Post by WalksInSpirit on Jun 25, 2007 21:54:59 GMT -5
No Soul Left Behind: Ch. II: 06-11-07
Chapter II - Mind Over Matter “No Soul Left Behind”
A favorite expression of Cayce’s is ‘Mind is the Builder’. It is his way of explaining that the way we use or focus our mind has lasting consequences. For thoughts are lasting things, not perishables that are easily dismissed. What we think eventually forms attitudes and leads to our behavior. In a word, what the mind dwells on shapes who and what we are, whether we are focused on gaining power, fame, and fortune or are more intent on serving our fellow humans.
The mind, he explains, is immortal and perpetuates the thought patterns that we have built. We can override our baser thoughts by meditating on our higher ideals and choosing the fruits of the spirit over the pleasures of materiality.
Q: The major distinction you make between the physical body and the soul, or soul-body, is that the one is temporary and the other permanent or eternal. But what about the mind? It is purely physical or is it part of our eternal spirit that survives after the death of the body?
A: ”This [answer], to be sure, will be as a portion or a lesson in itself, including Mind in relation to the varied attributes of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual bodies. Mind in itself, then, is both material and spiritual. That which finds itself expressed or manifested in material things is of the physical, for matter is an expression of spirit in motion to such a degree as to give the expressions in materiality.
“That which is expressed or manifested in spirit, without taking body or form, is of the spirit, yet may be manifested in experience of an individual [such as a communication from a deceased loved one] . . . the ideal must have its incepti9n in, from, and with that which is an unseen force, or in what we may worship as God. 262-78.”
Q: What do you mean by the ideal?
A: “Ideals are principles acted upon by your mind. 2533-6.’ What we are ~~ in any given experience or time ~~ is the combined result of what we have done about the ideals that we have set. 1549-1.”
Q: The goal of many people is to become wealthy or famous ~~ would that be their ideal?
A: “An ideal cannot, should not, will not, be what is man-made, but must be of the spiritual nature ~~ that has its foundation in Truth, in God. 262-11.”
Q: You mean it is up to us to select spiritual ideals?
A: “[An ideal] may be the continued reaching out [to others] of an individual, whether applied to the physical life, the mental life, or the spiritual life. 262-11.” (Footnote: As a practical matter, Cayce suggested compiling a list of ideals in three areas; physical, such as getting sufficient exercise; mental, reading or traveling to expand our understanding of the life of other people; and spiritual, such as offering daily prayers and assisting those less fortunate.)
“These experiences ~~ whether physical, mental, or spiritual ~~ [that] may be judged or from which conclusions may be drawn [about how we are living our lives]. Otherwise we are measuring ourselves by ourselves, and this becomes unwise. 954-5.’ There is one ideal ~~ that which manifests in the earth in the Christ-Jesus. That should be every entity’s ideal ~~ physically, mentally, and materially ~~ for, He is the light, He is the way, He is the truth. 2533-7.”
Q: Since ideals are acted on by the mind, do they help shape the development of the mind, or is the mind like a muscle that lifts or bends as need be but is buried and forgotten when our physical body dies?
A: “Know that life and mind are eternal . . . For as the mind and the life are a part of the eternal consciousness, then only constructive thought and activity may make for the better physical as well as mental development!
“The body is physical, mental, and spiritual. These are one, and they manifest in materiality through the activities of the body-mental and the body-physical. But if the body is fed only upon that which is temporal in its concept, in its activity [such as gaining wealth], then it must of itself become a burden sooner or later. For only that which is Good, that which is constructive, that which is true, that which is spiritual, can live ~~ or does live on and on! 1691-1.”
Q: What is the spiritual role that the mind plays?
A: “Mind, then, may function without a form or body. Hence we will give, at this particular portion of this [answer] . . . an outline of those conditions, experiences, or manifestations that may be hand by the mind irrespective of the body: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. How? The mind of God moved, and matter, form, came into being.
