Edgar Cayce on Meditation
The
following is an excerpt from the late great Cayce scholar
Elsie Sechrist's book
Meditation: Gateway to Light.
More information concerning Cayce's insights into meditation
can be found at the
Cayce research foundation
(A.R.E.).
Prayer is speaking to God and
mediation is listening to God. Mastering the technique of
meditation is not easy. There are three keys necessary to
succeed in meditation. The three keys to this door of communication
with God are sincerity, enthusiasm and perseverance.
As for
sincerity, ask yourself these questions: Do I really know
who and what God is? Do I know him personally as a loving
Father, or do I just know about him? More important, does
he know me? Are we on speaking terms, or do we just nod
occasionally? If we find ourselves answering in the negative
to these questions, we may begin to realize how greatly
we need him. His promise has ever been that if we believe,
live by his laws, he will aid us swiftly when we call, no
matter where we happen to be.
Enthusiasm
is important because it is an inner fire, an inner light
seeking its own source. In Webster's dictionary, the origins
of the Greek word "enthusiasm" meant to be "inspired,
or possessed by a god." In meditation, this inner fire
stimulates every cell of the body and every reflex of the
brain to listen. How do we evoke enthusiasm for our search
for God? By first examining those people who, from the beginning
of time, have found him. The Bible tells of man's experiences
with God. Studying it in conjunction with efforts at meditation
and prayer awakens the necessary enthusiasm to begin.
Perseverance
is perhaps the most difficult key. We need to keep on, day
after day, in the effort to re-establish our communion.
When we first attempt to harness the thoughts, to control
the body, to sit still, we realize just how much the body
controls us, mind and spirit.
The
purification and control of the spiritual body takes place
within the endocrine glands, under the direction of the
mind. The
Cayce readings
and modern science concur that constructive thoughts and
emotions release healing hormones into the body and mind.
But the Cayce readings go further. They suggest that the
endocrine glands are the spiritual centers of the body and
that through them our spiritual forces find means of expression.
Meditation is a key to opening these spiritual centers.
These spiritual centers are: the
sex glands, the Lyden gland, the Adrenal glands, the Thymus,
the Thyroid, the Pineal and the Pituitary glands. The proper
application of the energies illuminates them, transforming
the individual into a light in the world.
Ideals
enter the mind when led by the spirit. The Cayce readings
remind us over and over again that mind is the builder,
led by the spirit we are entertaining, the spirit of God
or the spirit of the devil -
self.
What one thinks and eats, one becomes.
Spiritual
cleansing begins when the mind is in accord with his spirit.
It is across the bridge of the mind that we pass, as we
come to know God. Once a soul sets for itself an ideal which
is spiritual in essence, every cell in the body is made
aware of this and changes begin to take place. Our seven
spiritual centers become the points of contact with the
divine within; thus we experience a stepping-up of activity
in all these centers. We have redirected the use of this
energy to its highest function. A refining process has taken
place in the body, a lifting of the rate of vibration; these
centers now disseminate their energies and hormones to the
entire body.
As the individual sits in meditation,
his mind focused on an
affirmation
(an ideal), spiritual energy begins to move upward from
the sexual glands. Usually, at this point, a pulsation may
be felt at the end of the spine. If the spiritual force
has been able to rise unhindered and undefiled to the pineal
and pituitary, one may experience an incandescence as if
the whole body had been filled with light and become transparent.
It is
at the pineal center that we gradually become oriented to
the Christ-presence, where we may even receive the Mind
of Christ, depending on the degree of the attunement.
This force
then flows into the pituitary, from whence, being now in
purified form, it flows downward, cleansing and strengthening
body and mind.
And
Jesus also said, "He that believes on me, as the Scripture
has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John
7:38) The movement of these spiritual forces in meditation
are the rivers of living water.
The more
we become able to still the conscious mind, the more trouble
we can expect from the subconscious mind, for it is the
conscious mind of the soul. It, too, must be purified. We
have stimulated this area of the mind as a result of the
ideal we have upheld; attitudes and thoughts previously
concealed in the subconscious rise to the surface for examination.
Symbols and old familiar scenes begin to flash before us
like pictures on a screen. However, this is still only the
beginning of meditation. We should not dwell too long on
these pictures but press on to the silence. In other words,
we must return attention to the affirmation.
We may
at this point be fascinated by the many faces appearing,
or numerous pairs of eyes staring. We may even hear our
names called; we may feel as if we were in the midst of
a crowd, listening to chatter and laughter. We must not
stop there, for we are not yet in real meditation. Of course,
it is fascinating at first, for it is an entirely new experience.
The sounds, the voices, the pictures, the eyes and faces
may all belong to souls already in the beyond who, having
seen the light pouring through the open door (the spiritual
center), have been attracted. It is much akin to the sensation
of looking through a strange keyhole, only to see another
eye looking back. Intriguing, perhaps, but neither stands
to gain much from such a restricted encounter.
We must leave this entertainment
behind and "press on to the mark of the high calling,"
his mark, the superconscious mind, the
Christ Consciousness,
the Holy Spirit, the "hill of the Lord."
Spiritual
height is reached by attunement to the Creative Forces in
meditation. The release of energy should never be forced
by such methods as exercise, or holding the breath, or by
focusing one's mind on a special center, or by willing the
center to open. When meditation is properly approached,
these centers will open voluntarily. The knowledge, power
and illumination of the soul which accompany this opening
will then be concentrated on the good of others and not
to one's own misdoing.
