The Dream as a Path of Initiation
By G. Scott Sparrow

Twenty-two years ago, my friend Benny hit a palm tree driving back from Mexico late one night. Before driving while drinking received so much attention, it was customary for teenagers along the Rio Grande River in south Texas to stay up late dancing in the border lounges, and then to head for home in the wee hours of morning along a perilously winding road that followed the course of the river. Many of us who passed our teenage years on the border – where alcohol for minors was only a bridge crossing away – can recall times when we should have been dead. I still shudder at our foolishness. We were just luckier, not wiser, than Benny and his two friends who died that night.

Shortly afterward, Benny began showing up in my dreams. He appeared deranged, even demonic – intent, it seemed, on hitting or killing me. I would run from him, scared out of my mind and wondering why he would want to hurt me, his friend. In one dream, I realized it was a dream and I tried to wake up to escape him. But I couldn't escape the dream in time; and he assaulted me before I could rouse myself from sleep, terrified.

As a budding metaphysician, I realized that Benny could really have been there as an earthbound, or confused, discarnate soul, attacking me. That idea did nothing to reassure me. But as a student of Jungian psychology at the time, I also realized that Benny could represent an aspect of myself – my “shadow” – that was profoundly disenfranchised and enraged by my neglect of him. Along these lines, I eventually came to realize that Benny represented my own aggressiveness and need for power that I had suppressed under a facade of outward spirituality. Quite possibly, he was angry that I had become such a wimp.

I also knew that both could be true. He could be “himself” and a part of me. From this perspective, our relationship was continuing to offer both of us ways to evolve toward wholeness, even though he was physically dead. Whatever I did in the encounter that represented a breakthrough for me could release him, as well, from his own commensurate soul-level dilemmas.

Benny had always scared me a bit. On one occasion, his flirtation with power almost killed me. While I was skin-diving near the Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta, Benny lofted a volcanic rock in my direction “just to see if he could reach” me. The rock plunged into the water a mere foot from my head. If I hadn't drowned from the blow, it would have been a miracle, for I was 70 yards offshore in 20 feet of water. Benny made a lot of people nervous with such displays of uncontrolled aggression.

Before the series of dreams came to a powerful end, I had an opportunity to be “spiritual” in one dream with Benny. He appeared in front of me, holding a knife. He said, devilishly, “I want to show you my new knife.” Suddenly, I realized that I was dreaming! I knew what to do then. At least, I thought I did. I said, “You are only a dream. May the Light of the Christ surround you. Go away.” Nothing happened, and Benny crept closer. He was obviously amused by my ineffective tactic. Without wondering how I obtained a knife of my own, I began doing battle with him until I eventually disarmed him – an unlikely outcome, since Benny was much larger and faster than I was in real life. I did not complain.

Then came the culmination one night while I was on vacation in England. In the dream – the final one with Benny – he had me pinned down, pummeling me with his fists. I knew that he would eventually kill me if I didn't free myself. I managed somehow to free one arm. Instead of hitting him back, however, I reached up and gently stroked his shoulder. Looking back, I don't know why I thought this would do any good. But he stopped hitting me immediately and began to cry. His tears fell into my face, and he said, “I only want to be loved.”

Years before in “real life,” I had made the mistake of making an obscene gesture at him. I was about six at the time, and he was ten; so it wasn't a very good idea. Sure enough, he pinned me down; and he spit into both of my eyes to show me how foolish I had been to defy him. It was a singularly humiliating and disgusting moment. Now, however – through the avenue of powerful dream encounters – our relationship had become fulfilled. I had found the courage to fight him and then the heart to embrace him. He, in turn, found it possible to voice what his aggression had so effectively obscured – his need for love.

If one looks back on this series of dreams, one can see that the whole purpose of the dream series was to elicit new responses from me. The dream was not so much a message as it was an opportunity to respond in a new way. It was an initiation – a test that was fulfilled only by acting in a new way and by expressing a new spirit. Any interpretation of the early dreams with Benny would have been largely useless and misleading, unless they included an analysis of my inadequate response to him. That is why I often say that much of what we call dream analysis misses the whole point of the dream.

Read the entire article here. (pdf)

Edgar Cayce's Approach to Dream Interpretation.

G. Scott Sparrow, EdD, is a licensed professional counselor who specializes in therapeutic dream work and transpersonal counseling. He has written Lucid Dreaming: Dawning of the Clear Light (A.R.E. Press, 1976), I Am with You Always: True Stories of Encounters with Jesus, and Blessed Among Women: Encounters with Mary and Her Message. He is also on the faculty of Atlantic University (AtlanticUniv.edu) where he teaches online continuing education courses for counseling professionals.

