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 u
nconsciously. 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.
Admittedly, personality sounds pretty bad and individuality sounds pretty good. In other readings about the subject, however, Cayce reminds us that the personality is necessary in order to live in the material world. To a certain extent, we even need to look out for ourselves and develop some habits and routines. (Can you imagine driving a car and constantly having to be attentive to every little thing you do? Here, the personality serves a very useful purpose indeed.) The problem is when we lose touch with individuality and believe that personality is all there is.
THE READING
THIS PSYCHIC READING, 3590-2,
WAS GIVEN BY EDGAR CAYCE ON JANUARY 26, 1944.
The conductor was Gertrude Cayce.
GC: You will give a mental and spiritual reading for this entity, with information, advice and guidance that will be helpful at this time; answering the questions, that may be asked:
EC: Yes, we have the body, the inquiring mind, [3590].
In giving that which may be helpful for this entity, as we find, many of the conditions that are as personalities and individualities are to be considered.
Here, for the entity, personality and individuality should have some analysis, so as to give the entity a concept of what we mean by personality and individuality:
Personality is that which the entity, consciously or unconsciously, spreads out before others to be seen of others. As to whether you will say Good Morning to Jim or John, and ignore Susan or not—these are parts of the personality, because of some difference or because of some desire to be used or needed by that others would have to give.
While individuality in that same circumstance would be: I wish to do this or that for Susan or Jim or John, because I would like for Jim or John or Susan to do this if conditions were reversed.
One is for the universal consciousness that is part of the soul-entity’s activity. The other is the personal, or the desire for recognition, or the desire for the other individual to recognize your personal superiority.
These are variations to this individual entity.
Then, in analyzing the mental and spiritual influences as may be applicable in the experience, the entity finds itself—if it will stop to analyze—a body, a mind, with the hope for a soul eternal, that will constantly, eternally have recognition of those relationships to the universal consciousness or God.
Then, as the entity in this material plane has found, it is necessary physically to conform to certain moral and penal laws of society, of the state, of the nation, even to be termed a good citizen. Thus if there is to be preparation for the entity as the soul-entity, as a citizen of the heavenly kingdom, isn’t it just as necessary that there be conforming to the laws pertaining to that spiritual kingdom of which the entity is a part? And there has been an ensample, a citizen of that kingdom, the Son Himself, has given the example to the entity as well as to others. Isn’t it well, then, that the entity study to show self approved unto that kingdom, rightly putting the proper emphasis upon all phases of His admonitions, His judgments, His commandments, and thus become such a one as to be a good citizen of that individual kingdom?
These are just reasons within self, if there is the time taken to interpret what ye believe and what ye hope for.
Do not do it just mentally. Do it mentally and materially. Set it down in three distinct columns: The physical—what are the attributes of the physical body? Eyes, ears, nose, mouth—these are means or manners through which the awarenesses of the physical body may become known to others, by sight, by hearing, by speaking, by feeling, by smelling. These are consciousnesses. Then there are the emotions of the body. These come under the mental heading, yes—but there are also those phases where the mental and emotional body is born, or under the control of the physical and sometimes under the control wholly of the mental. What are the mental attributes, then? The ability to think, the ability to act upon thought. From whence do these arise? Do you use the faculties of the physical being for such? You do in many instances, yet you can think by sitting still—you can think yourself wherever your consciousness has made an impression upon the physical being of what exists. For you can sit in your office and see yourself at home, and know exactly what your bed looks like and what you left set under it when you left this morning! These are physical, not material at all; yet you judge them by paralleling with that knowledge, that understanding.
The spiritual self is life, the activity of the mental and of the physical is of the soul—and thus a soul-body.
Set down the attributes of each, and as to when and how you use them, and how you change them. What is the ideal of each? Of your mental, your physical and your spiritual or soul body? And as you grow in grace, we will find that the individuality will change—until you become one, as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one.
This is the manner in which you grow.
Then study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman not ashamed, rightly dividing the words of truth, keeping self unspotted from the world; not condemning, even as ye would not be condemned. For as ye pray, as He taught, “Forgive me as I forgive others.” So in thy condemning, so in thy passing judgment, let it be only as ye would be judged by thy Maker.
We are through for the present.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF IDEALS AND CORE VALUES
By knowing what we believe in and what we hold true as core values, we have a simple, direct way of calling individuality back to awareness. The key to walking a spiritual path is found in those little choices—potentially, dozens a day—to resist the habitual tug of personality and listen to the wisdom of individuality.
All who study the Edgar Cayce readings know how important ideals are, if for no other reason than how often they are mentioned. The approach to meditation advocated in the readings, for example, is ideals-centered. Furthermore, one of Cayce’s most innovative dream interpretation strategies is to measure what’s happening in your dre
am against the ideals you hold dear. Another example: His philosophy of healing rests upon having an ideal and a purpose for wanting to get well.
The most quoted Cayce passage about ideals comes from this reading (357-13) for a forty-year-old woman working as a clerk during World War II. “Then, the more important, the most important experience of this or any individual entity is to first know what is the ideal—spiritually.” But far more than this claim makes reading 357-13 special; in fact, the entire reading is valuable because it points to how ideals work in our lives, and outlines the spiritual ideal that Cayce’s source held in the highest esteem: the universal Christ.
As you study the reading, first notice how Edgar Cayce describes in the second and third paragraphs the essential human dilemma: Our minds, with extraordinary creative potential, are pulled in two directions. On the one hand is the attraction of an ideal, a positive, creative image of what is possible. On the other hand is the pull of the material world. Unfortunately, it’s the limiting, destructive material influences that frequently gain the upper hand.
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