This psychic reading given by Edgar Cayce at his home on Arctic Crescent, Virginia Beach, Va., this 22nd day of May, 1938, in accordance with request by those present.
P R E S E N T
Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. Hannah & Noah Miller, Florence Edmonds, Frances Y. Morrow and Helen Ellington.
R E A D I N G
Time of Reading 4:20 to 4:50 P. M. Eastern Standard Time.
1. GC: You will have before you Norfolk Study Group #1, members of which are present here, and their work on the lesson Spirit, a copy of which I hold in my hand. You will continue the discourse on this lesson, and answer the questions that may be asked.
2. EC: Yes, we have the group as gathered here; as a group, as individuals, and their work on the lesson Spirit.
3. In continuing with the discussion of that which may make the lesson and Spirit understandable in the mind and the experience, much of that which has been given SHOULD be studied and dwelt upon - in the mind of each.
4. Remember, as ye do this, that which has been given; the spirit maketh alive, the mind is the builder, the application is the experience in the individual life.
5. Just so have we seen and comprehended how that there is the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the movement; as when God the First Cause - called into being LIGHT as a manifestation of the influences that would, through their movement (light movement) upon forces yet unseen, bring into being what we know as the universe - or matter; in all its forms, phases, manifestations.
6. As it has been indicated and given of old, no man hath seen God at any time. Yet they who have seen and who now may experience the consciousness of the Christ-Presence, as manifested in flesh in Jesus, have known OF God, have seen the figure of Him in what the Christ purposed to do, in the desire with which He acted with and upon those influences and forces of the earth.
7. And as He gave or taught, we become aware of same through dwelling upon mentally and through applying physically those things we know that partake of that which brings the awareness.
8. Yet we know, or find, that the kingdom of heaven is within; and that the awareness, the awakening comes from within.
9. Then through faith, through the gift of the Son and the
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faith in Him, we become more and more aware of the abiding presence of the spirit - the movement - as prompted by the Father; and not of self.
10. Ready for questions.
11. (Q) Please comment on the treatment of the outline, Page 3, "From Whence We Came, How and Why." (A) This has been commented upon heretofore. As has been indicated, the purpose of the spirit entering into what we know as matter is a different condition or phase of condition from the purpose of entering into spirit as He is Spirit. As those influences or forces entered that took man away FROM Him, then it was from that consciousness or spirit that the individuality had its source, its essence, its influence that might be made a personality in its activity. Hence the entrance into matter became as the description has been given by Stephen, by Philip, by Jesus. "Know ye not that the Son must go up to Jerusalem, there be tried, condemned, and die - even the death on the cross?" WHY? That there might be indeed an advocate, a WAY to the Father - from the lowest depths of man's desire, man's loathsomeness, even in matter. For if God has not willed that any should perish but has with every temptation prepared a way to meet it, WHO then - WHAT, then - is the way? The experiences through which man passes, as God gave in other periods, to become aware of his purpose for entrance into what we know as materiality. Then, the awareness of the WAY comes through the THOUGHT of man, the FAITH of man, the DESIRE of man such as ever held by that One who became RIGHTEOUSNESS ITSELF; passing through all the phases of man's desire in materiality. Then, what meaneth faith - what meaneth hope - what meaneth these things in man's experience. There must be the arousing of that desire for same. Hence how has He put it again? "Indeed it must be that offences come, but woe unto him by whom they come." Not that man is awakened all at once, but here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept. Then as these are applied, as these become a part of the experience of the soul, there becomes the desire of the soul to find its rest, its peace, its hope in Him who is the
