The title pretty much says it all.
In his dream, Edgar Cayce saw himself ascending in a column of light, passing through different realms. The lowest realms were full of darkness and discord; as he ascended, the realms became increasingly full of harmony and light.
These realms correspond to different places one may find oneself in the spiritual and material world. Clearly, it is desirable to ascend into the higher realms. One will do that as one grows in Christ-likeness. It may be misleading to think that means becoming more righteous or less sinful; it seems to me to have more to do with becoming more present, more centered, more autonomous, or more pure of heart.
Related:
As one ascends, one’s spiritual world and one’s material world change; one is in a new place, with new perspectives. And things may appear, and be, possible now that one would never have imagined to be possible before.
A few concrete examples:
In some neighborhoods, you can ride your bicycle to the corner store, leave it standing or lying outside, and it will still be there when one comes back out. In other neighborhoods, you can’t do that — or, it doesn’t seem realistic or possible — because the bicycle probably won’t be there when one comes back out.
At a former shelter, this guy agreed to give me a cigarette. But before he did so, he took me into a dark corner of the place, and only once we were there did he give it to me. Why? Because if he’d given it to me in a well-lit place, in the open, at once five other guys would have approached him, each demanding one for himself.
Such is life in the lower realms.
So, I myself am not now where I used to be; I have a different perspective, different outlook, and things appear possible I would never have dreamt of before.
How else to explain my words to the bully,
I hope you find housing?
How else to explain the words I would have used the next time Earl would berate me,
I hope you find happiness in life.
I am surprised sometimes to hear the blessings I utter or think towards people, without any forethought. The other day, sitting outside Dunkin’ Donuts, this van pulled up in the parking lot and a family got out, including a number of small children; and I spontaneously found myself smiling at the children. I had no reason to smile at them; but I did.
Recalling the lightning rod analogy from “Prayer primer” it may be that my basic self, my core self, my composition, is changing.
When one diligently seeks to live as Jesus taught, things become possible that seemed impossible before.
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