Two Keys to Heaven's Gates
By John Van Auken

Create in me a pure heart and renew a righteous spirit within me, cleansing my life, my heart, my body, through the love in the Christ life. – Edgar Cayce reading 281-20

Create within me a perfect mind, O God! With the desire and the purpose to use my life, my talents, my gifts, in Thy Service! Let my going in, my coming out, be acceptable in Thy sight. And as I meditate, be thou nigh unto me. – Edgar Cayce reading 308-6

In Cayce's readings, one may find many keys to open the gates to heaven. But there are two that we may focus on here. The first is a pure heart; the second is a rejuvenated mind. Actually, he described this second key as experiencing a "regeneration in the mount," identifying the mount with the crown chakra and the higher mind.

A pure heart and a rejuvenated mind will open the way to ultimate happiness and enlightenment. These may seem like easy keys to find and possess, but in practice they are quite difficult. Fortunately, he also gives us two tips: (1) use your will to change feelings and thoughts, and (2) enjoy a magical transformation that occurs naturally when you abide in the heart and mind of the Creator.

A pure heart is developed by observing our motivations and desires. Step back from the automatic feelings and ask, "Why do I feel the way I do?" "What are my truest desires?" As Jesus said, "Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also." Your heart is the key to your treasure, and a pure heart opens the treasure chest of heaven. Changing our heart is done by adjusting our feelings, emotions, and desires. It requires that we engage our wills. The will reins in these automatic feelings and redirects them according to a new ideal. That new ideal is expressed in the spiritual emotions of love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, and understanding. It is expressed in "love one another," "forgive seventy times seven," and the like.

Cayce's readings are clear about purity. It is a selfless, others-oriented, and God-centered heart, a heart that is without egocentric motivations and desires, that considers God's will and others' needs. This heart is a home for the Creator. Cayce often recommended the prayer, "Not my will, O Lord, but Thy will be done in and through me this day." He often encouraged us not to simply BE good, but to be good FOR something. That something is the key to determining how pure our heart is. Are we good to be seen as such by others? Are we good because we are better than others? Are we good because we will be rewarded? Or are we good because the spirit of goodness is God in action, and, as such, makes the world a better place for us having been in it? This last reason is being good "for something," and fits the selfless ideal.

Consider Cayce's guidance not to meditate so that "you feel better" but that "the better you comes through." Do you see the subtle difference? One is self-focused and self-gratifying. The other seeks the better you, and that makes life better for all those around you.

Engaging our will is the way to find and maintain this key. But there is another way that imbues us with a power we could not otherwise receive. It is deep prayer and meditation, which lifts our heart into God's heart; and there abiding, allows our heart to adjust to God's. There is no other way to enjoy the benefit of this than to lift oneself into the heart of God.

Active outer change – by willfully controlling our heart, combined with receptive inner attunement to God's heart – makes for a pure heart and opens one of the gates to heaven.

Let's now consider the rejuvenated mind. Like the pure heart, the rejuvenated mind is also achieved in two ways.

The first way is by stepping back and observing our thoughts. If a negative thought arises, still it. Replace it with a positive one. If doubts arise, push them away while trusting in God. The only way to make such adjustments is by using our God-given will to take hold of our thoughts and change them, filling our minds with faith, hope, and trust in God. Using affirmations and little verses that keep the mind on the right track throughout the day is a helpful Cayce tip.

The second way to rejuvenate the mind is by lifting our mind up into the higher realms of God-consciousness, into God's Mind. Abiding in this Universal Consciousness revitalizes and illuminates our mind. Cayce's readings teach us to raise the life force of the body, the kundalini, up from the lower chakras to the higher chakras, while holding a God-centered ideal. An ideal can be compared to a pole star that guides your energies as you move them. It can be compared to having a pattern before you as you make a dress or a blueprint as you build a house. The kundalini can be raised for weal or woe, good or evil, clarity or confusion. Each chakra has its higher and its lower vibration as the life force passes through it. When the life force is moved by a higher ideal, one experiences the higher vibrations. When the life force reaches the higher chakras under the impetus of a higher ideal, it opens the gate to heaven. The body is purposefully wired this way. The ancient symbol of the winged serpent reflects the lifting of the life force (serpent) with the higher ideal and the higher mind (wings).

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year are good times for a fresh start at creating a pure heart and rejuvenated mind. And regular daily practice keeps these keys in your possession.

John Van Auken is an international speaker and author on a variety of topics from mystical spirituality and ancient civilizations to modern life. Popular with A.R.E. audiences throughout the country, he has written many books, including From Karma to Grace: The Power of the Fruits of the Spirit; Edgar Cayce's Tales of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Egyptian Mysticism. John's extensive knowledge of the Edgar Cayce readings, the Bible ancient Egypt, and other world religions is combined with years of practical application of these truths in his own life. His exciting presentations are packed with useful information combined with insightful and revealing stories. His clear step-by-step techniques give practical tools for ongoing development, self-training, and spiritual enlightenment. He travels extensively, conducting seminars and retreats throughout the U.S. and abroad including A.R.E.'s annual Tour of Egypt.