“Mind, then, in God, the Father, is the builder. How much more, then, would or should Mind be the builder in the experience of those that have put on Christ or God, in Him, in His coming into the earth? For as He has given, ‘Let that mind be in you which was in the Christ, who thought it not robbery to make Himself equal with God’, but living in materiality in the earth, in matter, as a body; but with the Mind, with the thought, with the manifestations of a Creative Force all together. 262-78.”
Q: Does the Mind influence our soul growth?
A: “What you think, what you put your Mind to work upon, to live upon, to feed upon, to live with, to abide with, to associate with in the mind, that your soul-body becomes! That is the law. This is the Destiny. That is as from the beginning, that each thought of the Creator bore within itself its own fruit as from the beginning. 262-78.”
Q: It’s a pretty horrible concept, that our thoughts just accumulate and are never deleted? Why is that?
A: “How does matter, how does the seed of the oak or of the grass or of the flower or of the tree or of the animal or of the man, find within itself that which impels propagates the species, the activative [life] force that moves on in its realm of activity in whatever sphere [any of the realms of the universe] it may find itself, giving expressions of that first thought of the Creative Forces? That is its Destiny , which the Easterners say was set in the first. But, as you see, this is only half a truth. For if the Mind dwells upon the spiritual things, then it follows that it becomes what it has dwelt upon, what it has lived upon, what it has made itself a portion of. But if the Mind dwells upon self-indulgence, self-aggrandizement, self-exaltation, selfishness in any of its forms, in any of its variations, then it has set itself at variance to that First Cause; and we have that entered in as from the beginning, that of making the will through the Mind at variance to [the] Creative Forces before it has come into matter, into the movements in matter that we know as physical, material, as those things that are of the earth ~~ earthy.
“Yet we find that law, the same law, applying throughout the universe. For what enabled man, or a mind, to first comprehend? . . . “So as you contemplate, as you meditate, as you look upon the Mind, know the Mind has many windows. And as you look out of your inner self, know where you are looking, you are seeking. What is your ideal? What would you have your mind-body to become? For that on which it feeds it becomes, either by thought, by assimilation, by activity . . . by atomic influence, by the very influence of its activity in whatever sphere that activity may be within. And in the material mind it is the same.
“Hence, as turning then to the physical Mind: This becomes necessary . . . for the application of the Mind, for the preparations for its activity in the material world. Yet these become so intermingled, so much a portion in the body and out of the body, that often one becomes in oneself. For it is oneself from one’s portion or activity of that first movement of Mind from the spiritual aspect or from the material aspect. 262-78.”
Q: Does the mind dictate to the soul, or the soul dictate to the mind?
A: “This de-ends upon the approach the individual makes to same. The Mind is both of the soul and of the material things. To clarify this, let’s give an example: A body-mind, through its own self, raises in the mental power that which is for the satisfying of the desires of the flesh, that may find their manifestations in power, in fame, in fortune, in the place of this, that or the other seen before men. This is applying the mind, holding to that attitude of ‘Lord, use me as thou sees fit’, you see; seeking only for the material manifestations which may hold that in perfect accord with what may be manifested through physical or material activities of the individual. Then the psychic forces [soul] are from those meetings within, not the aggrandizement of self or self’s attributes towards the material of the physical standards, but towards what is to be the activity of the spirit of truth [and such other fruits of the spirit as love and kindness] in Him. 531-4.”
Q: So, whatever we think is what we become at the level of our soul?
A: “The experiences of the entity in the earth become an influence . . . just as it is true that what you think you become, just as what you consume for the physical [whether it be a balance nutritious diet or a careless indulgence, say, in sweets or alcohol] produces such experience in your physical and mental life as related to the ideals, whether known or still latent. 1895-1.
“But if you are well-grounded in those tenets, in that truth which has been presented here for your own consideration, for your own application in your individual experience, then you may set many a mind aright; and let, and have, and see their lives becoming more and more constructive in their daily experience, with their fellow man and in relationships with those they meet day by day.
