Kaiyum’s review of her book subtitled: ‘The Edgar Cayce story on reincarnation’
Have you ever been anywhere where you immediately felt at ease, at home? Or somewhere you immediately felt unwell and wanted to get away as fast as you could? A city, a country? Even the house of new friends, let alone the new house of old friends?
And you’ve surely noticed that you have an instant click with some people, while with others there’s been instant dislike and distrust? Have you ever asked yourself why you have a particular talent or do particular work … and not any other sort of work?
Gina Cerminara provides easy access to clear, possible answers in this book that first appeared as long ago as 1950 and continues to be reprinted time and time again in various editions by various publishing houses.
What is the source of this ongoing success? Perhaps the answer lies in both Cerminara’s objective descriptions and explanations as well as the source of her information: some 2500 ‘life readings’ by Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), one of the world’s most famous and best documented psychics, clairvoyants or mediums – whichever term you prefer to use. Known as ‘the Miracle Man of Virginia Beach’ Cayce gave a total of some 23,000 readings during the second half of his life. Alas, about a third of these readings were inadequately documented, yet the 14,500 or so remaining, well-documented readings provide a wealth of wisdom and learning that continues to be available (www.edgarcayce.org).
Cayce discovered his gift by accident, as is often the case. Suffering from a loss of speech, he regained use of his voice through a session under hypnosis. One thing led to another (Cerminara describes the story in fascinating detail) and Cayce began to give readings under hypnosis induced by another, then progressed to speedy self-hypnosis.
Born in a backwoods farming community in Kentucky, Cayce grew up in a devout sectarian (Christian) environment where no-nonsense, down-to-earth pragmatism continued to be reflected in the simplicity and unpretentiousness of his life of service. In this book, Cerminara describes how Cayce discovered his path as well as how he dealt with his reticence, born of his Christian upbringing and the convictions he maintained throughout his life. It was totally consistent for him, therefore, never to ask for payment for his services.
The title of the book – “Many Mansions” – refers to John 14, “In my Father’s house are many mansions”, implying the existence of more lives and a spiritual continuity. Cerminara analyses the healings that Cayce describes under hypnosis which are clear indications of how events in a previous life are the cause of problems in this life. Although she correctly avoids stating categorically that this is in any way a proof of reincarnation, she nevertheless provides an excellent, clear and highly useful review of how karma works, in all its facets.
In the book you can read about how Cayce was able to see beyond space and time, how he gained insight into the past lives of those who asked for his help, how he was able – in most cases – to provide clear, step by step instructions for healing (these instructions often include nutrition and osteopathy) and how he made predictions … all in all, an oeuvre that earned him fame as the most remarkable clairvoyant of our times.
There are dozens of ‘quotable quotes’ which illustrate Cayce’s channelled wisdom. Here’s just one example, where a man returns for a second reading:
Yes, we have the body here; this we have had before.
As we find, there have been physical improvements in the body, yet there is much, much to be desired.
As already indicated, this is a karmic condition and there must be measures taken by the entity to change its attitude towards things, conditions and its fellow man…
… But first there must be the change of heart, of mind, of purpose, of intent …
You may ask, is this a spiritual book, a book about the spiritual life of man? Perhaps. It depends on you, the reader. Cerminara avoids any clear statements on this issue, but gives you plenty of opportunity to draw your own conclusions in line with your own belief systems.
The (American) English of a very high quality that I, alas, rarely come across these days: erudite, descriptive, powerful and clear. Many readers, particularly the ‘non-native’ ones, may be inclined to skip the ‘difficult words’. My advice is to use a dictionary and enjoy the rich vitality of Cerminara’s text which is above all to the point.
Quotation from Osho:
Man can, of course, know about his past lives, because once something is imprinted in the form of a memory on our minds, it is never destroyed. It always remains in our deep unconscious levels. Whatsoever we have known, we never forget.”
Review by Kaiyum (David Bloch), Osho News
Tip: you can probably pick up an ‘as new’ second-hand copy cheaply through amazon.com – amazon.co.uk
See also on Osho News: Edgar Cayce and 2012
Gina Cerminara (1914 – 1984) was an American author in the fields of parapsychology, spirituality and reincarnation. She was born in Milwaukee and received BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her other books on reincarnation include ‘The World Within’, ‘Many Lives, Many Loves’ and ‘Insights for the Age of Aquarius’.
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