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Edgar Cayce's Near-Death
Experiences
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Edgar
Cayce had more near-death experiences than anyone ever documented.
Using hypnosis to induce a near-death experience, Cayce
made over 14,000 journeys into the spirit realm and was
able to access virtually unlimited information by visiting
the so-called
Hall of Records described by a large number of near-death
experiences. Cayce revealed that his subconscious mind (which
he identified as the "soul") would leave his body
and explore the dimension where all subconscious minds are
connected - a dimension similar in description to
Carl Jung's Collective Unconsciousness. It is the realm
of thought, imagination, dreams, after-death, and near-death
states where all things are possible. Edgar Cayce
described in four separate instances his out-of-body
journeys. This article will list them.
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1.
Edgar
Cayce's Afterlife Journeys
(A Verbatim Account) |
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The
following is the only
waking description of
his journey in the trance
state, taken verbatim
from comments he made
at a public lecture.
Within his descriptions I have
tagged corresponding elements to
the NDE:
"I see
myself as a tiny dot out of my physical body, which lies inert before me."
[out-of-body] [orbs]
"I find myself oppressed by darkness and there is a feeling of terrific
loneliness." [the void]
"Suddenly, I am conscious of a white beam of light, knowing
that I must follow it or be lost." [the light]
"As I move
along this path of light I gradually become conscious of various levels
upon which there is movement." [the tunnel]
[various afterlife realms]
"Upon the first levels there are vague,
horrible shapes, grotesque forms such as one sees in nightmares." [hell
realm]
"Passing
on, there begins to appear on either side misshapen forms of human beings
with some part of the body magnified." [another
hell realm]
"Again there is change and I become
conscious of gray-hooded forms moving downward. Gradually, these become
lighter in color." [heavenly realm] [guides]
"Then the
direction changes and these forms move upward and the color of the robes
grows rapidly lighter." [higher heavenly
realms]
"Next, there begins to appear on either side vague
outlines of houses, walls, trees, etc., but everything is motionless." [I
believe this realm is the physical realm which would appear
outside of time.]
"As I
pass on, there is more light and movement in what appear to be normal
cities and towns. With the growth of movement I become conscious of
sounds, at first indistinct rumblings, then music, laughter, and singing
of birds. There is more and more light, the colors become very beautiful,
and there is the sound of wonderful music. The houses are left behind;
ahead there is only a blending of sound and color." [cities
of light] [heavenly music]
"Quite suddenly I come
upon a Hall of Records. It is a hall without walls, without ceiling, but I
am conscious of seeing an old man who hands me a large book, a record of
the individual for whom I seek information." [a good
description of the
Temple of Knowledge
that people refer to in other NDEs]
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According
to Cayce scholar
Henry Reed's outstanding
book entitled
Edgar Cayce on Channeling Your
Higher Self which describes
Cayce's afterlife journeys,
Cayce said he would feel himself
to be like a bubble traveling
through water to arrive at the
place where he always got the
information - the Hall of Records
in heaven.
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Cayce
scholar
Henry Reed states
that Cayce "went
up and up through a
very large column, passing
by all the horrible
things without coming
in contact personally
with them, and came
out where there was
the house of records.
Cayce stated that as
he ascended the column,
there would be beings
on either side of him
calling out to him for
help or trying to get
his attention. Cayce
knew that any deviation
from the column and
the beam of light would
mean he would not be
able to return to his
body. It, the column,
wound around on a wheel
like the
Rotarians have."
[see the graphic on
the right]
Cayce mentioned that
he felt very secure
traveling this way.
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While
preparing to undergo one of his otherworldly
journeys, Edgar Cayce had lost consciousness
and had a dream. Usually, he would travel
through a tunnel toward the light. But in
this instance, he met the so-called "Angel
of Death" and learned about the
silver cord.
The following is his experience described
in his own words:
"As I went
out, I realized that I had contacted Death,
as a personality, as an individual or as
a being. Realizing this, I remarked to Death:
You are not as ordinarily
pictured - with a black mask or hood, or
as a skeleton, or like Father Time with
the sickle. Instead, you are fair, rose-cheeked,
robust - and you have a pair of shears or
scissors."
