Edgar
Cayce on Religion
The
system of metaphysical thought which emerges from the
Cayce discourses
is
a Christianized version of the
mystery religions of
ancient Egypt, Chaldea, Persia, India, and Greece. It fits
the figure of Christ into the tradition of one God for all
people, and places him in his proper place, at the apex
of the philosophical structure; He is the capstone of the
pyramid.
The mysteries were concerned with
man's problem of freeing his soul from the world. In the
mystery symbologies the Earth was always represented as
the underworld, and the soul was lost in this underworld
until freed from it by wisdom, faith, and understanding.
In the Greek mysteries,
Persephone, was abducted by Pluto, Lord of Hades. Persephone
is the soul of man, whose true home is in the heavens.
Jesus said he came to fulfill
the law, and part of that law was the Kabbalah,
the secret doctrine of the Jews - their version of the mysteries.
It is interesting to speculate
on the fact that Cayce was raised in strict nineteenth century
Bible tradition, and suffered the greatest mental and emotional
shock of his life when he discovered that in his spiritual
readings he declared the truth of the mysteries and acclaimed
Jesus as their crowning glory. Cayce had only a seventh
grade education and consciously knew nothing of what he
said under hypnosis. He was only versed in the Bible and
had no high school or college background of any kind. Up
until his revelations, Cayce had never heard of the mystery
religions. Yet his readings check with everything about
them that is known to be authentic. He spoke at length on
Christian Gnosticism
well before the Gnostic writings were discovered. Cayce
affirmed that Christian Gnosticism is the type of Christianity
that was taught by Jesus.
The mystery
religions were a preparation for the coming of Jesus. He
was the fruit of their efforts, and his message was a fuller
revelation to the people at large of the mysteries themselves.
In the scramble which Christianity made to establish itself
as the dominant religion of the decaying Roman Empire, the
mysteries were denied their proper place, since to grant
that they had truth in them would justify their further
existence.
The complex symbology employed
by the mystery religions has survived fragmentarily in Christianity,
notable in church architecture and in the sacrifice of the
mass. The early Christians used every means possible to
conceal the pagan origin of their symbols, doctrines, and
rituals. They either destroyed the sacred books of other
peoples among whom they settled, or made them inaccessible
to students of comparative philosophy, apparently believing
that in this way they could stamp out all record of the
pre-Christian origin of their doctrines. The
Christian doctrine of reincarnation
and the
Gnostic mysteries of Christ
were declared heresies by the Church in 553 A.D.
Jesus
the Christ, according to the Cayce readings, is the central
instrument of God to make it possible for all souls to fulfill
the original purpose of their creation.
Cayce affirmed that the trinity
of the Godhood (the so-called Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
is actually three-dimensional consciousness when viewed
from the level of Earth consciousness, which itself is a
three-dimensional realm in one. The Godhood in its multiplicity
can be perceived as more complex than three-dimensional
when viewed from the perspective of higher levels of consciousness.
Nevertheless, the Christ, whether one speaks of the Godhead
as three-dimensional or multidimensional, is seen as an
essential part of the Godhead. Indeed, Cayce stated that
the Body of Christ is the Father, the Mind of Christ is
the Son, and the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit. In
other words, Jesus represented the body, mind and spirit
of God. Jesus' message was that "ye are gods"
(John 10:34). In other words, all humans can be as God in
body, mind and spirit, just as Jesus was.
Jesus,
who became the Christ (i.e., a full manifestation of the
divine consciousness in flesh), is a soul created with other
souls in the beginning and, like them, a part of God's Universal
Consciousness. This is not to say that the
Christ Consciousness
is a created being. Jesus was the created being. In the
Cayce readings, the Christ Consciousness is the spiritual
condition of integrally being one with God, or as Cayce
would called
at-one-ment.
The union of the Christ Consciousness and the human Jesus
constituted, according to the readings, a unique divine-human
unity, although this relationship is properly the ultimate
goal of everyone and is spiritually possible for all. Cayce
affirms that there seemed to be two wills - divine and human
- in Jesus Christ. Cayce flat out states that the Christ
soul's first incarnation was Adam of the book of Genesis.
