What, then, is the purpose of the entering of a soul into material manifestations? In the beginnings, or in the activities in which the soul manifested individually, it was for the purpose of becoming as a companion of Creative Force or God; or becoming the whole body of God itself, with the ability—even as thy Pattern, as thy Savior, as thy Guide and Guard—to know thyself to be thyself, yet one with Him! That is the purpose for each entering into the material activities. 1650-1
Know thyself if ye would know thy God, if ye would be of a service to thy brother. 1256-1
One of the greatest challenges we may face as spiritual beings is the necessity of coming to know our true selves. Unfortunately, because we so often identify with our physical life, our personality, and our earthly experiences rather than our spiritual essence, reaching that objective can be challenging. The cares of life so frequently demand our entire focus that we might believe we don’t have time to pursue anything else, let alone try to master spirituality. When this thought enters our minds, however, we need to remember that we are already spiritual beings. The challenge is not one of trying to become something else, instead it is an issue of not living up to the very best we already have within us.
The Cayce material confirms the fact that, too often, we forget our true nature. Many individuals have incorrectly assumed that our goal is to reach heaven, reach enlightenment, or simply “get out of the earth.” And yet, this is looking at our heritage from a perspective quite different from that contained in the readings. The readings state that God desires to be expressed in the world through us—the example set by Jesus being the pattern for every soul. We are children of God with a mission to somehow bring spirit into the earth. One of the readings beautifully describes the spiritual nature of humankind in this way:
For ye are as a corpuscle in the body of God; thus a co-creator with Him, in what ye think, in what ye do. And ye change each soul ye contact, literally or mentally—insofar as ye, as an individual entity, are a witness for or against thy Lord, thy God. This is the literal application, yea the spiritual way of man, of this entity in the earth; endowed, yes, with material attributes that to others may appear as a non-entity. Yet no soul may come in contact with the entity without being changed, either in body, in mind or in purpose. And purpose is, of course, of the soul. 2794-3
The truth about who we are is so monumental—we have an integral role in creating our lives, our experiences, our relationships, even world events! We have an effect upon every soul we encounter. The person who we truly are is vastly different from the way others see us or even from the way in which we see ourselves. Ultimately, we will come to know ourselves just as the Creator knows us.
THE TRIUNE NATURE OF HUMANKIND
One of the most frequently mentioned concepts in the Edgar Cayce material is that Spirit is the life, mind is the builder, and the physical is the result. In other words, spirit provides the creative impulse and energy in our lives. The mind focuses that energy into creative (positive) or destructive (negative) avenues of expression. The result of our interaction with the workings of spirit acted upon by the power of free will and the mind then becomes manifested into our lives. This suggests that all life has the capacity to be empowered by spirit, by the Creative Forces, by God. But the way in which we use that spiritual influence in our lives is determined by the power of our mind, by what we focus upon, by what we do with our free will. The impact of our choices will eventually find expression in the physical, affecting ourselves and our relationships with one another.
On one level, our physical bodies are material representations of the inner self seeking expression. Through our senses we become cognizant of the combined influences our positive and negative thoughts and actions have had upon us. Everything we have ever thought, acted upon, or desired will eventually have an effect upon the physical. In time, our magnified thoughts and desires become manifested into our physiognomy—registering in our very faces! Our physical bodies are composite units of the Creative Force, spirit, manifesting into the material world.
The way in which we focus the mind (the “mental body”) is extremely important for it provides the inner self with either its greatest ally or its greatest adversary. It was for this reason that the apostle Paul advised his constituents to “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus . . . ” (Philippians 2:5) What we continually focus upon becomes a greater part of our makeup as well as who we are in the process of becoming.
From Cayce’s perspective, this process has been going on for ages. We are a composite of many more factors than simply chance, heredity, and environment. Each of us is a combination of such things as thoughts, desires, actions, choices, destiny, and even “karma” (karma being defined simply as soul memory and our own subconscious and conscious responses to that memory). Who we truly are right now is the result of everything that has influenced our individual development since our creation as souls.
We read in the Bible that “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” (John 14:2) This suggests that there are many states of consciousness beyond the physical and the ways in which we have interacted with all of these experiences have contributed to the sum total of who we are as individuals. Our physical, mental, and spiritual activities constantly affect our soul’s ability to find expression in the material world. The soul draws to itself that which it has builded with its previous thoughts, desires, and actions. As we come to know ourselves, we will begin to realize that this cause-effect relationship ultimately enables us to understand every experience as a lesson in soul growth.
The spiritual counterpart of each of us (the “soul body”) is a pattern of perfection that resides within us and is simply waiting for manifestation through our free will. This consciousness is greater than anything we have yet come to know about ourselves. However, rather than associating with this consciousness—our true self, or our spiritual individuality—we too often associate with our personality. In other words, our personality is what we show the world, whereas our individuality is who we really are—our true identity. From the readings’ perspective, we are a far more dynamic creation than outward appearances might suggest. We possess physical, mental, and spiritual bodies which are constantly interacting with one another in an ongoing process of creation and soul development. The Cayce information further suggests that this triune nature of humankind is a symbolic representation of the entire cosmos. In the language of the readings:
Thus as you find in self body, mind, soul, in its three-dimensional manner it is as the spiritual three-dimensional concept of the Godhead; Father, Son, Holy Spirit. These, then, in self are a shadow of the spirit of the Creative Force. Thus as the Father is as the body, the mind is as the Son, the soul is as the Holy Spirit. 5246-1
Who we are in the present is a shadow of the Creative Forces at work. In other words, just as we are ultimately responsible for who we are right now, in our own little sphere of activity we are co-creators with God.
Are ye not all children of God? Are ye not co-creators with Him? Have ye not been with Him from the beginning? Is there any knowledge, wisdom or understanding withheld if ye have attuned thyself to that Creative Force which made the worlds and all the forces manifested in same? Thinkest thou that the arm of God is ever short with thee because thou hast erred? “Though ye be afar, though ye be in the uttermost parts, if ye call I will hear! and answer speedily.” Thinkest thou that speakest of another, or to thee? Open thy mind, thy heart, thy purpose to thy God and His purpose with thee. 294-202
OUR HERITAGE AS CO-CREATORS
It is important to remember that we are not physical bodies with souls, but are rather souls, children of the Creator, who are manifesting in the material world. In one respect, the physical body is simply the house, the home of the soul, during its sojourn in materiality. Though we often think of ourselves as a body, the body is simply the vehicle for mental and spiritual expression. The physical body allows the spirit to experience the confines of a limited dimension as well as the dynamics of free will, choice, decision, and cause and effect.
As a co-creator,