(Posted on: May 7, 2013 by David McMillin)
For He has promised to meet thee in thy own temple. For thy body is indeed the temple of the living God and He has promised to meet thee there, in thy own meditation - yea, in thy own prayer ... (1493-1)
For the body is indeed His temple and He will meet thee and speak with thee, yea reason in thy heart of hearts with thee, if ye will oft turn to Him. Do that. (3659-1)
For thy prayer is as a supplication or a plea to thy superior; yet thy meditation is that thou art meeting on COMMON ground! (281-28)
In meditation, we meet God as an equal. That is an awesome thought indeed.
Although the presence of God may be a dramatic experience for some, many find God's presence to be more subtle – the still small voice from within; a feeling of unbounded love and acceptance; a profound knowing of the purpose and meaning of life.
If you have been hesitant or negligent in pursuing a deeper level of meditative experience, you may want to consider if this is a point in your search for God where you will commit to regular deep meditation. With a prayer of protection and guided by a spiritual ideal, you may enter into the presence of God as an equal in the temple within.
A higher state of spiritual consciousness is the aim and purpose of deep meditation. It is important, therefore, that attention be fixed upon the ideal which is to be raised. (A Search For God, Meditation, p. 10)
There are many approaches to meditation, even within the Cayce readings themselves. Members of the Norfolk Study Group #1 created a booklet on meditation based on readings given by Edgar Cayce for the study group and a subgroup called the Glad Helpers. When it came time to publish the A Search For God (ASFG) material, Cayce’s readings insisted that this meditation text be included and put at the beginning before lesson one on Cooperation.
If you study this material closely, you will notice the term “deep meditation” in several places. In essence this is the process of opening the spiritual centers within the body and raising the vibration of the body to a higher level. Purification and protection is required, as described in the text. Persons experienced with deep meditation will sometimes experience bodily sensations, including: Vibration, rotary movement, a coolness on the head or forehead, pulsation in the lower part of the spine, or a voice speaking. (A Search For God, p. 12)
Then finally, there is the passing into the presence of that which may materialize in voice, feeling, sight, and a consciousness of oneness with the Whole. (A Search For God, p. 13)
In creating the Attunement video overview for this course, I relied heavily on the meditation chapter in the ASFG book as well as the readings themselves. The Attunement lesson for this course contains a link to an online mediation resource featuring Charles Thomas Cayce. This resource is also based on the original ASFG chapter. So you have various resources for understanding and applying the Cayce approach to deep meditation if you so desire.
There should be no attempt to force oneself in any way when doing deep meditation. There are simpler methods (such as the Magic Silence technique created by John Van Auken – see the link in the Attunement lesson).
There should not be any particular expectations when doing deep meditation, except that you will sincerely attempt to attune to the Divine within based on a spiritual ideal. The mediation chapter in ASFG recommended focusing thought on the Christ as protection when entering this altered state of consciousness. Personally, I have found the phrase, “Jesus be with me” to be helpful, but this will naturally be a matter of personal choice.
The process of deep meditation culminates with “entering the silence.” This is the “listening” phase of meditation that defines this practice. Within this silence you may come to experience the presence of God within as described in the quote above.