The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness [Paperback]

Gary R. Renard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004

What would you do if you were sitting quietly in your living room when two mysterious strangers 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 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.

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

From the Publisher

NAMED A 2003 "BOOK OF THE YEAR" FINALIST BY FOREWORD MAGAZINE --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Hay House, Inc.; 1st edition (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401905668
• ISBN-13: 978-1401905668
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 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 (636 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > New Thought

More About the Author

Gary R. Renard underwent a powerful spiritual awakening in the early 1990s. As instructed by two ascended masters who appeared to him in the flesh, he wrote his first best-selling book, The Disappearance of the Universe, over a period of nine years. He was later guided to speak in public and has recently been described as one of the most interesting and courageous spiritual speakers in the world. Gary's second book, Your Immortal Reality, was also a best-seller.

Over the past five years, Gary has spoken in 41 states, 13 countries, and was the keynote speaker at the International A Course in Miracles Conferences in Salt Lake City and San Francisco. He is also the most recent recipient of the Infinity Foundation Spirit Award. The award is given to a person who has made a meaningful contribution to personal and spiritual growth. Past recipients include Dan Millman, Ram Dass, Gary Zukav, James Redfield and Neale Donald Walsch. Website: www.GaryRenard.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

178 of 185 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Are You Ready? April 22, 2006

By Michael Wilkinson

Format:Paperback

Every so often, a book comes along that has the potential to completely transform the way people think about a subject. In the business world, In Search of Excellence, the One Minute Manager and From Good to Great come quickly to mind. In the people development world, books like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Emotional Intelligence have been transformational.

In the spiritual development circle, the Disappearance of the Universe has moved to the top of my list. The book is quite simply, amazing. AND you have to be ready for it.

I have been especially blessed by the clear explanations and the clarity given to the role of forgiveness in our own salvation. And Gary Renard's humor and wit help to make it a very easy read. Let's start with the basic premise and storyline for the book.

THE PREMISE: When you dream at night that someone is chasing you, in the dream it feels very real and no one in the dream could likely convince you that it was not real. But in truth you are home in your bed. When you wake up, the dream disappears, because it was never real in the first place, and you find you were in your bed the entire time. Well, the basic premise for the Disappearance of the Universe is that we are really home in God, but dreaming a dream that we are bodies living this life. Of course our true home is out of our awareness. Yet when we wake up, the universe will disappear, because it was never real in the first place, we were at home in God the entire time. This is indeed an incredible and hard to believe premise. But what if it is true?

THE STORYLINE: Gary Renard, a self-admitted slacker whose major goals in life were to "move to Hawaii, commune with nature, and drink beer - not necessarily in that order," is visited 17 times over the course of nine years by two "ascended masters." They tell Gary that the reason for the visits is to answer the many questions he has about God, Jesus and this world, and to assist him in writing a book that will help facilitate the disappearance of the universe. His visitors tell him that he has asked in his prayers to know what it was like to walk with Jesus 2000 years ago and that they have come to tell him because they were there, as Thaddeus and Thomas. The entire book consists of the conversations during those 17 visits, with occasional commentary by Gary. The conversations are simply mind blowing. Of course this is an incredible and hard to believe storyline. But what if...?

ARE YOU READY? Are you ready to have your view of life, spirituality, religion and sex turned upside down? Are you ready to have your questions answered about why you are here, how you got here, why God "allows good people to suffer," and how you end this seeming craziness? Are you ready to learn with crystal clarity how you experience "the peace of God?"

When I introduce the Disappearance of the Universe to my many Christian friends who are unfamiliar with A Course in Miracles, I remind them, that if I were around when Jesus walked the earth, and if I were a strong believer in the Book of Moses, I would have had to reject Jesus. Why? Because I would have been looking at Jesus through my Moses "glasses" and what Jesus said in many cases didn't fit with what I already believed. The only way I would have been open is if I could have found a way to take off my glasses and ask, "Does this resonate as true? Does this answer the questions in my soul? Does this turn me to God?" Only then might I have had a chance to truly learn from the Master.

In the same way, anyone who reads The Disappearance of the Universe with the glasses of Christianty will have to reject the book, because it does not support all that we've been taught. But if you are ready, and if you can take off the glasses and ask those questions, you will likely find answers that transform your thinking and transform your life.

If you are already familiar with A Course in Miracles, this book is a must-read. I had studied the Course for over a decade, and even served as a group facilitator for several years. I was humbled by how little I understood and truly practiced non-dualism and how I had missed the critical message of practicing forgiveness every moment of every day as THE key tool for making the "journey without distance." The conversations in the Disappearance of the Universe make crystal clear the purpose of practicing "advanced" forgiveness, the steps in how to do it, and the way to live in this world as a teacher of God. Perhaps most importantly, the message is completely consistent with A Course in Miracles, which is quoted over 300 times by Gary Renard's special visitors.

So read this book if you are ready to have many of your beliefs challenged and if you are ready to learn how to truly experience and express the peace and love of God.

Are you ready?

68 of 72 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It's All An Illusion June 12, 2006

By Tyler R. Tichelaar

Format:Paperback

The message of this book is difficult for me to accept, yet I did feel it worthwhile reading. There is a great deal of information in and much to think about, although the main points get repeated over and over. The subtitle is "Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness." It does cover all these categories and has interesting points to make about each.

The background of the book is the hardest to believe. I have read many spiritual books, many claiming to be divinely inspired. The best I have read is "Ask and It is Given" by Esther and Jerry Hicks, in which Abraham, a nonphysical entity speaks through Esther as a medium. "Ask and It is Given" has a large following and well deserves it for its liberating and common sense messages. I do believe Abraham is speaking through Esther Hicks. The Disappearance of the Universe is based upon the equally famous A Course in Miracles, purported to have been written by Jesus via a type of automated writing. I have not read the Course, but this book makes me curious about it. The author, Gary Renard, claims two angels or masters visited him over the course of nine years to teach him the lessons the book contains. These two visitors were two of Christ's disciples. The main lesson they have to teach him is forgiveness. I can even believe all that.

What I had a problem with is the book's statement that God did not create the world because God is only good and He would not create something that contains evil. It is our own ego which has us deceived into entering the illusion or dream of life which we think is real. Everything around us is part of this dream so nothing really exists. When we face a difficulty in life, like an antagonistic person, that person does not really exist but rather is a projection of our own guilt or anger which we are inflicting upon ourselves because of the pain we feel from the separation from God because the ego tricked us into entering this world. I can even see how all that could be real, and it is similar to Buddhist teachings, but the book seemed to waffle at times between the idea that I am the only one who participates in the dream so that even everyone else in the world is just part of my imagination, and the possibility that we are all participating in the illusion. I have read many books about near-death experiences and reincarnation and I personally believe we do choose this life and come here to learn from it, but I have a hard time believing the people I interact with daily are not real. I would like to know what the author's wife would have said to him if he told her she did not exist but was merely a figment of his imagination, his guilt-ridden ego.

This book makes me want to read A Course in Miracles. It has not convinced me of its discussion of the ego, but it has made me curious. Its discussion of forgiveness is what really matters, although I wish more examples of how to forgive and to benefit from forgiveness existed. I recommend it to open-minded seekers of truth who wish to improve their personal and spiritual lives.

Tyler R. Tichelaar, author of "Iron Pioneers"

488 of 558 people found the following review helpful

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

By BigHeart VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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!