but I’m sure having a good time trying! I hope you’re enjoying your summer, and I’ll keep you posted every week as to developments. Love, Gary

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August 4, 2005. Hey friends. It was an exhilarating experience leading a Workshop last week for Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. For five days a group of us explored The Disappearance of the Universe (DU) and A Course in Miracles very deeply, doing meditations and exercises that I’ve never done in a workshop before, although they will be done from time to time in future workshops. The participants themselves were awesome, and we had a great sense of community among us. We even took a group picture just for the fun of it. Five days gave me enough time to tell the participants (I think we can just call each other friends, now) everything I wanted to tell them. Much information was presented, but only because it’s necessary to understand the background in order to really get into the application of advanced or “quantum” forgiveness. Application is the most important part. On page 234 of DU my teachers say, “Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road. Without forgiveness, metaphysics are useless.” It’s only the application of this new kind of forgiveness, as explained in the book and practiced in the workshops, that accelerates the undoing of the ego and the experience that both DU and A Course in Miracles are directed towards. We got to practice this in depth in the workshop, and I hope to do more events of this kind in the future, including the Omega campus in Costa Rica in February (see my schedule at the Appearances page) and return visits to Omega in New York next year and maybe even a cruise. I’ll keep you posted. Love, Gary

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August 11, 2005. Hi Friends, I just finished listening to all six hours of the forthcoming audio book CD of The Disappearance of the Universe (abridged). It will be available in November from Hay House. Doing this audio book was a great and expansive experience for me. For one thing, going to California in the spring to do the recording and staying in Laguna Beach for the first time really opened my eyes to the beauty of that area. The recording was actually done in Newport Beach, just north of there. I felt like one of the Beach Boys going into the studio. One of the most interesting things about this audio book is that instead of using just one voice, like most audio books, we used three. I play myself, voice-over artist Gene Bogart plays the voice of Arten, and none other than best-selling author Doreen Virtue (“Archangels and Ascended Masters”) plays the voice of Pursah. When we got talking in the studio it turned out that ALL THREE OF US used to be professional guitar players! What are the odds of that? Doreen and Gene have done much recording with their voices, but for me it was the first time. In listening to the CDs today I think their experience showed, but hey, Arten and Pursah are ascended masters, so I don’t mind them sounding a little better than me. Even though the audio CD is abridged, I think the CDs cover both the teachings and the personal relationships contained in the book very well. One of my goals in doing the abridgment was that, just like with the book, people would be able to listen to the tapes and then, if they chose to, read A Course in Miracles and have it make sense to them. I think we succeeded. Doing this audio book was a lot of work, and recording with Mercury in retrograde definitely gave us more than our share of technical problems. But our perseverance has paid off, and I’m looking forward to November when the audio book will be available to everyone. Love, Gary

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August 18, 2005. Hi Friends, I’m in Southern California right now for some meetings about a potential good opportunity. I hope to be able to tell you about it some time in the near future. Also, I met Don Miguel Ruiz today, the author of The Four Agreements. He’s a very nice and loving man. The first thing he did was give me a big hug. I’ve found most spiritual teachers to be very loving when I’ve met them. Eckhart Tolle is another example. Quiet, humble, much like Don Miguel. You could also say the same about Ken Wapnick. I’m very happy to be appearing soon at the same venue with Ken at the A.R.E. (the Edgar Cayce Group) in Virginia Beach. Ken, Charles Thomas Cayce, and another expert on the Cayce readings will be doing an examination of the relationship between the A.R.E. and A Course in Miracles all day Friday and Saturday and also Sunday morning, Sept 9-11. Then, on the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 11, I’ll be giving a 3-hour workshop on the nature of real spirituality, or experience vs. theory. You can get more info about these events by clicking on the link for Sept. 11 on the Appearances page of this website. Have a great week! Love, Gary

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August 25, 2005. Hi Friends. Because I don’t appear in Southern California very often, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about a two day workshop I’m going to be doing in the Anaheim area at Unity of Tustin. Tustin is a town right near Anaheim, and they have a very popular Unity church, led by the Minister Marj Britt. I’ll be presenting a Sunday afternoon/ Monday night workshop on September 25 and 26. The contact info is available at the Appearances page of this website.

