Akashic Records an' All That

I haven't yet written a blog post about the Akashic Records, though the subject did come up in comments after my July 2010 post about past lives, part of a series about that mysterious something known by some as "woo-woo". That post began:

"This topic takes us waist deep into tangled woo country. In common with most other woo-type subjects, it offers opportunities for fascinating journeys into mysterious and mist-ridden mental landscapes. Nobody can possibly know for sure whether human beings have the capacity to recall a past life, whether their consciousness existed before this current sojourn here on Earth. Even those people who have experienced vivid flashes of deja vu, or under hypnosis have been able to reveal minute details of another lifetime, cannot be absolutely certain that what they experience is proof of past life - or something else."

At the end of the post, which looked into the old Bridey Murphy story of a past life remembered, commenter and friend Gian-Paul, living in Brazil, added interesting comments mentioning the Akashic Records, details later.

Wikipedia tells us that:

In theosophy and anthroposophy, the Akashic records are a compendium of all human events, thoughts, words, emotions, and intent ever to have occurred in the past, present, or future. They are believed by theosophists to be encoded in a non-physical plane of existence known as the etheric plane. There are anecdotal accounts but no scientific evidence for existence of the Akashic records.

At an old favourite website of mine, Library of Halexandria (link in sidebar) I found this:

In the vast majority of Life Readings given by [Edgar] Cayce, his source of information was ostensibly the Akashic Records. The Akashic Records, according to seers and others familiar with their alleged existence, are the indelible impressions on the fabric of the universe of everything that has ever happened. A channel may refer to this cosmic memory as a vast, non-molecular library, complete with a full understanding of each and every event in the universal record. In this respect, the Akashic Records may be likened to Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious, or Rupert Sheldrake’s Morphogenetic Fields. In all cases, these collection of all memories, not only exist, but are accessible by anyone capable of properly tuning their mind-receiver. (These records may also be available even though one is not consciously aware that they are tuning in!)

Cayce’s normal mode was to simply visit the Akashic Records, as if going to the local library. In this way, he could answer virtually any question that might be posed to him. At the same time, there were occasions when Cayce was apparently not speaking in the first person, but was in fact channeling another entity. While Cayce never attempted this feat of performing as a channel or medium, there were apparently occasions when other entities did spontaneously speak through him. One notable example was John of the Revelation.

Edgar Cayce simply cannot be dismissed out of hand. There is simply too much credibility to justify a wholesale rejection. On the other hand, there is no a priori reason to accept all of his readings at their face value......

Yep - we're deep into woo-woo country here! My mind goes to a scene in the movie "Interstellar". Towards the end of the film, the astronaut, having navigated a wormhole, discovers what's described as a tesseract, a seemingly never-ending grid from which any segment of time and experience can be accessed - a kind of library of records, in fact. Was that a modern version of the Akashic Records - I wonder?

Anyway, here's what Gian-Paul had commented in 2010:

Reincarnation/past lives: I have given this quite some thought. In some kind of flash, one day when I was reading about Edgar Cayce, it struck me that what the Hindus call "akashic records" may help get to the truth. Such records, I thought, must not necessarily be restricted to the past. If destiny is pre-ordained, they may as well already contain the future, or the present. Cayce may have had the ability to see exactly that, the present state of health and, if it was an illness, it's future evolution and cure for it.

Consequently the same records (misleading term as records refer to the past only), could be accessible to a person like your Virginia [the real life Bridey Murphy], even if they had nothing to do with her own past - and also and foremost - if reincarnation does not exist at all. The person having such a vision, or a "déjà-vu" impression, may be able, quite unconsciously, to tap into the "akashic record" of SOMEBODY ELSE, but believe it was him or herself.

If my theory is true, it would explain why in haunted places the same ghost appears to different people. The defunct who died (usually of a violent death), left some "readable" psychic imprints at that place and some people visiting are subsequently able to read them. One can even wonder if the Monster of Loch Ness had not actually existed and the reported sightings were not readings by some more sensitive people of the "psychometric records" left by the monster in a possibly very distant past?

My reply:

The theory appeals to me. There's no way of proving such "records" exist, but it'd explain so much that is mysterious if they did.
I wonder if the ability to tap into the "records" (supposing they exist) would be shown in a natal chart. One would not necessarily need classic psychic skills, perhaps, though these could assist in deliberate attempts to access th "records".
Involuntary/accidental access could depend upon a quirk related to natal Mercury or some rare combination of factors in a chart.

Gian-Paul:

I think that access to the type of psycho-records I mentioned is a "reserved domain". Must be. Imagine if modern science (and money-money behind) got hold of that. Nothing would be safe anymore. Manipulation would turn extreme.

Me:

Yes, of course. It makes sense that if some "repository" such as the akashic records (or something similar with a title more in line with today's chaos theory, string theory and what have you) would be in a place practically inaccessible to the human brain - except maybe by accident.

Wisewebwoman added:

Of course, T, there is also "cellular memory" and I have a fascination and done some research on this topic myself.
Our forbears leave us other than our funny noses ;^)
I've had some experience with this myself.
I had read (with some scepticism admittedly) the story of Bridie [Murphy].
I didn't see the movie but must at some point.
Interesting case study.

Me:

Yes, good point, WWW - cellular memory. That's something else to keep in mind as a possible explanation for some instances of past life recall, and even instances of child prodigy too I suppose.

Gian-Paul:

Wondering about "reservoirs of inspiration": where do composers, writers, inventors get their stuff?

Have some experience with inventions, made recently my third one. And truly I have no idea how these ideas come about. Quite a few inventions have happened at the same time in different places over the past. And are well documented. Is there an overall "Plan" permitting the release of ideas which will influence evolution? By asking, I guess, I have answered.

Astrologically and subjectively in my case, the last invention (about oil - spills) came when Neptune started transiting my natal Mars in Aquarius. Uranus/Jupiter also were entering my sun - sign, Aries.

Have to look up the transits of the first 2 inventions. But the point is not my personal history here, it's that if inventions, compositions, songs, fashion (s) come about, there appears to be some coordination, to say the least.

Me:

What you describe is yet another mysterious phenomenon.
It almost seems that there is a pattern going on. Similar developments throughout history, arising in different parts of the world when, back in early times, there was little or no means of communication.

Life (and astrology) is built upon patterns (mathematical?) So maybe we shouldn't be surprised about this pattern as life and consciousness evolved, and discoveries were made. Astrologers do usually link Aquarius and/or Uranus to invention and inventors. Perhaps there's something in the brain chemistry of those with the sign or planet in certain positions or configurations astrologically, that enables the native to unconsciously "dip" into the pool of information which could be an offshoot of those Akashic records mentioned above.

Last thought: Good - I hope this is true!