Re: Are Our Religious Idea's Our Own?
Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American psychic. He is claimed to have demonstrated an ability to channel answers to questions on subjects such as health or Atlantis, while in a self-induced trance. Though Cayce considered himself a devout Christian and lived before the emergence of the New Age Movement, some believe he was the founder of the movement and had influence on its teachings.
Cayce became a celebrity toward the end of his life, and the publicity given to his prophecies has overshadowed what to him were usually considered the more important parts of his work, such as healing (the vast majority of his readings were given for people who were sick) and theology (Cayce was a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ). Skeptics challenge the claim that Cayce demonstrated psychic abilities, and conventional Christians also question his unorthodox answers on religious matters (such as reincarnation and Akashic records). He may have been the source for the idea that California would fall into the Pacific Ocean (though he never said exactly this)
Edgar Cayce has variously been referred to as a "prophet", a "mystic", a "seer", and a "clairvoyant". Other abilities that have been attributed to Cayce include astral projection, prophesying, mediumship (communication with the dead), viewing the Akashic Records or "Book of Life", and seeing auras. Cayce claimed to have become interested in learning more about these subjects after he was informed about the content of his readings, which he reported that he never actually heard himself.
His influence covers many aspects of what many now take for granted such as:
Origin and destiny of humanity: "All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came."
Reincarnation: Cayce's work teaches the "reality" of reincarnation and karma, but as instruments of a loving God rather than blind natural laws.
Astrology: Cayce accepts astrology on the basis that our souls spend time on other planets (or perhaps their spiritual counterparts) in between incarnations.
Universal laws: Souls incarnated on the Earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" (karma) or "As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged." Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God's mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, He has promised to guide us in our spiritual path. Cayce said that when you view it from the highest dimension there is no time and no space, nor any future or past, and that it is all happening in one fascinating expression and time is an illusion that has purpose.
Body, Mind, Spirit: Cayce often invokes these three terms, or their equivalents, to describe the human condition. "Spirit is the life. Mind is the builder. Physical is the result." (conflation of various readings). The concept has application not only to holistic health but also to the spiritual life.
Meditation: While Cayce sometimes described particular meditation techniques of sitting or chanting ("Arrr--eee-oommm" which is strikingly similar to popular Hindu mantra "Hari Om") the crucial element, he believed, is that of opening up to divine influences. The Search For God books say that "Through prayer we speak to God. In meditation, God speaks to us." Cayce's concept of meditation has some aspects in common with Hinduism or Buddhism (the chakras, kundalini) but is most similar to Christian versions of New Thought.
Extra-sensory perception: Cayce accepted psychic experiences and ESP as a natural by-product of soul growth. God may speak to us through dreams (many readings consist of dream interpretation), or through intuitions similar to the pangs of conscience.
Atlantis: The Cayce readings claimed the existence of Atlantis, a legendary continent with an advanced technology whose refugees peopled ancient Egypt as well as pre-Columbian America.
Egypt: Next to biblical times, the most significant era for the "life readings" was a pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization consisting of Atlantean refugees. Cayce purported to have been an Egyptian priest named "Ra Ta" who built a spiritually-based healing center (the "Temple of Sacrifice") and educational institution (the "Temple Beautiful").
Earth Changes: Cayce coined the term Earth Changes (later widely used in New Age writings), a reference to a series of cataclysm events which he prophesied would take place in future decades — notably including the Earth shifting on its axis, and most of California dropping into the Pacific Ocean following a catastrophic earthquake.
Dream interpretation: Cayce was one of the early dream interpreters who contradicted Freudian views by saying that dreams can be of many different kinds (including sexual) with many levels of meaning; that lack of interest is the reason for poor dream recall; that only the dreamer knows the meaning of his dream; and that a dream is correctly interpreted when it makes sense to the dreamer, when it checks out with his other dreams, and when it moves him forward in his life.
Call me a liar but this stuff is prevalent in modern culture and especially in many areas of conspiracy. Could this influx of new ideology have anything to do with the 60s counter culture and replacement religions emerging then? Was this ideology then meshed with new age ideology born in the 1800s to comprise a new thought? A new awakening?
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