Detoxing Your Body
By C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD

Over the past 100 years our environment has exploded in toxicity--chemical pollution, nuclear pollution, chlorinated and fluoridated water, machine pollution, silver/mercury fillings, electromagnetic pollution, herbicides and pesticides, and more. Foods with sugar, MSG, trans-fats, preservatives, corn "sweeteners", artificial sweeteners, fats, colorings, flavorings fill the grocery stores. Our soap is no longer soap--it is a detergent.

Everyone can benefit from regular detoxification, especially those with toxic diseases such as:

• Autoimmune diseases–MS, ALS, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, etc.
• Cancer
• Constipation
• Irritable bowel disease (IBS)
• Atherosclerosis
• Chronic infections and rashes
• Various mood disorders
• Allergies
• Hypertension

For detoxification: choose at least one, once a week for the healthiest; at least five days a week for those with disorders:

• Sauna, steam, hot tub or soak
  

  Add magnesium chloride crystals to tubs or use magnesium lotion after the others.

• Castor Oil Bath

  Fill the tub with pleasantly warm water (102-104 degrees F). Step in and rub castor oil over the entire body (4 to 8 oz.). Soak 20 to 30 minutes. Use an inexpensive shampoo and rub every part of the body liberally with the shampoo. Wash the entire inside of the tub well. Be certain there is no feeling of slipperiness before and after you empty the tub. Rub your hands on the bottom of the tub to be certain it is not slippery before you stand to dry off.

• Castor Oil Suit – At Least as Effective as the Castor Oil Bath

  Rub castor oil liberally over the entire body up to the neck, including arms and legs. Put on an old pair of sweat pants and shirt or long Johns and socks and sleep in them overnight. You may reuse the suit three to four nights before washing it. It will never lose all the oil so you won't be able to use the suit for anything other than a castor oil suit. Store the suit in a plastic bag with a few drops of lavender oil.

• Use a few drops of Rose Oil Fragrance after any of the above.

Dr. C. Norman Shealy MD is a neurosurgeon, psychiatrist, founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association, and president of Holos Institute for Health. An international speaker and researcher, he holds ten 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 twenty-five books, including his most recent from A.R.E. Press, Medical Intuition: Your Awakening to Wholeness. Featured in the documentary Medical Renaissance: The Secret Code, he is cofounder of the American Board of Scientific Medical Intuition and is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on medical intuition. He will be taking participants on a remarkable journey through the emerging science of medical intuition at the A.R.E. conference Awakening to Wholeness: Body, Mind, and Spirit Wellness, August 21-22 in Virginia Beach. Learn more at SelfHealthSystems.com.

© C. Norman Shealy

What Is Truth?

By Edgar Cayce

First printed in December, 1929.

We often hear it said that Truth is evasive, Truth is naked, Truth will not be downed--but what is Truth? When we speak of A truth, or THE truth, or TRUTH, we possibly mean different things. You will remember, those of you who have read the little story--and I'm sure most of you have--there were three men who went to see an elephant, but all of them were blind. One of these stumbled against the side of the elephant, and he said, "I perceive, without a doubt, the elephant is very like a wall." Another one, as he stumbled about the animal, found his trunk, and said, "I perceive with a certainty, the elephant is very like a tree." The other man, as he stumbled about, got hold of the tail, and said, "I perceive the elephant is very much like a rope." Now were they in error? Did they have the truth? Or did they have only a portion of the truth? Or did they have any of the truth?

When we read, or get the idea of some particular thought, or some particular rule, gradually we build into our own selves the idea that we have gotten the whole thing. Now IS Truth such a thing that those who have been followers of Mohammed have all of the truth? Have they who have been the followers of Moses the law-giver, all the truth? Or has it rather been a growth in our individual lives, and what may be truth to one individual possibly may not, in the experience of the other individual, answer at all? Does that make the other any less true to the other individual? 

Will it be possible for us to find something of which we can say, "THIS is truth," and KNOW that it will answer in everything or every way that life may present itself to us? I believe that we can. You may differ with me. I don't think, however, that you will be able to REFUTE what will be my definition, or what I will be able to say IS Truth. But many of you will say, "Well, have you been given some peculiar power that you have knowledge of what Truth is, and can answer the question that has been sought throughout all the ages, so that we may know what TRUTH is?" Let's see if this will not answer the whole question in our lives.

