2023 Update

Happy New Year! I just want to give a little 2023 update. The main thing I have to share is that I’m going to let some books go out of print this year (maybe all). I'm thinking of making 2023 the year of self-canceling. I’m going to let The Undreaming Chronicles books go out of print and the physical book of the English version of The Universe Is Virtual will probably go out of print, at least for awhile. So if you want copies of those books, they will likely only stay in stock until the end of February 2023. Regardless, I will keep those books available as PDF purchases through a link from my website. 

Just because I'm letting some (or all) books go out of print doesn't mean they won't reappear if circumstances change. One thing few people currently consider is that books written in the past will likely have a high premium in the future, because they will be the only books verifiably not written by AI. AI has only gotten good enough to write believable books recently, so only books old enough will have the AI-free guarantee. AI writing is at the point where the written word is close to becoming a very cheap commodity. Along the same lines, old comic books will soon be the only comic books to have an AI-free "art" guarantee. Projects like DALL-E 2 open AI are getting close to making digital art a very cheap, very good, and easily-produced commodity.

Although I have not yet decided on the fate of the English version of The Universe Is a Dream, I would at least like to overhaul it. I already got rid of the Kindle version for that reason. I don’t like how that book’s rating has been dipping in recent years down to 4.4 stars currently. That shows me that community support for that book has been exhausted and mostly only unsuspecting normies are buying it. And I prefer not to disturb the sleep of normies, since they throw tantrums when disturbed. Regardless, the decision on The Universe Is a Dream won’t come until September 2023 if I do anything this year. If I can figure out a way to overhaul The Universe Is a Dream to divert normies from buying it and also if I can make it in color, that would be my preference. But to do that might require making it a whole new book, which would void the AI-free guarantee. So I'll only overhaul the book if I can do it while keeping it the same book. Otherwise, I might just let it go out of print.

The Manual: Epictetus' Guide to Stoic Philosophy

Book three of the PhilosoComics series is out now.

https://amzn.to/3M7OPBw

Epictetus (c. 50-135 CE) was brought as a slave to Rome, where he became a great teacher. His philosophy, called Stoicism, was practical, not theoretical—aimed at relieving suffering here and now.

And Epictetus knew suffering. Besides being a former slave, he was lame in one leg and walked with a crutch. Later in life, he was exiled to Greece by Emperor Domitian. Turning these obstacles to his advantage, Epictetus learned that lasting peace and happiness can only come from within.

The Manual is a collection of Epictetus' essential teachings. It points the way to inner harmony and freedom, through all of life's storms and stresses.

This PhilosoComics edition is rendered in simple language by Sam Torode with illustrations by me. 

https://amzn.to/3M7OPBw

ALEX WALKS WITH YOU

I want to introduce a new project and website called “Alex Walks With You.” https://alexwalkswithyou.blogspot.com

This is a video series meant to simulate taking a walk and hearing me expound on various topics, usually with a spiritual theme. Sometimes the video will focus on a location, like I did in all the videos I’ve posted so far. Other times, I’ll just walk and talk without regard to location. Incidentally, my favorite video so far is, "The Shawshank Redemption and the Ego Prison."



Despite most of these videos being hosted on a censorship resistant third party video sharing site, I’m only focusing on posting these videos on this new blog. By doing that I free myself from the “like, subscribe, comment” social media hypnosis hamster wheel.



I don’t know how often I’ll post new videos. All I know is that I’ve already filmed a bunch of videos but have only gone through the editing process of a few so far.

So enjoy … or not. The beauty of these walk videos is that I enjoy taking walks and thinking, regardless of if I’m filming the walk and thinking out loud. Therefore, any extra person who is able to enjoy my walks by way of me recording them is a free bonus.

Keep on forgiving!

Free Gift E-Book

Since 2020 has been such a turbulent year for most people, I wanted to give a free gift to email subscribers. The free gift is an e-book titled Forgiving Subjectivity with A Course in Miracles: From Personality to Genes to Cognitive Bias. I know not everyone subscribed to my email list is into A Course in Miracles, but to fully understand this free book requires familiarity with A Course in Miracles—such as by way of my book The Universe Is a Dream. This e-book is all text; the only illustration is the book cover art. I was inspired to write this book due to my own experiences so far in trying to become an uncompromising forgiver. When I look around and I see what people are fighting over and guilt projecting over (instead of forgiving) the most, it is subjectivity. And through my own experience I discovered that it became a lot easier to follow the teachings of A Course in Miracles and forgive subjectivity once I took the time to study the mechanics of subjectivity. This book is about everything I’ve learned so far about subjectivity in relationship to practicing forgiveness; it includes both science and personal experiences. I’m keeping this book exclusively a free e-book because I want to keep it informal and provisional—that way I can add and modify chapters as I learn and experience even more in the future. After all, it only makes sense to keep a book about forgiving subjectivity provisional—rather than set in stone as if it is completely objective. The book is free, so if you don’t like it just don’t read it lol. 