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Author of faith, of hope, of mercy, of love. Thus does the awareness come as to the purposes of man's advent into what we know as materiality. Thus do we see and comprehend why it was necessary that He, the Son, the Maker, the Creator, come unto His own; who in their blindness, selfishness, hates, spites, have brought and do bring about those influences that keep the heart of man from seeking the Way. But He being the Way, offers - whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely. What is meant then by "the Spirit and the Lamb say come"? or "the Spirit and the Bride saith come"? It means that whosoever will may take hold upon those things that take man's mind and heart and purpose and BEING away from those things that have made men afraid, that have brought all of these petty conditions, spites, heartaches and disappointments. Hark ye, when ye are disappointed, when ye are confused, and think for a moment what it must have been for the Son, for Him who had made the earth and who had been given all power therein, to have His own to receive or understand Him not; yea, those of His own household - yea, those who had come through the channel even as He. Is it any wonder that He said (and do ye comprehend?), "Who is my mother, who is my brother, my sister? He that doeth the will of the father, the same is my mother, my brother, my sister"? These words ye know, but have ye comprehended, have ye understood? For when there has come the slight here, the harsh word there, or the disappointment, have ye smiled and with a song upon thy heart said, "Thy will, O God, not mine, be done"? Until ye do, ye cannot comprehend the purpose for which the souls of men came into materiality; for periods of lessons, of examinations. Know that to be absent from the body is to be present with thy conscience, thy god. What is thy god? Is it self or Christ? Is it self or the Lord? Is it thy own desires and wishes? Or is it that as He manifested when He gave Himself as the ransom, as the way, that He - too - when ye call -
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might say, "Come - I will give you rest - my yoke is easy, my burden is light"? Then when ye have the least of earthly burdens do ye doubt that He understands; He who has passed through SO MUCH in materiality, in the FLESH and blood even as thee? HE knows! HE understands! HE hears thy call and bids thee COME, DRINK of the water of life!
12. (Q) For what was the earth created? (A) This has been answered so oft! If ye have not gotten this, ye are dumb indeed!
13. (Q) Comment on "The devil and satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was SENT out into the earth." (A) Did He not - the Christ, the Maker - say this over and over again? that so long as spite, selfishness, evil desires, evil communications were manifested, they would give the channels through which THAT spirit called satan, devil, Lucifer, Evil One, might work? Also He has said over and over again that even the devil believes, but trembles - and that is as far as he has gone except to try to deceive others. Then he that denies in his life, in his dealings with his fellow man, that the Spirit of Truth maketh free, denies his Lord!
14. (Q) Explain the "Sons of God - Daughters of Men - Sons of Man." (A) This, too, has been given again and again. As has been indicated through other associations, the influences of those souls that sought material expression pushed themselves into thought forms in the earth. And owing to the earth's relative position with the activities in this particular sphere of activity in the universe, it was chosen as the place for expression. THINK - universe, eternity, time, space! What do these mean to the finite mind? More often than otherwise they are just names. More often we think of spirit as just a name, rather than experiencing it. Yet we use it, we manifest it, we are a part of it. Taking THOUGHT doesn't change anything! It is the application of the thought taken that makes the change within ourselves! Then, as those expressed they were called the Sons of the Earth or Sons of Man.
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When the Creative Forces, God, made then the first man - or God-man - he was the beginning of the Sons of God. Then those souls who entered through a channel made by God - not by thought, not by desire, not by lust, not by things that separated continually - were the Sons of God, the Daughters of God. The Daughters of Men, then, were those who became the channels through which lust knew its activity; and it was in this manner then that the conditions were expressed as given of old, that the Sons of God looked upon the Daughters of Men and saw that they were fair, and LUSTED! What did the Christ say? "Ye say in the law that ye shall not commit adultery. I say unto you, he that looketh on a woman to LUST after her hath committed adultery already!" Understandest thou? Then, what did it mean? Only that such channels offered ways and means for the expression of those influences claimed by Satan, the Devil, the Evil One, as his. But HE, the only begotten of the Father, the Christ, has become the Way, the Light, the Truth, the Water, the Bread, the Vine! and all of those are OF Him who become channels for manifesting, or through which there may be those expressions that are of love and faith and hope! Hence the two influences that are ever before thee; good and evil, life and death; choose thou!
15. (Q) Were the ones projected by Amilius - (A) (Interrupting) We are through!