(Soul In Reflection)
Aug. 4, 2025: Edgar Cayce shocked the world when he revealed salt as humanity's hidden spiritual technology. In 1936, he saved a dying child using sacred salt rituals that doctors called impossible.
This video exposes why biblical texts encrypted salt as divine connection, how our tears contain crystallized prayers, and the specific techniques Cayce used to unlock psychic abilities through salt work.
Discover why ancient civilizations guarded salt secrets, how salt bridges physical and spiritual realms, and the documented healing cases that prove salt activates dormant spiritual DNA.
Learn Cayce's salt meditation methods for accessing past lives, receiving divine guidance, and accelerating consciousness evolution.
The kitchen cabinet holds the key to spiritual awakening that mystery schools protected for millennia. Based on 14,000 documented psychic readings and A.R.E. archives.
Best-selling author Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency (Latin sal, which gives us our word "salary," our ration of life-sustaining sodium chloride used as wages), salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Salt is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece. More
CIA Agent Stan Marsh can be a bit of a control freak. Here, he puts a gun to God's head to get his way. And God laughs...then shoots Stan in the head because that's just the kind of god he is, all vengeful and full of love (American Dad, "Rapture's Delight").
THE BUDDHA: Now, there comes a time, meditators, when, sooner or later,
after the lapse of a [cosmologically] long period, this world-system [devolves and] passes away.
When this happens, beings have mostly been
reborn [due to their previous skillful karma, their wholesome deeds] in the World of Radiance (ābhassara deva loka), and there they dwell made
of mind and feeding on joy, emitting light from themselves,
traversing the air, continuing in glory (streaming radiance). They remain this way for a long period of time.
Now, there comes a time, meditators, when, sooner or later, this
world-system begins to re-evolve. When this happens the
Palace of the Supreme (Brahmā-loka) appears, but it is empty. And some [high-born] being
or other, either because its* span of years has passed or its
merit [the store of karma that allowed it to live there] is exhausted, falls from the World of Radiance and reappears [is reborn, comes to life] in the Palace of the Supreme.
[*Brahmas do not undergo sexual dimorphism and therefore are neither male nor female, as is true of all beings above the level of brahmas, but may be said to be androgynous, encompassing or capable of encompassing characteristics of either gender.]
And there also that being lives made of mind and feeding on joy, emitting light from
itself, traversing the air, continuing in streaming glory, and thus remains for a long, long period of time.
Now there arises in this being, from dwelling alone there so long, a dissatisfaction and a longing: "O, would that other
beings might come to join me in this place!”
[NOTE: Buddhism is not atheistic but ultimately nontheistic, with many polytheistic overtones. There is not just one God but many gods (brahmas and devas), none of whom are the actual ultimate creator or first cause. Because time and universes happen in cycles, evolving and devolving, there could be an alpha and omega of sorts, but it isn't real or ultimate because there are higher-born beings than that. A brahma sees to the extent of its plane of existence and not hire, where it cannot access. So it is not omniscient nor omnipotent and either is not aware of the other "Gods" or is willfully ignorant so as to not have to ponder how they came to be there.]
And, just then,
either because their span of years had passed or their merit was exhausted, other beings fall from the World of
Radiance and appear in the Palace of the Supreme as
companions, who in all respects are like it.
There are many heavenly worlds (sagga, deva-lokas) and many Gods (brahmas) and gods (devas) among the general 31 Planes of Existence. There are countless individual worlds categorized into these general planes. See Buddhist cosmology.
On this happening, meditators, the one who was first reborn there thinks to
itself:
“I am Brahmā [the Supreme], the Great Brahmā, the Supreme One,
the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All [the Universe], the
Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and are ever to be. These other beings are of my creation. Why is
that so? A while ago I thought, 'Would that they might
come!’ And on my mental aspiration, behold the beings
came!”
A.I. almost gets it right, missing sight of what the
Buddha really was: a human who rose above Gods.
The Gods are not awakened/enlightened. He was.
Moreover, those beings themselves also think: “This must be
Brahmā, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler,
the Lord of All, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All,
appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father
of All who are and ever are to be. And we must have been created
by this being. Why? It is because, as we see, it was this being who was
here first, and we came after.”
On this, meditators, the one who first came into existence [on that plane] is of longer life and more glorious [brighter, streaming more radiance], and more powerful than
those who appeared afterward.
