I recently posted this as a 'Note' on my Facebook page. To say the least, it went over about as well as a 'fart in an elevator' based on the comments written by an old high school buddy who is now a born-again Christian. I know this is a radical idea, and one would have to read, and understand, A Course in Miracles and/or Gary Renard's books to even have a chance at grasping this concept, as this idea is very threatening to the ego since the statement means the end of individual existence. Because in reality, there are no individuals, just total oneness with God. If you're interested in reading the comments, you'll have to add me as a friend on Facebook in order to view them. Anyway, here's the note I wrote:
ACIM Workbook Lesson 132 (6:2-3)
There is no world! This is the central thought the Course attempts to teach.
Supplemental Material related to this idea:
DU p 9:
Gary: The Bible says that God created the world, and most everybody believes He did, not to mention all the world's religions. My friends and I think that God produced the world so He could know Himself experientially, which I guess is a pretty common New Age belief. Didn't God create polarity, duality, and all of the opposites in this world of subject and object.
Pursah: In a word, no. God did not create duality and He did not create the world. If he did, He would be the author of 'a tale told by an idiot,' to borrow Shakespeare's description of life. But God is not an idiot. He can only be one of two things. He is either perfect Love, as the Bible says when it momentarily stumbles upon the truth, or He's an idiot. You can't have it both ways.
DU p 223:
Gary: Some Course students seem to think God created the good parts of the world and not the bad, and that the Course is trying to get us to give up our bad perceptions, but keep the good ones.
Arten: Let's be very clear; God did not even create part of the world. The Course says ' There is no world!' How could God have created part of it if there isn't any? It's not the Holy Spirit's intention to do anything except wake you up from your dream that there is a world!
DU p 125:
Arten: God could not have created this world. It would not be in His nature. He is not cruel, and as J points out to you:
If this were the real world, God would be cruel. For no Father could subject His children to this as the price of salvation and be loving.
Our experience here is an 'optical delusion of our consciousness.' ~Albert Einstein
Just like the movies, it may not be real, but doesn't mean you can't enjoy the show - saddle up and ride!
Be Passersby.
God Is
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
ACIM Shindig - San Francisco, CA 2009
ACIM Conference 2009 – San Francisco, CA Feb 27, 28, & Mar 1
Hoiday Inn – Van Ness Ave
Update 3-11-09:
After rereading what I wrote here in this blog entry several days after I had posted it, it occurred to me that there are some things I say here that may be perceived as me being obnoxious, self-righteous, and/or arrogant. That certainly wasn't my intention when I wrote this.
I have the utmost respect for the material presented in A Course in Miracles, and am very adamant about not comprising on the integrity of its message (even though I don't really work with the Course directly.) But that's the reason why Gary's teachers appeared to him in the first place, to set the record straight, as the message of the Course was being diluted and watered down. It is my intention to do my part to help keep the real message of the Course, in tact. I get very passionate and excited when talking and writing about this stuff, as it is very near and dear to my heart. So please keep in that mind if something I write rubs you the wrong way, and most importantly, remember what it's all for. Enjoy!
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Back in the Fall of 2007 when the announcement was made for this event, I had put down my $100 deposit in order to lock into the discounted rate in case I decided to go to this, when time drew nearer. In the Fall of 2008, I was quite certain I was not going to go, as I wasn’t feeling strongly about it, and didn’t think it would be worth my while to do so considering hotel fees, travel and parking fees, not to mention the rest of the money for the conference itself.
However, all that changed when my Course buddy Bruce Rawles, (who I like to call Bruce Almighty just for kicks) who lives about thirty minutes from me in Eagle Point, OR, told me he was going to go to the conference and stay at his mother’s house in Livermore, about forty-five miles outside of San Francisco, and commute to the conference via the BART, and that I was welcomed to join him. So, I paid the reminder of the conference fees by the end of December, and took Bruce up on his (and his mother’s) generous offer.
So the theme of this conference was called ‘A Blessing from the Abundance of our Grandeur.’ Don’t ask me what that’s supposed to mean, to borrow a line from Gary in DU, ‘I have not a freakin’ idea!’ If it were up to me, it would have been called something a little more radical such as, ‘There is no world, after all!’ Anyway, I’ll write out a day by day blow, from my perspective, including the schedule of speakers and events, as listed on the program (without the details of each speaker’s topic summary.)
Friday February 27th
12 – 4 PM Registration
4 – 4:30 PM Blessing & Song Rev.Tony Ponticello & Rev. Larry Bedini
4:30 – 5;45 PM David Fishman & Regina Dawn Akers
6:00 – 7:15 PM Breakout groups - 5 Concurrent presentations:
• Rev.Deborah & Rev.Paul Phelps
• Candace & DavidPaul Doyle
• Tom Whitmore & Carmen Cameron
• D Patrick Miller
• Carol Howe
7:30 – 8:45 PM Dinner
9:00 – 10:15 PM Breakout groups – 4 concurrent presentations
• Earl Purdy
• John Nagy
• David Hoffmeister
• Martha Lucia Espinosa
So, Bruce and I left in the early morning, with him picking me up from my home in Ashland at around 7am. The first few hours of the ride were spent with me reading out loud my hand-written Gary cards, with Bruce and I engaging in deep discussion on pretty much each one. A few hours into the drive, however, shortly after we passed Redding, we picked up a nail and wound up with a flat tire. So, we got out of the car, and Bruce changed the tire. I watched. It was done in fifteen minutes, and then it took an additional fifteen minutes to fill it up with air. A female cop pulled over onto the shoulder behind us to make sure we were all good - we were. So, after the tire was filled with air, we got back on the freeway, doing about 50 MPH since the spare tire recommended not to go any faster than that.
Bruce had mapped-out a Costco in Fairfield ahead of time to get gas, so we spent the next three hours doing fifty until we got there. It just so happens that Bruce had recently bought new tires from a Costco, so when we got there, he was able to get his tire replaced, for almost free, just paying the difference on the tread that had been used. Bruce was happy about that.
So, by the time we got to the BART station in Pleasanton, and the train ride to the Civic Center stop in San Fran, followed by the twenty minute plus walk to the Holiday Inn for the conference, it was 5 pm. The conference started at 4 pm.
So we walked into the hotel lobby and got ourselves registered. Bruce went into the room where the current speakers were speaking. I was just glad we hadn’t missed Gary, who wasn’t scheduled to speak until the next day. Anyway, with me being a vegan and into organic foods and all that, I’m very particular about my food, (perhaps even to the point of it being a false-idol,) I headed over to the Whole Foods Market. I never leave it to chance when it comes to food, so I always bring my own wherever I go. Whenever I travel, I always do my research on-line ahead of time of where the nearest health food stores in the town I’m visiting are. Fortunately for me, there was a Whole Foods Market just a hop, skip, and a jump from the hotel, so I was very pleased about that. So I walked over there to get my food for dinner, since I didn’t feel like going to the presentation.
When I came back to the hotel lobby, the presentation had just ended. There were over four hundred people attending this event, and most of them had just filtered out of the room, but I didn’t see Bruce come out. So, I walked in the room and Bruce was talking to a woman in there. So I approached them, and Bruce introduced me to Cindy, who is Gary’s girlfriend, who I presumed to be this lifetime’s Arten, as well as who Gary refers to as ‘mystery woman’ on his podcasts, but I wasn't about to pry.
So, Gary came over and suggested we carry on our conversation in the lobby since a new presentation was about to start in that room. So we were chatting in the lobby, and then I noticed Gary’s t-shirt. It was black, and it had the word ‘Jesus’ on it. But the rest of it was covered up until he moved his arm. Then I saw a cartoon picture of Jesus with the word ‘Saves.’ I made a comment, and then lifted up my sweatshirt. ‘Coincidently,’ I just so happened to be wearing my black t-shirt that reads ‘Beavis Saves,’ with a picture of Beavis as an angel. Gary and Cindy really dug the shirt, and all four of us got a kick out of the synchronicity of it all. Speaking of pictures, I should have asked Bruce to take a picture of Gary and I wearing our respective SAVES t-shirts, but I wasn’t really thinking. I had already had a picture with Gary with us wearing matching Masshole t-shirts together when he came here to Southern Oregon last summer. So getting a picture of us together wasn’t a priority going into the conference so it wasn’t in the back of my mind, though I did have my camera on me, oh well.
So, after a few more minutes of conversation, I mentioned to Gary that I’ve been posting a Quote of the Day over on the DU Yahoo group, and he said that he noticed and thanked me for doing that – to help people keep focused. Anyway, Gary and Cindy had to split but they suggested we eat at the same table with them at some point during the weekend.
So Bruce and I decided to hit one of the five presentations going on at that moment. We decided to attend the DavidPaul and Candace one since they too are residents of Southern Oregon, actually they live in the same town as me, but I’ve never met them. We walked in about twenty minutes late, and stayed until the end of it. But I pretty much daydreamed through the entire presentation while sipping my Ginger Brew– no offense to the presenters – I just had my mind on other things. So after that was over, it was dinner time.
Lunch, Dinner, and Sunday morning brunch buffets were included in the conference fees. But as mentioned earlier, I always have my own agenda when it comes to food. But I stood in the long line anyway talking with Bruce, as well as mingling with new acquaintances, which is rare for me because I’m not someone who has a lot to say, in the conventional 'world' anyway. At one point, Bruce was speaking briefly with D Patrick Miller (Gary’s original publisher) but I didn’t realize who it was until he walked by me. When he did, we kind of looked at each other and I said, “D Patrick Miller?’ He said yes and we shook hands. I then went on to say that I am big Gary Renard fan and before I got to finish my sentence he moved on to the next person. I guess I could have been offended by that, but I wasn’t. Actually, I thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, the rest of the sentence that he did not hear was, ‘….thank you for publishing Gary’s book.’ But he probably just wanted to chat with somebody who was interested in his own writing, not Gary’s. I don’t blame him.
So anyway, after getting through the buffet line, Bruce spotted the table that Gary and Cindy were sitting at, and there were a couple of empty places, so we joined them. Gary’s booking agent, Jan Cook, was also sitting at this table. There were also some other people at this table, including two people from West Virginia who I would have conversations with throughout the weekend. They seemed very familiar to me, which would be a theme throughout the weekend – meeting people I supposedly never met, yet feeling like I was part of a family reunion. Nice feeling!
Oh, another interesting conversation took place at this time in regards to Gary’s speaking schedule. He was supposed to be hitting Australia during the month of April, however, that got pushed back until November so Jan told Bruce that he’s open to coming up to Ashland in April. Right now, Bruce and I are researching venues here in Ashland in order to have Gary come do a workshop on April 25th. Giddy up!