“For what is applicable to one is in the same relationship to self. For when those activities become such that the Mind of the individual, of the soul, finds itself expressing itself in the physical, in the mental, the body will take on what? Immortality! In the earth? Yes; reflecting same that it may bring what is as the tree of life in the garden, that its leaves are for the healings of the nations; that are the leaves that may fall from your lips, from your activities to your fellow man, in whatever sphere or realm of activity. Why? Because of your own self, because you are grounded in the water of life itself, as you grow upon those inflowings and outflowings of the spirit of Him that gave, ‘Let that mind be in you which is in me, that as I abide in the Father and you abide in me, we may be one with Him’, which is the Destiny of those that love His coming. 262-78.”
Q: Can’t we purge our minds or guard against the negative thoughts that tend to crowd in during the day?
A: “In whatever manner, that your own consciousness is a cleansing of the body and of the mind, that you may present yourself clean before yourself and before your God, do [it]! Whether washing of the body with water, purging of same with oils or surrounding same with music or incense. But do what your consciousness directs you! Not questioning [it]! For he that doubts [his conscience] has already built his barrier [to finding God’s way]!
“Then, meditate upon that which is your highest ideal within yourself, raise the vibrations from your lower self, your lower consciousness through the centers of your body to the temple of the mind, the brain, the you that is single in purpose; or to the glandular forces of the body as the single you. Then, listen~~listen! For it is not in the storm, not in the noise, but the still small voice that rises within.
“And let your query ever be: Here am I, oh God, use me ~~ send me! Do with me as thou seest! Not my will, but thine, oh God, be done in and through me.
“These are the manners [by which we should live]. Not that the things of the material mind are to be neglected, but remember this: It is the foolishness of God that is the wisdom of man. It is the wisdom of man misapplied that is the foolishness to God. 826-11.”
“Hence as these records or interpretations are given, it is the desire to give the entity a premise, an ideal, that it may answer to that search from within as to how to make this experience more worthwhile in this particular sojourn.
“Know that man, as has been expressed, was given dominion over all, and in the understanding of same may use all of the laws pertaining to same for his benefit. 1895-1.”
A favorite expression of Cayce’s is ‘Mind is the Builder’. It is his way of explaining that the way we use or focus our mind has lasting consequences. For thoughts are lasting things, not perishables that are easily dismissed. What we think eventually forms attitudes and leads to our behavior. In a word, what the mind dwells on shapes who and what we are, whether we are focused on gaining power, fame, and fortune or are more intent on serving our fellow humans.
The mind, he explains, is immortal and perpetuates the thought patterns that we have built. We can override our baser thoughts by meditating on our higher ideals and choosing the fruits of the spirit over the pleasures of materiality.
Q: The major distinction you make between the physical body and the soul, or soul-body, is that the one is temporary and the other permanent or eternal. But what about the mind? It is purely physical or is it part of our eternal spirit that survives after the death of the body?
A: ”This [answer], to be sure, will be as a portion or a lesson in itself, including Mind in relation to the varied attributes of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual bodies. Mind in itself, then, is both material and spiritual. That which finds itself expressed or manifested in material things is of the physical, for matter is an expression of spirit in motion to such a degree as to give the expressions in materiality.
“That which is expressed or manifested in spirit, without taking body or form, is of the spirit, yet may be manifested in experience of an individual [such as a communication from a deceased loved one] . . . the ideal must have its incepti9n in, from, and with that which is an unseen force, or in what we may worship as God. 262-78.”
Q: What do you mean by the ideal?
A: “Ideals are principles acted upon by your mind. 2533-6.’ What we are ~~ in any given experience or time ~~ is the combined result of what we have done about the ideals that we have set. 1549-1.”
Q: The goal of many people is to become wealthy or famous ~~ would that be their ideal?
A: “An ideal cannot, should not, will not, be what is man-made, but must be of the spiritual nature ~~ that has its foundation in Truth, in God. 262-11.”
Q: You mean it is up to us to select spiritual ideals?
