Metaphysical Articles: Interesting Articles, Links and Other Media: The Remarkable Books of Dana Howard

Dana Howard's first book My Flight to Venus (1954) is described on the title page of this Regency Press (London and New York) edition: "This book is based on a true, mystical experience heralding the coming of interplanetary spacecraft." The American first edition further specifies "long before the advent of the 'flying saucer.'" (article) Other autobiographical flying saucer contact account authors with a book, periodical or national magazine article published in 1954 are Orfeo Angelucci, Truman Bethurum and Daniel Fry.

Prior to the autobiographical books presenting the case histories of individuals who became known as flying saucer 'contactees,' 1949 and 1950 are the years when were published Part One and Part Two of a book leaving a profound mark upon the contemplation of intellectually oriented scientists capable of considering data beyond the current scope of social-cultural programming. There would be no questions about the credentials and authenticity of the publisher and the 'psychic'/'medium' participating with the communicating "Etherian Guardians of the Earth" whose transcripts commenced with the disclosure that they were doing what they could "to stem the ever-rising tide of earthly destruction . . . [and] working hard to discourage the use of atomic power as a weapon of war . . ." Metaphysical declarations included the expressions "Universal Force," "Cosmic Mind" and "Everlasting Consciousness" while gravitation was divulged to be "mind force working on or in chemical fields." A second book about the Guardians was published in 1953 with the subtitle An Interpretation of the "Flying Saucers" as Given from the Other Side of Life. (article)

Dana Howard's My Flight to Venus begins with a Foreword by Gilbert N. Holloway (1915-2002), a Los Angeles spiritual teacher, author and lecturer who expressed regret for the abundance of atomic bombs on our planet and commented that "talk of war affronts the higher nature of any sensitive soul." He provided an overview of the facts related to the 'unidentified flying objects'/'flying saucers' being sighted worldwide.

These craft have been noted for their fantastic speeds (up to 46,000 miles per hour), their remarkable angular maneuvers (including right-angle terms at very high speeds) and perhaps most of all for their mutability. In other words, under certain conditions these craft disappear then appear again; also they change shape and color in flight, and seem to be able to adapt themselves instantly to desired conditions.

While a great many observers now believe them to be interplanetary, there is yet a further reach of theory regarding them, namely, that they are interdimensional! Or to put it more concisely, that some of these space craft, if not all of them, originate in and return to planes of the etheric world.

The etheric planes in the final analysis are dimensions of consciousness . . .

Dana Howard's narrative begins with the narrator describing herself having begun a "grand adventure" and now flying in a small airplane that crash lands on Arizona's Superstition Mountain. After seeing that her fiancé had survived, she "managed somehow to crawl out of the plane" —

Then IT came, starting at my ankles like a gorgeous display of lighted fireworks . . . a transcendent violet flame that fanned out until it enveloped my body like an aura of sacred fire.

The narrator related a transcendental impression of "the true meaning of the UNITY and ONENESS of ALL." She then saw leaning against a tree "a woman-being of unsurpassed loveliness. Her head was radiant with a crown of fire, strands of golden hair cascading gently over her beautiful, slightly olive-skinned shoulders."

"Have no fears, Child of Earth," she intoned. "Let the doors of your mind be opened and we of the faraway planets will speak to you in poetry and song." Her voice was heavenly, rapturous, and there was something all-wise, all-knowing about her. My heart started beating wildly in my breast.

"Daughter of Earth," she continued. "Since childhood you have yearned to turn back the eons of time. You have wanted to know the secret of the earth's smothered fires. Of the angry floods and elemental storms that gave your land its present form. Many long nights you have pondered over the mysteries of the heavens above. You have wondered about other planets and their way of life. Ere long, Child of Earth, you will be admitted through the portals. You will be instructed in the things that have baffled you throughout life. Your mind will be awakened — your soul will be challenged. Your heart will know love. Come with me, my Daughter. Come!"