And it might well be, meditators,
that some being on falling from that state, should come
here. And having come here, he might go forth from the
household life into the left-home life. And having become a wandering ascetic he, by reason of ardor, persistent exertion, consistent application, earnestness, and careful thought [balanced effort] reaches such rapture of heart [piti born of meditative absorption called jhana] that, rapt in heart, he calls to mind his past life (his last
dwelling-place) but not the ones prior to that.
God didn't really create the world out of nothing?
He says to
himself, “That illustrious Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the
Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the
Lord of All, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All,
appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father
of All who are and ever are to be, the One by whom we were created,
that One is steadfast, immutable, eternal, of a nature that knows
no change and will remain so for ever and ever, whereas we
who were created by that being have come here as beings who are impermanent, mutable, limited in duration of life.”
This, meditators, is the first state of things on account of which,
starting out from which, some wandering ascetics and Brahmin priests, being
Eternalists as to some things and Non-Eternalists as to
others, maintain that the soul [self, atta, atman] and the world are partly
eternal and partly not.
Seth MacFarlane, American Dad; Long Discourses of the Buddha (DN 1), "The All-Embracing Net of Views," Dīgha Nikāya1, Brahmajāla Sutta, translated by Prof. Rhys Davids and edited by Dhr. Seven (Dec. 2024), from Ven. Nyanaponika(formerly Mr. Siegmund Feniger) Wheel #47: Buddhism and the God-Idea: Selected Texts, 1962 (Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka) for Wisdom Quarterly
Long thought of as a secluded paradise -- the last Himalayan Buddhist kingdom -- hidden in the clouds, shrouded in myth, and renowned for its pursuit of happiness over economic prosperity, Bhutan now struggles to accommodate the invasion of tourists, new media, and Western materialism in the 21st century. As Buddhist monks play with condoms, clowns offer advice on AIDS, and farmers feed cannabis to pigs (because the seeds are super nutritious), we hear the thoughts of government officials, Buddhist monks, tourists, and ordinary Bhutanese themselves, who are facing up to the challenge. The underlying spiritualism of this mystical mountainous country, racist in its treatment of its Nepalese minority, is being buffeted by rapidly changing circumstances as its identity is being warped by an Internet-shrinking world. Of course, the real "heavens" are not on Earth but high in space.More
The stained glass heavens (sagga) in Buddhist cosmology, a part of the world-system above Earth (Stewie1980/Flickr.com).
ABHASSARA, Heaven - There is a celestial brahma-world inhabited by radiant devas ("shining ones") whose bodies emit rays of light. They feed on joy (piti).
It is one of the 31 Planes of Existence, which are divided into three spheres (the sensual, fine-material, and immaterial). This light world belongs to the fine-material (rūpaloka) corresponding to the second absorption (jhāna, Abhs. v.3; Compendium 138, n.4).
That the devas living there subsist on joy (pītibhakkha) is recorded by the Buddha and verifiable by anyone who masters the second meditative absorption and emerges in consciousness on that plane (S.i.114.; DhA.iii.258; J.vi.55).
The average lifespan there is two aeons (kalpas). Of course, as with all planes of existence -- excluding the Pure Abodes inhabited by noble individuals in various stages of enlightenment short of full liberation -- there is no guarantee that one reborn there will not later fall from it when the profitable karma (merit) sustaining one is exhausted. Then one may well be reborn in a lesser world, the human plane, or an unfortunate destination (A.ii.127; but see Abhs. v.6, where the lifespan is given as eight aeons).
From time to time these devas utter shouts of joy saying, "Aho sukham, aho sukham!" This sound is the best of sounds. And these devas are said to be completely enveloped in ease (sukhena abhisaññā parisaññā), a rare condition in the Sensual Sphere (A.iii.202; D. iii.219).
Their world forms the third station of consciousness (viññānatthiti), and they are of uniform bodily appearance, but their perceptions are diverse (A.iv.40, 401; D.ii.69; D.iii.253). [Earth, by contrast, one of the human worlds, is diverse in appearance with diverse perceptions.]
During the periods of the expansion of a world-system, many beings are born in the ābhassara world. They are then called the highest of devas, yet even they change their condition (A.v.60).
In lists of devas (e.g., M.i.289) they are ranked above the Appamānābhā ("devas of unbounded radiance") and below the subhā ("devas of limited glory"). (See chart at left).
Buddhas-to-be are sometimes born in the ābhassara world (AA.i.73; J.i.406, 473; M.i.329; MA.i.553; SA.i.162), but they are never born in Immaterial (arūpa) Sphere worlds even when they have developed the corresponding formless attainments (arūpa-jhānas).