So, after dinner, Bruce and I went to Lucia’s presentation titled, ‘From Scarcity to ABUNDANCE – How to Get Everything in Exchange for Nothing.’ It was a nice presentation, and I got a kick out of her Spanish accent being mixed in with a little bit of a Southern accent. Cute. Anyway, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself to her after the presentation (she’s my friend on Facebook though) as Bruce and I were engaged in an extended conversation with a young Asian woman who was sitting behind me during the presentation. By the time we were done talking, Lucia had already left the room. So, I never got my Spoken Miracles book signed by her. I did, however, do a review of her book over on Amazon a while back, Mike's Amazon Reviews
So now it was after 10:30, and it was time to catch the BART. We got to Bruce’s mom’s place around midnight, and end up talking with her for about an hour before we went to bed. I was so wired from the fun interactions I had all evening that it took me well over an hour to fall asleep. Then I woke up around 5:15, and since I was to get up at 6, I just decided to stay up, so I ended up with about three hours of sleep. I did some yoga stretches, and then jumped in the shower.
Saturday February 28th
8:45 – 10:00 Breakout groups – 4 concurrent presentations
• Tom Carpenter & Linda Carpenter
• Jon Mundy Ph.D.
• Lyn Corona & Edward Duhaime
• Ian Patrick
10:15 – 10:30 ‘Abundance’ & Song
10;30 – 11:45 Gary Renard
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch
1;30 – 2:45 Breakout groups – 5 Concurrent presentations
• Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vierira
• Sandy Levey-Lunden
• Carol Howe
• Tom Whitmore & Carmen Cameron
• Mary Gerard Lenihan
3:00 – 4:15 Breakout groups – 5 concurrent presentations
• Candace & DavidPaul Doyle
• David Hoffmeister
• Ian Patrick
• Earl Purdy
• Rev. Deborah & Rev Paul Phelps
4:30 – 4:45 Grandeur & Song
4;45 – 6:00 Rev.Robert & Mary Stoelting
6;15 – 7:30 Dinner
7:45 – 9:00 4 Breakout groups – 4 concurrent presentations
• John Mundy
• D Patrick Miller
• John Nagy
• Lyn Corona & Edward Duhaime
9:15 – 11:15 Dance
So Bruce and I were out the door at about 6:45 AM, and arrived just in time for the morning presentations. I wasn’t up for sitting through any of the presentations, so I decided to walk around the city with my iPod in tow, listening to Enya. Bruce attended the Carpenters presentation. I have the Carpenter’s book, Dialogue on Awakening, but I have never read it. I’ve skimmed through it several times but it has just never jumped out at me.
So I just spent part of the morning walking up California Street – the residential part of it. I was noticing that there were these gingerroot looking trees that I don’t recall ever seeing anywhere before. Anyway, I made it back in time for Gary’ presentation, of course. And I didn’t feel like sitting down, so I just stood in the back of the room for the entire 75 minute lecture. As Gary’s podcast buddy Gene Bogart said on a recent podcast about what you get at Gary’s presentations, ‘Just the raw truth mixed in with a few jokes!’ Well, this was certainly no exception.
Actually, we got more than a few jokes; Gary cracked many of them. Anybody who has been to a Gary workshop knows what these are: The 3 nuns trying to get into Heaven; The extra ticket to the World Series at Fenway Park; The Pope being called Elvis; The Daily Chicken; The drunk Jesus and Judas; The Talking Dog; The grocery store. There may have been more, but that’s all I remember at this time. Gary started his lecture by saying, “Hi, I’m Gary, and I’m a recovering jerk!’ Aside from his jokes, Gary spoke about the Course, as well as his recent divorce process. It all ended with a very deserving standing ovation. When it comes to the Course, he’s the freakin’ man! I say deserving because he tells it like it is while being a wicked funny bastid! (Incorrect spelling on purpose to reflect Masshole language!)
Oh, before Gary’s presentation, I got to speak to him again for a few minutes in the lobby. I told Gary that he’s the only reason why I came to the conference (as far as speakers go.) I went on further to say that I am a ‘Gary Renard junkie,’ always reading and listening to his stuff, and that Disappearance is my favorite book, ever, with Your Immortal Reality as #1B, and that there is no close 2nd, including the Course itself. I told him it’s Arten and Pursah’s words that keep me focused, motivated, and inspired, (although J-Dog is the one I converse with regularly in my mind.) From my experience, you don't necessarily need the Course in order to do the Course. As Gary's teachers say on p 108 in DU, 'The truth is an awareness - not a book.' Arten and Pursah spell it all out very well. But, that's what works for me. Actually, my mom is in that same boat too. So anyway, I just thanked Gary for putting himself, as well as his material, out there.
So after Gary’s presentation, it was lunch time. We spent part of the time at one table, and then eventually migrated to another table where Gary and his adopted family were sitting (Cindy and her mother.) While conversing, the subject of dogs got brought up, and I end up mentioning that when I was in Catholic school, the nun used to tell the class that dogs don’t get mad, they get angry. I had no idea what she meant by that, until I asked my dad one time, and he told me that it was because if you spell out ‘mad dog’ backwards, it reads ‘god dam.’ So they got a chuckle out of that. Anyway, it was time for the next slew of presentations, and it was a nice day, and I just didn’t feel like sitting around listening to somebody who wasn’t Gary tell me about A Course in Miracles, so I hopped on a cable car around the corner from the hotel. Bruce, Gary, and the rest of the people at the table went to Nouk and Thomas’ presentation where they were all given a whoopee cushion. Bruce snagged an extra one for me.
So, meanwhile, I got off on the last stop of the cable car at the end of California Street, walked around some, on a mission to find some bandanas, with again, my iPod in tow, listening to a mix of Gary’s stuff as well as some Metallica. The reason I was looking for bandanas was because there was to be a dance at the hotel that night, and Mikey doesn’t dance without wearing a bandana, and without having another one in hand. There was no mention of a dance on the email correspondence with Community Miracles Center beforehand, otherwise, I would have packed some.
So, Mikey needed to find some bandanas. I found an area where people were selling t-shirts, jewelry, art, and what have you, but came up empty on finding bandanas. So I turned around, and started making my way up hill on California Street, passing through the financial district, then turning off into Chinatown. Anyway, I spent close to two hours there going in and out of stores – but still found no bandanas, although I did buy myself a nice denim shirt that said ‘San Francisco’ on it. As a side note, Chinatown in San Francisco is huge, it seemed never ending. The one in Boston is practically non-existent in comparison.
So once I was done with Chinatown, instead of getting back on the cable car, I just hiked up the hill all the way back to the hotel. Right around the corner from the hotel, I found a gift store that just so happened to carry bandanas, yay! Mission accomplished! I bought a few.
Well, one of the highlights of the conference for me was definitely the dance. A pretty decent set list of music was played, including some of my favorite dance jams: You Shook Me All Night Long, Play That Funky Music, The Superfreak, Love Shack, and Mony Mony. There were probably at least a hundred people or so on and around the dance floor.
I used to dance (Ecstatic) regularly on Sunday mornings here in Ashland my first year and a half or so upon moving here, and now just go from time to time. So it was very fun to get out there dancing again, especially since it was with an entire different cast of people who weren’t accustomed to my whacko dancin’ style - hoppin’, skippin’, and jumpin’ around like a little kid. At the Ecstatic Dance, some people love me for the energy I bring to the dance, but for others I’m quite certain I'm there opportunity to practice forgiveness, although they probably don’t realize that, since I don’t believe any of them are Course students. Well, either way you slice it, I’m there only to be truly helpful! So I would imagine that it was the same case here – although Course people are supposed to know that they are supposed to forgive me. Anyway, Mikey’s gotta do what Mikey’s gotta do, and Jimmy cracked corn, and I don't care!
So I did my typical weaving in and out of dance traffic, busted some funny lookin’ dance moves - with head bangin’ and skinny white but shakin’, and of course my little ritual of using my bandana as a fan to cool people off as I make my rounds around the dance floor. Also, I had a couple of people I hadn’t even conversed with up until that point, stop me to have their picture taken with me, funny!
So, I had a surprising amount of energy considering that I had only got 3 hours of sleep the night before; also, I had done about 6 – 8 miles worth of walking (including up some steep hills) earlier in the day, and the fact that I had indulged in food just a couple hours prior to that so I was pretty full. Just further evidence that the mind is in control of the body, as I was just running on adrenalin from being in a state of bliss.
So, shortly after the dance, Bruce and I did our mile plus walk to the BART station, and got back to his mom’s around 1 am. I got 4 hours of sleep this time. Yay!
Sunday March 1st
8:45 – 10 Breakout groups – 5 concurrent presentations
• Mary Gerard Lenihan
• Tom Carpenter & Linda Carpenter
• Martha Lucia Espoinosa
• Sandy Levey-Luden
• Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vierira
10:15 – 11:30 Sunday Service
11;30 – 12:45 Brunch
So, coming off of a total of seven hours of sleep in the last two nights, and with my calves feeling like they had been run over by a truck, I decided to just hang out in the hotel lobby, while reading through my Gary cards. We were a little late for the start of the morning day because the BART trains don’t run as as early on Sunday mornings. But it was absolutely wonderful just hanging out in the lobby– had some wonderful conversations with several people who stopped by, including two women who I was already friends with on Facebook (from New Hampshire and British Columbia) prior to the event. Several others stopped by just to say that they had a lot of fun at the dance the night before.
So before I knew it, it was time for brunch, which ended at 12:45, but our table of five or six of us were engaged in deep conversation until about 2. But it was time for Bruce and I to hit the road, as much as we would have loved to hang around longer.
Well, this was something I certainly needed - to get out of town for a little bit and be in a big city, and meeting some new people – as I had been feeling very restless and stagnant for several months prior to the event. But, I totally forgot about that all that this past weekend - fun!
So, I only attended three of the presentations all weekend, two of which, admittedly, I wasn't totally present with. But I didn't go for the presentations so it's all good. For me personally, I just didn’t feel a need, nor felt very really drawn, to attending any of them. I mean, I’ve got Arten and Pursah’s uncompromising, inspiring bluntness, bad ass Gary with his ‘dirty’ jokes, conversations with J-Dog going on in my head, and most importantly, my abundant willingness to do this work. I’ve already done the spiritual buffet line, and have no intention, nor desire, of doing A Course in Miracles version of the buffet line. A buffet line is certainly alright in the short term in order to develop a spiritual background, however, in the long run, you just end up becoming 'a jack of all trades but a master of none.' And the goal of the Course is to achieve full mental mastery. I know what Arten and Pursah say is the truth, and there isn't one thing I disagree with them on, so anything in addition to that, for me, would be superfluous.
So what else do I really need? As far as I’m concerned - and I say this with all humility - but I have the same level of understanding of the Course as Gary does, and for me to sit there listening to someone who may be potentially sugarcoating it or watering it down, or making it more complicated than it has to be, wouldn't be the best use of my time. Because once you have all that, you have compromise, and once you have compromise, you no longer have A Course in Miracles. With all that said, however, I am by no means claiming to have mastered the art of true forgiveness; I'm still a work in progress on that and that's why I keep taking in Gary's stuff over and over again, in order to keep me focused and motivated on the task at hand.