It was then I observed for the first time, a beautiful rocket-shaped ship suspended in mid air about three hundred feet from the earth. It was beyond mortal words to describe. In the main it seemed to be constructed of some sort of translucent material, but trimmed in gold and gem-studded. An almost invisible ladder extended from the ship to the earth, and I obediently followed the radiant being up the flimsy stairs without questioning. Once aboard my sacrosanct companion vanished and I never saw her again.

The author as narrator described meeting two other people from Earth — "a young American Indian named Blue Cloud" and "a weather-beaten prospector named Cactus Jeff Stringfeller." The narrator commented "there seemed to be no time here" and, without any description of leaving the space ship, she described finding herself "gazing in spellbound wonderment at an enchanted city of splendor . . . Then, as if propelled on winged feet, we started to glide in the direction from whence the celestial strains had come." What happens in My Flight to Venus primarily revolves around the romance that develops between the narrator and LeLando, who is described as being "like the Prince of all Apollos." He tells the narrator:

"We have beauty in abundance, to be sure, dear lady," he returned. "But with us, beauty is an ideal to strive for. It is an ideal bound up in the laws of our land. But do not fear fair one of the Earth . . . in your own good day the earth plane will come into its own. The noblest conquest of all earthly civilizations is yet to come."

LeLando equates "Golden values" with "your minds will be enlightened" while Cactus Jeff, "still anticipating a fling with the prospector's pick," is heard to say: "We'll be findin' a wagon load o' gold, too."

LeLando smiled, for he seemed to understand.

"Gold is in abundance in our land for we live in the light of the golden ray," he said.

The "sovereign ruler over this land of magic" is learned to be "Queen Zo-na." An announcement is made to "People of our Planet Venus" informing them, "We have with us tonight a messenger from the Planet Earth . . . When she returns again to her own world, she will have been immersed in our high ideals . . ."

LeLando eventually reveals to the narrator that he has loved her "through all the eons of time" and explains: “Here on Venus you have experienced an initiation of spirit . . . When spiritual integrity has been awakened in the body of your Earth humanity, then we shall meet again and be together . . . forever.”

The narrator marries LeLando in a formal Venusian ceremony comparable to weddings on Earth and one realization is that she has shown obsessive jealousy for the Venusian known as "Lolita the beautiful"; therefore, she laments having "brought the evil of jealousy to this wonderful land." Finally there is the new reality expressed by the narrator: "I felt sure that LeLando's love would go with me to the farthest point of the universe. . . ."

The date of the experience that is the basis for Dana's first book is identified as June 1939 in her follow-up book Diane — She Came From Venus (1956), also published by Regency Press. After reiterating her meeting of the one she called "my sacrosanct companion," Dana revealed how she came to know this "radiant being" as 'Diane.' On April 29, 1955, Dana attended a private seance of 'physical medium' Reverend Bertie Lillie Candler at the Church of Divine Light in Los Angeles. After Reverend Candler went into a deep trance, Dana described seeing a rising glow of phosphorescence some ten or twelve feet away from Candler.

It was very tall at first, but out of this phosphorescent substance a form began to manifest itself. She was definitely different from the other "spirit" manifestations, a solid, fleshly being, delicate in charm and manner.

She called for DANA. Overwhelmed with emotion I could not choke back, I went up to her, standing only inches away from the manifestation. While I did not recognize her instantly, I knew there was something quaintly familiar about her. Standing like a sylph-like goddess, and bowing low in greeting to the twenty-seven persons present, the rich tones of her voice vibrated through the little church.

"I AM DIANE. I COME FROM VENUS."

Once adjusted to the vibrations she dwindled in size until I judged her to be about five feet tall. As she tossed back her well-shaped head revealing her perfectly chiseled features, there was no mistaking her identity. She was the same "being of unsurpassed loveliness" who sixteen years earlier had escorted me to the waiting spaceship.