The opening
of the centers should come only as a result of spiritual
growth, not through any abnormal means. Unless the power
released is used to express his spirit with and for others,
it will but inflame our lower natures.
The glands
of reproduction are the reservoirs of the life force. They
house the creative energy of the body. As the individual
sits in silence, having lifted his mind by use of the Lord's
Prayer (an excellent affirmation), creative energy is released
at this level. This energy now carries the stamp of the
divine, because both the purpose and the thought which released
it were holy.
The Lyden
gland, control-center of the soul's activity, opens its
doors to this energy, enabling the mind of the soul - the
subconscious mind - to rise to the level of the pineal,
seat of the Christ consciousness. This energy is then transmitted
to the other centers of the body by means of the pituitary.
As it passes through the centers, it illuminates them.
Meditation
brings
an increase in vigor and improved
health. An expansion
of consciousness is achieved, and with this expansion comes
the realization that we are in eternity now. The realization
dawns that indeed there is no death. The only real death
is the separation in consciousness of the soul from God.
When this has been overcome there is no death, for consciousness
is continuous in whatever realm one manifests.
Jesus said, "In my Father's
house are many mansions." (John 14:2) These mansions
of God are afterlife levels of consciousness. Where is consciousness?
Within the bodies we now occupy, wherever we are. "For
you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I
will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people." (2 Corinthians
6:16)
Through meditation,
we may become aware of these afterlife realms of consciousness
as in dreams. Therefore, whether we are on this Earth, or
in another afterlife realm, the "house of the Lord"
is the shell which we occupy. For while God wills that no
soul shall perish, he will not force humankind to seek him.
Meditation
Tips from Edgar Cayce
|
•
Meditation is the attuning of the mental and
physical body to your spiritual source. |
•
Meditation builds a protective barrier around
yourself against harmful forces. |
•
Meditation will help you manifest the fruits
of the Holy Spirit and the white light of the
Christ. |
•
Meditation allows you to obtain information
on any subject and the answer will come from
within. |
•
Meditation is the way to at-one-ment with God. |
•
Constant communication with God through meditation
will result in spiritual guidance. |
•
During meditation, you can increase the spiritual
forces taking place within your inner self. |
•
This is necessary to help you attune and become
one with the Creative Force - just as in the
pitch of a song of praise. |
•
Raise these spiritual forces in yourself and
you will enter the presence of your Maker. |
•
No sacrifice is necessary except your desire
to be one with God. |
•
You will know within yourself when you are in
an at-one-ment with God. |
•
Read about the promises of Jesus in the book
of John, chapters 14-17, to learn about the
spirit of light within you to help unlock your
inner self. |
•
Set definite time periods to listen to the voice
of your Maker. Meditate either at 11:00 am to
noon in the day or 11:00 pm to midnight in the
evening. The best time is 2:00 am to 3:00 am
in the morning. (For at least 30 minutes) |
•
Meditate facing east (for polarity with the
Earth) and in the same place each day. |
•
For some people, the song of the spheres is
necessary for their comfort in meditation and
to rest the senses. |
•
Sit or lie in an easy position, without any
binding garments around your body. |
•
Sit as in readiness. Crucify desires within
yourself. Turn yourself inward. |
•
Quiet yourself mentally. Cleanse the inner room
of your mind. No unkind thoughts are allowed. |
•
Shut out all thoughts pertaining to activities
or attributes of carnal forces. |
•
The hands should always cross the solar plexus,
the balancing between the forces of the body,
when meditating or seeking to open yourself
to the unseen sources. |
•
Never open yourself without surrounding yourself
with the Christ Consciousness by thought, by
word of mouth, by impressing it upon yourself
- also for protection. |
•
Certain types of breathing are suggested, that
there may be an even balance in the respiratory
system, that the circulation becomes normal
in its flow through the body. |
•
With low music or incantations, let yourself
go deeper, to the seeing, feeling, experiencing
the creative forces of love and enter into the
Holy of Holies. |
•
Then listen to the music of your inner spiritual
centers responding. |
•
Enter in the closet of your inner self and pour
out your self so that you may be filled with
the Spirit of God. |
•
Find what is the impelling desire (i.e., your
ideal) in your inner self - council with your
soul. |
•
Make your will to be one with the whole. |
•
In your temple, let the voice, the feeling,
the spirit of your purpose be free in its direction
to yourself. |
•
Meditate on the fruits of the Spirit in the
inner secrets of the consciousness and the cells
in the body will become aware of the awakening
of the life in their activity. |
•
Only in patience can you become aware of your
soul's activity. |
•
Attune yourself almost in the same manner as
you would tune a violin for harmony. |
•
Seek God's face and God's ways. When you are
fully attuned, let your intonations, breathing,
and posture be rather an outgrowth of your attunement. |
•
As the body attunes itself, it may be a channel
where there may be instant healing with the
laying on of hands. |
•
Voices can be heard when attuning yourself during
meditation. |
•
Visualizing while attuned in meditation can
influence others. |
•
Many people meet their spirit guide during their
first experience of meditation. Do not be satisfied
with a guide other than one from the Throne
of Grace itself. |
•
After raising your consciousness, God meets
you in your own temple (the Holy of Holies,
the third eye). |
•
No one can know attunement who has not developed
their inner self. |
•
If we fail to apply what is given us in meditation,
the body will act! |
|
|