It is well known
that the apostle Paul wrote of Adam as:
"Nevertheless, death
reigned from the time of Adam to the time of
Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking
a command, as did Adam,
who is a pattern
of the one to come." (Romans
5:14)
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and drew between
Adam and Christ a parallel that was also a contrast:
"So it is written: 'The
first man Adam became a living being”;
the last Adam, a
life-giving spirit.'" (1
Corinthians 15:45)
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Christ is thus seen as the last
Adam, the one man who by his obedience undoes the results
of the disobedience of the first (Romans
5:12-21). Jesus recapitulated the stages of Adam's fall,
but in reverse order and quality. It is understandable how
shocking this statement of Cayce's is to most fundamental
Christians, that Jesus whom they have always believed to
be sinless had been not only guilty of sin, but the very
person who has been traditionally regarded as the author
of sin on the human level. However, Cayce in no way
states that Jesus as the Christ was guilty of any sin of
any kind. At that stage of his personal and cosmic
development his obedience was flawless, his relationship
with God perfect. In Cayce's words: "... the perfect
relationship to the Creative Forces or God, the Father -
which the human Jesus attained when he gave of himself to
the world, that through him, by and in him, each entity
might come to know the true relationship with the Father."
The Cayce
material, however, go on to speak of the singular appropriateness
of Adam finally emerging as Jesus, the man, to become the
savior of the world, the Christ. It must also be noted that
sin did not begin with Adam according to Cayce, but it had
its origins in spiritual realms before even the creation
of the Earth. We can therefore assume that this was Adam's
redemptive intent all along - to be savior of the world.
The perception that Jesus had
previous human incarnations did not originate with Edgar
Cayce. For example, the early Jewish Christian group known
as the
Ebionites taught that the Spirit had come as
Adam and later reincarnated as Jesus.
The
Samaritans believed that Adam had reincarnated as Seth,
then Noah, Abraham, and even Moses.
Other
Jewish Christian groups such as the
Elkasaites and
Nazarites also believed this. The
Clementine Homilies, an early Christian document,
also taught many incarnations of Jesus.
According to Cayce, the incarnations
of the Christ soul were as follows.
Amilius the ruler of the lost civilization of Atlantis;
Adam the first "son of God" and "son of man";
Enoch the patriarch who journeyed to heaven to receive
mysteries;
Hermes the sage and architect
of the Great Pyramid;
Melchizedek the mystical High Priest and and ancient
King of Jerusalem;
Joseph the son of Jacob who became the Prince of Egypt;
Joshua the leader of the Israelites into the Promised
Land;
Asaph the music director and seer who served under David
and Solomon;
Jeshua the scribe of Moses who helped write the Torah;
Zend the father of Zoroaster who
founded the
Zoroastrianism religion; and finally
Jesus the Christ who overcame death and will return
again to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
Destiny, Karma
and Fate
John
Van Auken is a former
director of the
Association of Research and Enlightenment,
the Edgar Cayce research foundation. He is editor of Living
in the Light and author of many books, audio tapes, and
videos. He's an expert in Egyptian, Hebrew, and Christian
mysticism, and is a skillful teacher of meditation from
kundalini
to his unique passage in consciousness. He practices the
techniques he teaches and has become a popular speaker,
leading retreats, workshops, and tours, and writes regularly
as a columnist. He is also the
author of many outstanding books on the Cayce readings including:
•
Born Again and Again: How Reincarnation Occurs and What
It Means to You, •
Edgar Cayce on the Revelation: A Study Guide for Spiritualizing
Body and Mind; •
Jesus: His Words Decoded, His Mystery Teachings Revealed;
•
Christ: The Power and the Passion;
•
Spiritual Breakthrough: Handbook to God-Consciousness;
•
From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruit of the Spirit;
•
The End Times: Prophecies of Coming Changes;
•
2038: The Great Pyramid Timeline Prophecy;
•
Edgar Cayce's Atlantis; •
Edgar Cayce's Tales of Egypt;
•
Ancient Egyptian Mysticism and Its Relevance Today;
•
Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah;
•
Past Lives and Present Relationships;
•
Toward a Deeper Meditation;
•
Edgar Cayce on Rejuvenation of the Body.
In order to fully appreciate the
secret teachings, we need to understand how the Universal
Law of Cause and Effect works. It's easy to say that the
experiences in one's life are the result of past activities,
but the forces of this law are greater than we may first
imagine.
Every
action, every thought, every idle word sets up reactions,
according to the Universal Law. When one thinks a thought,
that thought makes an impression on the Universal Consciousness.
Nothing is lost or done in secret. Everything is done within
the Universal Consciousness, and the Whole is affected by
it (as well as all others within the Whole).
This isn't
easy for us to believe, living in our own little worlds.
