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Len and Tony

“We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.” The Talmud

Right now I am seeing things from “Edgar Cayce Consciousness.” I first learned about Edgar Cayce in 1969. I was on a plane from St. Petersburg, Florida, to New York. I was reading Autobiography of a Yogi, by Yogananda. (I had just met Roy Eugene Davis, a disciple of Yogananda and I wanted to learn more about the Master who had made Davis into someone I greatly admired.) The person sitting next to me said, “If you find that book interesting you should read about Edgar Cayce, and I recommend There Is A River, by Thomas Sugrue.” We chatted a little bit and I decided to take his advice and purchase and read the book.

In the intervening 42 years I have read There Is A River at least 5 more times including this week. I have also visited the Cayce Institute in Virginia Beach, Virginia and on three occasions and have read at least 10 or 15 other books about Cayce and the lessons drawn from his “readings”. I consider the Cayce readings and his experiences to be among the most important data I have ever read or read about.

For those who have never heard of Cayce and/or his “readings” etc. I will offer only a cursory introduction. The story is too complex and mind-boggling and/or boundary breaking to do it justice in a few paragraphs. The most I could hope to accomplish is to whet your appetite so you will read There Is A River. If you found it even a tenth as impressive and important as I did then I will assume you will go on to read other related books about specific topics that interest you or more general biographical books such as Many Mansions, by Gina Cerminara, Edgar Cayce—The Sleeping Prophet, by Jess Stearn, or Edgar Cayce, My Life As A Seer: The Lost Memoirs.

Rather than reading more biographical data one can read specific books drawn from the Cayce readings about health, diet, reincarnation, Atlantis, astrology, souls, and many other esoteric subjects.

I find reading anything about or related to Cayce and his readings to be intellectually fascinating and satisfying as well as spiritually uplifting and fulfilling.

Cayce (who passed on in 1945) was born and raised in Kentucky. I can’t do justice to his story, but in what I would call the “Reader’s Digest Condensed Version” of his biography I would highlight the following.

First, even as a child he had experiences of being able to see and perceive things not ordinarily seen or perceived by others. Through a long series of events and/or coincidences he discovered that he had an incredible ability that was activated by going into a hypnotic trance. In such a state he seemed to have almost unlimited access to a body of knowledge that was both mundane and profound. Most of his fame was achieved by his ability to diagnose and cure people who had serious, often untreatable, illnesses. The body of knowledge, over 14,000 “readings” was preserved and is still available for research and validation.

I could go on and on, but rather than do an injustice to the data and the story I would, instead, urge and cajole my readers to sample the story for themselves.

Even if you have read There Is A River before I would urge you to read it again. The story is timeless. The information is priceless. As we change and progress, as pointed out by the wisdom of the Talmud, we see things differently.

If you read this book for the first time, or revisit it, I would love to hear from you how you react to it and if it changes you in any way.

Len Oppenheim

Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]
William Dalrymple

“Dalrymple, author of prizewinning works of far-roaming inquiry, including The Last Mughal (2007), knows when to let others speak; which is what he does with great finesse in this evocative set of portraits of nine spiritual seekers living across India. Nine lives are described that open doors onto nine of India's many arduous paths to the divine and reveal striking, nearly surreal juxtapositions between the old and the new. There's the haunting tale of a Jain nun, who as a girl, renounced her life of privilege. Another is the wrenching story of Rani Bai, a devadasi, or servant of the goddess Yellamma, who was forced into prostitution as a girl. Hari Das describes what it feels like “to be taken over by a god” when he performs theyyam, the sacred possession dance of Kerala, only to return to his dangerous work as a prison guard. Dalrymple sets each vivid profile within an intricately drawn history of the ancient and now-endangered tradition each devotee is dedicated to preserving in the escalating battle between holiness and hustle that is transforming India”. Review by--Donna Seaman

Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings [Paperback]
A.G. Mohan

“Here is a personal tribute to “the father of modern yoga” Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888–1989), written by one of his longtime disciples. Krishnamacharya was a renowned Indian yoga master, Ayurvedic healer, and scholar who modernized yoga practice and whose students—including B. K. S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, T. K. V. Desikachar, and Indra Devi—dramatically popularized yoga in the West.

In this book, the author, A. G. Mohan, a well-respected yoga teacher and yoga therapist, draws on his own memories and Krishnamacharya’s diaries and recorded material, to present a fascinating view of the man and his teachings, and Mohan's own warm and inspiring relationship with the master. This portrait of the great teacher will be a compelling and informative read for yoga teachers and students who truly want to understand the source of their tradition and practice.”

Silence of the Heart by Robert Adams

Robert Adams was a direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi. Robert’s book has been one of my favorites. Reading its pages creates a stillness that is profound. He writes with a wonderful sense of humor that cuts through many preconceptions of what the realized state is. It is one of the rare books I have read that actually can transform one’s consciousness and perception just by reading the words. Reading creates a truly powerful life affirming experience. The book has been out of print for years... but I notice that Amazon has used copies available. Well worth the investment.

I ran away

I tried to hide

but the pain traveled with me

I knew who I needed to see

But yet I wished it away

and journeyed on... living in illusionary disbelief

but to travel away I learned this far

and ran back to my one true scene

This actor traveled nowhere you see, for the image

in the mirror remained still me

Love, Tony