They do things a little differently in Tustin. I’ll be speaking first at the two Sunday morning church services. Attendance is not required at the church services by workshop participants, but anyone is welcome to come if they want to. Then the first workshop session is for three hours on Sunday afternoon. Then there’s another two hour session on Monday night. There will also be plenty of time for me to meet people and sign books, plus I’ll include a question and answer session on each day. Participants can come for both sessions or, if they can’t make it to both, they can attend just one of the two sessions. I hope you guys in Southern California will come and see me at Unity of Tustin where I’m planning a kick-ass, uncompromising workshop based on The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles. Love, Gary

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September 1, 2005. Oh, no, it’s September! That means summer is just about over here in Maine. Right now it’s warm enough, but we know what’s coming. In Maine we have four seasons. We call the first season “almost winter.” The next season is the longest one. We call that “winter.” Then we have the third season. We call that “still winter.” Then finally we have the fourth season, which is just winding down now. We call that “road construction.” As you may know from reading these messages I was supposed to finish my second book this summer. Is it done? Ah, no. But almost! O.K. That doesn’t count. But it’s not my fault. I didn’t know this was gonna be work or I would have asked for more perks, like better crayons. Anyway, that second book is coming, and so am I. I’ll be hitting the road again next week for about 13 different locations in the fall. From California to London, from America to well, America, I’ll be at a town, village, or wedding reception near you. (Hey, didn’t you see “Wedding Crashers”?) So keep those cards and letters coming. I don’t read them anyway. And I hope to meet you! Love, Gary

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September 8, 2005. Hi Friends. I’m in Virginia Beach where I’ll be giving a workshop on Sunday at the A.R.E. (the Edgar Cayce group). But first I’m going to attend a two and a half day workshop with Ken Wapnick and Charles Thomas Cayce, which will explore the relationship between A Course in Miracles and the Cayce readings. My workshop will be a continuation of that first one, although mine will focus mainly on the teachings of the Course and The Disappearance of the Universe. There are hundreds of people here to see Ken. A lot of us miss him since he moved from New York to California. It looks like I’m going to have a full house on Sunday also. Not bad for a guy with just one book out. Well, I have a radio interview in the morning and some serious beach-going to do before the workshops start on Friday. The water temperature is 78 degrees! That’s about 15 degrees higher than in Maine right now. Let the good times roll. Love, Gary

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September 15 and 22, 2005. Hi Friends. First, let me say that this weekly message is going to be on the site for two weeks, as my site manager D. Patrick Miller will be traveling the week of the 22nd, and I am not now nor have I ever been technologically inclined. That having been said, I received the final visit in this cycle from Arten and Pursah on Wednesday, August 31. I don’t know if there will be a third cycle or not. They visited me eleven times and gave me all the information for the second book. Now that I have all of the material, it’s a question of organizing it and making sure my narration truly gives my experience. I’ve always said that if I had known I was going to be a writer I would have learned how to write. But then, maybe that would spoil it. BTW, people have asked me if Arten and Pursah had anything to say about Hurricane Katrina, which occurred shortly before their final visit. The answer is yes, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to reveal what they said before publication. Also, I’ll give you the title of the book right here in my weekly message when I am guided to.

It was an honor and a half for me to take part in last weekend’s Conference at the A.R.E. (Association for Research and Enlightenment, which is the Edgar Cayce organization) in Virginia Beach. Ken Wapnick, the premier scholar, writer and teacher of A Course in Miracles, and Charles Thomas Cayce, Edgar’s grandson, gave a workshop on the similarities and differences between The Cayce Readings and the Course. Ken was great, and it reminded a lot of us of his presentations in Roscoe, New York (I went there twice, as described at the beginning of the chapter “True Prayer and Abundance” in The Disappearance of the Universe). Roscoe was the home for ten years for FACIM, The Foundation for A Course in Miracles. I hope you guys in California appreciate having Ken out there now.

