This psychic reading given by Edgar Cayce at his office, 115 West 35th Street, Virginia Beach, Va., this 22nd day of May, 1926, in accordance with request made by self - Mr. [900].
P R E S E N T
Edgar Cayce; Mrs. Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno.
R E A D I N G
Time of Reading 11:40 A. M. Eastern Standard Time. New York City, N.Y.
1. GC: You will have before you the body and the enquiring mind of [900], Apt. ..., ... St., N.Y. City, and the dreams this body had on the dates which I will give you. You will give the interpretation and lesson to be gained from each of these, as I read same to you, and you will answer the questions which I ask you regarding same.
1. A threefold admonition regarding: 1. Face facts.
2. Physical needs. 3. Manifest the perfection that I am. Explain and illustrate, taking example from my life. (A) This, as is seen, the same condition as is given in the three experiences, as it were, of the mental conditions of the entity. For the example, this may be taken in any of the phases of the entity's labors as pertaining to service, either to individual within or without the household of the entity; or may be taken as that as may be illustrated by the individual entity's DEALING with an individual on the Stock Exchange, as customer, and the entity sees how this threefold condition becomes existent in the material, the mental, the spiritual plane. That is, as given, first conditions are builded in the mental way and manner. These, held, become an action, and the result the material manifestation of the two conditions in the spiritual and mental plane.
2. EC: Yes, we have the body, the enquiring mind, [900]. The dreams, as we see, come to this body in the way and manner as has been outlined here before. Ready for dreams.
3. (Q) Friday Night, May 14, or Saturday Morning, May 15, 1926. Voice: "Stock Market - Kresge." (A) This, as has been experienced and seen by the entity, gave the indication of the trend in market as has come about, in that the action of that particular stock in its action that day gave the trend of general conditions. This is of the past, see?
4. (Q) "The details of this dream I have forgotten, but among other phases it pertained also to the stock market, finishing with the admonition by the Voice: 'Face Facts!'" (A) This, as we see, the conditions as were being weighed
900-236 Page 2
in the mental forces of the entity as concerning conditions existent with the body and the physical conditions in same. The admonition to face the facts, as given, indicating that - that as has been given to the entity, as to how, why, when and where these conditions arose within self, through mental condition FIRST. Then the condition as fact, from the material viewpoint, see?
5. (Q) "The next in line with the above was regarding the hiring of servants. I was arguing with [137] that I might as well have them as it costs little more anyway. Said [137]: 'BUT YOU POOR GUY - HOW ARE GOING TO LIVE ALL THE YEAR ROUND!'" (A) This again that same condition of the mental forces of entity attempting to gain, as it were, the experience from the subconscious forces, those answers to mental conditions taking place, and, as given, the MENTAL builds first that which the physical makes a material reality.
6. (Q) "The last of this series finished with the voice speaking - (the preceding details I have forgotten) as follows: 'Manifest the forces of Nature.'
7. (Q) Saturday Night, May 15, while reading James' [William James?] Pluralistic Universe. "Was reading as follows about 'absolutism' and 'empiricism': the former (absolutism) concerning that the divine exists authentically only when the world is experienced all at once in the absolute totality, whereas radical empiricism allows that the absolute sum total of things may never be actually experienced or realized in that shape at all, and that a disseminated, distributed or incompletely unified appearance is the only form that reality may yet have achieved." The Voice: 'We cover that here - when the voice speaks to and through consciousness.'" (A) Correct, for this, as is seen, is only the multiplication of words to express that idea of the physical or material body becoming conscious, through the attributes of the physical body (those of the mind), to the SPIRITUAL laws as GOVERN the material world, see? for, as the consciousness is gained, the concept of the totality of the Universal Forces are made manifest in the material plane, and without the totality of the individual obtaining the conception of the Oneness, the conception, the truth, may NOT be known; for, as has been given, with the SPIRITUAL MINDED one gains a greater concept than one of the material minded, see?
8. (Q) Herein lies my glory and a thrill it gives me indeed. My ideal of One Absolute Cause in action to create many forms of phenomena in one condition of effect
900-236 Page 3
challenged in a sense and the answer from this very source as if to say - this voice what experience is it, if not just this sum total of everything in absolute form responding to a distress or questioning signal from its own portion in physical form? (A) This the answer, the glory, the answer, as it were, of the promise to the entity of the conditions that exist in the entity's mental development, the entity's gain of concept of the whole Oneness of the conditions as existent in the spiritual, the mental, the physical plane.
9. (Q) Yet to come to the point, what is meant here if not just this: A. We in phenomenized form may not cognize the spiritual causation activity that forms the reality and cause of our phenomenization. B. That our experiences lie totally in the effect form of this One Cause. (A) (Interrupting) Correct.
