James Dillet Freeman
Encyclopedia
James Dillet Freeman was a poet
and a minister of the Unity Church
, a New Thought
denomination. Freeman was born in in Wilmington, Delaware
. He was a registered member of the Cherokee tribe. He was very proud of his Native American ancestry.
Freeman was sometimes referred to as the "poet laureate to the moon" because his poems were twice brought to the moon, "a distinction he shares with no other author." His 1941 "Prayer for Protection" was taken aboard Apollo 11 in July 1969 by Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin
, and a microfilm of Freeman's 1947 "I Am There" was left on the moon by James B. Irwin on Apollo 15. Freeman received the inspiration to write 'I Am There' during the death of his first wife Katherine.
Freeman's best known poems include "Blessings for a Marriage" and "The Traveller." The latter poem was written after one of Freeman's friends had died.
While James Dillet Freeman worked for Silent Unity and was a writer for the Unity magazine called Daily Word
for most of his adult life, he proudly proclaimed on many occasions that he had never joined Unity, revelling in his independent nature and personifying a spirit present throughout Unity and the New Thought Movement. Freeman became a millionaire from his prolific writings. Many of his poems and affirmations were sold to major card companies such as Hallmark.
Freeman's second wife, Billie, suffered from Alzheimer's disease for ten years. James Dillet Freeman wrote many moving articles about Billie's battle with the illness. He and Billie had no children. James died April 9, 2003. He was 91 years old. Apart from his wife whom he called his 'muse' he was inspired by the late Unity minister Dr. Alice Cronley. They had a wonderful platonic relationship.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and a minister of the Unity Church
Unity Church
Unity, known informally as Unity Church, is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement and is best known to many through its Daily Word devotional publication...
, a New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
denomination. Freeman was born in in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. He was a registered member of the Cherokee tribe. He was very proud of his Native American ancestry.
Freeman was sometimes referred to as the "poet laureate to the moon" because his poems were twice brought to the moon, "a distinction he shares with no other author." His 1941 "Prayer for Protection" was taken aboard Apollo 11 in July 1969 by Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
, and a microfilm of Freeman's 1947 "I Am There" was left on the moon by James B. Irwin on Apollo 15. Freeman received the inspiration to write 'I Am There' during the death of his first wife Katherine.
Freeman's best known poems include "Blessings for a Marriage" and "The Traveller." The latter poem was written after one of Freeman's friends had died.
While James Dillet Freeman worked for Silent Unity and was a writer for the Unity magazine called Daily Word
Daily Word
The Daily Word is a daily inspirational message provided by the Unity Church of Christianity. Themes include inner peace, hope, healing, guidance, and others. It is distributed via magazine, website, and e-mail.-History:...
for most of his adult life, he proudly proclaimed on many occasions that he had never joined Unity, revelling in his independent nature and personifying a spirit present throughout Unity and the New Thought Movement. Freeman became a millionaire from his prolific writings. Many of his poems and affirmations were sold to major card companies such as Hallmark.
Freeman's second wife, Billie, suffered from Alzheimer's disease for ten years. James Dillet Freeman wrote many moving articles about Billie's battle with the illness. He and Billie had no children. James died April 9, 2003. He was 91 years old. Apart from his wife whom he called his 'muse' he was inspired by the late Unity minister Dr. Alice Cronley. They had a wonderful platonic relationship.