THE INTERIM NEWSLETTERS of Max Freedom Long
MAX FREEDOM LONG kept in touch with the hundreds of members of the Huna Research Associates for over twenty years by mimeographed reports, in addition to his massive correspondence. The first series of reports consisted of 124 HRA BULLETINS, sent out from February, 1943, to November, 1957. After the publication of the BULLETINS was discontinued, contact was maintained by an occasional Newsletter during 1953, with a further issue in the middle of 1959. Regular reports were resumed as HUNA VISTAS in September, 1959, and ended with the 93rd issue of NOV/DEC, 1970.
There were only five of the “Interim Newsletters” (as I shall call them ) — and these were completely unknown to me and virtually lost. Not only were they not in the collection of HRA BULLETINS and HUNA VISTAS which Max sent me as I prepared for the continuation of Huna Research Associates at his request, but no copy was in the extraordinary collection of books and papers which Max and Dolly Ware so carefully assembled for the MAX FREEDOM LONG MEMORIAL LIBRARY, now located in Fort Worth, Texas.
THE INTERIM NEWSLETTERS, in fact, constitute a “discovery” of great interest and importance. I first heard of them in January, 1973, when HRA Paul Krueger mentioned them in a list of printed Huna materials which he offered to loan me, if I wanted to see them. I jumped at the chance and Paul sent them immediately. Almost at the same time, a shipment of HRA equipment and materials from Max’s study in Vista, California, arrived, and in digging through the boxes, I discovered the original stencils which Max had cut some fifteen years ago. With considerable excitement and no small amount of trepidation, I examined the stencils (having already suffered the disappointment of finding the stencils for the “Will Levington Comfort Letters” booklet far too fragile to use). I am very pleased indeed to report that these stencils were in excellent condition and you will see from the reprint itself that the copy is sharp and clear. They were done also on Max’s own electric mimeograph, which works beautifully.
THE INTERIM NEWSLETTERS, of course, were not intended to be “interim,” since it was thought at the time that no further reports would be sent out in mimeographed bulletins. The BULLETINS had stopped so that Max could devote himself to the “much serious writing on Huna subjects” which he was working on even then. A series of small books was planned, but the expense turned out to be prohibitive, as explained in one of the Newsletters. These Newsletters were also Max’s way of fulfilling his obligation to those members who had contributed to Cigbo’s Cigar Box (expense fund for producing these reports). Two books appeared during the time of these Newsletters: SELF-SUGGESTION and the New Huna Theory of Mesmerism and Hypnosis, in 1953, and PSYCHOMETRIC ANALYSIS, in 1959.
Interest in Huna continued — and increased to the point that regular reports were needed again. And so the HUNA VISTAS were published.
THE INTERIM NEWSLETTERS constitute a natural unit for our HRA RE-PRIINT program. The 43 pages contain an abundance of information, interesting book reviews, and sidelights on the work of HRA and on the life of Max Freedom Long.
A few comments only will be given on the contents of these Letters. The Andrews HAWAIIAN DICTIONARY referred to in the first Newsletter is now available for $35 in a Xerox copy (unbound) from Borderland Sciences Research Associates (B.S.R.A.), P. 0. Box 543, Vista, Calif. 92033 (mentioned in #5. “Round Robin” is now called “The Journal of Borderland Research.”)
THE TELEPATHIC MUTUAL HEALING GROUP (TMHG) continues daily at 9 p.m. Central Time. The reports of helpful results are very encouraging. The TMHG Unit mentioned has been out of print for many years — and I had no copy of it myself until HRA Lana M. Fine of Los Angeles sent me her copy recently. It is possible that a limited edition can be published in the HRA RE-PRINT series.
The supply of bound sets of HRA BULLETINS (mentioned in #IV, p. 10) is of course long exhausted. I have all the old stencils, but it is very unlikely that they can be used (they are over twenty years old and used many times). However, I am following Max’s suggestion here of reprinting some of the valuable information from this collection (and from the later HUNA VISTAS). Two reprints have appeared: “MANA, or VITAL FORCE,” a 20-page reprint from the earliest of the BULLETINS, offset printed, green cover, plastic comb binding ($2.50); and TAROT CARD SYMBOLOGY, a book of 90 pages containing the complete text of the “Initiatory Units” on Tarot card symbology published by Max Freedom Long in the first ten HUNA VISTAS, plus other shorter items on the Tarot from later issues, offset printed, orange cover, plastic comb binding ($6.00).
After the publication of the HUNA VISTAS ended, Max Freedom Long put out one more communication to the HRAs. He called it “HUNA VISTAS NEWSLETTER No. 1” (May 1, 1971) — obviously intended to be a new series of reports. Huna Research Associates, with members from all parts of the world, continues to function. HUNA VISTAS NEWSLETTER is now professionally printed by offset, rather than mimeographed, allowing for the use of illustrations.
