Banner of Light Letter

The following is a letter written by John B. Newbrough to a publication called Banner of Light explain how Oahspe was received:

New York, January 21st, 1883.

To the Editor of
The Banner of Light,
Boston, Mass.

Dear Sir:

"Some years ago, Oahspe was mechanically written through my hands by some otherintelligence than my own. Many spiritualists are acquainted with automatic movement of thehands, independent of one's own volition.

"There are thousands and thousands of persons who have this quality. It can also be educated,or rather, the susceptibility to external power can be increased. In my own case I discovered,many years ago, when sitting in circles to obtain spiritual manifestations, that my hands couldnot lie on the table without flying off into 'tantrums.' Often they would write messages, left orright, backward or forward; nor could I control them any other way than by withdrawing fromthe table. Sometimes the power so baffled would attack my tongue, or my eyes, or my ears,and I talked and saw differently from my normal state. Then I went to work in earnest toinvestigate spiritualism, and I investigated over 200 mediums, travelling hundreds andhundreds of miles for this purpose.

"Often I took them to my own house and experimented with them to my heart's content. Ifound that nearly all of them were subject to this involuntary movement of the hands, or toentrancement.

"They told me it was angels controlling them. In about ten or fifteen years, I began to believein spiritualism. But I was not satisfied with the communications; I was craving for the light ofheaven. I did not desire communications from friends or relatives, or information aboutearthly things; I wished to learn something about the spirit world; what the angels did, howthey travelled, and the general plan of the universe. So after a while I took it into my head thatwise and exalted angels could commune better with us if we purified ourselves physically andspiritually.

"Then I gave up eating flesh and fish, milk and butter, and took to rising before day, bathingtwice a day, and recounting daily to my Creator my short-comings in governing myself inthought and deed.

"In six years' training I reduced myself from two hundred and fifty pounds to one hundred andeighty; my rheumatism was all gone, and I had no headache.1406

"I became limber and sprightly. A new lease of life came to me.

"Then a new condition of control came upon my hands. Instead of angels holding my hands asformerly, they held their hands over my head (and they were clothed with sufficientmateriality for me to see them), and a light fell upon my hands as they lay on the table. In themeantime I had attained to hear audible angel voices near me. I was directed to get atypewriter. This I did, and applied myself industriously to learn it, but only with indifferentsuccess.

"For two years more the angels propounded to me questions relative to heaven and earth,which no mortal could answer very intelligently.

"I always look back on these two years as an enigma. Perhaps it was to show me that a man isbut ignoramus at best; perhaps I was waiting for constitutional growth to be good.

"Well, one morning the light struck both my hands on the back and they went for thetypewriter, for some fifteen minutes, very vigorously.

"I was told not to read what was printed, and I had worked myself into such a religious fear oflosing this new power, that I obeyed reverently. The next morning, also, before sunrise, thesame power came and wrote (or printed rather) again. Again I laid the matter away veryreligiously, saying very little about it to anybody.

"One morning I looked out the window and beheld a line of light that rested on my handsextending heavenward like a telegraph wire toward the sky. Over my head were three pairs ofhands, fully materialized; behind me stood another angel with her hands on my shoulders. Mylooking did not disturb the scene; my hands went right on, printing - printing.

"For fifty weeks this continued every morning half an hour or so before sunrise, and then itceased, and I was told to read and publish Oahspe. The peculiar drawings in Oahspe weremade with pencil in the same way.

"A few of the drawings I was told to copy from other books, such as Saturn, the Egyptianceremonies, etc.

"Now, during all this while I have pursued my avocation (dentistry). Nor has this matter normy diet (vegetables, fruit, and farinaceous food), detracted any from my health or strength,although I have continued this discipline for upward of ten or more years.

"I am firmly convinced that there are numberless persons who might attain to marvellousdevelopment if they would thus train themselves.

"A strict integrity to one's highest light is essential to development. Self abnegation and purityshould be the motto and discipline of every one capable of angel communion."

Yours truly,
J. B. NEWBROUGH.