Most of us have a tendency to get into a “thinking meditation,” and feel that our minds see more clearly–and to a degree they do. But the greater result is achieved by clearing our minds. Cayce said: “remove the earthly portions and the personality” and attuning or connecting our deeper soul-self to the Infinite, Universal Mind of God. Then, Cayce guided us to avoid the tendency to tell God how best to do this, but rather become completely receptive to the Mind of God, allowing the guidance to come in what Elijah called “the still, small voice.” (1Kings 19:12)

Decisions are best made after we have consciously connected with the Universal Consciousness and the Creative Forces (as Cayce termed them) or God through meditation. Then, once connected, allow God to guide. As Jesus taught us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)

Now it is possible, even likely, that God’s guidance will come to us later, after meditative attunement, during sleep, when it is even easier than meditation for the Infinite to commune with the finite—as Elihu said in the Book of Job: “For God speaks once, yes twice, yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumbering upon the bed; then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction.” (Job 33:14-16)

Another factor in decision-making is the need for cooperation between the inner self and the outer self. I’ve often shown this in my Egyptian slides where the ruler of Upper Egypt or the Upper Self and the ruler of Lower Egypt or the Lower Self unite in a cooperative manner to rule the whole of the nation—symbolizing the cooperation between these two portions of our being, and likely a carryover from Cayce’s incarnation as the Egyptian High Priest Ra-Ta.

Here’s how the readings teach this: First we sit down with our outer self and our intellect and rational mind; we write down the issue at hand and all the options that we see available to us, then we identify the one that appears to be the best option. After we’ve done this outer work, we then take this option into our inner self through meditation or reflection and “feel” our inner self’s comfort or discomfort with this option. The readings then say that if discomfort is the feeling then you need to rethink your decision or consider more options. This method is closely associated with Cayce’s many teachings about setting an IDEAL against which you can measure all your options, selecting the one that best harmonizes with or supports your ideal.

Another aspect of decision-making in the Cayce readings was given to Edwin Blumenthal (number 137 in the Readings) when he asked Cayce how he could put his finances in order so that he could devote his life to psychic development (137-7). The answer indicated that the greater development comes from using one’s intuition and psychic abilities to solve one’s financial or any material needs. In this way we merge the outer self and its needs with the inner self and its higher abilities to perceive from a truer level of consciousness. In reading 1602-3 Cayce actually predicts that in this coming New Age we will have better and clearer awareness of and use of our interconnectedness with the Universal Consciousness and the Creative Forces, even the forces of Nature, such as the weather. Image being consciously in sync with the forces of the Cosmos and this planet—how different would our lives would be.

These concepts have been most helpful to me in my life. Sometimes I received a direct and clear answer while in meditation—and it was like a “knowing” that just came to me out of the blue! But as soon as I got it, I knew it was right. At other times I received nothing in the meditation but later the guidance came in a dream or a series of dreams. And sometimes, days went by until I felt that “knowing,” and knew the best decision. All of this is a part of our journey through soul growth and expanding our consciousness. It’s a marvelous journey that ultimate leads to enlightenment and that peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

John Van Auken is an internationally renowned speaker, longtime staff member, and a current director at A.R.E. A popular leader of A.R.E.'s life-changing tours to Egypt and other sacred sites, he is also the author of several best-selling books including 2038: The Great Pyramid Timeline Prophecy, Toward a Deeper Meditation, Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah and the presenter in several best-selling DVDs, including Edgar Cayce's Tour of Egypt, Meditation Techniques to Boost Soul Growth, and Prophecy & Reincarnation DVD Set. In addition he is a regular contributor to Venture Inward magazine. With his extensive knowledge of the Cayce readings, the Bible, world religions, Gnosticism, and ancient Egyptian mysticism combined with years of experience as a teacher and meditation retreat leader, he is a regular presenter at A.R.E. Conferences.

In his trance state when Edgar Cayce was asked when the Great Pyramid of Egypt was built, he stated that its construction was from 10,490 to 10,390 BCE (reading 5748-6). I have written earlier about the stars in the sky during this ancient time frame (see blog article “The Stars Above, the Great Pyramid Below: 10,400 BCE, 12/16/11), but there is more… much more. The previous article had noted that the stellar asterism that we today call “the summer triangle” were circumpolar stars at this ancient time. This pyramid of stars could have been their north guide. The ancient Egyptians saw these as the “imperishable” stars, the stars that never set as they never fell below the horizon. According to Egyptian mythology, this is the place in the sky where the Ba (the personality) and the Ka (the life force) soul parts would, once united, go to dwell as immortal brilliant spirits called akhus or khus.

This time period around 10,500 BCE has drawn the attention of such researchers and writers as Adrian Gilbert, Robert Bauval, and Graham Hancock, all of whom have written about aspects of this celestial landscape and how it fits this olden time period. Their research suggests an alignment of the pyramids of the Giza plateau with the constellation Orion/Osiris. It also indicates that during this time the constellation Leo rose due east out of the horizon to meet and greet its counterpart on earth in the sphinx, which faces due east. Dr. Robert Schoch, a geologist and a geophysicist, has examined the Sphinx and writes that the Sphinx and its surrounding area date to at least 5,000 to 7,000 BCE, if not earlier. This is at least 2,500 years earlier than the date given to it by Egyptologists. Dr. Schoch has also written about evidence that an advanced lost civilization from this 10,500 BCE time period may have been destroyed, possibly from solar cataclysmic events.

I have discovered even more evidence that makes the celestial sphere at this 10,500 BCE period even more ideal and unique for the construction of the Great Pyramid and a Golden Age of ancient Egypt called Zep Tepi (the First Time).

The northern triangle of stars has already been noted, but they were not the only significant triangle of stars of that time framing the pyramid. In the far south of the sky was what we call today the Winter Triangle or Great Southern Triangle, another asterism of stars. This triangle consisted of Betelguese (Orion’s shoulder), Procyon, and Siruis. So, at this 10,500 BCE era, there was a far northern triangle and a far southern triangle of stars in the sky that are linked together by the Milky Way, which runs through both. These two triangles of stars were not only connected by the Milky Way, they mirrored each other in the ratios of degrees between the stars in each triangle. It was a ratio of 1-2-3, for both!

In simplest terms this means if you put a stick in the ground and sighted along it either due north or due south, then marked the spot on the stick that each of these two stellar triangles individual stars contacted the stick as they rotated past it, the ratio between these marks would be 1-2-3. These events and alignments only happen during this era.

Cybersky5 star map 10,440 BCE showing North and South triangles and Leo crossing from the East
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For the Egyptians this would have had significance in multiple ways. Pyramids are considered to be symbolic mountains, places where heaven and earth could come together. The Egyptian hieroglyph for mountain is “Djew,” which also represented the two cosmic peaks that supported the sky and were guarded by lion deities. The Djew hieroglyph was closely associated to the hieroglyph “Akhet,” meaning the “horizon.” Here the sun disk was put between the two cosmic peaks and during its east-to-west journey was also guarded by these lion deities. These hieroglyphs certainly seem to be describing the events in the sky. At this distinctive time, there is the constellation of Leo rising due east and traveling west across the sky, as does the sun, and during this same period you have cosmic triangle mountains, north and south, acting as pillars for the sky, connected by the Milky Way. Just as it is described by the hieroglyphs.

Djew (Mountain		Akhet (horizon)

These connected triangles are also an excellent representation of the pre-dynastic Egyptian serpent god, Nehebkau, who was sometimes represented as a snake with a head at each end. He linked together the kas and the bas, mentioned earlier, of the Egyptian soul. Nehebkau gave the people their true names and fed them with the milk of light, which was perhaps representative of the Milky Way. There is even more occurring in the sky that completes this cosmic tableau. It involves the zenith of the sky, the zenith being the point directly over one’s head or over an object on earth such as the Great Pyramid. The line that can be drawn from the Great Pyramid into the heavens is a third axis to join the north and south axis of the stellar triangles and the east-west axis of the constellation Leo’s journey.

During this ancient period, the galactic center, the thick bulge of the Milky Way, would have been directly overhead. By the zenith and next to this would be the starry asterism called the “Fish Hook,” the tail of the Scorpio constellation. This “fish hook” looks just like the Egyptian “Heqa” staff or shepherds crook of the pharaohs. This staff is also symbolic of the Kundalini forces. This shape is also the same shape of the Hebrew letter “lamed,” the 12th letter of the Hebrew alphabet; considered the center of the alphabet, it is the tallest letter, sometimes called “the heart of knowledge.” Lamed literally translates as ox goad, like a shepherds staff, and is drawn the same way. It later was drawn looking more like an upright cobra, which is fitting as well in its symbolism. Lamed, as a numerical value, is translated as the number thirty.

Lamedh
Phoenican	Hebrew	Aramaic	Syriac	Arabic

Source: Wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamedh

Egyptian "Heqa" staff Source: Wikipedia.org
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Cybersky5 star map showing sky zenith, galactic center, and "starry fish hook"
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Further pursuing this zenith hook linked to the letter Lamed yields astounding results. The fact that the letter lamed also represents the number 30 directly above the Great Pyramid is very significant itself. Researchers have shown that the dimensions incorporated into the Great Pyramid represent 30 seconds of equatorial latitude and 30 seconds of longitude. Further the Great Pyramid is considered by many to be in the center of the land masses and is located at N 30 degree latitude and East 30 degrees longitude (actually 31 degrees E).

If you determine the height and width of the Great Pyramid by the unit of measure the Cayce readings state was used in its construction, that of 27.5 inch cubit, your result is 210 cubits for its height and 330 cubits for in width. The ratio of its height over its width gives you a result of 7/11. Keeping in mind the importance of the number 30 discussed here, the height equals 7 x 30 (210) and the width equals 11 x 30 (330).

What is created here is an amazing three-dimensional axis; north to south, east to west and up and down. This is an axis mundi depicting center of the earth and galaxy, in this case also a center of knowledge, where heaven and Earth meet.

Axis mundi

I think in an absolutely stunning design, the dates of construction given in the Cayce readings for the Great Pyramid have given us a time when the sky represents it and a philosophy towards perfection ideally. This is truly a celestial blueprint.

Donald B. Carroll spent his career working in Fire & Rescue, as a district chief, academy instructor, and paramedic. During those 30 years, he raised a family and pursued the meaning of life through extended study into the Cayce readings and other spiritual, scientific, and philosophical materials. Today, he is a regular speaker and writer of metaphysical topics from Cayce to the Kundalini. He spent 10 years researching and writing his latest book, Sacred Geometry and Spiritual Symbolism: The Blueprint for Creationwhich unifies spirit and science through geometry and symbolism (available for pre-order at ARECatalog.com). He is also an international tour leader for the nonprofit Association for Research and Enlightenment, visiting sites of a spiritual nature across the globe.

The Life-Changing Impact of the Cayce Work

By Denise E. Farris

The Edgar Cayce readings have been life changing to me for many years, and the A.R.E. conferences and A Search for God study group equally life changing. One of my favorite Cayce readings talked about our “soul's purpose,” suggesting that instead of changing the world by yourself overnight, it might be just as simple as brightening the corner of one person you meet, every day. I remember my smile and sense of relief at seeing a task so achievable, yet collectively with such a powerful impact! Which leads me to the present ...

I recently attended the “Mindfulness” seminar at A.R.E. headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va. It was a great conference! The concepts were so powerful that I made an entire set of outline notes from each presenter to remind myself of those key concepts going forward. Many people attending the conference asked the question: “What if my current career is not in line with my soul's purpose? Should I quit?” Your leaders replied: “What do YOU think?” They explained each person must answer that question privately. I thought back to my own experience and realized that over a 30 year period, the A.R.E. studies gradually, but totally, reshaped my external life to balance with my spiritual ideal. I didn't even recognize this until the conference!

In 1996, I left a large law firm to start my own law practice. Although I hated litigation, nearly 95% of my practice consisted of it. I suffered a lot of stress-induced illnesses in those early years! During ebbs and flows over 17 years, my private practice slowly morphed from a full litigation docket into a practice that is small, varied, mediation-driven, flexible, and profitable. I start each day with meditation and am also able to do short meditations throughout the day when needed. I am able to take Wednesdays off and devote that day to balancing, meditation, and massage. Interestingly, my billable hours and revenues did not slip even though you would expect them to. I'm also able to provide pro bono (donated legal services) to various 501 (c)3 charities, many of which are either equine therapy or developmental riding therapy programs, or rehabilitation homes for mentally or physically disabled adults, or young adults just released from foster care. Nearly 90% of my litigation cases settle early and without trial. In many instances, the respective parties go on to do business with each other again. In early March, I will complete my American Arbitration Association training as an AAA mediator/arbitrator and look forward to focusing more and more on that side of my practice. I continue to work with small business and minority and women business owners on local, state, and national economic development programs and legislative advocacy training. In other words, without my even realizing it, my “dread” job turned into my “dream job”! It was so incremental that I (apparently!) didn't even realize it was happening until the A.R.E. conference on Mindfulness. Thank you, A.R.E., for the conference and its “mindfulness” reminder to recognize and appreciate that what we pray for, we may have received without even realizing it!

The conference also generated some amazing synchronicity during and immediately following the conference. Another conference attendee, learning I did a lot of legislative training work, told me about a book written by Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio called A Mindful Nation. I immediately purchased and read it on my return to Kansas City. The book's concepts, employing many of the Jon Kabat Zinn concepts taught at the conference, was just the source I was seeking for my desire to incrementally change the political dialogue. Two days after my return, I had to fly to meet with one of my expert witnesses, a commercial construction engineer that specializes in analyzing multi-million dollar commercial development claims. At dinner, I told him about recently completing the Mindfulness seminar in Virginia Beach and how impressed I was with the many concepts discussed. Imagine my surprise when he said he was studying materials by Lama Surya Das on the same issue. Hhe couldn't believe I had just attended a conference with the Lama and was able to meet and talk to him in person!

My spiritual intention for 2013 is “deliberateness.” I can't wait to see where and what is delivered each day moving forward. I feel very blessed to have attended the conference, visited the headquarters after so many years, experienced a Cayce/Reilly® massage for the first time, and then been blessed by these multiple “what a coincidence” instances after the conference. I am so grateful to the A.R.E. organization and staff for continuing this important work.

When I think it has taken me nearly 30 years to write this letter to you, I imagine how many other nameless, quiet people have been touched by the lessons and by your work! Please remember how much good work goes on quietly to persons beyond your immediate knowledge. Keep it up, and “Thank you!”

Denise E. Farris, Esq.

Denise is the Managing Member of the Farris Law Firm, L.L.C. in Kansas City, Mo., practicing general business, commercial construction and equine law. The Firm enjoys Martindale Hubbell's highest “AV” rank for expertise and ethics, and Denise is listed among the national Preeminent Women Lawyers, the KC Business Journal's “Best of the Bar,” and Missouri/Kansas “SuperLawyers.” Her practice emphasizes small business training, risk management, government contracting, and small and minority / women business economic development issues at the local, state and national levels. Denise is a frequent author and lecturer on the constitutional parameters of government affirmative action programs as well as unique government contracting vehicles. She has worked with the governments of Kansas City, Mo.; Unified Government Wyandotte County, States of Missouri and Kansas on each of their M/W/DBE programs over the past twenty years. In 2013, Denise launched “Perspectives Dispute Resolution, LLC,” a mediation and arbitration service utilizing the formal training and practice guidelines of the American Arbitration Association.

I first learned of Edgar Cayce over 50 years ago. I’ve been hooked ever since. My late father had started reading out loud from There Is a River. This was better than television.

Half a century later, and after two successful careers, I finally figured out what I wanted to be when I “grow up.” Edgar Cayce had given me a fascination for Atlantis. His readings had stirred lost memories. When finally I had started my third career as a writer, I chose to write about those memories.

Researching everything I could about human prehistory, I attempted to build the best possible back story for my novel. I reread Genesis and Edgar Cayce’s readings and studied anthropology and geology. And I made several startling discoveries.

Not only did I find scientific evidence that proved an Atlantis-like destruction event had occurred right when Plato said the island empire had subsided, I also uncovered geological evidence that tells us how Atlantis was likely created and inevitably destroyed.

Athanasius Kircher's map of Atlantis, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. From Mundus Subterraneus 1669, published in Amsterdam. Source wikipedia.org

In my thousands of pages of notes, I found dates given in Cayce’s readings for two biblical events. Earlier, I had dismissed the dates as unimportant to my story. Both stood far beyond the era of my novel. One date—28,000 BC—told of Noah’s Flood and the Second Upheaval of Atlantis.

The prior date—10.5 million BC—talked of an early meeting of man. Was it humanity’s arrival on earth? Was this the time of Adam?

I should have known better not to be so dismissive, but everything I had learned in anthropology screamed “impossible.” This date placed humanity in the middle of the Miocene Epoch, when giants roamed the earth that would’ve made full-grown elephants look like miniature puppies!

Later, curiosity got the best of me, and I dedicated several days to the puzzle. If these dates were true, then the Bible might have some way of confirming them. I started by reading the Bible’s first few books. I had already found a knack for discerning patterns in data that had helped me confirm the possibility of Atlantis. Now, those same skills came alive as the details of the early Bible bristled with new energy. Something was here. I could feel it.

James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He published a chronology set the time for creation as night before Sunday, 23 October 4004 B.C. Source wikipedia.org

Numbers 14:34 suggested a multiplication factor. But what should I use? The early patriarchs already seemed impossibly old. How could their ages be far longer? And yet, science had already shown humanity to have been around at least 200,000 years. The old Archbishop Ussher timeline only went back to 4004 BC. Something wasn’t right.

Then, I spotted Genesis 5:2. Alarms went off. It talked of Adam as “them,” “male” and “female.” Could the names of Genesis 5 (from Adam and Seth all the way up to Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah) be both individuals and eponymous tribes? Suddenly, any shyness about giving them far longer ages vanished.

I found my factors, and they worked far better than I had anticipated. Any student of the Bible should immediately recognize the numbers “40,” “7” and “77.” Why these are the right numbers and how they are used take up several chapters of my current book. The calculated date for the Flood turned out to be 27,970 BC, while the creation of Adam came in at 10,434,130 BC. Both dates were a veritable bulls-eye—each within 1% of Cayce’s rounded approximations.

Rod Martin, Jr. has been a divinity student, a Hollywood artist with screen credit, and a software engineer with a bachelors degree, summa cum laude. He has co-authored, as Carl Martin, one novel with John Dalmas, Touch the Stars: Emergence (Tor Books), and has won first-place honors for his essay, “Outsiderness in the Scientific Community” (Krupnick Award) and his short story, “Toady” (Dutton Books Award). His Edge of Remembrance, a novel inspired by Cayce’s work, was self-published (Tharsis Highlands). Mr. Martin now lives in the Philippines as a writer and is currently working on a non-fiction book, also inspired by Cayce’s readings, The Bible’s Hidden Wisdom, God’s Reason for Noah’s Flood, which is the subject of a crowd funding campaign at IndieGoGo.Com. You can find out more about his art, software, websites and writing at TharsisHighlands.com.

Edgar Cayce was once asked whether it was possible to obtain information from the same Source that was available to him. His answer was simple and direct: “On any subject whether you are digging for worms or playing a concerto!” (1861-12)

It worked for me, in an unexpected way.

Once I had worked for months writing a story I knew was exceptional. Well researched, this story about the “Eye Bank” was prepared out of a spirit of service, but the publishers didn’t see the value I knew was present. After a number of rejection slips, I finally tucked the story in my vertical file and “forgot” about it.

Off and on, I thought about the story. The quality of research, writing, and presentation was excellent. Why wouldn’t it sell? Sixteen months later, I awoke one morning with instructions which came to me in a hypnogogic state (the twilight time between sleep and wakefulness): “Send the story to Guideposts.”

The message didn’t make any sense. I had already sent the story to Guideposts several months earlier, and Guideposts had turned it down. Still, the message was so strong that I decided to send the story anyway, hoping the editor who had rejected it before would not blister me in a return letter.

Once the decision was made to send the story, I dismissed my concern. Many times before, I had received instructions in the hypnogogic state, and no matter how illogical they were, these instructions usually had some positive benefit.

Several weeks later the article was returned, but this time with the manuscript there was an accompanying letter. A new editor’s signature was at the bottom of the page. The letter related how much he liked the story, complimenting me on the writing and research. Then, he dropped his bomb: “It just wasn’t right for Guideposts.” My heart sank. Another rejection. But, in the last paragraph he went on to say that this story appeared to him to be well suited to a magazine published by the AMA entitled Today’s Health. The story was so exceptional, he continued, that he would strongly recommend that I send it to the editor immediately.

To have an editor of one publication suggest another by name is highly unusual. The information about this magazine was new to me. I sent the story to Today’s Health and immediately by return mail, I received an acceptance. I would never have thought of Today’s Health without some outside help.

My hope was that the story would be of service and as a result of the story’s appearance several people might become organ donors for their eyes to be used by others after their deaths.

I found that Edgar Cayce’s statement was true: It was possible to obtain needed information “On any subject whether you are digging for worms or playing a concerto!” (1861-12)

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inwardmagazine, available exclusively to Members by mail or online at EdgarCayce.org/members.

Many of us today are engaging in a tremendous amount of spiritual work on ourselves. We're meditating, praying, and attending workshops, seminars, and retreats. And yet the vast majority of us are making the same mistake. We tend to put far too much significance on the need to work out our personal psychological issues as part of our spiritual path.

It's important to recognize that this isn't our fault. This tendency grew out of our psychotherapeutic culture, which basically told us that we were all messed up by our childhood and that we have "inner wounds" that need to be healed in order to become happy and fulfilled as adults. And, as the great enlightenment teachings have been imported to the West, this psychotherapeutic worldview has gradually become superimposed onto the spiritual path.

The way this plays out practically is as follows: Let's say that I take up a spiritual practice in earnest, and I notice in the course of that practice that I'm deeply defended against life and intimacy. I won't let other people see me. I always wear a social mask that actually hides a lot of insecurity. Well, upon discovering this, as a psychologically informed modern person, my tendency is going to be to withdraw inward, to go back to my past, to start plumbing the depths of my psyche to try to find and uproot the personal causes of this fear and insecurity and tendency to hide myself from life.

But in an authentic spiritual context, we would point out that this "personal problem" you've discovered is in fact simply one of the basic, ordinary manifestations of ego. And, rather than sending you on an endless and pointless archaeological dig into your psyche, we'd simply encourage you to face directly into the Truth of what you were seeing, to see the psychological tendency clearly, and the motivations that are driving it in the present. Most importantly, we'd encourage you to make direct effort in the opposite direction of your habitual response. So, in this example, when you see yourself preparing to put on a good face, we would encourage you to instead take the frightening leap to be transparent and vulnerable.

Upon reading this, many psychologically informed experts will protest, asserting that, if it were that easy to change, everyone would have already changed and there would be no need for . . . well, no need for psychotherapy . . . And this is a perfectly reasonable response from someone who has had no experience engaging in the kind of spiritual practice I'm describing.

But what happens when we let go of this compulsion to work out our problems, and instead begin to directly engage in a path of active transformation like the one I encourage, is that we find suddenly that we have access to a part of our self that is already free from our ego's limitations and issues. It's a part of our self that was never wounded or traumatized, that doesn't need to be healed, that is already whole and complete, and has access to boundless energy, creativity, and positivity, and is completely ready to participate in life fully, boldly, passionately, holding nothing back. And, in this, we feel instantly connected to the heart of the spiritual thrust behind the cosmos.

Miraculously, what we find in doing this work is that when people awaken to and begin to act from this deeper, truer part of the self, then all of the psychological issues, blocks, wounds, complexes, and neuroses that would have taken years to work through suddenly seem to dissolve. Now, the truth is that they haven't dissolved. They can still be reactivated if we step back into the perspective of the ego. But in light of this newfound, higher potential, and the profound sense of purpose and meaning that comes with it, we discover a powerful reason to no longer fall prey to our "issues." Simply put, they are no longer interesting to us, and in that, they lose their power over our psyche. And that seems to make all the difference in the world. In this, we begin to discover the real meaning of freedom from the ego. And we learn that this freedom is not something we have to wait for. It can happen now if we're willing to give our heart and soul to it.

Reprinted by Permission from IntegralEnlightenment.com.

Craig Hamilton is the founder of Integral Enlightenment and a member of Deepak Chopra’s Evolutionary Leaders Forum, is a pioneer in the emerging field of evolutionary spirituality. He integrates decades of intensive spiritual practice with insights gleaned during his eight years as senior editor of What Is Enlightenment? magazine and 13 years with the EnlightenNext spiritual community. In his current work, he is helping to articulate an authentic evolutionary spirituality—an “integral enlightenment” which illuminates the vital relationship between individual transformation and collective evolution. He is featured at the upcoming A.R.E. headquarters conference Your Evolving Spirit: The Roadmap to Spiritual Evolution and Integral Enlightenment from May 31 to June 2 in Virginia Beach.

This Psychic Reading, 2533-8, given by Edgar Cayce at the office of the Association, Arctic Crescent, Virginia Beach, Va., this 3rd day of May, 1944 from 11:05 to 11:40 a. m. eastern. Present: Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. Mr. [2533] and Jeanette Fitch.


…There is no mystery to the transmutation of the body of the Christ. For having attained in the physical consciousness the at-onement with the Father-Mother-God, the completeness was such that with the disintegration of the body―as indicated in the manner in which the shroud, the robe, the napkin lay―there was then the taking of the body-physical form. This was the manner. It was not a transmutation, as of changing from one to another.

1. Just as indicated in the manner in which the body-physical entered the Upper Room with the doors closed, not by being a part of the wood through which the body passed but by forming from the ether waves that were within the room, because of a meeting prepared by faith. For as had been given, “Tarry ye in Jerusalem―in the upper chamber―until ye be endued with power from on high.”

As indicated in the spoken word to Mary in the garden, “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” The body (flesh) that formed that seen by the normal or carnal eye of Mary was such that it could not be handled until there had been the conscious union with the sources of all power, of all force.

But afterward―when there had been the first, second, third, fourth and even the sixth meeting―He then said: “Put forth thy hand and touch the nail prints in my hands, in my feet. Thrust thy hand into my side and believe.” This indicated the transformation.

For as indicated when the soul departs from a body (this is not being spoken of the Christ, you see), it has all of the form of the body from which it has passed―yet it is not visible to the carnal mind unless that mind has been, and is, attuned to the infinite. Then it appears, in the infinite, as that which may be handled, with all the attributes of the physical being; with the appetites, until these have been accorded to a unit of activity with universal consciousness.

Just as it was with the Christ-body: “Children, have ye anything here to eat?” This indicated to the disciples and the Apostles present that this was not transmutation but a regeneration, recreation of the atoms and cells of body that might, through desire, masticate material things―fish and honey (in the honeycomb) were given.

As also indicated later, when He stood by the sea and the disciples and Apostles who saw Him from the distance could not, in the early morning light, discern―but when He spoke, the voice made the impression upon the mind of the beloved disciple such that he spoke, “It is the Lord!” The body had prepared fire upon the earth―fire, water, the elements that make for creation. For as the spirit is the beginning, water combined of elements is the mother of creation.

Not transmutation of flesh but creation, in the pattern indicated. 

Just as when there are those various realms about the solar system in which each entity may find itself when absent from the body, it takes on in those other realms not an earthly form but a pattern―conforming to the same dimensional elements of that individual planet or space.


Wishing you peace and blessings this Easter season. 

Q. Can healing be instantaneous or is it always progressive?
A. The natural bent is progressive, but this does not indicate it may not be instantaneous.
Edgar Cayce reading (443-6)

We all hold, whether tapped or untapped, the healing and manifesting potential of the mind, body and spirit. It took one experience for me to validate the depth and power of this potential in myself.

I had met up with my friends for our weekly mountain bike ride, which involved leaning into curves, riding over obstacles, and jumping piles of logs.

We reached a familiar teeter-totter, one we had mastered many times, riding up one side and down the other. Then we stopped and contemplated one much bigger that was new to the trail. I wanted to try it.

In mountain biking, speed is your friend. I pressed forward.

My front tire made contact with the teeter-totter. But next, I found myself barreling headfirst into the ground.

My neck snapped!

Lying there, I tried to move—but couldn’t. I tried to talk, but no sound came out. I was totally paralyzed.

Then I stopped breathing—the imminent death sentence.

Caught between life and death, my training instinctively emerged. Daily, I had practiced, as I now help my clients practice, spiritual and holistic healing principles. In that moment, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to walk my talk.

I had no movement, no voice, no breath. But I had everything I needed within me; I had my mind and my faith.

A short, powerful mantra that I used daily rushed forth. Still on the ground, motionless, breathless, I willed my body, emphatically: “I refuse to accept this limitation—God is my Source!”

Boom! What felt like a huge, pain-free lightning bolt coursed through me. I repeated, “I refuse to accept this limitation—God is my Source!”

A second bolt instantly went through me.

Miraculously, I regained my breath! My lifeless form had accepted the dance of my mind, body, and spirit.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived after 17 minutes and transported me to Duke Medical Center. An ER doctor told me that my full paralysis was the result of my totally severed C2 neck vertebra and a very serious spinal cord injury, the same injury that the late Christopher Reeve had suffered. Soon, friends and family arrived. I told them, “This is temporary. See me dancing.”

The surgery to reconnect my C2 was successful. But I was still left a quadriplegic. Unbeknownst to me, my doctor, Robert E. Isaacs, Director of Spine Surgery at Duke, prepared a friend by telling her, “Don’t expect much improvement in Suzette’s condition.”

I knew the profound healing I desired was my responsibility from the inside out. I did affirmations, visualizations, and meditations. I also listened to CDs that bathed me with healing-sound frequencies.

When I awoke from surgery, I refused pain medicine. I experienced no pain. They said I would be in ICU for 7-10 days. I said I would be out in two, and I walked out two days later. They predicted my hospital stay would be three weeks, minimum. I said I’d be out in a week, and I was. Appearing perplexed, Dr. Isaacs said, “People like you don’t exist.” He explained that most people with severe spinal cord injury die at the scene, because they stop breathing. I had stopped breathing. He said even the surviving few who don’t stop breathing are left quadriplegic. Yet I walked out of the hospital.

My passion and belief in the teachings and tools that I had learned thus far along my spiritual journey directly influenced my outcome. In hindsight, it was my commitment to my spiritual deepening that literally saved my life and allowed for my unexpected healing. I’m grateful for my practice of having energy healings and going within to shift my old programming, limited thinking, and emotional wounds. All these had raised my vibration; a vibration that magnetized me to my remarkable healing.

Within months, I was fully functioning: enjoying dancing, hiking, and yoga. I am blessed that I am living the emotional and physical freedom that mind, body, and spirit principles allow.

A year later, Dr. Isaacs wrote, “Considering Suzette’s spinal cord damage, her results surpassed medical expectations. The rapidity and completeness of her improvement is more than would be comprehended. So I’m trying to make sense of it in my mind.”

Suzette Faith Foster is a life coach, distance energy healing facilitator, transformational author and speaker. To read her full story and many other personal and client stories and to get inspired to delve deeper into your own spiritual journey, read Suzette’s book, Calling Back Your Power. Her Web site is Choose2Thrive.com.

For decades, I have been a fan of the life’s work of Edgar Cayce. I want to take a moment to express why I think his gift is important and what it still means to us today.

Although there are literally hundreds of books about Cayce’s life and work, his amazing psychic talent, his insights into hundreds of topics from personal spirituality and ancient mysteries to holistic health and personal guidance, what stands out for me is that he made it abundantly clear that each and every one of us has a special gift.

For some, that gift might be serving as a wonderful and supporting parent. Some find a talent with counseling or teaching. Others might find it in avenues as diverse as business or even nature. There are many roles that people find in the healing professions. In my case, the gift that called to me has been the Creative Arts. There is something that each and every one of us is called to do—a role that perhaps no one else can fill as well as we can.

