Book Summary by Lorrie Kazan  To order Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records from Amazon.com, click here! Or from the A.R.E. Bookstore Item #509 What if every thought, deed or feeling each of us has ever had or might likely have is being recorded in a book about us?  Perhaps this "book" is written in energy, or as Edgar Cayce said, "etched in the ethers? When Edgar Cayce, perhaps the most documented psychic in history, was asked where he obtained the information he delivered in psychic readings, he noted two main sources:  one was the subconscious mind of the querent and the other was from a place he called "The Hall of Records."   To get to the Hall of Records, Cayce would put himself into the trance state he used for readings.  Quickly he'd experience himself like a dot of light out of his body, and be almost overwhelmed by an immense sense of loneliness as he, now identified as that dot of light, shot forward through worlds of darkness, and suffering before finally entering lighter worlds in which there were houses and trees.  From there he continued up into the hall of records, this place with no walls, a place with no place.  An old man would come to greet him and direct him to the information about the person for whom he was giving the reading. Cayce was shown a book, he said, because humans expect knowledge to come in this garb.  He could have easily been shown a beam of light.  This reminds me of the Kabbalistic concept which states that the Bible was really an energetic blueprint that was put into the garment of a book because we live in a world of garments, and physical matter is what we "understand." He would be shown the aspect of the book, which would be most relevant at that time to the person receiving the reading.  More would be given once the person had applied the information received.  (This is an important precept for people who come for continued readings without heeding the advice already gained and then feel disappointed that they still haven't gotten what they wanted.) In fact, "getting what you want" is not necessarily the point of our existence.  Cayce said we are co-creators with the divine.  We've been granted free will and that free will allows us to choose how we will respond to people and situations; and those responses begin to build our possible futures.  I say possible futures because Cayce reminded us that nothing was fixed in stone.  Our free will allows us to make decisions about how we will live our lives.  Thus, we need never remain the victims of circumstances.  Mr. Todeschi reminds us that karma, the law of cause and effect, is not a law of forced victimization.  A reading can warn us about tendencies, patterns, ways of thinking and being that are creating circumstances we dislike.  "Mind is the builder," Cayce said.  Indeed, at times it was difficult for him to perceive if something in the akashic records was a thought or an action; they were so energetically close. Among the stories related in the book is one about a Cayce client called Anna.  Anna had initially requested a physical reading (a health reading), providing no information beyond her name and birth date. From this scant information, Cayce was able to help her transform her relationship with Vera, her sister in this life, by relating how in a past life Anna had "stolen" Vera's husband.  In their current life, Vera felt no compunction about stealing from Anna or being cruel to her and this had pained Anna deeply. A past life in which Anna was a dance hall girl opens for us a way of seeing karma.  In that life, Anna selfishly pursued what she wanted for her own gratification despite what it meant for others.  Her mother in her current life had been the Madame at that saloon but she saw her role as a way station for others, a place where they could be helped to find their way.  In this life, Anna's mother had the reputation of being an angel, while Anna, on the other hand, had always been branded a "loose woman." While both women had worked at the saloon, they approached their work and their lives with radically different intentions, and thus they created different impressions on the skein of time and space. We have the innate ability to become conscious of and choose our intentions, how we will see, act and be, despite our circumstances.  In Anna's case, once she was forewarned about a relationship and its matrix, she was able to reinvent her way of being with it in present day.  She could share with Vera what she learned from Cayce and she could continue to align herself with the ideals that brought more light and peace to her life. In fact, Cayce recommended that each of us set an ideal for ourselves and use it as a personal guide and means to measure our behavior.  For instance, if my ideal is love, then I can begin to notice whether my thoughts and behavior fit with my concept of love.  Previously it may have been easier to justify bitter thoughts and actions if they seemed a suitable reaction to another's behavior.  Thus, if I think, "you hate me," my automatic reaction might be to hate you more, cut you off first, unless however, my behavior is not a reaction but a conscious choice that supports my ideal.   We take up with souls from where we left off, only in present time we may not know why we're have a particular interaction, as was the case with Anna and her sister. Fortunately for Anna, what she learned from Cayce enabled her to  transform her relationships to such an extent that it was Anna who took care of Vera during her last years.  In fact, 20 years of Anna's life were devoted to the care of others and witnessing their transition.  She became a person who shared wisdom, insight and love.  Her sister's dying words were, "let's always be sisters," clearly a miracle from where they'd begun. Every situation offers us the opportunity for transformation, to redefine and live by our ideals.  Cayce said it was not so much about what happened to us as how we responded to it that defined our future.  As souls, we are like the prodigal son, temporarily separated from the father, but ultimately meant to experience unification with our source. How Do We Access the Akashic Records Cayce's ability to interpret the records was so profound that he was even able to let one client know that the client's real birthday was June 29th and not June 28th as he'd grown up believing.  People have accessed these records in dreams, reverie and hypnosis.  "Cayce told one woman (752-1) that the soul became aware of the relevant information impressed on the Akashic Records whenever that individual applied whatever knowledge she or he possessed." Mr. Todeschi compares each of us to a computer terminal that is "plugged into the Akashic Records themselves.  Therefore, consciously or unconsciously, we are always interacting with them.  Cayce consistently recommended prayer and meditation, and in this instance encouraged us to use those tools not only to develop greater serenity but also to become more in synch with the higher vibrations on which the records are stored. We can also obtain a psychic reading from a talented sensitive.  However, we should keep in mind that just because someone is psychic does not mean they don't have their own agenda or slant on how they perceive energy and interpret it.  When receiving this information from another, it's a good idea to see if the information proves beneficial, even if that information is initially hard to hear.  As Mr. Todeschi states, "The Akashic Records are the impulse that draws to us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.  They are the force that brings individuals together to learn from one another.  They are the tool which enables individuals to meet themselves and become the best they can be." Robert Frost once said, poetry is that thing that's lost in translation.  In some ways this is true with book digests, as well.  For as much as we convey to you, there's an intangible which can't be reduced down, and of course there is always information that we're forced to leave out.  What I hope the digests do is encourage readers to seek out the books and authors whose work resonates for them. Kevin Todeschi is just such an author for me and that's why I was delighted to digest one of his books.  His style is straightforward, easy to follow and highly intelligent.  Sometimes, on my own, I don't understand Cayce's writing as well as I'd like to; however, when I read Kevin Todeschi's work, I'm left with a sense of greater understanding, of truly being able to enter the conversation in a way I didn't have before. This particular book provided a voyage not only into the Akashic records but also the mind and world of Edgar Cayce.  I came away from it feeling nurtured and informed. Lorrie Kazan, info@lorriekazan.com ;  www.lorriekazan.com Lorrie, an A.R.E. member and on the Edgar Cayce Panel of Professional Intuitives, is the Associate Editor of Intuitive-Connections Network. To order Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records from Amazon.com, click here!