Toward a Deeper Meditation. John Van Auken

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      Clearly, imagination, imagery, and motivation are important ingredients in Cayce’s method. I have found that my imagery has changed over the many years I’ve been practicing this specific meditative method. Think of these images as furnishings for your sanctuary. These will be unique to each soul’s experiences, beliefs, and ideals. What is God and heavenly is going to differ according to the mind that is seeking. At least, in the beginning this is correct. In the beginning, imagery may provide you with initial furnishings that reflect your personal perspective on spirituality and God-consciousness, and they will provide you with just the surroundings you need for your communion with God.

      In my case, the first imagery was of a long, vertical shaft, reaching from the top of my head into the many dimensions of heavenly realms. At the top of the shaft, the opening to the heavens, the “water of life” was flowing down into that shaft. When I would finally arrive at this place, I would lie in a flowing pool of this heavenly water on a plateau surrounding the opening. The water rejuvenated me. I enjoyed lying in it and feeling its revivifying energy. Much of my meditation time was spent lying in this flowing water. Occasionally, off in the distance, I could see a sun that seemed very far away, and there was a chasm between my plateau and another plateau nearer to that sun. But I was content to be where I was. Somehow I knew that I needed more time in these waters before attempting to travel toward that sun. But these initial images and concepts were special to me, to my soul. While giving one of his famous readings, the individual mind of the man Edgar Cayce experienced images of himself traveling in a bubble through deep, vast water to reach the higher realms. Cayce gave one of his famous readings on this imagery (254-68), and though the answer was complex, covering over four pages, it was profound. Let me try to summarize and paraphrase it for our purposes here:

      “In order to bring some understanding of what a soul may pass through when traveling from one realm to another, it becomes necessary to convey the experiences in images and concepts that are comprehensible to those souls in the lower realm—in this case, in the earth realm. Since Cayce must travel through many realms of thought, symbolized by the water, and return with names, dates, and ages intact, what better way to convey this than traveling in a bubble through massive amounts of water. The body acts as the bubble for the soul while incarnate in the earth dimensions. When traveling beyond the earth, the bubble symbolizes a vessel that protects the soul on its journey to and from the place where the records are kept. Cayce sees here the Book of Life for each soul as well as the keeper of the records—but these are also symbols. A mind that thinks books, needs books! One that thinks of heaven as ‘Elysian Fields’ needs birds and flowers. One must find the materialized form of that portion of the Maker that that entity, that soul, can enjoy and comprehend. Houses built in the woods would appeal to some. Woods, in its essence, are what? Books, in their essence, are what? What is the more real, the book with its printed pages, its gilt edges, or the essence of that told in the book? Which is the more real, the love manifested in the Savior for His brethren, or the essence of love that may be seen even in the vilest of passion? They are one. But they bring this into being in a materialized form by the combining of elements of the one source to produce a materialization. Beautiful, isn’t it? Only those who become conscious of the essence and have attuned themselves to that which is in accord with His will may know. For each soul, every soul, should seek to attune its mind, its soul to the Mother-Father God in Jesus the Christ. Tune into that light, and it becomes beautiful in that you think, that you are, that you live!”

      Cayce is acknowledging that the imagery of souls varies greatly. Whatever you experience as “furnishings” for your sanctuary is right for you.

      As the years passed, my imagery changed dramatically, from visual scenes to simply feelings. I had sensations of rising and expanding, and a deep sense of at-onement with the Universal Consciousness, with God’s presence and mind. Gradually, visual images faded to pure feelings, or the essences, of everything. At first, I became concerned about this. But then I came across Cayce readings that acknowledge the value of subtle feelings or knowing something without dramatic images or phenomena, as from out of nowhere.

      On this particular night, my imagery was minimal. I mostly felt the upward and expanding movement from finite self into infinite God-consciousness. I did have a sensation of my heavenly “Parents” embracing me and holding me for the duration of the communion. And while in this sacred space, I felt renewed, my faith strengthened, my trust in ultimate good renewed, my sense of well-founded trust in the unseen forces of life restored. Having lived a lot of life, I knew that physical life would consume these wonderful energies eventually and that I would have to come back here again and again in order to maintain these feelings while living an incarnate life. It’s just the nature of the earth realm and personal consciousness.

      As I said, my outer, earthly life was particularly challenging during the time leading up to this evening’s meditation. Was the good meditation a salve for my weariness and wounds? Was it a gift from a merciful Creator? Or was my outer self so fatigued that it surrendered more completely to my inner self, allowing the better attunement to the infinite, universal consciousness? It reminded me of the reading saying that even in hard times God will come: “There may be raised within self that consciousness of the at-onement with the spiritual forces that may revivify, regenerate, arouse that of health and happiness even under adverse conditions in materiality.” (618-3, my italics)

      If it were not for these moments with the Life Force and Universal Consciousness, I would not have endured many of the lessons that my particular personality needed to learn or face the tests of this incarnation. I wouldn’t have had the staying power or the depth of trust in God, and certainly not the patience to keep on keeping on in hard times. As Cayce once noted: “Know that your body-mind is indeed the temple of the living God. Thus may you find often that upon the horns of the altar within you many of the burdens may be laid aside, and that the sweet incense of faith and hope and prudence and patience will arise to bring the consciousness and the awakening of the glories that may be yours.” (1472-1)

      I have practiced this technique many times, but this night the sanctuary felt like a spatial orb of protection and privacy, a sacred bubble within which my soul and its Maker communed silently. When we have budgeted the time allotted to us to include some personal, spiritual communing with the Life Force and the Universal Consciousness, then our temple is a warm, ever-ready sanctuary waiting to be enjoyed—doors open, lights on, and our heavenly Mother and Father waiting. As the Spirit of God promised in the book of the Revelation, 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

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       Sabbath: The Intermission

      As scientists look out into our universe, they see signs that cosmic life exploded out of a central, silent point in space. It is spreading out infinitely, in all manner of excitement and expression. According to ancient religions and myths, this expanding life explosion will, at some magic moment, turn back into itself. And stillness will reign again. Only for a time, because it will repeat the cycle, like the exhaling and inhaling of the Great Spirit of the Cosmos.

      This is seen as the rhythm of life, and it is reflected in our little lives: we wake from the slumber of night, are active in the light of the day, then return to sleep—only to awake and do it all over again! It is the way and rhythm of life.

      The contact point throughout all of this living and dying, waking and sleeping, is the silent, infinite womb from which Life always springs forth and to which it returns again and again. It is the place of original silence and stillness—the womb of God.

      The essence of the commandment to СКАЧАТЬ