Mystical Mavens

Rev. Celeste's guest is Rev. Michael Terranova, publisher and sole owner of Wise Woman Press. Michael is an independent New Thought minister who promotes the teachings of Emma Curtis Hopkins. He has published all of her books and created Self Treatments (which is a compilation of Self-treatment and other published works). Michael has accepted Emma Curtis Hopkins as his ministry. Emma died in 1925 but is still a great influence on New Thought.

Ruth Miller, two other women and Michael formed Wise Woman Press (WWP). He studied the Kingdoms of Consciousness (http://www.sacreddays.org/) with Rev Marcia Sutton and was called to do this work. "Scientific Christian Mental Practice" is Emma's most popular book. WWP publishes a few contemporary female authors. WWP published the Path of Power series (including work by Fillmore and Holmes), which ministers use for sermons. Michael created the websites www.emmacurtishopkins.com and www.wisewomanpress.com. WWP published Emma's major works as well as 23 of her Bible Interpretation Series. There are five Bible Interpretations left to publish. Michael thinks the Bible interpretations are her best work. He won't leave here until they are published.

Michael shared history. Emma ordained Myrtle and Charles Fillmore. Emma's student, Annie Rix Militz founded the Home of Truth (which still exists in Alameda, CA). In the late 1800s, when Emma began her ministry, Theosophy came into prominence. She was influenced by Hinduism and other mystic philosophies. There are misperceptions about Emma. One is that Malinda Cramer was a student of Emma. One of Emma's students, Kate Bingham taught the Brooks sisters. A healing took place. With Melinda Cramer, the women created Divine Science.

At one time, everything was called Christian Science, but Mary Baker Eddy became owner of the name Christian Science. To Michael, New Thought teaching is that Christ is the Truth. Michael changed the name of Emma's book, "First Lessons in Christian Science". This was Emma's first book, but no one wanted to publish it by that name. It's now called "First Lessons from the Journals of Emma Curtis Hopkins".

To Michael, the most intriguing part of Emma's teaching is Christ. A lot of New Thought teachings do not include Christ. Michael stopped practicing Catholicism, but he continues his connection with the Christ Presence. Emma teaches Jesus Christ. She teaches that the Bible stories are about us. She doesn't talk about Heaven and Hell, but instead about how to let Christ be your life. 

Ernest Holmes got mysticism from Emma. Mysticism is an encompassing presence. Holmes' teaching changed after that. Fenwicke Holmes said that. Fenwicke wrote The Voice Celestial. Michael interprets the poem as the Bhagavad Gita story.

Yogananda's teaching came from Babaji. Yogananda (Home | Self-Realization Fellowship (yogananda.org) was one of Michael's grandmother's teachers.

Michael created an Emma Curtis Hopkins group at https://groups.io/g/emmacurtishopkins/
Michael came into ministry because of a longing to know God. He was previously engaged in past life regression work. In his past, he found that he was a minister and a friar. He also uses the past life regression work, the tarot, the Kaballah, and numerology to keep in touch with the Presence. The Truth is always out there.

Michael's mystic moment came when he was a young man at a party who got in an argument and got stabbed. Something within him said "Life goes on within you and without you". He knew there are greater things than the life he was living. It was quite enlightening.

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