There is nothing new here. The search for God is as old as man. This book is passed on in the hope that through it, during the trying times ahead, many may glimpse a ray of light; that in other hearts it may awaken a new hope and vision of a better world through application of His laws in daily life.
Study Group #1 was told that they could “bring light to a waiting world” and that these lessons would still be studied a hundred years into the future. Today, many decades later, this material has been studied by thousands of individuals from every walk of life and religious background, enabling them to become more aware of themselves through cooperation, personal awareness, faith, meditation, and love. These interdenominational discussion groups examine this material on soul growth in individual homes all over the world. (If you are interested in visiting one of these groups, please contact A.R.E., 215 67th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451-2061.)
Since the Cayce work has been computerized, access to particular information is readily available in ways that even Edgar Cayce might have hesitated to predict. In addition to utilizing the same resource material provided to the original study group, this volume presents a topical overview of the entire body of Edgar Cayce readings on each of the twelve lessons. Many of the readings discuss the same subjects which had been presented to Study Group #1, but it was not until 1971 that the material was sufficiently indexed so that any topic could be studied in a way not available to Cayce’s early supporters. Twelve Lessons in Personal Spirituality is compiled in the hopes of serving one or more of the following purposes: as a tool for personal reflection and study, as a handbook for small group discussion, and even as a source of encouragement during those moments when the challenges of life seem more overwhelming than the beauty of it.
The hallmark of this material is that it suggests there is a definite purpose for living. There is also the promise that with a spiritual intent we can come to understand that purpose. We are all here for a reason, a reason that joins us in search of a common heritage. Though we may be separated by language, or religion, or customs, or race, or even vast distances, we all share the earth as our temporal home, we are all children of the same God, and we are all seekers along the way.
Kevin J. Todeschi
Virginia Beach, Virginia
THE TWELVE LESSONS
The purpose of the entity in the earth, is that it may know itself, also to be itself, and yet at one with the Creative Forces, fulfilling those purposes for which the entity comes into the earth; accepting, believing, knowing then thy relationship to that Creative Force. For He hath called thee friend; not servant, but a friend, a brother, a sister. 3508-1
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION IN
PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION
For, ye must learn to meditate—just as ye have learned to walk, to talk . . .
Edgar Cayce reading 281-41
For countless individuals, the Edgar Cayce readings have been instrumental in providing them with an entirely new understanding of humankind’s relationship to God. From Cayce’s perspective, that relationship is not a thing far off—or something that is relegated to the “here-after”—rather it is a personal connection that can be experienced right now in everyday life:We are God’s children, and He is mindful of us at all times! Meditation is important because it can provide individuals with the means for gaining a personal awareness of that relationship:
What is Meditation? It is not musing, not daydreaming; but as ye find your bodies made up of the physical, mental and spiritual, it is the attuning of the mental body and the physical body to its spiritual source. Many say that ye have no consciousness of having a soul,—yet the very fact that ye hope, that ye have a desire for better things, the very fact that ye are able to be sorry or glad, indicates an activity of the mind that takes hold upon something that is not temporal in its nature—something that passeth not away with the last breath that is drawn but that takes hold upon the very sources of its beginning—the soul—that which was made in the image of thy Maker—not thy body, no—not thy mind, but thy soul was in the image of thy Creator. Then, it is the attuning of thy physical and mental attributes seeking to know the relationships to the Maker. That is true meditation. 281-41
Although most individuals in the West began hearing about meditation in the 1960s and 1970s, its practice has existed for thousands of years. For some, meditation is as natural as prayer. It is the practice of quieting our physical bodies and our minds, and focusing our attention inward instead of upon the material world around us. Meditation promotes coordination at three levels: physically, we begin to relax; mentally, our busied thoughts become quiet and we are able to become purposefully focused; and, spiritually, we can become attuned and reenergized to the presence of the Divine. Practically speaking, each of these levels enables us to deal both more effectively and more lovingly with the people and events with whom we come in contact.
Repeatedly, the readings advised individuals to work with both meditation and prayer. Although we may think of prayer as telling God what we need or want, Cayce believed that true prayer was not so much a petition for things as it was an expression of one’s desire to gain an awareness of the Creator’s will in our lives. In other words, prayer invites God to work through us. Meditation, on the other hand, is clearing aside all random thoughts so that we might become more attuned to the Divine. In the language of the readings, both are explained as follows:
For prayer is supplication for direction, for understanding. Meditation is listening to the Divine within. 1861-19
Then set definite periods for prayer; set definite periods for meditation. Know the difference between each. Prayer, in short, is appealing to the Divine within self, the Divine from without self, and meditation is keeping still in body, in mind, in heart, listening, listening to the voice of thy Maker. 5368-1
Although some schools of thought contend that the mind gets in the way of the meditator and must therefore be blanked out, the Cayce information suggests that whatever the mind dwells upon—whether in meditation or by the power of thought in general—becomes a greater portion of the individual’s core: physically, mentally, and spiritually. In fact, when used constructively, the mind is a powerful tool which allows for a greater sense of relaxation and an awareness of the closest possible attunement. For that reason, the readings provided an affirmation for meditation which corresponds to each of the lessons in spirituality.
The creative potential of the human mind is so powerful, the first study group was told that an individual who focused upon spiritual things alone could become a “light unto the world” whereas an individual who focused only upon selfishness would literally become a “Frankenstein.” For that reason, one’s intent is extremely important when practicing meditation. Ultimately, that intent is to learn how to better express divine love in our interactions with one another. In addition, the readings suggested that one take the entire process of meditation seriously and remember it as a vehicle for cultivating our personal relationship with God:
Purify thy body. Shut thyself away from the cares of the world. Think on that as ye would do to have thy God meet thee face to face. “Ah,” ye say “but many are not able to speak to God!” Many, you say, are fearful. Why? Have ye gone so far astray that ye cannot approach Him who is all merciful? He knows thy desires and thy needs, and can only supply according to the purposes that ye would perform within thine own self. Then, purify thy body, physically. Sanctify thy body, as the laws were given of old, for tomorrow the Lord would speak with thee—as a father speaketh to his children . . . Know that thy body is the temple of the