Читать книгу Edgar Cayce's Story of the Bible - Robert W. Krajenke - Страница 10

The Bible is a Book of Life, and all Life comes from God. What we find in Scripture we see manifested in our lives every day. Unless we can experience the validity of the concepts presented to us, we have no basis for understanding their merit or meaning. We believe the Bible because we can experience its truths. It is possible to experience everything written in the Bible, Edgar Cayce said, and that is why the Book is holy, and why it comes from God.

Jesus quoted what the psalmist already knew—that we are all gods in the making. (John 10:34; Psalm 82:6) We are gods because we possess a soul. It is the soul that is the Image of God, the readings tell us, and not the physical body. For Edgar Cayce, the Bible was an inspired record, the word of God written by men as they were moved by the Spirit. And what inspired them? Cayce asked. Their souls! We are all potential Christs, and as the Spirit moves through our souls, we can write, read, and live in the same consciousness as the saints and prophets of the past.

The approach of Edgar Cayce is based on application and experience. His interpretations have the unique and vital quality of making the Bible “come alive.”

A number of people who knew Edgar Cayce feel that the greatest contribution he made in their lives was to re-awaken them to the Bible. Since his death, many who have studied his psychic legacy have carried the same conviction.

A study of the Cayce interpretations, correlated with regular reading of the Bible, can increase the dimensions of our own humanity as well as make the Divine more real. The following are a few examples from the clairvoyant discourses of Edgar Cayce regarding the Bible:

(Q) What present printed version of the Bible gives the nearest to the true meaning of both the New and Old Testaments?

(A) The nearest true version for the entity is that ye apply of whatever version ye read, in your life. It isn’t that ye learn from anyone. Ye only may have the direction. The learning, the teaching is within self. For where hath He promised to meet thee? Within the temple! Where is that temple? Within! Where is heaven on earth? Within! Meet thy Savior there . . .

There have been many versions of that which was purposed to have been written, and has been changed from all of those versions, but remember that the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ is: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, thy heart, and thy body, and thy neighbor as thyself.” Do this and thou shalt have eternal life. The rest of the book is trying to describe that. It is the same in any language, any version.

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For there be many misinterpretations, poor translations, but to find fault with that thou hast and not used same is to make excuses that you haven’t it as it was given . . .

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For much might be given respecting that ye have that ye call the Bible. This has passed through many hands. Many that would turn that which was written into the meanings that would suit their own purposes, as ye yourselves oft do. But if ye will get the spirit of that written there ye may find it will lead thee to the gates of heaven . . . Read it to be wise. Study it to understand. Live it to know that the Christ walks through same with thee.

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But study and know thy relationship to the Creator. No better handbook may be used than the Scripture itself.

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The concepts presented in this book are drawn from the clairvoyant readings of Edgar Cayce. A secondary source is the commentary and philosophy he expressed in his weekly Bible class.

Edgar Cayce had the psychic gift of being able to put himself into a self-induced trance. While in this state, Cayce was completely unconscious, yet able to discourse at length on any subject which was asked of him. Although a man of little formal education, and not scholarly by temperament, while in this sleep-like condition, Cayce had access to unlimited information. These discourses are called “readings.”

The accuracy of many of the readings can be ascertained because they related to the diagnosis of physical ailments, often for people hundreds or thousands of miles away, whom Cayce had never met or seen.

Still other readings contained intimations of the future which have been confirmed by the passage of time. The readings anticipated such events as the discovery of the laser beam and gave vivid descriptions of an Essene community before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The approach to Life taken by the readings, with its emphasis on dreams, meditation, and small group dynamics, is clearly a harbinger of many recent developments, and several decades ahead of the interest now shown by psychologists, theologians, and social therapists. In many ways, the readings’ view on the nature of Man and the possibilities in Life are still far ahead of the conclusions and implications drawn by these modern practitioners.

The readings also discussed reincarnation and dealt with it in a specific framework compatible with Judeo-Christian ethics. Indeed, reincarnation aids in clarifying many of the enigmatic and mysterious statements made throughout Scripture.

The framework, philosophy, and logic of reincarnation, as explained by Edgar Cayce, give a consistent picture of God’s Love and also offer an acceptable explanation of Jesus’ life and development as the Savior. It was the result of many incarnations in the earth in which all the trials and errors of the flesh were experienced and overcome by the soul’s yearning to be One with God.

Perhaps what is most inspiring and encouraging about a Bible with reincarnation in it is that we may find ourselves as part of the story, as many who obtained readings from Edgar Cayce did.

