The Edgar Cayce Primer: Discovering the Path to Self Transformation - Softcover
The Edgar Cayce story is one of the most compelling in inspirational literature. Over the course of forty years the Sleeping Prophet time and again closed his eyes, entered an altered state of consciousness, and spoke to the very heat and spirit of mankind on subjects such as health, healing, dreams, meditation, sexuality, and reincarnation. His more than 14,000 readings are preserved at the Association for Research and Enlightenment. And now, with the guidance of Edgar Cayce, we can learn how to mine our psychic strengths for happier and healthier lives. Here are the readings of The Sleeping Prophet, condensed and simplified--the wisdom to help us make the right decisions affecting all facets of our lives. Cayce speaks out on: The sources of psychic development, reincarnation, Karma and grace, dreams, meditation, prayer, personal health (including diet and exercises,) holistic healing, sexuality, spirituality, rejuvenation, religion, spiritual psychology, and much more. Cayce offers us the keys to insight, enlightenment, and total fulfillment.
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About the Author:
Herbert Bruce Puryear, PhD, is a trained clinical psychologist who holds a BA degree from Stanford University and a PhD from the University of North Carolina. He has specialized in integrating the insight of psychical research, depth psychology, and comparative religion. He is the author of a number of articles and several books including The Edgar Cayce Primer, Reflections on the Path, Sex and the Spiritual Path, and Meditation and the Mind of Man. Dr. Puryear is president of Logos World University in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:
Chapter One
SOURCES OF PSYCHIC INFORMATION
The life of Edgar Cayce is one of the most compelling in the history of mankind. It is a story of self-examination, seeking, and selfless service. For more than forty years, Edgar Cayce conducted a work that has been referred to as giving readings. A reading was a discourse given by Cayce while he was lying down, his eyes closed, in an altered state of consciousness. Almost always delivered in his own normal voice, the discourses were recorded stenographically by Gladys Davis Turner and typed immediately. More than fourteen thousand of these readings are now preserved and available for study. They cover such a wide range of subject matter that they are indexed under more than ten thousand major subject headings. They are to be found in the library of the A.R.E. in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Most of the readings were given for individuals and, therefore, deal with specific personal questions concerning various aspects of physical, mental, spiritual, vocational, and interpersonal life. Some of these readings, however, were complete discourses on topics such as meditation, Bible interpretation, and world affairs. It was not necessary for the person obtaining the reading to be present: Mr. Cayce was able to describe individuals and diagnose their physical condition with surprising accuracy, even though they might have been hundreds of miles away. Because of these readings, thousands of people were helped, often in ways which transformed their lives. In their entirety, the readings provide specific procedures which are currently helpful in treating many major illnesses. And now, decades after Cayce’s death, his readings continue to inspire, educate, and amaze those who research them.
This briefly was Edgar Cayce’s work. If we take his psychic readings and their accompanying documentation seriously, they will revolutionize our ordinary notions about our sources of information, or how we come by knowledge.
How Can We Know?
The question, “How can we know?” is one of the most fundamental concerns of all mankind. Every choice we make is influenced by assumptions we have accepted. Every day we make decisions affecting our health, our business affairs, our relationships with our families and others, our mental and our spiritual attitudes.
What are the sources of information upon which we base our decisions? In his search for knowledge, man has turned to many authorities: to a great mind, such as Aristotle’s; to divine inspiration, such as the Bible; to personal experience and the physical senses; to reason and to the findings of scientific research.
For thousands of years, and especially since the renaissance, our civilization has been deeply influenced by philosophies which maintain that all knowledge originates in the outer world and is mediated by the physical senses. Scientific knowledge is based on this assumption. In contrast, Edgar Cayce, who was really only one exceptional individual among hundreds who have travelled the mystic path, presented solid evidence that information of every kind may be obtained entirely from within.
The Edgar Cayce story raises numerous questions about the inner world as a source of information. How does psychic ability relate to us? What are the pitfalls of turning within? What was the source of the information Edgar Cayce gave? What are the steps we should take in evaluating other sources?
