Vernon Linwood Howard (March 16, 1918 – August 23, 1992) was an American spiritual teacher,

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, and

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Career as writer and teacher

Howard was born near

Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States census. Located o ...

, and began his writing career in the 1940s as an author of

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and

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. He began speaking on the principles of personal development in the late 1950s while living in southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In the 1960s, he began writing books that focused on spiritual and

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

growth. These writings emphasized the importance and practice of

self-awareness In philosophy of self, philosophy, self-awareness is the awareness and reflection of one's own personality or individuality, including traits, feelings, and behaviors. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While ...

. By the early 1970s, he had moved to

Boulder City, Nevada Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ...

, and had begun teaching spiritual development classes after being contacted by numerous individuals interested in his writings.

Philosophy and teachings

Howard drew from what he perceived as being a "common thread" among several different philosophical and spiritual traditions for his insights and teachings. These included:

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and

Eastern mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff ( – 29 October 1949) was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 19 ...

ian

Fourth Way The Fourth Way is spiritual teacher George Gurdjieff's approach to human spiritual growth, developed and systematised by him over years of travel in the East (c. 1890 – 1912), and taught to followers in subsequent years. Gurdjieff's students ...

teachings, the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...

of the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

Jungian psychology Analytical psychology (, sometimes translated as analytic psychology; also Jungian analysis) is a term referring to the psychological practices of Carl Jung. It was designed to distinguish it from Freud's psychoanalytic theories as their s ...

J. Krishnamurti Jiddu Krishnamurti ( ; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian philosopher, speaker, writer, and spiritual figure. Adopted by members of the Theosophical tradition as a child, he was raised to fill the advanced role of World Teacher ...

and American

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a philosophical, spiritual, and literary movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in the New England region of the United States. "Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of ...

. He taught that there is a way out of suffering, and advocated self-honesty, persistence, the study and application of spiritual principles, and a sincere desire for inner change, according to ''Psycho-Pictography'' (page 34). He explained that a new and higher inner life is found through releasing the negative conditioned

ego Ego or EGO may refer to: Social sciences * Ego (Freudian), one of the three constructs in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche * Egoism, an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality * Egotism, the drive to ...

, which he described as the "

false self The true self (also known as real self, authentic self, original self and vulnerable self) and the false self (also known as fake self, idealized self, superficial self and pseudo self) are a psychological dualism conceptualized by English psycho ...

". He asserted that this new life can only be found through awareness, and that the human ego is a barrier to this awareness. Thus, he taught that inner liberation is a ridding process, and that the false self is a fictitious collection of self-images or pictures about who we think we are (''Psycho-Pictography'', page 33).

Legacy

In 1979, Howard founded the

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

learning center New Life Foundation, where he continued to teach until his death in 1992. The foundation, now located in

Pine, Arizona Pine is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gila County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,953 at the 2020 census. Pine was established by four Mormon families in 1879. Pine and the adjacent community of ...

, continues Howard's legacy via personal classes held by some of the students who studied with Howard, as well as the marketing of his writings and recorded talks. After Howard's death, several non-profit Foundations were established as a result of his many years of teaching. Mark L Butler, who studied with Howard from 1972 until 1992, established the Eagle Literary Foundation in

Eagle, Idaho Eagle is a city in Ada County, Idaho, northwest of downtown Boise. The population was 30,346 at the 2020 census. History 19th century Eagle Island in Idaho was settled in 1863 by Truman Coe Catlin, who later shifted from crop farming to d ...

, in 1994. Guy Finley, who studied with him from 1978 until 1992, established the Life of Learning Foundation in

Merlin, Oregon Merlin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,615. The area is known for sport fishing and whitewater rafting on the Rogue Rive ...

, in 1993. Both Butler and Finley are authors and teachers continuing with the spiritual principles learned from Howard's work. Tom Russell also studied twelve years with Vernon Howard and founded the nonprofit SuperWisdom Foundation to bring these principles to the internet through free weekly podcasts. An "Archive of Work by Vernon Howard" has also been made available for viewing online from the estate of one of Vernon Howard’s long time students and New Life Foundation Board member until the time of Vernon’s death, Concetta (Connie) M. Butler.Life With Vernon Howard
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Bibliography

''Books'' *''Cosmic Command'' *''Psycho-Pictography: The New Way Use the Miracle Power of Your Mind'' *''The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power'' *''Esoteric Mind Power'' *''The Power of Your Supermind'' *''Pathways to Perfect Living'' *''Treasury of Positive Answers'' *''The Mystic Masters Speak'' *''There is a Way Out'' *''1500 Ways to Escape the Human Jungle'' *''Inspire Yourself'' *''Esoteric Encyclopedia of Eternal Knowledge'' *''Solved:The Mystery of Life'' *''Your Power of Natural Knowing'' *''A Treasury of Trueness'' *''700 Inspiring Guides to a New Life'' *''The Power of Esoterics'' *''Secrets of Higher Success'' *''Secrets of Mental Magic, How to Use Your Full Power of Mind'' *''Action power: The miracle way to a successful new life'' *''Your Magic Power To Persuade and Command People'' * ''The Power of Psycho-Pictography: How to Change and Enrich Your Life with the Aid of Creative Visualisation'' (, Vernon Howard, 1973) ''Booklets'' *''Be Safe in a Dangerous World'' *''Conquer Anxiety & Frustration'' *''Conquer Harmful Anger 100 Ways'' *''Esoteric Path to a New Life'' *''Expose Human Sharks 100 Ways'' *''Freedom From a Life of Hell'' *''Freedom from Harmful Voices'' *''How To Handle Difficult People'' *''Live Above This Crazy World'' *''Mystery Stories for Winning Happiness'' *''Practical Exercises for Inner Harmony'' *''Sex and Sweethearts'' *''Women — 50 Ways to See Thru Men'' *''Your Power to Say NO'' *''50 Ways to Escape Cruel People'' *''50 Ways to Get Help from God'' *''50 Ways to See Thru People''

Notes

* García Muñoz, Ernest.(2012) Reedición: 2024. Conciencia y felicidad. Una introducción a la mística, desde el pragmatismo de Vernon Howard. ASIN: B008RMKP12 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYHM9C8F?ref_=pe_93986420_774987470 * ''Contemporary Authors'' Vol. 108, p. 230. Thomson-Gale, 2003.

External links

Vernon Howard Official WebsitePortrait of Vernon Howard leaning against stacks of his self improvement books, 1965.

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