I was speechless at first, my thoughts tumbling over one another. I finally managed to say:

"Are you my mentor . . . the person who has been giving me those wonderful discourses?"

She answered: "Yes. This is the first time we of the greater planets have been permitted to come to beings of earth. From now on we shall be with you, always."

Diane then went into a few moments of profound discoursing the content of which I could not recall later. Before taking her leave, as if to reassure me that she was not an imposter, she placed a corner of her jewel-bedecked garment in my hands that I might feel the texture of the fabric — materials I quickly identified as Venusian.

She then went into a beautiful, rhythmic dance described by one onlooker as "The rhythm of the ocean waves." She finally bade us all good night and with her fragile hand on my shoulder she melted into the nothingness.

Dana Howard collected descriptions from others who attended the seance that night. Lucille Points of Los Angeles commented that "this was the most outstanding experience of my life." A confirmatory joint statement by Mrs. Gladys Campbell and Mrs. Maude Haas attested: "It was truly a marvelous thing to be present and see for myself such a wonderful personality, and I know you must be very humble and gratified to have the facts that you have brought before the public in your book — 'My Flight to Venus,' substantiated in such an unexpected manner."

Reverend Beulah Englund contributed a statement that called what had happened on April 29th "a miracle": "I sincerely believe it was not a spirit apparition as the others had been — but a physical being from another planet."

As Dana Howard explained in Diane — She Came From Venus, she heard Diane's voice on many occasions. Dana recalled: "Time and again the voice said: 'You will witness a miracle' . . . Frankly I expected a saucer to land in our midst. That I should make contact with the lovely Diana in person was not in line with my expectations."

The second part of Diane — She Came From Venus is entitled "The Discourses of Diane." Dana noted: "Diane spoke to me in a language of the mind which was instantly translatable into words." Here's an example of the Venusian philosophy offered in this book.

"Child of Earth, how oft that precious possession of love has been sold to the highest bidder for gold. You did not sell for gold, my daughter, but you did fail to heed the warning that love is a dominant force — protection against all error. Back on earth you quickly forgot the lessons you had learned. For years you have been out of step with the force that blends the harmonies of the universe. For years your heart has been filled with fears and your footsteps have found only the quicksands. You ignored the words of your gentle master that 'Perfect love casteth out fear.'"

The preceding blog article presents a discourse by 'Diane' about The New Age with links to introductory information about 'channeling.'

Dana's UFO and metaphysical research shared in the book encompasses "seers and mystics" along with "the unsolved mystery of Mount Shasta . . . Untold numbers have given evidence that on occasions too numerous to mention they have seen streams of blue-white light emanating from the Shasta heights." Dana reported what she'd learned from a 1930 interview of Indian Chief Francisco Potentio, founder of the fabulous village of Palm Springs, and one of the surviving remnants of the old Cahuilla Tribe [who] was then 108 years old.

"Sky ships come from Morning Star," the old chief said, pointing to the Planet Venus.

Sixteen years ago, when my soul embarked for the Planet Venus the point of departure was an equally enigmatic peak — Arizona's Superstition Mountain.

One of Dana's perspectives about cosmology is described as there being with each human being "a definite tie with all the domains of existence." In the first chapter of Diane — She Came From Venus, Dana wrote: "The turning point in your author's life came sixteen years ago when she first stepped out of a holocaust of sacred fire and was 'ostensibly' teleported to the Planet Venus."

Dana's third book Over The Threshold (1957) provides further details of her interaction with Diane while encompassing a variety of hyperbolized subjects: "Mind-to-mind, soul-to-soul, she has transmitted her heaven-inspired messages . . . Deep in the recesses of my mind" the author continued to "store up" what was "received through the channelship of my lovely mentor, DIANE." Concerning the 'Altar in the Wilderness Shrine' that Diane had instructed her to erect on a sanctified spot in the California desert, Dana wrote: "It had been dedicated and consecrated but circumstances beyond my control had prevented the immediate execution of plans." (article)

In the chapter concerning "The Secret of Youth" Dana wrote:

. . . I knew if Diane's life-span could be measured in terms of earth years, she must be centuries old. Yet she possessed the beauty and freshness of a girl in her teens. Only the light of great wisdom in her expressive eyes gave even a hint as to the years of her existence.