10. (Q) Yet through our physical consciousness, the effect form of this One Cause, may come a consciousness of the existence of the One in its response directly from its own sphere to some condition existing in our physical consciousness. The activity of this One Absolute Cause takes on a form of our physical condition of an effect world - i.e. in form of voice, pictures or vision. Since we are conscious of a voice, yet that reaches our consciousness not through the sensory system (ears) we may know the experience is a contact of the physical consciousness with the creative cause of consciousness in which is all knowledge, yet the experience of that contact is and must be of a form of this effect world (voice for example) or the physical consciousness would not recognize it. The point James makes is that the absolute may appear in form of physical conception of time and space, and this is true, as is indicated in my next voice experience - i.e., "You will have an intestinal attack" - pause as though seeking to correlate with my concept of time "To-morrow, Sunday afternoon or Monday Morning." Absolutism claims the One Spirit Cause may not appear so to the physical consciousness. The Voice said to [900], [it] cannot to the physical consciousness through the sensuous channel, but may through the channel of consciousness, the physical mind recognizing that being presented in terms of its own material form. In other words, it is mere words that cause my difference. The absolute exists and our consciousness in it is represented by the sum total of all of our experiences and there lies within our so called subconscious faculties the ability to store each of these experiences, which storehouse we contact when the physical faculties are subjected. Yet that taken
900-236 Page 4
from this storehouse, better defined as a development of consciousness up to a condition permitted by the total of our experiences, this consciousness to be experienced by the physical takes the form of an empirical portion - i.e. as pertaining to our health, moral or financial condition, to our physical minds. It is the One and absolute substance, never changing and existing in an eternal present, yet the physical consciousness imposes three dimensional qualities and conditions upon it, whether observing its effect activity in three dimensions of material form, or whether experiencing its fourth dimensional cosmic activity. (A) This, as we see, is that same as given, and as has been given aforetime, in how that the spirit in the world is that ACTIVITY; or this may be illustrated in a condition that is of a physical aspect, from a physical viewpoint: It would be impossible, save by physical concept, for a large individual - say one six feet high - to feel a consciousness of being greater in physical stature than one four to six inches high, see? yet the physical comparison by the sensuous mind gains a concept of one being larger than another - physical comparison. In the spiritual concept, coming from this Oneness, as is seen by the spiritual forces of the entity of this entity, [900], gains that full concept of how the force manifest in the material world gaining that inner consciousness without the material concept of same - same as is given that the voice - that is, that from within, so impresses - not through sensuousness - not through the sensory organism, either by feeling, touching, hearing, seeing or smelling, but by those conditions as awaken in action that same condition of SENSE of organization and realization, or consciousness from within.
11. (Q) Yet within this world of causes is a complete knowledge of its own growing forms of consciousness and the cosmic consciousness may find in the absolute that necessary to respond to physical enquiry or activity if and when experience in the effect form of the One leads any of the "eaches" to seek expansion of self consciousness from this cosmic or subconsciousness self. The absolute base puts us in a position or condition within itself to achieve a consciousness equal to its own, yet we must to achieve this goal use the weapons or opportunity furnished - no one may experience for us that which will enlighten our own consciousness. We must experience and learn and grow for ourselves. This was evidenced by [900] when, seeking to experience or understand cosmic consciousness and fourth dimension Absolutism, he lost his sense of environment - could not locate his room or its surroundings, altho he
900-236 Page 5
could and was conscious of himself suspended, so to speak, in indefinite and unknown environment of space. (A) (Interrupting) Correct.
12. (Q) This happened again the other night when lost in an unknown, yet fully conscious of a physical self, the body could not locate his house or home altho he strove with might and main to call the address. In conclusion, then, we are an Empirical portion of the absolute, seeking through and by means of the finite experience to reach a consciousness of the infinite. The farther we advance on this road the wider or more frequent our physical contact with the Spiritual. Our consciousness, our imagination, our understanding, may be fully aware of the Absolute and its application to empirical physical form, altho in actual experience we may realize the absolute, while in the physical, in terms of physical cognizance only. (A) (Interrupting) Correct.
13. (Q) This I suppose James calls radical empiricism, yet it does not refute absolutism - rather but applies it. Correct? (A) Correct.
14. (Q) What further? (A) Only that as has been given.
15. (Q) What is indicated in intestinal attack? (A) Rather that of the illustration to the entity of seeing, experiencing, knowing, through this same condition as has been given as the illustration of how conditions are attained by the finite, or by the consciousness of the individual, of that activity, or subconscious forces, or portion of spirit forces as are active within; not as of a condition to exist, save as the entity may see how same may be applied within self to good or to bad. That is, with the knowledge of these conditions THAT may be brought to the physical body which would prevent this physical condition taking place; that may be neglected within the body wherein detrimental conditions may be brought, see? As an experience for the entity.
16. We are through for the present.