How Does Psychic Ability Relate to Us?
Let us examine for the moment the word “psychic” which was chosen by the readings to describe this work. Acknowledging that this word could be misconstrued by some, the readings always qualified the definition by stating that “psychic is of the soul.” Thus the word “psychic” when referred to in the readings, connotes more than just psychic ability. Since we are all “souls,” psychic ability as an attribute of the soul, is therefore a potential for everyone.
If we are souls with the capacity for psychic awareness that is not limited by time or space, we can conclude, that by attuning ourselves, as souls, to our inner Source, we will find answers to all of our questions, and solutions to what we call problems.
In the words of the psalmist, “... ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High.” (Ps. 82:6) As children of God, we are spiritual beings. Therefore, when Edgar Cayce speaks of his work as being “psychic” and “of the soul,” he is referring to this essential spiritual relationship which we have with the divine.
What Are the Difficulties and Pitfalls of Turning Within?
Even though sensitives such as Edgar Cayce seem to be able to tap a Universal source of knowledge, we may find that we are unable to do the same. When we turn within, we often discover instead that we are faced with an array of voices, feelings, impulses, and experiences.
What is the problem? Experientially, we discover that the very process through which we seek contact with the highest, may also reveal to us the less worthy side of ourselves: envy, greed, possessiveness—aspects of our “lower” self. Discerning the nature of the inner experience has, therefore, been problematic for thousands of years.
Some, who become dismayed by the complexity of this inner world, may oversimplify matters by concluding that information received from within is either from God or the devil. We, as seekers, must be extremely careful to avoid such simplistic evaluations.
What Was the Source that Cayce Tapped?
The Edgar Cayce readings are especially helpful in achieving an understanding of the complexity of the inner life. They clarify matters by dividing the inner world into three basic states of consciousness. Although the levels of consciousness are perhaps innumerable, the readings deal mainly with the conscious, the subconscious, and the superconscious.
This threefold view of the dimensions of consciousness can be illustrated with a cone-shaped diagram.
The opening of the cone represents the superconscious, or the access to the Divine, if you will—man’s spiritual promise as a soul with unlimited awareness. This level of consciousness, according to the readings, was Edgar Cayce’s source of psychic information. The point of the cone represents the physical consciousness which is limited in awareness by the here-and-now requirements of the physical body and its senses. The subconscious, which is evident especially in our dreams and spontaneous urgings, acts as a filter or mediator between the infinite potential of the superconscious and the finite limitations of the waking conscious.
The concept of the subconscious as a dynamic process between normal physical consciousness and the super-conscious potential is the key to a fuller understanding of the array of inner experiences available to us. As a mediator, the subconscious may either enhance or distort man’s access to the divine within. Information coming from the superconscious filters through the thought forms and desire patterns of the subconscious. Therefore, it may be accurate or inaccurate, helpful or harmful, pure or distorted.
Based on the above threefold model, an individual may be said to be psychic to the degree that he is able to put aside the distracting input from the conscious and subconscious in preference to input from the superconscious, which may put him in touch with all worthwhile information. For a channel to be consistently accurate and helpful, then, one must be able to tap the superconscious on a regular basis. And this Edgar Cayce did with remarkable frequency and consistency.
The ability to establish and maintain a helpful input from the superconscious is dependent upon many factors. It is affected by the general physical health and the degree of momentary attunement of the physical body of the channel. It involves the thoughts, emotions, and desires of the channel. It depends on the channel’s deep-seated conception of the source he intends to tap. And it is influenced by the purposes, motivations, and ideals of the channel.
Considering such a model of consciousness and the complex role of the subconscious as the mediator between out conscious mind and the Divine, we can begin to understand and properly appreciate the problem of obtaining information from psychic sources.
The Need for Outside Sources
We must also turn outside of ourselves for Information. If we have begun to center ourselves by establishing an ideal and by attuning ourselves through meditation, then we can respond constructively to outside sources. Everyone relies to some extent upon externally obtained information.
