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Edgar Cayce On Oneness
From: "calugar22" <calugar22@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun Nov 21, 2004 4:14 am
Subject: Edgar Cayce On Oneness
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Edgar Cayce On Oneness
One of the great ironies of human nature is the fact
that the very
structure intended to enrich our relationship with God
is the one
thing which divides us most as a human family. For
countless eons,
more wars have been fought on religious principles than
for any other
reason. Even to this day, wars, bloodshed, political
battles, and
countless examples of our inhumanity to one another are
commonplace as one group tries to instill (or enforce)
its belief systems, its
politics, or the supremacy of its God onto the lives of
others. These
conflicts are not simply between various religions but
are also within
each denomination. There are sects within Christianity,
Buddhism,
Judaism, Hinduism, Islam-within every religion!-many
convinced that
they are just a little more right than anyone else. Even
various
churches, temples, and synagogues have found differences
with other
members of their own sect who have somehow fallen away
from the
"original" or the "true" faith.
The first lesson for six months should be One-One-One-
One; Oneness of God, oneness of man's relation, oneness
of force, oneness of time,
oneness of purpose, Oneness in every effort-Oneness-
Oneness!
Reading 900-429
In addition to separating people from one another, these
conflicts
have also caused individuals to become disillusioned
with
religion-some even becoming convinced that religion is a
waste of
time. Too often, the result has been that people have
given up their
faith in God because of their disappointment in
humankind.
WHERE IS thine OWN will? One with HIS, or to the
glorifying of thine
own desires—thine own selfish interests?
Reading 900-429
Interestingly enough, the Edgar Cayce material states
that part of the
problem is due to our ignorance of our oneness with one
another.
Cayce's information presents a hopeful and inspiring
approach to
spirituality and religion that inextricably weaves all
of humanity
together. Rather than focusing upon the form of specific
religions or
dogmas, the readings instead focus upon the importance
of every single soul attempting to manifest an awareness
of the living Spirit in the earth.
"what is the difference? ...Truth...is of the One
source. Are there
not trees of oak, of ash, of pine? There are the needs
of these for
meeting this or that experience...Then, all will fill
their place.
Find not fault with any, but rather show forth as to
just how good a
pine, or ash, or oak, or vine thou art!"
Reading 254-87
From Cayce's perspective, our goal is not to simply wait
for heaven or
to escape the earth; instead, we are challenged to bring
an awareness
of the Creator into our lives and into our surroundings
wherever we
may be, right now.
There is a common bond we all share as a collective
humanity: There is
but one God, and we are all God's children. In order to
reawaken that
sense of connectedness we share with one another, the
readings state
that the start of any spiritual journey should begin
with the
knowledge that the Lord God is One. Regardless of the
name we call God or the religion on earth that we feel
drawn to, there is but one
Creator, one Source, one Law. In fact, perhaps more than
anything
else, this concept of "oneness" is the underlying
philosophy of the
Edgar Cayce readings.
Just What Is Oneness?
This notion of oneness in a world so filled with variety
may, at
first, seem a difficult concept to comprehend. After
all, we are
surrounded by a myriad of plants, trees, animals,
experiences, and
people. Rather than attempting to make all things the
same, however,
oneness suggests instead that we have the opportunity to
view this
rich diversity as an example of the multiple ways in
which the One
Spirit tries to find expression in our lives. Since
there is only one
God-the source of all that exists-ultimately, the
universe must be
composed of only one Force.
Oneness as a force implies that all things are
interrelated. Every one
of us has a connection to one another, the earth, the
universe, and to
God. This one force is a force for good which is
attempting to bring
the spirituality of the Creator into the earth.
Unfortunately, because
of our limited awareness of the power of free will,
individuals are
able to direct that force into selfish purposes and
desires, creating
"evil" in the process.
In terms of spirituality, the concept of oneness
suggests that God is
not limited to expressing through one religion alone.
Instead, the
Creator manifests in individuals' lives because of their
faith and
because of their relationship to the spiritual Source,
not because of
their specific religion. From Cayce's perspective,
religion is the
form in which individuals attempt to understand the
manifestation of
this Spirit. God can (and does!) work through every soul
in the
earth.