Cayce’s life is, in part, the story of a regular individual who had incredible access to universal knowledge and information. It wasn’t a gift that he readily accepted, at first. In fact, he was very reluctant to take on the role of medical clairvoyant but it was the efficacy of the information, and the way that he could see that the information helped people change their lives for the better that convinced him that his gift was a role that he needed to take on to help so many others.

There is a difference, in my opinion, between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is something that is too often changeable or something that might be important one moment and gone the next. Wisdom, on the other hand, is something that is relevant forever and a day. The Edgar Cayce information and his life’s work embodies wisdom.

Both the Cayce legacy and his gift of helping others endure even to this day. Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), the organization he founded more than 80 years ago, continues his vision of helping people to transform their lives for the better through ideas and information found in his psychic readings. On behalf of A.R.E., I invite you to consider joining Mr. Cayce’s organization so that you can come to know for yourself how his gift can be helpful in your own life—physically, mentally, and spiritually. You can read about the benefits of membership and explore a sample issue of Venture Inward magazine at EdgarCayce.org/join.

Diane Ladd is an American actress, film director, producer and author, having appeared in more than 300 roles, on television and film. She is the winner of 37 international awards including the British Academy Award, and is a three-time Emmy nominee and a three-time Oscar nominee for Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Coolidge’s Rambling Rose, and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. Presently she is co-starring as the mother, Helen, in HBO’s hit show, Enlightened along with her daughter, Laura Dern, who stars as the incomparable Amy! The show also co-stars Luke Wilson as Levi. Diane’s latest book, A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake a collection of ten short stories, has received rave reviews. Learn more at www.DianeLadd.com.

In the last two weeks of February, 2013, we have witnessed profound changes to the earth. There have been a record number (and magnitude) of earthquakes along the Ring of Fire, which encompasses the Santa Cruz Islands, Sumatra, Indonesia, Kermadec Islands, Japan, Chile, and Colombia. Tsunamis from the Santa Cruz earthquakes have washed away villages. The number lost? Unknown.

Mt. Etna -Wikimedia Commons.

We have seen increased activity at Mt. Etna, already an active volcano but cited in Cayce’s readings as a precursor to coming earth changes activity. There has been significant solar activity. A meteorite exploded over central Russia injuring an estimated 1,200 people. A Pope has "stepped down" from the Vatican for the first time in 600 years. And following the Pope’s announcement, lightning hits the top of the Vatican building. Coincidence? And not the least of which, North Korea detonated a nuclear device underground.  Compounding North Korea's detonation is the close proximity to where four tectonic plates converge along the Ring of Fire.

Stellar flare
Wikimedia Commons.

Some might ask, how are these vastly different events connected?

Where should I begin? Let me start by connecting the dots. As we interweave the prophecy of Edgar Cayce's readings, modern science, and quantum physics, we find a deeper, more connected understanding. It enables us to embrace this extraordinary time in which we live, putting pieces into perspective, including seemingly unrelated ones. Metaphysics is the lens through which we find greater understanding.

We have already entered the New Age. While it's not readily visible, it's more about how we choose to operate, interact, and move through these times. The old ways no longer work. It's apparent when we look around—evidenced in our banking system, our economic system, corporate dealings, our relationships, and in our physical and energetic bodies.

To better understand these seemingly disconnected events, I would like to share two insights.  First, what we are witnessing is an outward manifestation of changes that we, and the earth, are undergoing. As divine co-creators, we know our inner workings can manifest in the outer world—the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty.

Katie Walking Labyrinth
Wikimedia Commons.

A second insight is that unless things—meaning people and businesses—transform, they cannot operate within the New Age. This New Age is an extraordinary time; an elevated level of consciousness with a feeling and knowing of the interconnectedness of all things. In the physical, it’s operating in a whole new way, where all of us are honored and all are equal. There is no hierarchy, there is only collaboration. There is no competition, there is only co-creation and cooperation. “All are equal—not only under the material law but under the spiritual.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3976-18)

We sit, straddling two worlds, knowing we are to choose to act and operate as if we are in the new. What we see however, is distortion rising to the surface, because it can no longer be hidden.  Lack of integrity can no longer hide behind a mask. “Then if those in position to give of their means, their wealth, their education, their position, do not take these things into consideration, there must be that leveling that will come.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3976-19) We have a new operating system for the New Age, and when we use it, everyone wins!

So how do we move through our lives with more ease and grace during turbulent times? By using the tools we know about: exercising discernment, holding center, and practicing meditation. Now it’s about using them on a daily basis. “Take time first to be holy. Don’t let a day go by without meditation and prayer for some definite purpose, and not for self, but that self may be the channel of help to someone else. For in helping others is the greater way to help self.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3624-1)

And most importantly, it’s about taking responsibility for our individual thoughts and actions. Through the understanding of our interconnectedness comes the realization of our thought forms manifesting in our outer world. Yet we have the power to choose inner peace, to choose the divine flow, and transcend seeming chaos in the outer world. Have faith and know all is in divine order, in what Cayce calls the “Age of the Lily.”

Laura Jackson Laura Jackson is a speaker, author, and life coach.  Through her company, Soul Action, she gives people the tools and knowledge to traverse all that is happening in our modern world. While Laura is emerging as a nationally-recognized speaker on earth changes, she also speaks on many other topics including metaphysics and meditation.  Laura gives lectures and workshops around the country and has been featured in print, radio, and television. Visit her website to learn more at www.soul-action.com.

Edgar Cayce, the most documented seer of the 20th century, made an extraordinary claim— anyone could do what he did. Not only did he make this startling claim, but he encouraged others to explore, research, and verify what he said.

While lying on a couch, Edgar Cayce could place himself into a trance and answer any question about any topic put to him using the technical knowledge and language of the finest scholar. The information, he said, came from the “Universal Consciousness” that runs like a river through time.

When asked if anyone could do what he did, his answer was, “All can do it.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3744-1)

How? “In the experiences in the earth, one only meets self. Learn then to stand oft aside and watch self pass by.” (Edgar Cayce reading 3292-1)

Cayce gave this advice to 16 people under many different circumstances. I have applied this to my own studies, particularly of my dreams.

“In dreams…each individual soul…reviews or sees from a different attitude those experiences of its own activities.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 256-136)

In dreams, we view ourselves from a different perspective. What a gift—to see ourselves as others see us. When asked how dreams should be interpreted, Edgar Cayce said dreams are given for the better understanding of self. He answers that dreams “correlate those truths that are enacted in each and every dream that becomes a part of the entity of the individual to use (for the purpose of) better development; ever remembering that ‘develop’ means going toward the higher forces, or the Creator.” (Edgar Cayce Reading 3744-4) Often having this view isn’t pleasant, but it’s worthwhile.

I experienced this in my own dreams: I wanted a career in journalism and hoped my written work would help others and influence the world long after my death. A message came at the conclusion of a dream in which I could see myself walking down the beach looking for a treasure chest that contained my greatest gift to the world. I saw an obstacle obscuring my way to the treasure chest. Are there not always some obstacles we need to remove to reach the ultimate in our spiritual experience?

Only a corner of the chest was visible above the sand. I cleared the sand away and lifted the lid. Inside there were only pieces of paper containing some of my writings. My heart sank. How could this be of any use to anyone? This was nothing. Paper and the writing on paper were so fragile, so easily lost or destroyed. Worthless. I felt sick at heart. If this is all I have to leave to the world, I will have lived in vain. Suddenly the words came to me that I knew were coming from Christ, “I left only spoken words.”

Another dream alerted me to my own assessment of who I was:

My focus had been on what I wanted to leave the to the world. My thoughts had never included leaving the harvest to a loving Creator.

I observed a child confined to a room. The child had bedsores and appeared “crazy” because she had been confined for so long. The air was stale with an unpleasant odor about it. I got the child out of the room and soon she no longer appeared “crazy” but was bright beyond belief. The child was attractive and learned rapidly once out of the room, cleaned up, and treated as if she were normal. Under good care, the child was exceptional. When it was time to take the child back, I wondered whether to report the situation to the authorities. I feared those in authority over the child would return her to the same environment.

At the time of this dream, I was launching into a new venture. Until this time, I had confined myself to my home and family, having accepted what I felt was the mandate to bury myself in service to my husband and children. Now, I was pursuing interests outside of the home. I applied to graduate school, a seminary. I felt like a child who had been confined to a room and not permitted to develop normally. Most of the people at seminary were professional people of one sort or another, and I felt “disabled” by not having more exposure to the world. I thought of myself as underdeveloped. I was the child in my dream. The dream assured me that the “child” was not only normal, but could be exceptional. My fear of returning to a confining environment was sparked by fear that perhaps I could not measure up at seminary and I would be sent home, never to venture into the world outside the home again.

The dream helped me. The child in this dream is an archetypal symbol. A child represents a new life, a new beginning. At seminary and thereafter, doors have opened for me, which never would have opened without this very first step.

So, in both of these dreams I saw myself as I had never seen myself before. I did, indeed, as Edgar Cayce said, “Step aside and watch self pass by.”

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inward magazine, available exclusively to Members by mail or online at EdgarCayce.org/members.

Edgar Evans Cayce, the youngest son of Edgar and Gertrude Cayce, passed away peacefully on February 15, 2013.

Described as a renaissance man by those who knew him best, he excelled in both academics and sports. He was the Valedictorian of Oceana High School in 1935, and captain of the school’s football team. During World War II, he served his country as a captain in the Army Signal Core.

Edgar Evans Cayce
A.R.E. Library in Virginia Beach Va.

His earliest recollection of being helped by his psychic father was a physical reading given when he was seven. He was standing near a fireplace when a spark from the fire ignited the leg of his pajamas. The pajamas burst into flame but were quickly extinguished by his mother, who smothered the flames with a shirt. The accident caused serious burns from his ankle to his back. A remedy described in a psychic reading given by his father successfully treated the injury.

On another occasion, when Edgar Evans was in high school, he asked his father for information that would help him choose a career. The reading given recommended the field of engineering and said that he could get a scholarship from Duke University. He followed that advice, got a scholarship from Duke, and became an electrical engineer. He was a member of the electrical engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu and had a 40-year career with Virginia Power.

Edgar Evans was an expert resource on Atlantis and authored Edgar Cayce on Atlantis and co-authored Mysteries of Atlantis along with two other books For many decades he was also a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees of the A.R.E., the organization founded by his father in 1931.

He was frequently asked to describe what it was like having a psychic for a father, to which his reply was that he didn’t feel it was all that different from having any other father. He described Edgar Cayce as being a loving husband and father, a great gardener, a very good carpenter, an enthusiastic fisherman, and someone who could talk to anybody.

Extremely fit and in excellent health well past his 90th birthday, Edgar Evans attributed his wellbeing to a healthy diet and exercise. Even while in his early 90s, he mowed his own yard and played volleyball three times a week.

Edgar Evans Cayce was predeceased by his wife (and high school sweetheart) of 69 years, Kat Cayce. He is survived by his two children, E. Evans Cayce (along with his wife, Valerie) and Gail C. Schwartzer (along with her husband, Joe), three grandsons, and four great-grandchildren. His family described him as a “direct, no-nonsense, engaged, multi-dimensional man who has always been about love, understanding, and acceptance.”

Edgar Evans and Hugh Lynn Cayce

The following excerpt from his high school address of 1935 epitomizes his life:

“Our real place in life can never be measured by external signs. It will depend upon how close has been our personal relation with our God; how much we give to others; and how much peace there is within as a result of knowing ourselves.”

Kevin J. Todeschis the Executive Director and CEO of Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. and Atlantic University, as well as a popular author and conference speaker. As both student and teacher of the Cayce material for more than thirty years, he has lectured on five continents. A prolific writer, he is the author of twenty books including best-sellers Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records, Edgar Cayce on Soul Mates, and Edgar Cayce on Vibrations. His latest book, Edgar Cayce on Auras & Colors: Learn to Understand Color and See Auras was written with professional psychic Carol Ann Liaros and explores tools for seeing the human aura and for understanding the interpretation of color.

Perhaps one of the best measurements of the progression of prophecies for our times is the succession of popes. Three different prophets are said to have given clear and measurable information about the predicted line of popes: Malachy, the Monk of Padua, and Nostradamus. With the announced retirement of Pope Benedict XVI, it is a great time to review these predictions.

St. Malachy ~ Wikipedia

In 1138, an Irish bishop named Malachy visited the Vatican where he fell into a deep trance during which he saw the reigning pontiff and the line of succession of 112 popes, followed by the final fall of the Church of Rome as we have known it. When he awoke, he wrote a complete manuscript on the vision, giving each pope a Latin motto. The manuscript was sent to the Vatican after Malachy's passing, where it was stored in secret archives until 1590, long after Nostradamus's death (1503-1566). Later, around 1730-40, a monk called “The Monk of Padua” wrote a manuscript listing a sequence of popes and the ultimate end of the papacy, which closely followed and used Malachy's mottos for the popes.

Of the 20th-century popes, Malachy called Pope Pius XII (1939-58) Pastor Angelicus, referring to his angelic shepherding of the church, which many inside and outside the church acknowledged. He was followed by Pope John XXIII (1958-63), whom Malachy called Pastor et Nauta, shepherd and navigator, perhaps referring to his position as Archbishop of Venice or his reconvening of the Ecumenical Council which used the symbols of a cross and a ship. After him came Flos Florum, Flower of Flowers, Pope Paul VI (1963-78) whose coat of arms contained a floral design.

After him came De Mediatate Lunae, the middle or half of the moon, Pope John Paul I (August 26 to September 28, 1978) who openly supported women’s rights and agreed to discuss artificial birth control. This is one of the shortest and most suspicious papal reigns in history as he was only 66 years old and in good health when he suddenly died. His body was cremated, against strict Catholic custom at that time.

Pope John Paul II, De Labore Solis, the labor of the sun, (1978-2005), was from Poland. J.H. Brennan, author of some of the best books on Nostradamus, points out that the part of Poland from which John Paul II came was originally a portion of ancient France, and therefore the following quatrain may refer to him:

Not from Spain, but from ancient France
He will be elected from the trembling ship
To the enemy he will make assurance
Who in his reign will be a cruel blight. 5:49

Brennan considers the trembling ship to be the church itself. The great enemy of Polish John Paul II would have been none other than the Soviet Union, and he made assurances to the Soviets concerning the workers strikes in Poland.

Malachy and the Priest of Padua predict only two more popes: Gloria Olivae (glory of the olive) and Petrus Romanus (Peter of Rome). Malachy’s descriptive phrase given to the 111th Pope, Gloria Olivae, the glory of the olive, does fit the current Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) who took the name Benedict from The Order of Saint Benedict, which is also known as the Olivetans from Jesus’ time on the Mount of Olives.

Coat of arms of the Vatican City.
Wikipedia

The final petrus romanus, Peter the Roman, could be the return of St. Peter as the first and the last to rule the church (according to Roman theology—others and the Cayce readings say that James was the first leader). Bishop Malachy’s vision concludes with the end of the church:

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End."

This Malachy prediction that the Vatican will be destroyed correlates with The Priest of Padua’s prediction that the holy center will be burned when the last pope sits on the throne. And then we have this from Nostradamus:

The great star for seven days will burn
A cloud will make two suns appear
The big mastiff will howl all night
When a great Pope changes his territory. 2:41

We shall see how all of this plays out on the stage of life. Some visionaries have seen the church continuing in a more enlightened form and even including women. The prophetic Mayan date of December 21, 2012, is now in the past. We are approaching the year 2038, which ends the timeline prophecy inside the Great Pyramid in Egypt. These years may be the culmination of a long cycle which results in much change in the world and the beginning of a long-sought new era.

MSNBC.com’s Nightly News website has reported that the same day Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, lightning struck St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the Catholic Church's center in Rome.

John Van Aukenis an internationally renowned speaker, longtime staff member, and a current director at A.R.E. A popular leader of A.R.E.'s life-changing tours to Egypt and other sacred sites, he is also the author of several best-selling books including 2038: The Great Pyramid Timeline Prophecy, Edgar Cayce on the Revelation, Toward a Deeper Meditation, Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah and the presenter in several best-selling DVDs, including Edgar Cayce's Tour of Egypt, Meditation Techniques to Boost Soul Growth, and Prophecy & Reincarnation DVD Set. In addition he is a regular contributor to Venture Inward magazine. With his extensive knowledge of the Cayce readings, the Bible, world religions, Gnosticism, and ancient Egyptian mysticism combined with years of experience as a teacher and meditation retreat leader, he is a regular presenter at A.R.E. Conferences.

Hemorrhoid inflammation is a condition that up to 50 percent of people will experience in their lifetime. Mild cases are often resolved through a combination of increased fiber and fluid intake, rest, and over-the-counter medication to manage symptoms, while severe cases may be treated through surgery. Edgar Cayce, often referred to as the “father of holistic medicine,” outlined a variety of treatments for this condition, including massage and manipulation, enemas (with specific mixtures), and an ointment (originally known as Tim, and now available as Tibbex*).

Hemorrhoids were, according to the readings given on this condition, a symptom of problems in the body’s eliminations, which would then cause inflammation, pain, and sometimes bleeding. “Again we find the effects of these conditions in the eliminations through the alimentary canal, and in the effect produced in the sphincter muscular forces we find the folds in that portion of the system becoming irritated in the form of hemorrhoids that give the distress at times… And we would make local applications…for those conditions in the portions of the system affected by the hemorrhoids. Using the combination of properties found in Tim will bring bettered conditions.” (678-2)

In reading 294-24, Cayce gave the formula for the hemorrhoid ointment that became known as “Tim.” This reading, which was volunteered and not given in response to a suggestion, states that the formula should be used for treatment of inflammation in and around the rectum. “This to be used as salve or lotion for such conditions or abrasions, internal or external. Apply that to the body. We will bring better relief and relations to the whole physical body, with the action of the physical when in the subconscious or subnormal conditions.”

Massage and manipulation, along with dietary changes, were often recommended to treat the root cause of the problem. Enemas (or colonics) were suggested to cleanse the colon and create an environment more conducive to healing. And finally, the topical ointment, Tim, was suggested to bring immediate relief of the symptoms as well as promoting healing in the affected tissues. “For the condition as gives trouble in the rectum at the present time, we would use a solution or a salve of this character…” (953-9) Tim was even suggested for use after a medical procedure, “we find that AFTER such treatments by the proctologist, it would be well to use such an ointment as Tim for the CORRECTING of the conditions as related to the circulation in those areas.” (1540-1)

In a later reading, Cayce described a “better formula” to replace Tim. With these improvements he said the new formula “does relieve, and with the proper precautions in diet and in exercise will remove hemorrhoids and piles, and do good for old sores also—as leg sores… The directions would be to apply as an ointment to affected portions once or twice each day. Rest as much as possible after application, with the feet elevated above the head. It'll cure it!” (1800-20)

Tobacco Plant
Wikipedia
Photo credit: William Rafti of the William Rafti Institute

Interestingly, tobacco is one of the key ingredients of this formula. Though it is primarily associated with poor health today, and Cayce did frequently warn of the negative health effects that tobacco use and addiction cause, tobacco also has a healing history, as evidenced by its inclusion in this remedy. According to cultural literature, the Mayans used tobacco for asthma, insect bites, bowel complaints, fever, skin diseases, and urinary ailments. Native American tribes in New England would wash burns with a form of boiled tobacco, and to this day it remains a folk remedy for certain injuries and disorders.

According to Cayce, nicotine (which is present in every part of the tobacco plant and one of the most highly addictive compounds known) has an important quality of drawing out toxins (though it should not be used when the body is already eliminating toxins). “…for being over sensitive [he had been smoking too much], naturally the nicotine from the tobacco brings those poisons in system that must be eliminated, and when the body is overclogged (as such condition exists at present), this merely adds to that condition wherein distresses are produced.” (294-96) Modern studies have also indicated that tobacco contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Benzoin, another component of the “better formula” now known as Tibbex*, is a resin used as an antiseptic treatment for dry skin and as an expectorant for respiratory conditions, according to The Cayce Herbal (a collection of fact sheets on herbs recommended by Edgar Cayce, available at EdgarCayce.org/members as a resource in the Edgar Cayce readings database). Cayce recommended it as a component in inhalants (such as Herbal Breathing*) and in massage oils where it acted as “…a material aid to stimulating the superficial circulatory forces, and thus enabling the body to gain better control of the muscular forces…” The other key ingredient is Atomic Iodine*, which is electrified iodine often recommended by Cayce as an external antiseptic or, in minute doses taken under a physician’s supervision, as a thyroid supplement, according to the Cayce Health Database.

Tibbex*, a new offering from Baar Products, the Official Supplier of Cayce Care products, replicates this latter formula. “We’ve researched the beneficial historical uses and Cayce’s recommendations for tobacco to formulate a product that provides soothing relief to those suffering with hemorrhoids,” Bruce Baar, Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) said. “We are focused on manufacturing products that maximize the body’s full healing potential and are excited to introduce one of Cayce’s most unique and effective formulas. Tibbex has already begun to receive positive feedback and testimonials.”

"...I was delighted to hear that many of your customers have found Tibbex to be almost a miracle product in the healing of Hemorrhoidal conditions. I can only tell you, that has certainly proved to be true in my case. The relief from burning and itching occurred within an hour of applying the Tibbex Ointment and by the next day the inflammation seemed to be gone completely." - M.R., Rensselaer, NY

*Available from the official supplier of Cayce Care Products at Baar.com or 1-800-269-2502.

 Todd Burgin is a freelance writer and editor and former associate editor of Venture Inward magazine.

There’s no getting around it: a sense of destiny permeates the young adults, teenagers, and children of our world. And there’s no culture or society devoid of sacred stories that predicted this—the rise and dominance of what is often referred to as the Fifth Root Race.

The term root race refers to the gene pool in the human family. In older, esoteric literature and in legend, terms like life streams, life waves, new people, or even advanced beings were used to describe groups of folks who were decidedly different from their parents and grandparents. The more there were, the more assuredly they bore the mark of evolution–physiological and psychological traits characteristic of gene mutation.

DNA alters over time as a result of how people respond to the needs and stressors of their environment; these changes can be accelerated if transformative events, such as near-death experiences and spiritual breakthroughs, occur in numbers large enough to jumpstart the evolutionary process. Once the new traits overspread land masses and population groups, a genetic “makeover”–a species-wide-alteration–can result. That shift is now happening. Think of it as an update within the human family.

Of the many versions of root races that have emerged, the most well-known are from Theosophy (through Blavatsky, Leadbeater, and Powell), and from Edgar Cayce. The Theosophical version names seven progressions of such evolutionary change, beginning around 18 million years ago with the entry of spirit into matter (the First Root Race) and ends around 8,000 years hence when humankind is said to transcend the need for schools and social structures like what exists today (the Seventh Root Race). Cayce, however, spoke of that initial appearance of the First Root Race as happening further back in time?around 4.5 billion years ago. Curiously, he pegged the rise of the Fifth Root Race between 1998 and 2015. No one knows why he never mentioned any other evolutionary leap beyond that.

The timespan applied to a root race is considerable. For instance, the Fifth, according to Theosophical records, covered the years 10,000 BCE to 3,000 BCE in right-brained megalithic cultures and 3,000 BCE to 2,400 CE in left-brained modern cultures. The prediction is that during this period consciousness separated into two hemispheres–East and West–would fuse back together; a global leap in species refinement. This prediction, together with Cayce’s approximate dates of 1998 - 2015 for the entry period, is enough to necessitate that we take a deeper look.

Reconstruction of Neandertaler
at Neanderthal Museum - Wikipedia

Always, when trying to verify predictions, movements, and cycles, look for correlations—the microcosm always reflects the macrocosm, and vice versa. Since 1982, the following has either been newly discovered, revealed, or occurred en masse: Fifth Communication Wave (personal computers); Fifth Brain (the heart); Fifth Brain Wave Frequency (gamma); Fifth Basic Force (torsion waves); Fifth Destiny (the rise of female power); Fifth Discipline (businesses as learning centers); Fifth Element (ether); Fifth Dimension (freed from time/spaces states, intention rules).

Toss the labels of indigo, crystal, starseed, rainbow, and psychic, as they mislead and exaggerate (also discard “golden indigos”). Then, bunch together the characteristics these labels supposedly describe, and you have the pattern of the “new” kids—a pattern around for a while in the gene pool of the human family that has finally overspread landmasses—and moved into ascendancy.

PMH Atwater, LHD, is one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studies, having begun her work in 1978, after having three such experiences of her own. In 2005, she was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS), and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists (NATH), as well as an honorary degree in Therapeutic Counseling from a school in Sri Lanka. She is the author of several books including We Live Forever; Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story, and her latest Children of the Fifth World. She is a featured presenter at the upcoming 82nd Annual A.R.E. Congress— Building a New World from the Inside Out: Living Christ Consciousness in Virginia Beach from June 16-21, 2013.

I’m a veteran. I spent 30 years serving in the United States Navy, retiring in August of 2003. I served in times of conflict, not war. We don’t call it war anymore. I served on four ships and was in the arena during Desert Shield/Storm, which I am sure was nothing like serving in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan. Regardless, there were times when I experienced fear by just being on a ship in a dangerous atmosphere. I prayed a lot.

My father served in World War II as an engineer in the United States Merchant Marine Service. He served on transport ships that were mostly without protection of their own or of other ships or aircraft. I know that he was afraid, at times, because he told me. He hated going below decks into the engine room knowing his fate was sealed if they suffered an enemy attack. He prayed a lot.

Prior to the end of WW II, in November 1944, Thomas Sugrue (the author of the Edgar Cayce biography There Is a River wrote a letter to Edgar Cayce that was published in the A.R.E. bulletin. I rediscovered this letter while doing research for my Egypt group. It is as relevant today as it was then. We are still “in conflict,” if not war, around the globe. Everyone either has or knows a brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, relative, friend, or neighbor serving in defense of our country. Pray for them.

Thomas J. Sugrue (1907–1953) was an outstanding writer, authoring seven exceptional books and hundreds of articles. He sought the help of psychic Edgar Cayce for a rare arthritis disease for which conventional treatments were not working. He entered Cayce's home an invalid and left walking in October of 1941. It was during this time that he wrote There Is a River, the only biography of Edgar Cayce written during Cayce's lifetime and the book that made the psychic a household name in 1942. Visit EdgarCayce.org/radio to listen to a lecture podcast from the archives on from our Radio Show Reflections.

Mickey, an inmate serving a life sentence at a South Carolina maximum security prison, was going blind. The Department of Corrections had paid for one cataract operation, which now had clouded over. The other eye had its problems as well with a newly formed cataract of its own. Mickey was legally blind.

The warden said the state would not pay for further medical help. Mickey was working in the chaplain’s office and functioned in that capacity after the chaplain left each day. But, after nightfall, he could not see in the darkness. Those who needed help after dark were out of luck.

I was a volunteer chaplain at this prison. I wanted to help Mickey but I could not do it alone.

An Edgar Cayce Study Group that met weekly in my home became interested. We discussed what could be done. The warden was creating more obstacles than necessary. Why?

We set out to work through the obstacles we knew were standing in the way.

Word went out about Mickey’s need for surgery. Generous and caring people sent money toward the surgery. Money accumulated from people who wanted to see a blind inmate, who was doing remarkable work with other inmates, regain his sight. Individuals helped. When the Lions Club found out about Mickey, they helped too.

Hearts were opening for an inmate, who had made a mistake in the past and was now serving others.

We located an ophthalmologist who agreed to do the work. This respected surgeon did not shrink from having a beige uniformed prison inmate with a brown stripe down his pant leg in his reception room. Mickey was shy and didn’t want to appear in public wearing shackles and accompanied by two armed guards. The surgeon’s acceptance of Mickey helped. Mickey had to do what he had to do. Without the surgery, he could be of no service to others. The surgeon could render him functional again. That was his dream and ours.

We were about to witness a miracle that fanned out in more directions than we could have imagined.

I called the warden’s office. All the details had been worked out. The date for the medical pre-op appointment was made. The local police officers were ready.

Mickey watched the minutes of the wall clock tick toward 9 a.m. Any minute now the local police would arrive to take him to the appointment. He would be shackled, hand and foot. But Mickey could do it now, thanks to a magnanimous surgeon.

At 8:45 a.m. Mickey received devastating news. The warden ordered the operation stopped. Once again we coordinated a new time for the procedure. I again notified the warden’s office. But for a second time, the warden stopped the operation on the very day the appointment was set.

We were astounded. Why? It would take a miracle to help Mickey restore his sight.

From the grapevine we heard the reason. The warden was resolute. “No woman is going to tell me what to do.” He misunderstood our intentions. We were trying to help an inmate who could not help himself.

But we had overlooked the warden’s need. We looked at the situation. The warden was expressing his need to be respected. He had worked his way up through the ranks to the prison’s highest position. He needed to exert his authority. Although we thought we had checked with him all along the way, the focus had been on Mickey. Apparently the warden needed more. Now, what could we do to help?

The Warden was hurting.

Our Edgar Cayce group knew from the Cayce readings that prayer was beneficial. We formulated a 30-day prayer for our group to use at the meetings and for each member to use daily: “May the highest and best be done for the warden.” We each wanted the best for the warden.

In less than three weeks, something startling happened. Suddenly, the warden retired. He was leaving a system where he was unhappy. We rejoiced. He was getting what he wanted, and we were glad. If we could not help Mickey, we could help heal the warden’s wounds.

A new warden was in place. We contacted him to see if there would be any objection to our continuing our efforts to help Mickey.

“No, of course not,” came our answer.

Plans were formulated again. All went without a hitch.

When Mickey came from the operating room, he was staring at the wall, transfixed by the floral pattern he saw there. He had been unable to see details of any kind for months. He was captivated with the design on the wallpaper. To him the wallpaper’s simple floral pattern was exquisite.

So we lifted our grateful hearts. The loving Creator had healed wounds we did not know about. A hurting warden had been helped, and the way for corrective surgery for Mickey had been cleared.

Mickey’s miracle was all inclusive.

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inward.

In the Astrologer's Corner of the Oct-Dec 2012 issue of Venture Inward magazine, I noted the following:

Here we go again. Mercury will change direction, turning retrograde (Rx), on election day, November 6, 2012. Remember the Bush-Gore election in 2000 with the "hanging chads" and vote recounts? Mercury also changed direction on election day 2000. ... In the 2012 election there could be a possible breakdown in communications, even recounts, or irregularities that might eventually have some court involvement (Mercury will be in Sagittarius, ruler of the courts).

Well, the 2012 election is over, and the public did not see recounts or court involvements, but does that mean Mercury Rx was not an influence?

There was some definite confusion on Election Day, with long lines and some delays—especially with Florida's returns. David Letterman cracked a joke after the election about a 98-year-old woman who had voted for the first time in this election...but she had been in line since she was 78.

In addition, a little published fact about the actions of Mitt Romney provides an excellent example of how the use of the free will can change and negate the influences of astrology (although I assume that Romney had no knowledge of the Mercury Rx).

The Cayce readings emphasized over and over that the study of astrology can be helpful to everyone, but it never supersedes the power of free will. In the words of astrologer Dennis Harness PhD, "astrology is a 'choice revealer,' not a 'choice maker.'" Astrology shows influences only, but we still retain our free will to look at the choices that are revealed and make the most constructive choice we can.

An article titled "The Moment When Mitt Romney Knew He Had Lost" by Josh Voorhees was spotted by one of my clients and sent to me after the election. An excerpt from the article goes like this:

"Late Tuesday night, Karl Rove made quite the show of challenging Fox News' 'projection that President Obama had won Ohio, and thus a second term in office. Mitt Romney's staff was likewise ready to deploy to the Buckeye State and a trio of other battleground states to challenge the election-night tallies. For a moment, however brief, a prolonged political and legal fight over who had won the election appeared well within the realm of possibility... But then, Mr. Romney quietly decided it was over. 'It's not going to happen,' he said.'"

