Recorded Lectures by Flower A. Newhouse

The Thoughts and Character of William James (023-1 Sunday 4/17/1955)

Review of Ralph Perry's Book. Excerpts...

The Courts of the Faithful (098-2 Sunday 11/9/1958)

Most important trait for those who love God is the quality of faithfulness to God. Mystics have to explain things in such a way that the heart understands. They have robust righteousness, indomitable integrity, unflinching, uncompromising in what they consider to be right. They demonstrate self-commitment of utter humility. Mystics are full of the romance of beauty. Extensive info on Evelyn Underhill and William James. Excerpts...

Characteristics of Initiates (106-1 Sunday 2/1/1959)

Flower discusses many of the spiritual giants who have been among us. We can best understand these souls if we realize that they too have been human, but have evolved slowly and purposefully and meaningly into the hierarchal places to which they were appointed by the Divine decider of all things. Qualities required of initiates include simplicity, self-surrender, humility, reverence, courage, generosity, lifting. Initiates avoid excess, maintain balance, avoid spiritual absorption and selfishness. Enlightened ones come in with fresh interpretation of Truth. True initiates have no egotism, no superiority to force on others, but does hold true to what he knows, and will defend that, even against death. Excerpts...

Studies in Greatness (1 of 3) (129-1 Sunday 5/15/1960)

Flower describes the high moral character that signifies greatness and steps needed to achieve self-mastery. She speaks of self-surrender, spiritualizing of the will and the mountain of one's overcoming in order to be a more open channel for God to use and influence. She explores the lives and testings of some of the individuals who achieved greatness including St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis of Assisi, Blaise Pascal and Pearl Buck. Excerpts...

Studies in Greatness (2 of 3) (129-2 Sunday 5/22/1960)

Speaking of true greatness as 'moral greatness' which rises out of self-conquest, Flower laments the moral 'littleness' of Goethe and Rousseau and praises the spiritual greatness of Emanuel Swedenborg and William James. She describes the life of Swedenborg, a genuine fifth ray seer, not a mystic, detailing his evolving clairvoyance and exclusive devotion to spiritual studies in later life. She talks of one of Swedenborg's champions, William James, a thinker and philosopher who put intuition above reason and Spirit beyond intuition, as being on his way to becoming a seer of the type of Swedenborg. Excerpts...

Studies in Greatness (3 of 3) (130-1 Sunday 5/29/1960)

In this third talk on 'greatness', Flower explains that before our evolution is finished, each of us must attain the spiritualizing of the will and self-surrender that characterizes true greatness. This talk focuses on the illumined Initiate of Light Emanual Swedenborg, his growing clairvoyance, his ability to tune into the inner worlds with full waking consciousness, his description of three main groupings in the inner world and his willingness to reveal to mankind the inner experience to which we will all graduate. Excerpts...

Persons I'd Like to See Alive Today (134-1 Sunday 7/24/1960)

Stressing the great value of the Sabbath, Rev. Newhouse explains that the progress made in our world is the result of great souls who lived on earth. She discusses Initiates she wishes were back in our world today and explains each of their special strengths. These Initiates include Elijah, Confucius, Socrates, Virgil, Prestor John, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Browning, Marguerite Valois, John Ruskin, William James, and Edvard Grieg. Excerpts...

The Communion of the Holy Assembly (155-1 Sunday 6/25/1961)

The Reverend Flower Newhouse speaks of the more advanced orders of life which serve God and are yearning to be contacted by us and of our need to stretch our souls toward them to climb in consciousness. Explaining that Christianity has borrowed traditions from the older Jewish faith including from the esoteric portion of the Kabbalah called the Zohar, she discusses the advanced orders of Angels, Adepts, Masters and the Ancient of Days and Silent Watcher which are equivalent to the Logi. Excerpts...

An Ideal for All Saints' Day (163-2 Sunday 10/29/1961)

Why Certain Individuals Were Considered Great Souls (175-1 Sunday 2/18/1962)

Reverend Newhouse opens her talk with the reasons we come to this particular church, the presence of the Lord's Spirit and the active faith found here. She speaks of discovering greatness in unexpected souls and places and of the debt we owe Initiates who lived before us including Hosea of Samaria and his belief in God's love and forgiveness, Isaiah whose greatness of character earned him great respect, Daniel, who was God's man, Confucius who changed the life of the Orient, Luther who brought Reformation and freedom of religion, Benjamin Franklin who enabled Americans to be free and other great souls including Robert Browning and Albert Schweitzer. Excerpts...

The Contribution of Plotinus to Every Seeker (182-1 Sunday 4/8/1962)

The Earth Is the Lord's and the Fullness Thereof (185-2 Sunday 5/6/1962)

Maytime brings in the Vernal Festival we are in. The intelligences of nature shine out their rays of beneficence and give to the earth their wonderful rituals, their great festivals, and their initiations. And all who are awake and all who are in some way sensitive are conscious of the fact that Maytime is not only a season of loveliness, it is a period in the calendar of the earth when the earth initiates itself into more conscious everlastingness. Excerpts...

Wielders of God's Light (195-1 Sunday 8/5/1962)

Flower looks at Light, a part of the third aspect of the Trinity, and the channels of Light who made spirituality, education, refinement and civilization possible. She tells us that as we use our spiritual understanding, the frequencies and velocities of Light are seeking to channel our minds, conduct and bodies. She explains that souls who are balanced, self-controlled and wise are counseled, enriched and healed by the Light and as we tune into God's Light prayerfully we may receive answers to our problems. Excerpts...