If you are not subscribed to the email newsletter, do so.

So enjoy that. And with Christmas around the corner here are links to my books:

A Course in Miracles Book of Seasons https://amzn.to/3mkHyBv

The Universe Is Virtual https://amzn.to/30LipW2

The Universe Is a Dream  https://amzn.to/2Hv73xI

The Undreaming Chronicles https://alexandermarchand.blogspot.com/p/the-undreaming-chronicles.html

Philosocomics https://alexandermarchand.blogspot.com/p/philosocomics.html

New Book! A Course in Miracles Book of Seasons, Illuminated Manuscript

New book out now: A Course in Miracles Book of Seasons. For years I’ve thought about giving the text of A Course in Miracles the medieval illuminated manuscript treatment. Which is to say, I’ve long thought of making an illustrated version of A Course in Miracles in the tradition of illuminated religious manuscripts. Since that is a daunting task, I decided to test out the idea by making A Course in Miracles Book of Seasons. I scoured through the Course looking for excerpts pertinent to the main American holidays: New Year's, St. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Then I made pertinent illustrations to go with the excerpts. I also updated a lot of my Course symbols to give them a more medieval look. A Course in Miracles Book of Seasons is a simple and fun book designed to allow Course students to celebrate the major holidays of the year while also reflecting on the teachings of A Course in Miracles. You can see tiny thumbnails of all 41 pages of the book in the accompanying image. This book is only available as a full-color paperback book, no e-book version.

Get it here for only $11.99. Cheap! https://amzn.to/3mkHyBv

As always, the book is also available at the different Amazons internationally. 

New PhilosoComics Book! As We Think: James Allen's Guide to the Power of Thought

After releasing the first book in the PhilosoComics series Living from the Soul: The 7 Spiritual Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson a few months ago, book two in now up. The next book in the series is As We Think: James Allen's Guide to the Power of Thought. As I mentioned in the last update, I have teamed up with author Sam Torode, distant relative of Henry David Thoreau, to start a series of PhilosoComics distilling the wisdom of some of the best thinkers in human history. These are simple, fun, low-priced comic books designed to make philosophy more accessible: $5.99 for paperback, $2.99 for Kindle, and $0 if you have Kindle Unlimited. (Note that the Kindle version of this book has maximal quality high resolution b&w artwork, unlike some of my older Kindle books which were limited by the technology of the time.) Thanks to those who have reviewed the first book on Amazon. Kind reviews are always helpful and appreciated.

Next month you should hear from me about a new A Course in Miracles themed book. It's a cool little book that I'll explain in full detail once it is up and available. For now, thanks and keep on forgiving!

Get As We Think: James Allen's Guide to the Power of Thought here: https://amzn.to/3azo5Yc

New Book! Living from the Soul: The 7 Spiritual Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello, it has already been a year since I last sent out an update. When I look at the world, there is one thing I can say for sure: society as a whole is philosophically inept. The most glaring example to me is the fact that the Golden Rule has been around for a very long time and yet people still haven’t quite figured out that it is the fundamental formula for a peaceful and prosperous society. Instead, we are mostly indoctrinated to believe that constantly fighting over various forms of mob rule (democracy) is the path to a peaceful and prosperous society.

For that reason, I am happy to announce that I have teamed up with author Sam Torode, distant relative of Henry David Thoreau, to start a series of PhilosoComics distilling the wisdom of some of the best thinkers in human history. The first comic is about the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson; it is titled Living from the Soul: The 7 Spiritual Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson. These are simple, fun, low-priced comic books designed to make philosophy more accessible: $6.99 for paperback, $2.99 for Kindle, and $0 if you have Kindle Unlimited. The PhilosoComics series uses the same formula of art style and presentation as The Universe Is a Dream. So, for instance, in Living from the Soul, your host through the book is a young cartoon Emerson. Living from the Soul is an especially great book to share with the people in your life who are not quite ready for the no holds barred of A Course in Miracles. (Note that the Kindle version of this book has maximal quality high resolution b&w artwork, unlike some of my older Kindle books which were limited by the technology of the time.)

Along with more books from the PhilosoComics series, I also intend to have a new and interesting A Course in Miracles themed book out before the year is done. So anyway, for now, thanks and keep on forgiving!

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/3gP4shS