Anyway, it was great for me to go because I met some really wonderful people whom I've felt I've known before. Very nice! Also, it was an excuse to get to San Francisco, since I hadn't made it there in the nearly five years since moving out to the west coast. It was about time!
God Is
Hoiday Inn – Van Ness Ave
Update 3-11-09:
After rereading what I wrote here in this blog entry several days after I had posted it, it occurred to me that there are some things I say here that may be perceived as me being obnoxious, self-righteous, and/or arrogant. That certainly wasn't my intention when I wrote this.
I have the utmost respect for the material presented in A Course in Miracles, and am very adamant about not comprising on the integrity of its message (even though I don't really work with the Course directly.) But that's the reason why Gary's teachers appeared to him in the first place, to set the record straight, as the message of the Course was being diluted and watered down. It is my intention to do my part to help keep the real message of the Course, in tact. I get very passionate and excited when talking and writing about this stuff, as it is very near and dear to my heart. So please keep in that mind if something I write rubs you the wrong way, and most importantly, remember what it's all for. Enjoy!
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Back in the Fall of 2007 when the announcement was made for this event, I had put down my $100 deposit in order to lock into the discounted rate in case I decided to go to this, when time drew nearer. In the Fall of 2008, I was quite certain I was not going to go, as I wasn’t feeling strongly about it, and didn’t think it would be worth my while to do so considering hotel fees, travel and parking fees, not to mention the rest of the money for the conference itself.
However, all that changed when my Course buddy Bruce Rawles, (who I like to call Bruce Almighty just for kicks) who lives about thirty minutes from me in Eagle Point, OR, told me he was going to go to the conference and stay at his mother’s house in Livermore, about forty-five miles outside of San Francisco, and commute to the conference via the BART, and that I was welcomed to join him. So, I paid the reminder of the conference fees by the end of December, and took Bruce up on his (and his mother’s) generous offer.
So the theme of this conference was called ‘A Blessing from the Abundance of our Grandeur.’ Don’t ask me what that’s supposed to mean, to borrow a line from Gary in DU, ‘I have not a freakin’ idea!’ If it were up to me, it would have been called something a little more radical such as, ‘There is no world, after all!’ Anyway, I’ll write out a day by day blow, from my perspective, including the schedule of speakers and events, as listed on the program (without the details of each speaker’s topic summary.)
Friday February 27th
12 – 4 PM Registration
4 – 4:30 PM Blessing & Song Rev.Tony Ponticello & Rev. Larry Bedini
4:30 – 5;45 PM David Fishman & Regina Dawn Akers
6:00 – 7:15 PM Breakout groups - 5 Concurrent presentations:
• Rev.Deborah & Rev.Paul Phelps
• Candace & DavidPaul Doyle
• Tom Whitmore & Carmen Cameron
• D Patrick Miller
• Carol Howe
7:30 – 8:45 PM Dinner
9:00 – 10:15 PM Breakout groups – 4 concurrent presentations
• Earl Purdy
• John Nagy
• David Hoffmeister
• Martha Lucia Espinosa
So, Bruce and I left in the early morning, with him picking me up from my home in Ashland at around 7am. The first few hours of the ride were spent with me reading out loud my hand-written Gary cards, with Bruce and I engaging in deep discussion on pretty much each one. A few hours into the drive, however, shortly after we passed Redding, we picked up a nail and wound up with a flat tire. So, we got out of the car, and Bruce changed the tire. I watched. It was done in fifteen minutes, and then it took an additional fifteen minutes to fill it up with air. A female cop pulled over onto the shoulder behind us to make sure we were all good - we were. So, after the tire was filled with air, we got back on the freeway, doing about 50 MPH since the spare tire recommended not to go any faster than that.
Bruce had mapped-out a Costco in Fairfield ahead of time to get gas, so we spent the next three hours doing fifty until we got there. It just so happens that Bruce had recently bought new tires from a Costco, so when we got there, he was able to get his tire replaced, for almost free, just paying the difference on the tread that had been used. Bruce was happy about that.
So, by the time we got to the BART station in Pleasanton, and the train ride to the Civic Center stop in San Fran, followed by the twenty minute plus walk to the Holiday Inn for the conference, it was 5 pm. The conference started at 4 pm.
So we walked into the hotel lobby and got ourselves registered. Bruce went into the room where the current speakers were speaking. I was just glad we hadn’t missed Gary, who wasn’t scheduled to speak until the next day. Anyway, with me being a vegan and into organic foods and all that, I’m very particular about my food, (perhaps even to the point of it being a false-idol,) I headed over to the Whole Foods Market. I never leave it to chance when it comes to food, so I always bring my own wherever I go. Whenever I travel, I always do my research on-line ahead of time of where the nearest health food stores in the town I’m visiting are. Fortunately for me, there was a Whole Foods Market just a hop, skip, and a jump from the hotel, so I was very pleased about that. So I walked over there to get my food for dinner, since I didn’t feel like going to the presentation.
When I came back to the hotel lobby, the presentation had just ended. There were over four hundred people attending this event, and most of them had just filtered out of the room, but I didn’t see Bruce come out. So, I walked in the room and Bruce was talking to a woman in there. So I approached them, and Bruce introduced me to Cindy, who is Gary’s girlfriend, who I presumed to be this lifetime’s Arten, as well as who Gary refers to as ‘mystery woman’ on his podcasts, but I wasn't about to pry.
So, Gary came over and suggested we carry on our conversation in the lobby since a new presentation was about to start in that room. So we were chatting in the lobby, and then I noticed Gary’s t-shirt. It was black, and it had the word ‘Jesus’ on it. But the rest of it was covered up until he moved his arm. Then I saw a cartoon picture of Jesus with the word ‘Saves.’ I made a comment, and then lifted up my sweatshirt. ‘Coincidently,’ I just so happened to be wearing my black t-shirt that reads ‘Beavis Saves,’ with a picture of Beavis as an angel. Gary and Cindy really dug the shirt, and all four of us got a kick out of the synchronicity of it all. Speaking of pictures, I should have asked Bruce to take a picture of Gary and I wearing our respective SAVES t-shirts, but I wasn’t really thinking. I had already had a picture with Gary with us wearing matching Masshole t-shirts together when he came here to Southern Oregon last summer. So getting a picture of us together wasn’t a priority going into the conference so it wasn’t in the back of my mind, though I did have my camera on me, oh well.
So, after a few more minutes of conversation, I mentioned to Gary that I’ve been posting a Quote of the Day over on the DU Yahoo group, and he said that he noticed and thanked me for doing that – to help people keep focused. Anyway, Gary and Cindy had to split but they suggested we eat at the same table with them at some point during the weekend.
So Bruce and I decided to hit one of the five presentations going on at that moment. We decided to attend the DavidPaul and Candace one since they too are residents of Southern Oregon, actually they live in the same town as me, but I’ve never met them. We walked in about twenty minutes late, and stayed until the end of it. But I pretty much daydreamed through the entire presentation while sipping my Ginger Brew– no offense to the presenters – I just had my mind on other things. So after that was over, it was dinner time.
Lunch, Dinner, and Sunday morning brunch buffets were included in the conference fees. But as mentioned earlier, I always have my own agenda when it comes to food. But I stood in the long line anyway talking with Bruce, as well as mingling with new acquaintances, which is rare for me because I’m not someone who has a lot to say, in the conventional 'world' anyway. At one point, Bruce was speaking briefly with D Patrick Miller (Gary’s original publisher) but I didn’t realize who it was until he walked by me. When he did, we kind of looked at each other and I said, “D Patrick Miller?’ He said yes and we shook hands. I then went on to say that I am big Gary Renard fan and before I got to finish my sentence he moved on to the next person. I guess I could have been offended by that, but I wasn’t. Actually, I thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, the rest of the sentence that he did not hear was, ‘….thank you for publishing Gary’s book.’ But he probably just wanted to chat with somebody who was interested in his own writing, not Gary’s. I don’t blame him.
So anyway, after getting through the buffet line, Bruce spotted the table that Gary and Cindy were sitting at, and there were a couple of empty places, so we joined them. Gary’s booking agent, Jan Cook, was also sitting at this table. There were also some other people at this table, including two people from West Virginia who I would have conversations with throughout the weekend. They seemed very familiar to me, which would be a theme throughout the weekend – meeting people I supposedly never met, yet feeling like I was part of a family reunion. Nice feeling!
Oh, another interesting conversation took place at this time in regards to Gary’s speaking schedule. He was supposed to be hitting Australia during the month of April, however, that got pushed back until November so Jan told Bruce that he’s open to coming up to Ashland in April. Right now, Bruce and I are researching venues here in Ashland in order to have Gary come do a workshop on April 25th. Giddy up!
So, after dinner, Bruce and I went to Lucia’s presentation titled, ‘From Scarcity to ABUNDANCE – How to Get Everything in Exchange for Nothing.’ It was a nice presentation, and I got a kick out of her Spanish accent being mixed in with a little bit of a Southern accent. Cute. Anyway, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself to her after the presentation (she’s my friend on Facebook though) as Bruce and I were engaged in an extended conversation with a young Asian woman who was sitting behind me during the presentation. By the time we were done talking, Lucia had already left the room. So, I never got my Spoken Miracles book signed by her. I did, however, do a review of her book over on Amazon a while back, Mike's Amazon Reviews
So now it was after 10:30, and it was time to catch the BART. We got to Bruce’s mom’s place around midnight, and end up talking with her for about an hour before we went to bed. I was so wired from the fun interactions I had all evening that it took me well over an hour to fall asleep. Then I woke up around 5:15, and since I was to get up at 6, I just decided to stay up, so I ended up with about three hours of sleep. I did some yoga stretches, and then jumped in the shower.
Saturday February 28th
8:45 – 10:00 Breakout groups – 4 concurrent presentations
• Tom Carpenter & Linda Carpenter
• Jon Mundy Ph.D.
• Lyn Corona & Edward Duhaime
• Ian Patrick
10:15 – 10:30 ‘Abundance’ & Song
10;30 – 11:45 Gary Renard
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch
1;30 – 2:45 Breakout groups – 5 Concurrent presentations
• Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vierira
• Sandy Levey-Lunden
• Carol Howe
• Tom Whitmore & Carmen Cameron
• Mary Gerard Lenihan
3:00 – 4:15 Breakout groups – 5 concurrent presentations
• Candace & DavidPaul Doyle
• David Hoffmeister
• Ian Patrick
• Earl Purdy
• Rev. Deborah & Rev Paul Phelps
4:30 – 4:45 Grandeur & Song
4;45 – 6:00 Rev.Robert & Mary Stoelting
6;15 – 7:30 Dinner
7:45 – 9:00 4 Breakout groups – 4 concurrent presentations
• John Mundy
• D Patrick Miller
• John Nagy
• Lyn Corona & Edward Duhaime
9:15 – 11:15 Dance
So Bruce and I were out the door at about 6:45 AM, and arrived just in time for the morning presentations. I wasn’t up for sitting through any of the presentations, so I decided to walk around the city with my iPod in tow, listening to Enya. Bruce attended the Carpenters presentation. I have the Carpenter’s book, Dialogue on Awakening, but I have never read it. I’ve skimmed through it several times but it has just never jumped out at me.
