A Major Cayce Teaching on Prayer and Meditation

There are 1013 mentions of the word “meditation” in 636 Cayce readings. It is an important part of his visions. Let’s take a look at one of his key readings on prayer and meditation, 281-13:
“It would be well to analyze that difference (that is not always understood) between meditation and prayer.
“As it has been defined or given in an illustrated manner by the Great Teacher, prayer is the MAKING of one's conscious self more in attune with the spiritual forces that may manifest in a material world, and is ORDINARILY given as a COOPERATIVE experience of MANY individuals when all are asked to come in one accord and one mind.”
Cayce identified prayer as a means of lifting one’s conscious self more in tune with the spiritual forces. It is also a process for helping many individuals come together in one accord, one mind.
He now moves on to define meditation:
“Meditation, then, is prayer, but is prayer from WITHIN the INNER self, and partakes not only of the physical inner man but the soul that is aroused by the spirit of man from within.”
This is a key Cayce point: our physical self’s effort to arouse the spiritual forces, arouses our soul self! Our soul feels our physical self’s efforts and desires, and responds.
Cayce continues:
“As has been given, there are DEFINITE conditions that arise from within the inner man when an individual enters into true or deep meditation. A physical condition happens, a physical activity takes place!”
I don’t think we consciously grasp this teaching from Cayce: there is REAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE WITHIN US when we enter into meditation.
Cayce continues:
“Acting through what? Through that man has chosen to call the imaginative or the impulsive, and the sources of impulse are aroused by the shutting out of thought pertaining to activities or attributes of the carnal forces of man. Then, changes naturally take place when there is the arousing of that stimuli WITHIN the individual that has within it the seat of the soul's dwelling, within the individual body of the entity or man, and then this partakes of the individuality rather than the personality.”
Here it is important that understand that Cayce uses the term “individuality” to indicate our deeper, soul self, whereas the personality is our outer, physical self.
Also, our meditations will improve if we comprehend Cayce’s tip on “the imaginative or the impulsive” forces of our inner, deeper selves. These forces are released when we shut out thoughts pertaining to activities and attributes of the carnal forces – those that pertain to living in a flesh body in a physical dimension of egocentric expression. By moving away from our self-consciousness and earthly life and personality, we free the powers of imagination and impulse (impulse in the sense of motivative force), and this lifts our awareness into our higher mind and higher vibrations.
Cayce continues:
“If there has been set the mark (mark meaning here the image that is raised by the individual in its imaginative and impulse force) such that it takes the form of the ideal the individual is holding as its standard to be raised to…”
What a mind-boggling mouth full this Cayce teaching is. If we read it carefully and over a few times, we see that Cayce is saying that “the mark,” a term used to indicate either a good person or evil one (as in “the mark of the beast” in the Revelation), indicates the motivative force deep within us. Cayce warns that using the same technique, one may become a Frankenstein or a god, depending upon what ideal we are holding. Are we seeking an exalted self with a brilliant mind, dynamic aura, and superpowers? Or, are we truly seeking reunion with our Creator – seeking higher consciousness and vibrations to be more compatible to our Creator’s consciousness and vibrations? This marks us as we enter into the temple within. This mark is also an attractive force, like magnetic energy attracting a complementary response.
Cayce continues:
“…within the individual as well as to all forces and powers that are magnified or to be magnified in the world from without…”
Cayce has always taught that our outer actions and words must reflect our inner beliefs, thoughts, and desires, or we create a conflict.
Cayce continues:
“THEN the individual (or the image) bears the mark of the Lamb, or the Christ, or the Holy One, or the Son, or any of the names we may have given to that which ENABLES the individual to enter THROUGH IT into the very presence of that which is the creative force from within itself - see?” (281-13)
The mark that gets us through is not one of power, might, or glory, but of a lamb of God, a son or daughter of the Most High. Also notice what we arrive at is “the creative force from within” us. The very forces of life and creativity are reached through a meditative process. Once we reach this holy of holies within, the life forces begin to flow more fully through our bodies, minds, and souls.
What a powerful reading from Edgar Cayce, so filled with potent insights and information. Now all we have to do is apply these in our meditative process – patiently and persistently. There is no surer way of realizing these promises than to keep on trying. I would add, that evoking God’s help in this process is a wise addition.