| |
www.johnvanauken.com
Reprinted
from Living in the Light, October issue 2002
| Many
of us on this path need and seek guidance from alternative sources.
Among these sources are psychic readings, hypnotic sessions, dream
quests, intuitive perceptions, and meditative revelations. Some
of us use the scriptures and Cayce readings as our 'vade mecum,'
our guiding reference compendiums. Some consult the stars. Some
toss lots, runes, the I Ching, or cards. Some use all of these sources. |
|
These
alternative sources or devices can and have worked for humans throughout
the ages. In some well-publicized moments, God has spoken directly to
humans, giving insight and direction. Lately, hearing messages from
God ('God told me to do it.') has often ended in evil acts and jail
time! The Cayce readings say that God still speaks to those who will
listen – but the hearers don’t become insane and antisocial.
Let’s explore alternative sources for guidance for life situations
and personal decisions.
We can group these sources into two major categories: those that use
others, and those that use our inner self. The most popular are those
that use others: psychics, mediums, hypnotherapists, astrologers, card
readers, palm readers, and the like. All of these assume an unusual
ability on the part of someone else. We simply have to show up, pay
the fee, and receive the information.
In some cases the guidance is correct and useful. In some cases it is
spectacular and affects us and our lives in distractive ways, leading
us off in directions we never really wanted to go but felt directed
to do, often to the detriment of our families, friends, and our own
lives. In some cases the guidance is ambiguous, causing us to never
feel that we correctly understood it. I’ve actually interviewed
people who received Cayce readings but felt they really didn’t
understand them at first.
Without question there are people who manifest special abilities to
'read' the Akashic records, cards, stars, and souls. The problem is
finding them, or finding the right one for you and your needs. Some
readers are quite good with health situations but not with past lives.
Some are good with past lives but not with coming circumstances in one’s
life. Some can see your situation and future opportunities or dangers
well but not your body’s condition.
Few are good at reading all of the influences affecting a person today.
As you may know, the A.R.E. maintains a list of psychics which you can
investigate and choose from. In your local area there are astrologers,
card and palm readers, and others who may be able to help you get some
insight. Most can be chosen by their reputation; asking others who already
spent the money and got the advice is the best way to determine if the
reader is worth a try.
Even if you do find a good reader for you, the real work begins after
the reading, when you have to apply the guidance in your life! Of course,
this is the challenge with any guidance, isn’t it? I once interviewed
a person who received guidance from Edgar Cayce himself (something I’m
sure all of us would have wanted). He told me that the work involved
in what Cayce told him to do was too much. He wasn’t willing to
do it. But I’ve also interviewed people who did do all the work
that Cayce directed them to do, yet felt like they never really got
the result they were expecting. Of course, there were many who did grasp
the guidance in their Cayce readings and gained much from applying them
in their lives.
Getting information is the easy part. Making it work for you is another
matter all together! Often, Cayce would only give a little direction
in the first readings for people, keeping more for later, after they
had applied some of the initial guidance. He often said that all change
is to be achieved one step at a time, here a little there a little,
and that longsuffering and patience are required for significant achievement
along the path.
Inner guidance is even more difficult than outer because it requires
that one develop his or her own skills at reading before even getting
the reading!
But, according to Cayce, the inner methods have the added benefit of
developing one’s soul in the process of getting help. Cayce says
that the senses necessary for alternative guidance are the natural senses
of our soul. Our body’s senses are:
sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
Our soul’s senses are: clairvoyance (seeing beyond the present
location and time), clairaudience (hearing beyond vibrating of the physical
ear drums; 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the spirit says.'),
clairsentience (perceiving by means beyond the physical senses, especially
by feeling).
Clair is a prefix derived from the French word clair, meaning 'clear,'
as in clear-seeing or clear-hearing. The word psycho, a prefix used
in some of the compound words used to explain these soul powers, such
as psychokinesis, is derived from the Greek word psyché, meaning
'breath, spirit, mind,' as in perceiving with the mind or the spirit
rather than the body’s senses.
As many of you know, Cayce was specifically asked how individuals can
become more psychic. His answer became the 'Search for God' material,
containing such topics as: Spirit, Patience, Cooperation, Destiny of
the Mind, The Lord Thy God is One, and so on. Much of this material
can be distilled into two basic concepts:
(1) extrasensory abilities come from being in greater proximity to one’s
psyché or soul, which naturally has these as its senses; and
(2) the more completely one’s self is set aside, and the deeper,
soul-self is made at-one with the Universal Consciousness, with God,
then the clearer and more accurate the guidance.
Obviously, this is going to take some effort and time to develop.
The methods Cayce recommended most are meditation and dream study. Dreams
happen naturally and, according to Cayce, are the 'safer' way. Meditation
is similar to entering the dimensions of sleep and dreaming but is done
while in a semi-wakeful state.
Another technique promoted through Cayce’s at-onement with the
Universal Consciousness is 'creative writing.' He described this as
sitting quietly and in a reflective state, even a spiritually attuned
state, and then letting thoughts and ideas flow to you, writing them
down as they come. Don’t think of these as being for others or
for publication. The guidance is for you; it is communication from your
higher self, even from God, to your outer self.
We all need guidance. Life at this level is often unclear. There are
others who can help us. There are latent abilities within us that can
help. Even God can guide us. Some skills will need to be developed,
but they are not beyond learning. The hardest part of getting guidance
is applying it.
And, according to Cayce, guidance or knowledge that is not applied becomes
'sin.' To know to do something and not to do it is unhealthy, in this
lifetime and the next. So take a deep breath, get up and get searching
for that important insight into your circumstances and potential. It
has been promised: 'Seek, and you will find. Ask, and it will be given
you. Knock, and the the door will be opened.' But once it is, you have
to do your part by using the breakthrough in daily life; step-by-step,
little by little. Go for it now.
For more information about the Living in the Light newsletter and other
material created by John Van Auken, go see www.johnvanauken.com
|
|