So I just spent part of the morning walking up California Street – the residential part of it. I was noticing that there were these gingerroot looking trees that I don’t recall ever seeing anywhere before. Anyway, I made it back in time for Gary’ presentation, of course. And I didn’t feel like sitting down, so I just stood in the back of the room for the entire 75 minute lecture. As Gary’s podcast buddy Gene Bogart said on a recent podcast about what you get at Gary’s presentations, ‘Just the raw truth mixed in with a few jokes!’ Well, this was certainly no exception.
Actually, we got more than a few jokes; Gary cracked many of them. Anybody who has been to a Gary workshop knows what these are: The 3 nuns trying to get into Heaven; The extra ticket to the World Series at Fenway Park; The Pope being called Elvis; The Daily Chicken; The drunk Jesus and Judas; The Talking Dog; The grocery store. There may have been more, but that’s all I remember at this time. Gary started his lecture by saying, “Hi, I’m Gary, and I’m a recovering jerk!’ Aside from his jokes, Gary spoke about the Course, as well as his recent divorce process. It all ended with a very deserving standing ovation. When it comes to the Course, he’s the freakin’ man! I say deserving because he tells it like it is while being a wicked funny bastid! (Incorrect spelling on purpose to reflect Masshole language!)
Oh, before Gary’s presentation, I got to speak to him again for a few minutes in the lobby. I told Gary that he’s the only reason why I came to the conference (as far as speakers go.) I went on further to say that I am a ‘Gary Renard junkie,’ always reading and listening to his stuff, and that Disappearance is my favorite book, ever, with Your Immortal Reality as #1B, and that there is no close 2nd, including the Course itself. I told him it’s Arten and Pursah’s words that keep me focused, motivated, and inspired, (although J-Dog is the one I converse with regularly in my mind.) From my experience, you don't necessarily need the Course in order to do the Course. As Gary's teachers say on p 108 in DU, 'The truth is an awareness - not a book.' Arten and Pursah spell it all out very well. But, that's what works for me. Actually, my mom is in that same boat too. So anyway, I just thanked Gary for putting himself, as well as his material, out there.
So after Gary’s presentation, it was lunch time. We spent part of the time at one table, and then eventually migrated to another table where Gary and his adopted family were sitting (Cindy and her mother.) While conversing, the subject of dogs got brought up, and I end up mentioning that when I was in Catholic school, the nun used to tell the class that dogs don’t get mad, they get angry. I had no idea what she meant by that, until I asked my dad one time, and he told me that it was because if you spell out ‘mad dog’ backwards, it reads ‘god dam.’ So they got a chuckle out of that. Anyway, it was time for the next slew of presentations, and it was a nice day, and I just didn’t feel like sitting around listening to somebody who wasn’t Gary tell me about A Course in Miracles, so I hopped on a cable car around the corner from the hotel. Bruce, Gary, and the rest of the people at the table went to Nouk and Thomas’ presentation where they were all given a whoopee cushion. Bruce snagged an extra one for me.
So, meanwhile, I got off on the last stop of the cable car at the end of California Street, walked around some, on a mission to find some bandanas, with again, my iPod in tow, listening to a mix of Gary’s stuff as well as some Metallica. The reason I was looking for bandanas was because there was to be a dance at the hotel that night, and Mikey doesn’t dance without wearing a bandana, and without having another one in hand. There was no mention of a dance on the email correspondence with Community Miracles Center beforehand, otherwise, I would have packed some.
So, Mikey needed to find some bandanas. I found an area where people were selling t-shirts, jewelry, art, and what have you, but came up empty on finding bandanas. So I turned around, and started making my way up hill on California Street, passing through the financial district, then turning off into Chinatown. Anyway, I spent close to two hours there going in and out of stores – but still found no bandanas, although I did buy myself a nice denim shirt that said ‘San Francisco’ on it. As a side note, Chinatown in San Francisco is huge, it seemed never ending. The one in Boston is practically non-existent in comparison.
So once I was done with Chinatown, instead of getting back on the cable car, I just hiked up the hill all the way back to the hotel. Right around the corner from the hotel, I found a gift store that just so happened to carry bandanas, yay! Mission accomplished! I bought a few.
Well, one of the highlights of the conference for me was definitely the dance. A pretty decent set list of music was played, including some of my favorite dance jams: You Shook Me All Night Long, Play That Funky Music, The Superfreak, Love Shack, and Mony Mony. There were probably at least a hundred people or so on and around the dance floor.
I used to dance (Ecstatic) regularly on Sunday mornings here in Ashland my first year and a half or so upon moving here, and now just go from time to time. So it was very fun to get out there dancing again, especially since it was with an entire different cast of people who weren’t accustomed to my whacko dancin’ style - hoppin’, skippin’, and jumpin’ around like a little kid. At the Ecstatic Dance, some people love me for the energy I bring to the dance, but for others I’m quite certain I'm there opportunity to practice forgiveness, although they probably don’t realize that, since I don’t believe any of them are Course students. Well, either way you slice it, I’m there only to be truly helpful! So I would imagine that it was the same case here – although Course people are supposed to know that they are supposed to forgive me. Anyway, Mikey’s gotta do what Mikey’s gotta do, and Jimmy cracked corn, and I don't care!
So I did my typical weaving in and out of dance traffic, busted some funny lookin’ dance moves - with head bangin’ and skinny white but shakin’, and of course my little ritual of using my bandana as a fan to cool people off as I make my rounds around the dance floor. Also, I had a couple of people I hadn’t even conversed with up until that point, stop me to have their picture taken with me, funny!
So, I had a surprising amount of energy considering that I had only got 3 hours of sleep the night before; also, I had done about 6 – 8 miles worth of walking (including up some steep hills) earlier in the day, and the fact that I had indulged in food just a couple hours prior to that so I was pretty full. Just further evidence that the mind is in control of the body, as I was just running on adrenalin from being in a state of bliss.
So, shortly after the dance, Bruce and I did our mile plus walk to the BART station, and got back to his mom’s around 1 am. I got 4 hours of sleep this time. Yay!
Sunday March 1st
8:45 – 10 Breakout groups – 5 concurrent presentations
• Mary Gerard Lenihan
• Tom Carpenter & Linda Carpenter
• Martha Lucia Espoinosa
• Sandy Levey-Luden
• Nouk Sanchez & Tomas Vierira
10:15 – 11:30 Sunday Service
11;30 – 12:45 Brunch
So, coming off of a total of seven hours of sleep in the last two nights, and with my calves feeling like they had been run over by a truck, I decided to just hang out in the hotel lobby, while reading through my Gary cards. We were a little late for the start of the morning day because the BART trains don’t run as as early on Sunday mornings. But it was absolutely wonderful just hanging out in the lobby– had some wonderful conversations with several people who stopped by, including two women who I was already friends with on Facebook (from New Hampshire and British Columbia) prior to the event. Several others stopped by just to say that they had a lot of fun at the dance the night before.
So before I knew it, it was time for brunch, which ended at 12:45, but our table of five or six of us were engaged in deep conversation until about 2. But it was time for Bruce and I to hit the road, as much as we would have loved to hang around longer.
Well, this was something I certainly needed - to get out of town for a little bit and be in a big city, and meeting some new people – as I had been feeling very restless and stagnant for several months prior to the event. But, I totally forgot about that all that this past weekend - fun!
So, I only attended three of the presentations all weekend, two of which, admittedly, I wasn't totally present with. But I didn't go for the presentations so it's all good. For me personally, I just didn’t feel a need, nor felt very really drawn, to attending any of them. I mean, I’ve got Arten and Pursah’s uncompromising, inspiring bluntness, bad ass Gary with his ‘dirty’ jokes, conversations with J-Dog going on in my head, and most importantly, my abundant willingness to do this work. I’ve already done the spiritual buffet line, and have no intention, nor desire, of doing A Course in Miracles version of the buffet line. A buffet line is certainly alright in the short term in order to develop a spiritual background, however, in the long run, you just end up becoming 'a jack of all trades but a master of none.' And the goal of the Course is to achieve full mental mastery. I know what Arten and Pursah say is the truth, and there isn't one thing I disagree with them on, so anything in addition to that, for me, would be superfluous.
So what else do I really need? As far as I’m concerned - and I say this with all humility - but I have the same level of understanding of the Course as Gary does, and for me to sit there listening to someone who may be potentially sugarcoating it or watering it down, or making it more complicated than it has to be, wouldn't be the best use of my time. Because once you have all that, you have compromise, and once you have compromise, you no longer have A Course in Miracles. With all that said, however, I am by no means claiming to have mastered the art of true forgiveness; I'm still a work in progress on that and that's why I keep taking in Gary's stuff over and over again, in order to keep me focused and motivated on the task at hand.
Anyway, it was great for me to go because I met some really wonderful people whom I've felt I've known before. Very nice! Also, it was an excuse to get to San Francisco, since I hadn't made it there in the nearly five years since moving out to the west coast. It was about time!
God Is
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Update: My Tidings Article
So, after about six weeks since I wrote my article for the Ashland Daily Tidings, it was printed today. I wasn't too crazy about the little bit of editing they did, nor about the title they gave it, God is Explained, but not bad overall. The reason I didn't care for the title is because my article doesn't really explain God, so I find it to be a bit misleading, although the resources I reference certainly do explain God. Although, the title they gave it on the hard copy version of my article was called, Healing the Subconscious Mind, which makes a lot more sense considering what I wrote. Here's the link:
Mike's Tidings Article
God Is
Mike's Tidings Article
God Is
Sunday, January 25, 2009
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
God Is
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
God Is
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Jesus!
Morning of January 6, 2009
Just a note before I get started: I don't take any drugs (legal or illegal) and I quit drinking before I was legal so these experiences were experienced while stone cold sober.
