Original Date: 06-06-2003

A recent posting by LesLee re the failure or otherwise of Dr, Newbourgh.
I wonder if there would be any value in a few or all of us submitting our personal view of Oahspe and its personal impression on each of us.
So far we have statements regarding sections of this book and nothing as to the impact on the individual. Over the years several readers of Oahspe have for one reason or another departed or choose to remain silent, a few appear to stay firmly entrenched in at least agreeing with the stated confines of the rules or conditions laid out in Oahspe, others wish to see a different future outlined in this book. Maybe because we all come from different backgrounds of Religious experiences and their confines this is understandable.
For a start I will offer my views on this courageous effort by an individual to make his mark, I speak of course of Dr. Newbourgh and his book Oahspe and later the Shalam Colony.
I had only a light attachment with the Anglican Church in so far as going to a School attached to this glorious building. The odd prayers at certain times left me with only a glimpse of a God who was in command of this wonderful Universe I was born into and was about to discover.
I had a longing to learn more of this life and set about buying books about Travel, Psychology, the Mind seemed to me the most important part to study and understand. I joined several Societies that promised to reveal the secrets I was searching for, each provided many rules and practices that were said to help open these doors of knowledge but failed to any great extent. I was lucky to obtain from the BBC in England a collection of Cassette tapes outlining all known Religions, plus a personal contact with a Rabbi to interpret the Bible from a Jewish viewpoint. I also went to various Churches and meetings that also discussed this important subject that has set man against man for so many years. So I did have a reasonable idea of the views and actions that attracted people to the various faiths.
Then after many travels around the world I came to Canada in 1958 and started to go to an open meeting in the Castle Loma in Toronto where later after several weeks I was asked if I would like to learn more about the book that was always on the table and used often to answer questions or opened at random to start a discussion on the contents.
I agreed and we then met in a round room, one of the Turrets of this Castle, Neil Carmichael was the leader and seemed to have a wide knowledge of this fascinating book. We also met in private homes for mediation and further discussion.
I enjoyed this very much and felt that I had at last found a place suitable to apply my Faith. This also led me to be in touch with several of the group in England and I formed several good friendships. While that had formed themselves into a Church with a building set up on the same design, there was a great deal of good work done by Archie Frost and Greta James to name just two who were in regular contact by letter answering question I put to them and they both wrote several good articles and booklets.
Later we moved again on my travels and ended up for a time in Australia and I had contact with the groups and several individuals in the U, S,A. Thankfully I still have many of those friends.
Still later I arrived in New Zealand and carried on my contacts and also became involved in the Spiritualist Church and later became a Minister and entered into the deeper formalities this position carried. I was asked to speak and take services around N,Z and also took part in groups that travelled around N,Z where we offered various aspects of religious learning of talks on subjects that would lead to higher understanding.
I enjoyed those events plus many private classes and study groups.
At some stage I began to feel that I was not being truthful regarding my talks, while I spoke many times about Oahspe and its views I knew that most people were only interested in the Clairvoyance later in the service. I felt that I was wasting my time and after much thought and the feeling I was neglecting these people who looked up to me I decided I had to follow my heart.
The teachings of Oahspe had changed my outlook and I knew that if I was to proceed along the path of discovery then Oahspe was to be my guide. A sister in-law that had suddenly opened up to a search into her spiritual background and asked me several questions and instruction regarding other practices, then decided to go into Buddhism and eventually has became a full blown Monk with shaved head and now teaches special children here in N,Z.
I started to think more deeply as to what drives a person to such a great change in life.
In the mean time of course we now were able to correspond directly daily via the internet and the discussion on the Oahspe site were becoming more divided regarding the rules and conditions set out in Oahspe and Myself  along with a few others looked at this part of Oahspe more seriously. As I was never one that liked taking orders but rather giving them? my nature, I took great exception to being told I must follow someone else's ideas as to my spiritual future and the way or method I used. Having witnessed the many rituals and practices followed by many other religions, which I could not or would not follow I, was determined to be free from such practices.
While I may be wrong in my view I am sure that we can see today the damage caused by such blind obedience to another's description of Heaven and Hell in the Middle East where two different views are still unable to live in peace.
I feel there comes a time in ones life when one must choose their own description of heaven, as surely that is what we will inherit regardless.
For me my two copies of Oahspe will stay on my bookshelf, as it is so valuable a tool in offering answers that no other book can and for this Newbourgh regardless of his human failures must stand out as a man of all time.
Oahspe may not be the final answer but it is a doorway through which we can all enter and learn.

Ken Mills. 6/6/2003