My Tidings Article

Mike's article for the Ashland Daily Tidngs


Recently, I was asked to submit an article to our local newspaper, the Ashland Daily Tidings, to be among others for a weekly series of articles from various viewpoints on the topic of Inner Peace. I was asked to write about Gary's stuff, but of course that goes hand in hand with A Course in Miracles, so that naturally gets brought in too. Anyway, I had a seven hundred word limit, so I was quite limited on what I could say; so, I gave just a general overview of what Gary's stuff is all about, and didn't get into any of the 'far out' concepts of this spiritual path like God having nothing to do with the making of the world or universe, how anger is never justified, nor about the illusory, dream-like nature of what most folks refer to as reality. So, I just emphasized the more relatable aspects of this path, mainly the practice of forgiveness and taking responsibility for your life, albeit, at a much higher level than what most people commonly think of as taking responsibility for one's life. So, the series is supposed to start on Saturday, January 31st, and run every Saturday thereafter. I don't know when, or if, my article will get published in the paper.

Before we get to the article, I'd like to quote what Gary's teachers say on page 390 in Disappearance, in regards to this spiritual path:

The most striking evidence of this approach's validity will be that it works.

From my experience, I can tell you that it does work. It does, however, take a little while to develope faith and trust in it, but then when you start noticing results, it encourages and inspires you to keep going. Anyway, here's the article I wrote:

Of all the books I've read during my many years of feasting in the 'spiritual buffet line,' nothing has explained the truth about God and our existence, and why we are seemingly here, any clearer to me, than Gary Renard’s The Disappearance of the Universe.

Disappearance addresses heavy subject matter, while cutting to the chase in no uncertain terms, and doing so in a very entertaining and humorous fashion. I highly recommend it, though it is not intended for the squeamish nor the faint of heart, as the material is not sugarcoated.

Forgiveness is the theme in the spiritual path presented in Disappearance. The book is written in a dialogue format, with Gary being the student. His teachers in the book tell us, ‘Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road. Without forgiveness, metaphysics are useless.' Of course, they are talking about forgiveness in the quantum sense, rather than what traditionally passes as forgiveness in this world.

Disappearance is the unofficial ‘cliff notes’ to A Course in Miracles. A Course in Miracles is a spiritual, purely non-dualistic, self-study course, often referred to in Disappearance. As quoted from Disappearance, 'The Course is Jesus speaking as an artist correcting the Bible which was allegedly based on his teachings.'

Written in Shakespearean blank verse and loaded with subtly humorous rhetorical questions, the Course is Jesus' teachings the way, I believe, they were intended to be - consistent and uncompromising, all about love and forgiveness, and absolutely nothing to do with sin, fear, guilt, sacrifice, and showing up to church on Sunday. As the Course states, '...those who seek controversy will find it. Yet those who seek clarification will find it as well.'

The Course is all about the healing of the subconscious mind, which entails looking at your illusions, examining them, and eventually releasing them through a process called true forgiveness. As it states in the Course, 'No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected.'

The Course gives you the practical tools necessary in order to attain the objective of lasting inner peace and happiness regardless of what is going in the world and with your own personal life’s circumstances. Through the application of true, or quantum forgiveness, you’re taking full responsibility for your life’s experiences, including the experiences that are not seemingly your fault, because on the level of the subconscious mind, you made it all up. With quantum forgiveness, you’re not forgiving people because they really did something, you’re forgiving them because they haven’t really done anything. Whatever pushes your buttons and ticks you off on any given day is symbolic of what is in your own unconscious mind. Once you really get that the world is not being done to you, but rather by you, then what you are really doing by practicing true forgiveness is forgiving yourself for making the whole mess up in the first place; it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘There are no victims in this world!’

Though the Course is presented in Christian terminology, it is very Eastern in its theology and practice, as it gets in touch with the power of the mind. I don't recommend taking it on without having read Disappearance first, as it will save you much time while helping you to really grasp the heart of the Course.

In the end, all spiritual paths lead to God, however, the Course does imply that this is a faster way. The Course is simple, however, it’s not easy, as we all have this thing called the ego, and it would much rather you be right, than be happy and at peace. So, sticking to this path requires discipline, vigilance, and the willingness to question every value that you hold. With that said, however, it’s not about giving anything up; it’s about letting go of psychological attachment, and forgetting not to laugh.

Mike Lemieux lives in Ashland and writes a blog called The Disappearance of the Universe, based on Gary Renard’s material and A Course in Miracles.

To read excerpts of Disappearance, visit: www.garyrenard.com/Preview.htm

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