This article is adapted from How to Read the Akashic Records: Accessing the Archive of the Soul and Its Journey, courtesy of Sounds True.
The Akashic Records are a dimension of consciousness that contains a vibrational record of every soul and its journey. This vibrational body of consciousness exists everywhere in its entirety and is completely available at all times and in all places. As such, the Records are an experiential body of knowledge that contains everything that every soul has ever thought, said, and done over the course of its existence, as well as all its future possibilities.
Let's break the above definition into smaller parts, starting with the meaning of dimension of consciousness. A dimension of consciousness is a realm of the unseen world that we humans can identify and experience through its qualities, characteristics, or traits. For example, the dream state is a dimension of consciousness containing different levels of sleep activity that humans can identify and experience. Other dimensions of consciousness can be identified as different "regions" of the mind — the conscious and subconscious, the zone of memory, areas of musical or mathematical abilities — and areas of the brain that govern our physical capabilities. Still other dimensions of consciousness are the different states of relaxation that are measured by brain activity. What all these dimensions of consciousness have in common is that, although they are unseen, we know that they exist.
In the process of accessing, or "opening" the Akashic Records, we transition from a state of ordinary human consciousness to a state of Divine universal consciousness in which we recognize our Oneness with the Divine at all levels. This state of consciousness allows us to perceive the impressions and vibrations of the Records. In this way, the Records have served humanity throughout its unfolding by being an extra-ordinary state through which we can receive Divine illumination at a manageable rate and integrate it into our human experience. Because of this integration, we can quite literally say that accessing the Akasha allows us glimpses of heaven on earth!
Now, on to the meaning of Akasha. The introduction to The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi H. Dowling has perhaps the best description of the word:
Akasha is a Sanskrit word, and means [p]rimary substance, that out of which all things are formed. . . . It is the first stage of the crystallization of spirit. . . . This Akashic, or primary substance, is of exquisite fineness and is so sensitive that the slightest vibrations of an ether any place in the Universe register an indelible impression upon it.
When we talk about the Akasha, the primary substance, we are referring to energy in its first and earliest state — before it has been directed by our individual thoughts and affected by our emotions in this lifetime. This energy is a quality of Light in both the physical and spiritual senses. It is a quality of aliveness, or vitality, individualized uniquely as specific souls.
Although Akasha is a Sanskrit word, the Akashic Records are noted in many sacred texts. Following are several references:
You keep count of my wanderings; put my tears into Your flask, into Your record. –The Jewish Bible Tanakh, Psalm 56:8-9
. . . then I said, "Behold, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Your will, O my God; yes. Your law is within my heart." —The Amplified Bible, Psalm 40:7-8
. . . then I said, "Behold, Here I am, coming to do Your will, O God . . . [to fulfill] what is written of me in the volume of The Book." —The Amplified Bible, Hebrews 10:7
You had scrutinized my every action, all were recorded in your book, my days listed and determined, even
before the first of them occurred. —New Jerusalem Bible, Psalm 139:16
. . . the book in which men's actions, good and bad, are recorded, The Book of Life. —New Jerusalem Bible, Revelation 20:12
May we and the entire House of Israel be remembered and recorded in the Book of Life, blessing, sustenance, and peace.
–Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: A Prayer Book for the Days of Awe, Rabbi Jules Harlow, editor.
And Jesus opened up to [the disciples] the meaning of the hidden way, and the Holy Breath, and of the light that cannot fail. He told them all about the Book of Life, the Rolls of Graphael, the Book of God's Remembrance, where all thoughts and words of men are written down. —The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, 158:3-4
The Akashic Records are the Light Body of universal self-awareness. As such, they contain the universal consciousness, with its three main components of mind, heart, and will. The Records also contain the radiant vibrations of Light that all things generate. Every time we access the Records, our awareness is affected by this quality of Light, and we become "en-Lightened" by it. When this happens, the effects of the Light become evident in our thoughts and emotions (and in those of our clients), and we begin to experience an increased sense of peace and well-being.
