The Spiritual Journey of Charles Fillmore
Discovering the Power Within
The Spiritual Journey of Charles Fillmore sheds new light on the life and work of an essential spiritual pioneer. In this landmark new biography, author Neal Vahle uses thorough new research, interviews with those who knew Fillmore, and his intimate familiarity with Fillmore's writings to introduce readers to the intriguing cofounder of the Unity movement. Beyond standard biography, Vahle's comprehensive treatment also extensively details Fillmore's era's philosophical and spiritual landscape. It gives readers an excellent overview of the metaphysical movement's evolution through time.
Neal Vahle served as publishing director of Heldref Publications in Washington, DC, and as editor of several periodicals, including World Affairs, Current, New Realities, Re-Source, and Unity Magazine. He holds a PhD in American History from Georgetown University and has taught at The American University, The Catholic University of America, and George Mason University. He is also the author of Open at the Top: The Life of Ernest Holmes and Torchbearer to Light the Way: The Life of Myrtle Fillmore. He lives in Corte Madera, California.
Acknowledgments / xiii
Introduction / xv
1. From Businessman to Spiritual Teacher / 3
2. Co-creator of the Basic Unity Teaching / 9
3. Co-creator of the Doctrine of the Twelve Powers / 35
4. Sources of Charles Fillmore’s Spiritual Teaching / 49
5. Charles, the Jesus Christ Standard, and New Thought / 89
6. Regenerating the Human Body / 106
7. Metaphysical Healer / 115
8. Organizer of Spiritual Ministries / 120
9. Myrtle Page and Cora Dedrick / 139
10. “He Had an Uncommon Lot of Common Sense” / 151
Appendixes
A. Emanuel Swedenborg / 166
B. Ralph Waldo Emerson / 171
C. Emma Curtis Hopkins / 174
D. Franz Anton Mesmer / 179
E. Warren Felt Evans / 184
F. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky / 188
G. Mary Baker Eddy / 191