So, I had an experience this morning that doesn't happen to me every day, in fact, it's happened only one other time. In December of 2006, I abruptly woke up from a dream at around six a.m. or so (still dark outside) and sensed somebody was in the house, (I live alone.) As I put my head up, I looked out to my living room and saw some ghostly looking being in a white robe slightly bowing down at my couch. She had the hood of the robe up on her head so I couldn't see her face, but sensed she was Indian with dark skin complexion. She was a very peaceful, loving presence but that still didn't stop me from being freaked out. Then she turned, and walked slowly to the other side of the living room, heading towards the front door. Now, granted, I was not fully awake when it happened, but I was awake enough to put my head up. And I was freakin' out (in my mind) like, 'who the hell is that in my house?!" But I was like 'frozen' - I couldn't do anything about it. So as she was going through the door, I kind of like closed my eyes and shook my head real quick, then when I reopened, she was gone. So I kind of felt like I made it all up, but I know I didn't. Although, anyone who studies A Course in Miracles knows that anything that occurs in the illusion of time and space is all made up anyway, a dream. As Pursah says on page 245 in Disappearance in regards to what most people refer to as life, 'All your lifetimes have been just one big, gigantic mind trip going nowhere!'
So this morning, I was dreaming that I was at an old buddy's house from high school (totally unrelated to the story) and again I abruptly woke up, around the same time, as I sensed a presence. But this time, it took place in my bedroom. As I lifted my head up, I see Jesus standing at the end of my bed, who I affectionately refer to as 'J-Dog.' He turned to the side and started walking towards the right, and then went through the wall. He had short brown/reddish hair and a beard, and a big ear, not like Dumbo, but bigger than the average size ear. Now that doesn't match my picture I have of him hanging on my wall, but that was definitely his presence. He had a smile like he was laughing, except I didn't hear any sound. Also, perhaps you've seen the movie The Abyss with Ed Harris, when he goes to the bottom of the ocean, he encounters these 'water beings.' Well, J-Dog was kind of like that but in a ghostly kind of way. But this time, I was perfectly calm. It didn't scare the crap out of me like the previous experience. Admittedly, had I been fully awake I may not have been so calm - I guess I'll find out if that ever happens to me in a fully awakened state. The whole thing lasted only about five seconds, my other experience was more like ten to fifteen seconds. Actually, I was so nonchalant about this experience that I didn't even call my mom to tell her about it until the afternoon. But when I did tell her, it gave her the chills - especially since knowing that I've been heavily into Jesus' Course for almost two years now, and here he is appearing to me.
Note: On page 105 in YIR, Gary kiddingly refers to Jesus as J-Dog. So that's where I got J-Dog from. I dig it!
So what does this all mean? Beats the hell out of me! I know for one thing, it doesn't make me special. Only God is real, and anything that appears in the universe of time and space is just metaphor, or a symbol. So, nobody here that's walked the earth, or anywhere else in the universe for that matter, is special; including Jesus himself, who's the first to tell you that in his Course. But I figured I'd write about it anyway for journalling, as well as for entertainment purposes.
So later on in the day, while trying to finish my sixth reading of Your Immortal Reality, on page 205, Pursah quotes Jesus from the Course, "When I said 'I am with you always,' I meant it literally. I am not absent to anyone in any situation. Because I am always with you, you are the way, the truth and the life." When I read that today, I was kind of like, 'whoa, no shit!'
So does this mean I'm enlightened? Uh, no. I've still got issues. But I'd like to think that J-Dog appearing to me is a symbol of me getting much closer to that state. But I can't explain why I was so frightened the first time, and so calm about the experience this time. Perhaps I've healed enough of the mind through the true forgiveness practice outlined in the Course and in Gary's books that I've become less fearful. And that is the goal of the Course, to remove the walls of guilt buried deep in the subconscious mind that causes all fears to be there in the first place, so you become fearless like J-Dog, and that is what true spirituality is all about. Giddy up!
Update 1-14-09: No, J-Dog did not appear to me again, damn it! But I had forgotten another detail which I believe is common place for people who have such experiences. I left had left out that this ghostly Jesus figure was transparent. In other words, I was able to see the wall behind Him. So, I just wanted to add that as part of my blog here.
On another note, my mom suggested that J-Dog appeared to me with a big ear to inform me that he hears me when I speak to Him - I'm down with that idea! Thank you J!
Update 1-24-09: My mom spotted this picture somewhere on Photobucket the other day. It's quite eerily similar to the face I saw. Throw on a smile and a laugh, and take off the suit and tie, and you've got a look at the J-Dog I saw that morning. Pretty freakin cool!
Just a note before I get started: I don't take any drugs (legal or illegal) and I quit drinking before I was legal so these experiences were experienced while stone cold sober.
So, I had an experience this morning that doesn't happen to me every day, in fact, it's happened only one other time. In December of 2006, I abruptly woke up from a dream at around six a.m. or so (still dark outside) and sensed somebody was in the house, (I live alone.) As I put my head up, I looked out to my living room and saw some ghostly looking being in a white robe slightly bowing down at my couch. She had the hood of the robe up on her head so I couldn't see her face, but sensed she was Indian with dark skin complexion. She was a very peaceful, loving presence but that still didn't stop me from being freaked out. Then she turned, and walked slowly to the other side of the living room, heading towards the front door. Now, granted, I was not fully awake when it happened, but I was awake enough to put my head up. And I was freakin' out (in my mind) like, 'who the hell is that in my house?!" But I was like 'frozen' - I couldn't do anything about it. So as she was going through the door, I kind of like closed my eyes and shook my head real quick, then when I reopened, she was gone. So I kind of felt like I made it all up, but I know I didn't. Although, anyone who studies A Course in Miracles knows that anything that occurs in the illusion of time and space is all made up anyway, a dream. As Pursah says on page 245 in Disappearance in regards to what most people refer to as life, 'All your lifetimes have been just one big, gigantic mind trip going nowhere!'
So this morning, I was dreaming that I was at an old buddy's house from high school (totally unrelated to the story) and again I abruptly woke up, around the same time, as I sensed a presence. But this time, it took place in my bedroom. As I lifted my head up, I see Jesus standing at the end of my bed, who I affectionately refer to as 'J-Dog.' He turned to the side and started walking towards the right, and then went through the wall. He had short brown/reddish hair and a beard, and a big ear, not like Dumbo, but bigger than the average size ear. Now that doesn't match my picture I have of him hanging on my wall, but that was definitely his presence. He had a smile like he was laughing, except I didn't hear any sound. Also, perhaps you've seen the movie The Abyss with Ed Harris, when he goes to the bottom of the ocean, he encounters these 'water beings.' Well, J-Dog was kind of like that but in a ghostly kind of way. But this time, I was perfectly calm. It didn't scare the crap out of me like the previous experience. Admittedly, had I been fully awake I may not have been so calm - I guess I'll find out if that ever happens to me in a fully awakened state. The whole thing lasted only about five seconds, my other experience was more like ten to fifteen seconds. Actually, I was so nonchalant about this experience that I didn't even call my mom to tell her about it until the afternoon. But when I did tell her, it gave her the chills - especially since knowing that I've been heavily into Jesus' Course for almost two years now, and here he is appearing to me.
Note: On page 105 in YIR, Gary kiddingly refers to Jesus as J-Dog. So that's where I got J-Dog from. I dig it!
So what does this all mean? Beats the hell out of me! I know for one thing, it doesn't make me special. Only God is real, and anything that appears in the universe of time and space is just metaphor, or a symbol. So, nobody here that's walked the earth, or anywhere else in the universe for that matter, is special; including Jesus himself, who's the first to tell you that in his Course. But I figured I'd write about it anyway for journalling, as well as for entertainment purposes.
So later on in the day, while trying to finish my sixth reading of Your Immortal Reality, on page 205, Pursah quotes Jesus from the Course, "When I said 'I am with you always,' I meant it literally. I am not absent to anyone in any situation. Because I am always with you, you are the way, the truth and the life." When I read that today, I was kind of like, 'whoa, no shit!'
So does this mean I'm enlightened? Uh, no. I've still got issues. But I'd like to think that J-Dog appearing to me is a symbol of me getting much closer to that state. But I can't explain why I was so frightened the first time, and so calm about the experience this time. Perhaps I've healed enough of the mind through the true forgiveness practice outlined in the Course and in Gary's books that I've become less fearful. And that is the goal of the Course, to remove the walls of guilt buried deep in the subconscious mind that causes all fears to be there in the first place, so you become fearless like J-Dog, and that is what true spirituality is all about. Giddy up!
Update 1-14-09: No, J-Dog did not appear to me again, damn it! But I had forgotten another detail which I believe is common place for people who have such experiences. I left had left out that this ghostly Jesus figure was transparent. In other words, I was able to see the wall behind Him. So, I just wanted to add that as part of my blog here.
On another note, my mom suggested that J-Dog appeared to me with a big ear to inform me that he hears me when I speak to Him - I'm down with that idea! Thank you J!
Update 1-24-09: My mom spotted this picture somewhere on Photobucket the other day. It's quite eerily similar to the face I saw. Throw on a smile and a laugh, and take off the suit and tie, and you've got a look at the J-Dog I saw that morning. Pretty freakin cool!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Taking Responsibility for Dreaming
There are no victims in this world
So, I’m currently reading Gary’s second book, Your Immortal Reality, for the sixth time, and there’s a section in there that really hit home for me while reading it last week. Now, of course, I already knew this, but that’s why repetition is so very important, and necessary, when it comes to hearing right minded ideas. As you hear these ideas over and over again, they sink in on an even deeper level.
So in chapter four of YIR, Murders Without Corpses, Gary talks about how the founder of one of the most recognized organizations within the Course community, Miracle Distribution Center aka MDC, ‘screwed’ over his critically acclaimed book, The Disappearance of the Universe, saying that they refused to carry it despite its popularity amongst Course students.
Note: According to the Miracle Distribution Center website, the names of the founders of MDC are Richard and Beverly Hutchison. Neither name was mentioned in Gary’s book, however, a woman was referenced.
So Gary went on bitching and moaning to Arten and Pursah about this woman, saying that she could at least carry the book without having to promote it. Gary also went on to say that MDC not carrying Disappearance was 'a public smack in the face.' That’s what I love about Gary, he just puts himself out there as being human, not anything special, nor presenting himself to be more ‘evolved’ than the rest of us - at least I’ve never gotten that impression. He’s just going through the same forgiveness process like the rest of us. And like the rest of us, he’s not perfect about doing it all the time. I have a great appreciation for his authenticity. I mean, Gary could have edited this part out of the book, among other things that showed he wasn’t perfect in practicing the Course, but I don’t think his books would have had the same impact. Arten and Pursah knew what they were doing when they chose him to appear to. If A&P appeared to someone who was practically enlightened already, not many of us would be able to relate. With Gary, it’s as if we are walking in his shoes in a sense. So A&P chose some typical wise-guy that we can all relate to, a regular guy that digs women, music, sports, and beer (not necessarily in that order) which helps put the reader in the mind-set of, ‘Hey, if this clown can do this forgiveness gig, so can I.’