The possibility for this election ending up in court was clearly indicated in astrology by Mercury Rx in Sagittarius, and according to this report, the option was presented to Romney by Carl Rove and his staff. But Romney, using his free will, as the Cayce readings so often emphasized as the only way to work with astrology, made a different choice.

No matter what our own personal political beliefs are, we can recognize that an astrological influence was present, but the free will of a human overrode it.

RAYE MATHIS is a faculty member at Atlantic University where Transformational Astrology is among the courses she mentors. She has a BA in mathematics, a Master's degree in clinical social work, and has completed post-graduate work at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She has maintained an on-going astrological counseling practice for almost 40 years. Her column, The Astrologer's Corner, appears in the A.R.E.'s Venture Inward magazine available exclusively to Members by mail or online at EdgarCayce.org/members. Beginning Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Raye Mathis will be mentoring a 4-week online eGroup titled Discover Your Life's Purpose Using Astrology as Your Guide. For more information, visit EdgarCayce.org/egroups.

You can read the entire article at Slate.com's blog.

Beginning with the April-June 2013 issue of Venture Inward magazine, we will add a psychic Q&A column!

Psychic Kim O’Neill, who is also the author of The Calling: My Journey with the Angels (published by 4th Dimension Press, an imprint of A.R.E. Press) has offered to respond to your queries. All we need now are your questions!

Kim, who has been a professional psychic for over 20 years, has been writing an “Ask Kim” column for a Texas publication called Indigo Sun for eight years. She has volunteered her services to show her appreciation for A.R.E.’s members and supporters.

Kim will choose at least one personal and one general question per column/magazine issue and report the answer given to her by her angel guides. Her column will then appear in every issue of Venture Inward.

Just send your question to letters@edgarcayce.org. Be sure to include your first name, first initial of your last name, age, and location of your residence (city/state/country).

All A.R.E. members can access the magazine online at EdgarCayce.org/members. In addition, traditional members receive the print magazine by mail. Not a member? Learn more about A.R.E. membership at EdgarCayce.org/membership.

Kim O’Neill, voted Houston’s Top Psychic by Houston Press Magazine, has been a psychic channel for over 24 years. She conducts private channeling sessions for an international list of clients from all walks of life—physicians, attorneys, entertainment professionals, religious leaders, fellow psychics, and many more. Her “Ask Kim” column is a prominent monthly feature in Indigo Sun Magazine. She has established international motivational seminars and workshops designed to help people transform their lives and develop greater spiritual. She is a frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows, providing accurate and specific psychic information covering a wide range of topics. She is also the author of the best-selling book How to Talk with Your Angels.

Kim lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and their two children.

December 21, 2012 marks the end of Mayan calendar and many individuals around the globe are expecting something to happen. The news is filled with anticipation of cataclysm and prophecies of doomsday. In response to many inquiries we have about the end of the 5,125 year cycle, Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. is hosting a free global event celebrating the dawning of a new age.

In addition to a day full of activities at our Virginia Beach headquarters honoring December 21, 2012, A.R.E. will be offering a free live video presentation featuring internationally renowned speaker and bestselling author John Van Auken available to participants around the globe with internet access. The live-streamed lecture "The Prophecies of 2012" is available from 3:30 p.m. (eastern time) until 5 p.m. at EdgarCayce.org/2012. Other presentations available only in Virginia Beach include Understanding the Mayan Calendar with Murray Summers; a Drum Circle with JP Amonte; Earth Changes by Laura Jackson; and Beyond 2012 with Peter Woodbury. Download the full Schedule of Events (pdf). For a list of all daily activities at A.R.E. in Virginia Beach, visit EdgarCayce.org/ScheduleHQ.

The Mayan Date of Destiny began with a discovery about the culture that invented what is known as the Long Count Calendar. On the Pacific coastal plain of Chiapas, Mexico, a few miles from the Guatemala border, the astrological observatory of the Izapa civilization was used for a thousand years to record the Long Count Calendar on monuments and ceramic vessels. While most of the dates refer to local events, like the crowning of a specific king, some of the monuments refer events that occurred at the beginning of the current "World Age" a date which has been correlated by scholars to August 11, 3114 BC.

Using a complex system of measurements of time, we can calculate when their calendar reaches a new zero point – at the end of 13 Baktuns, their measure of time which equals 5,125 years. At this point, a new cycle of time commences. For the Maya, the rising, passing, and descending of the Milky Way in the sky marked major points in the cycle of time and on August 11, 3114 BC, a new Solar Age began and the Sun Lord was reborn.

While there are no specific markings or statements about the year 2012 on the archaeological artifacts at Izapa, there are numerous images that portray a rare celestial alignment that appears in the skies in the years around 2012. This galactic alignment marks the December solstice and the rebirth of the Sun Lord. Read the full story of The Mayan Date of Destiny in the Ancient Mysteries section of our website.

John Van Auken, is an internationally renowned speaker, long-time staff member, current director at A.R.E., and the popular leader of A.R.E.'s tours to Egypt and other sacred sites. He is a regular contributor to Venture Inward magazine and is the author of several bestselling books including From Karma to Grace, Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah, and his newest, 2038: The Great Pyramid Timeline Prophecy. His extensive knowledge of the Cayce readings, the Bible, world religions, and ancient Egypt mysticism is combined with years of experience as a teacher and meditation retreat leader to bring you a deep understanding and practical insight.

A.R.E. Members will be able to download the full presentation in the online member section in January.

The sweet strains of a Puccini aria cut through the Saturday night clatter of the busy Italian restaurant in New York City, but it wasn't coming from the aging voice of the Sicilian baritone who was hired to belt out favorites like Funiculi-Funicula. It was a soprano whose crystal clear voice filled the room. Within moments all the ambient noise came to a halt. Diners stopped eating and talking, busboys stopped clearing tables, even the cooks came out of the kitchen.

Singing on the tiny stage was a skinny moon-faced waitress from Ohio. The Sicilian had heard she studied opera, so he invited her to join him, but what began as a duet ended in a solo as he too was mesmerized by the beauty of her voice. When she finished, the place thundered in applause, and I saw tears of gratitude glistening in her eyes. She had hit each note perfectly.

If only she had been able to do that when she auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera. But she had choked, allowing a seed of doubt to creep into her consciousness and thus her voice. She told me her story over a couple of drinks after work. It was the fall of 1984, and I was a fellow waiter at the restaurant; just another struggling artist in the city that never sleeps. She explained that she had gotten nervous during her audition and couldn't hit the high notes. She would get one more chance to audition, but she would have to wait an entire year.

I never found out if she made it; as a writer my art is portable, and a few months later I moved to a city where they still have a bedtime. I suspect she did, because that night she received proof—a vital beginning step.

The Edgar Cayce Readings remind us that "Mind is the builder," and what we focus on grows in our mind and is made manifest in the material.

Hence the life must be a purposeful one, with a purposeful experience and expression in its relationships. For, some laws are ever in evidence in the experience of those who take thought.

True, by taking thought there may be little added to the material, but the Mind is the builder. Hence the building in a purposeful manner becomes a manifested activity in any material experience, according to the spirit with which it is purposed through the will of the entity…

Then, never fear, never doubt self's abilities, even in material or mental aspects. For, the Spirit makes [one] unafraid, and guides in those directions that keep one in that way. (Edgar Cayce Reading 2464-2)

Doubt is a silent killer. We transmit feelings of doubt to others through subtleties in our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. It is picked up subconsciously by those with whom we communicate. Worse than that, we communicate it to ourselves, and it seeps into our performance. Doubt is the ultimate De-Motivator, and all too often it prevents us from even trying.

We all suffer doubt occasionally, and its cure is always the same: proof. Proof that we are indeed talented enough to do what we set out to do. And that proof doesn't need to be big to eliminate doubt. A series of little incidences can be just as effective as one big one.

I keep a journal—a log of my accomplishments. Both small and large are recorded there, because they all add up to reasons for believing in my abilities. It is especially important to log the little ones, because they are so easy to forget or overlook, and yet they carry tremendous weight when it comes to giving ourselves confidence.

You may say, "I'm just starting out; I have no accomplishments." That just means you're not looking in the right places. We all have successes, though some are more easily recognized than others.

Sometimes proof comes to us by comparing ourselves to others. Simply ask yourself, "Out of all the people who have ever lived, how many have attained what I want?" The sheer numbers alone will often be all the proof you need.

But beyond proof, we can fall back on faith. Some of the most successful people in the world had absolutely no proof that they could achieve their dreams. All they had was a strong desire and a belief in themselves. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

Robert Evans Wilson Jr. is an author, speaker, and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs, please visit his website: Jumpstartyourmeeting.com.

Before our study group, Summerville, South Carolina #2, made a trip to A.R.E headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va., in April, 2009, Jerry Ingle, set into motion an ideal that generated a monumental synchronicity. For years, Jerry, a long-time member of our group, had been interested in Nikola Tesla. He saw many parallels between his talents and those of Edgar Cayce and hoped to somehow connect them. As a psychic, Edgar Cayce had been consulted by engineers about their inventions. Cayce was willing to help as long as it would ultimately be of service to humanity. While there are suggestions that both Thomas Edison and his former associate, Nikola Tesla, consulted Cayce separately; there is no documentation in the A.R.E. archives.

Nikola Tesla was an electrical engineer who invented the alternating current Niagara power system that made Edison's direct current obsolete. He sold Westinghouse 40 patents that broke the General Electric monopoly. In 1893 he demonstrated the use of wireless radio control with a torpedo-like boat. He invented wireless transmission of electricity, an electric car that ran by tapping into the electricity of the Earth, the microwave, and the TV remote control, just to name a few. A court recently ruled that while Marconi had been given credit for the invention of the radio and made a fortune on it, Tesla was the true inventor.

Nikola Tesla sitting in his laboratory in Colorado Springs in December 1899. Wikimedia Commons

Tesla was concerned with harnessing nature to meet the needs of humankind and foresaw the end of World War I as a synthesis of history, philosophy, and science,. He had the amazing ability to construct a machine in his mind and then, by operating the device in his mind, make improvements to the design. He could develop and perfect his inventions by drawing only upon the creative forces, without actually touching anything material. Just as the Cayce readings suggest, "Mind is the builder, physical is the result."

Another inventor that Edgar Cayce met was a man named Marion L. Stansell. During World War I, while stationed in France, Stansell had a near death experience with a vision. During the experience, a "spirit guide" escorted him to another dimension where he was given a formula for a mechanical device. He was told that this device would save the planet from environmental destruction in the next millennium.

On February 1, 1928, Edgar Cayce gave a reading which confirmed that Stansell was able to see the blueprints for a revolutionary type of motor in his dreams and visions. According to the readings, the motor was designed in the spirit realm by De Witt Clinton, deceased governor of New York, who in his last incarnation was the force behind the development of the Erie Canal.

De Witt Clinton Memorial by Henry Kirke Brown, 1855,
at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

Stansell needed the assistance of Edgar Cayce to relay precise technical information from Clinton in the spirit realm to Stansell and a team of like-minded entrepreneurs in the material world. The Stansell motor readings were conducted over a two-year period. One could speculate that Mr. Cayce did the same for Nikola Tesla, and that these readings were a continuation of that work, but if so, there is no record of it.

Jerry believed that there was a deep connection between the work of Cayce and Tesla and their interest in the connection between electricity and psychic phenomena. At A.R.E., Jerry found his way to the vault, where the Cayce records are kept, hoping to discover a way to get these plans into the hands of present-day inventors.

There, he and an A.R.E. volunteer named Harry talked excitedly for some time about Tesla. Suddenly, a man came to the door of the vault. "Does anybody know if there was ever a connection between Edgar Cayce and Nikola Tesla?"

"Here is the guy who can tell you," said Harry as he pointed toward Jerry. Jerry turned to face Nikola Lonchar,  the President of Nikola Tesla's Inventors Club, a man who was dedicated to locating and preserving Tesla's work. The organization was made up of scientists who wanted to be sure Tesla's work was not lost! This was the first visit to A.R.E. by anyone from the Tesla organization.

Jerry was able to supply the visitor with the information he needed. The two sat in the lobby of the A.R.E. Visitor Center, oblivious to their surroundings, talking about an interest that held them both captive. Jerry was invited to speak at the next Nikola Tesla Inventors conference.

Nikola Lonchar was at A.R.E. for only one day. During this small window of time, he and Jerry had converged at the same place, at the same time, both equipped with a desire to be of service to Cayce, to Tesla, and to humanity. That's synchronicity in motion.

Barbara Derrick, PhD, a researcher, lecturer and writer on Edgar Cayce, is a counselor, family therapist, and mental health specialist who has successfully used a protocol suggested by Edgar Cayce to enhance and improve the lives of Alzheimer's patients. She has presented at the Edgar Cayce Health Symposium at Virginia Beach and her articles have appeared in Venture Inward.

To learn more about the Nikola Tesla's Inventors Club visit their website at TeslaScienceFoundation.org.

In 1938, Edgar Cayce was asked to give information that would help to stimulate in individuals hearts and minds a great appreciation of the true Spirit of Thanksgiving. In recognition of our sincere thanks for each and every one of you, we offer this excerpt from Cayce's Thanksgiving message:

… Thanksgiving is thy opportunity to show thy appreciation to thy friend, thy home, thy mother, thy children – yea, most of all to thy God!

... In this land ye may give praise for freedom of speech, for the opportunities to raise thy voice in whatever way and manner ye choose … Then, as ye give thanks, as ye give praise to thy friends for kindnesses, for gentlenesses, for those things that make thy experience more bearable in a cruel world … Let thy heart then be glad.

Keep then that Day in praise, in thanksgiving, in such ways, such a manner that ye show to thy conscience that what ye worship as thy God is aware of thy appreciation of life! (Edgar Cayce reading 3976-21)

Create in me a pure heart and renew a righteous spirit within me, cleansing my life, my heart, my body, through the love in the Christ life. – Edgar Cayce reading 281-20

Create within me a perfect mind, O God! With the desire and the purpose to use my life, my talents, my gifts, in Thy Service! Let my going in, my coming out, be acceptable in Thy sight. And as I meditate, be thou nigh unto me. – Edgar Cayce reading 308-6

In Cayce's readings, one may find many keys to open the gates to heaven. But there are two that we may focus on here. The first is a pure heart; the second is a rejuvenated mind. Actually, he described this second key as experiencing a "regeneration in the mount," identifying the mount with the crown chakra and the higher mind.

A pure heart and a rejuvenated mind will open the way to ultimate happiness and enlightenment. These may seem like easy keys to find and possess, but in practice they are quite difficult. Fortunately, he also gives us two tips: (1) use your will to change feelings and thoughts, and (2) enjoy a magical transformation that occurs naturally when you abide in the heart and mind of the Creator.

A pure heart is developed by observing our motivations and desires. Step back from the automatic feelings and ask, "Why do I feel the way I do?" "What are my truest desires?" As Jesus said, "Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also." Your heart is the key to your treasure, and a pure heart opens the treasure chest of heaven. Changing our heart is done by adjusting our feelings, emotions, and desires. It requires that we engage our wills. The will reins in these automatic feelings and redirects them according to a new ideal. That new ideal is expressed in the spiritual emotions of love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and understanding. It is expressed in "love one another," "forgive seventy times seven," and the like.

Cayce's readings are clear about purity. It is a selfless, others-oriented, and God-centered heart, a heart that is without egocentric motivations and desires, that considers God's will and others' needs. This heart is a home for the Creator. Cayce often recommended the prayer, "Not my will, O Lord, but Thy will be done in and through me this day." He often encouraged us not to simply BE good, but to be good FOR something. That something is the key to determining how pure our heart is. Are we good to be seen as such by others? Are we good because we are better than others? Are we good because we will be rewarded? Or are we good because the spirit of goodness is God in action, and, as such, makes the world a better place for us having been in it? This last reason is being good "for something," and fits the selfless ideal.

Consider Cayce's guidance not to meditate so that "you feel better" but that "the better you comes through." Do you see the subtle difference? One is self-focused and self-gratifying. The other seeks the better you, and that makes life better for all those around you.

Engaging our will is the way to find and maintain this key. But there is another way that imbues us with a power we could not otherwise receive. It is deep prayer and meditation, which lifts our heart into God's heart; and there abiding, allows our heart to adjust to God's. There is no other way to enjoy the benefit of this than to lift oneself into the heart of God.

Active outer change – by willfully controlling our heart, combined with receptive inner attunement to God's heart – makes for a pure heart and opens one of the gates to heaven.

Let's now consider the rejuvenated mind. Like the pure heart, the rejuvenated mind is also achieved in two ways.

The first way is by stepping back and observing our thoughts. If a negative thought arises, still it. Replace it with a positive one. If doubts arise, push them away while trusting in God. The only way to make such adjustments is by using our God-given will to take hold of our thoughts and change them, filling our minds with faith, hope, and trust in God. Using affirmations and little verses that keep the mind on the right track throughout the day is a helpful Cayce tip.

The second way to rejuvenate the mind is by lifting our mind up into the higher realms of God-consciousness, into God's Mind. Abiding in this Universal Consciousness revitalizes and illuminates our mind. Cayce's readings teach us to raise the life force of the body, the kundalini, up from the lower chakras to the higher chakras, while holding a God-centered ideal. An ideal can be compared to a pole star that guides your energies as you move them. It can be compared to having a pattern before you as you make a dress or a blueprint as you build a house. The kundalini can be raised for weal or woe, good or evil, clarity or confusion. Each chakra has its higher and its lower vibration as the life force passes through it. When the life force is moved by a higher ideal, one experiences the higher vibrations. When the life force reaches the higher chakras under the impetus of a higher ideal, it opens the gate to heaven. The body is purposefully wired this way. The ancient symbol of the winged serpent reflects the lifting of the life force (serpent) with the higher ideal and the higher mind (wings).

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year are good times for a fresh start at creating a pure heart and rejuvenated mind. And regular daily practice keeps these keys in your possession.

John Van Auken is an international speaker and author on a variety of topics from mystical spirituality and ancient civilizations to modern life. Popular with A.R.E. audiences throughout the country, he has written many books, including From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruits of the Spirit; Edgar Cayce's Tales of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Egyptian Mysticism. John's extensive knowledge of the Edgar Cayce readings, the Bible ancient Egypt, and other world religions is combined with years of practical application of these truths in his own life. His exciting presentations are packed with useful information combined with insightful and revealing stories. His clear step-by-step techniques give practical tools for ongoing development, self-training, and spiritual enlightenment. He travels extensively, conducting seminars and retreats throughout the U.S. and abroad including A.R.E.'s annual Tour of Egypt.

Now is the time to exercise your power as a creator. Consciously. We constantly create. The world around us is the result of our thoughts. This is found in numerous Cayce readings—thoughts are things, mind is the builder, etc. Unfortunately, we have not accepted the deep nature of this truth nor have we accepted the responsibility of this aspect of our being. We have limited our vision to material creation. Now is the time to go up to the causal level.

What do you see in the world today? War, poverty, fear, political division, extinction of animals, natural disasters. This can be overwhelming to the material mind, but not to the spiritual. Each one of us, using our spiritual power given to us by The Creator, can make a great change in the collective consciousness that creates the material world. Yes, even in mitigating natural disasters, for Mother Earth responds to attitudes held in the mass consciousness, and for a long time now she has been under attack. She is beginning to defend herself.

Cayce warned in his readings on Atlantis that if our attitudes were not spiritualized, our technological society would find the same ending as Atlantis, i.e., destruction—a destruction that we will have created. His readings on earth changes told us what may occur if we did not change the vibrations we were building in the ethers. Sadly, we are seeing many of these, but the severity of the disasters may have been somewhat mitigated by the work individuals and small groups have been doing to raise consciousness.

Today we hear the cries for help from many directions. After Hurricane Sandy's visit to the American East Coast it is obvious many thousands of people need our help. There are children starving throughout the world, much of the world lacks clean water, animals are being hunted to extinction or their habitats are being destroyed; this list could go on and on, but you have the power to change it.

Little me? Yes! First of all, you are not little. We were created in the image of The Creator. That is NOT little. Second, instead of working at the material level, rise to the causal level where your work will more quickly and effectively bring about change. Don't ignore the cries of the material level, but focus on the causal, since fewer will be able to recognize the importance of that type of work.

What do you do? Live what you believe. All day, every day, bring your every thought and action into accord with the highest consciousness you know. For example, while driving, let go of individual desire; drive with your actions and responses being determined by the greatest good for all. Break that initial annoyance with the vision of safe journeying for all. This isn't being a goody two-shoes! This is how you create peace and brotherhood! You send out a higher vibration. This is where you LIVE "thoughts are things," not just mouth it. If you don't believe this could make a difference, try feeling that the guy who is tailgating you is a spiritual brother and send a heartfelt prayer for his safety and yours. Show respect that he might have an acceptable reason for his actions and ask that he respect your reason for your actions. Your response must be honest. Then watch what happens.

In all aspects of your life consciously choose to align with the higher vibration. Observe your thoughts, and feed them with only that which leads you to positive growth. Skip forwarding that email that is based on belittlement, fear, or outrage. Avoid any media that feeds the fear within you. Take responsibility for creating the life around you. If you created it, you can change it. You are that powerful.

You are also so very, very important at this time, because you have opened yourself to these truths and are allowing them to blossom in your life. Every consciousness that is opening to a higher vibration is helping to lift others with it.

The greatest need in this world at this moment is the lifting up of the mass consciousness; through this, permanent solutions to the distressing situations in our world will be found. Nurture your own expanding consciousness, encourage others by your words, suggestions of a book, movie, or program.

But each contact needs a support to keep it going. Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. has done that for me and many, many others. That is why I have supported their newly launched CREATE campaign, which seeks to ensure a source is readily available to the many who are ready to change their consciousness now and in the future. I do not ignore the other cries for help, but I want the greater portion of my giving to support the causal level for positive change in the world. I want to consciously be a Creator.

To learn more about the CREATE campaign, please visit EdgarCayce.org/Create.

Judy Lickert has been a member of A.R.E. since 1973, a student of the Cayce readings since 1966, and a Study Group member for more than 30 years. Her support of A.R.E. has included membership in our Golden Circle donor ($1,000+) recognition club as well as Life Membership. She has been married to her spiritual partner for 43 years, and has two daughters and two granddaughters. She is active in her community, especially the library and school district. She is an animal lover, organic gardener, and ballroom dancer.

Let's next see what the readings actually do have to say about astrological influences, while reinforcing all of the foregoing:

(Q) Would it be well for me to make a study of astrology?

(A) Well for everyone to make a study of astrology for, as indicated, while many individuals have set about to prove the astrological aspects and astrological survey enable one to determine future as well as the past conditions, these are well to the point where the individual understands that these act upon individuals because of their sojourn or correlation of their associations with the environs through which these are shown—see? Rather than the star directing the life, the life of the individual directs the courses of the stars, see?.... It may be said that the line of thought in the present is towards a change in the Aries age from the Pisces, or from the Aquarius, or to those various activities, see? (Edgar Cayce Reading 311-10)

(Q) Every astrologer erecting a chart for …

(A) (Interrupting) We have little or nothing to contribute to the interest self evinces in astrology. Not that there are not definite helps to be attained from astrology, but those who live by same the more oft are controlled rather than controlling their own lives and their destinies. Astrology is a fact, in most instances. But astrological aspects are but signs, symbols. NO INFLUENCE is of greater value or of greater help than the WILL of an individual. Use such directions as steppingstones. Do not let them become stumblingstones in thy experience. (Edgar Cayce Reading 815-6)

As to astrological sojourns themselves, the following readings provide insight to what the actual astrological influences are:

In giving that which would be helpful from the interpretations of the records here, it would be well for the entity to bear in mind that the sojourns in the environs about the earth have as much to do with the place and time of birth as the position of a planet, star or element has upon the entity in the earth's plane—or more. Sojourns in environments are those innate activities, while sojourns in the earth are those of the emotional natures; yet each one is under the influence more of the will—or what an entity does about an urge— than merely the position of a sojourn of the entity. Although there are influences from the astrological angle, they are as signs, omens and impulses; not as destinies, for the destiny of each soul is in what the entity does about the application of creative influences and forces in its own experience in any environ. (Edgar Cayce Reading 820-1)

That those influences from astrological aspects are arising as urges is true. Not because of the position of a star or planet, or any sign of the zodiac, but rather because of what one has done about what each of those planets or environs represents in the existence, in the consciousness of the individual entity, as related TO the whole of the Creative Force in the entity's experience. (Edgar Cayce Reading 1562-1)

Hence there ARE urges, or influences,—not as astrological aspects but from sojourns through which the entity has passed—or experiences during the interims between earthly manifestations. These become manifested in the dreams, the hopes; while the earthly sojourns find expression in the emotions of the body; and not because a star, a constellation, or even any phase of the zodiac sign, was in such and such a position at the time of birth. (Edgar Cayce Reading 2549-1)

In interpreting the urges latent and manifested as we find them here—there are urges arising from astrological aspects—or the sojourns during the interims between earthly incarnations. These are not always easy to interpret into material words, yet these may be indicated for this particular entity. The astrological urges are not existent merely because of the position of the planets, or any phase of so called astrology, but because of a consciousness in an environ interpreted in the name of planets,—that are as companions with the earth in its journey through this particular phase of the universe, or universal consciousness. Here, for this entity, we find Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus as the names, or environs, or consciousnesses, in which activities are indicated. (Edgar Cayce Reading 2437-1)

And now here's a key point: dealing solely with the physical characteristics of these other worlds as astronomy does is looking at only one aspect of their significance in the grand cosmic scheme of things. It's also essential to look at them through the spiritual eyes of the soul to grasp their full wonder and importance. Again—the need for astrology and astronomy to work together!

A replica of Isaac Newton's second reflecting telescope of 1672
Wikipedia

Let me conclude by stating that as an astronomer I still do have doubts about many of the tenets of astrology as it's practiced today. However, I'm open-minded enough to recognize that there are some important truths to be found within astrology—as clearly demonstrated by both the Cayce readings themselves, and the no-nonsense approach to the subject by practitioners like Steven Forrest mentioned in Part I of this blog article. My personal suspicion is that maybe planets, stars, constellations, and other celestial objects act as "psychic anchors" in much the same way as do tarot cards, crystal balls, and palms for gifted psychic readers in general. And perhaps support for this view by Cayce can be found in the following reading:

The entity then was a sand reader, or one who interpreted the sands in the capacity of what might be called a soothsayer, or a crystal gazer, or a star addict. (Edgar Cayce Reading 3356-1)

James Mullaney is author of nine books including Edgar Cayce and the Cosmos and the forthcoming Celebrating the Universe! (Hay House). A Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, he (with telescope!) appears at many A.R.E. conferences, including Our Ever-Changing Planet in March of 2013.

The well-known rift and resulting controversy between astrology and astronomy, or rather, between astrologers and astronomers, has raged for centuries. The latter totally dismisses the subject matter of the former as sheer folly and charlatanism—despite the fact that the famed astronomer Johannes Kepler was also an astrologer. Likewise, the former typically ignores even the most basic astronomical facts, such as precession of the equinoxes shifting the positions of the zodiacal signs, and the possible physical or other influences on us of such bizarre energetic objects as black holes, neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars, and quasars.

Bringing the two together would combine the best each has to offer. Astronomy's physical characteristics of other worlds and their significance in the grand cosmic scheme of things, and astrology's uniquely spiritual perspective and the significance it places on the relationship of celestial objects to one another.

In an attempt to foster a dialog between these two subjects, Steven Forrest—one of the world's best-known and respected astrologers, having backgrounds in both physics and astronomy—and I proposed a conference at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. in Virginia Beach on the theme of "Reviving the Natural Unity of Astrology & Astronomy" in March of 2004. Also participating was Raye Mathis, another gifted astrologer and regular contributor to A.R.E.'s membership magazine, Venture Inward. Numerous astrologers and those interested in astrology from all across the country and abroad attended. However, I was the only astronomer willing to speak at or even attend this landmark gathering! Such can be the closed-mindedness of the astronomical community. Obviously, the need for a dialog still exists.

Because of the Cayce readings, the A.R.E. is uniquely poised to play a pivotal role in reuniting these two ancient and once-intertwined disciplines. Many of Edgar Cayce's readings have to do with various astrological aspects of a person's past and present lives, including their astrological sojourns. Cayce's readings indicated just what planetary environs an entity (the person for whom the reading was being given) had visited between earthly reincarnations, stating that it was not the position of the planets that influenced their lives but rather the lives they had lived in previous sojourns that determined the position of the planets at their birth here on Earth.

Cayce also repeatedly stated that the stars and planets and other celestial bodies do not control or determine our lives! Here's a sampling of such remarks (the capitalized emphases here and elsewhere being his):

… BUT LET IT BE UNDERSTOOD HERE, NO ACTION OF ANY PLANET OR THE PHASES OF THE SUN, THE MOON OR ANY OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES SURPASS THE RULE OF MAN'S WILL POWER, THE power given by the Creator of man, in the beginning, when he became a living soul, with the power of choosing for himself. (Edgar Cayce reading 3744-4)

It is not then because an entity was born at a certain season, or a certain phase of the moon, or a certain period of the sun's position to the earth, or any of the planets, or the position of this or that phase of the outer consciousness. But it is because of the entity's application of SELF IN RESPECT TO WHAT these planets or constellations bring by association of its activities. And thus the relative relationships may become a part of the awareness of the entity. (Edgar Cayce reading 1776-1)

Astrological urges are not existent because of the position of the sun, moon or any planet at the time of birth, but rather because the soul-entity is a part of the Universal Consciousness and has dwelt in those environs. Thus they yield, or wield, an influence upon individual application of spiritual and mental truths or laws, AS they are brought into material manifestations. (Edgar Cayce reading 2132-1)

As to the influences from the various zodiacal signs,—these are not because the sun or the moon or any of the planets are in a certain position, but because of the soul's activity there, and what the entity has done about TRUTH as truth! (3084-1)

Though unusual and rarely given in the readings, it is also possible that a person's astrology be in opposition to what is typical of astrological signs:

As for astrological aspects,— the entity's experience in the present has been and would be almost contradictory to any of those aspects accorded to the activities of the entity because of the position of this or that planet or star, or this or that phase of the astrological aspects. (Edgar Cayce reading 2185-1)

One of the best discourses by Edgar Cayce on the relationship between astrology and astronomy is found within the following reading:

The beginnings of the understanding of these [Sun and planets], and their influences upon the lives of individuals, were either thought out, evolved or interpreted by those of old, without the means of observing same as considered today necessary in order to understand.

Astronomy is considered a science and astrology as foolishness. Who is correct? One holds that because of the position of the earth, the sun, the planets, they are balanced one with another in some manner, some form; yet that they have nothing to do with man's life or the expanse of life, or the emotions of the physical being in the earth. Then, why and how do the effects of the sun SO influence other life in the earth and not affect MAN'S life, Man's emotions? (Edgar Cayce reading 5757-1)

James Mullaney is author of nine books including Edgar Cayce and the Cosmos and the forthcoming Celebrating the Universe! (Hay House). A Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, he (with telescope!) appears at many A.R.E. conferences, including Our Ever-Changing Planet in March of 2013.

Reading over the plot summary of the new film, Atlas Shrugged: Part II, one might wonder if part of the story was inspired by the psychic readings of Edgar Cayce harkening back to the early 19th Century. According to the movie's synopsis: The global economy is on the brink of collapse, unemployment tops 24%, and railroads are the primary mode of transportation. On the brink of an energy crisis, the protagonist, Dagny Taggart, discovers the prototype of a motor that draws energy from static electricity. This revolutionary "Galt motor" might be able to power the world.