The Initiate Carl Jung (213-2 Sunday 1/27/1963)

In this talk Flower Newhouse describes the contributions of Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung and his mission to blend religion and science. She speaks of the versatility of his interests, his tremendous self-discipline, his genuineness of character, his relationship with Dr. Sigmund Freud, his simplicity, his humanness, and his acknowledgment of the shadow side of man. Excerpts...

Benefits from the Life of Saint Patrick (218-1 Sunday 3/17/1963)

Flower brings to light the way the Hierarchy chooses its ambassadors to man on earth, choosing some because of their gifts and others through channeling. St. Patrick, who was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a young man, was probably chosen because that area of the world needed Christianizing. He established three hundred and sixty churches. Alfred the Great in the ninth century was likely chosen for the purpose of unifying England which he did so well that many other kings turned their reigns over to him. Louis the Ninth demonstrated that a monarch could live purely and consecratedly. He participated in the Crusades and became known as the 'Mediator of Europe' giving advice that was always just. Excerpts...

Initiation: The Perfecting of Man (226-1 Sunday 6/23/1963)

Flower explains the spiritual evolution of man, and how we humans eventually evolve to Lordship through the degrees of initiation. She describes each degree of initiation and gives examples of those who have aspired to each level, beginning with first-degree initiates, such as Walt Whitman, all the way up to sixth-degree initiates, which is the level of our Lord Christ. Excerpts...

God Within and God Unfolded (234-1 Sunday 10/20/1963)

Man is beginning to recognize that they are more than body and a spirit. We are a septenary or seven-fold being, and that because we are seven-fold, we have much to do in overcoming as well as raising and enhancing of these powers that belong to our inner nature. Describes the attributes of our lower quadrate (physical, etheric, astral, mental bodies) and higher triad (soul, adonai, monad), as well as the symbols, characteristics and terminology of our higher bodies. Descriptions of initiates and masters. Compares God inherent and potential with actualized and unfolded. Excerpts...

They Walked with God (235-1 Sunday 11/3/1963)

Next to man's discovery of the truth of God comes the exampleship of great souls who have desired nothing so much but communion with the everlasting. We need the inspiration and the confirmations that these souls who are more advanced than ourselves have to give us. We need whatever the Saints have to say to us. We require their courage, their fortitude, their devotion. They can simplify the way of our own becoming because they are the prophecy of what we shall be ourselves one day. And therefore we should be most interested in every great soul that we learn about, for in his life and in his words and in his radiation we have something that is better than food for the body, because it is food for the soul. Excerpts...

Christmas is an Initiatory Reminder (268-1 Sunday 12/20/1964)

Christmas is the spirit of Christ made manifest and visible to man, transforming our outer lives. It is a time to adore the living Christ, the model of our own becoming. Christmas is a reminder of the first degree of initiation. Describes traits of initiates. A reborn soul has, as his or her predominant quality, obedience to superior development and attainment, and to everything that is above one in God. Describes symbolism of Christmas star, manger, Bethlehem, tree, bells, carols. Excerpts...

A Study of the Enigma George Gurdjieff (273-2 Sunday 3/7/1965)

Power Transformers (290-2 Sunday 10/10/1965)

Biographical information on various remarkable people. Thomas Paine, a 4th degree initiate, much maligned genius with many talents and interests who greatly helped American revolution. Thomas Jefferson was remarkable, close to mastership, with many varied talents and author of much of the Declaration of Independence. Henry Ford was another transformer, in a practical sense. Gives examples of ordinary people as power transformers. The essence of Christianity itself is to see where we may serve, to see how Christ can use us to lighten the load of someone else. Excerpts...

Adepts of the West (302-1 Sunday 3/27/1966)

Flower discusses adepts, initiates, masters and esoteric groups throughout history, concentrating on those of the western world. After discussing Manes, the Paraclete, and Manicheaism, she indicates various ways that inner truths were disseminated, including various Orders of chivalry, troubadours, bards, guilds, and lists famous alchemists and instructors. She lists many inner Orders and notes that we potentially or actually, are serving these Orders whose vows we keep and radiate in living. Excerpts...

The Inner Importance of the Work of Saint Francis (371-2 Sunday 9/15/1968)

The Inner Meaning of Halloween and All Saints' Day (403-1 Sunday 10/26/1969)

The Inner Meaning of Halloween (439-1 Sunday 10/25/1970)

How Initiates Serve the Plan (475-2 Sunday 10/24/1971)

Review of Phyllis McGinley's Book Saint Watching (516-2 Sunday 10/22/1972)

An Initiate's Most Important Requisite (534-1 Sunday 7/8/1973)

The Good Found in All Saints' Day (619-1 Sunday 10/31/1976)

Lessons Abraham Lincoln Exemplifies (626-1 Sunday 2/6/1977)

Of all our American presidents, there has been only one who was a very great soul–what they call an Arahat or a 4th degree initiate–and this was Abraham Lincoln. In this life he was given to the cause of the conquest of slavery because he too had been a slave, the Grecian, Epictetus. The more we read about his life, the closer we come to the realization of a man who was in the makings of a Master, and we get a foretaste of what justice in a human mind can bring about. Excerpts...

Beautiful Selfless Souls (637-2 Sunday 7/31/1977)

Aristotle and His Contribution to Society (689-2 Sunday 8/19/1979)

Discussion of the teachings of Plato and his student Aristotle. Excerpts...

The Qualifications of an Initiate (754-1 Sunday 2/7/1982)