Kenneth George Mills (1923–2004) was a Canadian metaphysical/philosophical speaker and author. An exponent of the oral tradition, he gave spontaneous lectures and poetry for over 37 years. At the same time, he became noted for his accomplishments in music, particularly as the conductor of the choral ensemble The Star-Scape Singers. He excelled at composing, painting and design and has been described by some as a New Age man, a man for all seasons, and a Renaissance man.
Mills was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick in January 1923. He attended Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. Trained from the age of 7 in music, he became a concert pianist, with debuts in Toronto in 1952 and New York City in 1961. Though he chose to end his career as a concert pianist in 1963, he concentrated on teaching piano and adjudicating young musicians for another ten years.
Living in Toronto[1], he began speaking spontaneously to those who requested that he do so, ultimately offering many thousands of hours of metaphysical/philosophical lectures and meetings over his lifetime.
When three singers (from the vocal group The Free Design) asked him for help with their voices in 1976, Mills soon found himself re-engaging the world of concertizing. Within a short time, the three singers were joined by seven others, and the a cappella vocal ensemble he called The Star-Scape Singers was formed. These singers were ultimately acclaimed in the United States and abroad as creators of a renaissance in choral art.
The Fire Mass - Gloria Part 1 - The Star-Scape Singers
The Fire Mass - Gloria Part 2 - The Star-Scape Singers
In 1964, Mills agreed within himself to speak about his inner experiences, but only if asked to do so. He made this agreement after he received the same message from two different sources: “
You must learn to speak the Word again.”
Watch a short segment of a lecture given by Dr. Mills from the documentary film The Rapture of Being by Barbara Willis Sweete.
Then, people began seeking him out - sometimes arriving unexpectedly on his doorstep - asking about their deepest questions and concerns. Mills found himself speaking spontaneously to these seekers. When their number became too large to speak with individually, Mills began giving lectures.
He defined his spontaneous speaking, which he called Unfoldment, as “an impromptu performance under the impelling of divine ideas. It is a projection from another dimension or plane of consciousness, causing those prepared to hear to awaken to the higher or greater possibilities of living beyond the limits of three dimensions and translating what seems to be the ordinary into another level of consideration.”
He also often spoke in poetry, offering some 3,000 extemporaneous poems during his lifetime.
Many of Mills’ spontaneous lectures were recorded and transcribed. Ultimately, a number of them were gathered together and published as books or as spoken word recordings, described by one reviewer as offering metaphysical ideas which are “provocative and deeply inspiring.”
In his lectures Dr. Mills offers a message for mankind, exploring the ideas of individuality, Identity, and the force of Love.
Mills’ universal themes revolved around wonder, light and love. His lectures and books “give a universal, metaphysical perspective on some of the most perplexing problems faced by men and women today.”
He devoted himself increasingly to giving lectures in Toronto and later throughout Canada, the US, and Europe, promoting awareness of the individual's inherent freedom as a conscious being, a philosophy possessing for Mills strong musical implications -
'the purpose of Music is to reveal to man his innate at-one-ment with a harmonic state of Being'.
[1]Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario[2] and the largest city in Canada[3].
[2]Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada.[3]
[3]Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories.
The three territories are:
Nunavut
Northwest Territories
Yukon
No comments:
Post a Comment