As a side note, this past summer I sent an email to MDC suggesting they carry Gary’s books and CDs, and asking them why they didn’t. I mean, they carry Marianne Williamson’s A Return To Love, a book that is allegedly based on A Course in Miracles, but it’s quite obvious just in the introduction part of the book alone that she doesn’t really get it. Now, I’m not suggesting that her work cannot be very beneficial to people in some way. In fact, I know it is, as back in the 90’s I was heavily into Wayne Dyer and the like, who speak on pretty much the same level as Marianne, and they were very helpful to me at the time. So I certainly wouldn’t knock Marianne, nor knock anyone who is into her stuff. With that said, however, her work shouldn’t be confused with the uncompromising message of A Course in Miracles, because as Arten puts it, ‘….once you have compromise, you no longer have the truth,’ (DU p 18.) Marianne’s work is about fixing up your life, while the real message of A Course in Miracles is about waking up from what you think is your life - as Arten would say, ‘That’s not just a minor distinction.’ Not that there is anything wrong with trying to fix up your life, but that is not the focus of the Course, although it can be a fringe benefit; and Mikey is down with fringe benefits!
So anyway, I got a response to my email from MDC saying one of the reasons why they don’t carry Disappearance is because of an article written by a Greg Mackie a couple years ago, who had some unflattering things to say about Gary and his experiences. They didn’t give me any other reasons as to why, and I find it a tad askew that some Course people will be quick to question Gary about his experiences, yet, accept the fact the Course came from Jesus himself! But I just left it at that. I’m here only to be truly helpful, so trying to convince people of something they are not ready for, is not a good use of my time, and a waste of the other person’s time as well. So I didn’t respond to the email. My personal opinion is that people just look for ways (both consciously and unconsciously) to avoid and resist the truth, which you can’t run away from in Gary’s books, as Arten and Pursah’s message is so blunt! But there’s no shame in that - some people are in elementary school, junior high, high school, college, and so forth; it doesn’t make one person better than any other - you are, where you are. Not every one is ready for this stuff, so as Jack Nicholson says to Tom Cruise in the movie A Few Good Men, ‘You can’t handle the truth!’ Oh, I have to mention this too since I’ve always been a big Seinfeld junkie - George Costanza does an impersonation of Jack Nicholson using that same quote in the classic Marine Biologist episode where Georgie Boy saves a whale by pulling out a golf ball from the whale’s blow-hole, a Titleist golf ball that Kramer had hit into the ocean. Anyway, there will come a time when everybody will be able to handle the truth!
Ok, so now trying to get back to my original point. What I also love about Gary’s books is that Arten and Pursah are right there to correct Gary whenever he goes off course. When Gary forgets to do his forgiveness homework, A&P are right there to put everything in proper perspective. We are all still human, and sometimes we feel a need to vent before we do the forgiveness work. And Gary is no exception. I think he is a representation of each of us, so when Arten and Pursah are gently, or not so gently, reminding him of what needs to be done, they are also reminding us to practice forgiveness on the things that push our buttons and piss us off on any given day. Although, as my old man used to say me, ‘It’s better to be pissed off than pissed on!’
Now getting back to Gary’s grievance with the founder of MDC, Pursah goes on to explain to Gary how people orbit each other, much like how planets orbit the sun. And that Gary knew this woman in previous lifetimes, and that they were even married once, including one lifetime where, according to Pursah, Gary had killed her; so they had some unfinished business. So we all get an equal share of playing the role of victim and victimizer throughout all our lifetimes, and sometimes even within our own lifetimes. So this woman had an unconscious grievance towards Gary the minute she saw his book. So in this example, Gary is the ‘victim’ in this lifetime. Now here’s the part that really hit home for me, after reading this again, it just sunk in at a deeper level, so much so that I was thinking of this quote in my dream while asleep the other night, (I love it when that happens!) So as Pursah so eloquently put it to Gary, ‘The question is, what are you going to use it for this time, freedom or bondage? Are you going to get that you are not a victim and take responsibility for dreaming, or are you going to make it real and stay stuck here?
So, there’s no excuse for not doing the forgiveness work, as it is only our own freedom and peace of mind being delayed by not doing it. But as the saying goes, ‘It’s simple but not easy.’ But I can see why Gary would be irritated by this experience he had with that woman, and would be tempted to go on whining about it all. And on the level of form, he is certainly right. But as the Course asks you, ‘Do you prefer you be right or happy?’ The trick is not to let the ego rule you, and not allow yourself to get sucked into all this crap, and most of all, to remember what it is all for – forgiveness of the ego’s script. And remembering is the hardest part. Another reason why repetition in hearing right-minded ideas is so necessary is that it becomes more easily accessible when the shit hits the fan!
I remember back in my days as a smart-ass teenager, my mom once asked me that same rhetorical question, would I’d rather be happy or be right, and my response was, ‘Well, I’m happy when I’m right, damn it!’ Of course, as a student of the Course, I now know all being right will do is keep me stuck in illusions, but it can certainly still be a temptation at times.
So, on a personal note before I close, I’ll be attending the ACIM conference in San Francisco that’s taking place the weekend of February 28 – March 1. Gary will be among many others speaking there. I hope to have another post to my blog up before that, but if not, my next post may very well be about my experience at the conference. Also, I still want to get my catholic school story up on here at some point this year, just for a change of pace and a fun read that has nothing to do with Gary’s books or ACIM.
So, I wanted to wrap up this post with the definitive statements from the Course mentioned in the same chapter as Gary’s forgiveness lesson with MDC. Pursah says a definitive statement is an idea in the Course that is so clear it defines what the Course is teaching, and it encapsulates what the Course is saying. So here are a few mentioned:
There is no world! This is the central thought the Course attempts to teach. Pursah follows up this quote with this: If there is no world, then there’s nothing to forgive, and recognizing that fact in the events, situations, and people you see is advanced forgiveness, because now you’re not forgiving other people for something they’ve really done, you’re recognizing that they haven’t really done anything. So you’re actually forgiving yourself for dreaming them. That distinction is vital. Without it, you’re doing the old-fashioned kind of forgiveness, which can’t undo the ego.
Anger is never justified. Arten says that if you made the whole thing up, then who is there to be angry at? And a related idea; The secret of salvation is but this: that you are doing this unto yourself. Arten goes on to say that these two ideas fit together like a hand in a glove, and once you really get them, then there’s no getting away from them.
The world you see is an illusion of a world. God did not create it, for what He creates must be eternal as Himself. Yet there is nothing in the world you see that will endure forever.
So Happy freakin’ New Year everybody! And here’s the mutha of all definitive statements to close this puppy out:
God Is
So, I’m currently reading Gary’s second book, Your Immortal Reality, for the sixth time, and there’s a section in there that really hit home for me while reading it last week. Now, of course, I already knew this, but that’s why repetition is so very important, and necessary, when it comes to hearing right minded ideas. As you hear these ideas over and over again, they sink in on an even deeper level.
So in chapter four of YIR, Murders Without Corpses, Gary talks about how the founder of one of the most recognized organizations within the Course community, Miracle Distribution Center aka MDC, ‘screwed’ over his critically acclaimed book, The Disappearance of the Universe, saying that they refused to carry it despite its popularity amongst Course students.
Note: According to the Miracle Distribution Center website, the names of the founders of MDC are Richard and Beverly Hutchison. Neither name was mentioned in Gary’s book, however, a woman was referenced.
So Gary went on bitching and moaning to Arten and Pursah about this woman, saying that she could at least carry the book without having to promote it. Gary also went on to say that MDC not carrying Disappearance was 'a public smack in the face.' That’s what I love about Gary, he just puts himself out there as being human, not anything special, nor presenting himself to be more ‘evolved’ than the rest of us - at least I’ve never gotten that impression. He’s just going through the same forgiveness process like the rest of us. And like the rest of us, he’s not perfect about doing it all the time. I have a great appreciation for his authenticity. I mean, Gary could have edited this part out of the book, among other things that showed he wasn’t perfect in practicing the Course, but I don’t think his books would have had the same impact. Arten and Pursah knew what they were doing when they chose him to appear to. If A&P appeared to someone who was practically enlightened already, not many of us would be able to relate. With Gary, it’s as if we are walking in his shoes in a sense. So A&P chose some typical wise-guy that we can all relate to, a regular guy that digs women, music, sports, and beer (not necessarily in that order) which helps put the reader in the mind-set of, ‘Hey, if this clown can do this forgiveness gig, so can I.’
As a side note, this past summer I sent an email to MDC suggesting they carry Gary’s books and CDs, and asking them why they didn’t. I mean, they carry Marianne Williamson’s A Return To Love, a book that is allegedly based on A Course in Miracles, but it’s quite obvious just in the introduction part of the book alone that she doesn’t really get it. Now, I’m not suggesting that her work cannot be very beneficial to people in some way. In fact, I know it is, as back in the 90’s I was heavily into Wayne Dyer and the like, who speak on pretty much the same level as Marianne, and they were very helpful to me at the time. So I certainly wouldn’t knock Marianne, nor knock anyone who is into her stuff. With that said, however, her work shouldn’t be confused with the uncompromising message of A Course in Miracles, because as Arten puts it, ‘….once you have compromise, you no longer have the truth,’ (DU p 18.) Marianne’s work is about fixing up your life, while the real message of A Course in Miracles is about waking up from what you think is your life - as Arten would say, ‘That’s not just a minor distinction.’ Not that there is anything wrong with trying to fix up your life, but that is not the focus of the Course, although it can be a fringe benefit; and Mikey is down with fringe benefits!
So anyway, I got a response to my email from MDC saying one of the reasons why they don’t carry Disappearance is because of an article written by a Greg Mackie a couple years ago, who had some unflattering things to say about Gary and his experiences. They didn’t give me any other reasons as to why, and I find it a tad askew that some Course people will be quick to question Gary about his experiences, yet, accept the fact the Course came from Jesus himself! But I just left it at that. I’m here only to be truly helpful, so trying to convince people of something they are not ready for, is not a good use of my time, and a waste of the other person’s time as well. So I didn’t respond to the email. My personal opinion is that people just look for ways (both consciously and unconsciously) to avoid and resist the truth, which you can’t run away from in Gary’s books, as Arten and Pursah’s message is so blunt! But there’s no shame in that - some people are in elementary school, junior high, high school, college, and so forth; it doesn’t make one person better than any other - you are, where you are. Not every one is ready for this stuff, so as Jack Nicholson says to Tom Cruise in the movie A Few Good Men, ‘You can’t handle the truth!’ Oh, I have to mention this too since I’ve always been a big Seinfeld junkie - George Costanza does an impersonation of Jack Nicholson using that same quote in the classic Marine Biologist episode where Georgie Boy saves a whale by pulling out a golf ball from the whale’s blow-hole, a Titleist golf ball that Kramer had hit into the ocean. Anyway, there will come a time when everybody will be able to handle the truth!
