By Mu Feng
Earth is not merely humanity’s home. It may also be a prison—an isolated island in the vast cosmos, created specifically as a place of exile for life itself. This idea sounds like science fiction, yet when modern astronomical discoveries are placed alongside an extraordinary book written in the nineteenth century, the possibility becomes unexpectedly compelling.
In 2024, one day at Princeton University, astrophysicist Riccardo Pisani was analyzing large-scale simulations of the universe. Wearing a virtual-reality headset, he focused on a vast, pitch-black emptiness on his screen: the KBC Void. Discovered in 2013 and named after the initials of its three discoverers, the KBC Void is currently the largest known cosmic void, spanning more than two billion light-years in diameter.
Remarkably, the Milky Way—the galaxy that contains Earth—lies almost exactly at the center of this void. For this reason, it is sometimes called the Local Void. The Laniakea Supercluster, the enormous galactic structure to which the Milky Way belongs, also resides entirely within it. Pisani observed that our supercluster appears like a solitary island, drifting alone in a dark ocean of space.
This image of cosmic isolation inevitably evokes Saint Helena, the remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Located roughly 1,900 kilometers from Africa’s west coast and 3,400 kilometers from the eastern shores of the Americas, Saint Helena is famously isolated—cut off from the world in every direction. In the early nineteenth century, after his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled there by the European coalition powers, disappearing from the political stage until his death six years later. Historically, Saint Helena functioned as a place of imprisonment and exile.
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If the Atlantic Ocean is likened to the universe’s KBC Void, then Earth’s Laniakea Supercluster resembles Saint Helena itself—an isolated destination meant to hold those who cannot return. This parallel naturally invites a provocative question: Could Earth truly be a place where cosmic life is exiled?
To approach this question, we must turn to an unusual man—and an astonishing book.
John Ballou Newbrough and the Book of Oahspe
On June 5, 1828, John Ballou Newbrough was born in a small log cabin near Mohicanville, Ohio. His father, an Englishman educated in modern science, dismissed spiritual matters entirely. His mother, a Swiss immigrant, believed deeply in God and the existence of a spiritual realm. Influenced by her faith, Newbrough claimed that from early childhood he could see and hear beings from the spirit world.
When he shared these experiences with his father, he was harshly rebuked. His father believed such beliefs would lead only to failure. Over time, Newbrough learned to remain silent about his spiritual perceptions.
Following the life path laid out for him, Newbrough entered the Cincinnati College of Dental Surgery. After graduating, he opened dental practices in Dayton, later expanding to Cincinnati and New York. His career flourished. He invented a new dental plate material that was both inexpensive and durable, directly challenging the monopoly of the Goodyear Rubber Company. Goodyear sued him for patent infringement, but the court ruled in Newbrough’s favor. The victory brought him considerable wealth.
Yet throughout his material success, his communication with the spiritual world never ceased.
On the very morning his legal battle with Goodyear reached its final conclusion, Newbrough received what he described as a divine instruction: his future lay in spiritual work, not in the material world. At the time, he did not fully understand the meaning of this message. He continued practicing dentistry while gradually accepting further guidance.
Late in life, Newbrough’s father made a startling confession. He admitted that he, too, occasionally heard the voice of Newbrough’s deceased mother. Only then did he realize that the spirit world truly existed. He expressed deep regret for having treated his son so harshly and urged him to take any messages he received from the spiritual realm seriously.
The long-standing rift between father and son dissolved in that moment.
From then on, Newbrough immersed himself in spiritual literature and sought instruction on how to communicate more clearly with spiritual beings. He was advised to reduce his attachment to material desires. When he did so, he found that his spiritual communication became markedly clearer.
The writing of Oahspe
Newbrough was instructed to write a book. He was told not to plan, outline, or even reflect on what he wrote—only to write each day, then set the work aside and wait for further instruction.
Each morning before opening his dental practice, he would take pen and paper. He described a beam of light illuminating the tip of his pen, after which inspiration would surge uncontrollably, compelling him to write at great speed. In less than two years, he produced a work exceeding two million words.
Only after the writing was complete was he permitted to read it.
