From the Edgar Cayce Reading
“The Answer to Your Prayers”

1.   Prayer is talking to God.

According to the Edgar Cayce Readings, meditation is the other half of that conversation; meditation is listening to God.  This paper outlines the steps you can follow in order to meditate according to the Readings (practice listening to God).  The following have proven to be successful for thousands of people.

2.   Set a regular time of day for your meditation session.

The regularity makes it more likely you will remember to meditate.  Plus, you may find it easier to get your mind focused and quiet more quickly if you have such a consistent time of day.  Choose the time when you are most likely to be alert, least distracted, and most able to remain focused on your spiritual aspirations and ideals.

At first you may want to have relatively brief meditation sessions.  Do whatever is comfortable to you.  Later you can expand this period to the length of time that is most desirable.

3. Aids for attunement .

Choose from among the many aids for attunement, which may help create the right mood for you and which assist you in getting yourself focused on your spiritual aspirations.  There is no set regimen for this step.  Choose whatever will help you to relax and quiet the mind from the distractions of the day.  The Readings suggest doing whatever would prepare your mind for receiving a most honored guest.  Have a moment of silence to purify the mind and heart before approaching the God within.  Many have found some of the following to be helpful:

4.   Raise the awareness of being protected by praying:

“As I open myself to the unseen forces that surround the Throne of grace, beauty, and might, I throw about myself that protection that is found in the thought of the Christ.”

5.   Pray .

Take a few moments to attune your mind through prayer.  The Lord’s Prayer is often used to attune the mind and the body to the Providence of God. Also, there are many forms of prayer that can be used: petition, praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, etc.  Choose each day what seems most appropriate.

Repeat several times the affirmation you have chosen for meditation.  An affirmation is a positive statement offered to the Divine within that you would like manifested in your consciousness.  For example, in each lesson of the 262 series of the Study Group Readings, and the A Search for God, Books I and II, a specific affirmation is offered, keyed to the concepts of that spiritual growth step.  After the affirmation is read and studied, it is then offered to the Divine within for bringing it into fruition in the life of the person meditating. Real meditation begins when one is in a state of listening.  You will begin to feel the meaning of the words rather than just saying them mechanically. If you discover that your attention has wandered or been distracted, don’t despair. Gently bring your attention back by silently repeating the affirmation and return to silence, a state of listening. 

Avoid being discouraged.  Despite the frequency with which distractions may arise (internally or externally), effects are still taking place within.

6.  At the end of this period of silence, pray for others.
      In different words, what you have received, give.

If there are people who have specifically asked for your prayers in healing or for help in changing a condition, then add your prayer to theirs.  For those people who have not specifically asked, but for whom you have a concern, bless them and imagine them surrounded with light.  This process allows the recipients to maintain their free will.  It is always good to add “God’s will be done.”

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