Like the story in Atlas Shrugged, the quest to build a motor capable of providing power for the world began for Edgar Cayce in February, 1928. According to the documented psychic readings, Edgar Cayce met inventor Marion L. Stansell [4666]*, through a friend, Mrs. [1010]* a housewife and neuropathist. Stansell had a near-death experience while stationed in France during World War I. During the experience, he had a vision and was able to view blueprints for a revolutionary motor that was designed in the spirit realm by Judge DeWitt Clinton, the former governor of New York, who was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal.

In hopes of building the motor, Cayce introduced Stansell to Tim Brown [195]*, an auto parts manufacturer from Detroit, and Morton Blumenthal [900]*, a New York Stock Broker and early supporter of the Cayce Hospital. Over the next few months, Edgar Cayce gave a series of readings on what was called a "perpetual motion machine" that once started could continue to run indefinitely "by creating energy of its own source." The hope was that proceeds from this invention could fund the future work of Edgar Cayce.

A reading for Tim Brown on April 7, 1928, confirmed that the group had indeed understood the instructions and would be able to demonstrate the motor in the patent office as well as explain how the machine works while filing a patent. The theory of how the motor worked was recorded in the Reports:

"Theory of Motor Working: The phrase 'getting something from nothing' is incorrect—for we know there is no such a thing as nothing. We do know that everything is a force or some form of energy. We do not know the relation of these forces of energy to each other—or, in other words, the Relativity of Force—but we can assume that this relationship exists. Therefore, in the case of our motor, when we look at the two substances, water and air, we look at them as forces, and by using a mechanical contrivance to accentuate and retard these forces at the right time it is possible to utilize the resultant force or Component force. This is what has been done in [4666] Motor." Report of Edgar Cayce Reading 195-51

It was an unlikely partnership, and there was distrust amongst the group, but Edgar Cayce continued to give readings for the trio, trying to explain the details required to build the motor and provide the answers to numerous questions about diagrams that were created by the group. The readings touched on the topics of vibrations, the theory of relativity, gravitational forces, and more. While working on the motor, a letter from Brown indicated, "though the law of relativity which the machine demonstrates will for a time upset some of the present scientific statements..." (Report of Edgar Cayce Reading 195-56).

Initially, two motors were built, one for test purposes and the other one (a smaller size) to be used at the patent office when the application was made for a basic patent. Further readings suggested changes to the design and the reports suggest that it was rebuilt several times. However, the motor was never completed or fully operational and the project was abandoned.

In March of 1973, a letter was sent from A.R.E. to Stansell's daughter after he died. A new team of researchers was looking for copies of the original designs or the patent application from Stansell's files. The daughter responded that her father had worked on the motor until he died 10 years prior. She added, "As far as anyone knows no papers were ever found. It does seem a terrible shame." According to the Edgar Cayce Foundation, there are still individuals working on building a motor based on the readings of Edgar Cayce.

*The names of individuals who received readings were kept confidential through a numbering system developed by Edgar Cayce's secretary, Gladys Davis Turner.

Alison Ray works as marketing manager for Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. where she is responsible for membership, public information, Venture Inward, and the Web. Before moving from Chicago to Virginia Beach, she was the Assistant Vice President of Discover Home Loans, a private label mortgage program under Morgan Stanley, offering home equity loans to Discover Cardmembers. A long-time Egypt enthusiast, she regularly practices meditation and Tai Chi, teaches Sunday School, and makes jewelry.

I began my training at a nearby lake with a 1.5 mile trail. I enjoyed the path not only for the view, but for the distance markers. There is plenty of wildlife to enjoy, and every tenth mile is marked. It is a great place to start learning how to pace yourself. Over time, my endurance and training commitment increased. I knew the day would come when I would have to leave the trail that I had become accustomed to. I was not looking forward to this change, but I continued to prepare for it.

So, body-building may be applied in this body, as it may in any; that there are those influences in the experience of all which would be applicable to the life - or experience of a life - in the material plane, and that which applies individually from what has BEEN the experience in all of any given entity's development.
(Edgar Cayce reading 681-2)

That 1.5 mile trail became reflective of my spiritual roots. Like many people, I was raised within a spiritual community. I had established myself with an organization and felt comfortable and safe within its presence. I thought I would grow old within the community I had become accustomed to, but almost a year ago, I was shaken from my spiritual haven. At the time I was emotionally hurt and working through my pain, which is perhaps one reason I began running. Given the situation at the time, I decided to step away from the community I had grown to accept as a part of my life and as a part of myself.

Searching to fill the void, I found another spiritual community not too far from my home. I began to integrate myself into this new place through unconditional service. Today, several months later, I feel welcome in my new spiritual family. I have committed my spiritual service to this organization, and I feel prosperous from my choices and actions. I have come to view this major spiritual change in my life as a training experience. As I left one path, I was soon able to find another on which to continue my journey.

One evening, I ran 8 miles off my regular beaten path. To my surprise I enjoyed the new challenges and sensations as I moved across this trail. It was exciting to see what I could accomplish in those 8 miles, which were very different from the lake I was familiar with. I had to cross streets and wait for traffic lights, but I excelled at my pace. I brought what I had learned from my old 1.5 mile trail, and I applied it to my new path.

My old trail is not far from my new one. In fact, in one spot they are only a few steps apart. I like knowing that I can still tread down a familiar trail when I need to. These days, I enjoy the new experiences I encounter as I run. The same can be said for my new spiritual community.

I have brought the invaluable experiences and knowledge from my upbringing into my new spiritual undertakings. I am encountering new stepping stones and creating new relationships. Although I miss my old spiritual family, I know that I can still visit from time to time or when I need to.

I completed my first half marathon (13.1 miles) over Labor Day Weekend. It was the perfect release I needed to complete one part of my life. I will continue to train and run, hopefully for the rest of my life. I look forward to the new paths and finish lines in front of me.

The next time I find myself on a new path, I will remember that the familiar is usually never far away. I will carry with me what I have learned and apply it to the new journey afoot. As a result, I may just be surprised by what lies ahead of me.

In giving that as might be helpful to this body in the present experience, the present environments, as we find, the entity should look upon those experiences - through which the entity has passed in many of the mental and the material aspects - rather as a growth of opportunity. And while these would not be in the future as builded upon the ashes of failures, those experiences in the past should be rather as stepping-stones for the future associations in this material plane.
(Edgar Cayce reading 165-21)

Deirdre L. Aragoni s a Laguna Pueblo Indian, who spent the early years of her life on the Laguna Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico. Her paternal grandmother and aunt, who were tribal healers, taught Deirdre the wisdom and teachings of her tribe. She was raised in a home where metaphysical principles and holistic healing were accepted and practiced as a way of life. During a near death experience when she was ten years old, Deirdre was given the "mark of the shaman" from the Spirit World. Accepting her abilities, Deirdre has designed several healing techniques based on her personal experiences and knowledge gained through various sources and is an active speaker. She is actively involved with A.R.E. in Northern Virginia and has participated in A.R.E. Search for God Study Groups since she was a child. She has been a student of the Unity Movement for over 15 years. You'll find her website Noble Minds, a companion on the path of enlightenment, online at Noble-minds.com.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning circle. In this case, the circle refers to the symbol for "All that is," especially all that can be, or Creation's complete and full potential, the unmanifest. The psychoanalyst Carl Jung brought mandalas to our attention and noted that they often appeared in conjunction with the square motif.

Jung noted that the square, a four-sided figure, seemed to be a universal (archetypal) theme about life on earth, as in "the four directions" or the "four corners of the earth." What is the significance, then, of the circle and square together?

The mystical geometers of ancient Egypt used only two tools—a compass and a ruler—to explore the realms. Using only these, they devised methods of creating known forms in creation. However, they discovered that for a given circle, it was not possible to create a square that contained exactly the same area within it as the circle.

They interpreted this fact to mean that no one could, in their lifetime, give complete expression (manifestation within the four corners of the earth) of the full potential the creator had implanted within each soul. "Squaring the circle" came to mean the imperfect expression in the earth of the perfection of the underlying creation.

Both Edgar Cayce and Carl Jung expressed the same idea, in different terms, about the goal of a lifetime. Cayce called it "individuality," Jung called it "individuation." What both meant by these similar terms was that we each grow to become individual, unique, incomplete, and imperfect expressions of the universal creative principle that underlies all life. A mandala expresses that blend of the unique and the universal.

I started a blog to share my daily attempt to "square the circle," in the form of a mandala. I believe that there will come a time when the collective consciousness is aware of all our voices, and we will learn to sing in harmony. To me, singing in harmony means each of us sharing of our authentic voice, and the harmony is the harmony not of sameness, but instead is expressive of the great mystery: how the underlying oneness manifests in so many particulars.

Before the advent of separation and judgment, as detailed, for example, in the fall of the Garden of Eden, there was an instinctive, although unconscious, harmony among the particulars of creation.

It has been our path to move beyond separation and judgment to achieve the next phase of creation. My studies and personal exploration in spiritual psychology, from Anthroposophy to Zen, has led me to the hypothesis that simply "being yourself" is the path. It is a path with heart, as it requires a certain acceptance and love for what is, rather than for what, according to judgments, "should be."

So I create and share my mandalas daily even though they are, from the standpoint of judging their artistic merits or quality of construction, imperfect, irregular, coarse or roughly hewn. Nevertheless, they reflect me. They express, I believe, the prayer that goes into their creation, that when viewed by others, the mandala will remind the viewer that it is OK to be themselves. It is OK to be as they are.

There has been a lot written about the inner effect of making mandalas. I'll not repeat any of that here, but encourage you to find out for yourself. I hope that these mandalas awaken the heart of the viewer more than words can do, maybe even inspiring the viewer to muse inwardly, "Hey, those mandalas look like fun; I could do one myself!"

Henry Reed, PhD, has been the prime developer of A.R.E.'s psychic training and evaluation program, in its various aspects, for the past 20 years. He is one of the trainers of A.R.E.'s most successful and long-running psychic training conference, "The Edgar Cayce Legacy: Be Your Own Psychic." He developed A.R.E.'s program of evaluating psychics. He has published scientific articles on his research into intuition and psychic functioning. He is the author of Edgar Cayce on Awakening Your Psychic Powers, Edgar Cayce on Channeling Your Higher Self, and Your Intuitive Heart. He compiles and edits the Psi Research pages in Venture Inward.

To view Henry's daily mandalas, visit Dailymandala.blogspot.com.

It's been years, but here we are again. Doing Cayce's recommended head and neck exercises, sharing stories, taking turns reading aloud paragraphs from our study materials, and participating in a lively discussion. All of these things were part of our weekly study group meetings in Virginia Beach, Va. This had been the format for our group since the inception of Study Group #9 in 1982; it was the same format for our recent reunion in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, from August 1-4, 2012. Seven members of the original group rented a townhome together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the group's founding.

Today, none of the reunion attendees are still in Virginia Beach. The Johnsons now live in Wisconsin. The Fazels have been Minnesotans since 1989. Dave Cassel lives in northwestern Idaho, near Canada's border. And the St. Jameses (formerly the Jangls) reside on Maui in Hawaii. While we are all a long way from Virginia Beach, we have all maintained contact with A.R.E., and our Study Group has had a continuing impact on our lives.

We spent our first evening "catching up" on highlights of each other's lives since the Virginia Beach days. The next evening, we revived the Study Group meeting format which had brought us all together 30 years ago. We chose to study the chapter on Ideals, from A Search for God (ASFG), Book I. Each member read aloud from the book, pausing to discuss each segment before the next person continued reading.

Each of us had experienced a change in our ideals, and we traced the evolution of our ideals—toward something less material and more other-centered. We had raised our children, developed businesses, built homes, and pursued our own spiritual development. For nearly everyone, the shifting of responsibilities and change in lifestyle as our children became adults marked major transformations in our view of the world and our roles within it, thus impacting our ideals. All of us remain members of A.R.E. and active in the body-mind-spirit practices offered in the Cayce readings. Nearly everyone also remained active in a faith community.

Spiritual ideals are still active elements in the lives of those gathered from Study Group #9. Yet, we shared with each other our difficulties in remaining true to the highest of ideals when one stands square in the face of another who actively challenges the nature of that ideal. Thus, forgiveness also became a major theme of discussion. We found this paragraph from the ASFG lesson relevant and testified to the truth of this advice which produced intense discussion:

Let us do all that we know to do, in love, and leave the results with God. Let us hold fast to that which we have purposed in our inner selves, knowing that no emergency in a material way or manner may arise that cannot find its solution in spiritual inspiration, for His promises are sure. Offenses may arise, yet with each and every fear there is that from within which will quiet our troubled minds, even as He quelled the tempest on the sea. As we seek, we find; as we knock, we are heard. If we are timid and fearful, or overcautious in giving out the hope which has sustained us, then we grow more weak and fearful ourselves.

To close our meeting, we shared an equally powerful brief meditation. The experience for most of us was devoid of the usual distractions that first-time meditators encounter. While we have not all continued the spiritual practice of daily meditation, we had learned and practiced it together 30 years ago so our meditation was spiritually nourishing. At the conclusion, we felt refreshed, hopeful, energized yet totally at peace. (As a matter of fact, this writer felt more like myself than I have for a long time!)

Being with these same individuals again after so many years, doing something that had been so long dormant in our experience was simultaneously easy and familiar—an experience of comfort far beyond words.

So, what had changed in the last 30 years? (Other than the obvious events of childrearing, loss of parents or other loved ones, and career changes?) What had changed at the core of each of us? Mary Johnson put it succinctly: "We've grown up," she said. Indeed, our appreciation for each other and for the ideals that we all hold was deepened by a sense of having not just passed through time, but having also gained a rich respect for the depth and breadth of human experience—a resonance with a dimension wider and deeper than can be measured by skin or by kin.

And, as was always true of this group from its inception, our presence with each other naturally included unbridled laughter! This is an invaluable dimension of our friendship and fellowship, and a keystone in spiritual health that too often goes by the wayside when engaging in the seriousness of trying to make a difference in the world. By all accounts, the members of Study Group #9, founded in 1982, in Virginia Beach, Va., counted this reunion a successful and rewarding venture, well worth the planning and the investment.

Study Group #9, August, 2012 (left to right): Mark Johnson, Mary Johnson, Alda St. James, Jim St. James, Dave Cassel, Sharon Fazel, Chris Fazel

Rev. Sharon James Fazel is Co-Pastor with her spouse, Rev. Christopher C Fazel, at First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC), of Anoka, Minnesota. They have served there together since January 2, 2000.

During the summer of 1991, I began to notice an occasional numbness in some of my fingers. Unexplained muscle spasms and tremors also began to occur. Once, I felt a powerful electric shock go down my spine. At times, I would be walking along on a smooth, flat surface and, for no apparent reason, stumble. Occasionally, I would chew a bite of food, attempt to swallow it, and nothing would happen. I was beginning to choke on fluids that "went down the wrong pipe." My speech was becoming a little slurred. At times, my face would contort in an embarrassing and uncontrollable manner. I was having trouble completely emptying my bladder. Sometimes, I would experience episodes of blurred vision, see flashes of light, and have an annoying itch behind my eyes. My memory was beginning to fail. I would often be unreasonably fatigued, inordinately depressed, and, on a few occasions, inexplicably euphoric. During minor confrontations with co-workers, I tended to become almost hysterical.

My symptoms were aggravated by hot showers, heating pads and hot water bottles, hot environments, stress, certain viral infections, and, in particular, a flu shot I received in the late fall of 1991. It was obvious that I was developing a very serious and pervasive health problem. Based on the symptoms, I concluded that I had multiple sclerosis (MS).

After a study of the Cayce readings, I decided to employ the radial appliance (beginning in November of 1991) in continuous cycles of 28 days (with a five day hiatus or "rest" interval between each cycle), using it with three ounces of gold chloride solution (in a concentration of one grain per ounce of distilled water) in the solution jar. The radial appliance has a copper and nickel electrode for application. I applied the nickel electrode to my abdomen, slightly above and to the right of my navel, putting a folded towel and pillow over it to keep it in place. Its application site was always the same for each day of the cycle (only the copper electrode changes position), and it represents the location of what the readings refer to as the "umbilical and lacteal duct plexus."

I changed the location of the copper electrode. On day one of the cycle, I attached the copper electrode to the inside of my right wrist over the radial artery, which is the primary pulse point in the wrist. On day two, I attached the copper electrode over the radial artery in my left wrist. On day three, I attached the copper electrode to the inside of my left ankle over the posterior tibial artery, which is the primary pulse point in the ankle. On day four, I attached the copper electrode to a comparable spot on my right ankle. On day five, I placed the copper electrode on the inside of my right wrist again, and so on around each extremity for each day of the cycle.

At the end of the 28 day cycle, I would discontinue using the appliance for five days, after which I would repeat the cycle all over again.

I followed the above regimen faithfully, and within a few months I began to experience considerably less fatigue. Within two years, all signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis gradually disappeared and have not returned—except for brief periods during and/or following certain viral infections (such as the flu), unusually stressful situations, or when I eat something to which I am allergic, sensitive, or intolerant (e.g., anything containing gluten).

While the basic cause of my condition has not as yet been corrected, my symptoms are in remission. Perhaps, as I continue to employ the Cayce remedies, maintain good nutritional habits following the Cayce diet, utilize massage, keep a positive mental attitude, and maintaining a high spiritual ideal, the basic cause will be eliminated, and I will be "cured." In the meantime, I am quite content to be in a state of remission, and if that state should continue indefinitely, I should be equally content.

During the spring of 1999, I had reason to believe that the radial appliance which had served me so faithfully was, for some unknown reason, only functioning intermittently. In May of that year, I began using the wet cell battery, employing it in the same manner as I had the radial appliance, but without the rest interval. In December of 2003, both as an economy measure and as matter of convenience, I resumed use of a new radial appliance.

In March of 2004, I decided that my condition had stabilized to the point where I no longer needed electrotherapy and discontinued using gold chloride solution. I continued to use the radial appliance in the same manner I had initially many years before to promote mental, physical, and spiritual balance (that is, with the standard wrist/ankle attachment of the electrodes).

Beyond that, I took a largely dietary and nutritional approach to treating my MS. In July and August of 2004, I added, respectively, colloidal silver and colloidal gold to my daily regimen. In April of 2007, I added glyconutrients (eight essential sugars) and Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN).

So far, by the grace of God, my MS-related symptoms remain in remission.

Dudley Delany is a retired chiropractor, massage therapist, registered nurse, and graduate pharmacy technician. He was recently ordained as a minister and graduate of the BBN Bible Institute and is the pastor for a small church in Virginia Beach. He is also the author of the book The Edgar Cayce Way of Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis: Vibratory Medicine. To learn more about his work, visit Webspawner.com/users/multscler1/index.html.

The information contained in this blog article should not be regarded as a guide to self-diagnosis or self-treatment. The cooperation of a qualified health care professional is essential if one wishes to apply the principles and techniques described here.

I am a member of an "A Search for God" Study Group in Snydersville, Pa. We were interested in synchronicity and decided to study Mark Thurston's book on the subject. We ordered a dozen copies and dove right in. Mark's explanations are quite clear and our members began to bring in examples of their own experiences each week.

We meet every Tuesday night at a local center, and our lively group consists of young as well as older members. We all became more and more aware of the things happening around us every day and began to share our synchronistic stories.

Two sisters reported missing their exit off the interstate on their way home and having to get off at the next exit and work their way back on the side roads. Suddenly in the headlights appeared one of their cats, and they stopped to pick her up. At the next meeting we discussed the fact that what seemed like a simple mistake of missing an exit led to the discovery of the straying cat, and without that mistake the cat might not have been found.

Most of the group had no experience using the I Ching, and we began to ask questions and read the results of the coin oracle given in the book. It surprised the group how useful the answers seemed to be. I asked the first question about what direction I should take with the work I was presently preparing. The answer warned me not to push forward but instead to pay attention to others' needs in order to allow time for things to come about in a natural way. It suggested I look at problems as opportunities and show patience. It has proved to be a good answer. We next asked about the coming changes foretold by so many, and were told that we should expect an increase in burdens and strong pressure from the outside but we were also cautioned against becoming pessimistic or allowing negative thinking to slow our progress into the next phase of our lives.

Some of the group asked questions about family members who were not in the best of health, and one of our members asked about the prospects for a new business he was intending to start. They all confirmed that the answers were useful.

Then the question arose of what our group should be doing to help others in our community. We were told to become lights in our community by spreading positive energies. For our group to grow, we were to look outside ourselves and see our role in the greater order.

We were a little shaken by the demands this seemed to place on us and asked ourselves whether we felt strong enough to start along that path, which seemed to be rather large and not a little frightening.

The Cayce readings came to the rescue as we remembered statements like: "As ye apply ye are given the next step." And "What ye find to do, with willing hands do ye."

Next we asked, "How do we start?"

We have always had fun sharing interesting sayings with each other via email and in person. So we thought we might be able to include others in the fun. The discussion led to the idea of introducing synchronicities by scattering our little sayings in such a way that people would be caught by surprise and stop for a moment to consider the wisdom of some of our favorite aphorisms.

Someone mentioned scattering thoughts about and there it was—let's call them "Scatter Thoughts." We could have these sayings printed on little slips of paper and scatter them everywhere. Leave them in the condiment tray at the diner, on supermarket shelves, in banks and filling stations. One of our ingenious members stuffed one into the pocket of each coat hung on the coat rack at her doctor's office.

As a nod to Sacred Geometry we decided to have them printed on slips of paper whose length and width is in the proportion of the Golden Mean.

We agreed we should remain anonymous and not to take credit for the Scatter Thoughts so that the mystery might coax a little more attention to the thoughts from the recipients. "Hmmm! Where did this come from?"

Here are a couple of examples of the slips we are distributing:

It is not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

brought to you by SCATTER THOUGHTS

You are precisely as large as what you love and as small as what you allow to annoy you. -Robert Anton Wilson

brought to you by SCATTER THOUGHTS

We are experiencing so much joy from this idea that I thought it might be appropriate to pass it on to other groups. Anyone can reach our group through me: Rev. Charles T. "Skip" Weatherford at Tamuz@aol.com.

Consult the I-Ching, an ancient Chinese text widely used for divination. Our version compares the traditional wisdom to the teaching of Edgar Cayce. The text of the 64 hexagrams was adapted from the book, Synchronicity as Spiritual Guidance, by Mark Thurston, PhD.

The Glad Helpers Prayer and Healing group has been offering Spiritual Healing for over 80 years.

1. It isn't a psychic reading – we go to psychics for that.
2. It isn't a chiropractic adjustment – we have chiropractors for that.
3. It isn't physical healing. Of the over 14,000 readings given by Edgar Cayce, there are many, many references to "mind is the builder, physical is the result." So, if we are concentrating on a physical healing, we have it in reverse. Spiritual Healing begins with the mind, and heals the whole person (mind, body, and soul). It can also heal that which was built in other lifetimes.

1. 1. Meditation
2. Positive Affirmations

Before praying, or offering laying on of hands, the Glad Helpers first meditate. There are numerous reasons why people meditate. The Glad Helpers meditate to raise the consciousness of the Christ within themselves. The Cayce readings tell us that when this consciousness has been raised within us, it is also raised in others as we pray for them. (reading 281-7 is one of many that discuss this). Ideally, this consciousness of the Christ should be raised through all 7 spiritual centers, culminating in the center of one's forehead (the pituitary center) with a burst of light. However, raising this consciousness beyond the lower centers is also helpful. For this reason, when offering laying on of hands, we always work from the lower centers upward.

Positive affirmations are given in the readings so that we may influence the subconscious mind. The subconscious is like a giant tape recorder, recording what we think, say, and do, and all that goes on around us, such as what we read, what we watch on television, what we see on our computers. The readings tell us that if we are not happy with what we have created with our minds, we can change it! Saying aloud, or to ourselves a positive affirmation until it gets into our subconscious mind is one way to change our circumstances, i.e, physical concerns, economic situations, and even relationships. When it gets into our subconscious, it becomes a part of us.

We can also change through being in harmony with universal laws. Cayce lists a host of universal laws in the readings. Suffice it to say, they consist of: What we send out is what we receive back. A good book on Cayce and the universal laws, the one I have often referred to, is Your Life: Why It Is the Way It Is and What You Can Do About It, by Bruce McArthur.

Spiritual healing is a unique method of healing prayer, unlike that found in any other prayer group. Spiritual Healing has been given to us (Glad Helpers), and we need to honor it, value it, and make sure it is passed down to those who will come after us.

Nancy S. Edwards, a life member of Edgar Cayce's A.R.E., is a retired astrology teacher and counselor, living in Virginia Beach. She has been a member of the Glad Helpers Prayer Group for more than 40 years. The Glad Helpers continuing a tradition begun in 1931 meets every Wednesday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the global headquarters of A.R.E. in Virginia Beach.

Do you remember 1972? Richard Nixon was in the White House, American Pie was at the top of the charts, Pong was the hot new arcade game, and as it just so happens, A.R.E. staff member Judith Stevens began the little Prison Outreach program she called "Over the Wall." She began by answering letters from inmates who wanted more information on the man called the "Sleeping Prophet." Ten years later, using her own money and tithes from other A.R.E. staff members combined with donations from her study group, Judith and other volunteers were sending out nearly 8,000 books a year. In 2012, the Prison Outreach Program's 40th anniversary, we are scheduled to send out more than 12,000 packages!

When I began working with the Prison Outreach Program, the number of letters received was overwhelming: typically more mail than all the other A.R.E. departments combined. I once counted 200 letters in one day. In 2008, we added an e-mail form to our Web page, and it generates about 50 requests per month with 90% being new inquiries. Each day, I found myself drawn to the box of unanswered letters. The bold red block letters – "INMATE MAIL" or "MAILED FROM STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY," made me wonder: What if I were to lose my physical freedom—regardless of the circumstances—would I "venture inward" or rage against the machine?

"The changes already have been dramatic, even in the surrounding I'm in. As one who has been incarcerated for nearly 12 years, I know that my location is not a prison, but an ideal location for soul development. Daily, even hourly, I am given the opportunity to learn patience and tolerance. Not on every occasion do I react accordingly, but on most occasions I do. And one day, I will live with only love and respect for God's children.")

"Times have been very difficult for me. It seems as though people have been going out of their way to aggravate or irritate me. I ask that you pray with me, for continued strength to overlook, avoid, and withstand these events. To learn from them and find out what I am doing to cause them or have done."

"Thank you for the love you send behind the fence to inmates. I was released 4/23/12 and am forever changed toward the light of love by my prison experience."

"Prayers are truly answered, as I am writing this letter from my kitchen table at home! I can't express the thankfulness I feel in my heart for the support you all at A.R.E. have shown me and when I return to work, I will be joining the membership program. I don't feel paying a membership fee even begins to show how thankful I feel for everything the A.R.E. has done to help me grow spiritually and to comfort me and bring peace of mind."

In many institutions, the Prison Outreach Program is the only contact these men and women have with the outside world. Over the 40 years, the Prison Outreach Program has reached hundreds of thousands of inmates, but we can do even more. Even with prisons bursting at the seams—the U.S. has 5% of the world's population but has 25% of the world's prisoners—state and federal governments continue to cut inmate programs.

As our program begins to plan for the next 40 years, our efforts will focus on reaching as many new inmates as possible by getting our core books into as many libraries and chaplains' carts as we can. Each inmate's package contains a return "order form," and we have been collecting data on existing libraries. If and when possible, we will send electronic versions of the books— more cost effective and potentially reaching even more of the prison population.

We will also deepen the relationship with existing participants. A self-study program incorporating the A Search for God material along with courses on dreams, meditation, and past lives will be available in the fall of 2013. Keeping in touch with these men and women as they re-enter society is crucial. We need to build relationships with groups and institutions who service parolees just as we have within the prison system. Plans are also in place to create a scholarship fund for those recently released who would like to continue their studies through A.R.E. membership.

When I make a presentation about our Prison Outreach Program, at least one person comes up to me afterwards and says, "I never knew the A.R.E. had a program like this." I have begun to refer to it as the "A.R.E.'s Best kept secret!" Psst! Pass it along!

Karen Boldt began working at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. in November, 2004. She worked in the Health Spa as well as the Cayce/Reilly® School of Massotherapy. She is presently responsible for A.R.E.'s Outreach Department including Prayer & Meditation Services which manages prayer requests from around the globe. She also oversees the A Search for God study group program, Prison Outreach, and the Glad Helpers Prayer Healing Group, of which she is a member. To learn more about A.R.E.'s Prison Outreach program, visit EdgarCayce.org/prison

An Egypt Study Group meets at A.R.E. Headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va., every Tuesday to discuss the Cayce readings on Egypt circa 10,500 B.C. Recently, the group studied the "Law of One" based on the rich information found in the readings. According to the readings, this became a time of enlightenment which influenced the entire world and ages that followed, including the present. The readings refer to it as, "one of the most momentous occasions or periods in the world's history." (900-275)

"...in the succeeding generations, as thought is turned into those channels, the same will be as that in the beginning; for, as seen, none are being drawn into that purpose of the establishing of this more close relation of God's truth in earth...other than those that first established same in that land now known as Egypt...in that momentous period in man's understanding." (Edgar Cayce reading 254-42)

The readings weave an intricate story of Edgar Cayce as the high priest RaTa who established temples in Egypt based on the Law of One. The Temple of Sacrifice was similar to a hospital and spa that cleansed and transformed the physical body using surgery, changing thought patterns and activities, and through diet. The Temple Beautiful is comparable to a university or center for the arts, and used vocational guidance for training based on what was best for each individual. Education was for service to God and country. Spiritual truths and cosmic laws were part of the curriculum along with meditation and prayer; always relating to the thesis upon which everything was based: to know more of one's relationship to the Creative Forces or God and the manner in which this could be expressed in relationships with others for the creation of a harmonious and peaceful world.

Here began the preparation for that later called the Great Pyramid to preserve the understandings from this time for future generations. It was designed in relation to the position of the stars and contained prophecies of humanity's spiritual evolution. Hermes was the construction architect and Isis served as the advisor.

"Then began what may be truly termed the first national or nation Spirit of a peoples; for with the divisions, rather than this causing a dispersing of ideals or a dividing up of interests, it centralized the interests; [RaTa] was…preparing for this very spirit to manifest itself in the way of the national emblems, the national ideas, that stood for the varied activities of not only individuals or groups, but for the general masses." (294-151)

The great teachers of the world were called into Egypt to correlate their understandings of the Law of One God. They unified the teachings for the creation of a harmonious and peaceful world. This period became the foundation of the Master's teachings. Emissaries were sent to distant lands to spread the truths and establish Temples.

