Nature and Pets as a Bridge to the Divine
Insights from the Christian Mystic, Edgar Cayce
We have all had the experience of walking in nature and taking in that healing experience. Who among us has not also been awed by a sunrise, a sunset, a storm, a snow-blanketed landscape, insects, birds, and wild animals – the beauty of the natural world. Our Heavenly Creator crafted us along with our fellow creatures, including our pets, with intention.
The psychic readings of the Christian mystic, Edgar Cayce, gave guidance for spiritual development, including the benefits of communing with nature.
Edgar Cayce – The Father of Holistic Medicine
Edgar Cayce was born in Hopkinsville, KY in 1877 and grew up on a farm just outside of town. In his youth, he had several paranormal experiences. Edgar was particularly close with his grandfather who, after his death, appeared to and spoke with the boy several times. During his childhood, Edgar also played with “little boys and girls” who were invisible to others, but very real to him. While in grade school, he found that if he slept with his head on a book, he would awaken with a photographic memory of its contents.
One Sunday, after church services, Edgar went to the woods to read the bible, and he prayed that he could have the chance to heal the sick. A radiant being appeared to Edgar and told him that his prayers had been heard and that he would be given that opportunity if he stayed true to his prayers.
Edgar’s abilities as a medical intuitive first emerged when at the age of 15, he was hit in the spine with a baseball. The trauma caused him to become uncharacteristically unruly and loud. Edgar was put to bed and lost consciousness. In a trance-like state, the boy instructed his parents how to prepare an herbal poultice and told them to place it on the back of his neck. When they did this, he drifted into a normal sleep and awoke normal the next morning.
In his twenties, Edgar lost his voice, which threatened his job as a salesman. Medical doctors were no help, so he consulted a hypnotist. Under hypnosis he could speak normally and diagnosed the cause of his condition. He instructed the hypnotist to suggest to him to increase the blood circulation to his throat. At the suggestion, Cayce’s throat flushed a bright red. When he awoke, he could speak normally.
A local doctor tapped into Cayce’s ability and found he could help with the diagnosis and treatment of others. Eventually, Cayce found that he could put himself into a trance, from which he could make contact with a universal source of information. With the help of a “conductor,” who would give the suggestion, and a stenographer, who recorded the sessions, Edgar gave “readings” for the diagnosis and treatment of sick individuals, most of whom he had never met. As time went on, the scope of the readings expanded to include topics such as reincarnation, dream interpretation, meditation, and ancient civilizations, to name a few. Today there are over 14,000 readings on file at the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), the organization Cayce founded to study his readings.
Cayce was well known for his body, mind, and spirit approach to healing. In 1978, the American Holistic Medical Association was founded, and three of the five founding M.D.’s were A.R.E. members. The following year, an article in Journal of the American Medical Association stated, “The roots of present-day holism probably go back 100 years to the birth of Edgar Cayce.” All this acclaim has earned Edgar Cayce the moniker, “Father of Holistic Medicine.”
Nature and Pets – Paths to the Divine
While some find spiritual fulfillment solely through religious community and ritual, many also find meaning from alternative paths. According to Edgar Cayce, all of creation is infused with the Divine. The Cayce readings encouraged people to seek enlightenment by walking through the woods or along the beach. Interestingly, modern studies show that meaningful encounters with nature have a healing effect on us. For example, research shows that “forest bathing” can benefit such things as depression, anxiety. and chronic pain. Edgar was ahead of his time.
There is also ample research demonstrating that interacting with pets has many health benefits. Pets give physical and emotional support to children, promoting healthy social development and even helping them cope with trauma. Successfully caring for a pet helps a child develop a sense of self. Classroom pets have been shown to reduce stress and aggression as well as improve social integration and attitudes toward school. Dogs, horses, and even guinea pigs have been shown to help those on the autism spectrum in many ways and dogs specifically can destress the household of those with autism. Amazingly, childhood exposure to dogs and cats can reduce the development of allergies later in life.
Pets have been shown to benefit healthy aging as well. Older adults with pets experience less stress and loneliness and have a better mental health and over-all quality of life. They have better physical health as well with an increase in physical activity and a decrease in cardiovascular disease and obesity. Introducing animals into nursing homes has been shown to reduce death rates and lower the need for medications. People of all ages who have pets also have fewer doctors’ visits and they live longer than those who do not share their lives with a special animal.
Our modern lifestyle has separated us from our ancestral, sacred connection with nature and to compensate, we bring nature inside with us in the form of pets. With the help of Mr. Cayce, we can experience how nurturing our relationship with nature and our pets can bring us closer to the Divine.
About the Author
Doug Knueven,
DVM, CVA, CVC, CVCH
Dr. Doug is a retired holistic veterinarian and has written two books about holistic pet care. He is also a long-term student of the Edgar Cayce readings.
He served on the A.R.E. Board for seven years; for the last three years he was chair. He is currently the coordinator of the Pittsburgh Area ARE team and co-coordinator of the Northeast ARE Community Affiliate.
He has presented hundreds of lectures at veterinary conferences and pet programs, nationally and internationally and was recognized as the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) “Holistic Teacher of the Year” in 2018. He also delivered the keynote lecture at the 2021 AHVMA conference.
Learn more at https://drdougknueven.com/
Want to Learn More?
Join Dr. Knueven as we explore Edgar Cayce’s teachings on
