Shaping the New Spirituality

By Kellie Love

Since 1931 Edgar Cayce, the sleeping prophet, has amazed the world with his uncanny ability to prescribe healing remedies for mankind’s ills. His unlettered but devout ministry to the sick has earned the respect of millions of devoted followers.  Cayce taught Sunday School most of his life and insisted that his abilities were a gift from God, not his own wisdom.

Years later, two psychologists at Columbia University collaborated to produce a profound book of world-changing wisdom they called A Course in Miracles which has become a sacred pathway to enlightenment for millions of students worldwide. These professors insisted that the wisdom they expressed was not their own, but was indeed “channeled” – directly dictated by Jesus himself as a modern day guide to salvation.

These two remarkable revelations are linked by a supernormal revelation that seems to proceed from a Source far beyond the ordinary human experience. The authors of A Course in Miracles claimed no credit for their creation, seeing themselves as merely the scribes who recorded the words dictated by the divine Source.  Likewise, Edgar Cayce claimed no credit for his revelations.  He held himself to be only the willing servant of the Spirit who spoke through him.  The similarities between these two miraculous events are not lost on many modern seekers after wisdom.  There are a few who closely study these two revelations attempting to infer some understanding of their common Source, to detect the nature of the God who moves in such mysterious ways.

Tom Baker as a youth in Louisville, KY was enchanted by the Edgar Cayce readings and spent hours absorbed in their study.  Later, in college, he converted to Catholicism and entered the seminary to become a Roman Catholic priest in Louisville.  Later, he was an instructor at St. Meinrad School of Theology.  After ten years Tom left his priestly vows, married and returned to school to join his wife in becoming  psychotherapists. When A Course in Miracles appeared in the 70s, Tom found a strong resonance with his earlier Cayce studies and began teaching the Course. He has been actively teaching ACIM for twenty-five years. 

Tom is in a unique position to draw a powerful synthesis from these influences.  He can speak of the contributions to Christian theology made by both the Cayce readings and the Course in Miracles. He is qualified to lead the group in both academic, theological and spiritual dimensions.  He plans activities that will combine intellectual and experiential learning. Tom has a remarkable sense of humor and promises a trip that can be enjoyed by all.

He will be speaking Saturday, October 6 at Amity Church, 850 Estes Drive, at Hwy. 86 in Chapel Hill.  The workshop begins at 9AM with lunch provided for early registrants and will continue until 4PM. The event is being sponsored by the Triangle A.R.E. Team in collaboration with the Janis Foundation for A Course in Miracles.  Registration forms may be downloaded at: www.miracles-nc.org.

Kellie Love, Janis Foundation Historian 

Online Exclusive at InnerchangeMag.com August 2007