The Law of One is based on living the Fruits of the Spirit; not just understanding but gaining wisdom through daily practice and application of the laws. This ideal is synthesized in the phrase "That we may make manifest the love of God and Man." (254-42)

"Let's don't forget the thesis, or the key for which all of this understanding had come: that there might be a closer relationship of man to the Creator, and of man to man." (294-149) "...there was the absorbing of the ideals and ideas of the Priest [Ra Ta], or the turning of the ideas into ideals, through the seeking to comprehend, to understand, and then to practically apply the tenets of "The Lord thy God is One." 2062-1

... the highest service an entity may render to the Creative Energy, and the answer of the divine from within, comes in being mindful of the sons and daughters of men. That...man may become One with the Creative Energy, yet know self to be self..." (5673-1)

"...as was given by the law of One during that sojourn, and as is the experience in the present, God is within—and the manifestations of His love and His mercy in and among his fellow man may be best known by the acts, the deeds—yea, even the very thoughts of man as in relationships to his fellow man." (509-1)

"To know more of man's relationship to the creative influences, or God, and the manner in which he may manifest same in his relationships to his fellow man." (254-111)

"…when the peoples were first seeking the rule of spirit and of the knowledge of the inner self. The entity…gained much…through service and sacrifice...this as a living example rather than as rule or regulation." (2728-2)

"And holding to those tenets of the Law of One, as to the fruits of the spirit...that is: As ye would have another be, that be thyself.
Do not ask another to do that ye would not do thyself.
Make concessions only to the weak.
Defy the strong if they are in the wrong…

"For God is not mocked, and whatsoever a person soweth, that must he reap!
"Only in the fruits of the spirit—as of longsuffering and patience and mercy and brotherly love and kindness and gentleness—may the true meaning of life's experience and the purposes of life, and in the associations with others, be understood… (1336-1)

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges we face as a human family is balancing our differing religious ideologies with the connectedness we share as children of ONE God. This challenge is not only evident between various faiths but it is evident within individual faiths as well. The premise of "oneness" contained in the Edgar Cayce material provides an approach to spirituality that can bring humankind together rather separating us because of our differences.

One of the most surprising experiences of religious contention that I ever witnessed occurred on a trip to Jerusalem. It was there that I saw firsthand how various religions were at odds with one another within their own faith! Some Jews didn't consider other Jews religious because of their approach to diet, to clothing, or to the Sabbath. Some Muslims were appalled by the apparent apathy (or the emotional intensity) of their brothers to Islam itself, to what they saw as the place of women, or to their overall relationship with the Jews. But for me the most disturbing event was occurring right within some of the Christian churches. At a number of revered sites, disputes had arisen as to which Christian denomination "owned" which portion of the church. In response, each denomination had built its own altar – so that one church might have three or four or even five specially designated altars. Those portions of the church which remained still in dispute were often unkempt, so much so that the disputed floor remained dirty, the dust on the walls grew thick from disregard, and even burnt-out light bulbs were not replaced.

On one occasion when asked what to do about individuals who became interested in a religion that was different than one's own, Cayce replied:

"… what is the difference? As He has given, it will ever be found that Truth—whether in this or that schism or ism or cult—is of the One source. Are there not trees of oak, of ash, of pine? There are the needs of these for meeting this or that experience … Find not fault with ANY, but rather show forth as to just how good a pine, or ash, or oak, or VINE, thou art!" (Edgar Cayce reading 254-87)

What this suggests is that the various religions (and the differing opinions within religions) are not in existence because of God but instead because of so many differing personalities trying to understand their individual relationship with God. From Cayce's perspective, religion is the form in which individuals attempt to understand the manifestation of this Spirit. God can (and does!) work through every soul in the earth.

On another occasion while discussing religious differences, Cayce stated that regardless of the religion, it was important to keep in mind that there was only one God—each individual was essentially attempting to understand that one God to the best of her/his ability. In the language of the readings: "For whether they be Greek, Parthenian, [Parthian] Jew or Gentile—whether they be of Mohammed, Confucius, or even Shinto or On or Mu—the Lord, the God, is ONE!" (1494-1)

Regardless of the name we call God or the religion on earth that we feel drawn to, there is but one Creator, one Source, one Law. In fact, perhaps more than anything else, this concept of "oneness" is the underlying philosophy of the Edgar Cayce readings: "The first lesson for six months should be One-One-One-One; Oneness of God, oneness of man's relation, oneness of force, oneness of time, oneness of purpose, Oneness in every effort-Oneness-Oneness!" (900-429)

This notion of oneness in a world so filled with variety may, at first, seem a difficult concept to comprehend. After all, we are surrounded by a myriad of plants, trees, animals, experiences, and people. Rather than attempting to make all things the same, however, oneness suggests instead that we have the opportunity to view this rich diversity as an example of the multiple ways in which the One Spirit tries to find expression in our lives. Since there is only one God—the source of all that exists—ultimately, the universe must be composed of only one Force.

Oneness as a force implies that all things are interrelated. Every one of us has a connection to one another, the earth, the universe, and to God. This one force is a force for good which is attempting to bring the spirituality of the Creator into the earth. Unfortunately, because of our limited awareness of the power of free will, individuals are able to direct that force into selfish purposes and desires, creating "evil" in the process.

One of our confusions associated with religion is that we often mistake the form for the Spirit. For example, individuals may have a particular moving religious experience while attending a certain church or a service in a specific religious denomination. These experiences may include being overwhelmed by the spirit, having a very moving (or even a "Kundalini") experience, awakening to the awareness of God's presence, even speaking in tongues. Rather than seeing these experiences within the context of form, however, individuals often assume that because their experience was valid, everything else associated with that religious form contains the same degree of value. They are forgetting that throughout the history of humankind, individuals have had similar transformational experiences in every religion.

The good news is that, in spite of how things may appear in the world today, the readings assert that all of Creation will eventually be brought into an awareness of this oneness and of the Law of Love that it implies. One of our challenges as individuals is to make the world a better place because we have lived in it. Perhaps the best approach to this consciousness is reflected in the Bible when it states that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves.

Why do we have so many religious sects if the principle of oneness is an undergirding force in the universe? In part, the answer lies in our own diversity and in the fact that we are all drawn to what we need at a given time for our own personal growth and development. In addition, we also possess the very human trait of wanting to "pin down" our truth, putting parameters around our understanding so that we can deal with it. But truth is a growing thing, and the Cayce readings affirm that no one has all the answers to the marvelous question of who we really are as God's spiritual children. But even in the midst of our diversity, we share a common spiritual heritage. We are all children of the same God. We are all part of the one spiritual Source, our Creator, our Mother/Father, our God.

Kevin J. Todesch is A.R.E.'s Executive Director and CEO. As both student and teacher of the Edgar Cayce material for more than 30 years, he is the author of over 20 books, including the bestselling Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records and Edgar Cayce on Vibrations. His latest book, Edgar Cayce on Auras & Colorswas written with professional psychic Carol Ann Liaros. Known for his ability to explain complex subjects in a straightforward and easy-to-understand manner, he is popular for his insight and his sense of humor. A nationally recognized resource on dream interpretation, he wrote the definitive dictionary Dreams, Images and Symbols. The full and free 'lite' Dream Dictionary App can be downloaded for Apple or Android devices.

It's true, America's premier science magazine has confirmed Edgar Cayce's psychic pronouncement: "The first lesson is cooperation." ( Edgar Cayce reading 262-3)

It's taken 81 years but, as Cayce also stated, there is no time but one time, so let's enjoy the support whenever it comes our way.

Scientific American© (July 2012, p. 38): "The mechanisms governing the emergence of cooperation apply to all manner of organisms, from amoebas to zebras (and even, in some cases, to genes and other components of cells). This universality suggests that cooperation has been a driving force in the evolution of life on Earth from the beginning."

Now consider what Edgar Cayce said in a reading in 1931:

Edgar Cayce: "The cooperation in a body … was from the beginning, when the cooperation brought into being those forces as manifest themselves in this material world. They each, then, keeping that creative force within themselves in that direction as makes for the continuity of life, hope, peace, understanding, so may it be built in the lives of themselves first, then in others—as they, in their way, seek to bring a better understanding in this material world." (262-3)

It is continually amazing how well the content of the vast majority of Edgar Cayce's readings eventually matches science's ongoing discoveries. But let's consider the value and influence of cooperation as Scientific American reveals it in their latest issue:

"There is one group in which the effects of cooperation have proved especially profound: humans. Millions of years of evolution transformed a slow, defenseless ape into the most influential creature on the planet, a species capable of inventing a mind-boggling array of technologies that have allowed our kind to plumb the depths of the ocean, explore outer space and broadcast our achievements to the world in an instant. We have accomplished these monumental feats by working together. Indeed, humans are the most cooperative species—supercooperators, if you will." (p. 38)

The article is written by Harvard Professor Martin A. Nowark. Professor Nowark states that "people tend to think of evolution as a strictly dog-eat-dog struggle for survival. In fact, cooperation has been a driving force in evolution." He identifies five mechanisms by which cooperation may arise in organisms ranging from bacteria to human beings. These are:

1. DIRECT RECIPROCITY – Among individuals who encounter one another repeatedly and are of a specific group, there becomes a tit-for-tat cooperation. Professor Nowark uses bat colonies as the example here, revealing that if a bat did not succeed in getting food that evening, then another bat among the colony would share what it had gotten. Amazingly, bats remember who gave them food, and will give back to that bat when in need.
2. SPATIAL SELECTION – This type of cooperation is the good neighbor concept. Nowark explains that when the "cooperators" and "defectors" are not uniformly distributed in a population, then the cooperators tend to form clusters that can grow and prevail in competition with defectors (a defector being an individual who seeks only to take from, or use the benefits of, those giving). When the cooperators get a foothold in the communal area, then the benefits of living cooperatively become so apparent that defectors decline. Surprisingly, Nowark uses yeast as an example here, revealing how among yeast cells cooperators produce an enzyme used to digest sugar, and at a cost to themselves. If there is no spatial clustering then defector cells mooch off the sacrificing cells, but when there are clusters of cooperators among the defectors, then the cooperators always win.
3. KIN SELECTION – This is the "Blood is thicker than water" theory. Among genetically related individuals, there is a greater propensity for selfless sacrifice for their relatives. Nowark uses historical quotes from 20th Centjure biologist J.B.S. Haldane who first mentioned the idea of kin selection.
4. INDIRECT RECIPROCITY – Nowark explains that in this form of cooperation, one decides to assist another based solely on the other's reputation for helping individuals. Thus, instead of direct tit-for-tat, the giver is motivated by the idea that goodwill going around will eventually come around, even if not directly from the one being helped. This is "good karma breeds good karma."
5. GROUP SELECTION – Lastly, individuals may perform selfless acts for the greater good of the group. Nowark points out that this type of cooperation "dates back to Darwin himself, who observed in his 1871 book The Descent of Man that 'a tribe including many members who...were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection.'"

In conclusion, Professor Nowark writes, "What makes humans, in particular, the most helpful of all? As I see it, humans, more than any other creature, offer assistance based on indirect reciprocity or reputation. Why? Because only humans have full-blown language, and, by extension, names for one another—which allows us to share information about everyone from our immediate family members to complete strangers on the other side of the globe. We are obsessed with who does what to whom and why—we have to be, to best position ourselves in the social network around us. The interplay between language and indirect reciprocity leads to rapid cultural evolution, which is central to our adaptability as a species."

Cayce's readings take us to cooperation with the Divine Forces surrounding us:

"For, as there is self, there are the powers and influences without you. Get together! Know that in cooperation with the DIVINE that is CONSTRUCTIVE you may be a blessing in ANY channel that is pointed out to you, that becomes a consciousness, an awareness in you." (317-7)

John Van Auken is an international speaker and author on a variety of topics from mystical spirituality and ancient civilizations to modern life. Popular with A.R.E. audiences throughout the country, he has written many books, including From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruits of the Spirit; Edgar Cayce's Tales of Ancient Egypt; and Ancient Egyptian Mysticism. John's extensive knowledge of the Edgar Cayce readings, the Bible ancient Egypt, and other world religions is combined with years of practical application of these truths in his own life. His exciting presentations are packed with useful information combined with insightful and revealing stories. His clear step-by-step techniques give practical tools for ongoing development, self-training, and spiritual enlightenment. He travels extensively, conducting seminars and retreats throughout the U.S. and abroad including A.R.E.'s annual Tour of Egypt.

At Tuesday morning Work Readings discussion group in Virginia Beach on January 7, 1978, Hugh Lynn Cayce was asked to describe what he thought was meant throughout the Edgar Cayce readings by "The Forces," such as referred to in Reading 254-25:

"First, locate the residence, getting in place as given. Then will come the means necessary for making the proper location. The Forces will provide same—indirectly." (Edgar Cayce reading 254-25)

As I understand "The Forces," I think we have to go back to the beginning, really. The original plan, the original purpose in the mind and heart of God for the creation of the soul that was set forth in the creation, in the original plan, as is indicated in one place in the readings, "stamped on every soul," is the image of the Christ Consciousness which was given by God and only needs to be awakened by our wills, in application. The will was given to Man as part of God's original creation: The Divine Mind, the Divine Spirit and the Divine Will. That's a part of God that makes up the soul as it was created.

As man, as the souls began to express themselves in different planes of consciousness by creating thought forms. This is clearly defined in the readings as "thought patterns" that were created like what God had created. Man saw what God had created and man, with his creative mind, created a form like that. As he created it, he became involved in it. As a [metaphor], we might say that man reaches into a tar barrel, trying to shape an image with his hand. He gets caught; trapped there by what he has created. He won't turn loose of it and he can't pull it out. It's almost like the old symbol of the monkey that wants the piece of fruit that is in the jar, and as long as he holds the piece of fruit in his hand he can't pull his hand out of the jar. The thought forms that man became hardened and trapped a part of the soul energy in the earth.

These thought forms gradually hardened into bodies in three-dimensional expression. Then man's mind began to create thought forms at the flesh level where the body becomes an energy pattern and a thought form. On other levels of consciousness, man built a finer physical body which is the one we use when we die. That doppelganger is also a thought form and it relates to matter. The readings say we're free of the flesh when we move in that body, but we're not free of matter. It still is made up of finer, faster moving, material thought processes.

Every plane has thought forms created by man; energy patterns that had withdrawn from one shell and were moving in consciousness. These thought forms are "the forces" that are spoken of in the readings; these thought form forces combined with the original forces and pattern of God's purpose for the souls in the earth and in all creation. So, when man builds patterns that are opposed to God's will, he creates negative, rebellious forces to which he attunes. He also builds cooperative forces in patience and love and long-suffering. The readings reiterate these over and over again; so, these forces that he builds become good.

As groups of people, groups of souls, come into the earth in cycles, they develop agreement in trying to move the constructive forces and to return to the same consciousness that God had for man: the Christ Consciousness, in other words, in a broad universal sense. So, in one incarnation, they developed a plan, a pattern to express love and service and they began to carry on a work that is in accord with God's love. Those thought forms become forces. Those patterns of thought, those purposes, become forces in the earth for man to draw on.

We draw on these forces of thought forms, these purposes and ideals and goals that have been set. When they're in accord with God's purposes, they create help and the patterns of healing, and good is accomplished. But when we tune into the rebellious parts that we have created, we become rebellious and are in tune with the negative forces. They are of our creation, but they were also of God's creation in the beginning. In our slowed-down state of consciousness, we lost track of the forces for good that God created. We don't see angelic forces as often, apparently, as the Bible people used to see them.

Hugh Lynn Cayce(1907-1982) was the eldest son of Edgar Cayce. He turned the A.R.E. into an organization of international renown and developed widespread recognition and acceptance of subjects such as psychical research, dream analysis, meditation, and spiritual development. He received critical praise for his first book, Venture Inward, for which A.R.E.'s Member magazine is named. Members can read the full article and the companion piece, What are the Creative Forces by Robert H. Schor in the online Member Section.

Inner Vision: Will Power 
Heavenly Gift, Earthly Test
by John Van Auken

According to the Cayce readings, the Book of Job was written by the high priest Melchizedek, the King of Salem (King of Peace, predecessor to the Prince of Peace), as a guide to all incarnate souls concerning Earth life. The Book of Job presents Earth as a realm of testing, of meeting oneself (soul self) and one’s karma, to see if we curse God, as Satan said we would, or seek out God’s companionship to better understand why life is the way it is. In the end, Job did not curse God but sought Him out. The two grew to know each other, and all that Job had lost in the test was restored to him, a hundredfold.

This life is a test of our free will. Set before us are all manner of opportunities and challenges. We are to choose the best course according to our heart’s desire. And that is exactly why the test exists: to determine the true motivation of our hearts. Are we self-centered, self-gratifying, self-glorifying, or cooperative parts of the Whole, God, and all of creation? Through our choices, we reveal our hearts.

Now some appear to be living without making choices. They just roll with the circumstances of life. Whatever comes along, takes them along, with little thought as to the consequences. It is important to set an ideal, a standard by which we guide our decision making. Among the many directives given by Edgar Cayce’s attunement to the Universal Consciousness, setting an ideal was number one. Even with an ideal, the choices are rarely as clear as good or evil. They are often ambiguous. Here the guiding principle for making a choice is love. Whichever choice brings more love to others and to our hearts is most likely the better choice. The greatest commandment, greater than all the laws and prophets, is to love God with all our being and others as ourselves.

Despite the difficulties, getting in touch with God is key to realizing our full potential and purpose for existence. In order to be a companion, we have to have a relationship. To have a relationship, we have to have communication. Is communication with God the same as communication with others? Is God individual or universal? Is God finite or infinite? Obviously, communicating with a universal, infinite consciousness is not the same as communicating with an individual, finite one. This is evidenced by the way Edgar Cayce got his information. He subdued his individual, finite self and attuned himself to the universal, infinite consciousness, the mind of God. Through his efforts we’ve learned that we can all do this, and we all should do it. God still speaks to those who will listen. It is not a thing of the ancient past and the Old Testament.

John Van Auken is an international speaker and author on a variety of topics from mystical spirituality and ancient civilizations to modern life. Popular with A.R.E. audiences throughout the country, he has written many books, including Edgar Cayce's Tales of Ancient Egypt; Ancient Egyptian Mysticism; and From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruits of the Spirit. John's extensive knowledge of the Edgar Cayce readings, the Bible ancient Egypt, and other world religions is combined with years of practical application of these truths in his own life. His exciting presentations are packed with useful information combined with insightful and revealing stories. His clear step-by-step techniques give practical tools for ongoing development, self-training, and spiritual enlightenment. He travels extensively, conducting seminars and retreats throughout the U.S. and abroad including A.R.E.’s annual Tour of Egypt.

There is a law that we observe – whether we like it or not, whether we are conscious of it or not. We have read it in the Bible. We have seen it in the readings.

"… for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap." (Gal. 6:7)

"He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword." (Rev. 13:10)

"Mind becomes the builder. The physical body is the result." (Edgar Cayce reading 3359-1)

Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning cause and effect. Karma embraces the idea that life is continuous, that the soul existed before it entered Earth and will continue to exist after the death of the body. The Edgar Cayce readings also include the idea that Karma is memory rather than a debt between people.

"Each soul pays for his own shortcomings, not someone else's!" (1056-2)

"What is karmic debt? …Your relationships to your fellows … is merely self being met, in relationships to that they themselves are working out and not a karmic debt between but a karmic debt of self that may be worked out between the associations that exist in the present! And this is true for every soul … " (1436-3)

As explained by this reading there are no debts between souls; your only debt is to yourself. Of course, you have had previous encounters with the other fellow in other lives. And because of this, because certain individuals have helped engender certain memories within us, be they feelings of malice, impatience, stubbornness or whatnot, these same individuals are the instruments needed to help remove these memories that are within us.

As explained by this reading there are no debts between souls; your only debt is to yourself. Of course, you have had previous encounters with the other fellow in other lives. And because of this, because certain individuals have helped engender certain memories within us, be they feelings of malice, impatience, stubbornness or whatnot, these same individuals are the instruments needed to help remove these memories that are within us.

"What you sow, you reap, unless you have passed from the carnal or karmic law to the law of grace." (5075-1)

We can move our lives from cause and effect to grace. This transformation involves changing the quality of our lives and our attitudes. This is an important matter, deserving of serious consideration. If you acknowledge that there is room for self-improvement within you, then you can freely work under the law of grace. You no longer have to accept the negative consequences of your acts, but rather can invite God's grace. Following are seven suggested ways of bringing ourselves under the law of grace:

1. Exercise righteousness.

   "What is righteousness? Just being kind, just being noble, just being self-sacrificing; just being willing to be the hands for the blind, the feet for the lame — these are constructive experiences." (5753-2)

2. Be joyous.

   "Not as one to be long-faced. For, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof — in joy! Do not see the dark side too oft. Turn it over — there's another side to every question. Cultivate in self humor, wit. You enjoy it in others, others enjoy it in you. But too oft it becomes to you foolishness." (2995-1)

3. Be gentle.

   "And to do good, to be kind, to be gentle, to smile even when in pain, to look up when others are even tramping upon your feet and give praise to Him in the inner self, is that He seeks for." (815-3)

4. Work with your ideals.

   "For, there are those immutable, unchangeable laws. These are oft termed in the material world cause and effect, or — by some — karmic influences. Yet none of these, if the ideal is set, should separate the individual entity from the awareness of the Creative Forces' operation through its own experience." (3106-1)

5. Avoid self-condemnation.

   "Keep yourself unspotted from the world; condemning not yourself, then, but rather leaving behind those things that would so easily beset." (622-6)

6. Be creative.

   "Then as the entity sets itself to do or to accomplish that which is of a creative influence or force, it comes under the interpretation of the law between karma and grace. No longer is the entity then under the law of cause and effect — or karma, but rather in grace it may go on to the higher calling as set in Him." (2800-2)

7. Forgive.

   "For if you would not forgive, how may you expect to be forgiven?" (633-5)

If we do all those things which Jesus did when He established Himself as a pattern for all souls to follow, it is natural that our will can become one with God's. By making our will one with the Father's, we are able to escape from karmic experience to the law of grace.

Excerpt from the Principles of Karma Circulating File, based on an A.R.E. Journal article. Members can download this and other circulating files in the online Member-Section. Bible quotations throughout this article are taken from the Lamsa interpretation.

Bonnie Alt attended State University of New York at Buffalo and in 1972 graduated with a B.A. in classics. She is a member of A. R. E. and has been active in A Search for God Study Group work for the past seven years. Mrs. Alt currently lives in Buffalo, N.Y., where she has assisted her husband in his pharmacy.

That it, the entity, may know itself to be itself and part of the Whole; not the Whole but one with the whole; and thus retaining its individuality, knowing itself to be itself… (Edgar Cayce Reading 826-11)

…remember it has been given that the purpose of the heart is to know yourself to be yourself and yet one with God even as Jesus, even as is represented in God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each knowing themselves to be themselves yet One! (Edgar Cayce Reading 281-37)

For the Creative Forces are more even than companionship; for the heritage of each soul is to know itself to be itself yet one with that Creative Force. (Edgar Cayce Reading 1210-1)

One of the foundations of the work of Edgar Cayce is the idea of Oneness. His readings are filled with different ways to express the same concept: Know yourself…to be yourself…and yet part of the whole. In the readings, the whole represents not only the Creative Forces or God but also all other souls. The concept of remaining a unique individual and also part of the whole of creation is a concept that is difficult to understand and express. Many masters have pondered and meditated, seeking to truly understand its meaning and implications. Looking upon a sea of Oneness it is not difficult for a part of us to feel that we could be lost in the vastness; lost to ourselves and lost to others. How can we know that is not the case? Fortunately the Cayce readings also give us direction as to how we can reach this knowing and how to remember what has been forgotten.

Only man forgets! And it is only in His mercy that such was brought about. For what was the first cause? Knowledge — knowledge! What then is that cut off in the beginnings of the Sons of God? Becoming entangled with the daughters of men, and the Daughters of God becoming entangled with the sons of men! As in Adam they forgot what manner of men they were! Only when he lives, he manifests that life that IS the expression of the divine, may man begin to know WHO, where, what and when he was! (Edgar Cayce Reading 294-189)

It is through knowledge and living in same that we then turn this knowledge into wisdom that we begin to remember our heritage and who we are. That the statements of being One, yet individual began to resonate as an unshakeable inner truth. Where can such knowledge be found? Many places, and again the readings help in where to seek.

…the gracious Father manifests to the children of men, in giving that ensample in which the study of same may be seen how that he who understands nature walks close with God. (Edgar Cayce Reading 1904-2)

And nature does give us the answer of Oneness and individuality in the hydrologic cycle of water. Water is an amazing and unique substance that makes life possible. It is the only substance on earth that exists naturally in three phases; as a solid (ice), as a liquid (water), and as a gas (water vapor). It is considered a universal solvent that permeates and affects everything. These three phases are analogous to our existence as body, mind, and spirit and the Oneness these share.

The hydrologic cycle of water is the name given to the process as water goes through its phases in nature. Water in its liquid form is turned into water vapor—its gas form—by the heat of the sun. As it is drawn into the sky, it begins to collect and condense into clouds. In these clouds, ice crystals and snowflakes—water's solid form—are created. When precipitation occurs, the water returns to Earth, depending on the season and locale, as snowflakes or raindrops.

image courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey- Wikipedia

When we see a single drop of water or a single snowflake, we see its individuality. When we look at an ocean, it appears as a homogeneous body of water. Individuality appears to be lost, since we cannot differentiate one drop of water from another. This is where the concept of knowing oneself becomes important.

Imagine yourself as one molecule, a drop of water; by yourself you can easily recognize yourself. Then picture yourself high in the heavens, yet slowing your vibrations down to a freezing level. You become a snowflake, easily recognizable and unique, known to be unlike any other snowflake in the world. Even in a field of snow, the snow can be examined down to each individual, one-of-a-kind snowflake, and identified. Your individuality is visibly intact.

Now with that image in mind, picture the heat of the sun raising your vibrations until, as the snowflake, you melt and flow into a great ocean of Oneness. The sun continues to raise your vibrations and you spread out into an even greater expanse of Oneness as a gaseous water vapor. Have you lost your sense of individuality? No, you have only moved through phases. Your individual consciousness is still intact. Just, because a limited three-dimensional material viewpoint does not see it does not mean it is not there. Your unique snowflake individuality is still there, only your phase has changed. If you slow your vibrations down to freezing again, your uniqueness is visible in material manifestation.

God always gives us a way to know Him, to be His friend and co-creator. Sometimes this knowledge surrounds us so completely that we can miss seeing it. Nature's water cycle is one such an example, but once recognized it can help in understanding how we can become One with the Creative Forces yet know ourselves to be ourselves at the same time. For me, it is also helpful in understanding the cycle of reincarnation, of being in Spirit and returning to Earth time and time again, always with the opportunity to return to Spirit.

Don Carroll had a career of over thirty years in the Fire/Rescue service. After receiving his degree in Fire Science, he worked as a district chief for a battalion, an operations company officer, an emergency medical technician, a paramedic, and a teacher at the regional fire academy. While raising a family, he pursued the greater meaning of life, reading materials on Edgar Cayce and attending A.R.E. conferences, seminars, tours, and retreats. He is the author of the article Visions Lead to 'Archaeological Discovery' about the Great Pyramid with Randy Griffith in the June-Sept. issue of Venture Inward Magazine, available in the online member-only section.

What if death were a choice? This may seem to be an outrageous idea, especially when death occurs as an unavoidable accident or a child is born with a terminal illness. But since we know that God is a God of love, not of punishment, it makes sense to me. Perhaps it is our own misperceptions or misinterpretations that lead to errors in thinking and the erroneous conclusion that we actually age and that we must die.

Let me tell you about my cousin Cyd, a woman in her 80s who took me under her wing after my mother died. Cyd had been a very active, retired social worker and a yoga devotee. At first, we had often talked on the phone since she lived in Florida and I lived in Brooklyn. When Cyd's health declined further, she moved into a nursing home near her daughters in Brooklyn where she could receive around-the-clock assistance when needed.

About that time, my family and I had taken a vacation to Virginia Beach, Va., and decided to move the following summer, almost a year away. My only regret about moving was the thought of leaving behind friends and family, with my cousin Cyd high on the list. As things unfolded, our moving plans changed from the following summer to the upcoming New Year, months sooner than we originally thought. I didn't look forward to telling Cyd about the move, but when I did, she took me completely off guard by gently saying, "Well, when you move, I will die."

I argued with her, but there was no dissuading her from her quiet conviction. As the New Year drew close, we said our goodbyes at our last visit together on a Saturday. I was flying to Virginia with my daughter the following Wednesday afternoon.

Monday I received a call from Cyd's daughter letting me know that Cyd had died quietly in her sleep. Wednesday morning would be her funeral. My daughter and I attended and then caught the plane – seemingly arranged with everything in divine order. And as we flew to our new destination, I wished Cyd well on hers, amazed by her impeccable timing.

What if death, even when so elegantly timed, is unnecessary? What if it's an old habit where we expect the "inevitable" to overcome us, as it has always overcome all the ones before us? What if there isn't any real basis for death, just a matter of what we expect, as Cayce stated in one of his most far-reaching readings:

For, as may be told by any pathologist, there is no known reason why any individual entity should not live as long as it desires. And there is no death, save in thy consciousness. Because all others have died, ye expect to—and you do! These are a part of thy consciousness, in what? In the mental, in the spiritual—and the physical reacts to same. . . .

But remember, just as that expectancy—because your great, great, great, great grandfather died you will die too—is there, and is part of the expectancy of every cell of your body! It can be eradicated, yes. How? By that constant activity within self of expectancy that this condition does not HAVE to happen to you! . . .

And if you set your life to be a hundred and twenty, you can live to be a hundred and twenty-one! (Edgar Cayce Reading 2533-6)

And in another reading:

Not that the love of God is belittled or is lacking—for His influence to so attune every vibration of self to RENEW itself; yea, it may!  For in each cell of thy individual body ye may find that which will renew itself continuously. Yet thou hast built in thy own consciousness, by the ages that have passed, that man ages and dies! Is this the will of God? (Edgar Cayce Reading 1158-14)

Evy McDonald, a remarkable woman in Dr. Bernie Siegel's book, Peace, Love & Healing, was the first medically documented case of reversal of ALS, doing physically nothing. Instead her body healed when she focused her mind on allowing unconditional love to fill her soul. It took time but she was healed.

I wish I could say that I've walked on water or raised the dead, but so far I haven't. However, since I was young I always remember hearing people say that as you grow older you shrink. And though it was something I had seen for myself and even learned about this "natural" process in nursing school, whenever I heard it being said, something inside me would say "No" or "Who said so?"

I grew up to be 5'5½" tall until sometime after my 50th birthday. Then one time when I was in for a doctor's appointment, the assistant read out the numbers for my height and weight. My weight was still the same but now I was 5'6 " tall. I asked the assistant to redo it thinking that she had made a mistake—but she hadn't—and I've been that height ever since. (I wish I had said "No" to wrinkles in the same way!) Not that growing a half-inch as opposed to shrinking would be considered a miracle by some, but for me it was a personal confirmation that we are more than what we appear to be.

Getting back for a moment to raising the dead, George G. Ritchie, Jr., M.D. in his book, My Life After Dying: Becoming Alive to Universal Love, wrote about his amazing experience with raising the clinically dead Mr. Edlow Bugg.

Mr. Bugg's wife had begged Dr. Ritchie to "do something"….

A voice within Dr. Ritchie said, "You are to call Edlow by his first name and tell him to sit up."

The doctor did as he was told and so did Edlow!

The last to be overcome will be death. What if the time is now and we need to do our part by saying "No," to this illegitimate imposition, not with fear or fury but with radical insistence on beholding God's Truth?

On July 21, 1935, Edgar Cayce, in trance, was answering a question brought up by the Norfolk Study Group #1 as they worked on the lesson "Destiny":

(Q) Is it possible for our bodies to be rejuvenated in this incarnation?
(A) Possible. For, as the body is an atomic structure, the units of energy around which there are the movements of the atomic forces that—as given—are ever the sentiment or pattern of a universe, as these atoms, as these structural forces are made to conform or to rely upon or to be one with the spiritual import, the spiritual activity, they revivify, they make for constructive forces.

How is the way shown by the Master? What is the promise in Him? The last to be overcome is death. Death of what?

The SOUL cannot die; for it is of God. The body may be revivified, rejuvenated. And it is to that end it may, the body, TRANSCEND the earth and its influence. (262-85)

Maybe the time has come to rethink our choices like the scriptures encourage us to, and choose life—and as outrageous as we may think it may be, practice raising the dead.