As for moi, there was a dinner on Friday night for fifty members of the on-line discussion group that talks about the book who were in attendance at Virginia Beach. Thanks to Martha Constain for organizing it. It was wonderful, and I had a blast sitting with Martha, Ossie Richards, Martha’s co-moderator of the discussion group, Billy and Raquel. I also had a front row seat for the Conference sessions. Then on Sunday afternoon it was my turn, and I gave a take-no-prisoners workshop on the teachings in The Disappearance of the Universe and A Course in Miracles. I had 300 people and it was a great experience. Thanks to all involved in putting on this wonderful Conference. Love, Gary

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September 29, 2005. Hi Friends, I’m in southern California, which is doing its best to steal my heart away from Hawaii. I don’t know if it will succeed, but it’s certainly giving it a shot. Hawaii has a gentle tropical climate that cannot be beat, but southern California has Laguna Beach, which also cannot be beat. How is a man to choose? Obviously, the answer to that question is to realize that the choice is beyond the choices this world has to offer. When I remember that, there is only one choice, which has nothing to do with this world.

I can’t think of any trip I’ve had that was more satisfying, and I’ve had many that were satisfying. Is it because I’ve been practicing forgiveness, and my outside perceptions are becoming more gentle? I don’t know, but I know that I had a translucent time doing the workshop at Unity of Tustin, which is near Anaheim. First of all, I fulfilled a lifetime desire to go to Disneyland, which opened when I was four years old. Disneyland is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. You do the math, but be kind.

Secondly, Unity of Tustin is the finest church I’ve ever been to. The people, the deservedly popular minister, whose name is Marj Britt, the workshop organizer, Ruthanne Ali, the incredible gardens that are spiritually themed, the way things are handled, are way beyond anything I’ve seen in a church so far in my travels. And finally, I feel that I’ve had a breakthrough in southern California. I’ve always done well in northern California, but this is the first time I’ve really felt like I connected in the south. The crowds, the standing ovations, the booksignings and personal discussions that go on for hours after, have all lifted me beyond what I could have expected. If nothing else ever happened for me, I would be totally satisfied with my life. What more could I ask for? Love, Gary

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October 6, 2005. Hi Friends. As I write this I’m almost out the door to Michigan, where I’ll be doing an all day workshop this weekend. You last-minute types can find the contact information on the Appearances page of this website. I’m also very excited about the release of the audio book of The Disappearance of the Universe. I did the Abridgment myself, and I feel that the teachings as well as the relationships between Arten and Pursah and I are intact. You can link to the audio purchase page here.

I was delighted with the workshop last Saturday in Oklahoma City. I’d like to thank Rev. Gary Cone for doing such a great job putting it all together. To have such a good turnout in Oklahoma surprised people, and I’m very grateful to have been able to play my part. If I can borrow a line from the song “New York, New York” and apply it to Oklahoma: “If I can make it there, I’ll make it everywhere.” I’m sorry for the brevity of this message, but I have a plane to catch! Love, Gary

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October 13, 2005. Hi Friends. We had a wonderful workshop last week in East Lansing, Michigan, the state capital, sponsored by Fellowship for Today, an exellent church. I’d like to thank my friend, Rev. Karen Arndorfer, for making it all happen. I was struck by the people who drove four hours from Chicago and longer from Ohio. It always amazes me that the book means so much to people, and it makes me realize that there was a lot at work in the book that was beyond me or my capabilities to write.

This week it’s off to Georgia for the first time. I already like it there because I heard the temperature is in the 80s! As I write this in Maine, it’s in the 40s. For those of you who may want to attend the event near Atlanta, the contact info is on the Appearances page of this website. I’m also getting psyched about the big Hay House Conference at the end of the month in Orlando. My brother Paul lives there and I’ll get to see him. He likes Orlando, although he says it’s kind of a Mickey Mouse town. I’ll be doing two workshops, in between parties, and you can also find the registration contact info at the website. I hope you’ll come along to deepen your spiritual process, and party! Love, Gary

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October 20 and 27. Hi Friends, As I write this I’m in Maine and getting ready to head for Minnesota, where I’ll be doing a book signing on Friday night and a workshop all day on Saturday. Contact info for the workshop is available on the Appearances page of this website. I was in the Minneapolis area last year and I’m looking forward to going back to the Mall of America. Hey, you can’t get any more American than the Mall of America. It’s a real hoot. And speaking of hoots, when I was there last year I went to Hooters, where someone took a picture of me with one of the waitresses and put it up at the on-line discussion group that talks about A Course in Miracles (ACIM) and The Disappearance of the Universe. (DU). I wonder if that waitress is still there?