Ok, so now trying to get back to my original point. What I also love about Gary’s books is that Arten and Pursah are right there to correct Gary whenever he goes off course. When Gary forgets to do his forgiveness homework, A&P are right there to put everything in proper perspective. We are all still human, and sometimes we feel a need to vent before we do the forgiveness work. And Gary is no exception. I think he is a representation of each of us, so when Arten and Pursah are gently, or not so gently, reminding him of what needs to be done, they are also reminding us to practice forgiveness on the things that push our buttons and piss us off on any given day. Although, as my old man used to say me, ‘It’s better to be pissed off than pissed on!’
Now getting back to Gary’s grievance with the founder of MDC, Pursah goes on to explain to Gary how people orbit each other, much like how planets orbit the sun. And that Gary knew this woman in previous lifetimes, and that they were even married once, including one lifetime where, according to Pursah, Gary had killed her; so they had some unfinished business. So we all get an equal share of playing the role of victim and victimizer throughout all our lifetimes, and sometimes even within our own lifetimes. So this woman had an unconscious grievance towards Gary the minute she saw his book. So in this example, Gary is the ‘victim’ in this lifetime. Now here’s the part that really hit home for me, after reading this again, it just sunk in at a deeper level, so much so that I was thinking of this quote in my dream while asleep the other night, (I love it when that happens!) So as Pursah so eloquently put it to Gary, ‘The question is, what are you going to use it for this time, freedom or bondage? Are you going to get that you are not a victim and take responsibility for dreaming, or are you going to make it real and stay stuck here?
So, there’s no excuse for not doing the forgiveness work, as it is only our own freedom and peace of mind being delayed by not doing it. But as the saying goes, ‘It’s simple but not easy.’ But I can see why Gary would be irritated by this experience he had with that woman, and would be tempted to go on whining about it all. And on the level of form, he is certainly right. But as the Course asks you, ‘Do you prefer you be right or happy?’ The trick is not to let the ego rule you, and not allow yourself to get sucked into all this crap, and most of all, to remember what it is all for – forgiveness of the ego’s script. And remembering is the hardest part. Another reason why repetition in hearing right-minded ideas is so necessary is that it becomes more easily accessible when the shit hits the fan!
I remember back in my days as a smart-ass teenager, my mom once asked me that same rhetorical question, would I’d rather be happy or be right, and my response was, ‘Well, I’m happy when I’m right, damn it!’ Of course, as a student of the Course, I now know all being right will do is keep me stuck in illusions, but it can certainly still be a temptation at times.
So, on a personal note before I close, I’ll be attending the ACIM conference in San Francisco that’s taking place the weekend of February 28 – March 1. Gary will be among many others speaking there. I hope to have another post to my blog up before that, but if not, my next post may very well be about my experience at the conference. Also, I still want to get my catholic school story up on here at some point this year, just for a change of pace and a fun read that has nothing to do with Gary’s books or ACIM.
So, I wanted to wrap up this post with the definitive statements from the Course mentioned in the same chapter as Gary’s forgiveness lesson with MDC. Pursah says a definitive statement is an idea in the Course that is so clear it defines what the Course is teaching, and it encapsulates what the Course is saying. So here are a few mentioned:
There is no world! This is the central thought the Course attempts to teach. Pursah follows up this quote with this: If there is no world, then there’s nothing to forgive, and recognizing that fact in the events, situations, and people you see is advanced forgiveness, because now you’re not forgiving other people for something they’ve really done, you’re recognizing that they haven’t really done anything. So you’re actually forgiving yourself for dreaming them. That distinction is vital. Without it, you’re doing the old-fashioned kind of forgiveness, which can’t undo the ego.
Anger is never justified. Arten says that if you made the whole thing up, then who is there to be angry at? And a related idea; The secret of salvation is but this: that you are doing this unto yourself. Arten goes on to say that these two ideas fit together like a hand in a glove, and once you really get them, then there’s no getting away from them.
The world you see is an illusion of a world. God did not create it, for what He creates must be eternal as Himself. Yet there is nothing in the world you see that will endure forever.
So Happy freakin’ New Year everybody! And here’s the mutha of all definitive statements to close this puppy out:
God Is
Saturday, November 8, 2008
New Age Myths
Arten and Pursah's take on some popular New Age concepts
At the end of my last post I mentioned that I wanted to share what Arten and Pursah have to say about certain New Age topics that so many people are 'ga-ga' over. A&P are very blunt in putting these many popular New Age concepts in their proper perspective - as well as putting the entire universe in its place! How can somebody not love these guys? They really hold back no punches! As an idealist, I was so excited to read what A&P had to say when I read DU for the first time in the spring of 2007. I'm now on my seventh reading - no such thing as too much repetition! Anyway, their message is intended for those ready to take full responsibility for their life's experiences - not always easy, especially when it feels like the world is being done to you rather than being done by you. In this post, we'll review what Arten and Pursah have to say about the following hot topics in the spiritual community: energy, consciousness, evolution, reincarnation, body-mind-spirit, karma, and 'being in the now.'
A note before I get started: the study of the aforementioned topics were once very helpful to me and were an important part of my spiritual path for many years. Without having studied that stuff, and applying it into my life, I would not have been able to go beyond them - and get to the point where I could accept Arten and Pursah's teachings as being true. I know ten years ago I would not have been able to accept A&P's teachings - as Pursah says on page 127 of DU, '.....not due to a lack of intelligence, but because of an abundance of unconscious resistance.' Fortunately, enough of my ego was undone during the years of my prior studies that I was able to accept Arten and Pursah's teachings without hesitation. But Arten and Pursah say that this path is not for everyone, or at least not for everyone all at once. So, I am certainly not putting these concepts down. But Arten and Pursah bluntly point out to us that we need to go beyond them if we want to go Home, and experience what we really are.
So, let's get started, shall we?
What about energy?
DU p 104
Energy cannot seemingly be destroyed on the level of form because it is not really energy, it is thought. Or more accurately, it is mis-thought, which will eventually be changed over to the eternal. In the meantime, there is a very simple criteria that the Course gives you to distinguish between the real and the unreal:
Whatever is true is eternal, and cannot change or be changed. Spirit is therefore unalterable because it is already perfect, but the mind can elect what it chooses to serve. The only limit put on its choice is that it cannot serve two masters.
So the fact that energy can be changed means that by it's very nature it is untrue. It is not our intention to deflate the enthusiasm of your New Age buddies who are so ga-ga over energy. But energy is nothing. It's a waste of time, a trick, just another device for building your house upon the sand instead of on the rock. Sure, it may be a helpful idea for some people to be interested in the unseen instead of the seen. But we came to help you save time. The good news isn't that energy can be changed, the good news is that the mind that made it can be changed.
DU p 129
Try to remember that energy is not spirit - spirit being your unalterable, true reality. Energy, which changes and can be measured, exists within the domain of perception.
My note: I used to be pretty obsessed about energy myself. Arten and Pursah really cleared this whole thing up for me. They really simplify the whole process of enlightenment, while many other authors whose books I read prior to this point really complicated the hell out of it - making every single cell in the body real! Energy really is nothing! Just practice true forgiveness and the rest will take care of itself. What a relief!
What about consciousness?
DU p 129
Consciousness is yet another thing you foolishly value highly. In order to have consciousness you have to have separation. You've got to have more than one thing. You have to have something else to be conscious of. This is the beginning of the split mind. As the Course teaches in no uncertain terms:
Consciousness, the level of perception, was the first split introduced into the mind after the separation, making the mind a perceiver rather than a creator. Consciousness is correctly identified as the domain of the ego.
DU p 214
In Heaven, you don't have to think at all. In fact you are thought by God.
My note: So consciousness is not of God. Which means, the popular term, 'Christ-Consciousness' is actually an oxy-moron. Christ is of God, while consciousness represents separation from God.
What about evolution and reincarnation?
DU p 145,146
Since everything happened all at once, then doesn't that mean evolution is also an illusion, kind of a smokescreen?
Congratulations to the one who knows that. Your generation worships evolution, thinking that you're on the way to creating some kind of new, hot consciousness. You value evolution almost as much as you value energy. What is called evolution was merely the ego separating all at once by seemingly dividing and sub-dividing cells over and over again in order to make bodies and brains that appear to be more complex - and thus more impressive. Yet all bodies are the same in their unreality.
DU p 328
Some people believe reincarnation leads to the evolvement of the soul. True?
Your soul is already perfect, or otherwise it wouldn't be a soul; it would just be something you're mistaking for a soul - like your mind, which people do mistake for the soul, or a projection of your mind, which includes bodily-shaped ghostly images that people think are souls. Evolution is something that appears to happen on the level of form, but it's just a dream. Once your mind has learned all its forgiveness lessons, then it awakens to spirit or soul, and everything else is gone except Heaven. Most people think of their soul as being an individual thing because they can't help but think of themselves as individuals. When that false belief is gone, then you know that there is really only one soul - which is our unlimited oneness as spirit.
DU p 179
We should emphasize something about the subject of reincarnation. We talk about it as though it actually happens. Yet just like everything else, it's only a dream. Yes, it appears that you incarnate into a body, and your experience is that you are a body - but as we like to point out, the Course says that what you are seeing is not true.
At the end of my last post I mentioned that I wanted to share what Arten and Pursah have to say about certain New Age topics that so many people are 'ga-ga' over. A&P are very blunt in putting these many popular New Age concepts in their proper perspective - as well as putting the entire universe in its place! How can somebody not love these guys? They really hold back no punches! As an idealist, I was so excited to read what A&P had to say when I read DU for the first time in the spring of 2007. I'm now on my seventh reading - no such thing as too much repetition! Anyway, their message is intended for those ready to take full responsibility for their life's experiences - not always easy, especially when it feels like the world is being done to you rather than being done by you. In this post, we'll review what Arten and Pursah have to say about the following hot topics in the spiritual community: energy, consciousness, evolution, reincarnation, body-mind-spirit, karma, and 'being in the now.'
A note before I get started: the study of the aforementioned topics were once very helpful to me and were an important part of my spiritual path for many years. Without having studied that stuff, and applying it into my life, I would not have been able to go beyond them - and get to the point where I could accept Arten and Pursah's teachings as being true. I know ten years ago I would not have been able to accept A&P's teachings - as Pursah says on page 127 of DU, '.....not due to a lack of intelligence, but because of an abundance of unconscious resistance.' Fortunately, enough of my ego was undone during the years of my prior studies that I was able to accept Arten and Pursah's teachings without hesitation. But Arten and Pursah say that this path is not for everyone, or at least not for everyone all at once. So, I am certainly not putting these concepts down. But Arten and Pursah bluntly point out to us that we need to go beyond them if we want to go Home, and experience what we really are.
So, let's get started, shall we?
What about energy?