Baka Brahmā was born in ābhassara after having passed through vehapphala ("very fruitful devas") and subhakinna ("devas of radiant glory"), and it was then that he conceived the belief or pernicious of being "eternal." (The Buddha, perceiving this misconception, traveled out of compassion to correct. The Buddha visited Baka and dissuaded the brahma from the error of this belief (J.iii.359). Baka is featured in the Baka Brahma Sutra and the Brahmanimantanika Sutra).
It is said that when the universe dissolves -- after the lapse of a great aeon and before it again evolves after a long period of chaos -- beings are mostly reborn in the ābhassara world.
When the world begins to re-evolve (vivattati), the Brahma-vimāna (the supreme's vehicle, mansion, platform, or spacecraft) appears by force of previous karma. But it is empty. Then some being or other, either because it has finished its life there or because its merit is exhausted, leaves the ābhassara world and is reborn in that Brahma-vimāna.
Others follow this example, and it is then that the first to be reborn in the Brahma-world generally comes under a pernicious wrong-view such as, "I AM THAT I AM" or "I am [eternal] Brahmā, Great Brahmā, the Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-Seeing, All-Powerful, the Lord, the Maker and Creator, the Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Father of All That Have Been and Shall Be." (See D.iii.29).
When inhabitants of the ābhassara world are reborn as humans, their existence continues to be like the one they fell from in the brahma-world. As time goes on, however, they lose their qualities and develop the characteristics, both physical and mental, of human beings. (For details see D.iii.84ff., PsA.253).
The great Buddhist commentator Buddhaghosa (DA.iii.865) states that their birth on Earth is by spontaneous regeneration (opapātika), that is, not mediated by parents; they are mind-born (manomaya). These seemingly miraculous events, while very rare, are neither unique nor supernatural.
When the world is destroyed by fire [tejo-dhatu, the temperature element], that fire spreads up to the ābhassara world; when by water [apo-dhatu, the fluid element], the water rises to the subhakinna world; when by wind [vayo-dhatu], the wind reaches to the vehapphala (CypA.9).
According to Buddhaghosa (MA.i.29; VibhA.520; cp. DA.ii.510), the ābhassara devas get their name from the radiance that spreads from their bodies in all directions, like flames from a torch.
According to the scholiast of the Candābha Jātaka, beings who meditate on the Sun and Moon are born in this world. The Moon appears at the wish of theābhassara brahmās. (See Candimā). This would seem to mean that the Earth was terraformed and the Moon, its main satellite, was placed just so to make the seasons, the tides, the tilt (procession), and the marking of time, much as Judeo-Christian lore vaguely records with great misunderstanding.
There is no ultimate creator-god. That is, brahmas do not really "create" the world, the galaxy, or the universe. But they may well contribute to them in significant ways that can be loosely termed a kind of "creation." Religious lore, dismissed as fanciful mythology, is rooted in a common understanding of Vedic and Sumerian information from otherworldly visitors.
The human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall with the day, scientists now reveal.
Past research has shown that the body emits visible light [prana], 1,000 times less intense than the levels to which our [normally attuned] naked eyes are sensitive. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light, which is theorized might be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals.
(This visible light differs from the infrared radiation — an invisible form of light — that comes from body heat.)
To learn more about this faint visible light, scientists in Japan employed extraordinarily sensitive cameras capable of detecting single photons. Five healthy male volunteers in their 20s were placed bare-chested in front of the cameras in complete darkness in light-tight rooms for 20 minutes every three hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for three days.
The researchers found the body glow rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 a.m. and its peak at 4 p.m., dropping gradually after that. These findings suggest there is light emission linked to our body clocks, most likely due to how our metabolic rhythms fluctuate over the course of the day.
Faces glowed more than the rest of the body. This might be because faces are more tanned than the rest of the body, since they get more exposure to sunlight — the pigment behind skin color, melanin, has fluorescent components that could enhance the body's minuscule light production.
Since this faint light is linked with the body's metabolism, this finding suggests cameras that can spot the weak emissions could help spot medical conditions, said researcher HitoshiOkamura, a circadian biologist at Kyoto University in Japan.
"If you can see the glimmer from the body's surface, you could see the whole body condition," said researcher MasakiKobayashi, a biomedical photonics specialist at the Tohoku Institute of Technology in Sendai, Japan. The scientists detailed their findings online July 16 in the journal PLoS ONE. Source
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