Last week I did a workshop and spoke at the Church service of Unity Christ Church, which is Northeast of Atlanta. It was a wonderful group of people, and I’d like to thank Rev. Steve Bolen and his wife Mary for a fantastic time. There were people from several different countries, including Germany and Australia, and folks drove to Georgia from Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia, Mississippi, Florida, etc. It’s great to see the gatherings prompted by ACIM and DU. I feel an amazing regeneration of energy around the Course, and it’s very exciting. BTW, this message will be on the website for two weeks because my webmaster Patrick will be traveling. There’ll be a new message when I’m in England! This is fun. Love, Gary

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November 3. Hi friends. As you read this I’m in England, and I’m very excited! Ever since the Beatles came over to America I’ve dreamed of coming to England. Hey, that would make me....over 30! I can’t use my computer in England because it’s a different electrical current and I don’t want to ruin it the way I ruined a hair dryer last year in Australia. So I wrote this message a little early, and I’ll be sure to give you a full report of my trip next week. I’m here in England from November 2 through the 9th. I’m doing 3 workshops and a talk, and hopefully some sight-seeing!

When I come back to America I’ll be heading for the Universal Light Worker’s Conference in Boca Raton, Florida for the weekend of Novermber 11. Contact info to attend is on the appearances page of this website. In the meantime, I’m very grateful to Ian Patrick of The Miracle Network in London and also the English division of my publisher Hay House for bringing me over. It’s so cool being an International man of mystery. Love, Gary

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November 10, 2005. Hi Friends, I just got back to Maine yesterday from England and today I leave for Boca Raton, Florida and the Universal Light Workers Conference. Isn’t it wild? (Registration details for Boca are on the Appearances page of this website if you’re thinking of attending. The area is just recovering from the strong hurricane but the Conference is on!) London was absolutely fabulous, way beyond my expectations, and my expectations were not low! At the end of this weekly message I’m going to reprint a posting from one of the participants in England that was sent to the on-line discussion group that talks about the book. I think it captures the atmosphere of the gatherings very well.

In London Friday night I appeared at the College of Psychic Studies, which has been there for 190 years; on Saturday at Hanley Castle in Worcestershire, about two hours out in the beautiful English country side; on Sunday at Friends House in London; and Tuesday in Sussex, also out in the country. I got to meet hundreds of wonderful people. I can see the book being shared by readers with other people in England in much the same way that it was when it started off in America. I also got to see the sights around London, and I must say it was stunning. In London you have seven million people but it’s much more spread out than American cities because you don’t have any skyscrapers! You’ll find many houses and buildings that are hundreds of years old. I got to see many of the famous places as well as many of the out-of-the-way ones.

I could write many pages about London, but for this report I’ll just say that I can’t wait to go back! Below is the posting I told you about. Thanks to Angel for sending it. I’d also like to thank Cheryl and Octavia from the College of Psychic Studies for all of their help, and of course Ian Patrick of the Miracle Network in London for setting the whole thing up, as well as all the volunteers. Thanks also to Hay House in England. It was wonderful meeting you guys, and it was a great trip. I’m psyched! Love, Gary

Message from Angel in England to The Disappearance of the Universe
discussion group, November 6, 2005

I attended Gary’s workshop today in Hanley Castle, Worcestershire (UK) and it was fabulous! Gary is an amazingly good speaker - confident, articulate, funny, and consistently on topic. I think every attendee was impressed - he got a standing ovation at the end! I attended the workshop with several Miracles friends, and they all thought he did a great job too. You’d think he’d been speaking to crowds his whole life, he handled it so well. The workshop was a good overview of DU and ACIM and it was especially nice to hear Gary tell the stories about DU himself. I would definitely attend another of his workshops, and recommend them to any other ACIM students as well. I am not interested in autographs and I had no intention of having him sign my copy of DU (I brought it along because I didn’t know if I would need it for the workshop itself - I didn’t - Gary did all the reading) but I’m glad I queued up and had him sign it anyway. Kudos, Gary! Angel S.