To his astonishment, the book—titled Oahspe—appeared to him comparable in scope and depth to the greatest works in human history. It was published in 1882. The name Oahspe means “Heaven, Earth, and Spirit.” It presents itself as a comprehensive account of both the material and spiritual worlds.
Newbrough emphasized that Oahspe was neither a religious text nor a scientific treatise. Instead, it was presented as a history and a prophecy, recording 80,000 years of Earth’s past and revealing the origin and purpose of Earth as a cosmic island. He insisted that the true author was the Creator, and that he himself had served only as a scribe.
The Three Realms
According to Oahspe, after creating humanity, the Creator asked humans to give Him a name. They named Him after the sound of the wind: E-O-Ih, later rendered in Hebrew as Jehovah.
The Creator then established a universal structure composed of three realms, allowing humans to name them:
- The Material Realm – the visible world, including Earth and all living beings
- The Atmospheric Realm – invisible to human eyes
- The Etheric Realm – also invisible and more refined
The Creator appointed the two invisible realms to govern the visible one. What humans commonly call angels or spiritual beings reside in the Atmospheric and Etheric Realms. Together, these two realms are often referred to as ES, and the overall structure is known as the Three Realms.
For readers familiar with Eastern philosophy, these realms closely parallel Buddhist cosmology:
- The Material Realm corresponds to the Desire Realm
- The Atmospheric Realm resembles the Form Realm
- The Etheric Realm aligns with the Formless Realm
Using vortex-like forces—described as “whirlwinds”—the Creator further divided the Atmospheric Realm into three levels: Nebula, Gaea, and Aji. These names derive from non-human languages and are rendered phonetically.
Notably, Oahspe describes the universe as spiral in nature—an idea echoed in Taoist Taiji diagrams, Buddhist swastika symbols (an ancient auspicious symbol predating modern misuse), and the spiral forms of galaxies such as the Milky Way. These astronomical observations were unknown at the time the book was written.
Heaven, hell, and the purpose of Earth
Oahspe states that what humans call Heaven exists within the Atmospheric and Etheric Realms, while Hell occupies specific regions of the Atmospheric Realm. After physical death, the immortal soul leaves the body and becomes similar to an angel.
A soul’s destination depends on its thoughts, actions, intentions, and words during life. It may:
- Reincarnate immediately into the Material Realm
- Ascend to the Atmospheric Realm as an angel
- Enter hellish regions of the Atmospheric Realm
- Or, in rare cases, ascend directly to the Etheric Realm as a high-ranking angel
Angels themselves exist in many ranks. Even beings humans call “gods” differ in status and power. The Three Realms were created to provide fallen angels with an environment for refinement and return—a structured system for learning, correction, and ascent.
At the highest level are Gods (male or female), each governing a domain with councils and heavenly cities in the Etheric Realm. Beneath them are Lords, who directly oversee human affairs. Their terms typically last between 200 and 1,000 years.
When the Creator emits a special light known as “Dan,” sweeping across Earth, their tenure ends. They return to the Creator’s Etheric Kingdom to continue their evolution. Life within the Three Realms cannot move freely between them, underscoring Earth’s nature as a sealed cosmic island.
Exile, cycles, and the Fermi Paradox
Oahspe teaches that human civilization unfolds in repeating cycles—great cycles containing smaller ones. Humanity’s exile to Earth began approximately 80,000 years ago.
This framework offers a spiritual explanation for the Fermi Paradox—the question of why humans have not encountered extraterrestrial civilizations. While modern science proposes explanations such as the Rare Earth hypothesis or the Great Filter, Oahspe asserts that Earth was intentionally isolated. Humans originated in higher realms and were exiled here for growth and testing, with memories and abilities partially erased. Other forms of life observe humanity but cannot intervene freely.
Life on Earth contains both suffering and joy, but it is purposeful.
As civilization develops, humanity progresses from ignorance to language, writing, music, and art. In every cultural expression, the presence of the Creator can be perceived. Cultivation exists everywhere.
When the Creator returns to Earth, humanity will have the opportunity to be redeemed—and to return to its original, higher realms.