I caught her reflection in my mirror as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Many times, you have wondered about this," she said. "Yes, I have lived through many centuries, my daughter. I shall live through many more. Not by means of rebirth, but by means of translation of bodies. Perhaps the time has come to reveal my identity. Many times I have been sent over the hallowed spots of the earth. I have ministered to the suffering on the bloody fields of battle. Child of Earth — I AM THE SPIRIT OF WOMANHOOD, afloat on the Sea of Life. When changes are imminent, it is ever the task of WOMAN to usher in the new birth. . . ."

In 1958, the year after Over The Threshold was presented, Dana Howard released two books: The Strange Case of T. Lobsang Rampa and Up Rainbow Hill. The first is a short book of reflections inspired by the controversy generated when Rampa—the author of a bestseller initially accepted as a true account of life in a Tibetan lamasery—was identified as an Englishman whose name at birth had been Cyril Henry Hoskin. Dana's book includes two new descriptions of paranormal manifestations — one involving the appearance of "a beautiful woman-being" who was seen transposed over Dana's body during her lecture to a California woman's club. Another anecdote related by Dana involved her listening to an account of "balls of color . . . of a magenta-orchid hue" manifesting among a group using Diane's visualization and meditation techniques. Dana recounted having glanced at her own right hand to find "a ball of scintillating substance" that soon dissolved.

Dane wrote in the final chapter of The Strange Case of T. Lobsang Rampa:

The subtle body (or the human aura) is dematerialized form. It contains all of the substances of the material form, but it is invisible to the eye. It is said the aura is composed of substance that corresponds with the "germ-cell" or ovum. This is form in the making.

cover design by Columba Krebs

The foreword of Up Rainbow Hill is dated December 1958. Dana wrote that after she completed writing Over The Threshold the transcendental communicator Diane's involvement had further evolved. Diane explained to her that "channelship" was now established and "henceforth I would be permitted to 'tap' direct knowledge without the aid of a mediator. Up Rainbow Hill (for the most part) is channeled material."

As Up Rainbow Hill is a book of ruminations that encompassed what she now referred to as her "teleportive flight to Venus." Dana's referral to 'channeled material' makes evident her perspective of all thought being connected to higher planes of existence. She defines this process in her book:

Channeling means one's ability to come into concord with those unseen; to be compatible with invisible forces; to become mediators. Channelship is tuning in. We "tune in" in much the same way we flip the dial on a radio. But rather than tuning in by way of mechanical means, one makes the connection through human sensitivity.

In 1959 Dana published a novel entitled The Earthborn Venusian. In two other books, she pondered questions raised by the anticipation of an approaching space age: The Keys to the Citadel of Space (1960) and The Kingdom of Space (1961). In the former, subjects for conjecture included Free Energy; "Admiral Byrd and the Great Mystery of Antarctica"; and Divine Guidance as shown in the lives of such historical figures as Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla and George Washington Carver along with the legendary Count St. Germain. When Dana recounted having listened in 1933 to radio reports of the second Byrd expedition, she mentioned that she'd made several transdimensional excursions prior to the experience reported in My Flight to Venus: "Long ago, in the year 1933, the voice within told me of this land and its secrets . . . I, too, was exploring what I believe to be the same, identical lands."

Something to consider about transcendental communication accounts that encompass commentary about Venus is that if any planet would symbolize love, it would be Venus with a name inspired by the Roman goddess associated with fields and gardens, beauty and love. Blog readers might also recall the blog article "The Ectoplasmic Flying Saucer".