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November 17 & 24. Hi Friends, First, this message will be on the site for two weeks as my friend and webmaster D. Patrick Miller will be heading to his native North Carolina for Thanksgiving. I don’t put things on the site, which stops it from getting ruined. And speaking of North Carolina, I made my first trip to North Carolina in June and I had a great time. It was also the first time I had ever eaten grits. I didn’t even know what they were made from (corn). I did a couple of workshops for the Janus Foundation, the oldest Course in Miracles study group in the country, founded by Helen Schucman’s friend, Father Joe Janus. I’ve also agreed to go back to North Carolina in June of 2007. 2007! It’s nice to be booked ahead of time. I remember when I was in the band “Hush” in the 1980s and we were booked two years in advance for a while. Now here I am again. Ah, the patterns. BTW, in most cases I’m not accepting engagements for 2007 until January. That way the holidays will be less hectic.

I’m up to my .... in projects; still finishing my second book, which will be published next September by Hay House, working on a movie script of the first book for a big Hollywood producer, and getting ready to spend 4 days in a recording studio to make two CD sets (one 2 CDs and the other 6 CDs) for Sounds True Audio, the premier audio CD company of the spiritual community. I’m very excited about it.

Last week, after returning from England (I wanna go back!) I appeared at the Universal Light Workers Conference in Boca Raton, Florida. My friend, announcer Gene Bogart, who plays the voice of Arten on the new audio book of The Disappearance of the Universe (link to it on the home page) and I managed to go out and get into trouble (you think I’m kidding?) and the Conference itself was great. Gene and his wife Helen ended up on stage a couple of times singing and playing their guitars. Rev. Jon Mundy, a mentor of mine, also appeared. The Conference went on despite the damage from the hurricane two weeks earler, and there was a great feeling of joining among the participants. Thanks to Robin Rose, the event coordinator, and all the volunteers for their hard work in making the Conference work. I loved the people and the reception I got. The next time I’ll be in the Southern Florida area will be to do a workshop on February 11 in Ft. Lauderdale. The contact info is on the Appearances page of this website. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’ll eat enough turkey for all of us. Love, Gary

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December 1, 2005. Hi Friends and Friendettes, it’s December and I’m in Colorado wrapping up four days of recording in a studio for Sounds True Audio, the premier producer of audio CDs in the spiritual community. We’re going to be releasing two audio CDs next year, one two-hour program and one 6-hour program, based on material from my workshops, personal experiences and the second book ( also due out next year). It’s a great opportunity. The rest of my December will be spent putting the finishing touches on that second book, which I’ll be telling you more about later. BTW, I’m now a cover boy! You can see the latest issue of Evolve Magazine at this link. Yeah, all those years of working out have finally paid off (LOL).

It’s been snowing here in Colorado this week and it already snowed in Maine when I was there for Thanksgiving. I’m not ready for winter, but I am ready for Hawaii! And it just so happens I’ll be doing a workshop there on February 4th at the Diamond Head Unity Church on Oahu. You Hawaii hearted people can find the contact info for the workshop on the Appearances page of this website. More next week. Aloha and Mahalo, Gary

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December 8, 2005. Hi Friends, On this, the 25th anniversary of the transition of John Lennon, I’ve been thinking of one of his great songs, “Imagine,” and I’ve been trying to imagine no countries, no possessions, etc. It’s very true that we made up all of our borders and limitations. When you look at a picture of earth taken from the space shuttle there aren’t any borders marking countries, are there? Possessions? We certainly aren’t born with any and we surely won’t leave this lifetime with any. John Lennon didn’t live long enough to be able to find something like A Course in Miracles and learn its way of forgiveness, although I have a feeling he would have taken to it very nicely. We should feel very lucky to be able to learn and apply the wonderful things that the Course and my teachers in The Disappearance of the Universe reveal to us. Still, everything is the way it’s supposed to be on the road home, and John is probably in a very advanced spiritual state, just as George Harrison surely is. The Beatles may have saved my life, because I was a depressed teenager, suffering from scoliosis, and didn’t have much to look forward to until I heard my first Beatles song and knew what I wanted to do; become a guitar player, which I did. Thank you John, George, Paul and Ringo, for being in my dream and making it a better one. Love, Gary

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December 15, 2005. Hi Friends. Those of you who have read The Disappearance of the Universe know that my favorite hobby is going to the movies. In fact, at the online discussion group that talks about the book, we’ve compiled a list of many of our favorite spiritually themed movies. But I like ALL kinds of movies, and when the holiday season comes around I can’t help but want to see some of the ones that are getting the most buzz. This year has been so busy for me that I haven’t seen as many movies as usual. Maybe I can catch up on some of them on DVD someday. But I have seen a couple I’d like to let you know about.

