Toward a Deeper Meditation. John Van Auken

and modern depth-psychologists have some possible answers. Take, for example, a reading for a woman (1554-3) in which Cayce implies that the ancient Greek gods were actually “mental forces.” He explains to the woman that in that incarnation she struggled against the urges for material gratification by using aid from the gods of the mental forces. This experience gave her powerful reasoning abilities in this present incarnation, abilities to use her mind to overcome the power of matter and material ideals.

      To a young man, in reading 442-5, Cayce warns that he has so lost touch with his soul-mind that matter overcomes mind, making it difficult for him to get fully healthy. Cayce went on to tell this man that he must awaken his mind to these higher concepts and ideals in order to overcome these influences. The “gods” of his mental forces were blocked from conveying their powers upon him by his complete acceptance of the powers of materiality.

      To a woman, in reading 1152-5, Cayce gave what may be his most inspired insight into the power of the mind over matter and the role spirit plays in the quickening necessary for health and enlightenment:

      It is true that the body mentally, the body physically, should be and is capable of resuscitating and revitalizing itself, if it is raised in a spiritual direction. Hence mind over matter is not to be lightly spoken of, nor is there any disparaging remark to be made as to the body-physical being revivified, resuscitated, spiritualized such that there is no reaction that may not be revivified.

      He then says that “any application of any influence in man’s condition … that arouses the nature of … man’s consciousness to the awareness of the God-consciousness to make it a whole” will lift us to a level of consciousness in which God’s Spirit can do its part in our healing and enlightenment. Cayce explains that we have an important role in this co-creative process:

      To man hath He [God] given the ministry of those influences within the material world, where ministry may be made to the needs temporal, the needs mental, the needs spiritual. The ministerations must answer, to be sure, to the divine within; else they cannot, they do not quicken. For God alone quickens into life that which has through any form of error misdirected its flow through even the physical body. Man may minister, man may direct—only the Father, God, can give, does give the increase—the quickening. For it is true indeed, “My Spirit,” saith the Father, “beareth witness with thy spirit that ye are the children of the living Father.”

      1152-5

      As Jesus explained to the woman at the well, God is Spirit. Our minds must change, must reach to the higher levels of the gods of the mental forces that overcome all the seemingly powerful limitations of the physical, material self and this world. The real healing, the real enlightenment comes when our elevated minds open to the quickening power of the Spirit and the Spirit flows into and through us so completely as to revivify, rejuvenate, and make whole our body, mind, and soul.

      Then enter into that quietude in prayer and in supplication for that strength to now manifest those truths as are being, and as have been, gained by the entity, and the entity will find that he does not meet these alone, but with that guiding hand of the Spirit that gives to the entity the power, the force, the words, necessary to bring the condition of chaos unto that quietude, even as was said of Him, “Even the winds and the waves obey His Voice.”

      900-176

      The physical organism is constructed in such a way and manner that if the balance is kept in the diet, in the normal activity, and the mental forces replenished, then the body should readjust itself, refacilitate itself; making for not only resuscitation and revivifying of the necessary influences but carrying on and reproducing itself.

      1040-1

      The body should in its elements be able, as it does continually, to reproduce itself; making for not only revivifying or resuscitating forces but keeping nominally alive.

      1038-1

      Notice his use of the word nominal. In Cayce’s vision, life is much more than living healthfully. He often said, “It is not all of life to live, nor all of death to die.” Life must be lived for something, not just lived. Even when life is healthy, it is simply “nominal” until it has a purpose.

      In most cases, the Cayce discourses were generated by a question and answer format, as we see in this next dialogue:

      Q: Is it possible for our bodies to be rejuvenated in this incarnation?

      A: Possible. The body is an atomic structure, the units of energy around which there are the movements of atomic forces that are ever the pattern of a universe. Then, when these atoms are made to conform or rely upon or to be one with the spiritual import, the spiritual activity, then they revivify, then they make for constructive forces.

      262-85

      Being “one with the spiritual import” is key to Cayce’s method toward revivifying and making for constructive forces. This is a difficult concept for most of us to understand. As we continue, I believe we’ll understand further.

      If there will be gained that consciousness, there need not be ever the necessity of a physical organism aging … seeing this, feeling this, knowing this, ye will find that not only does the body become revivified, but by creating in every atom of its being the knowledge of the activity of this Creative Force … spirit, mind, body [are] renewed.

      1299-1

      Notice his phrasing, “that consciousness” which will ultimately lead to no aging. What is that consciousness that he is referring to? Look at this next statement (my bold type):

      In the present there may be gained within self the raising 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

      There is a state of consciousness that can heal. This consciousness is at-one with the spiritual forces. Cayce includes spiritual powers with mental and physical powers.

      Notice this next comment, which seems to be referring to an unknown sequence that leads to full, healthy life through some mystical path of transcendence.

      How is the way shown by the Master? What is the promise in Him? The last to be overcome is death. Death of what? The soul cannot die, for it is of God. The body may be revivified, rejuvenated—and it is to that end it may, the body, transcend the earth and its influences.

      262-85

      Cayce once noted that you cannot cure a quinine mind of malaria with anything but quinine! Nevertheless, it is not the quinine that is the healer but the mind within the person that believes the quinine will heal. The source of healing is within us. If we realize this and begin to take hold of our inner thoughts, beliefs, and consciousness, then we can make significant changes in our outer condition.

      We’ve already seen the first of the next two excerpts, but let’s look at it again, this time with the emphasis on “within.”

      In the present there may be gained within self the raising 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

      The revivifying forces are the natural sources of energies through quietness within any given activity that makes for strengthening for resistances of every nature in a physical body.

      587-5

      In this next discourse, you’ll notice a reference to “thine inner self.” When I first came across it, I was curious about this other self that I was not familiar with, especially since Cayce frequently indicated that it was quite distinct from my outer self. Then, one day while waking from a dream, I had an experience that helped me sense the difference between my outer and inner self. I was dreaming. I knew I was dreaming, and I was enjoying the dream and thinking about how I would record it in my dream journal when I finally