To explain how time and space are related
to the realm of spirit, the Cayce readings
strongly endorsed a book by the Russian philosopher
and mathematician P. D. Ouspenksy. "Tertium
Organum" was published in 1912, a time of revolution
in physics and metaphysics.
Most notably, Albert Einstein published his
special theory of relativity in 1905 and his
general theory of relativity in 1916. Einstein's
radical ideas resulted in the integration
of space and time into spacetime, in which
time is regarded as a fourth dimension (in
addition to the three spacial dimensions of
width, height, and depth). Einstein also realized
that time and space are relative rather than
rigid. Time can speed up or slow down. Space
can be warped.
On the metaphysical front, philosophers with
a mystical or occult bias were writing books
that paralleled some of the ideas of Einstein
and the radical physicists.
Bucke's "Cosmic Consciousness"
sought to provide a psychological basis for
mysticism as a progression in human evolution.
Ouspenky's "Tertium Organum" covered all these
topics using mathematical models and theosophical
concepts based on his own mystical experiences.
The subtitle of Ouspenky's book (A Key to
the Enigmas of the World) bespeaks the ambitious
scope of the work.