The good news is that, in spite of how things may appear
in the world
today, the readings assert that all of Creation will
eventually be
brought into an awareness of this oneness and of the Law
of Love which it implies. One of our challenges as
individuals is to make the world a better place because
we have lived in it. Perhaps the best approach to this
consciousness is reflected in the Bible when it states
that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and
soul, and our neighbor as ourselves.
As a means of discovering the oneness of Spirit, the
readings
encourage comparative religious study. Through such a
discipline, each
of us might see beyond surface differences and, instead,
find the
commonalties we share with one another:
...coordinate the teachings, the philosophies of the
east, and the
west, the oriental and the occidental, the new truths
and the old...
Correlate not the differences, but where all religions
meet- there is
one God! "Know, O Israel, the Lord God is one!"
Reading 991-1
...consider a field of corn. In the grain of corn there
is life. Man
plants it in the soil, works it, and then he reaps the
harvest. Not
every man selects the same kind of corn. Not every man
plows it alike.
Not every man sows it alike. Not every man reaps it
alike. Yet, in
each case it brings forth the very best that there is.
It is the God
or the life within each grain that the man is seeking.
It sustains his
body, and also produces enough seed to raise more.
That's religion.
That's the denominations.
Reading 991-1
When the concept of reincarnation is studied, what
becomes apparent is not what religion people may be in
the present but rather, more
important, how individuals apply the knowledge they
possess. within
the cycle of reincarnation, we have all been Jewish, we
have all been
students of Eastern or Middle Eastern religions; we have
all been
agnostic or even atheistic; we have all been Christian.
It's important
to remember that first we are all children of the same
God, and only
secondly are we separated by doctrines or specific
religious beliefs.
We are spiritual beings manifesting in the physical
world. Our
religious dogmas and beliefs have changed as readily as
we have. To be bigoted toward any situation, type of
individual, or
experience-especially with the knowledge that we will
draw those same
circumstances to us in the future-is not in keeping with
the concept
of oneness.
Religion as a Form
The work of Edgar Cayce has attracted individuals from
all walks of
life and religious backgrounds. In fact, Cayce's view
was that if the
information in the readings was helpful and hopeful,
making you a
better person in the process, then you should be able to
bring that
renewed sense of "spirit" into your own faith. If, on
the other hand,
working with a particular concept wasn't helpful to you
(the
philosophy of reincarnation being one example), then
individuals were
simply told to leave it alone. Individuals were never
advised to
change their religious beliefs because of the Cayce
readings. What
Cayce was most concerned with was the application of
spiritual
principles, not an individual's specific religion. There
is a
difference between spirituality and religion, although
both are
important.
Religion is primarily concerned with matters of
religious faith,
ritual, structure, and tradition. Unfortunately, too
often, a specific
religion has been seen as the vehicle for personal
salvation rather
than simply being one of the various forms in which
humankind is
trying to understand the manifestation of Spirit in
their lives. Many
individuals have somehow elevated one religion above all
others,
perhaps deciding that there is but one form with which
to demonstrate
true faith. On the other hand, at times it has been the
very religious
structure with which individuals have become frustrated
or
disappointed, perhaps even deciding that they no longer
need to have
religion in their lives. Neither of these responses is
in keeping with
the concept of oneness. It is important to remember that
religion
serves a purpose. Without some form, spirituality can
too easily
become simply a philosophical mind-game rather than
having practical
ramifications for daily life. A loose spirituality may
be fragmented,
selfishly independent, lacking community, etc. Without
religious form,
children can be raised without a sense of the
applicability of Spirit
in their lives.
One of our confusions associated with religion is that
we often
mistake the form for the Spirit. For example,
individuals may have a
particular moving religious experience while attending a
certain
church or a service in a specific religious
denomination. These
experiences may include being overwhelmed by the spirit,
having a very moving (or even a "kundalini") experience,
awakening to the awareness of God's presence, even
speaking in tongues. Rather than seeing these
experiences within the context of form, however,
individuals often assume that because their experience
was valid, everything else associated with that
religious form contains the same degree of value-they
are only forgetting that throughout the history of
humankind, individuals have had similar transformational
experiences
in every religion.
There may be different channels of approach, yes. For
not all peoples
walked in the field when the wheat was ripe. Neither did
all stand at
the tomb when Lazarus was called forth. Neither were
they all present
when He walked on the water, nor when He fed the five
thousand, nor
when He hung on the Cross. Yet each experience answered,
and does
answer to something within each individual soul-entity.
