The Essential Edgar Cayce (10 page)

GC:
You will give at this time a discourse which will sum up and correlate the data already given through this channel on the fundamental truths regarding the Oneness of all Force, and will furnish us with some basic, logical, systematically arranged statements which can be given out as fundamental truths to students of this work. You will answer the questions on this subject which will be asked.

EC:
Yes. In giving that which may be given out as basic truth, and correlating the statements that have been made from time to time, it would have been better to have gathered from that given the basis for expansion through these channels.

Yet, we may give that which may be the basis or the foundation of truth that may be gathered here and there.

As to the correlation and the setting out of paragraphs, at least you should do something!

The basis, then: “Know, O Israel, (Know, O People) the Lord Thy God is One!”

From this premise we would reason, that: In the manifestation of all power, force, motion, vibration, that which impels, that which detracts, is in its essence of one force, one source, in its elemental form. As to what has been done or accomplished by or through the activity of entities that have been delegated powers in activity is another story.

As to the one source or one force, then, are the questions presented in the present.

God, the first cause, the first principle, the first movement,
is!
That’s the beginning! That is, that was, that ever shall be!

The following of those sources, forces, activities that are in accord with the Creative Force or first cause—its laws, then—is to be one with the source, or equal with yet separate from that first cause.

When, then, may man—as an element, an entity, a separate being manifested in material life and form—be aware or conscious of the moving of that first cause within his own environ?

Or, taking man in his present position or consciousness, how or when may he be aware of that first cause moving within his realm of consciousness?

In the beginning there was the force of attraction and the force that repelled. Hence, in man’s consciousness he becomes aware of what is known as the atomic or cellular form of movement about which there becomes nebulous activity. And this is the lowest form (as man would designate) that’s in active forces in his experience. Yet this very movement that separates the forces in atomic influence is the first cause, or the manifestation of that called God in the material plane!

Then, as it gathers of positive-negative forces in their activity, whether it be of one element or realm or another, it becomes magnified in its force or sources through the universe.

Hence we find worlds, suns, stars, nebulae, and whole solar systems
moving
from a first cause.

When this first cause comes into man’s experience in the present realm he becomes confused, in that he appears to have an influence upon this force or power in directing same. Certainly! Much, though, in the manner as the reflection of light in a mirror. For, it is only reflected force that man may have upon those forces that show themselves in the activities, in whatever realm into which man may be delving in the moment—whether of the nebulae, the gaseous, or the elements that have gathered together in their activity throughout that man has chosen to call time or space. And becomes, in its very movement, of that of which the first cause takes thought
in
a finite existence or consciousness.

Hence, as man applies himself—or uses that of which he becomes conscious in the realm of activity, and gives or places the credit (as would be called) in man’s consciousness in the correct sphere or realm he becomes conscious of that union of force with the infinite with the finite force.

Hence, in the fruits of that—as is given oft, as the fruits of the spirit—does man become aware of the infinite penetrating, or inter-penetrating the activities of all forces of matter, or that which is a manifestation of the realm of the infinite into the finite—and the finite becomes conscious of same.

As to the application of these as truths, then:

It may be said that, as the man makes in self—through the ability given for man in his activity in a material plane—the will one with the laws of creative influence, we begin with:

“Like begets like—As he sows, so shall he reap—As the man thinketh in the heart, so is he.”

These are all but trite sayings to most of us, even the thinking man; but should the mind of an individual (the finite mind) turn within his own being for the law pertaining to these trite sayings, until the understanding arises, then there is the consciousness in the finite of the infinite moving upon and in the inner self.

So does life in all its force begin in the earth. The moving of the infinite upon the negative force of the finite in the material, or to become a manifested force.

Ready for questions.

Q
Explain how so-called good and evil forces are one.

A
This has just been explained. When there is delegated power to a body that has separated itself from the spirit (or coming from the unseen into the seen, or from the unconscious into the physical consciousness, or from God’s other door—or opening from the infinite to the finite), then the activity is life; with the will of the source of that which has come into being. As to what it does with or about its associations of itself to the source of its activity, as to how far it may go afield, depends upon how high it has attained in its ability to throw off both negative and positive forces.

Hence we say, “The higher he flies the harder the fall.” It’s true!

Then, that which has been separated into the influence to become a body, whether celestial, terrestrial, or plain clay manifested into activity as man, becomes good or bad. The results to the body so acting are dependent and independent [interdependent?] (inter-between, see) upon what he does with the knowledge of—or that source of—activity.

Q
In relation to the Oneness of all force, explain the popular concept of the Devil, seemingly substantiated in the Bible by many passages of scripture.

A
In the beginning, celestial beings. We have first the Son, then the other sons or celestial beings that are given their force and power.

Hence that force which rebelled in the unseen forces (or in spirit) that came into activity, was that influence which has been called Satan, the Devil, the Serpent; they are One. That of
rebellion!

Hence, when man in any activity rebels against the influences of good he harkens to the influence of evil rather than the influence of good.

Hence, will is given to man as he comes into this manifested form that we see in material forces, for the choice. As given, “There is set before thee (man) good and evil.”

Evil is rebellion. Good is the Son of Life, of Light, of Truth; and the Son of Light, of Life, of Truth, came into physical being to demonstrate and show and lead the way for man’s ascent to the power of good over evil in a material world.

As there is, then, a personal savior, there is the personal devil.

