The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness (Paperback)

~ Gary R. Renard (Author)
Key Phrases: psycho planet, seemingly separated mind, forgiveness homework, Holy Spirit, New Testament, Middle East (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Destined to be one of the most significant contributions to spiritual literature in this century." Dr. Wayne Dyer -- Wayne Dyer's E-Newsletter

Product Description

What would you do if you were sitting quietly in your living room when a mysterious couple appeared from out of nowhere - and then told you they were "ascended masters" who had come to reveal some shocking secrets of existence and teach you the miraculous powers of advanced forgiveness? Would you call the cops? Call a psychiatrist? Call out for pizza?

When two such teachers appeared before Gary Renard in 1992, he chose to listen to them (and ask a lot of impertinent questions). The result is this startling book: an extraordinary record of 17 mind-bending conversations that took place over nearly a decade, reorienting the author's life and giving the world an uncompromising introduction to a spiritual teaching destined to change human history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Hay House (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401905668
• ISBN-13: 978-1401905668
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (495 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,114 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

429 of 492 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended reading for all serious ACIM practitioners, July 22, 2003

By	America's Spiritual Reviewer/My Thin Lifestyl... (Center Harbor, NH United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness (Paperback)

The Disappearance of the Universe is a must read for every modern day disciple of A Course In Miracles. The reader's passion for the Course is completely revitalized, and his or her practice of forgiveness is turbo-charged to a new and all-encompassing level. "Sooner or later, it always comes down to some kind of forgiveness and how willing you are to do it. How willing are you to accept that it's all your dream? How willing are you to release your dream and choose God?"

With over 400 pages, The Disappearance of the Universe is a fairly long book, but author Gary Renard has an honest and irreverant way of expressing himself, which makes it enjoyable and interesting to read. Renard doesn't hide behind the pretense of always getting everything just right along the spiritual path. Many examples of his own petty thoughts are fearlessly shared. Renard also has the welcome and rare ability to smartly restate some of the more complicated Course ideas in plain language that everyone can understand and apply. No mumbo jumbo. No compromising of spiritual principles to conform to popular psychology. No spiritualizing of money or sex. It's all so refreshing.

But I've saved the best for last. Gary Renard simply cannot resist wisecracking his way to God. Here are a couple of my personal favorites: "Love is letting go of beer," and "...it's possible to have both an erection and a resurrection." Maybe one of the best reasons to read this book is simply because it makes you smile.

Don't worry about whether you'll like this book or not because you will. Click on the "buy" button and get it today!

187 of 217 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What's wrong with unconditional love AND loving life?, February 19, 2005

By	Julianna L. (NYC) - See all my reviews

Anytime anyone claims to know the "ultimate truth", that's a major red flag that you should tread carefully (particularly when this "truth" has only been revealed in the last 30 years, such as when "A Course in Miracles" came into being).

While I love the idea of oneness and forgiveness, I have to agree with a couple of other reviewers who found this book a little disturbing. Looking at life as unreal and therefore unimportant can lead to a strange kind of detachment from life that ultimately doesn't help anyone. While it's seductive to feel like you're 500 years ahead of the rest of the world spiritually, as Renard's guides claim you are if you're following "A Course in Miracles", I just can't see how old school unconditional love (i.e. "do unto others") is somehow inferior to ACIM's "we're all Christ forgiving ourself for something we didn't even do" doctrine.

Gary Renard's guides (two "Ascended Masters") may claim that the truth isn't always comfortable, but I have to disagree. I think real Truth brings great joy and inner peace, especially when we're talking about God. This book didn't make me feel closer to God; instead, it left me feeling alienated from a "God" who really couldn't care less about our "illusory" existence here.

Thinking of our lives as "just a dream" may spare us from some of the pain of life, but it also robs us of much of the pleasure and ultimately makes life meaningless. Gary's guides would say that it IS meaningless, but I just don't believe that anything is without meaning, including the dreams we experience every night. How could this reality (or "reality") be any different?

I don't believe that "at-one-ment" with God happens by pretending this existence is just a dream. I think it occurs when you can see the presence of God in everything and know that there is nothing, not even a dream, that could possibly exist separately from God (and then, of course, tuning your will into God's and acting accordingly).

If eternal oneness and neverending bliss with God is our ultimate destiny, then that is truly wonderful news. But until I finally make it to Shangri-la, I am going to love every moment of the long journey Home. This book is not about loving the journey.

Try instead reading some of the many near-death experiences out there of people who have stood before the very Presence of God, merged with the Mind of God, and came away knowing without a doubt that every grain of sand in the universe is exactly where it should be and that there is truly a Divine purpose for everything. Peace.

141 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Word to the Wise, February 9, 2005

By	Dr. Walker (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness (Paperback)

A good friend of mine recently became consumed in The Disappearance of the Universe, and has now moved on to A Course in Miracles. I have had an increasingly difficult time talking to her without getting a glazed smile and an earful of her new philosophy. As a clinical psychologist and concerned friend, I decided to read Disappearance to see what could possibly have such a hold over this person. After reading the book, I have some concerns. Although a story like this can seem like the perfect answer to a person searching for meaning, such a totalitarian philosophy can have damaging effects on a person's life and relationships. I have watched otherwise bright, social, independent thinkers become increasingly fixated, disturbed, and isolated after diving into a thought system like this. They often have difficulty relating to the "unenlightened" or coping with the mundane "physical world." I'm not here to bash the book. It certainly is entertaining and imaginative. But I would caution anyone considering this book to keep a level head about it. These "advanced" philosophies can be very consuming to a person's mind, and are often times intentionally designed that way. Remember, no matter what your spiritual beliefs, you still have a body and a world to take care of, at least for a while.