A: “[An ideal] may be the continued reaching out [to others] of an individual, whether applied to the physical life, the mental life, or the spiritual life. 262-11.” (Footnote: As a practical matter, Cayce suggested compiling a list of ideals in three areas; physical, such as getting sufficient exercise; mental, reading or traveling to expand our understanding of the life of other people; and spiritual, such as offering daily prayers and assisting those less fortunate.)
“These experiences ~~ whether physical, mental, or spiritual ~~ [that] may be judged or from which conclusions may be drawn [about how we are living our lives]. Otherwise we are measuring ourselves by ourselves, and this becomes unwise. 954-5.’ There is one ideal ~~ that which manifests in the earth in the Christ-Jesus. That should be every entity’s ideal ~~ physically, mentally, and materially ~~ for, He is the light, He is the way, He is the truth. 2533-7.”
Q: Since ideals are acted on by the mind, do they help shape the development of the mind, or is the mind like a muscle that lifts or bends as need be but is buried and forgotten when our physical body dies?
A: “Know that life and mind are eternal . . . For as the mind and the life are a part of the eternal consciousness, then only constructive thought and activity may make for the better physical as well as mental development!
“The body is physical, mental, and spiritual. These are one, and they manifest in materiality through the activities of the body-mental and the body-physical. But if the body is fed only upon that which is temporal in its concept, in its activity [such as gaining wealth], then it must of itself become a burden sooner or later. For only that which is Good, that which is constructive, that which is true, that which is spiritual, can live ~~ or does live on and on! 1691-1.”
Q: What is the spiritual role that the mind plays?
A: “Mind, then, may function without a form or body. Hence we will give, at this particular portion of this [answer] . . . an outline of those conditions, experiences, or manifestations that may be hand by the mind irrespective of the body: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. How? The mind of God moved, and matter, form, came into being.
“Mind, then, in God, the Father, is the builder. How much more, then, would or should Mind be the builder in the experience of those that have put on Christ or God, in Him, in His coming into the earth? For as He has given, ‘Let that mind be in you which was in the Christ, who thought it not robbery to make Himself equal with God’, but living in materiality in the earth, in matter, as a body; but with the Mind, with the thought, with the manifestations of a Creative Force all together. 262-78.”
Q: Does the Mind influence our soul growth?
A: “What you think, what you put your Mind to work upon, to live upon, to feed upon, to live with, to abide with, to associate with in the mind, that your soul-body becomes! That is the law. This is the Destiny. That is as from the beginning, that each thought of the Creator bore within itself its own fruit as from the beginning. 262-78.”
Q: It’s a pretty horrible concept, that our thoughts just accumulate and are never deleted? Why is that?
A: “How does matter, how does the seed of the oak or of the grass or of the flower or of the tree or of the animal or of the man, find within itself that which impels propagates the species, the activative [life] force that moves on in its realm of activity in whatever sphere [any of the realms of the universe] it may find itself, giving expressions of that first thought of the Creative Forces? That is its Destiny , which the Easterners say was set in the first. But, as you see, this is only half a truth. For if the Mind dwells upon the spiritual things, then it follows that it becomes what it has dwelt upon, what it has lived upon, what it has made itself a portion of. But if the Mind dwells upon self-indulgence, self-aggrandizement, self-exaltation, selfishness in any of its forms, in any of its variations, then it has set itself at variance to that First Cause; and we have that entered in as from the beginning, that of making the will through the Mind at variance to [the] Creative Forces before it has come into matter, into the movements in matter that we know as physical, material, as those things that are of the earth ~~ earthy.
“Yet we find that law, the same law, applying throughout the universe. For what enabled man, or a mind, to first comprehend? . . . “So as you contemplate, as you meditate, as you look upon the Mind, know the Mind has many windows. And as you look out of your inner self, know where you are looking, you are seeking. What is your ideal? What would you have your mind-body to become? For that on which it feeds it becomes, either by thought, by assimilation, by activity . . . by atomic influence, by the very influence of its activity in whatever sphere that activity may be within. And in the material mind it is the same.
