How to see the spirit world
During the dreaming state of sleep,
we experience the different levels of consciousness and receive input from the different dimensions of the spirit world. Through
dreaming, we have special access to our spirit within. According to the Edgar Cayce readings, there is not a question we can
ask which cannot be answered from the depths of our inner consciousness when the proper attunement is made.
A dream may be of a physical, mental,
or spiritual nature and may deal with all manner of psychic manifestations. These include telepathy, clairvoyance, prophetic
visions, out-of-body traveling, remembrance of past lives, communication with beings in other dimensions, including deceased
friends and relatives, spirit guides, angels, Christ, and even the voice of God. Dreams can also give invaluable information
on the status of the body.
All subconscious minds are in contact
with one another. Through the subconscious, dreams may place us in attunement with those in the physical plane or those in
the spiritual plane. We may be visited in the night by discarnate entities for many reasons: they may seek to give us
assurance about their well-being in other planes of existence; they may come seeking our aid through prayer; they may
come to bring us information which may be very helpful or limited; or they may come to influence us with their own desires
or perspectives, which may be helpful or harmful. For example, there are dream reports of deceased relatives appearing and
giving instructions about where to find a will or other lost objects.
The events we experience in the third
dimension are, as it were, a "past condition" because this dimension is simply a projection or a reflection of what is being
built at another higher level. Therefore, when we tune into these higher levels, as we may in dreams, we become aware of what
is being built, and what may be projected into the physical in the future. Nothing of importance happens to us that is not
foreshadowed in our dreams - which is not to say that all dreams are precognitive or that the exact detail of everything we
experience is given earlier in dreams. However, the word "foreshadowed" suggests that we may glimpse and be warned of what
we are building now which may come into manifestation later. We call these dreams "precognitive" or "prophetic."
Just as the angels spoke to people
in dreams in the times of the Bible, the spirit world still speaks to people to this day. Some people came to Edgar
Cayce with dreams of Christ. None was told that it was simply his imagination, but all were assured they were indeed in touch
with him.
There is no dimension of human life,
whether social, financial, emotional or physical, mental or spiritual with which the dream may not on occasion deal.
Dreams may encourage or reprimand, instruct or deceive, inspire or seduce, guide or confuse. The potential for an immense
array of experiences in consciousness is always there. What we actually receive depends upon our attitudes, motivations, the
measure of our attunement, and the extent to which we have made applicable what was received in earlier dreams and in waking
experiences.
Many people came to Cayce to have
their dreams interpreted. An example was the dream of a young man about his father-in-law, who had recently taken his own
life. In the dream a voice commented, "he is the most uncomfortable fellow in the world," and then the dreamer
was shown his own baby crying for food. The image was to convey the dead man's hunger for guidance and spiritual sustenance,
said Cayce. The next night the dreamer heard the man's own voice, together with "a wandering impression of restlessness." The
voice said, "I seek rest. I want to leave and be with my family down there." Again Cayce said the dream contact had
been authentic, showing the dreamer how much his prayers were needed for the father-in-law, who was still an "earthbound"
discarnate. He added that the reason the discarnate was turning towards people in earthly life was that "the lessons
are learned from that plane, see?" It was a point Cayce often made, that souls who had once entered the earth had to
learn their final lessons in the earth, where will is called into play in a fashion different from existence on other planes.
Yet, contact between the dead and
the living can be joyous. Sometimes it occurs because the dead want to show the living what death is like, to take away their
fear and grief. Exploring the possible reality of such contact, one dreamer had her side pinched by a discarnate friend, so
vividly that she screamed in fright, while another had his toe pulled when he asked for it - and did not ask again. One dream
took a man inside the brain of a woman, a relative who was dying of cancer, and showed him precisely what a relief death was
when it finally came. A later dream also showed him how a soul feels when awakening to consciousness after death. Discarnates
are not only rewarded by recognition from the living, or even by the joy of teaching the living. They can also, in relatively
unusual cases, work directly with the living for the fulfillment of worthy causes.
The dead differ from the living only
in this respect: they are in a permanently subconscious state because the conscious mind of the physical body no longer exists.
But the body is an expendable shell, and all else is intact. On the astral level of existence, the subconscious mind replaces
the conscious mind of the soul, and the superconscious replaces the subconscious.