(Q) Will I overcome death in this incarnation?
(A) There is no death. Death is only overcome by Him, who has overcome death. It is our promise, and when ye abide in Him sufficient to that, ye with Him, as the resurrection, may indeed overcome death in a material sense. Edgar Cayce Reading 5155-1

Linda Caputi, a retired registered nurse, is on staff at the A.R.E. Library, and has been involved with the Cayce material for the last 25 years. She has researched, compiled and updated many of the Circulating Files on both medical and non-medical topics, and is the author of the book, Epilepsy—Jody's Journey: An Inspiring True Story of Healing with the Edgar Cayce Remedies .

Eden Found?
By John Van Auken  

Imagine an archaeological site that predates ancient Egypt by 9000 years, dating to the end of the Ice Age, ca. 12,000 BC, long before hunter-gatherers settled into farming. Imagine that you also found objects of high artistic skill and metaphorical significance to equal those of the much later Egyptian culture. How would you reconcile this with our evolutionary timeline? How would you explain nomadic hunter-gatherers devoting the time and energy to build a multi-level, architecturally sophisticated structure? This is the challenge facing archaeologists today. One does not have to imagine such a site because the site has been found. It is called Gobekli Tepe (pronounced Go-beckly Tepp-ay).  It is located between the biblical Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Sanliurfa, Turkey (ancient Urfa, the original Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham was born). Some archaeologists suspect this site to be none other than the biblical Eden, or at least a sacred temple in ancient Eden.

“Gobekli Tepe changes everything,” says Ian Hodder of Stanford University. 

David Lewis-Williams, professor of archaeology at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, says, “Gobekli Tepe is the most important archaeological site in the world.”

Andrew Collins, A.R.E. author (Beneath the Pyramids, The New Circlemakers) and speaker, said, “Gobekli Tepe was clearly utilized as a place of veneration and perhaps communication with supernatural entities and domains. This is accepted by the main excavator, Dr. Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute of Istanbul. Curiously, in the Turkish language, Gobekli Tepe means ‘hill of the navel,’ suggestive of the site's former role as an important religious center.”

The site has been carbon-dated to 12,000 to 13,000 BC. The building dates to between 10,000 and 11,000 BC—Edgar Cayce’s 10,500 BC period! Scientists date Stonehenge to around 3,000 BC and the Egyptian Giza plateau monuments to around 2,500 BC. To help us grasp just how impossible this is for archaeologists, this dating predates all other sites on the planet by 7000 years. It predates settled human life, writing, pottery making, and structure building.

Amazingly, the site is filled with megalithic stone structures in the shape of a T, upon which are carved all manner of animals and mysterious images. Some of the stones are shaped like the human body. It's as if the gods came down from heaven, or aliens from another planet, and built Gobekli Tepe when humans were cavemen. And that is exactly what some researchers are saying. In chapter six of Genesis, it is written that there were at this ancient time humans (“man”), the “sons of God,” and the Nephilim (offspring of the gods and human women, considered to be giants). The Book of Enoch tells of “Watchers” who came among humans giving them the forbidden arts and sciences of heaven. Legends of Sumeria speak of gods called Annunaki coming among humanity and providing them with the rudiments of civilization. Collins says, “I believe there is strong evidence to suggest that the Watchers, and their offspring, the Nephilim, were indeed the shamanic elite that founded the early Neolithic cult centers of Upper Mesopotamia.”

Interestingly, this area and the larger region surrounding it became the cradle of agriculture. Worldwide wheat species descend from einkorn wheat, first cultivated on the hills near Gobekli Tepe. Rye and oats also originated here.

Shockingly, archaeologists announced that the occupants of Gobekli Tepe buried the entire site before they left, around 8,000 BC, filling every room, every passageway, and outer courtyard with tons of dirt—a feat almost as remarkable as the buildings and sculptures. The site lay hidden until 1994, when a Kurdish shepherd noticed the tops of several stone megaliths exposed on the unusual hill.

John Van Auken is an international speaker and author on a variety of topics from mystical spirituality and ancient civilizations to modern life. Popular with A.R.E. audiences throughout the country, he has written many books, including Edgar Cayce's Tales of Ancient Egypt; Ancient Egyptian Mysticism; and From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruits of the Spirit. John's extensive knowledge of the Edgar Cayce readings, the Bible ancient Egypt, and other world religions is combined with years of practical application of these truths in his own life. His exciting presentations are packed with useful information combined with insightful and revealing stories. His clear step-by-step techniques give practical tools for ongoing development, self-training, and spiritual enlightenment. He travels extensively, conducting seminars and retreats throughout the U.S. and abroad including A.R.E.’s annual Tour of Egypt.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to take a tour? Share your thoughts and ideas: Tours Destination.

As we release the new combined edition of Edgar Cayce's Story of the Bible, we'd like to share with our readers the foreword written for the original editions (the trilogy Edgar Cayce's Story of the Old Testament) by Cayce stenographer Gladys Davis Turner:

Edgar Cayce, the twentieth century's most astoundingly accurate prophet, had the psychic gift of being able to put himself into a state of self-induced trance. In this state, Cayce, a man of little formal education and not scholarly by temperament, predicted such future events as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the development of the laser beam. He was also capable of diagnosing illnesses that were beyond the knowledge of contemporary physicians—often for people thousands of miles away.

But outstanding among all his accomplishments as a clairvoyant, mystic and prophet was his ability—through psychic readings as well as in his life teachings—to make the Bible live! Here are Edgar Cayce's profoundly magnificent revelations about God's love, reincarnation, humankind's spiritual role, and the true meaning of the Bible from several hundred people were told that they had incarnations in biblical times.

From early childhood, Edgar Cayce was a devout Bible student and began teaching Sunday school, using the standard orthodox literature, while still in his teens. He continued this practice throughout his life. Many are still living who remember his outstanding ability as a Bible teacher, most of whom never knew him as a psychic or in any other capacity than as a teacher.

A few years before Edgar Cayce died he was persuaded by members of several local A.R.E. Study Groups, to teach a weekly interdenominational Bible Class starting with the Book of Genesis and going straight through the Bible.

As a child, Edgar Cayce had determined to read the Bible through in a year, by reading three chapters each weekday and five on Sunday. After doing this he decided to read more chapters each day until he could catch up to his years of age. After reaching that point he continued to read the Bible through each year, until—when he died at the age of sixty-seven—he had read the Bible through sixty-seven times!

The Tuesday Night Bible Class, as it was called, wanted Edgar Cayce to incorporate in his teaching not only his own knowledge of the Bible but his understanding of the concepts presented through his psychic readings. The members had already been exposed to some of these concepts through their study of the lessons "in soul development" contained in Books I and II of A Search for God.

Having been Edgar Cayce's secretary since 1923, I was asked to take down in shorthand and transcribe the Bible minutes from these weekly discussions.

Robert Krajenke has shown extraordinary insight in paralleling Edgar Cayce's comments on the Bible, and blending them with the quotes from the Life readings having to do with Old Testament characters. It has long been my belief that Edgar Cayce's greatest contribution to this age was his making the Bible come alive for so many people. I saw this happen during his lifetime. Since his death I have seen it even more.

Edgar Cayce with Sunday School class

Edgar Cayce loved the Old Testament. He used to say often that without the Old we would not have had the New; without Abraham, Moses, David, we would not have had Jesus.

Now Robert Krajenke, through his discernment and compilation of Edgar Cayce's statements both in the conscious and psychic state, is perhaps again making the Bible live for the many who will read these pages.

Following is an excerpt from the first chapter. To "sneak-a-peek" at the table of contents and sample chapter, go to ARECatalog.com.

Hence, "darkness was upon the face of the Deep." This represents the spirit of ignorance, selfishness, the loss of the Divine Awareness which resulted when the Sons of God separated themselves from the Creator. As the above readings affirm, this occurred in spirit, before the earth was made. The earth, as written, was "without form and void."

As has been given, error or separation began before there appeared what we know as the Earth, the Heavens, or before Space was manifested.
Edgar Cayce Reading 262-115

In the beginning, when chaos existed in the creating of the earth, the Spirit of God moved over the face of same and out of chaos came the world—with its beauty in natural form, or in nature.
Edgar Cayce Reading 3976-8

The following reading reaffirms the concept which has already been advanced. The creation of matter was first only an expression of God. But it became a source of self-indulgence and selfish expression as His Sons and Daughters began to project their individual and personal influences into it.

For the spirit of God moved and that which is in matter came into being for the opportunities of . . . His Sons, His Daughters. These are ever spoken of as One. Then came that as sought self-indulgence, self-glorification; and there was the beginning of warring among themselves for activity—still in Spirit. Then those that had made selfish movements moved into that which was and is Opportunity, and there came life into same.
Edgar Cayce Reading 262-114

Thus, in the reading's view, the earth was not created out of a Void or from Nothingness. Rather, His spirit moved over the chaos and rebellion, and from these diverse elements He created Balance and Harmony, and established the foundations of the World.

The World became a place of "Opportunity" through which souls could begin to realize their separation from their spiritual surroundings.

Based on the Foreword to Edgar Cayce's Story of the Bible by Robert W. Krajenke written by Gladys Davis Turner.

Gladys Davis Turner (1905-1986) In 1923, Edgar Cayce hired Gladys Davis as stenographer to document all of his psychic readings. She served as the recorder of the readings until Cayce's death in 1945. She not only shouldered the responsibility of writing down in shorthand every word Mr. Cayce uttered in the over 14,000 readings he gave during that period, but she ensured their preservation and proper use by those who would read them in the generations of seekers who followed. In addition to taking down the readings, she transcribed them—over 100,000 pages—initially on a manual typewriter, twice.

Science tells us that what goes up must come down, a law enunciated by Isaac Newton. Religion informs us of the corollary that what goes down must also rise again, an insight expounded in countless myths of death and rebirth, but which probably originated from simple observations of the stars and other rhythms of nature.

Orion the Hunter, accompanied by his mighty dog Sirius, is one of the few constellations that almost everyone knows. In New England, where I live, the pair appears during the colder months, rising in the southeast and arcing across the heavens while we sleep. There's no mistaking the two, because Sirius, the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the sky.

How did this celestial hound get up there? The Greeks said Zeus elevated Sirius to the heavens when the dog's master wooed a goddess and earned a share of immortality. For the Egyptians, Sirius was the abode of souls. The star's first appearance, in late summer, signaled the season for the Nile's recurrent flooding, marking a New Year and the restoration of life. Pyramids were often oriented toward the Dog Star, which served as a luminous beacon guiding the dead on their final journey.

At a little less than nine light years away, Sirius is nearly twice as luminescent as its closest competitor. So it's not surprising this object has been a magnet for myths and legends. But it is remarkable how many cultures—widely separated in time and geography—have associated man's best friend with the brightest lantern in the sky.

For the Chinese, Sirius was known as the Celestial Jackal or Heavenly Wolf. In one preserved mortuary vessel from the early Han dynasty (c. 250 BCE), T'ien Lang, as the dog is called, is depicted lunging with bared fangs at an archer, the constellation Chinese astronomers called the Bow.

For the native peoples of North America, the star held the same associations with dogs and the departed. The Pawnee called Sirius the Coyote or Wolf Star, one of the four pillars that supported the night sky and also the guide who accompanied spirits into the afterlife. For the Inuit people of Alaska, the "Moon-Dog" (as Sirius was known) played a similar role. Cherokee legends suggest that Sirius was one of two mighty dogs, the other being the brilliant star Antares, who together guarded the gates of eternity.

How did Sirius acquire its connection with canines and the great beyond, not only for Greeks and Romans, but also for the Egyptians, the Chinese, and Cherokee? Perhaps the link goes back to Neolithic times, when dogs were first domesticated. One of the first pieces of evidence of the interspecies bond dates back to 14,000 BCE, where dogs and humans can be found buried together at a site in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany. In Israel, another of the earliest human interments has been excavated, dating back roughly 12,000 years. That grave site also contains the remains of a dog, alongside an elderly person whose hand has been placed rather touchingly on the shoulder of a young pup, as if petting or protecting it. From time immemorial, dogs and their human companions faced the unknown together. And as they pondered the darkness, perhaps inevitably, people's hopes turned toward the night's most lustrous object.

In India, the same traditions can be found. There, Sirius is called Svana, the dog of Yudhisthira, who is the hero of the religious epic the Mahabharata. Yudhisthira is renowned for his love of satya (truth) and dharma (righteousness), but his character is revealed most fully at the conclusion of the drama. Arduously, Yudhisthira and his brothers scale the peaks of the Himalayas on their final pilgrimage. One by one, the four brothers fall aside. But Yudhisthira, who is without sin, achieves the summit and there Indra, the King of Gods, prepares to take the hero to heaven in a golden chariot. Indra tells Yudhisthira he must leave his dog behind, however, as a creature not worthy of eternity. "There is no place in Heaven for persons with dogs," Indra announces.

Yudhisthira responds, "This dog, O Lord of the Past and the Present, is exceedingly devoted to me. He should go with me. My heart is full of compassion for him," and compassion is the great teaching of the Vedas. But you've renounced everything else, Indra reasons. Why not sacrifice this dog, too? Still, Yudhisthira won't betray his four-footed friend, even if it means forgoing bliss. "Hence, O great Indra, I shall not abandon this dog today from desire of my happiness." That's devotion.

At this moment of supreme self-denial, the dog morphs into a deity, who had just been testing Yudhisthira. The gates of paradise open for man and mutt alike. And Svana—whose name in Sanskrit means "dog"—takes his place in the firmament above.

Even Edgar Cayce mentioned the Dog Star in his psychic readings. According to reading 993-6, the ancient Egyptian Temple Beautiful, which was like a university for spiritual learning, had an opalescent hue in the heaven in the dome or ceiling. The Dog Star was specifically listed above one of the seven stations.

What wonderful old stories! They make the night seem less lonely, the stars a bit friendlier and more welcoming. And whatever heaven is out there or up there, beyond the Milky Way, it's good to think that pets are allowed.

Gary Kowalski is the author of numerous books on spirituality, nature, science and history, including the forthcoming volume Blessings of the Animals: Celebrating Our Kinship With All Creation (Lantern Books, 2012) from which this article is adapted. A graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Divinity School, he has lectured at Association for Research and Enlightenment conferences. To contact Gary or see a complete list of his titles, visit his website at www.kowalskibooks.com.

Fifty years ago, I. started doing electro-acupuncture, apparently sparked by a past life memory.  I have spent this lifetime working with alternative health care, medicine, and therapies, energy medicine, and spiritual healing. I believe that "self-health" is the foundation for all of life and have worked to provide tools for assisting individuals in their individual approach to health.

Now, for the first time in this life, I am excited to share some of these insights on healing with those who wish to join Lucia Thornton and me on a People-to-People trip to China. Of a few thousand trips in this life, this should be the most exciting—an opportunity to explore many of the ancient Chinese healing techniques, as well as modern evolutions in China and to explore some of the beauty of China. I have turned down a dozen previous invitations to visit China. Having the expertise of People to People for political support and the fun of sharing with Lucia and like-minded friends makes this trip a must for me! The added arrangements by People to People makes the political journey much more secure!

Our unique background, Lucia as a past president of the American Holistic Nurses Association and me as past president of the American Holistic Medical Association, provides us a truly unique opportunity to visit and learn. 

We will visit Beijing, Xian, and Kunming, and we'll enjoy insider views of healing traditions and experience the culture in ways that most travelers never get to do—from exploring small, local neighborhoods to observing professional counterparts in their element. You can even extend your trip to Hangzhou and add more exciting opportunities.

The People-to-People Ambassador Program was started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, to promote peace and understanding among nations. Since that time, over 500,000 delegates have participated in cultural and professional exchange programs across all seven continents. Your participation in this program offers you the opportunity to be an ambassador promoting peace and understanding. As President Eisenhower said, "I have long believed, as have many before me, that peaceful relations between nations requires understanding and mutual respect between individuals."

Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn, grow, and gain an appreciation and understanding of the people, culture, and healing traditions of China. For more information go to: www.PeopletoPeople.com/ThorntonShealy or call Annette at 877-787-2000.

C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD,   is a neurosurgeon, psychologist, and cofounder of the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA), and is current president of Holos Institute for Health. An international speaker and researcher, he holds 10 patents for innovative discoveries and introduced the concepts of Dorsal Column Stimulation and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), both now used worldwide. He has published over 300 articles and is the author of 25 books, including his most recent from A.R.E. Press, Energy Medicine: Practical Application and Scientific Proof and Medical Intuition: Your Awakening to Wholeness. He is a featured presenter at The Healer Within: Edgar Cayce's Legacy of Body, Mind, and Spirit Healing Conference, which also features Dr. Gladys McGarey, to be held in Virginia Beach, Va., June 1-3, 2012.

When A.R.E. calls their tour to Egypt "Awakening the Initiate Within," that's putting it mildly. I just returned from their 2012 Egypt tour led by John Van Auken and Peter Woodbury with just such an experience. Their knowledge and access to these amazing spiritual and metaphysical sites will stir the seeker in all of us. With the guidance of John, Peter, the Guardian Travel group, and the sharing of everyone on the trip, we all became teachers and students for each other. From meditations in the Great Pyramid and Abydos to guided regressions on the Nile, a tapestry of Egypt long forgotten was woven together.

This loom of people, places, and purposes culminated for me (if such experiences truly ever culminate), as we sailed up the Nile. The weaving of my personal meditations and the group meditations came together during a guided reverie and regression. I saw in my mind's eye the Great Pyramid in its completed form and majesty.

Let me start with the journey there first. I would say it started with our opportunity to lie in the coffer located in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid, after our group meditation there. It was only a brief time, but as I lay there I felt the urge to sound the Aum (or Om) chant. As I did this, I reached a note and it seemed like the entire inside of the coffer was vibrating to it. Then my body was vibrating with it, and as I held the note I felt as if I was the Aum vibration myself. As I expanded into this experience, part of me thought of the other people present. I stopped the chant and wondered how long this had gone on while others were waiting. Apparently not long, and I asked, somewhat disoriented, if anyone had felt it. Some, who had their hands on the coffer said they had felt it vibrating and one person who had leaned over to look in said she felt as if a sonic wave had gone through her

This experience stayed quietly with me as we continued through the sites and mysteries of Egypt. It was like a whispering shuttle weaving its thread back and forth in my mind, little by little showing me the pattern, drawing its color and design from the ancient sites we traveled through. When we visited Abydos, the spiritual Mecca of ancient Egypt, the picture being formed began to become clearer. We had the opportunity for a group meditation in a temple chapel in Abydos, during this I had my first impression of a finished Great Pyramid, gleaming white from the Tura limestone and a tip sparkling with the golden white capstone of electrum (a mix of gold and silver), like a star that had come to Earth. There appeared to be a staircase on the north side with two people at the base. As we left the Great Pyramid my mind began to weave into a pattern the experience I just had, much like the whispers of the threading shuttles on a loom bring that forth the design of a tapestry, thread upon thread, and line upon line."

Near the end of the trip, cruising on the Nile, we were guided in a regression and reverie. It was during this time that I received a more complete vision. Again, I saw the Great Pyramid brilliant in the sunlight. I saw the north side of the pyramid where the original entrance is located. There was the staircase made of the same polished limestone. The staircase started wide at the base and narrowed down as it reached the capstone. The staircase went on both sides of the entranceway, a stone door hinged to swing inward, which was also covered with stairs to blend in with the staircase when closed. Looking at it from the north side, I was given an impression of a narrow triangle inside another triangle. This is similar to the hieroglyph of conical offertory bread and is translated as "to give."

This made sense to me in many ways as I was seeing the Great Pyramid as a place of initiation—a place to offer oneself, to give oneself, to the Creative Forces and for the Creative Forces to give in return a mutual embrace of Grace.. This offertory bread symbol pointed to such a communion. Further, it struck me that a staircase would be needed to reach the original entrance.

As the vision continued, I saw the initiation ritual consisted of seven people—two initiates, four priests, and one high priest. Each of the two initiates would be escorted and guided by two priests, one initiate to the king's chamber and one to the queen's chamber. Once the initiates were prepared, the four priests would exit the pyramid and close the entrance. Then the high priest would continue up the staircase to the capstone. Once there, the high priest would strike the capstone, sending the resonating sound spiraling down through the Great Pyramid and back up, again and again echoing back and forth from the strike. The initiation was now in progress.

As I continued to mull this over and again looked through my pictures taken in Egypt, my attention was caught by the dream stelae in front of the sphinx. A little epihany seem to come to me as I stared at it again. The two human figures in it and the pyramidal "kilts" they were wearing jumped out at me. Their kilts were not only made to mirror a pyramid, they had a staircase in the middle of them with two Cobra serpent heads at the base! Had this stelae captured the image of the Great Pyramid in its finished form as I had envisioned? A staircase down the north side, wide at the base and narrowing to the top. It resonated with me as a stylizied depiction of it, and it brought back memories of another pyramid. The Kukulcan pyramid at Chitzen Itza of the Mayans.

The Kukulcan Pyramid has a famous north staircase that has two serpent heads at its base, which create an undulating serpent descending down the pyramid caused by lights and shadows that occur only on the two equinoxes during the year. The Edgar Cayce readings state that civilizations worldwide visited and were visited by the ancient Egyptian civilization. The readings further state that the Atlanteans had emigrated both to the Yucatan and Egypt.

Is this further evidence of such sharing? Did the Great Pyramid have on its north side a similar serpernt staircase, only of Cobras? This would fit well with a wide staircase narrowing down as I have described. Then the wide section by the heads would represent the hood of the cobra, and the ancient Egyptians were known to depict cobras with more than one head. It is not widely known, but the Kukulcan pyramid has an entrance on the north side to its interior where there are two chambers above ground, showing more similarities to the Great Pyramid. Has the dream stelae left us clues to this? Definte food for thought.

I cannot prove that this vision is historically accurate. The limestone finishing blocks and any steps are lost, many to the construction of old Cairo.Yet it makes sense to have had a staircase to the original entrance, and even up to the capstone. There is also an elegant feeling that the north side of the pyramid would also symbolize the same meaning as the offertory hieroglyph. Even the Pharaoh's name given to the Great Pyramid gives us a clue. It was Khnum-Khufu, meaning "the god khnum protects me." Khnum, the ram god, was their god of Creative Forces. Kukulcan was the Mayan Vision Serpent and the messenger between their kings and gods, their symbol of communion and communication with the Divine, along the lines as I have described the purpose of the Great Pyramid.

All I can ask is that you go inside that still, quiet place in yourself and feel if this resonates for you, as I felt the resonance in the King's chamber coffer. Ultimately, each of our own initiations will always be within.

Don Carroll had a career of over thirty years in the Fire/Rescue service. After receiving his degree in Fire Science, he worked as a district chief for a battalion, an operations company officer, an emergency medical technician, a paramedic, and a teacher at the regional fire academy. While raising a family, he pursued the greater meaning of life, reading materials on Edgar Cayce and attending A.R.E. conferences, seminars, tours, and retreats. He is the author of the article The Cayce Cubit and the Kundalini in the Oct.-Dec. issue of Venture Inward Magazine, available in the online member-only section.

Archaeologists have found the underground chamber of an official Mayan calendar chronicler! And what his inscriptions reveal is that there is another Age following the present "Age of Movement" that ends on this coming Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012. The world does not end—Hooray! In fact, it goes on and on and on. William Saturno of Boston University, the archaeologist who manages the new discovery, published an article in the journal Science, and writes: "The Maya calendar is going to keep going and keep going for billions, trillions, octillions of years into the future, a huge number that we can't even wrap our heads around."

What Saturno found turned out to be a well-preserved mural that includes the oldest known Mayan calendar ever found. And just like the Maya Long Count calendar, which serves as the basis for the apocalypse myth, this calendar extends indefinitely into the future.

The Mayan calendar is 20 katun cycles containing 144,000 days, equal to 394.26 tropical years, and a whole cycle is 5,128 years. The current cycle we've been living in began on August 11 or 13, 3114 BC, and ends this year on December 21 or 23. The current 13th baktun will end, or be completed, on the Mayan date of 13.0.0.0.0 (which is equivalent to December 21, 2012 using the GMT correlation).

This new discovery provides us with clear evidence that the end of this 5,128 cycle marks the beginning of a new cycle! According to Mayan legend, the current world—the one in which we are all currently living—is an era of major change, the so-called Age of Movement.

Curiously, the newly discovered Mayan calendar in the chronicler's chamber has cycles of time recording 17 baktuns, rather than the standard 13.

The new finding shows that the calculations include a time span longer than 6,000 years that could extend well beyond 2012. Anthony Aveni of Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., an expert on Mayan astronomy asks, "Why would they go into those numbers if the world is going to come to an end this year? You could say a number that big at least suggests that time marches on."

Leaders among the Maya were keenly interested in astronomy and sought to coordinate sacred rituals with events in the heavens above. A chronicler of the heaven movements and time cycles would have been an honored member of the Maya court.

The wall in the chronicler's chamber was used in the same way a modern mathematician might use a whiteboard. The chronicler wrote his frequently consulted formulas on the wall of his chamber instead of having to look them up in a book. And— because these calendar details were inscribed on a wall—he preserved them better than any book would have. In fact, no books remain from the period when the chronicler wrote on his wall—researchers believe this wall dates to 800 AD.

In addition to the time data, there are pictures on the other walls in the chronicler's chamber, including an image of a king in a feather headdress, seated on a throne, with a white-garbed person peeking out from behind him (possibly a self-portrait of our chronicler). A painting of a scribe holding a stylus was on another wall.

According to the archaeologists, these paintings were the first Maya art to be found on the walls of a person's house.!

The chamber is a little larger than 6-feet square and is part of a larger complex in Mayan ruins of the rain forest at Xultun in northeastern Guatemala. Xultun is a large Early Classic Maya site. It is 24 miles northeast of the more famous Mayan site of Tikal. The site contains a pyramid that is 114 feet high, 2 ball courts, 24 stelae, and 5 reservoirs (aguadas).

Anthony Aveni said the astronomical data on the wall would allow a chronicler to predict the appearance of a full moon years in advance and could be used to advise the king on when to go to war or how good this year's crops would be. "What you have here is astronomy driven by religion," Aveni said.

On an adjacent wall are numbers indicating four time spans from roughly 935 to 6,700 years. It's not clear what they represent, but maybe the chronicler was doing calculations that combined observations from important astronomical events like the movements of Mars, Venus, and the moon, the researchers said. Why bother to do that? Aveni suggest that perhaps the chronicler and his colleagues were "geeks ... who just got carried away with doing these kinds of computations and calculations, and probably did them far beyond the needs of ordinary society."

Simon Martin, co-curator of an exhibit about the Mayan calendar at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is very excited by this find: "It's really a wonderful surprise. We've never really been able to identify a working space, or how they actually went about things." The new work gives insight into how the Maya worked on their calculations, he said, and the fact that the room had a stone roof rather than thatching supports previous indications that the chronicler enjoyed a high social standing.

An undergraduate student working with Saturno's team in 2010 first glimpsed the chronicler's chamber. After first dismissing the value of a little piece of paint on a stone wall spotted by his student, Saturno later went back to the spot and dug deeper, finding the amazing timekeeper's chamber. To Saturno's amazement, the wall writings were of immeasurable value to the growing knowledge of the Maya and their fascination with the stars, planets, and the passage of time.

John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy in College Park, Md., said, "It's a very important discovery. We're only getting a glimpse of the story" in the published paper. Complete details and photos of the discovery will be published in the June issue of National Geographic, which funded some of this research.

John Van Auken, a director at the Association for Research and Enlightenment, is an acknowledged expert on the Cayce readings, the Bible, ancient prophecies, world religions, meditation, and ancient Egypt. John conducts seminars in the U.S. and abroad, and is a tour guide to the many sacred sites around the world with A.R.E. Travel. He is the author of numerous books, including Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah, Ancient Egyptian Mysticism and From Karma to Grace. He will be presenting at several upcoming Virginia Beach Conferences including the Annual Ancient Mysteries Conference: Ancient Mysteries Conference—Digging for the Truth with Dr. Zahi Hawass from October 4-7, 2012.

     We live 80 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. In September, 2008, Hurricane Ike was barreling toward the coast, and my angels told me that if we rode out the storm none of us would be injured.

     The night of the storm, our family of four hunkered down in the den in our sleeping bags. Anticipating that the situation might get scary, I tried to make a game out of it by suggesting to my 7-year-old daughter, Megan, and 8-year-old son, Flynn, that we were camping, like the Swiss Family Robinson. I was determined to remain positive and unafraid to help my children cope with whatever was going to come.

     Before long, the winds picked up and heavy rains began to fall. With a loud unnerving roar, the neighborhood transformer shut down, and we lost our power. We huddled together in the darkness as the rains turned into thunderous bursts and the winds became tornadic.

     At the height of the storm, the rain and wind were explosive. I heard an alarming creaky-door-sound, and then…CRACK! BOOM! A huge pine tree had fallen through the roof of our house! My husband and I scrambled to the second floor where water was pouring out of the light fixtures and air conditioning vents. Climbing into the pitch black attic, we were pelted by the driving rains, and I assisted while Britt created funnels from plastic lawn bags, and nailed them over the seven gaping holes in the roof to guide the heavy rainwater into pots, pans, and other containers. After that was done, I ran back downstairs to the children. My mind was racing! Despite what my angels had told me earlier about our safety, and my determination to remain positive and unafraid, I had become unhinged. The reality of our situation was that although the house could provide shelter from the rain, it was no match for the many pine trees surrounding our home. If any one of those huge trees fell upon the roof directly above us, it could easily slam through the ceiling—and kill us! We didn't have a basement or any inner rooms, except for a tiny pantry. There was nowhere to take the children that offered protection from the trees, and it was a terrible, helpless feeling.

     Megan—inexplicably—had fallen fast asleep in spite of the storm, but Flynn was wide awake and cowering in fear. I guessed that he was sensing my feelings, which he often does. I looked into his big brown eyes and knew what I had to do…I lied. Holding him close, I promised that I would never allow anything to hurt him or Megan. I felt horribly guilty making that promise, knowing that I had absolutely no control over what would happen next. With each powerful gust of wind, the trees creaked, snapped, and fell. I held Flynn in my arms as the storm continued to rage all night long.

     Although we sustained substantial damage to the house, we remained safe and uninjured, and the storm finally passed. The next morning, the yard looked like a war zone. Downed trees and limbs were everywhere. The kids began to cry when they saw their swing set lying in pieces amid the other debris. There was no electricity or water, and temperatures were expected to climb into the 90s—with equal levels of humidity.

     We drank bottled water, and flushed toilets with the buckets of water that I had collected before the storm. My husband, a hurricane veteran from his years in Louisiana, was stoic and seemingly unfazed. I, however, had been utterly traumatized. My babies could have been killed!

     All we had was intermittent cell phone service, and we felt almost completely cut off from the outside world. We decided to carefully explore the area. In our minivan we inched our way around downed trees; dangling power lines; roofing, fence, and signage debris; and the toppled telephone poles that littered the streets. Gas stations, convenience stores, banks, grocery stores, restaurants, and schools were all closed, and eerily dark and empty. It was a very sobering sight.

     We did not own a generator, so we were forced to throw away all of the perishables in the refrigerator and freezer. We ate crackers, apples, and peanut butter at every meal, happy to have them. By candlelight, we took sponge baths with buckets of cold water. Soaked drywall littered the downstairs and the foul odor of mold and mildew began to permeate the house.

     A week after the storm, we still had no power, landline telephone service, or water. Although it was nearly 11 p.m., Flynn asked if we could have a family game night. We couldn't really sleep because of the oppressive heat and humidity, so I reluctantly agreed. Feeling traumatized and very depressed, I wasn't in the mood to play bingo. The kids eagerly assembled the lantern and the game pieces on the kitchen table, and the four of us took our seats in the heat and the semidarkness.

