do what he did—a pattern detailed in the most practical way by Edgar Cayce who interpreted the Master’s message for people living in the twentieth century and beyond. Despite the challenges posed in trying to decipher some of the convoluted syntax found in many of his readings, Edgar Cayce generally did not speak in platitudes. He was direct, solved real problems, and presented seekers with a clear plan of action for making spiritual progress.
My aim in integrating Jesus’ parables and teachings with the wisdom culled from Edgar Cayce’s unconscious mind was to merge the two records into a more cohesive whole. Seeing the ideas laid out side by side might help fill in some of the missing pieces of the puzzle about why the Prince of Peace came to earth and what he did while he was here. The Cayce information changes the picture of the Christ from an “idol” to be worshipped from afar into an ideal and presence within, and the Master soul, Jesus, to our elder brother and teacher who came to show us that we, too, have the ability to advance to the same level of spiritual understanding and expression he had achieved. My secondary objective was to try to unravel some of the symbolism coloring the Old and New Testaments, which supports this more inclusive description of Jesus’ words and work. Hopefully the result will allow others, perhaps for the first time, to catch a glimpse of the greater purpose for humanity’s sojourn in the earth and begin to understand its meaning to the destiny of the soul.
Since Edgar Cayce never attributed any of his achievements to himself, when I employ phrases such as “Cayce says” or “according to Cayce,” I am referring to the words that came through him as he slept while tapping into the universal mind. I have placed quotation marks around those passages lifted directly from the readings as well as selections from the King James Version of the Bible. In other cases I paraphrase Cayce’s words to try to help clarify their meaning while attempting as far as humanly possible to stay true to the original intent of the reading. The specific readings that appear in the book and references for segments quoted from the Bible remain with the text; citations drawn from secondary sources are listed in the footnotes.
I hope, dear reader, you will join me in fearlessly venturing into the uncharted territory of this sacred journey to find the God within.
M.K. Welsch
August 2015
Know Thyself
Introduction
Let the gates of heaven open on earth—for here is where we experience our God. MKW
There is a God whom we can know consciously. Deep within the recesses of every human heart is a divine spark—a candle flame of love—available to safely guide us through this sojourn on earth. And with every breath we take, we have the opportunity to fan this spark into a glowing flame, spreading enough light and warmth to illuminate and comfort the entire world. This book is one of those small flames. And when it merges with the light dwelling at the center of your own being, together we can ignite the alchemical fire that will transform the base metal of pain and suffering into gold.
The story of humanity’s journey on earth began millions of years ago, when the morning stars sang together as the Source of the created universe sought to express itself. Mystical traditions refer to this impulse as the Creator seeking companionship. Boundless spirit, desiring to mirror itself in an infinite variety of thought-forms, began to create; and as individual expressions of the totality were spun off, living souls emerged. All too soon, however, these souls would choose to distance themselves from their Creator and in the process forget who they really were.
Look closely at the words of the Master and listen well within. The message of Christ, the Christos or anointed one, reflects a simple yet profound truth. We are children of the Most High. Our bodies are formed of the dust of earth but animated by the very breath of the Godhead itself. And no greater triumph exists for the human race than to recognize life as the outpouring of Spirit into form and collectively manifest that reality.
Disclosing the presence of the good news of Immanuel or God-with-us was the central mission and earth-shattering achievement of the man called Jesus whose destiny was to lead the lost souls wandering the earth back to an awareness of their supernatural origins and identity. His journey through this plane, lifetime after lifetime, resulted in the demonstration of an astounding reality: God and man are one. And the feat of achieving complete, conscious union with the divinity he had realized within himself ordained him a Christ. Therein lies our purpose too.
Human beings are on a spiritual journey spanning multiple lifetimes and sacred in its intent—a story retold with every birth. If the route we are traveling feels familiar, it is, for it follows the footprints left behind during many previous incarnations of soul work on this planet. Earth is the platform by which we will be able to remember our divine heritage and shine the sacred light of our God-selves into the dim recesses of a third-dimensional world. Today presents us with the opportunity to rediscover our Source, He-who-has-no-name as described by the Hebrew scriptures, and receive the great key to life—the secret words whispered to Moses when he ventured up to the top of Mount Sinai: “I am that I am.”
Twenty-one centuries ago an unparalleled spiritual teacher promised that the same state of divine awareness he had achieved was attainable by everyone. Yet soon after the three brief years of his public ministry ended, spiritual amnesia set in and new, mind-based interpretations of the Christ-idea this savior preached were transformed into the belief that time spent on this planet was no more than an exhausting climb toward the “next” life, punctuated by moments of joy and pain.
While most of us no longer worship idols like the golden calf the Israelites molded in the desert, we steadfastly cling to the notion of a God fashioned in the image and likeness of ourselves. Rigid and remote, this deity demands strict obedience and constant invocations before it will deign to heal or offer us respite and salvation. Like tired, scared children stumbling around in the dark, we keep looking outside of ourselves for help, begging this Supreme Being to intercede on our behalf. But help seldom seems to arrive. Hope is the final victim of our man-made God.
It does not have to be this way.
Scattered before us are the seeds of ancient wisdom sown by holy teachers since the dawn of time and ripe for harvest once we are ready to digest the fruits of their work. The route home has always been lit by the inner radiance of those who walked the straight and narrow way, by the few who discovered sacredness in the only place it ever existed—in themselves.
Sacred Journey is the tale of humanity’s journey in consciousness back to paradise. “Let there be light!” was the command of Genesis. And now is the moment to dispel the shadows in our thinking and reignite the holy fire that will burn away the dross of outmoded ideas and attitudes and will lead to a higher level of understanding. Today presents us with the opportunity to know God aright by basking in loving contact with the great “I am.”
This book is one tiny light illuminating the path back to our Source. You are the next one.
Chapter 1
The Long Road Home
For a man is a little lower than the angels, yet was made that he might become the companion of the Creative Forces; and thus was given—in the breath of life—the individual soul, the stamp of approval as it were of the Creator; with the ability to know itself to be itself, and to make itself, as one with the Creative Forces—irrespective
