This blog is part of our 2021 Enlightenment Series, an exclusive benefit for members of Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. Each month John Van Auken provides a lesson with a worksheet, a video, a blog, and in each issue of the member magazine, Venture Inward, he writes an article about this topic. For 2021, the topic of study and practice is Enhancing, Our Minds, Intuition, and Dreams. Members can access all of the available material in the Member-only section of our website at EdgarCayce.org/members. Not a member but interested in this course? Join now. Here is a little sample of the current training course for the month of February.
Enhancing Our Intuition
Edgar Cayce began his teaching about intuition by first giving us some important principles that we need to understand to succeed.
"All knowledge is as one knowledge. Hence may be attained from the universal force." (254-17) This term, “universal force,” was often used by Cayce to describe the singular force behind all life. Accessing this one source for knowledge is accessing all knowledge. Cayce described the experience as knowledge coming "from out of nowhere." This is how subtle and mysterious such knowledge is. Given this, we need to become more sensitive to subtle knowledge rather than our usually gross stimulation. More on this as we continue our year's study.
"All force, all power, all knowledge (constructive) is from a one source." (281-32) "Constructive" was his word. He often stated that thoughts, actions, and speech should be of a constructive nature, not destructive, because the universal forces are ever constructive. Destructive forces come the negative energies resulting from misuse of free will that brings the dark forces.
The infinite, eternal mind of the Universal Consciousness is always aware of us. No one can get beyond the All-Knowing, the Omni-Present. We cannot get beyond the Whole.
“Each INDIVIDUAL is a portion of the Universal Whole, each individual gives its individual concept, until that concept is One with the Whole.” (254-30)
“The heritage of the soul is that the INDIVIDUALITY REMAINS, and KNOWS itself to BE ONE WITH the whole, but NOT the WHOLE, but one WITH and IN the whole, see?” (900-461)
The Law is Love
"For all knowledge or all power is of Creative Forces – or God. And it is a law that is love, if man will but embrace and live and manifest same in the daily experience." (1432-1) Of all of Cayce’s mind-stretching teachings, this one is a challenge for us: “God is law, and the law is love.” Here’s more of this teaching: "Knowledge, as has been given of old, that has caused man's uprising and down-sitting, is from misapplication of law. Know that your God IS law; that law is love. Know then the law and apply it, but COMPLY in your own life, in your OWN application, by doing that yourselves that you would have your neighbor do! This makes for that which is in keeping with a fact that has been from the foundations of the earth - God IS! and they that would know Him must believe that He is and may be made manifest in their dealings with their fellow man!" (254-101)
Here's another of the fundamental principles:
“Knowledge of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom ... for in doing that you know surpasses all the wisdom of the earth.” (262-98) Cayce often taught that growth only comes from doing, not from hearing or reading. "In DOING comes understanding. 'Be ye doers and not hearers only.'" (1719-1) In this teaching Cayce is quoting from the Epistle of James 1:22-23: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and continues to do so – not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer – he will be blessed in what he does."
“In DOING comes understanding.” (1719-1)
What have we learned? First, ALL KNOWLEDGE, even intuitive knowledge, comes from ONE SOURCE. Second, understanding comes in the DOING, not in studying or reading or listening to others teach, but in our daily application of our natural inner access to the Source of all Knowledge. Keep these in mind as we develop our intuition. There is a law by which life lives, and that law is love.
4 Keys to Opening Our Consciousness to Intuitive Knowing
1. Oneness
Everything is connected! Despite appearances to the contrary, absolutely everything and everyone is connected. Behind all of the “manyness” of our present reality, there is a singular ONENESS. Think of it as a subliminal “collective consciousness,” an interconnection throughout the universe and all humanity. This is our most difficult reality to perceive because we have become so individual and finite. We feel and think we are alone, acting separate from all else, but it’s not so. For us to develop our intuition, we need to come to know that everything and everyone is functioning inside a collective oneness and is accessible.
2. Inner Listening
In the Bible, the prophet Elijah tells us that he was seeking God’s help with his troubled life. He began seeking God in outer phenomena, but God was not there. Here are his words: “A great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (I Kings 19 ASV) The Lord was in that still small voice within Elijah’s mind. Psalm 46:10 conveys the same teaching: “Be still and know that I am God.” To access the Universal Consciousness, we need to learn how to develop our “inner listening” and “subtle perception.” Learning how to do this will be a large part of our year-long study.
3. Our Finer Body & Senses
Everyone has a “finer body” in and around their physical body. This finer body is sensitive to invisible influences. Becoming aware of our finer body and its sensitivities is part of developing intuitive knowing. We have more resources than we realize. They are “latent” with us, Cayce taught. We will learn how to be aware of our finer senses as we study.
4. Our Purpose Determines Our Result
Our purpose for developing intuitive perception cannot be for selfish gain or glory. Cayce warns against this. We develop best when our motivation is for the greater good of all. To help us with this, Cayce’s first training was about knowing our ideal and functioning under the guidance of the ideal. It becomes a “touchstone” for us, helping to assure that our intentions are more spiritual than material, more selfless than selfish. Living with an ideal will be a big part of our intuition training.
Watch an invitation from John Van Auken and learn more about this year's Enlightenment Series.