The Akashic Records are governed and protected by a group of nonphysical Light Beings called the Lords of the Records. These beings ensure the safety and integrity of the Records. They determine not only who can access the Records but what information they can receive. The Lords of the Records work with the Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones — who serve as the interface between the Akashic and earthly realms — by "downloading" to the Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones the information that they will relay during each Akashic reading.
Though the Lords of the Records and the Akashic Masters are nonphysical beings, some of the Teachers and all of the Loved Ones have existed as humans on earth. When you work in the Akashic Records, you will never see the Lords of the Records, nor will you see the Teachers and Loved Ones as they existed in human form, but you may sense their energetic presence if a Teacher or a Loved One deems it appropriate and necessary to come forward and relay certain information. Usually, however, the Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones prefer to remain anonymous so that we will learn to rely on the energy of the Records rather than on specific identities in the Records.
As you may have surmised from the preceding description, however, working in the Akashic Records requires an understanding and acceptance of the concept of reincarnation. From the perspective of the Records, all souls are eternal. At this level of understanding, the Records hold the archive of each soul as it has existed from lifetime to lifetime as different human beings on the earth plane while evolving throughout time and space. A human incarnation occurs as a specific manifestation of the perfect blueprint of the soul. The idea of the human experience is to become in the physical the perfect self that already exists in the Akasha at the soul level. Growing into the awareness of one's spiritual nature and being able to anchor that awareness in the physical and become that optimal self on the earth plane takes time — many lifetimes, in fact. In the Records, we are able to see and register our various incarnations. So in essence, the Akashic Records are both the perfect soul-level blueprint and the catalogue of experiences of an individual soul as it grows into awareness of itself as a spiritual being, Divine in nature and manifesting in the physical earth-arena.
It is easy to understand why the Akasha is often called "the Records." The Akasha is organized in a way that allows us humans to interact with this spiritual resource and gain insight, guidance, and understanding within earthly time and space. In order for the Records to be accessible to us, they are organized by current legal names. This way, whatever lifetime we are in, we can gain entry and find the blueprint, or the "Record," of our individual soul, and examine the path to its realization.
While it is true that the Akashic Records of every soul exist everywhere all at once and are entirely accessible, it would not be useful to have total access to a soul's Records during a single Akashic reading. The information would be so vast and overwhelming that deciphering it would be nearly impossible and could do more harm than good.
Every name has a distinct vibrational quality, so when we open a particular soul's Records, we use the name that the soul is currently using in this lifetime. The vibration of that name then makes available to us the "set of Records" that contain the information that will be most relevant during the reading. It's no wonder the Akashic Records have been likened to a "cosmic Internet" that allows us to "Google" specific information when we open a person's Records.
The energy of the Records moves on the formed, or spoken, word. As an Akashic reader describes what he or she is receiving from the Records, the process flows. The spoken words facilitate the movement of the energy, the relationship to the story at hand, and the client's thoughts, feelings, and subsequent actions. When you work in your own Records and assign words to what is occurring — whether through thought, writing, or speech — you are facilitating the same flow of energy and information.
The Akashic Records are always changing and expanding. As our souls evolve over time, our Records adjust to reflect our growth and are in a continual state of refinement as we align with our perfection and manifest that perfection in our earthly lives. Therefore, we can look at the Records as an intermediary body of all past, present, and future possibility, probability, and eventuality. Through them we can derive understanding and direction as we open up within ourselves on our journey to becoming our optimal selves in the physical world.
The Akashic Records are nonintrusive and noninvasive. They are not aligned with a particular personality or entity, nor are they governed or owned by any human organization or institution. Therefore, they are not the exclusive domain of any religion or metaphysical-wisdom school; rather, they are available to all.
Because the Akasha is the primary substance out of which all thoughts are formed, the Records are interpreted in different ways by different cultures, religions, and organized belief systems. What is commonly agreed upon by all is the Akashic energy itself, which is manifested and generally recognized as love, light, peace, power, beauty, harmony, joy, strength, order, and balance.
Who Uses the Akashic Records, and Why?