Secret, private, alone and separate are active words in
our vocabulary. This is due to our current separation in
consciousness from the Whole. In the higher realms of consciousness
there is no space. Things and people are not separate, but
part of a Whole. All is actually One. All is within the
Whole. By increasing the focus on self, we have created
the illusion of a self separated from the rest of life,
but it just isn't so. Our individual actions and thoughts
make an impact on the Mind of the Universal One.
When the
legendary seer, Edgar Cayce, was in the deeper levels of
consciousness and was asked to give a reading of the soul-record
for an individual, he found it very difficult to determine
whether the soul had thought of doing something or had actually
done it. In the deeper levels of consciousness, thoughts
and actions are equal in their impact. Perhaps this explains
Jesus' admonition that adultery in one's heart is the same
as committing it in deed.
Thoughts are things. Thoughts
are real.
Reactions
to past thoughts and actions become our fate, destiny and
karma. An individual's fate is simply the rebounding effects
of previous choices remembered by its soul. The reason the
effects of these previous choices often seem unfair to the
conscious mind is because the personality doesn't see beyond
its own life for sources of current conditions.
"Master, who did sin,
this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"
(John 9:1-2) |
Now if these disciples didn't
believe in and understand pre-existence of the soul and
karma, why would they ask if this man's own sins had caused
him to be born blind? The only way this could happen is
for him to have sinned before his birth! And, in fact, that
is just what they thought he might have done. Notice also
how the disciples thought that his parents might have brought
this upon themselves through past mistakes. Here is a clear
indication that within the inner circle of Jesus' followers
there was the concept that misfortune had a source, and
that that source could extend beyond the present lifetime.
As companions
of God, we are free to live and choose and grow almost as
we desire, but not without being subject to Universal, Spiritual
Law. Through meeting our thoughts, actions and words we
learn to discern wisdom from folly, lasting strength from
weakness and true life from illusion. In turn we become
more able to fulfill our ultimate purpose for existing:
to be a companion to the Universal Creator. The law is actually
a magnificent tool for perfect learning. It is completely
impersonal -- everyone experiences it equally and for the
purpose of enlightenment, even Jesus:
"Though he were a Son,
yet learned he obedience by the things which
he suffered." (Hebrews 5:8)
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The Memory Complex
The
law of karma is not some fierce god in the sky keeping track
of everything so that it can zap people when they least
expect it. Most karmic reactions in fact come from the individual's
own deep memory of what it has done.
You see,
actions and thoughts build a consciousness much in the same
way that exercise and food build a body. In a way, we are
a memory complex. Our body and mind is the subtotal of all
we have done. The memories, whether conscious or unconscious,
make up our present condition. Thus, when we look at one
another we are actually seeing a memory complex. Decisions
are based on our past; reactions are based on our past;
so are our goals. To understand a person, we must know something
about their memory complex.
Not surprisingly,
karma has been described as memory. Karma is memory coming
to consciousness again. What has occurred in the past is
recalled and has an effect on the present. Now, the recollection
may not surface to the conscious level; the personality
may have no awareness of the memory, in fact. Yet, it exists
at the deeper, soul level. Nevertheless, the soul sees through
the same eyes as the personality, and is reminded of its
past use of free-will and consciousness. Naturally, some
of these memories will be compatible with the Universal,
and some will not.
Memory
is an important concept in understanding how the law of
karma works.
As a soul
draws closer to the Universal Mind it becomes aware that
some of its memories are not compatible with the Creator,
and since its ultimate purpose for being is companionship
with the Creator, it seeks out opportunities to resolve
these incompatible memories.
Suppose
a soul criticizes another soul among its peers and behind
its back. As it becomes more aware of its true nature it
will recall this wrong, and because of its incompatibility
with the Creator, will seek to correct it. Now, the resolution
could take many forms. The soul might seek out an opportunity
to work closely with the injured soul as a supporter, assistant,
publicist, agent or the like. Or perhaps it would seek to
re-create the original scene -- putting itself in a position
to criticize the other soul again in front of the same peers.
The test would be to see if the soul would choose not to
criticize this time, even if it meant a certain loss of
position for itself. Throughout all of this the soul grows
wiser and more compatible with the Creator.
If, however,
a soul has gotten so far away from its true nature that
it has no conscience, then the Law can become a formidable
obstacle to any further free-will action. Such a soul becomes
surrounded by its karma; everywhere it turns it meets the
terrible effects of its previous actions and thoughts. Yet,
even a soul who has gotten in this pathetic situation can
return to perfection because there is no total condemnation
from the Creator or the Law. If the soul turns away from
its self-centeredness and begins acting, reacting, thinking
and speaking like a companion to the Universe, then the
Law is just as perfect as it is with error; and the reactions
begin to build and establish a new destiny for that soul.