The discourses which deal directly with reincarnation are called “Life readings,” and were given for individuals who requested them. They described influences from previous incarnations which were directly affecting the present life of the individual.

In many instances biblical incarnations were given and, in this volume, became a primary source of information. All extracts from the readings are verbatim quotes.

Cayce said the source of his information came from the knowledge and memory stored in the subconscious mind of the individual for whom the reading was given. If this is correct, and his descriptions of past lives accurate, the Life readings are as close as we can come to actual “eye-witness” accounts. These readings are a unique and fascinating record of the thoughts, the emotions, and the effects of circumstance upon the consciousness of individuals who were present when the Old Testament history was being lived.

Almost all the readings which Cayce gave show the influence of the Bible, yet few readings were devoted exclusively to Scripture.

The “364 series” (those readings beginning with the number “364”) contains 12 discourses devoted to the history of Atlantis and the symbology of Genesis. The 281 series contains 65 discourses dealing with healing prayer and a study of the Revelation of St. John. The 5749 series was obtained by Tom Sugrue for his philosophy chapter in There Is a River, and contains some of the best exposition of the Cayce philosophy paralleled with Christian theology and the tenets of other religious beliefs. The 262 series of 130 discourses deals with the principles of spiritual growth, and forms the basis of the “A Search for God” ecumenical study group program of the Association for Research & Enlightenment, Inc.

These series contain the best material for interpreting a clairvoyant’s view of the great themes and questions which are raised in Scripture, such as the nature of God and His relationships to Man; the purpose for life in the earth, and why Man loves and why he suffers; Good and Evil, Karma and Grace, Free Will and Predestination.

The second source of Edgar Cayce’s interpretations of the Bible is the record kept in his Tuesday Night Bible Class which he conducted during the last four years of his life.

Edgar Cayce was born and raised in a Fundamentalist tradition. In the early days, his career as a psychic offered him no major theological difficulties. He was able to diagnose physical ailments, and the people recovered when his recommendations were applied. His strange gift seemed to be simply a manifestation of God’s Love.

But as his work continued and his fame grew, requests began coming in from a variety of people in widely scattered environments, and concepts such as reincarnation and astrology began appearing in his discourses.

Cayce, who never recalled a word he spoke in trance, was troubled by the presence of these unorthodox concepts. For a long time he debated if he should continue giving readings. Yet the conflict was finally resolved. “No one seemed to be getting hurt,” he observed, “and the readings are still doing good.” Thus, God’s Love was still working in mysterious ways its wonders to perform. And it caused Edgar Cayce to think, to study the readings, and to discuss them with those who were close to him. As Cayce matured and developed, his unconscious statements became fully integrated into his conscious philosophy.

Although a lifelong Bible class teacher, his Tuesday Night class, coming at the end of his life, represents some of his most developed perceptions.

The Bible was not studied as a history or past fact. The lives of the Bible characters and the conditions which surrounded them were studied as relative conditions, stages of development, or planes of consciousness which were applicable in the present. Not only were the great accomplishments studied, but also the faults and failures, in order to make the Bible characters more real and understandable.

The main objective of the study was to gain a better concept of the Bible and its personal relationship to each individual, and to determine which truths were applicable in daily life.

No claim is made that the Bible class quotes reflect the actual words spoken by Edgar Cayce. Indeed, what was recorded was often the consensus of opinion following a group discussion over which Cayce presided. In presenting these quotes, I have felt free to edit and rework the material in order to present it as succinctly as possible.

It was Edgar Cayce’s intention to review all the material upon completion of the study and make any necessary additions or changes before allowing publication. He died before the study reached its conclusion. Thus, the Bible notes have never been widely circulated.

Edgar Cayce taught a Bible class almost all his life. The notes that appear in this preface and the appendix come from a yearlong series of talks (Jan 4, 1939-Jan 2, 1940) requested by members of the original A Search for God study group. The request to Mr. Cayce was to compare lessons emerging from the study group readings (the 262 series) that were dedicated to spiritual development with the wisdom he found in his much loved Bible. He agreed, stating his purpose would be to make the truths practical for the group and for all those who seek to apply them. They are meant for us, as well.

Gladys Davis, Edgar Cayce’s lifelong secretary, recorded each of the talks in this series. Rather than being verbatim, like the trance readings were, these transcriptions preserve the ideas and wisdom he shared, and also give us the flavor of the man as a conscious and enlightened teacher.

(Note: some editorial liberties have been taken with the existing notes for a fuller, more organic presentation of the insights and spiritual philosophy he expressed. RWK.)