Hence, in dreams, we find that communication
with those who have passed on is more logical than the average person is able to comprehend. The following are more excerpts
from spirit communications in dreams as told to Cayce and interpreted:
One man related to Cayce: "Both my
mother and father [deceased] came to me and were so glad to see me, but then they told me my sister had committed suicide."
Cayce replied in trance: "This dream presents to the entity, through the mother and father both dead, the thoughts being entertained
by the sister because of dissatisfaction to meet properly the conditions in her life.
"And as seen, the father and mother
depend upon you to so instruct, to so direct, and to so counsel your sister. Give the sister spiritual counsel so that she
may better understand, thereby enabling her to grow; otherwise, detrimental experiences will destroy her. Suicide is in her
mind. Remember, too, that thoughts are deeds in the mental realm, and they increase or mar the activities of the higher
self." [136-70]
A woman related to Cayce this dream:
"I dreamed my mother told me I should warn Aunt Helen against an accident between an automobile and a streetcar. My mother
then became ill." Cayce replied in trance: "This is a warning. Tell Aunt Helen about it. If she observes the warning,
and stays out of automobiles and streetcars until the waning of the moon, it will not happen. Warn her, then, for this is
a direct communication from one in the spiritual plane to one in the physical plane. This attunement is made when the conscious
mind is subjugated, as in meditation or in sleep, and an attunement with the universal forces is established. This is
also an illustration of the ability of those in the spiritual plane to see the future." [136-48]
Perhaps the most common dream experience
in spirit communication, according to Cayce, is related by the message which, in essence, says, "I am fine and happy. Your
grief, however, is holding me back and making me sad. You can help me greatly by trying to overcome your sorrow. You
must stop grieving!"
Here are some tips from the Cayce
readings to help you in the analysis of your dreams:
1) Keep a notebook beside the
bed. Record your dreams as soon after waking as possible.
2) Suggest to yourself every
night as you fall asleep, "I will remember my dreams."
3) If you wake during the night,
write down the main symbols, and the entire dream will usually come back in the morning.
4) Practice keen observation
in your dreams through self-suggestion prior to sleep.
5) Look for these components
in your dreams: the setting, the people, the action, the color, the feeling, and the words.
6) Work on analyzing your dreams
every day, otherwise their progression will be difficult to assess.
7) If dreams are illogical,
three reasons are possible:
a. Only the fragments of the dream have been recalled.
b. The dream is reflecting something illogical in the dreamer's life.
c. Mental blocks have erased your recall.
8) If you are unable to decipher
an important dream, suggest to yourself before your next sleep that the dream repeat itself more clearly.
9) Nightmares, which bring
with them an inability to move or cry out, usually indicate the wrong diet. To end the nightmarish dreams, change your diet.
10) Dreams that are unchanged
through the years indicate the dreamer's resistance to change.
11) Dreams of ill health can
be either literal or symbolic warnings.
12) When a problem confronts
you, ask by prayer for guidance to be sent to you through your dreams.
13) Be practical in your interpretations.
Always look first for a lesson. What have you refused to face or been ignoring?
14) Observe carefully recurrent
dreams, as well as the serially progressive ones. These often illustrate progress or failure.
15) Dreams are the reaction
of the inner self to daytime activity and often show the way out of the dilemma. So, relate them to current activity because
dreams may be retrospective as well as prospective.
16) Dreams come to guide and
help, not to simply amuse. They direct your attention to errors of omission and commission and offer encouragement for
right endeavors. They also give us the opportunity to pray for others and to help them bear their burdens.
17) If you receive an unusual
message, reduce it to common terms.
18) Look for past-life experiences
in your dreams. These manifest themselves not only in color, but in the proper costume and setting of their period. They come
to warn you against repeating the same old mistakes; to explain your relationship and reactions to certain people and places;
to reduce your confusions; to enable you to better understand life.
19) Do not fear conversation
with the so-called "dead" in dreams. If the communication is one-sided, it denotes telepathy. If both participate, it may
be an actual encounter of bodiless consciousness.
20) Dreams are primarily about
self. Only a few dreams relate to family, friends, and world events.
21) Watch for mental telepathy
in dreams.
22) Remember, persistence is
necessary to learn any new language, and dream symbols are the forgotten language of the subconscious.
23) Give daily thanks for
all things and use daily prayer to improve the quality and reception of your dreams.