For each soul
is a corpuscle in the body of God.
Reading 3395-2
Remember, the essential premise of the Cayce philosophy
is that we are all attempting to manifest the Christ
Consciousness in the earth.
Although we might currently find ourselves in the
physical dimension,
we are not physical creatures with souls; rather, we are
souls who
happen to be expressing ourselves in materiality. The
distinction is
important because, too often, we may associate ourselves
with
external, temporal things such as race, sexuality,
color, and religion
that are not a part of our true spiritual nature. It is
not so much
that we go to heaven; rather, we grow in awareness of
our true
spiritual nature and of our relationship with God and
with one
another. In fact, this process of growth and unfoldment
is clearly
described in the New Testament (Matthew 13:31-33 KJV)
when Jesus
discussed, in parables, the nature of Heaven.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The
kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed
is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is
the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that
the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches
thereof. Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom
of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and
hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was
leavened.
And, from the readings, "For you grow to heaven, you
don't go to
heaven. It is within thine own conscience that ye grow
there,"
(reading 3409-1).
Spirituality as a Living Awareness
Although religion often deals with form, spirituality
generally deals
with an individual's application of his or her
individual knowledge or
awareness. Since our natural state is spirit,
reawakening to full
spiritual awareness is one of the purposes we all have
in common. In
fact, in one reading (3357-2), Cayce stated that "Soul
development
should take precedence over all things." From the
readings'
perspective, this development is not achieved through
some great deed or act; instead, it is a gradual
accomplishment which is attained
"line upon line, precept upon precept." What appears to
be most
important in terms of soul development is an
individual's application
of the things of the Spirit in their interactions with
others: love,
kindness, gentleness, patience, persistence, and
consistency.
Since the purpose of life is to bring the spirituality
of the Creator
into the earth, attunement and application are at the
heart of
spiritual growth. Attunement is the process of
reawakening to an
awareness of our spiritual nature and our true
relationship with God.
As mentioned previously, the most frequently recommended
tools for
achieving this attunement are the regular practice of
prayer and
meditation. Both prayer and meditation are invaluable at
reestablishing a conscious awareness of our spiritual
source while
inviting God's will to work through us as a "channel of
His blessings"
in service to others.
Repeatedly, a core concept from the Edgar Cayce material
has been
stated: Spirit is the life, mind is the builder, and the
physical is
the result. In terms of oneness, essentially what this
means is that
the one force, Spirit, constantly flows through us.
However, it is
acted upon by the properties of the mind and then
channeled into our
lives in accordance with our free will. Regardless of
whether or not
an individual even believes in God, everything about
that person is
given life through the properties of the one activating
Spirit. What
he or she does with that Spirit is a matter of choice,
and "crimes or
miracles" may be the result.
This ability of personal creation, whether through
thought, experience
or activity, caused the readings to identify the human
soul as a
cocreator with God. Because of this gift of cocreation,
Cayce
continually advised individuals that one of the most
important things
they could do was to establish an appropriate spiritual
motivation (or
ideal) for their lives, thereby directing personal
choice into
positive directions. From Cayce's perspective, too
often, we are out
of touch with the intentionality (the why) behind our
everyday
actions. By consciously establishing a spiritual
motivation, such as
service, compassion, love, or Jesus, as our pattern and
then trying to
make that motivation a greater part of our lives, real
personal
transformation and soul development can result.
The soul, then, must return-will return-to its Maker. It
is a portion
of the Creative Force, which is energized into activity
even in
materiality, in the flesh...Then, just being kind, just
being patient,
just showing love for thy fellow man; that is the manner
in which an
individual works at becoming aware of the consciousness
or the Christ
Spirit. Reading 272-9
Just like in the story of the prodigal son (Luke
15:11-32), we were
with God in the beginning and, through choice and
experience, found
ourselves cut off from a complete awareness of Him. In
one respect,
the fall of humankind was really our descent in
consciousness from the
realms of infinity to those of time and space. However,
this was not
necessarily a "bad" thing or an erroneous choice. Just
as a child
learns through experience, choice, and making mistakes
along the way, our own experiences through choice and
will embody a maturation
process that will enable us to come into our full
heritage and an
awareness of our true spiritual nature. In time, as we
bring the
spirituality of God into the earth, we will awaken to
our own
spiritual Source, eventually finding our way back to the
Creator.