Karma
is memory. As one recalls or relives situations, one meets
self again, and a new decision point or crossroads is presented
to the soul.
"Before thee are set
good and evil. Choose thou." (Deut. 30:15) |
In our portrait of life, good
would be equated with compatible, harmonious actions and
thoughts which consider the needs and desires of others
along with self's needs and desires. Evil would be equated
with actions and thoughts that are motivated by a self-orientation
that pays little or no attention to the needs and desires
of others and the Whole. Metaphysically speaking, good results
in oneness, and evil results in a sense of separation. Decisions
in one's life could be approached by evaluating which choices
promote greater oneness and which promote separation.
However,
it gets a little difficult to support this idea much further
than that because in most of the secret teachings there
is the belief that one must separate oneself from the world
if one is to awaken to the greater reality beyond this life.
Yet if we look closely at this belief, we find that the
separation is more accurately a detachment than a separation.
One is to strive to release oneself from the possessive
power of the things of this world while still actively participating
in it. In other words, one is to enjoy food and drink without
being possessed by food and drink; one is to enjoy material
life without being possessed by it.
Look at
the Seven Deadly Sins of Western religion. Each of them
(lust, envy, greed, gluttony, etc.) expresses a type of
possessive power that overtakes the partaker. The Seven
Virtues on the other hand, express selflessness on the part
of the recipient: kindness, gentleness, patience, etc. Notice
also that the Sins are mostly self-experienced, but the
Virtues require another person in order for them to be realized.
This follows Jesus' teaching:
"I seek mercy, and
not sacrifice. He who has ears..." |
Sacrifice can be done alone, but
mercy requires that one reach out beyond oneself and consider
others and their needs.
Again,
we come to the inevitable conclusion that sin is self to
the exclusion of others and the Whole, while virtue is oneness
with the Whole and consideration of others. It's important
to note here that the ultimate goal is not the complete
loss of self-identity, rather, as Cayce so aptly phrased
it: to know yourself to be yourself, yet one with the Whole.
Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness
In
one sense it is true that "not one jot or tittle shall be
removed from the Law." One must meet every bit of its karma.
However, there is a way that it can be modified, softened,
even ameliorated. If a soul, knowing another soul has wronged
it, forgives that soul and holds no lingering resentment
-- perhaps has even forgotten the wrong in the depths of
its forgiveness and understanding -- then it begins to take
hold of the power of forgiveness. The more it forgives,
the more it perceives and understands forgiveness. Then,
when it approaches the Universal Consciousness and realizes
it possesses memories that are incompatible with the It,
forgiveness is much more viable, removing the barrier between
Father/Mother and son/daughter. The law is so precise (what
one gives one receives; no exceptions) that if one begins
showing mercy and forgiveness for others, one begins to
receive mercy and forgiveness upon oneself. Now, the law
is very sensitive to the deep, true purpose for which one
does something, and if the purpose for forgiving another
is simply to obtain forgiveness for oneself, then little
is gained. But if one truly forgives, and forgives by understanding,
through empathy and compassion, then there is no way one
can avoid receiving forgiveness upon oneself.
The law
also works in some very curious ways. Somehow one's greatest
weakness possesses the potential to become one's greatest
strength. With each difficult situation, whether physical,
mental or spiritual, there comes an opportunity. These "opportunities"
sometimes appear to be hopeless problems, like a crippling
disease, an uncontrollable habit or a situation in which
one feels totally victimized without cause. More often they
appear as annoyances or frustrations, like an unattractive
nose, a difficult sibling, spouse, colleague, boss, lover
or friend; or an ever present lack of money. In each case,
the soul has an opportunity to resolve and overcome some
weakness in itself, and by doing so with the right attitude,
the soul can rise to new heights of consciousness, love,
and companionship. Attempting to sidestep one's crosses
is simply a temporary diversion, delaying the eventual glorification
that is the soul's inheritance when it is sought.
All has
to be met. And yet, no soul is given more than it can bear
to carry -- this is the paradoxical blessing hidden in the
limitations of time and space. A soul is given the time
it needs to turn away from its selfish ways and, like the
prodigal son, return home to a feast of joy and welcome
from its Father in heaven. Reincarnation is not a way to
avoid judgment and responsibility; it is a way to allow
the soul enough time to correct its mistakes and develop
itself.
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