There is an excellent example in the Old Testament about external sources of information. Shortly before receiving the ten commandments, Moses was visited by his father-in-law, Jethro. Moses recounted to him in full detail all the ways in which God, working through Moses, manifested Himself in the events surrounding the Exodus. The next day Moses sat to judge the people, who had waited from morning till evening. Jethro perceived the inefficiency of this procedure and intimated that Moses should appoint assistants to aid him in judging. Moses gave heed to his father-in-law and did all that he suggested (Exodus 18). Thus Moses, one of the greatest and most direct channels for the word of God, was confident enough to recognize and act upon a good idea from an external source. Like Moses, we need to be open to God working through those around us, since they, too, have access to the Divine within.
SOURCES OF PSYCHIC INFORMATION
The life of Edgar Cayce is one of the most compelling in the history of mankind. It is a story of self-examination, seeking, and selfless service. For more than forty years, Edgar Cayce conducted a work that has been referred to as giving readings. A reading was a discourse given by Cayce while he was lying down, his eyes closed, in an altered state of consciousness. Almost always delivered in his own normal voice, the discourses were recorded stenographically by Gladys Davis Turner and typed immediately. More than fourteen thousand of these readings are now preserved and available for study. They cover such a wide range of subject matter that they are indexed under more than ten thousand major subject headings. They are to be found in the library of the A.R.E. in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Most of the readings were given for individuals and, therefore, deal with specific personal questions concerning various aspects of physical, mental, spiritual, vocational, and interpersonal life. Some of these readings, however, were complete discourses on topics such as meditation, Bible interpretation, and world affairs. It was not necessary for the person obtaining the reading to be present: Mr. Cayce was able to describe individuals and diagnose their physical condition with surprising accuracy, even though they might have been hundreds of miles away. Because of these readings, thousands of people were helped, often in ways which transformed their lives. In their entirety, the readings provide specific procedures which are currently helpful in treating many major illnesses. And now, decades after Cayce’s death, his readings continue to inspire, educate, and amaze those who research them.
This briefly was Edgar Cayce’s work. If we take his psychic readings and their accompanying documentation seriously, they will revolutionize our ordinary notions about our sources of information, or how we come by knowledge.
How Can We Know?
The question, “How can we know?” is one of the most fundamental concerns of all mankind. Every choice we make is influenced by assumptions we have accepted. Every day we make decisions affecting our health, our business affairs, our relationships with our families and others, our mental and our spiritual attitudes.
What are the sources of information upon which we base our decisions? In his search for knowledge, man has turned to many authorities: to a great mind, such as Aristotle’s; to divine inspiration, such as the Bible; to personal experience and the physical senses; to reason and to the findings of scientific research.
For thousands of years, and especially since the renaissance, our civilization has been deeply influenced by philosophies which maintain that all knowledge originates in the outer world and is mediated by the physical senses. Scientific knowledge is based on this assumption. In contrast, Edgar Cayce, who was really only one exceptional individual among hundreds who have travelled the mystic path, presented solid evidence that information of every kind may be obtained entirely from within.
The Edgar Cayce story raises numerous questions about the inner world as a source of information. How does psychic ability relate to us? What are the pitfalls of turning within? What was the source of the information Edgar Cayce gave? What are the steps we should take in evaluating other sources?
How Does Psychic Ability Relate to Us?
Let us examine for the moment the word “psychic” which was chosen by the readings to describe this work. Acknowledging that this word could be misconstrued by some, the readings always qualified the definition by stating that “psychic is of the soul.” Thus the word “psychic” when referred to in the readings, connotes more than just psychic ability. Since we are all “souls,” psychic ability as an attribute of the soul, is therefore a potential for everyone.
If we are souls with the capacity for psychic awareness that is not limited by time or space, we can conclude, that by attuning ourselves, as souls, to our inner Source, we will find answers to all of our questions, and solutions to what we call problems.
In the words of the psalmist, “... ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High.” (Ps. 82:6) As children of God, we are spiritual beings. Therefore, when Edgar Cayce speaks of his work as being “psychic” and “of the soul,” he is referring to this essential spiritual relationship which we have with the divine.