About a month ago I saw a film called “In Her Shoes” with Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine. It was a wonderful film with fine acting, reminiscent of Shirley’s great performance with Jack Nicholson in “Terms of Endearment”. But Diaz and Collette (The Sixth Sense) are just as great, and for Diaz it’s her best performance to date. She plays a totally irresponsible woman who undergoes a transformation in the film, and it’s something to see. It’s a beautiful story that’s really brought home by the perfect use of a poem by E. E. Cummings near the end. If this one has already left your local theatre make it a point to rent it.

And speaking of rent, the other film I want to tell you about is “Rent.” The very successful Broadway musical, which a surprising number of people have never heard of because it doesn’t get the national publicity of a play like “The Producers” is brought to the screen featuring most of the original Broadway cast. Having been to New York City twice this year I’d seen some big billboards for the play, but I had never heard any of the songs, didn’t know anything about it or any of the actors, and I still couldn’t tell you their names. But the music, the singing and the energy are fabulous. I haven’t heard this kind of group singing with harmony done so well in a movie since the ’60s. Rent is not West Side Story, but it approaches that level sometimes, and no movie musical has done that in ages. If you love music you’ll love Rent. If you don’t love music well, there’s always King Kong, which I hear is very good. In fact, I’m going to check it out next week. I won’t be writing about it though, as I try to limit my movie comments here to once a year, unless it’s an emergency. Tomorrow night I’m going to hear the Portland (Maine) symphony orchestra play some Christmas music, unless that snow storm they’re predicting for tomorrow here is really bad. Stay too cool for school and I’ll be back next week! Love, Gary

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December 22 and 29, 2005. Hi guys and guyettes. Season’s Greetings! This message will be on the site for two weeks in order to allow myself and my webmaster, D. Patrick Miller, to take a few days to reflect on what’s been an incredible year in many different ways. During this time of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, the Wiccan festival of the Yule, the feast day for St. Thomas (one of my favorites) Gita Jayanthi and National Canada Day (just kidding) I wanted to do one thing; tell you how much it means to me to have your friendship. I’ve met so many wonderful people this year and felt so much love in person, from London to Los Angeles, that it boggles the mind. And to think, when the book first came out it was my intention to stay home and not say anything. If I had, I would have missed what’s been the best part for me about this whole thing, being able to get in person how much A Course in Miracles and The Disappearance of the Universe have meant to people and how it’s affected their own spiritual path. This has been a hectic year for me, but a lot of fun at the same time. When you read the second book you’ll see that Arten and Pursah told me to use my travels and speaking appearances to practice forgiveness. I think it’s helped me a lot. It looks like the year ahead is just as packed with traveling, adventure, and more surprises. You guys make it all worthwhile. (O.K. I’d be happy no matter what happened; I’m supposed to practice forgiveness and deny the ability of anything not of God to affect me, that’s part of the job.) But still, it’s truly great to have met so many of you and to share this path with such amazing people.

It’s still the personal things that mean the most. (Like I was so excited when I got a Christmas card from Judy Skutch! Specialness you say? That’s a dirty lie. LOL). I also got to have dinner this year with Ken and Gloria Wapnick, and I bumped into Charles Thomas Cayce in the men’s room at the A.R.E. (He made a joke out of that at the Conference in Virginia Beach in September. We’ve only met twice, and both times were in the men’s room.) I also flew over 100,000 miles for the second year in a row, met Don Miguel Ruiz, the author of The Four Agreements in California, did four workshops in England, spoke in Toronto, saw The Disappearance of the Universe licensed to be translated into 13 different languages, taught the Course in my 30th state and started to get my feet wet in the movie world. Who’d a thunk it? Maybe Arten and Pursah, but not me. So have a GREAT holiday season guys, happy 2006, and let’s make the next year a breakthrough in our practice of forgiveness! I’ll close with that lovely quotation from page 327 in the Text of ACIM about Christmas. To quote Arten, “Remembering that the word light is synonymous with truth, think about these beautiful words that J gave as a present to all those who love his Course:”

The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in darkness. See it not outside yourself, but shining in the Heaven within, and accept it as the sign the time of Christ has come.

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