DU p 104
Energy cannot seemingly be destroyed on the level of form because it is not really energy, it is thought. Or more accurately, it is mis-thought, which will eventually be changed over to the eternal. In the meantime, there is a very simple criteria that the Course gives you to distinguish between the real and the unreal:
Whatever is true is eternal, and cannot change or be changed. Spirit is therefore unalterable because it is already perfect, but the mind can elect what it chooses to serve. The only limit put on its choice is that it cannot serve two masters.
So the fact that energy can be changed means that by it's very nature it is untrue. It is not our intention to deflate the enthusiasm of your New Age buddies who are so ga-ga over energy. But energy is nothing. It's a waste of time, a trick, just another device for building your house upon the sand instead of on the rock. Sure, it may be a helpful idea for some people to be interested in the unseen instead of the seen. But we came to help you save time. The good news isn't that energy can be changed, the good news is that the mind that made it can be changed.
DU p 129
Try to remember that energy is not spirit - spirit being your unalterable, true reality. Energy, which changes and can be measured, exists within the domain of perception.
My note: I used to be pretty obsessed about energy myself. Arten and Pursah really cleared this whole thing up for me. They really simplify the whole process of enlightenment, while many other authors whose books I read prior to this point really complicated the hell out of it - making every single cell in the body real! Energy really is nothing! Just practice true forgiveness and the rest will take care of itself. What a relief!
What about consciousness?
DU p 129
Consciousness is yet another thing you foolishly value highly. In order to have consciousness you have to have separation. You've got to have more than one thing. You have to have something else to be conscious of. This is the beginning of the split mind. As the Course teaches in no uncertain terms:
Consciousness, the level of perception, was the first split introduced into the mind after the separation, making the mind a perceiver rather than a creator. Consciousness is correctly identified as the domain of the ego.
DU p 214
In Heaven, you don't have to think at all. In fact you are thought by God.
My note: So consciousness is not of God. Which means, the popular term, 'Christ-Consciousness' is actually an oxy-moron. Christ is of God, while consciousness represents separation from God.
What about evolution and reincarnation?
DU p 145,146
Since everything happened all at once, then doesn't that mean evolution is also an illusion, kind of a smokescreen?
Congratulations to the one who knows that. Your generation worships evolution, thinking that you're on the way to creating some kind of new, hot consciousness. You value evolution almost as much as you value energy. What is called evolution was merely the ego separating all at once by seemingly dividing and sub-dividing cells over and over again in order to make bodies and brains that appear to be more complex - and thus more impressive. Yet all bodies are the same in their unreality.
DU p 328
Some people believe reincarnation leads to the evolvement of the soul. True?
Your soul is already perfect, or otherwise it wouldn't be a soul; it would just be something you're mistaking for a soul - like your mind, which people do mistake for the soul, or a projection of your mind, which includes bodily-shaped ghostly images that people think are souls. Evolution is something that appears to happen on the level of form, but it's just a dream. Once your mind has learned all its forgiveness lessons, then it awakens to spirit or soul, and everything else is gone except Heaven. Most people think of their soul as being an individual thing because they can't help but think of themselves as individuals. When that false belief is gone, then you know that there is really only one soul - which is our unlimited oneness as spirit.
DU p 179
We should emphasize something about the subject of reincarnation. We talk about it as though it actually happens. Yet just like everything else, it's only a dream. Yes, it appears that you incarnate into a body, and your experience is that you are a body - but as we like to point out, the Course says that what you are seeing is not true.
What about body-mind-spirit?
DU p 76
Today, many believe in the existence of a trilogy - body, mind, and spirit. The 'balance' of all three is important in your philosophy. But you, the seemingly separated mind which makes and uses bodies, must choose between the changeless and eternal reality of spirit - which is God and His Kingdom - or the unreal and ever-changing universe of bodies - which includes anything that can be perceived, whether you appear to be in a body or not.
Are you saying that giving equal value to body, mind, and spirit actually contributes to me coming back here over and over again as a body, rather than being free?
Yes, but this doesn't mean that you should neglect your body. We're speaking of another way of looking at it.
My note: This means using the practical forms of judgment when it comes to the body. We are still gonna bathe it, dress it, feed it, and exercise it - hopefully! The point is your salvation is dependent on what's going on in your mind, while you go about living your daily life; it's not about giving up anything.
DU p 293
You may hear from those seeking balance: the balancing of body, mind, and spirit, or balancing dual forces like yin and yang, or balancing 'the force' itself. Balancing illusions is not forgiving them.
What about karma?
DU p 116
Karma is just an effect. We're going to change the cause of everything by changing the mind. The effect on the level of the physical is not something to be concerned about, because it isn't real. The real things you should be interested in are inner peace and returning to Heaven.
My note: In other words, karma is the result of the unconscious guilt in the mind. Once the guilt has been healed and removed by your forgiveness, then the so called karma no longer exists. Whatever 'bad' things you have done in the past are only karmic if you have yet to truly forgive yourself for doing them.
What about 'being in the now?'
IR, p 27
Where the practice of 'be here now' will get you is here. Sure, it will relax you, but it won't get you home. One aspect of that kind of a system is to watch your judgments. But watching your judgments is not forgiving them. And the now that is experienced is not the eternal always of Heaven, which can only be consistently experienced when the ego has been completely undone by the Holy Spirit. That requires that you do your part to forgive, and the Holy Spirit takes care of the part of the job you can't see, deep within your unconscious mind.
IR, p 193, 194
Keep in mind that we're not saying there's anything wrong with the idea of 'being in the now,' - there may be some good in focusing on the now rather than the past or the future - the quality of life would be improved. The problem is that doing so cannot remove the unconscious guilt over the original separation from God that's still hidden in the deep recesses of the mind. Because of that, it makes each experience of being in the now temporary by definition, because it fails to remove the blocks that prevent that experience from being permanent. All of which is to say that there's not just a minor difference between the approach of The Power of Now and the real power of A Course in Miracles. It's the difference between being temporarily in the now of an illusion, or being permanently in the presence of reality.
It's absolutely essential to remember that unless and until all unconscious guilt is removed from the mind, you cannot stay in the endless present on a permanent basis - it's impossible. Any attempt to remain in the now is doomed to failure without doing the work of true forgiveness. Until you've completely forgiven that which you made and projected outside of yourself, you are not forgiven in your own unconscious mind, and until you are, the cycle of birth and death cannot be broken. Being in the now does not heal your unconscious guilt and undo the ego. True forgiveness, on the other hand, removes the blocks to the awareness of love's presence that is your natural state of being, undoing the ego completely and making it possible to remain in the eternal 'always' simply because that's all that's left.
Remember, that any attempt at eternity is a nonstarter as long as there's any unconscious guilt in the mind, period. That guilt must be healed before you can permanently stay free of the past or future. And the way to undo it is not to ignore it, which is exactly what's going on when you shut off and deny the past or future. It's when you forgive the past and your concerns about the future that they are undone, and the endless present becomes truly available to you. That forgiveness always takes place now. Remember that there's no difference between forgiving the original separation at the time it appeared to happen, and forgiving it right now, for they are one and the same.
Ok, I covered everything I wanted to for this post. So what's in store for my next post? As Gary says on page 132 of DU, 'I have not a freakin' idea.' I'll come up with something. Stay tuned.
God Is
DU p 76
Today, many believe in the existence of a trilogy - body, mind, and spirit. The 'balance' of all three is important in your philosophy. But you, the seemingly separated mind which makes and uses bodies, must choose between the changeless and eternal reality of spirit - which is God and His Kingdom - or the unreal and ever-changing universe of bodies - which includes anything that can be perceived, whether you appear to be in a body or not.
Are you saying that giving equal value to body, mind, and spirit actually contributes to me coming back here over and over again as a body, rather than being free?
Yes, but this doesn't mean that you should neglect your body. We're speaking of another way of looking at it.
My note: This means using the practical forms of judgment when it comes to the body. We are still gonna bathe it, dress it, feed it, and exercise it - hopefully! The point is your salvation is dependent on what's going on in your mind, while you go about living your daily life; it's not about giving up anything.
DU p 293
You may hear from those seeking balance: the balancing of body, mind, and spirit, or balancing dual forces like yin and yang, or balancing 'the force' itself. Balancing illusions is not forgiving them.
What about karma?
DU p 116
Karma is just an effect. We're going to change the cause of everything by changing the mind. The effect on the level of the physical is not something to be concerned about, because it isn't real. The real things you should be interested in are inner peace and returning to Heaven.
My note: In other words, karma is the result of the unconscious guilt in the mind. Once the guilt has been healed and removed by your forgiveness, then the so called karma no longer exists. Whatever 'bad' things you have done in the past are only karmic if you have yet to truly forgive yourself for doing them.
What about 'being in the now?'
IR, p 27
Where the practice of 'be here now' will get you is here. Sure, it will relax you, but it won't get you home. One aspect of that kind of a system is to watch your judgments. But watching your judgments is not forgiving them. And the now that is experienced is not the eternal always of Heaven, which can only be consistently experienced when the ego has been completely undone by the Holy Spirit. That requires that you do your part to forgive, and the Holy Spirit takes care of the part of the job you can't see, deep within your unconscious mind.
IR, p 193, 194
Keep in mind that we're not saying there's anything wrong with the idea of 'being in the now,' - there may be some good in focusing on the now rather than the past or the future - the quality of life would be improved. The problem is that doing so cannot remove the unconscious guilt over the original separation from God that's still hidden in the deep recesses of the mind. Because of that, it makes each experience of being in the now temporary by definition, because it fails to remove the blocks that prevent that experience from being permanent. All of which is to say that there's not just a minor difference between the approach of The Power of Now and the real power of A Course in Miracles. It's the difference between being temporarily in the now of an illusion, or being permanently in the presence of reality.
It's absolutely essential to remember that unless and until all unconscious guilt is removed from the mind, you cannot stay in the endless present on a permanent basis - it's impossible. Any attempt to remain in the now is doomed to failure without doing the work of true forgiveness. Until you've completely forgiven that which you made and projected outside of yourself, you are not forgiven in your own unconscious mind, and until you are, the cycle of birth and death cannot be broken. Being in the now does not heal your unconscious guilt and undo the ego. True forgiveness, on the other hand, removes the blocks to the awareness of love's presence that is your natural state of being, undoing the ego completely and making it possible to remain in the eternal 'always' simply because that's all that's left.
Remember, that any attempt at eternity is a nonstarter as long as there's any unconscious guilt in the mind, period. That guilt must be healed before you can permanently stay free of the past or future. And the way to undo it is not to ignore it, which is exactly what's going on when you shut off and deny the past or future. It's when you forgive the past and your concerns about the future that they are undone, and the endless present becomes truly available to you. That forgiveness always takes place now. Remember that there's no difference between forgiving the original separation at the time it appeared to happen, and forgiving it right now, for they are one and the same.
Ok, I covered everything I wanted to for this post. So what's in store for my next post? As Gary says on page 132 of DU, 'I have not a freakin' idea.' I'll come up with something. Stay tuned.
God Is
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