For centuries, the Akashic Records were the exclusive domain of mystics, saints, and scholars — and rightly so. Infinite power and wisdom are available in the Records, and they have been entrusted to those who are well prepared for the responsibility of deep knowing. In both Eastern and Western traditions, there have been mystery schools preparing seekers for esoteric knowledge. Trainings were known to be rigorous and exacting in order to ensure the sanctity of the work, protecting both the initiate and the dimension of consciousness.
Times have changed, however. The collective consciousness of the human race has been growing, evolving, and maturing. In the process, humanity has moved from the age of dependence on a spiritual "parent" to spiritual independence and responsibility. This spiritual independence is marked by individuals knowing that they have direct access to their spiritual source, and by using their independence to cultivate that relationship. As we continue to forge new paths both in and to the Akashic Records, more people than ever before are being drawn to their Light. Today, anyone with a conscious commitment to seeking and spreading Divine Light and healing can access this body of wisdom, insight, and guidance.
In the mid-twentieth-century, Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) was the only person reading the Akashic Records publicly. He was known as "the sleeping prophet" because his method of accessing the Records was to put himself into a sleep state that allowed him to shift his consciousness and access the Akasha. While in this state, Cayce relayed information while someone else took notes. Upon awakening, he shifted back to his ordinary state of consciousness and remembered nothing of what had transpired.
For forty-three years, Cayce gave daily Akashic Records readings. Today those readings — more than fourteen thousand of them — are available to the public and provide a wealth of information about the Akashic Records themselves, as well as answers to thousands of questions related to health and spirituality. What is significant for us today about Cayce's work is that he popularized the Akashic Records. Though theosophist H. P. Blavatsky (1831-1891) and anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) referred to the Akashic Records in their writings, it was not until Cayce's work in the early to mid-twentieth century that Akashic Records readings became a familiar practice in the movement of consciousness development.
Today, thousands of people have powerful relationships with the Akashic Records. While some people work in their Records strictly for their personal growth and development, others use their Records to support artistic endeavors such as photography, pottery, painting, writing, and composing. Businesspeople use the Records for help in managing their companies or careers, and parents use the Records for guidance and support in parenting.
How Do People Access the Akashic Records?
The variety of methods that people use today to access the Akashic Records corresponds to the variety of ways in which they can make contact with spiritual resources. The Pathway Prayer Process is part of the "sacred prayer" tradition of accessing the Records. In this tradition, individuals find their way into the Records through the light and sound vibrations of spoken words. The different prayers that people have developed are like "access ramps" that lead to different areas of the Records.
While some people use prayers to access the Records, others gain access through hypnosis. Still others have been able to tap into the Records by using the symbols of the healing practice known as Reiki. And yes, there are those who have been able to access the Records as a result of their meditation practices and other forms of consciousness development.
All ways into a conscious relationship with the Akashic Records are good and valid. What matters most about the method you choose is that it aligns with who you are as a person and allows you to comfortably experience the most effective readings possible. While the Akashic Records have always been available, they have not always been available to everyone. Instead, the Records have long been the domain of a very select group who would interact with the Akasha on their own behalf or on behalf of their communities. When we talk about the New Age in regard to the Akashic Records, we are talking about the fact that this is the time when secular people choose their own resources, including the Records, and walk their own spiritual paths. The days of spiritual immaturity, "spoon-feeding," spiritual oppression, and victimization are over. We are in a new time of learning how to be in conscious relationship with our own spiritual authority. A hundred years ago, this was not a possibility. Actually, it would have been considered scandalous.
© Linda Howe, 2009.
Linda Howe is the founder and director of the Center for Akashic Studies, an organization dedicated to promoting the study of Akashic Records and other applicable spiritual wisdom. Active in healing arts for more than 20 years, Linda began teaching this practice to students in 1996, and today she has successfully taught thousands of students to accurately read the Akashic Records.
To purchase the book or 6-CD audio learning course of How to Read the Akashic Records from Sounds True, click here. Listen to a podcast with Linda Howe and Sounds True publisher Tami Simon here.
Teaser image by Schristia, courtesy of Creative Commons license.