“Hence, as turning then to the physical Mind: This becomes necessary . . . for the application of the Mind, for the preparations for its activity in the material world. Yet these become so intermingled, so much a portion in the body and out of the body, that often one becomes in oneself. For it is oneself from one’s portion or activity of that first movement of Mind from the spiritual aspect or from the material aspect. 262-78.”
Q: Does the mind dictate to the soul, or the soul dictate to the mind?
A: “This de-ends upon the approach the individual makes to same. The Mind is both of the soul and of the material things. To clarify this, let’s give an example: A body-mind, through its own self, raises in the mental power that which is for the satisfying of the desires of the flesh, that may find their manifestations in power, in fame, in fortune, in the place of this, that or the other seen before men. This is applying the mind, holding to that attitude of ‘Lord, use me as thou sees fit’, you see; seeking only for the material manifestations which may hold that in perfect accord with what may be manifested through physical or material activities of the individual. Then the psychic forces [soul] are from those meetings within, not the aggrandizement of self or self’s attributes towards the material of the physical standards, but towards what is to be the activity of the spirit of truth [and such other fruits of the spirit as love and kindness] in Him. 531-4.”
Q: So, whatever we think is what we become at the level of our soul?
A: “The experiences of the entity in the earth become an influence . . . just as it is true that what you think you become, just as what you consume for the physical [whether it be a balance nutritious diet or a careless indulgence, say, in sweets or alcohol] produces such experience in your physical and mental life as related to the ideals, whether known or still latent. 1895-1.
“But if you are well-grounded in those tenets, in that truth which has been presented here for your own consideration, for your own application in your individual experience, then you may set many a mind aright; and let, and have, and see their lives becoming more and more constructive in their daily experience, with their fellow man and in relationships with those they meet day by day.
“For what is applicable to one is in the same relationship to self. For when those activities become such that the Mind of the individual, of the soul, finds itself expressing itself in the physical, in the mental, the body will take on what? Immortality! In the earth? Yes; reflecting same that it may bring what is as the tree of life in the garden, that its leaves are for the healings of the nations; that are the leaves that may fall from your lips, from your activities to your fellow man, in whatever sphere or realm of activity. Why? Because of your own self, because you are grounded in the water of life itself, as you grow upon those inflowings and outflowings of the spirit of Him that gave, ‘Let that mind be in you which is in me, that as I abide in the Father and you abide in me, we may be one with Him’, which is the Destiny of those that love His coming. 262-78.”
Q: Can’t we purge our minds or guard against the negative thoughts that tend to crowd in during the day?
A: “In whatever manner, that your own consciousness is a cleansing of the body and of the mind, that you may present yourself clean before yourself and before your God, do [it]! Whether washing of the body with water, purging of same with oils or surrounding same with music or incense. But do what your consciousness directs you! Not questioning [it]! For he that doubts [his conscience] has already built his barrier [to finding God’s way]!
“Then, meditate upon that which is your highest ideal within yourself, raise the vibrations from your lower self, your lower consciousness through the centers of your body to the temple of the mind, the brain, the you that is single in purpose; or to the glandular forces of the body as the single you. Then, listen~~listen! For it is not in the storm, not in the noise, but the still small voice that rises within.
“And let your query ever be: Here am I, oh God, use me ~~ send me! Do with me as thou seest! Not my will, but thine, oh God, be done in and through me.
“These are the manners [by which we should live]. Not that the things of the material mind are to be neglected, but remember this: It is the foolishness of God that is the wisdom of man. It is the wisdom of man misapplied that is the foolishness to God. 826-11.”
“Hence as these records or interpretations are given, it is the desire to give the entity a premise, an ideal, that it may answer to that search from within as to how to make this experience more worthwhile in this particular sojourn.
“Know that man, as has been expressed, was given dominion over all, and in the understanding of same may use all of the laws pertaining to same for his benefit. 1895-1.”