In fact, I had to
look twice at the feet or limbs, or even
at the body to see it take shape. He replied:
"Yes, Death
is not what many seem to think. It's not
the horrible thing which is often pictured.
Just a change - just a visit. The shears
or scissors are indeed the implements most
representative of life and death to man.
These indeed unite by dividing - and divide
by uniting.
"The cord does
not, as usually thought, extend from the
center - but is broken from the head, the
forehead - that soft portion we see pulsate
in the infant. Hence we see old people,
unbeknowing to themselves, gain strength
from youth by kissing there; and youth gains
wisdom by such kisses.
"Indeed the
vibrations may be raised to such an extent
as to rekindle or reconnect the cord, even
as the Master did with the son of the widow
of Nain. For he did not take him by the
hand (which was bound to the body as was
the custom of the day), but rather stroked
him on the head - and the body took life
of Life itself!
So, you see, the
silver cord may be broken - but the vibration
..."
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Edgar
Cayce did not experience clinical or brain death,
but he was able to control his mind to travel consciously
through the identical process of the near-death
state. This can be done by anyone, according to
Cayce, if the proper attunement is made. Cayce also
mentions that this is done by everyone when they
fall asleep and enter the realm of dreams, only
it is done subconsciously not consciously. The same
is true for death.
Cayce's experience reveals
more aspects about the nature of the tunnel so often
described in near-death experiences and more about
the structure of the afterlife. One of the afterlife
levels that Cayce observed while in the tunnel appears
to be like our own except it is motionless. In my
opinion, this motionless afterlife level is our
physical universe. While Cayce journeys through
the tunnel and the eternal now, time on Earth stands
still. This principle can even be found in
Einstein's Special Theory
of Relativity.
The afterlife level that
Cayce saw where human beings appear with some body
part magnified has been described in the
Tibetan Book of the Dead
and other religious traditions as being hell. It
is a place where a particular desire has been overemphasized
while in physical life. The level where hooded monk-like
beings appear has also been described by many other
near-death experiencers such as
Dr. George Ritchie
and
Betty Eadie.
Cayce was able to describe very accurately some
of the various levels of the afterlife that appear
in near-death accounts.
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Recommended
Edgar Cayce
Books
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Universe of Worlds
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by Robert J. Grant
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The author presents a detailed
picture of the relationship
between the seen and unseen
worlds, based upon NDEs
and the Cayce material.
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No Death:
God's Other Door |
by Hugh Lynn Cayce
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Edgar Cayce indicated that
life and death is one continuous
experience and that death
is just stepping through
God's Other Door.
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Life and Death: The Pilgrimage
of the Soul
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by Harvey A. Green
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The author uses material
from Edgar Cayce, Emanuel
Swedenborg, and others,
to describe the soul's pilgrimage
through death to the higher
realms of existence.
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Death Does Not Part Us
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by Elsie R. Sechrist
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As a close personal friend
of Cayce who spent four
decades studying and lecturing
on the Cayce material, the
author provides a detailed
excursion into the afterlife
and how the departed make
contact with the living
through dreams, visions,
and waking experiences.
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Edgar Cayce on the Akashic
Records
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by Kevin J. Todeschi
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This book is about the "Akashic
Records," the source
from which Edgar Cayce received
many of his remarkable insights.
Also known as the "Book
of Life," the Akashic
Records is the storehouse
of all information -- every
word, deed, feeling, thought,
and intent -- for every
individual who has ever
lived upon the Earth.
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In a Waking State: Edgar
Cayce Lectures
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by Richard Peterson
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Cayce revealed a wealth
of information from his
higher consciousness but
he also lectured on many
subjects while conscious.
This book is a collection
of some of those lectures
on topics such as "The
First Ten Minutes after
Death," "What
is the Soul?," and "Man's
Relationship to God."
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Journey of Souls
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by Michael Newton
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This best-selling classic
summarizes the author's
research and work with individuals
whom he placed in a state
of deep hypnosis during
which they recalled their
experiences between lives
as eternal spirits.
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