     “Aaaah, this is the life!” said Flynn, with a smile.

     “What do you mean?" I asked, unable to comprehend what he meant.

     “I'm having a great time!” he announced.

     “Me, too!” said Megan with a grin.

     “But...how?” I asked. “After the ordeal we've just been through?”

     “Mom—that was days ago!” replied Megan. “Except for our swing set, we're okay! And we don't have to go to school!”

     I stared back at her dumbly.

     “Look at all of the family time that we have now!” Flynn pointed out. “Playing bingo by camp light, sleeping on the floor in our sleeping bags, doing man's work cleaning up the yard, cold baths like an army guy, and peanut butter and crackers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! This is the best time I've ever had!”

     “Yeah!” exclaimed Megan. “Mommy—you have to turn your brain off! You're being negative! It's an adventure, like the Swiss Family Robinson...remember? We're having fun! Why aren't you?”

     I realized that the universe had provided just the practice I needed to really learn how to “bloom” regardless of what was going on around me. And my children were wise enough to see what I couldn’t.  Suddenly, I understood what “blooming” really meant. Instead of choosing to focus on all of the negative things that had just happened—which I had no power to change—I could choose to shift my focus to all of the things that I had to be grateful for.  

Kim O’Neill has conducted psychic readings for over 25 years for international clientele and is the author of four books, including The Calling: My Journey with the Angels. Kim hosts online teleseminars and in-person national motivational workshops, writes “Ask Kim,” a monthly advice column for the Indigo Sun Magazine, produces a YouTube “webisode” called Connecting You With Spirit, and has appeared on radio and television talk shows, providing audience members with channeled information covering a wide range of topics. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and their two children. Learn more about Kim at her website  www.kimoneillpsychic.com.

These two Readings by Edgar Cayce have become the central focus of my life. I picked up my cross many years ago and learned the lessons I needed to expand my life in a way that has brought the joy, knowledge, and power that was promised. It seems unimaginable, but I think we can all learn to articulate and expand our world to encompass the entire universe. It can all begin by picking up one's cross. It can be borne. It will remain as our cross until there is nothing left but Love and Light. Hold up your cross so that others, too, will see the Wisdom of your Ways. Your consciousness will be freed to expand and grow to what was once considered unimaginable heights.

I've been reluctant to reveal too much of myself before in my writings but with some encouragement I decided to explain some of the details that have helped shape my understanding of what I am writing about. Sometime, several years ago while at Virginia Beach, I attended an impromptu sunrise service on Easter morning during which I became illuminated with light. It has taken me years since to understand what had happened. Though I still feel like a newborn, I have been able to find other seekers who shared similar experiences through readings and study courses. I am now in touch with the Son and the Father through the Holy Spirit. That is part of what I have come to understand.

Cayce's readings are an accurate description of what he calls the Creative force. I am in no way anything more than I ever was. I am still a gardener who needs to earn his daily bread and I make no assumptions about who I am. I am also becoming more of a teacher/healer. I send my light and love out into this world to anyone who may need it. I am responding to what I see as a need in my fellow brothers and sisters. I am hoping we can all become reconnected to our source of love, life, and spirit. There are no shortcuts and the way forward is difficult at best. The lessons need to be deeply embedded in our hearts and minds before they can become a permanent part of our collective Soul and Wisdom. The Christ Consciousness is also part of this collective dream we are having. I've seen it as another tangible state of awareness. It will continue to grow and expand here as we learn to share it with others. It is all a part of our Divine heritage and Divine purpose. Pick up your cross. I felt my own heart chakra open up and become illuminated last night while I was still dreaming this dream.

Gordon Yumibe is a lifelong seeker with an interest in Jungian, Gnostic, and Edgar Cayce material. While he is a professional gardener by trade, he also has a psychology degree. In 2009, he received a Spiritual Mentoring Certificate from Atlantic University. You can find Gordon on Facebook.

The Edgar Cayce readings and related correspondences add up to over 49,000 pages of material that runs the gamut from the celestial to the terrestrial, the spiritual to the material, from mundane to arcane. One might expect to discover new and exciting symbols for sacred knowledge such as the Kundalini or the Caduceus, but I did not expect to read about the double B.

When the mind of Edgar Cayce brought the information from the source, the Akashic Records and humanity's subconscious, it often required that he explain words and concepts beyond our three dimensions in a way that we might comprehend. At times, the information and imagery from the readings seems clear and concise. At other times, it requires the reader to meditate on the information and allow the meaning to unfold.

The readings often suggested symbols be used by individuals for a variety of reasons. The reading below describes a symbol with two B's which would likely have appeared similar to the caduceus.

Then the name was Ai-Ellaiin, and the hieroglyphics will be found to be marked as these: The Ibex (the bird of same), the hornheaded man, the Ibex turned in the opposite direction, the sacred bull of Ipis [?], the hooded man as of the Ethiopian people, the cross, the serpent (upright), the staff with the symbol (that should be the symbol of the entity throughout its experience) as the B's turned toward each other—or one upright with two loops on either side of same, with the serpent head two ways from the top of same.

This should be the symbol ever of the entity, as should be the scarab with same; one as the amulet and the other either as a pin or about the body; as well as the lapis linguis also would bring to the entity much, if it were worn about the body, keeping low the fires of passion—from materiality that there may be greater mental and spiritual development of this entity in the experience.
(Edgar Cayce Reading 559-7, 6-year-old girl)

There has been much discussion and controversy over the date of construction of the Great Pyramid. Mainstream Egyptologists place its construction at approximately 2500 BCE, but there are several researchers that suggest it is much older, and date the pyramid closer to 10,000 BCE. The Edgar Cayce readings were very specific about the dates, placing the building of the Great Pyramid from 10,490 to 10,390 BCE.

The caduceus has become a common symbol for medicine, especially in North America. It is the staff carried by the mythological god Hermes (Greek) or Mercury (Roman) and is depicted as a short staff with two entwined serpents. These snakes are often shown with wings, representative of the Kundalini energy that rises from the base of the spine. These symbols represent communication with a higher self or God.

By correlating this reading with other readings using the online database in the Member Section (or the DVD), it is fascinating to discover that the B symbols were used in two other readings:

…And as a symbol of the activities in that sojourn, as in those when in Poona the entity made for the greater increase, would be the BB; or, as it would be termed from that period, the sacred serpent and the fire of same should be the emblems of the entity and worn about the body; something that is of fine linen but of blue should be upon the flesh of the body at all periods, for its consecration and its dedication of its activities. (Edgar Cayce Reading 812-1)

(Q) What are my symbols?
(A) The dorna (?) and the staff; the dorna (?) being the BB as would be put together, representing the people that adhered to the faiths in Palestine that were of another race; the staff, of course, being the shepherd crook. (Edgar Cayce Reading 537-1)

Another reading goes on to explain the symbols of the serpent and the rod. The following is from a reading given for Edgar Cayce to understand and interpret his dream.

(Q) [Edgar Cayce's dream:] Saw a little mound of dead leaves. As I looked it began to move off. I thought there must be a snake under it. I picked up a stick and went towards it. By that time the mound was on the side of an embankment, almost on the edge, and the snake poked his head out and said, "Don't hit me—and I won't bother you any more."

(A) As is visioned in the dream, the position of the body and the acts at the time indicated the clearing of the system of those things that are vile…from body, so that…through the activities of others—that are indicated by the mound, or prominence as in front of body —with this arising will come out of same that as indicated by the serpent, which indicates the wisdom of all things being known to others as pertain to their proper relationships and understandings, and while temptations arise—as through the serpent—with the use of the rod, or staff, as is of life, as is represented by those that are, or were, the leaders in each dispensation, of activity, may be used in love and truth, budding to like itself, as in the hands of many. So may it make for the overcoming of that which would hinder, or injure in any way, and bring about that peace as sought by the tempter in the vision. (Edgar Cayce Reading 294-136)

The beauty of the language and expressions of the symbols from Edgar Cayce's own dream as well as the BB readings remind us that there is valuable information hidden in plain sight. We can apply the new understanding gained from the symbols in the readings to better understand our own dreams.

Don Carroll had a career of over thirty years in the Fire/Rescue service. After receiving his degree in Fire Science, he worked as a district chief for a battalion, an operations company officer, an emergency medical technician, a paramedic, and a teacher at the regional fire academy. While raising a family, he pursued the greater meaning of life, reading materials on Edgar Cayce and attending A.R.E. conferences, seminars, tours, and retreats. He is the author of the article The Cayce Cubit and the Kundalini in the Oct.-Dec. issue of Venture Inward Magazine, available in the online member-only section.

Reading 5749-12 Given March 24, 1940

Present: Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. Florence Edmonds, Esther Wynne, Hannah Miller, Helen and Marsden Godfrey, Myrtle Demaio, Minnie and C. A. Barrett, and Hugh Lynn Cayce.

Gertrude Cayce: On this Easter day of 1940 we seek a discourse on the significance of the Resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.

Edgar Cayce: In giving that as might be significant in the experiences of those present, it is well that there be considered those conditions which exist in the world of thought, as well as in the political and economic situations throughout the world—if there is to be a practical application of the significance of the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.

The life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus are as facts, in the hearts and minds of those here. The resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, is a significant fact to each individual only according to how he applies same (as it is significant to him) in his daily life, experience and conversation with his fellow man.

Then, in a material world—a world of hate, of divided opinions—what is the course that you each will pursue, in relationships to your fellow men?

Is it the course outlined by the tenets, the principles which He, the Teacher of teachers gave as respecting the manner of life, of activity, that you each would give in your dealings and relationships with your fellow men?

We know, and only need to be reminded, that the whole law is in Him. For, as He gave that which is the basis, the principle, of the intent and desire and purpose which should prompt our activity, so we in our own world—as we live, as we speak, as we pray—are to let it be in that tempo, in that way and manner which was prompted by Him, as He taught His disciples how to pray.

Then, as we analyze this prayer in our experience, we see what the life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ—who is the way, the truth, the light—must mean in this period in the experience of man.

Think not that He, God, will be mocked. For, whatsoever a man soweth, that must he also reap. This was truly exemplified in the life of the Man of Galilee. For, in Him we all live, we all move, we all die. So, in Him we are all made alive.

Then:

Put away hate, malice, jealousy, or the taking sides with any that stir up strife.

Be ye rather on the Lord's side—knowing that no man is in any position of power or might save by the will of the Father, that there may be fulfilled that which has been promised of Him, by Him, and through that advent of the man Jesus into a material world.

Then, as ye meditate upon the meaning of the resurrection of this man of God—know that the way is open to thee to approach the throne of God; not as an excuse, not as a justification, but rather in love, in harmony, in that which brings hope for a sin-sick world.

Each individual, then, may act, may live, may pray—in his or her own little sphere of activity—in such a manner as to bring peace and harmony, even among those who appear to be at variance to the cause of the Christ in the material world.

Let not thy heart be troubled, then. Ye believe in God; believe also in Him—who came to bring peace, and the way to the Father, exemplifying same in the ability to take away death - that is as sin in the experience of man.

And thus may he (man) indeed love the Lord with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself.

We are through.

Q.) Every time I sit down to meditate my cat wants to get in on it. I have always heard to put animals in another room while meditating so they won't disturb you so that's what I do, but she is quite persistent. Is there anything wrong with meditating with a pet?

A.) I too have heard from experts that you should lock animals out of your meditation practice. I think those who make such recommendations have a more distant relationship with their pets than many of us. As one who meditates, and who is a student of the Cayce readings and a holistic veterinarian, I'm here to tell you that it is fine to meditate with your pet. In fact, I would say it is better than fine.

For me, the purpose of meditation is to connect with our Creator and all of creation. There are many ways to strive toward this goal. Some people use a mindfulness approach and pay attention to their breath. Others repeat a mantra over and over. The Cayce approach involves the use of an affirmation. The words of the affirmation are repeated in order to evoke a feeling of peace and oneness.

As they say, "Different strokes for different folks." Each individual must find her or his way to quiet the mind and go within. There are those who find their pets to be distractions (and this certainly may depend on the pet's personality, too.) But for those of us who have a deep relationship with our animals, making them part of the meditation practice can be meaningful and even helpful.

Here's the way I look at it. Pets fill a need in the lives of those who love animals. With their instinct to comfort and heal us, they demonstrate qualities that even humans sometimes lack. I believe that pets have such an effect because they help us maintain contact with the natural world—a connection which our modern lifestyles tend to eliminate.

Nature is infused with the divine. It is impossible for most people to study biology without developing a sense of awe for the beauty of the balance that is maintained in intricate, natural systems. Each of the billions of cells of the body has a life of its own, and yet they all cooperate to function as a whole. Animals, plants, microorganisms, and inert materials have developed amazingly complicated relationships in every ecosystem in the world. Even the celestial bodies have an orderly rhythm that mystifies the human mind. All of creation is alive with a palpable, heavenly heartbeat.

With a purr, a nudge, a lick or a wag, our pets can reunite us with the mysteries of the universe. For me, connecting with a pet on a spiritual level is one way of connecting with the divine.

Here's how it works for me:

As my wife Judy and I sit down to meditate in the morning, our pets jump on our laps. As I relax, I become aware of my breath. I imagine that God is breathing the "breath of life" into me. I realize that the same breath of life is flowing within my four-legged companion.

I envision the amazing underlying life force, Spirit, which is stirring within both our bodies. As I become more aware of my dog lying in my lap, I feel her warmth and I feel her chest rise and fall.

I imagine this warm feeling of love expanding in my chest, and feel it overflow and embrace this special little being. I allow the love to continue to expand and imagine we are both floating in a sea of love. This feeling joins me with all of creation and I melt into the Oneness. I then enter the silence maintaining the feeling of oneness. My dog helps me anchor that feeling.

I would love to report that things happen just this way every day at my house but that would be a bit of a stretch. However, on those mornings when the stars are aligned, it is a beautiful thing.

Doug Knueven, DVM, is a regular contributor to Venture Inward magazine and the author of Stand By Me, A Holistic Handbook for Animals, People, and the Lives They Share, available at ARECatalog.com or 800-333-4499, and Holistic Health Guide: Natural Care for the Whole Dog. For more information go to BeaverAnimalClinic.com.

Excerpt from April, May,June 2012 issue of Venture Inward magazine available in the online member section.

I grew up in the south Bronx in the early 1950s. As a very young girl, I searched for God and love. My quest began early in life, catalyzed by a painful childhood marked by sexual and emotional abuse.

I came from a dysfunctional family and grew up in a chaotic and out-of-balance world. Like a lot of other people, I was not taught how to love unconditionally or how to express that love toward myself and others. I didn't learn how to set appropriate boundaries. I learned to doubt myself and to give my power to other people.

Many of us suffered from abuse or some other form of betrayal. No one taught us how to make sense of what happened. No one showed us how to heal. No one gave us a map of how to communicate our feelings without harming ourselves or others in the process.

As a child, I developed a longing for love and wholeness, but I didn't know where to go to find the answers I was seeking. Then one day, when I was in my early twenties, my sister Freyda introduced me to There Is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce by Thomas Sugrue. My life changed at that very moment.

After reading the book, I joined a Cayce Bible study group. I stayed with that group for over a year and then joined a Cayce "A Search for God" study group. That was over 37 years ago!

I loved the study groups. After three years in a study group in New York City, I left for an overseas assignment with the Foreign Service. I missed the wisdom and benefits of my Cayce study groups so much that I started study groups in Ankara, Turkey, then Bogota, Colombia, and Vienna, Austria. When I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, my fourth overseas assignment with the State Department, study groups were already in progress! I was delighted. The Cayce material introduced me to a spiritual path of self-discovery. I loved the concept of growing as an individual within the group context.

One of my favorite chapters in the A Search for God books is the one on Cooperation. I was always amazed at how the experiments we did in the group worked! An example is that I had been having trouble with a colleague at work. When my group was on the chapter on Cooperation, one of our experiments was to try and not think or speak negatively of someone we didn't like. That was easier said than done, but I kept trying! "Let us replace our negative thoughts with positive ones, thinking not unkindly of anyone but rather speaking and thinking kindly of all."

I was amazed to find that, at the end of the week, when I returned to our study group to report on the experiment, I was able to give very positive feedback. My colleague had absolutely done a 180 degree turnaround. Not only was she nicer to me, but she actually asked me if I needed help!

I learned to use dreams as a tool. When the study groups were finished for the evening, we sometimes discussed our dreams over a cup of coffee or tea. I started journaling my dreams and saw a pattern forming. I looked up the symbols and decided to have fun with this part of group work. I learned that interpreting dreams was actually quite an ancient practice.

I realized that I now had resources to help me with the challenges of life. I learned that I could meditate, listen to my dreams, change my attitudes, and watch the miracles as they happened! I even learned to use Cayce's castor oil packs and to pray and heal like Cayce's Glad Helpers group! I am part of an all-loving divine force!

We all have challenges in life, especially today during these chaotic times we live in. After all these years since starting with the Cayce material, I am still using the concepts that he put forth in the early 1900s. The Cayce material has become part of my heart and soul. I have found a resource for overcoming my own obstacles, have turned my stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and have learned to heal my heart. Thank you, Mr. Cayce!

Rosalie B. Kahn was born in New York City and joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1977. During her 26-year career, she worked and traveled extensively worldwide. In 1991, she married Guillermo Lopez, a Chilean. They live in Algarrobo, Chile. Rosalie writes, does healing work, and teaches spiritual growth concepts. Rosalie has been an A.R.E. member for more than 35 years. Her new book, My Healing Heart, which incorporates many of the Cayce concepts, can be ordered from her website at www.Myhealingheartbook.com.

In addition to wearing particular gems and gemstones, the Edgar Cayce readings often suggested that individuals wear different metals for their vibratory influence. Choosing which gemstone or metal to use is an important decision that can involve the body as well as the mind and spirit.

According to the readings, gemstones and metals work because our bodies are vibrational in nature. "Each element, each stone, each variation of stone, has its own atomic movement, held together by the units of energy that in the universe are concentrated in that particular activity." (Edgar Cayce reading 531-3)

For, the very elements of body— through which spirit and mind manifest— are atomic in their nature. Hence so are the elements of this stone indicated, that partakes of most of the elements that are to man of great influence or power, because of their representations in the body. (Edgar Cayce reading 1931-1)

Metals such as gold and silver could be worn on the body as well as absorbed by the body by using a device such as a radial appliance for "the strengthening influences of gold, the stabilizing influence of silver." (Edgar Cayce reading 1931-1)

Another reading recommended "…lots of bangles at times become confusing and at others almost necessary. Hence those things that are stable — as plain gold, or plain silver, or platinum, with the finishings — are those influences that are strongest about the entity for helpful forces." (Edgar Cayce reading 2390-1) Platinum was suggested since its "vibrations are in accord with that to keep your animation in accord with the best you may accomplish." (Edgar Cayce reading 1620-2)

Do not take this as…superstition or…a good luck charm ? but if the entity will wear about its person, or in its pocket, a metal that is carbon steel ? preferably in the groin pocket — it will prevent, it will ionize the body— from its very vibrations — to resist cold, congestion, and those inclinations for disturbance with the mucous membranes of the throat and nasal passages. This is a needed element, then, about the body. (Edgar Cayce reading 1842-1).

One reading suggested that the ideal stone, mineral, and metal were the same for most individuals because of the "association in its mental forces." (282-7)

Q. How can I use the astronomical, the numerical, the environs of the creations in the vibrations from metal, from stones, which influence me, to advantage in my present life?
A. As these are but lights, but signs in your experience, they are as but a candle that one stumbles not in the dark. But worship not the light of the candle; rather that to which it may guide you in your service. So, whether from the vibrations of numbers, of metals, of stones, these are…influences to make you in attune, one with the Creative Forces; just as the pitch of a song of praise is not the song … So, use them to attune self. How, you ask? As you apply, you are given the next step. ( Edgar Cayce reading707-2)

Choosing jewelry with gemstones is a very personal experience, as each individual has a unique vibration that may change over time. A piece may be selected for aesthetic qualities as well as vibratory. It is not necessary to choose a gemstone based on the gemstone associated with birth month, rather the readings indicated it was more important to keep "the correct attitude." (4006-1)

The body's physical reaction to an individual piece of jewelry must also be considered. One woman had a rash develop every time she wore a silver and turquoise ring which had belonged to a friend. She was told in a reading that it was due to "the supersensitiveness of the body to vibrations of this particular ring ? from those vibrations that are a part of the ring." (4009-1)

One woman asked about the influence of a pearl necklace she was wearing. Mr. Cayce suggested that "When its vibrations have taken the body-forces, it will be well." In order to accomplish that, he recommended that the necklace be "demagnetized" by exposure to an ultra-violet ray for a flash. (951-6)

For, each soul, each entity, has within its inner being the sum of what it has done, is doing, about its relationships to the whole. And this is the stone [bloodstone] to which the entity [2163] vibrates. Thus it is a helpful force physically, an encouragement to the mental, and vibrates upon the real or inner self. (2163-1)

You can learn more about gemstones from the Circulating File "Gemstones" available in the online Member-Only section of our website. A popular book published by A.R.E. Press is Edgar Cayce's Guide to Gemstones, Minerals, Metals, and Moreem> by author Shelley Kaehr, PhD, available at ARECatalog.com.

As a psychic, I've always found it a privilege to channel for clients who were eager to heal longstanding emotional and spiritual wounds through communicating with their angels and departed loved ones. It is a remarkable process to enter into a dialog with a deceased loved one with whom we still share unresolved issues and be able to heal those wounds—with the full cooperation of the departed! In fact, in circumstances in which an earthly relationship is so fraught with ongoing tension and melodrama, sometimes the only way to resolve the issues is after one of the individuals has passed on. Ironically, in light of my experience in addressing issues of my own through channeling, hypnosis, and traditional therapy, I truly believed that all my childhood healing was finally complete. But an uninvited visit from a departed family member would prove me very wrong.

In the 1920s, my paternal grandparents left Sweden and immigrated to America. They chose to settle in Chicago, most likely because there was a large Swedish community and the climate would have reminded them of "back home." They had one child, my dad, who was raised according to the prevailing children-are-supposed-to-be-seen-and-not-heard philosophy so popular at the time. He grew up, fell in love with an American Catholic girl of Irish-German descent, and they were married. A few years later, I was born, and my two brothers soon followed. As far back as I can remember, my grandparents spoke with heavy accents and would pepper their conversation with Swedish words and phrases. At birthday parties, we always sang in English and then in Swedish, which is a tradition I carry on to this day, wanting to pay tribute to them as well as celebrate a part of the heritage I have passed down to my children. My grandfather, so incredibly loving, was always referred to as "Farfar," the Swedish word for a paternal grandfather. If I chose not to marry a Swede, he would tell me in his broken English, when I had children, he hoped they would call my dad—his son— "Farfar." But, unfortunately, life would take a very different turn.

My father, Stig, became an abusive alcoholic. Even as a small child, I could sense that he was miserable with his life. To offset the depression and restlessness he felt, he developed a hobby. One day, he came home with a huge Lionel train set that he had acquired for himself rather than as something to share with us kids. This moment, as I write, I realize for the first time that the train set likely fed his fantasy of having the freedom to escape the dismal life he had created. No wonder he invested so much time alone playing with his new hobby! He continued to buy new cars and track, and soon the Lionel train set dominated our large suburban basement. He painstakingly arranged hundreds of feet of track on several Ping-Pong tables, and his railroad empire wound through a series of quaint, tiny villages that he had created. My parents were always struggling financially and I have no clue where he got the money.

When he wasn't home, my brothers and I loved to play with the life-like, sturdy Lionel steam engines and all of their numerous rail cars that operated by remote control. We never tired of staging crashes in which two steam engines would collide head-on, and then derail, sending all the rail cars cascading to the concrete floor—without causing even a scratch on their sturdy frames!

The alcohol fueled my dad's temper, and as time went on, it became impossible for me to maintain a relationship with him. Because we were estranged, my father never met my husband, Britt, and he died before I had children. He had caused me so much pain that I never spoke about him.

Years later, one Saturday morning when my son, Flynn, was six years old, he came downstairs for breakfast and he was rubbing his eyes. I asked if he had slept well, and he told me, to my utter astonishment, that "Farfar" had come to visit and together, they went to "his house in heaven" and played with his big train set all night! Flynn told me how much fun he had, and that he couldn't wait to go back.

I had never used the term "Farfar" with my son, nor had I ever told him anything about my father's elaborate train set. I was a professional channel, so spirit visitations—whether angelic or with the departed—were something I experienced and facilitated on a daily basis. And this certainly appeared to be tangible evidence that my father was indeed visiting! But, at the same time, I was concerned about the kind of influence my father was going to have on my son. After breakfast, I sat with Britt at the kitchen table and I invited my departed dad to communicate with me. Once I could feel his presence, a torrent of negative energy enveloped me. The negative sensations were not coming from my dad in spirit form, I realized; instead, to my surprise, I had to acknowledge the unpleasant fact that I still had a lot of personal healing to do. I could readily hear my dad—in spirit—assure me that he had let go of all of his serious emotional issues as soon as his soul left his physical body at the time of his death.

At first I was completely unwilling to have any further communication with my departed father. I had been so hurt by him as a child that I found it nearly impossible to trust that he wasn't going to create more pain for me—or my two children. But at the request of my husband, I decided to take the risk and slowly opened a dialog with my dad; and, to my surprise, discovered over time that his spirit is sensitive, funny, warm, engaging, supportive, dependable, and encouraging. If "Farfar" had not visited Flynn, I never would have had the opportunity of getting to know him as he really is—on a soul level. What's more, I may never have become aware that I was still harboring toxic resentment, disappointment, and fear that was corroding me emotionally. I'm delighted that my children have the opportunity to receive visits from "Farfar" in their dreams and enjoy the fun of the Lionel train set! Through the process of channeling, I have been able to heal old wounds and develop—for the first time—a close relationship with my dad, and my children have had the unique opportunity to get to know their maternal grandfather...who died years before they were born!

Kim O'Neill, voted Houston's Top Psychic by Houston Press Magazine, has been a psychic channel for over 24 years. She conducts private channeling sessions for an international list of clients from all walks of life—physicians, attorneys, entertainment professionals, religious leaders, fellow psychics, and many more. Her "Ask Kim" column is a prominent monthly feature in Indigo Sun Magazine. She has established international motivational seminars and workshops designed to help people transform their lives and develop greater spiritual. She is a frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows, providing accurate and specific psychic information covering a wide range of topics. She is also the author of the best-selling book How to Talk with Your Angels and the recently released The Calling: My Journey with the Angels. Kim lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and their two children.  

The psychic readings of Edgar Cayce are filled with references to gemstones, crystals, and precious metals, often recommended for their vibratory nature. These "stones" seem to share universal qualities while others have a more individual, almost personal nature. The readings suggest that they can be used for healing and strength, to raise ones vibration when connecting with the higher self, for stabilizing mental health, to increase psychic abilities, and even as the power source for a nation. Working with stones may also have harmful results—from amplification of a negative personality trait to the destruction of a civilization.

Part 1 of this blog will review the most common gemstones recommended and their suggested uses. Part 2 will look at metals and provide information on how to choose the right stone. Part 3 will review the Atlantean Tuaoi Stone, which was said by the readings to be the source of energy in Atlantis until it was used for destructive purposes.

Part 1

According to the readings, each stone has a unique spirit, vibration and "fire" that has the power to "bring that which fires the imagination of those who are very selfish or it may bring peace to the wearer." (3657-1) This reading goes on to explain that the vibration can be determined by how the stone was formed: "The diamond is selfish in its very nature, while you will find that the pearl is a natural consequence of irritation?and it will bring either peace or irritation to the wearer as will the diamond…"

What kind of world will this future be? We would imagine that it would be one where we would all be aware of our relationship to the whole. No one would go hungry, no one would be without shelter, and no one would be without opportunities for education or medical care. A time when the planet would be respected and treated with loving care. A time when the advances of science would be used to encourage a feeling of oneness throughout humanity. Science would view the basic stuff of the universe to be consciousness and put paramount importance on how our thoughts affect each other.

"Hence the colors that will influence the developing years…will be blue and yellow, or shades and tones of these particular colors; with the opal and pearl being those minerals that will attract and influence the entity. For, there will be…periods…when stones or jewelry will be of particular interest to the entity." (Edgar Cayce Reading 314-1)

"Hence the opal…with the moonstone, should be stones about the body or entity oft. Wear the fire opal as a locket about the neck. This would be well. Not upon the hands nor upon the wrists, but about the neck.

"Wear…the pearl with moonstone…as rings or amulets or anklets; but never those upon the neck or in the ears?rather upon the extremities; for they will make for the bringing out?in the experiences of those the entity meets." (Edgar Cayce Reading 1406-1)

The most frequently mentioned gemstone is lapis, including the forms lapis lazuli, lapis linguis, and lapis ligurius. Lapis is generally an azure blue or a deep-blue opaque stone, but it may have a green, violet, or even red tint, making recognition more challenging. Many early cultures, including Egyptian, Chinese, Tibetan, and Persian, have references to lapis lazuli. A number of artifacts from Ancient Egypt verify its use. The material known as lapis lazuli today is a silicate of sodium and aluminum with only trace amounts of copper. Since the readings indicate that lapis, or lapis lazuli, was composed of copper, it is difficult to know if it is the same gemstone.

The readings clearly identify lapis linguis as azurite, which can be used for "greater mental and spiritual development" ( Edgar Cayce Reading559-7) and "strength to the body" (691-1). It was recommended as an aid to meditation and a "helpful influence towards making…decisions in dealing with mental attributes." ( Edgar Cayce Reading1058-1) Lapis ligurius, most likely malachite, is described as a green stone with "crystallization of copper" with a "protective influence" ( Edgar Cayce Reading 1931-1) over the individual.

The pearl and ruby were both suggested for eight individuals, making them the next most popular gemstones in the readings.

The pearl was to be worn "close to the body; not as an ornament, but rather as that which gives strength to the body." ( Edgar Cayce Reading 3374-1)The pearl "should be worn upon the body, or against the flesh" for "its vibrations are healing, as well as creative…" ( Edgar Cayce Reading 951-4) It was suggested as an omen and an expression of the ideal and used for "keeping the even temperament, yea the temper itself." ( Edgar Cayce Reading 2533-1)

The ruby was to be worn "on hand or body" to "develop greater abilities for concentration." ( Edgar Cayce Reading531-3) Mr. Cayce stressed that it should be used as a crutch or steppingstone. The vibrations of a diamond and ruby could keep the "vibrations of the body in better attune with infinity and not with the purely mental or material things of life." (Edgar Cayce Reading 5322-1) The inner influence of the ruby was "valor and the strength." (1144-2)

Part 2 will look at metals in the readings and information on how to choose the right stone. You can learn more about gemstones from the Circulating File "Gemstones" available in the online Member-Only section of our website. A popular book by A.R.E. Press is Edgar Cayce's Guide to Gemstones, Minerals, Metals, and More by author Shelley Kaehr, PhD, available at ARECatalog.com.

Famous Believers in Reincarnation

By Ann Jaffin

Perhaps like me, you’ve been considered a little strange, if not downright weird, for believing that reincarnation is the way the world works. Surely it was even worse for the Cayce family in 1923, when this seemingly bizarre concept was introduced by the Source of the readings.

Finding both reincarnation and karma expressed as truths in the Bible was a great comfort to Edgar and his family. But the Cayces also visited the Dayton library to see how the past-life information in the readings checked out against known history. As with the Bible, they found the readings usually measured up quite well. Moreover, in general the information in the readings tended to push the dates of historical events back in time, just as we have seen science do since Edgar’s day. Perhaps most interestingly, the readings also frequently fleshed out historical epochs and events in a very rich and satisfying fashion.

