Graceland was Elvis’ home from 1957 until his death in 1977. It
was built in 1939 by Dr. and Mrs. Moore on a
thirteen-and-three-quarter acre site that at the time, was heavily
wooded countryside. Previous to the Moore’s ownership of the land,
this site had been a part of a 500 acre Hereford cattle farm
established in 1861 by S.E. Toof. The whole spread had been named
‘Graceland’ after Mr. Toof’s daughter, Grace. Certainly there could
have been no more appropriate name for the home and final resting
place of Elvis Presley.
From ‘Graceland - The Living Legacy of Elvis Presley,’ published
by Collins Publishers San Francisco:
“My companions said they had come to Graceland to try to be close
to Elvis. They had liked his music, they said, and that was
important, but they were discovering that Elvis as a person, and
even more so as a persona was what drew them to Memphis and to
Graceland....These Pilgrims were open and totally unashamed about
it. They were drawn, they said, by a presence. Some used the word
‘spiritual,’ some did not.”
During the short span of his life as Elvis, he opened his soul
and let the starlight shine onto those who may never have known just
how beautiful the stars could be. As one writer said, “He made it
all his, then revealed it as ours.” Now his followers have only the
garden, wherein the laughter of a man and his child still echoes. He
left them his Graceland, his sanctuary, to read from as prose
sweetly filled with the life of a man of grace, who knew how to live
greatly, gently, and with love for every living thing, No flower was
kept from growing by his shadow. He reached like a soaring redwood
far above us, but he brought down to our realm the benefits of his
blessings.
Beyond Elvis the man is the Elvis mystery. In this context the
word mystery is used to denote a hidden and not commonly understood
spiritual entrainment to a heart-mind consciousness, rather than
something that can simply be learned through the study of books or
such. A mystery of this genre is a labyrinth journey to reach the
center of a particular knowing that is essentially catalystic in
nature; that is it connects to other mysteries and paths of
consciousness, once the individual has penetrated the central
chamber of enlightenment sustained at the labyrinth’s core.
All mysteries have a secret that guards and empowers their
purpose. According to my mystical inner sources Nostradamus
predicted the Elvis mystery and its secret when he wrote:
“The divine voice shall be struck by heaven so that he
cannot proceed any further. The secret of the close-mouthed one
shall be closed, that people shall tread upon and before it.”
When a mystery reveals its secret it is no longer empowered, for
it must contain that drive, that impelling force which is hidden in
order to draw upon the subconscious mystical instinct of the masses,
choosing from among them those destined to follow that path. Without
the secret, the seeker is not challenged.
To move into some mythological metaphor, as the masses come to
Graceland, so they enter the realm of the Quest, into which each
seeker must journey. It is akin to the passage of King Arthur in
Avalon, and the search for the Holy Grail No matter the mystery,
this scenario is duplicated in some form. In this instance The
Crystal Isle of Avalon has become Graceland.
Elvis is the ‘dead king’, that Arthurian representation of a
Knight who has finished his Earthly quest and has ascended into the
dimension of an archetype, where through the masses who loved him,
he has received grace. The king is never seen as being without stain
in these myths. He is that being who emulates the Christ, but who is
also very human and thus makes at least one crucial error resulting
in his death. But this error is never of an evil or debauched
nature. Instead, it is a result of placing trust upon those who
betray him. The lesson in this is that even the very good can err
through their relentless belief in the essential purity of all
things, which is a true but difficult path. In pursuing this virtue
they are robbed of Earthly breath, but are claimed by God’s Light
and glorified in the hearts of those who followed after them
The ‘king’ is one who is able to touch the heart of his realm -
not just the individuals within it, but the very center of the
collective heart, transferring this love throughout the kingdom.
When touched by the love of the king, the people are roused to press
upon the door of illumination, to enter unto their own questing.
Without hero-kings humanity would not be able to rise above the
turmoil within and without. Mankind must have its representatives,
heros, and martyrs. Through their mysteries, so do the masses
conquer the profane, seeing in the image of the dead king the living
entity within themselves. Jesus Christ was the perfected mystery,
from which the dead king gave life through the ritual of communion.
Elvis as an archetype has become a beacon to those still
questing. This mystery is prefaced by the questions: WHO was he? WHY
was he? WHERE is he now? This questioning is ultimately personalized
in the seeker: WHO am I? WHY am I? WHERE am I going?
Elvis as a man was a reverberation of every man / woman at a
soul-level, for he was as a little child - without guile, possessing
a great sense of compassion, adventure, loving, and humor. He was
HUMAN, he erred, yet he was noble, and through it all his integrity
remained chiseled in the foundation stone of his heart.
In the body of the dead king we do not see decaying flesh, but
hallowed ground, for wherever a Knight of Christ is buried so there
a garden grows. It is that bit of Earth transformed by the heart, to
which the flowers of his followers gather to root, to remember that
once there was a Camelot. Toward the end of his life, Elvis told
Wanda Hill that from backstage after a performance, he could hear
fans calling his name - chanting for him. Often he continued to hear
these voices in his head, calling to him even in his sleep. He said
that his astrology chart predicted he would be even more famous
after his death. Elvis expressed disbelief to Wanda about this,
saying, “What are they going to do, come and chant around my grave?”
Indeed, this is what has happened, they come and chant, sing,
cry, meditate and pray. Author Ted Harrison, in his book, ‘Elvis
People - The Cult of the King’, writes on people praying to or
through Elvis to God:
“Many fans truly feel that Elvis was a man with a mission, with a
divine purpose. His music has touched so many of them at a spiritual
level, they cannot think of him as an ordinary man. In that prayer
is the act of spiritual communication, they feel they are justified
in praying to or through Elvis.”
