St. Paul asked in 1 Corinthians: "Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" and "Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God?" In 2 Corinthians he comes right out and says it plainly: "We are a temple of the living God; even as God said, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'"
The disciple John hints at this when he recounts in his gospel an event when Jesus was in the great temple in Jerusalem and was asked to show the people a sign. "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The people at the temple said, 'Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?' But he spoke of the temple of his body."
From Edgar Cayce's attunement to the Universal Consciousness, he too saw and taught that our bodies are more than physical vehicles for living in this world. Here are five brief excerpts:
"Know that your body is the temple of the living God; there you may seek communion. There you may seek counsel as to the choices to be made, the directions to be taken."
"He has promised. 'If you will but open the door of your consciousness, of your heart, I will enter and abide with you.' This is not a fancy; this is not hearsay. You may experience such. For it is the law, it is the way, it is LIFE itself!"
"Seek and you shall find. Not without but from within. For in thine own temple He has promised to meet you."
"All that you may learn of the Father God is already within self. For your body is indeed the temple of the living God, and as you meet Him there you may gain in your own consciousness the satisfaction of walking and talking with Him. When these consciousnesses are yours and you are one with Him, then indeed may you see that the kingdom of heaven dwells within."
"This is a promise to you, to each soul; yet each soul must of itself find that answer within self. For indeed the body is the temple of the living God. There He has
christian mysticism to meet you; there He does. And as your body, your mind, your soul is attuned to that divine that answers within, so may you indeed be quickened to know His purpose; and you may fill that purpose for which you entered this experience."
Years ago, when I first read these teachings, I would sit quietly and go within my temple. With my physical eyes closed, I would scan inside my head with my mind's eye, looking for God. I would begin conversations, and then sit silently, listening for a response. In those early days it was like sitting in a dark, empty room by myself. There was nothing in here but me. If I began to perceive a response, I would not know if it were some aspect of me or truly God speaking. Now, thirty-some years later, I cannot close my eyes without feeling the nearness of a vast inner universe of life, information, creativity, and God. In preparing to write this article I spent some time recalling how I went from sitting by myself to awakening to the heavens within. It is true that if one seeks, one will find; it's a matter of seeking long enough. And it was a long journey, with some side trips that led nowhere. But, through it all, there was a thread that I can now see in hindsight. There were spontaneous moments of enlightenment, of direct contact with God, and of knowing the truth. Sustaining those proved more difficult than expected because outer life was more integral to inner growth than expected. If I stopped living the fruits of the spirit in the outer life, the inner life dried up. But the inner life is the ultimate, eternal life, and it is only lived by going within the temple of the body and awakening to it.
There are two excellent ways to enter the temple within: deep sleep and deep meditation. A good biblical example of deep sleep producing a vision of the life within would be Jacob's dream of the ladder to and from heaven. You'll recall that upon waking from deep sleep, he said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate to heaven." The place of deep sleep and illuminating dreams is indeed the house of God and the gate to heaven. A good biblical example of deep meditation producing a vision of the life within would be John's description of how The Revelation began. John tells us that he "was in the spirit [in deep meditation, caught up in the spirit] on the Lord's day and I heard and saw and was told to write." In this issue, let's explore how the body, the temple, is arranged for spiritual activity.
THE EXPERIENCE
I am often asked to describe what it feels like to open centers and raise energy, and to be in the presence of God. The Ineffable is just that, ineffable. Even God ordered Old Testament seekers to make no images or utter any name for Him. Additionally, I've found that people are quite unique in their wiring and perception. Some are more visual. Others are auditory. And some are tactile or kinesthetic, feeling more than perceiving. Some are conceptual; they know. Frankly, I could find no difference in the profoundness of their spiritual experiences. For me, it began with feeling the Presence and the energy, then developed into knowing, and eventually became visual. But I have a friend who began seeing before he could feel. I recommend that you seek and practice and allow yourself to discover it as it comes to you. You must have some faith that it is there and in the beginning you'll need to be inspired (that helps lift you into the Spirit).
SECRET STRUCTURE
Many of the body's major systems may be used for both physical and spiritual activity. For example, the seven major endocrine glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream to keep the body running optimally are also a physical portion of the seven spiritual centers or chakras that can affect major changes in our vibrations and consciousness. The central nervous system, so vital to living in the three-dimensional world, is also a portion of the kundalini pathway that can raise our vibrations and help us perceive beyond three dimensions.