Reincarnation permeates the ancient philosophies of the East. Billions of people have embraced these beliefs as central in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, and other faiths. However, one of the most amazing and wonderful discoveries about reincarnation is finding the large number of famous intellectuals and writers in the Western world who have expressed a belief in reincarnation in their writings. This includes Socrates, Pythagoras, Plato, Dante, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Goethe, Albert Schweitzer, and George Patton.

Here are some of my favorite examples:

• Benjamin Franklin wrote and distributed versions of his own epitaph: “The Body of B. Franklin, Printer, like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be wholly lost; For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more, In a new and more elegant Edition, Revised and Corrected By the Author.”
• Voltaire: “It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.”
• George Eliot: “Our deeds still travel with us from afar. And what we have been makes us what we are.”
• Goethe: “I am certain I have been here as I am now a thousand times before, and I hope to return a thousand times.”
• Leo Tolstoy: “...so is our present life only one of many thousands of such lives which we enter from the other, more real life...and then return after death.”
• Henry Ford: “I adopted the theory of Reincarnation when I was 26...Work is futile if we cannot utilize the experience we collect in one life in the next. When I discovered Reincarnation it was as if I had found a universal plan... Time was no longer limited. I was no longer a slave to the hands of the clock... Genius is experience... It is the fruit of long experience in many lives... The discovery of Reincarnation put my mind at ease...”
• Carl Jung: “I could well imagine that I might have lived in former centuries and there encountered questions I was not yet able to answer; that I had to be born again because I had not fulfilled the task that was given to me.”
• Richard Wagner: “In contrast to reincarnation and karma, all other views seem petty and narrow.”
• Walt Whitman: “And as to you, Life, I reckon you are the leaving of many deaths; (no doubt I have died myself 10,000 times before).”
• Mark Twain: “I have been born more times than anybody except Krishna.”
• David Lloyd George: “The conventional heaven with its angels perpetually singing, etc., nearly drove me mad in my youth and made me an atheist for 10 years. My opinion is that we shall be reincarnated.”
• William Wordsworth: “Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; the Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star, hath had elsewhere its setting, and cometh from afar. Not in entire forgetfulness and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come...”
• Rudyard Kipling: “They will come back–come back again–as long as the red earth rolls. He never wasted a leaf or a tree. Do you think He would squander souls?”
• John Masefield: “I hold that when a person dies His soul returns again to earth; arrayed in some new flesh-disguise another mother gives him birth. With sturdier limbs and brighter brain the old soul takes the road again.”
• Thomas Edison: “The only survival I can conceive is to start a new Earth cycle again.”
• Kahlil Gibran: “A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me.”
• William Butler Yeats: “Many times man lives and dies...”
• And perhaps the most beautiful from Gandhi: “I cannot think of permanent enmity between man and man, believing as I do in the theory of rebirth, I shall live in the hope that if not in this birth, in some other birth I shall be able to hug all humanity in friendly embrace.”

So, it is clear that believing in reincarnation and karma puts us in very good company indeed!

Ann Jaffin

Ann Jaffin, M.S., a life member and field volunteer of A.R.E., has been a member of a Study Group for 40 years. In addition to writing several articles for Venture Inward magazine, she is the author of the A.R.E. Press book Past Lives and Present Karma. She is presently working on a second book and is scheduled as a speaker at the 2012 Annual A.R.E. Members Congress in June in Virginia Beach, Va. Ann has traveled the world, frequently with A.R.E. Tours, and is a dedicated user of Cayce’s remedies and therapies. She’ll be presenting Life, Death, and Rebirth: Co-Creation with God at the 2012 Wildacres Retreat near Little Switzerland, N.C., from September 27-30, 2012. You can learn more about the Jaffin family in our Virtual Library under the Jaffin Family Archives and Research Project.

I was particularly struck by his phrase, "The Age of the Lily," as I have a 10-year-old granddaughter named Lily, and I have often pondered what kind of world her generation will inherit. It seems relevant to contemplate this benign prophecy during this pivotal year of 2012. When one reads the newspapers, it is easy to become disheartened by the rampant violence and cruelty that the human race seems capable of. It is an enormous comfort to believe that, in spite of the way things look, we are nevertheless slowly growing in awareness of our oneness with all things. Edgar Cayce said, "For you grow to heaven, you don't go to heaven." (3409-1) and it is precisely this growth in consciousness that will eventually bring about the peace we all desire deep in our hearts.

The realization of our connectedness with one another will bring in a collective future of unprecedented prosperity and peace. I don't know if it will happen in my granddaughter's lifetime, but Cayce could see this future unfolding in the Akashic Records as the souls of men awakened to their true relationship with God. Cayce says that "Man can only begin, then, within himself." (3976-23) We have come into this dimension to evolve and expand our consciousness, and it is up to each of us to help bring about this eventual transformation within ourselves.

What kind of world will this future be? We would imagine that it would be one where we would all be aware of our relationship to the whole. No one would go hungry, no one would be without shelter, and no one would be without opportunities for education or medical care. A time when the planet would be respected and treated with loving care. A time when the advances of science would be used to encourage a feeling of oneness throughout humanity. Science would view the basic stuff of the universe to be consciousness and put paramount importance on how our thoughts affect each other.

Maybe they would have created the "etheronic machine" that Cayce predicted in a reading 443-5. He stated that it would eventually be possible to create a machine that could read the Akashic Records that are "written upon the skeins of time and space." Each individual would be able to access his or her own past lives and see how they are impacting the present life. People would understand their relationships with the important individuals in their life and be able to work toward healing them.

They would be humbled by the realization that they alone are responsible for their circumstances and would be motivated to express love and compassion toward all living creatures.

In this wonderful future, everyone would realize that just as Cayce stated, "time and space are literal only to the consciousness of the finite mind" ( 2000-3) and that "viewed from the spirit, much of time and space in a material concept loses its relationship?and becomes now" ( 2981-1). If what we consider the past and future is really only now, then as Kevin Todeschi says, "Since time is ultimately an illusion, past lives would have to be fluid as well. Ultimately, we should be able to change our past-life experiences as readily as we can create our tomorrows." Imagine how liberating that would be—to realize that there is no pain, no regret, no memory that cannot be ultimately healed. Imagine how wonderful for all of humanity to realize that ultimately our consciousness in not limited but able to become aware of other realities happening now within the soul's journey?

During this year of 2012, rather than feeling helpless in regard to the world situation, let us concentrate on Cayce's promise of a future where we all manifest our spiritual essence on a daily basis. Cayce says that in "the passage of a soul through time and space, through this and that experience" the purpose is to provide opportunities to express mercy, love, and patience toward one another. (Edgar Cayce Reading 938-1) How wonderful to imagine a future time on Earth in which we all are striving to do just that!

Sharon Falk
Sharon Falk's grandmother introduced her to the Edgar Cayce's readings when she was a teenager, and she has studied his work ever since. She has had several articles published in Venture Inward magazine and is a longtime member of the A.R.E. Sharon is a retired teacher, has an M.F.A. from George Washington University, and loves to paint as well as write. She currently lives in Gig Harbor, Wash., with her husband and their cat, Mittens.

Answering my office phone, I heard an all-too-familiar greeting: "Hello, I was told to call you … I think I'm the reincarnation of Edgar Cayce." Although this time the caller was a woman, I had heard her story, her "memories," and her conviction more than 100 times before. Over the years so many individuals have contacted A.R.E. about being the reincarnation of Edgar Cayce or about being in ongoing psychic communication with the soul of Edgar Cayce that the organization has created form letters to respond.

This phenomenon is not new. Edgar Cayce's elder son, Hugh Lynn Cayce (1907-1982), used to tell a variety of stories in his lectures about individuals claiming to be the reincarnation of his father, or about people who were convinced that they were in psychic communication with his father. So insistent were many of these individuals about the validity of their contact with Edgar Cayce that finally Hugh Lynn began testing them with a question that Edgar Cayce himself would know the answer to: "What can you tell me about Gail?" The correct answer was that Gail was a female member of the Cayce family, but no one responded correctly.

Many people are not aware of the fact that information can come from the "other side" without being from the individual who claims to be giving the information. Although it may sound unusual, it is possible that individuals are actually "hearing" or "receiving" information from a discarnate entity (deceased individual) who claims to be Edgar Cayce but is not. In other words, discarnates can and do lie. This phenomenon is simply an attempt, by dead individuals who don't want to be dead, to regain a connection to the physical plane. These discarnates know that well-meaning and psychically open people are much more likely to maintain an ongoing communication with a famous personality than from Mike Smith of Toledo.

Hugh Lynn considered this type of psychic communication an "unwanted psychic experience." In addition to hearing voices, other unwanted experiences included such things as feeling the presence of a ghost, sensing that someone is invading your thoughts psychically, picking up on unsought psychic information, etc. The suggestions for treating and overcoming the experiences often included a variety of approaches designed to bolster the body's natural defenses ? physically, mentally, and spiritually. Some of the most frequent recommendations included seeing an osteopath or chiropractor; eating a healthy diet; reading spiritually-focused, uplifting material; working with prayer; and refusing to become fascinated by the experiences.

Perhaps surprisingly, this last suggestion is one of the hardest for many people to accept. I have personally spoken to dozens of individuals who have no intention of "stopping" the phenomena; instead, many of them truly want the experiences to continue because they have somehow acquired a sense of "importance." Some have even stated that their life wasn't really that interesting or rewarding until the experience started to happen.

In terms of the bodily reincarnation of Edgar Cayce, there are several reasons why individuals may honestly think, feel, and "remember" being the reincarnation of Cayce without its being a valid reincarnation recall experience. Those reasons include the way in which the process of soul awakening works, as well as the possibility of past-life connections with Edgar Cayce or one of his previous incarnations.

During the process of "soul awakening," an individual may experience feelings and even memories from the past that resurface in the present. Part of the challenge in this process is sorting through all of the images, memories, and feelings, and attempting to separate what is "real" from what is caused by something else. Sometimes individuals have such strong feelings and images about a particular person from history that they may actually begin to personally associate with those memories.

For example, in 1936 a 47-year-old man asked Edgar Cayce during the course of a reading about his own connection to a famous personality. The man was convinced that he was the reincarnation of President James A. Garfield. Not only did he have memories and feelings of being the 20th president but another psychic had also confirmed the connection. Cayce, however, stated that the individual had simply been a very close friend and associate of Garfield's and not the president himself (1151-4).

With this in mind, it is very likely that individuals who think they were Edgar Cayce may have had a close association with him and his work, or they may have been connected with Cayce in one of his previous incarnations. According to Cayce's own readings, his soul had accomplished a similar work in both ancient Egypt and ancient Persia. In addition, a variety of readings suggest that many individuals who have a strong interest or familiarity with the Cayce work or with Edgar Cayce are actually part of a "soul group" that has returned from time to time.

When Edgar Cayce does decide to reincarnate, it is unlikely that he will pick up his personality as Edgar Cayce. Undoubtedly, he will begin a new life with new opportunities and new lessons. In fact, any individual with a valid past-life memory of Edgar Cayce would, in all likelihood, want to keep that memory to him- or herself, because the notoriety of that information might jeopardize the purpose for which the soul entered into its present incarnation.

Even when all of the above is sincerely explained to individuals, many persist in their claims that they are in communication with Edgar Cayce or that they are the physical return of Edgar Cayce. Oftentimes, they are not really concerned about the way soul memory works. They don't want to hear about lying discarnates. They are not really interested in the possibility of having been associated with Cayce in one of his prior incarnations.

Hugh Lynn Cayce used to say that it really doesn't matter who we were in the past. What's important is who we are in the present, and what we are doing about who we are right now. Surely, the soul of Edgar Cayce himself would be familiar with that principle.

Kevin J. Todeschi is Executive Director and CEO of Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. and Atlantic University. He oversees activities of the Cayce work worldwide. As both student and teacher of the Edgar Cayce material for more than 30 years, he has lectured on five continents in front of thousands of individuals. A prolific writer, he is the author of numerous articles and more than 20 books, including Edgar Cayce on Vibration, Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records, and The Rest of the Noah Story

Excerpt from the January / February 2004 issue of Venture Inward magazine. The magazine is available exclusively for A.R.E. members online.

The December 21, 2011 headline of the article put online by the Examiner declared: "Ruins in Georgia mountains show evidence of Maya connection." It was written by Richard Thornton who writes articles on architecture and design for the Examiner's Web site, which pays writers' fees based on how many people view the ads on the Internet page. According to the article, which created a massive Internet response, "a group of archaeologists discovered the ruins of a 1,100-year-old Maya city" on the sides of a steep mountain in Georgia. The article related that 154 stone masonry walls, a sophisticated irrigation system, and other stone ruins were at the site. The archaeological team was led, back in 1999, by Dr. Mark Williams, who recovered pottery at the mounds found on the top of the mountain. The article, quite large for an Examiner post, presented virtually no evidence for the claim of Maya ruins other than the claim of the stone walls and Native language similarities to Mayan, but referred readers to Thornton's book on the site.

The Archaeologist Responds

After being inundated by media inquiries and continual contact from other interested parties, the archaeologist cited by the Examiner article (the University of Georgia's Mark Williams) became frustrated and even angered by the report. Williams wrote that the report "is not true" and that he had "been driven crazy" by the allegations. Williams added, "The Maya connection to legitimate Georgia archaeology is a wild and unsubstantiated guess on the part of the Thornton fellow. No archaeologist will defend this flight of fancy." Williams wrote to the Examiner, "I am the archaeologist Mark Williams mentioned in the article. This is total and complete bunk."

The actual Georgia "Maya" site is best known as the "Kenimer Mound Complex" and is listed in my 2008 Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Mounds & Earthworkse. On the top of a mountain near Sautee, Georgia are two mounds. The largest of these is an irregular-shaped pyramid mound that stands 35 feet in height. Adjacent to it is a smaller rectangular mound just 3 feet in height.

There are what appear to be ground undulations along the mountainside that could have been shaped terraces, but there is no definitive evidence pointing to what these ground-covered forms actually are. After the Examiner report came out I received numerous inquiries about it, and was even asked by a few people to change the A.R.E.-sponsored "Georgia Mound Builders Tour" scheduled for May 2-6, 2012, to include the "new Maya ruins." Because the Kenimer site is small, privately owned, and clearly has no definitive evidence pointing to a Maya influence, we won't be visiting this site. But we are visiting one massive mound complex in Georgia that archaeologists have clearly linked to an ancient Mexican influence.

Edgar Cayce's Readings on America's Mound Builders

In our 2001 book, Mound Builders: Edgar Cayce's Forgotten Record of Ancient America (coauthored with Dr. Lora Little and John Van Auken), we examined 30 ideas presented in 68 Cayce readings with information about ancient civilizations in the Americas. In readings given in 1933 and 1943 (5750-1 and 3528-1) Cayce made it clear that sometime after 3000 B.C., groups of people who had been living in the Yucatan and Mexico entered into America's south and gradually moved north, becoming what we know as Mound Builders. At the time Cayce made these readings, American archaeology had accepted that mound and pyramid building progressed in the opposite direction (north to south). However, as we have detailed in books and numerous articles, it is now known that the movement of this culture was south to north, precisely as Cayce related.

One site included on the May 2012 A.R.E. Georgia Mound Tour is Ocmulgee National Monument, a massive complex inhabited as early as 17,000 years ago. There are seven huge mounds at the site with the largest being a truncated pyramid standing 55 feet high with a base of 270x300 feet. An underground earth-lodge is at the center of the site and we plan to conduct a ceremony while inside this earthen structure. Ocmulgee is one of the few American mound complexes where archaeologists concede that a definite influence from ancient Mexican cultures is present. Specific types of tobacco, clothing, pottery, and statues excavated at the site show the connection. It is thought that when the Teotihuacan pyramid-building culture collapsed around AD 600, a migration took place to the north, eventually reaching Georgia as well as other places.

Gregory L. Little, Ed.D. , part Seneca, is author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Mounds & Earthworks, an authoritative guide to America's mound sites. His other books include Mound Builders; Grand Illusions, Edgar Cayce's Atlantis, Secrets of the Ancient World, Ancient South America, and People of the Web, and he has over 30 other books in various areas of psychology. He is the publisher of Alternate Perceptions online magazine (Mysterious-America.net). Although he has been a member of the A.R.E. for over 20 years, he became very interested in the Cayce readings while studying the effects of ritual on brain processes in the late 1980s. In addition to being popular speakers at A.R.E. Conferences, both he and his wife, Lora, have been featured in documentaries on Discovery, the Learning Channel, the History Channel, Sci-Fi, MSNBC, and the National Geographic. They are leading A.R.E.'s popular Mound Builders tour from May 2 to 6, 2012.

Most pet caregivers have no doubt that their animals are more than stimulus/response, biomechanical machines. Is it not obvious that each pet has an independent spirit? Specific breeds certainly have characteristics in common. For example, herding breeds of dogs in general have different temperaments than, say, those of the retrieving breeds. At the same time, each individual of a particular breed has his/her unique personality. These characteristics are certainly not due to strictly genetic factors.

According to the Cayce readings, the human soul is made up of Spirit, mind and will. And, according to the readings, the will is the sticking point in the argument for the animal soul.
"The will is that factor which makes man different from the rest of the animal kingdom…" Edgar Cayce Readings 909-1
"Free will – that which is the universal gift to the souls of the children of men; that each entity may know itself to be itself and yet one with the universal cause." Edgar Cayce Readings 2620-2
"Man alone is given that birthright of free will. He alone may defy his God!" Edgar Cayce Readings 5757-1

Okay, so maybe the apparent lack of will is not such a bad thing after all. In fact, if animals lack free will, it only means that they do not have a human soul. Animal actions are not held to the same moral standards as those of their people. Would we hold our dog morally responsible for stealing the neighbor dog's bone? Should he be tried by a jury of his peers?

A surprising result of researching the Edgar Cayce readings that refer to pets is that there is evidence of the reincarnation of animals. A case in point is the "little dog Mona." In three separate readings (268-3, 280-1, and 405-1) Mona is said to have been the reincarnation of a lion from Roman times. It is apparent that some of those near this little creature in this lifetime were once faced with a very different incarnation of her in the form of a lion in the Christian martyrdom era. In still another reading, 276-6, a 16-year-old girl was told that her current pet had been with her in an Egyptian incarnation.

It is obvious from the readings and from the personal experience of most pet owners that our pets have a spiritual nature. We form bonds with our animals that defy a materialistic view. We find comfort in our human-animal relationships that many studies show has a positive influence on our health. Yes, pet owners live longer than those who do not share their lives with a special animal.

The question remains, "What does all this talk about animal souls have to do with their health?" I have found that just acknowledging the deeper levels of animal existence leads to a more complete healing attitude. Holistically-minded veterinarians have multiple levels from which to operate. Besides conventional medicine and surgery, and physical alternative modalities such as herbs, chiropractic, and acupuncture, we also have energy medicine.

Homeopathic remedies are often diluted to the point that not a single molecule of the original medicinal substance remains, yet they have biological effects. Prayer might be viewed as simply wishful thinking by conventional practitioners; still many studies validate its health benefits. Animal communication is dismissed by some, but I have seen firsthand, miraculous results from such consultations.

Holistic pet care is complete care that encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Our pets possess soul attributes and these facets of their existence need to be addressed for true health to be realized. The spiritual bonds we share with our companion animals also enhance our own well-being, as we connect with God through Her creations.

Doug Knueven, DVM, is a regular contributor to Venture Inward magazine and the author of Stand By Me, A Holistic Handbook for Animals, People, and the Lives They Share, available at ARECatalog.com or 800-333-4499, and Holistic Health Guide: Natural Care for the Whole Dog. For more information go to BeaverAnimalClinic.com. He'll be in Virginia Beach on Saturday, January 21 from 9 to 11 am for the Holistic Pet Care: Practical Tips program.
Excerpt from March / April 2009 issue of Venture Inward magazine available in the online member section.

A few days before Halloween of 2008, I had a bad fall that resulted in four days in the hospital, two and a half weeks in a rehab facility, and several weeks of therapists' home visits. During this experience, I relearned several lessons that I had been ignoring, or to which I was insufficiently paying attention.

Lesson 1 – Appreciate simple things
Being a task-oriented person, I didn't take time to "stop and smell the roses." During my recovery, I was forced to slow down and, in doing so, relearn an appreciation of everyday sights, such as the beauty of nature, one of God's greatest gifts to us. Fall flowers, colorful trees, birds that had not yet migrated, bright sunny days, and clear, star-filled nights were sights I took time to enjoy and for which I was grateful.

Certain everyday experiences became more meaningful to me. Just by getting up in the morning and realizing I had been given another day to spend on this earth made me, as Deepak Chopra wrote, "open to the wonder and delight of living a human life." Being able to linger over my cup of tea and read the daily newspaper more thoroughly felt luxurious to me. My eating habits changed greatly. Rather than rush through a meal, because I had something to do or someplace to go, I ate more slowly and enjoyed the taste of the simplest of foods. A leisurely shower instead of a two-minute rushed one was a treat. Things that I had grown so used to seemed new again.

Lesson 2 – Cherish your friends and family
My family was very solicitous during my whole ordeal. My husband visited the hospital and rehab twice a day, giving up his normal activities, including playing golf. Plus he made calls, did errands, brought me what I needed from home, and generally gave me support. I was so grateful for this. The only other family I have locally is a cousin, whom I see occasionally, but my children and grandchildren called often, and some wrote touching notes. One of my sons even offered to come from quite a distance and build a ramp at our house if I needed one, which I didn't; and one of my daughters was willing to come and get me and bring me to her home in Massachusetts, but that wasn't necessary.

You learn quickly which friends you can count on to be there for you. These friends, including my friends at A.R.E., took time from their busy lives to call, visit, send cards and flowers, and bring me books, magazines, and snacks. They lightened the dreariness of rehab and warmed my heart. I relearned how precious family and friends are, and I wish I could adequately express this sentiment to them.

Lesson 3 – Prayer is powerful
I am convinced that my rapid recovery was due, in large part, to the prayers that were being said for me. The collective effect of prayers of friends, family, the Glad Helpers at A.R.E., and people I didn't even know, was so strong that I couldn't possibly do anything but get better. I could feel that strength urging me on during "down" times, and I realized again that the power of prayer is very real. We have been given examples of that power throughout history, but there's nothing like first-hand experience to really convince one. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have to bring about change.

Lesson 4 – Don't let ego rule
Most of us are concerned about our appearances. We try to be clean, attractively dressed, and have hairstyles that are suited to us. In rehab, being clean was not a problem, as we had daily baths or showers. And looking attractive was not a major concern, at least not for me. I gave my ego a vacation and hung around much of the time in hospital gowns, wore little makeup, and presented myself to people with hair that was badly in need of cutting and styling. And I didn't care!

Also, most of us try to be interesting conversationalists. However, rehab is not conductive to stimulating conversation. Some of my visitors were glad that I managed to stay awake. I imagined that people who visited me talked about how terrible I looked and how dull I was becoming, but I didn't care! I felt that people needed to accept me as I am. It was kind of freeing to let the ego rest.

Now that I'm home and out and about, I'm a little more careful of my appearance and conversation, but I still have my bad days. I try hard not to hurt or offend anyone, but if I'm not at my best, so be it.

This is just a small example of letting the ego go. On a larger scale, I now realize that the ego rules too much of our lives and keeps us from knowing who we truly are. I intend to be more aware of that.

Lesson 5 – Life and health are fleeting
We all realize that we can be alive and feel healthy one minute and be struck down by a heart attack, stroke, or accident the next. Therefore, we should pay more attention to our lifestyles, our choices, and our movements. After the fall, in which I had broken my wrist and fractured my pelvic bone, I felt blessed that I was still alive, did not require surgery, had a good prognosis for recovery, and still had my wits about me. While in rehab, I had seen people who had been mentally damaged and/or who might never make it out of their wheelchairs. I felt grateful that I wasn't in either of those situations. I was determined to pursue my recovery so that I could go home as soon as possible. Compared to average recovery time, mine was considered rapid.

Now, I move around much more carefully, pay attention to my choices, and pray that I will continue to be well.

We've been told that everything happens for a reason. When I was well enough to think about my situation, I wondered, Why? Why me? Well, maybe what happened to me happened in part so that I could relearn some truths, such as those I have listed. After all, aren't we here on "Classroom Earth" to learn, and in some cases, to relearn? So slow down, be careful, be grateful, pray, and keep learning!

Louise Wild received her M.Ed. from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., and worked as an editor for educational publishing companies and as a reading specialist in public schools. She and her husband, Ken, were introduced to the Cayce material in Massachusetts and, after moving to Virginia Beach in 1989, immediately joined A.R.E. Wild worked as an A.R.E. front-desk staff member for 10 years before retiring in 2009. She continues to volunteer, teaching the Sunday noon meditation class, giving survey lectures twice per month, and spending one morning each week at the Volunteer Call Center. She is a mother of four and grandmother to eight wonderful children.

Not for fame, and not for name, not for power, luxury or pain; not even for that called by man, success, do I strive, and work and strain, but rather that in my humble way I may contribute my small share to the whole cause of creation, doing my bit for a cause so glorious in itself, so outstanding in its ideal of life, truth and love, and last but not least a cause born, fostered and administered of a Creator whose essence permeates the whole and whose creative power is the only reality I can find within or outside of myself. My shoulder to the wheel of creation, I serve its purpose for the glorification, and in the effort, behold, I become aware of myself being it. Its glory my glory, its purpose my purpose, its process my process, I lose myself in it, but to find myself again this power of life and creation. Such is the lesson of Life, and once learned and practiced, its reward is eternal.

900-288 Reports; excerpt from a letter from Morton Blumenthal to Edgar Cayce dated 12/25/1926

Morton Blumenthal Born on April 6, 1895, in Altoona, Pa., Morton Blumenthal was 29 years old when he was first introduced to Edgar Cayce through David E. Kahn in August 1924. Cayce was living in Dayton, Ohio, where he had organized the Cayce Institute of Psychic Research. Blumenthal attended Columbia University in New York City, and was working as a stockbroker in New York at the time. Later, he and his brother, Edwin, were able to establish their own seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and for seven years almost single-handedly provided the funding for the Cayce Hospital and the support of the Cayce family (from 1924 until 1931).

More than any other individual in the 5,787 nonreading records in the custody of the Edgar Cayce Foundation archives, Blumenthal opened areas of inquiry into psychic development, the nature of man, and the nature of consciousness. He was responsible for questions that led to the development of the philosophy of the readings, later amplified through the “A Search for God” material and Glad Helpers prayer group series. Blumenthal also had the first dream interpretation reading and, of the 630 total dream interpretation readings, the great majority were given for him, his brother, and other Blumenthal family members.

Blumenthal had 468 readings from Edgar Cayce from August 1924, until his last reading on July 4, 1930. On December 30, 1949, he recorded a dream in which he foresaw the manner of his own death. As he had dreamed five years earlier, he died in Virginia Beach, Va., on April 9, 1954, of a heart attack. Blumenthal was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Norfolk, Va. 

Reading 5749-15
The Birth of Jesus given to the 10th Annual A.R.E. Congress in 1941
This Psychic Reading given by Edgar Cayce at the office of the Association, Arctic Crescent, Virginia Beach, Va., this 22nd day of June, 1941, at the Tenth Annual Congress of the Association for Research & Enlightenment, Inc.

Gertrude Cayce (GC): You will have before you the enquiring mind of the entity Thomas Sugrue, present in this room, who seeks a continuation of information given on the life of the Master and its history in the material world... Because of the purpose for which this information is to be used, he asks at this time for a description of a literary nature of certain events in the life of the Master which are known to us in outline but not in detail. You will give these as presented — first the birth of the Master at Bethlehem beginning with the arrival of Mary and Joseph at the Inn. You will include such details as weather, time, conversation with Inn Keeper, number of people at the Inn, types they represented, recreations and occupations engaged in during the evening, what was being eaten and drunk, whether the guests knew the Child was being born, actual time of birth, etc.

Edgar Cayce (EC): Yes, we have the information that has been indicated respecting some of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, the son of Mary, in Bethlehem of Judea.

The purposes are well known, for which the journey was made in the period. The activities of Joseph are well known. The variation or difference in their ages is not so oft dealt upon. Neither is there much indicated in sacred or profane history as to the preparation of the mother for that channel through which immaculate conception might take place. And this, the immaculate conception, is a stumblingstone to many worldly-wise.

The arrival was in the evening — not as counted from the Roman time, nor that declared to Moses by God when the second passover was to be kept, nor that same time which was in common usage even in that land, but what would now represent January sixth.

The weather was cool, and there were crowds on the way. For, it was only a sabbath day's journey from Jerusalem. There were great crowds of people on the way from the hills of Judea.

The people were active in the occupations of the varied natures in that unusual land. Some were carpenters — as those of the house of Joseph, who had been delayed, even on the journey, by the condition of the Mother. Some in the group were helpers to Joseph — carpenters' helpers. Then there were shepherds, husbandmen, and the varied groups that had their small surroundings as necessitated by the conditions of the fields about Nazareth.

In the evening then, or at twilight, Joseph approached the Inn, that was filled with those who had also journeyed there on their way to be polled for the tax as imposed by the Romans upon the people of the land. For, those had been sent out who were to judge the abilities of the varied groups to be taxed. And each individual was required by the Roman law to be polled in the city of his birth.

Both Joseph and Mary were members of the sect called the Essenes; and thus they were questioned by those not only in the political but in the religious authority in the cities.

Then there was the answer by the inn keeper, "No room in the inn," especially for such an occasion. Laughter and jeers followed, at the sight of the elderly man with the beautiful girl, his wife, heavy with child.

Disappointments were written upon not only the face of Joseph but the inn keeper's daughter, as well as those of certain groups about the inn. For, many saw the possibilities of an unusual story that might be gained if the birth were to take place in the inn. Also there was consternation outside, among those who had heard that Joseph and Mary had arrived and were not given a room. They began to seek some place, some shelter.

For, remember, many of those — too — were of that questioned group; who had heard of that girl, that lovely wife of Joseph who had been chosen by the angels on the stair; who had heard of what had taken place in the hills where Elizabeth had gone, when there was the visit from the cousin — and as to those things which had also come to pass in her experience. Such stories were whispered from one to another.

Thus many joined in the search for some place. Necessity demanded that some place be sought — quickly. Then it was found, under the hill, in the stable — above which the shepherds were gathering their flocks into the fold.

There the Savior, the Child was born; who, through the will and the life manifested, became the Savior of the world — that channel through which those of old had been told that the promise would be fulfilled that was made to Eve; the arising again of another like unto Moses; and as given to David, the promise was not to depart from that channel. But lower and lower man's concept of needs had fallen.

Then — when hope seemed gone — the herald angels sang. The star appeared, that made the wonderment to the shepherds, that caused the awe and consternation to all of those about the Inn; some making fun, some smitten with conviction that those unkind things said must needs be readjusted in their relationships to things coming to pass.

All were in awe as the brightness of His star appeared and shone, as the music of the spheres brought that joyful choir, "Peace on earth! Good will to men of good faith."

All felt the vibrations and saw a great light — not only the shepherds above that stable but those in the Inn as well.

To be sure, those conditions were later to be dispelled by the doubters, who told the people that they had been overcome with wine or what not.

Just as the midnight hour came, there was the birth of the Master.

The daughter of the inn keeper was soon upon the scene, as was the mother of the daughter, and the shepherds that answered the cry — and had gone to see what was come to pass.

Those were the manners, and the ones present soon afterwards. For, through the period of purification the Mother remained there, not deeming it best to leave, though all forms of assistance were offered; not leaving until there was the circumcision and the presenting in the temple to the magi, to Anna and to Simeon.

Such were the surroundings at the period of the birth of Jesus . . .