Flower A. Newhouse
Encyclopedia
Flower A. Newhouse was an American Christian
mystic
and spiritual teacher.
. Her father died of heart failure when she was seven. Her mother, Jennie Romig Sechler, was a milliner and entrepreneur. She had one sibling, a sister Beatrice, who was blind from the age of five. "Flower" was the name she insisted on being called as soon as she could talk. Flower enjoyed close and affectionate relationships with her mother and sister for their entire lives.
From childhood, she claimed the gifts of an exceptionally well-trained clairvoyant
ability and the mystic's natural love for the Lord Christ
. Her supporters see these gifts in her written and oral works as well as her living example.
Newhouse claimed that she first realized she was clairvoyant when she was six, riding the Staten Island Ferry
in New York Harbor
with a friend her age. Seeing a group of water sprites, she pointed them out to her companion. The latter, thinking this was a game of make believe, responded with her own creative inventions. Flower, realizing she saw a world that didn't exist for others, was shocked into silence for many years.
When Flower entered high school, her teachers gave her a series of writing assignments. This provided for her the opportunity to begin sharing some of her wisdom gained over lifetimes. So impressed were these teachers that they invited Flower to their homes where she commenced her own career as a teacher
.
where she soon became a guest speaker at a number of churches and lecture halls. Word soon spread of her unique gifts and her convincing sincerity as a speaker. Before long she was traveling regularly to Santa Barbara
and San Francisco and much of Southern California
. It was on one of these lecture engagements that she met her future husband, Lawrence Newhouse.
In 1940, Flower and Lawrence founded Questhaven Retreat and the Christward Ministry, which she bequeathed to the Lord Christ forever. Here, she wrote and lectured extensively on the Kingdom of Angels and the Wisdom Teachings that underlie "living the Life" and following the "Way". Flower died in 1994 and many Christians believe she returned to her eternal homeland, following a rich, challenging and accomplished life.
. Flower's mission was also to reawaken humanity to the reality of angels, a work she began with her first book in 1937, and added to in many published writings and taped lectures.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and spiritual teacher.
Early life
She was born Mildred "Mimmi" Arlene Sechler in Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
. Her father died of heart failure when she was seven. Her mother, Jennie Romig Sechler, was a milliner and entrepreneur. She had one sibling, a sister Beatrice, who was blind from the age of five. "Flower" was the name she insisted on being called as soon as she could talk. Flower enjoyed close and affectionate relationships with her mother and sister for their entire lives.
From childhood, she claimed the gifts of an exceptionally well-trained clairvoyant
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
ability and the mystic's natural love for the Lord Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Her supporters see these gifts in her written and oral works as well as her living example.
Newhouse claimed that she first realized she was clairvoyant when she was six, riding the Staten Island Ferry
Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry service operated by the New York City Department of Transportation that runs between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island.-Overview:...
in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
with a friend her age. Seeing a group of water sprites, she pointed them out to her companion. The latter, thinking this was a game of make believe, responded with her own creative inventions. Flower, realizing she saw a world that didn't exist for others, was shocked into silence for many years.
When Flower entered high school, her teachers gave her a series of writing assignments. This provided for her the opportunity to begin sharing some of her wisdom gained over lifetimes. So impressed were these teachers that they invited Flower to their homes where she commenced her own career as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Career
In 1924, Newhouse, along with her mother and sister, moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where she soon became a guest speaker at a number of churches and lecture halls. Word soon spread of her unique gifts and her convincing sincerity as a speaker. Before long she was traveling regularly to Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and San Francisco and much of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. It was on one of these lecture engagements that she met her future husband, Lawrence Newhouse.
In 1940, Flower and Lawrence founded Questhaven Retreat and the Christward Ministry, which she bequeathed to the Lord Christ forever. Here, she wrote and lectured extensively on the Kingdom of Angels and the Wisdom Teachings that underlie "living the Life" and following the "Way". Flower died in 1994 and many Christians believe she returned to her eternal homeland, following a rich, challenging and accomplished life.
Writings
Newhouse's supporters hold that the life and writings of Flower A. Newhouse are those of a Christian mystic, and that her insights into the inner realms of life provide us with a path to wholeness that she called "Living the Life". These teachings are not doctrine, but a practical guide to the direct, immediate experience of GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. Flower's mission was also to reawaken humanity to the reality of angels, a work she began with her first book in 1937, and added to in many published writings and taped lectures.
External links
- Quest Haven Website
- Songs from the House of Pilgrimage - Biography
- http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sandiego/access/1257566841.html?dids=1257566841:1257566841&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+18%2C+2007&author=Pat+Sherman&pub=The+San+Diego+Union+-+Tribune&desc=A+place+in+the+local+lore+|+Questhaven+Retreat+has+been+a+spot+for+spiritual+growth+for+almost+70+years&pqatl=google"Questhaven Retreat has been a spot for spiritual growth for almost 70 years" - Sand Diego Union-Tribune]
- http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:OOSpPXImpsgJ:www.christwardministry.com/inspiration/0603_Inspiration.pdf+%22Flower+A.+Newhouse%22+spiritual+news&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjHoqr0TK9Jq9-qZKA5KE7t0lLECZegN9P-64lwEhCIOAGZ3WlODWA2yDD4YvvMUfrGGsbOAfEYHn5XarwZSPXxktfCV0dJ10uDv2mqlBvHKDgeT5GMteJzWfxuuOtw5APu171M&sig=AHIEtbSewZh0ucWQkntH4dAZnoSQUz5L3A"Summer/Fall 2006" - Inspiration Magazine]