Not only is spiritual transformation our goal, but it is
our
birthright as well. With the proper spiritual
motivation, we will be
brought into alignment with this perfect pattern by
working with
attunement, appropriate mental attitudes, and a desire
to bring our
spiritual ideal into physical application.
What Shall We Do with Jesus?
Throughout history, the perspectives people have had on
the life and
teachings of Jesus have been varied, oftentimes even at
odds. For
some, Jesus has been seen as the only Son of God,
bringing salvation
only to those who call themselves Christian. Members of
non-Christian
religions may have ignored His life and ministry or they
may have
thought, "Well, Christians have been cruel to me, and
therefore I'm
not interested in Jesus." Individuals involved in New
Thought or
comparative religions may have decided that Jesus was
"just a
teacher," or they may have disregarded Him altogether.
According to
the Edgar Cayce readings, each of these perspectives is
short-sighted.
Although Edgar Cayce was a Sunday school teacher all of
his life, as
well as an elder in the Presbyterian church, for him the
meaning of
Jesus' life went beyond that described by Christians and
non-Christians alike. For that reason, regardless of our
upbringing or
our religious affiliation, the Cayce material offers
some insightful
and challenging information about the life and work of
this man Jesus,
who became the Christ.
Essentially, the readings present Jesus as our "Elder
Brother," a soul
who came to show each one of us the way back to our
spiritual Source
by perfectly manifesting the laws of the Creator. Part
of His mission
was to fully demonstrate the living awareness of the
Spirit in the
earth-something each one of us will eventually have to
do. Therefore,
Jesus' life of service to others serves as an example
for all of
humankind. In fact, the readings state:
For the Master, Jesus, even the Christ, is the pattern
for every man
in the earth, whether he be Gentile or Jew, Parthenian
or Greek. For
all have the pattern, whether they call on that name or
not
Reading 3528-1
Jesus Himself said "I am in my Father, and ye in me, and
I in you,"
(John 14:20 KJV). We are all part of that same spiritual
Source. Jesus
was a child of God-just as we are all children of God.
What Jesus did,
we are all being called to do and, as our Elder Brother
and the
Pattern, He will show us the way. In fact, Jesus is the
Good Shepherd
who is very much involved with us right now in teaching
us about our
relationship with the Creator. In discussing with God
our joint
spiritual nature and eventual destiny, Jesus said:
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world...That they
all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee, that they
also may be one in us: that the world may believe that
thou hast sent
me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they
may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in
me, that they
may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou
hast loved me.
John 17:16, 21-23 KJV
This importance of this information, the fact that every
individual is
an integral part of God's creation and that we all share
the same
relationship with the Creator as even Jesus, will
eventually transform
(even revolutionize!) the ways in which we think about
ourselves and
treat one another.
Conclusion
Why do we have so many religious sects if the principle
of oneness is
an undergirding force in the universe? In part, the
answer lies in our
own diversity and in the fact that we are all drawn to
what we need at
a given time for our own personal growth and
development. In addition, we also possess the very human
trait of wanting to "pin down" our truth, putting
parameters around our understanding so that we can deal
with it. But truth is a growing thing, and the Cayce
readings affirm that no one has all the answers to the
marvelous question of who we really are as God's
spiritual children. But even in the midst of our
diversity, we share a common spiritual heritage. We are
all children of the same God. We are all part of the one
spiritual Source, our Creator, our Mother/Father, our
God.
Each soul in entering the material experience does so
for those
purposes of advancement towards that awareness of being
fully
conscious of the oneness with the Creative Forces.
2632-1
Oneness as a force suggests that each of us is connected
in ways that
we might never before have imagined. Our challenge is to
bring that
wholeness to consciousness, an "awareness within each
soul, imprinted
in pattern on the mind and waiting to be awakened by the
will, of the
soul's oneness with God." (5749-14) Regardless of an
individual's
religion or personal beliefs, this Christ pattern exists
in potential
upon the very fiber of his or her being. It is that part
which is in
perfect accord with the Creator and is simply waiting to
find
manifestation in one's life.
Edgar Cayce On Oneness |
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