Vernon Howard (1918 – 1992) was an American author and spiritual teacher who presented the Wisdom of the Ages in the language of today. He is especially known for his clear, direct explanation of the cause of every human problem — and the sure cure.
Howard was born in Massachusetts in 1918. He began his writing career early in life and by 1965 was writing best sellers like The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, and The Power of Your Supermind. His books are classics in the field of inner development. His readership is estimated to be at least eight million people in several different languages.
In the 1970's Vernon Howard founded a school for authentic spiritual development called New Life Foundation . (See www.anewlife.org ). People traveled from all over the world to hear him speak. He continued to write and teach at New Life Foundation until his death in 1992. New Life Foundation is a bright place that continues disseminating his teachings today.
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Vernon Linwood Howard
(1918 – 1992) A Modern Mystic |
“What you want also wants you.
If you seek the celestial, the celestial also seeks you.
There are no unanswered requests in the universe.”— Vernon Howard
If you seek the celestial, the celestial also seeks you.
There are no unanswered requests in the universe.”— Vernon Howard
Psychic sleep is the cause of every human problem and disaster. It is sleeping people who suffer from heartache and loneliness, from fear and violence. Only self-awakening can end these sorrows. However — and please emphasize this point in your mind — man does not know he is asleep. So deep is his immersion in psychic hypnosis, that he instantly denies his actual condition. In other words, he does not know that he does not know. He spends his entire life under the gigantic illusion of being happy and productive, never once facing the terror in which he lives. Man huddles fearfully in a haunted house which he calls a castle.
Have you ever been in a room full of people when someone behaved foolishly or childishly? You sensed that he did not know how he appeared to others. In fact, he may have believed he was behaving cleverly or courageously. Everyone in the room saw him as he really was, except the man himself. That is a perfect example of human hypnosis, of psychic unawareness.
The ancient philosopher, Socrates, provided a classic illustration of man’s mental sleep. He told about a group of men who were huddled together in a deep cave. Their only light was a fire that blazed in the center of the cavern. The fire cast strange shadows against the wall of the cave, frightening the prisoners. So the men sat there in terror and confusion.
One of the prisoners made up his mind to explore the cave. When doing so, he found a secret tunnel. Following it all the way, he finally found himself in the outer world of sunshine and beauty.
We will now look at a chief characteristic of spiritual sleep. When this is understood, all the pieces of life fall into place, revealing the whole picture. Man has a false idea of who he is. He has an illusory sense of identity. This false self is manufactured out of self-flattering imaginations and out of self-pleasing labels. He labels himself as a successful man, or as an intelligent thinker, or as a human being with lofty motives. But these are mere ideas he has about himself and he is not these ideas. We can easily prove this.
Whenever a man feels depressed or irritated, it is simply because his false identity seems not to be confirmed. Both these reactions are false, so man is their slave.
Have you ever noticed how nervous people get when their pet ideas are challenged? Let this be a clue for you. By patient self-investigation we discover who we are not, and that ends the anxiety of not knowing who we are.
To summarize this vital point, man wrongly believes that he possesses a separate self, an individual ego. This false idea causes fear, loneliness, neurosis. It throws him into conflict with other people who are also under the illusion of having separate selves. No man is apart from the whole, from the all. Man is one with the universe. Human beings are like dozens of ponds, each reflecting the light from the same moon. This is not philosophy, this is fact. An excerpt from The Esoteric Path to a New Life which gives a clear and concise explanation of the human condition here on this earth.
What are these teachings all about?
Imagine yourself standing in your home at night while gazing out the window through slightly parted curtains. You see a brilliant star. If you lean to either left or right of your position you cut off sight of the star. We are teaching ourselves to stand in just the right cosmic position to see something higher than ourselves. Can you think of a more fascinating adventure?
I don’t know the way out.
You are the way out.
I don’t know what that means.
Know yourself and you will know.
I wish to be whole, but am not sure what this means.
Wholeness is the harmonious working of all the natural parts of a man. This includes thoughts, feelings, physical movements, sexual urges, action, speech, and so on. An obsession is the domination of one wild part over the other parts, as when sex dominates the mind or when impulsive emotions dictate violent action. Knowledge of all this is the beginning of self-wholeness and thus self-command.
I don’t know how to find the higher life.
To win the higher give up the lower. The home of a man stood near a beautiful lake. Also on his property was an old and unused cabin which blocked the view of the lake from the home. The man took great pride in boasting to visitors about several famous men who had possibly spent a night in the cabin. At the same time he was saddened by his inability to see the rippling waters. He finally sacrificed his boasting by tearing down the cabin, which gave him a new view.
Please explain feelings of guilt.
All guilt is false. It is cunning egotism, usually masquerading as repentance and humility. A guilty man takes great pride in being someone. He will continue to hurt himself and others. Only insight into this can make him a good and innocent man.
What causes exciting but silly beliefs?
A combination of ignorance and a wish to be involved in sensational events. On a very dark night a rancher was making a minor repair on the roof of his barn. He dropped his lighted flashlight, which was caught by his son on the ground who tossed it back up. The incident was witnessed at a distance by a passing traveler. From that day forward the traveler solemnly told people that he had witnessed a miracle. He had, he said, actually seen a man jump from a barn roof to the ground and promptly jump back up.
There is a Way
Out
by Vernon
Howard
Excerpts
from classes Vernon Howard conducted. The quotes are from Question and Answer
sessions, and the student’s words are shown in italics.
YouTube
Remember, a person who is right within himself always knows just what to do - and just what not to do - in his relations with other people.- VH
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