First we must know that, if we are to accept any word, or any follower as a truth, or THE truth, or Truth, we must be sure of the AUTHORITY that we quote. We must recognize these facts in our lives: there is a physical body, there is a spiritual body. We know the physical body is dependent upon its physical attributes for its development. It is also the temple, or the dwelling place of the spiritual body. The spiritual body, we know, is of the Creator--whatever we may call the Creator. It comes from the same thing--even if we go back to the scientific reasoning and say it begins from the lowest form of life. WHEREVER we begin, we have to say there is something beyond that where it has developed, whether you believe in evolution, creative evolution, or what not, it all has to come back to the very same thing, AND if I can answer this I don't believe I'm wrong in saying that you can take it from any standpoint you want to take it, but this IS Truth:

THAT WHICH KEPT BEFORE YOUR MENTAL MIND, YOUR SPIRITUAL MIND, WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP YOU UPWARD! That which, held before you, will continue to develop you upward.

Now, what have we taken for granted? We have taken for granted that man has a mind, that man has a body--a physical body, a spiritual body. He has a SOUL, if you choose! We have taken for granted that his mental body is controlled by his mental being. His soul, or his spiritual body is controlled by his subconscious, or his spiritual mind. That which will continue to hold before the individual that which he worships as his God will continue, then, to develop the individual towards that which he worships.

Truth is not a thing, then, that we can see, that your eyes or body, or ears, or things of that kind--but it is the essence with which an individual builds faith, hope, and trust. That is Truth! That essence that we are enabled to hold before our mental vision, is truth. Will it build your body? It will! Will it heal the sick? It will!

A few days ago I was talking to some people--they were telling me about a book that had been written by some of the masters from the far East. I had never seen the book before, but when I opened it to read it I knew what was in it before I read it. I don't know how, nor why, but I knew the experiences that I was going to encounter. I don't know why except THIS: I have been continuing to think of how I might answer this question. With the first four or five pages I found that in this book, this ONE thing was continually held before the individual; that which you hold before yourself, to create that image you worship, that will develop you always upward, and will continue to enable you to know truth!

Truth, then, being a growing thing, truth being a thing that will develop you, is a something that is ENTIRELY IN ACTION! Not inactive, but IN ACTION! That's what God is! For in every MOVEMENT that has ever been, it has been a continual upward development, or upward toward that which IS Truth.

If you hold malice, you can become one of the meanest persons in the world. You know that if you continue to send out thought (that may become a miracle or a crime); you create just those very same cross-currents in your mind.

What is prayer but simply attuning yourself to that which you are seeking assistance through? That's all prayer is - attuning yourself to that very same thing. That becomes Truth when it becomes in action. When it goes into action, to YOU it becomes Truth. It's your own conception of what your God is. If it makes you better to the very thing you worship, or more in accord with the thing you worship, THAT you become, whether it's downward or upward, you go whichever way your standard is set.

Q. Yet if we are going backward, how can we know?

A. You can't make it anything else, because to you it's truth, because that's what you are following. That becomes truth to you. That which you continue to follow becomes truth whether it's negative or positive. As we learn it from that viewpoint, it becomes true; that is, whatever we hold that continues to build upward is Truth. Now, as to who is to say whether you are building up, or as to how near it brings you to that thing you worship AS your God, because God IS Truth, if you continue to hold that, you may develop to that, but to someone else whose God might be something else, that wouldn't be Truth.

Q. That applies right here in your hospital, etc.

A. If it answers one, it answers all. That's what it stands for; that which may develop in the individual that understanding of its relation to its Maker and to its fellow man. Or, as we come back to the very same thing I said in Sunday School this morning, I've been studying a long while, trying to understand what is meant by the second commandment, and I never did know what it meant - that is, satisfactorily to my own mind - until the other night. The first commandment, as we know, is, "Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy mind, etc." The second is, "Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image." Why? Because if you make an image it becomes your God. But if you have for your God that which is within your own individual self, you yourself being a portion of the Creator, you will continue to build upward, to it!

Note: This article includes excerpts of a lecture given by Edgar Cayce at the Cayce Hospital in Virginia Beach and is included in the report document for reading 1800-15. It was first published by The Association of National Investigators in Volume 1 of The New To-Morrow in December, 1929.

Healing the Gulf Tragedy
By Alison Ray

Despite that helpless feeling in the wake of tragedy, we can all join together in prayer—focusing on healing for the waters and inhabitants in the Gulf area. By putting aside our own frustration and asking the divine universal forces for healing, we may all join together in bringing a change.

We know from the research of Dr. Masaru Emoto that water crystals show the positive and negative effect of human words and thoughts, that they seem to react to human energy (see Earth Changes.) Edgar Cayce, too, spoke of the influence of human emotions and thoughts on objects as large and distant as the sun.

By joining together, perhaps we can find light in this disaster. While we may not understand how it works, love and prayer remain powerful and universal. Mr. Cayce reminded us of this in Reading 1598- 2:

And as of old, the prayers of ten may save a city; the prayers of twenty-five may save a nation -- as the prayers and activities of ONE may! but in union there is strength.