Also from ‘Elvis People - The Cult of the King’:
Marie, a fan of Elvis: “I do believe God chose Elvis for a reason
on this Earth, and I reckon that he did what He wanted him to do and
brought a lot of people nearer to God. That is what the whole thing
is about, really, getting nearer to God.
“Elvis loves all his fans. And I feel that love personally. I
feel that a lot of times he is around. In a sense I talk to him. I
talk to him through the music.”
Elvis was noted for his unconditional giving under an infinite
array of circumstances. This is something that Graceland and his
fans have carried forth in his memory. Another testimony to the
power of God’s Light that was unleashed through the heart of Elvis.
Elvis, father, Vernon Presley, recalled that as a child, despite
the poverty in which they lived, Elvis was always giving his meager
toys away to those who had even less. On one occasion, his father
and mother had eaten corn flakes for several weeks in order to save
enough money to buy their son a tricycle. Finally, the day arrived.
When they presented little Elvis with his trike, the child was
ecstatic. However, several hours later, the tricycle was missing.
When Vernon inquired of his son where the shiny new toy had gone,
Elvis informed him that he had given it to another child who didn’t
have one. Vernon recovered the trike, only to have Elvis give it
away again. This time, his father gave up. He realized that as long
as Elvis encountered those who had less than he, the child could not
be content to enjoy his own possessions.
B.J. Baker, background singer and vocal choir conductor for
Elvis’ TV Specials:
“....I’m once again filled with a sense of awe and wonder at such
a worldly innocent whose primary thought was of pleasing, helping,
healing, soothing and uplifting those around him; a man who blessed
everyone by his mere presence; a man so open, honest, and trusting
that he was completely blind to the evil intent of others.
“My lasting impression is of a man whose generosity was without
limitation. As a child suffering the sting of depression poverty, he
insisted upon giving away his most prized possession. The giving
never stopped. It was his way of letting you know that you were the
most special person in the world - to him and to God.
“It was for his love of all people everywhere that he dedicated
his work and for the last time, he gave his most prized
possession...his life. “And the giving continues.”
Marty Lacker, a friend and employee of Elvis’ for many years:
“Elvis was the epitome of the Biblical joy of giving. He gave
without wanting anything in return. He loved to make people happy.”
Jeweler Lowell Hays remembers Elvis buying, a ring from him which
was to be a gift for Sammy Davis Jr:
“Then Elvis asked how much he owed me. I told him fifty-five
thousand dollars. He said, ‘You gotta be kidding.’ No Elvis, it’s
got an eleven and one-half carat diamond in it. ‘Well, all right,’
Elvis smiled, then looked at me with that lopsided grin and said,
‘Now I want to do something for you Lowell. What do you want?’”
J.D. Sumner of the Stamps Quartet, Elvis’ backup group in the
1970's:
“The man made $4 billion; I didn’t say million, in his life, and
gave over half of it away.”
From ‘The Best of Elvis’ by Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman:
“Elvis felt a rare obligation to his fans. He never took credit
for his success, knowing that his fans were responsible for his
accomplishments. In many ways, whatever he had was theirs. More than
once, an acquaintance of Elvis’ would visit him at Graceland and
say, ‘Elvis, are you aware there are people sleeping on your lawn?’
“‘Yes, Sir. I’m very aware of it,’ Elvis would answer.
“‘Did you ever think of calling the police?’ the bewildered
visitor would then ask.
“‘I’d never do that,’ Elvis would reply. ‘These people have come
from all over the world to see me. I wouldn’t be in this house if
not for them.’”
By Donna Rose Zaeko:
“All alone in a confusing and somewhat congested world, it stands
high among the trees - surrounded by a winding road of precious
memories. Its gentleness streams across each blade of grass and the
trees quietly nod, as if to almost welcome you. Tall and proud it
awaits, calling me to come into the glory of peace and rest. He lies
there, sleeping in a garden, seeing it all and smiling ever so
gently. He knows that I come to see him, he can feel me as much as I
can feel him. How long have I waited to enter upon these gates, how
long have I waited to be with my friend?
I am here now and all is still, except for the pounding in my
chest and the rushing of feelings running inside my heart. I am free
now, to remember and feel. This is our time together, no one can
take away this beauty or lessen the tender moment, between me and my
friend...”
This chapter was intended to be a tribute to not only Elvis, but
to Graceland and the fans who continue to perpetuate the pure
essence of Elvis’ love for humanity. It is this divine essence of
giving unconditionally, of helping others in any way one can with no
thought of self, that was the most outward sign of the Light of God
that shone through Elvis’ heart, and truly this kind of Light IS
Graceland, for while there is a unique and wonderful physical place
called Graceland, it is only a representation of the state of mind /
heart that all of it represents, and that can be found anywhere that
love expresses itself unconditionally. Graceland is a state of the
mind / heart that resides within everyone, and Elvis reminded us
that it was there, just waiting to be revealed in all its shining
splendor and glory, the beauty of God manifest on Earth.
From the song ‘Graceland’, by Paul Simon:
“In Graceland, in Graceland, I’m going for reasons I cannot
explain, there’s a part of me that wants to see Graceland. And I may
be obliged to defend every love, every ending, or maybe there’s no
obligation now. Maybe I’ve a reason to believe we’ll all be received
in Graceland”
