Introduction

The mystery of ESP can be understood. We can discover the underlying meaning of experiences like telepathy and clairvoyance. This is a promise found in the Edgar Cayce readings, which contain detailed information to help us with this learning and understanding process.

We can develop and experience ESP as well. The techniques given in the Edgar Cayce readings are easy to learn, especially when we properly understand how ESP works. However, though these techniques are easy to learn, some people find them difficult to apply. This is because the development of ESP is related to a change in life style and a change in our ways of thinking. But if we will make the effort, the rewards are great. We have an exciting and challenging promise: We can understand and develop our ESP.

Perhaps as much as any other current topic, ESP is leading people to consider the spiritual side of life. Almost everyone has heard of some dramatic instance of mind-to-mind communication or observed an accurate prediction of future events. Even people who admit that they believe in ESP are often startled by these paranormal incidents.

Psychic experiences stand out as demonstrations that reality isn't what we often think it is. The very fact that ESP exists is a challenge to us. It forces us to consider the possibility that our minds and our spirits are far greater than we commonly think. However, if properly understood, psychic ability is not for the curiosity seeker; it is for the responsible, sensitive individual who is willing to work at self-discovery.

The reader will notice that the title of this book mentions two aspects of working with psychic ability: understanding and development. It is my hope that in picking up this book you have expressed an interest in both of these topics. However, some of you may be interested only in understanding how ESP works. I find that this is true of many students of the Edgar Cayce readings.

I, for one, first became interested in the work of the A.R.E. because I wanted to understand how psychic ability operates. What I found in the readings was a very sophisticated and comprehensive theory that explained not only ESP, but also the operation of the mind and the purpose of the soul. I wasn't overly interested in having psychic experiences myself. I was willing to explore things from the intellectual level, yet I felt hesitant to pursue the experiential side of ESP.

To a large extent, I was influenced by fellow seekers who warned me that it was easy to get caught up in psychic phenomena and to forget the true purpose of spiritual growth. Even today, I can see that there is a certain degree of truth in that warning. Nevertheless, I have also discovered that there is a place for the development of my psychic ability in the context of spiritual growth and service.

And so, I hope that those of you who have picked up this book primarily to understand how ESP works will also read and consider applying the chapters related to the development of psychic ability. In a sense you understand ESP only when you have experienced it from within yourself.

I am also sure that there are readers who are primarily interested in developing their psychic gift. I would strongly urge such people to read the first section of this book before moving on to those portions related to the development of ESP. One of the problems with so-called "mind-development courses" is that they do not include a proper foundation or framework within which the individual can develop.

However, it is at this point that we find the richness of the Edgar Cayce readings. Not only do they suggest specific procedures and exercises to enhance psychic ability, they also help us to understand what is going on. They allow us to see the way in which ESP can be integrated into daily life and into a broader perspective of unfoldment and growth.

Just as the person who wants to "understand" but not "develop" his or her ESP may be reluctant to experience psychic ability, the person whose primary concern is development often has the characteristic of impatience. We may have read or heard about dramatic demonstrations of psychic ability, and we may deeply desire these in our own lives. Perhaps we have heard stories of individuals who seemingly developed their psychic gift in a matter of days or weeks.

However, it is only fair to warn the reader in this introduction that the approaches to psychic development found in the Edgar Cayce readings emphasize the gradual, step-by-step unfoldment of our ESP. The promise is that it can be done, but equally important is the statement that it requires patience.

I would begin by encouraging you to read patiently Part I of this book, which covers the philosophy and theory of psychic ability as it is explained in the Edgar Cayce readings. A rather detailed and complex model of the mechanism of ESP is developed in that section. In connection with this, some parallel reading may be especially helpful to you. One book that I would recommend is Meditation and the Mind of Man, which Herbert B. Puryear and I wrote.

Part II of this book, which concerns the development of our ESP, builds upon the concepts and theory presented in Part I. The readings discuss two kinds of activity that can aid in psychic development. The first consists of specific attunement procedures, such as dream study, setting ideals, dietary considerations and meditation, that are meant to be incorporated into a daily life style. For many people, adopting these recommendations will be the most difficult part of developing their psychic gift, because it involves changing old, and sometimes very resistant, habit patterns.

You may want to make these changes slowly. Keep in mind that the best psychic development is a gradual, step-by-step process. Some of the specific attunement procedures are described only briefly in this booklet; in such instances you may find it helpful to refer to other A.R.E. publications for greater detail. For example, readers not familiar with the use of castor-oil packs might wish to consult a booklet entitled Edgar Cayce and the Palma Christi, by Dr. William A. McGarey, to supplement the material given in these pages.

The second type of development activity discussed in the readings includes exercises which are focused upon enhancing specific aspects of psychic ability. Although it may be tempting to begin with the material in this particular chapter, it will almost undoubtedly prove more productive to work with these developmental exercises in a total context that includes application of the attunement procedures as well.

As a final note, the reader may be interested in knowing how this book was produced. The first draft was prepared for a special research project on psychic ability that was conducted in the fall of 1976 with approximately 400 A.R.E. members taking part. Based upon the comments and suggestions of participants in that study, certain modifications were made in the original manuscript.

One significant change was to make the theory and model of ESP derived from the Edgar Cayce readings (described in Chapter Two) less technical and more easily understandable for the general reader. One of the continuing ideals for the research projects that the A.R.E. conducts with its membership is to provide a learning and growth experience for each participant.

The first draft of this book was written with the purpose of facilitating such an experience in the lives of those involved in one research study. Those interested in future experiments conducted by the A.R.E. may write the A.R.E. Research Department, Box 595, Virginia Beach, VA 23451.