We are through.

SUMMARY
of Edgar Cayce on the Nature of Reality

We live in an orderly universe that is governed by universal laws. Humanity has a purposeful place in this universe, and there is a plan for us as souls: to bring the qualities of spiritual life into the material world consciously. That plan requires that we make proper use of two great gifts that God has given each of us: a
creative mind
and a
free will.
Such freedom makes it possible for us to go astray—that is, to rebel, or to fall under the influence of evil. The task of helping the soul grow is to align our free will with the higher will of God, the Creator. In so doing, we awaken to the unity underlying all existence.

CHAPTER TWO

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SOUL AND SPIRIT

EDGAR CAYCE WAS AMONG THE PIONEERS OF SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY, or
transpersonal psychology,
an approach to the human mind that shows how integrating the body and spirit is possible. Of course, Cayce never would have thought of himself as a psychologist due to a lack of formal training. What’s more, the psychology of his era (with a possible few exceptions he probably knew little about) had scant appreciation for any links among body, mind, and spirit.

Nevertheless, in reviewing the thousands of readings Cayce gave we can see that often he acted as a therapeutic counselor and spiritual psychologist. Some of the themes he addressed are dealt with in later chapters, but here we examine four principal ones at the heart of his innovative psychology:

• The distinction between
personality
and
individuality.

• The importance of core values, or what Cayce called
ideals.

• The transformative power of
meditation.

• The insights and guidance that can come from
dreams.

While the concept of
ideals
has been addressed already in the introduction, it is so central to Cayce’s work that it warrants more attention here. Single readings beautifully capture the essence of his teachings on the first three themes, while in the case of dream psychology the essential points are best illustrated by brief excerpts from many readings that demonstrate the breadth of his dream interpretation strategy.

PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUALITY

As Edgar Cayce moved into the final years of his career, we see his spiritual psychology at its most mature. Many of the readings given at this time were relatively short, in some cases due to the sheer load of work he had undertaken. But brevity is often the hallmark of wisdom, and some of these shorter readings are among his most important.

The following reading, given only nine months before a serious health crisis forced Cayce to discontinue his work, is perhaps his most eloquent discourse about
personality
and
individuality
. The terms are key to the spiritual psychology that runs throughout the readings. Don’t expect to hear about this distinction in a college psychology course, particularly from a professor with a traditional point of view. Even some seventy years later, such a perspective is far from mainstream despite the pioneering work of Cayce, Carl Jung, Viktor Frankl, and many others.

The reading is based on an assumption of
lawfulness.
The universe follows certain laws, just as we are created according to certain laws. Halfway through the reading, Cayce offers a helpful analogy about society’s laws, then refers to how Jesus the Christ is an example for us of the right relationship between personality and individuality. But what do these two terms mean?

Personality
is the self that we present to the outside world. It resembles what Jungian psychology calls
the persona,
the mask that each of us wears and that we hide behind when interacting with people and situations in daily life. It is the familiar self-identity that we know. In an external way, it’s the self we see in the mirror or a videotape of ourselves. But personality
also
is made up of elements of our inner lives. For example, it can be observed in the familiar, routine ways we silently talk to ourselves, those little voices with which we second-guess or criticize ourselves. They are based on habitual patterns we’ve learned along the way.

More often than not, the personality is preoccupied with the self and its own sense of importance, what’s referred to in this reading as the desire to have other people “recognize your personal superiority.” And so we might think of the personality as starting from a certain
willfulness
to put oneself at the center of things, which in turn builds habits of thinking, feeling, and acting that begin to take on an automatic life of their own.

The personality can operate either consciously
or
unconsciously. Unfortunately, it’s unconscious most of the time. We tend to be on automatic pilot, with strong habit patterns driving us. The personality is the conditioned, or ingrained, element of our being, and it can be a formidable obstacle to our growth, especially when it tries to supplant individuality.

Individuality
is our more authentic being. It’s the self that has continuity from one lifetime to the next. It’s the
higher self,
a term Edgar Cayce used infrequently, preferring the term
individuality
instead. Perhaps he shied away from using higher self because he did
not
want us to think of this deep, most authentic self as already perfect; the individuality still needs to grow and develop. What makes it so special is its
capacity
for growth, its strong
impetus
in that direction. The personality, on the other hand, is often quite content with the status quo, including when it involves some degree of discomfort or even pain.

Individuality is the identity that one awakens in meditation. One of Cayce’s best definitions of this vital spiritual discipline, in fact, is an activity that partakes not of the personality but of the individuality instead. If you meditate, you probably recall times when you felt yourself make a shift: suddenly, the habitual thinking and emotional patterns quieted down, and, as they did, you remembered clearly another side of yourself, that freshly awakened part in touch with
universal consciousness.
Connecting with your individuality probably made you feel safe and secure, and that made it easy to offer prayers for others at the end of the meditation session.

At the most basic level, what makes personality and individuality so different? How is personality not like individuality, the more genuine way of knowing ourselves? The essential distinction is perspective and worldview, as beautifully illustrated in this reading’s example of “Jim, John, and Susan.” Our personality selves think, say, and do things with a very specific motive:
our own needs.
On the other hand, our individuality selves can look at the same situation with a different motive: a concern for the
greater good
and the ability to honor the
needs of others.
Essentially, this is the golden rule Edgar Cayce refers to indirectly in the reading.