What Are the Difficulties and Pitfalls of Turning Within?
Even though sensitives such as Edgar Cayce seem to be able to tap a Universal source of knowledge, we may find that we are unable to do the same. When we turn within, we often discover instead that we are faced with an array of voices, feelings, impulses, and experiences.
What is the problem? Experientially, we discover that the very process through which we seek contact with the highest, may also reveal to us the less worthy side of ourselves: envy, greed, possessiveness—aspects of our “lower” self. Discerning the nature of the inner experience has, therefore, been problematic for thousands of years.
Some, who become dismayed by the complexity of this inner world, may oversimplify matters by concluding that information received from within is either from God or the devil. We, as seekers, must be extremely careful to avoid such simplistic evaluations.
What Was the Source that Cayce Tapped?
The Edgar Cayce readings are especially helpful in achieving an understanding of the complexity of the inner life. They clarify matters by dividing the inner world into three basic states of consciousness. Although the levels of consciousness are perhaps innumerable, the readings deal mainly with the conscious, the subconscious, and the superconscious.
This threefold view of the dimensions of consciousness can be illustrated with a cone-shaped diagram.
The opening of the cone represents the superconscious, or the access to the Divine, if you will—man’s spiritual promise as a soul with unlimited awareness. This level of consciousness, according to the readings, was Edgar Cayce’s source of psychic information. The point of the cone represents the physical consciousness which is limited in awareness by the here-and-now requirements of the physical body and its senses. The subconscious, which is evident especially in our dreams and spontaneous urgings, acts as a filter or mediator between the infinite potential of the superconscious and the finite limitations of the waking conscious.
The concept of the subconscious as a dynamic process between normal physical consciousness and the super-conscious potential is the key to a fuller understanding of the array of inner experiences available to us. As a mediator, the subconscious may either enhance or distort man’s access to the divine within. Information coming from the superconscious filters through the thought forms and desire patterns of the subconscious. Therefore, it may be accurate or inaccurate, helpful or harmful, pure or distorted.
Based on the above threefold model, an individual may be said to be psychic to the degree that he is able to put aside the distracting input from the conscious and subconscious in preference to input from the superconscious, which may put him in touch with all worthwhile information. For a channel to be consistently accurate and helpful, then, one must be able to tap the superconscious on a regular basis. And this Edgar Cayce did with remarkable frequency and consistency.
The ability to establish and maintain a helpful input from the superconscious is dependent upon many factors. It is affected by the general physical health and the degree of momentary attunement of the physical body of the channel. It involves the thoughts, emotions, and desires of the channel. It depends on the channel’s deep-seated conception of the source he intends to tap. And it is influenced by the purposes, motivations, and ideals of the channel.
Considering such a model of consciousness and the complex role of the subconscious as the mediator between out conscious mind and the Divine, we can begin to understand and properly appreciate the problem of obtaining information from psychic sources.
The Need for Outside Sources
We must also turn outside of ourselves for Information. If we have begun to center ourselves by establishing an ideal and by attuning ourselves through meditation, then we can respond constructively to outside sources. Everyone relies to some extent upon externally obtained information.
There is an excellent example in the Old Testament about external sources of information. Shortly before receiving the ten commandments, Moses was visited by his father-in-law, Jethro. Moses recounted to him in full detail all the ways in which God, working through Moses, manifested Himself in the events surrounding the Exodus. The next day Moses sat to judge the people, who had waited from morning till evening. Jethro perceived the inefficiency of this procedure and intimated that Moses should appoint assistants to aid him in judging. Moses gave heed to his father-in-law and did all that he suggested (Exodus 18). Thus Moses, one of the greatest and most direct channels for the word of God, was confident enough to recognize and act upon a good idea from an external source. Like Moses, we need to be open to God working through those around us, since they, too, have access to the Divine within.
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- PublisherBantam
- Publication date1985
- ISBN 10 055325278X
- ISBN 13 9780553252781
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