Post by WalksInSpirit on Jun 25, 2007 21:52:22 GMT -5
No Soul Left Behind Ch. I: 06-11-07
Chapter I - Purpose of Life
This material was taken from ‘No Soul Left Behind’, The Words and Wisdom of Edgar Cayce, Compiled and Edited by A. Robert Smith.
Why are we here? All of us, the entire human race, past, present and future?
Edgar Cayce had a belief system that offers a hopeful alternative to the agnostics, humanists and others who reject the idea of a Supreme Being, formulating their own explanation for human existence; as do the countless sects whose unorthodox beliefs fit no mold but their own. Too often, these diverse belief systems have led to bloodshed that violates most all creeds.
His belief system is rooted in the idea that the energizing spark of each one of us lies within our own soul. It is there that we are made in the image of God. Therefore, the story of humankind is what happens to the soul, here on earth and far beyond the grave, on its grand quest through this world to realms beyond. Cayce’s vision is more inclusive than exclusive and serves as a unifying agent for people of ALL or no faiths.
Humankind’s purpose, our destiny, he explains, is to become nothing less than companions of God. How we are to live our lives to realize this noble objective is set forth in the interviews that follow:
“Q: I’m going to ask you about the great mysteries ~~ about life and death and our destiny as individuals and as the human race, and whether we have a purpose here beyond ourselves. Let’s start with some basics: What is responsible for life itself?
“A: Life, or manifestation of that which is motion, is receiving its impulses from a First Cause. 254-67.”
“Q: What do you mean by the First Cause.
“A: That which has brought, is bringing, all life into being; or animation, or force, or power, or movement, or consciousness, on either the material plane, the mental plane, [or] the spiritual plane. Hence, it is the force that is called Lord, God, Jehovah, Yah, Abba, and the like. Hence the activity that is seen of any element in the material plane [such as the cycle of life seen in nature that stems from the planting of a seed] is a manifestation of that First Cause. 254-67.”
“Q: The First Cause, then, is the power of Deity at work in the universe on all levels, which manifests or shows up as the sunshine that makes crops grow, or the creative energy of the mind of people, or the power of love and other spiritual values. But since millions of people on earth recognize and worship different deities with different names, is there really only one?
“A: One force. 254-67.”
“Q: By One Force, do you mean One God?
“A: The Lord God is One. [There is but one deity.] Would that all souls could, would, comprehend that great sentence . . . . [It] is the motivating force in all who seek. Not in all who impel, but in all who seek to live, who seek to manifest, who seek to give expression of God’s force or power. 2067-1. . . . Man is ever in that field of being a channel, an emissary, for that [whom] he worships as his god. May that god ever be the Lord, God or Hosts ~~ His name is One. 442-1.”
“Q: Why were we created in the first place?
“A: God’s desire for companionship and expression. 5749-14.”
“Q: Did God achieve that objective?
“A: All souls in the beginning were one with the Father. The separation or turning away brought Evil. 262-56.”
“Q: When did the turning away happen ~~ in the Garden of Eden?
“A: Separation began before there appeared what we know as the earth, the heavens; or before space was manifested. 262-115.”
“Q: Why did God allow man this much freedom?
“A: That he [man] may know himself, to be himself and yet one with the Father; separate, yet as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, so the body, the mind, the soul of an entity may also be at-one with the First Cause. 815-7.”
“Q: This, I take it, is what is often called ‘the fall of man’. Was this inevitable in the destiny of souls, or was it something that God did not want but did not prevent once He gave man free will?
“A: He did not prevent it, once having given free will. For, He made the individual entities or souls in the beginning. For the beginnings of sin, of course, were in seeking expression of themselves outside of the plan or the way in which God had expressed same. Thus it was the individual, see? Having given free will, then, though having the foreknowledge, though being omnipotent and omnipresent it is only when the soul that is a portion of God chooses that God knows the end thereof. 5749-14.”
“Q: If this was the ‘original sin’, what was sinful about it?
“A: All forms of sin or lessons may be implied in the word selfishness. 815-7.”
“Q: When God created souls, was it originally intended that souls remain in a spiritual form rather than take on a physical form in the earth?
“A: The earth and its manifestations were only the expression of God and not necessarily as a place of tenancy for the souls of men . . . The problem here is to reconcile the omniscience of God and His knowledge of all things with the free will of the soul and the soul’s fall from grace. [We must accept that God knew what would happen by granting free will to all souls, and yet gave them the privilege of choosing their way in the world.] 5749-14.”
“Q: The experience of the human race has been terribly violent. Wars and lesser conflicts often begin between people of different religions who hate or can’t accept the faith and practices of their neighbors. What do you say to people on either side in such conflicts, Arabs and Jews, or Protestants and Catholics?
“A: The first lesson [you give then] for six months should be [the principle of] ONE ~~ One ~~ One ~~ One; oneness of God, oneness of man’s relationship to God], oneness of force, oneness of time, oneness of purpose, oneness in every effort ~~ oneness, oneness. 900-429.”
“Q: You say oneness of purpose ~~ that is, all people have the same purpose ~~ but is there no room for individuality, each of us finding a personal purpose that is special for us?
“A: Know that the Creative Energy called God may be as personal as an individual will allow . . . for the Spirit is in the image of the Creative Forces [God] and seeks manifestation [expression]. It may take that personality, that personal activity that will be allowed by the individual itself; for we are co-laborers, co-creators with that energy we call God, that energy we call universal Forces. While this may appear to be the Whole, if we will understand that ‘the Lord thy God is One’ (Mark 12:29) and all power, all force emanates from that One Source, we will get an understanding of ourselves and our abilities [as we work in tandem with God, such as the gardener who cultivates the soil and plants the seeds so that God can transform them into a crop]. 391-4.”
“Q: So, what is the purpose that we all have?
“A: The purposes, the import of the earthly sojourn of each soul, is to meet self, to overcome those weaknesses in self, and become more and more adaptable to spiritual truths [such as kindness and generosity] that are a part of each and every entity. For what gain is there in the experience of a soul [that seeks] to gain the world in fame, in fortune, in social relationships, and [manages] to lose self’s own soul? For the soul is continuous. Life is in constructive forces [that serve humankind] or what you call God. 1362-1.”
“Q: In our society, it’s hard to ignore the pressures for success in our chosen field and financial gains to support a family when so much emphasis is given these objectives. Many people would regard it as a big step backward if we abandoned such goals, as though we were reverting to a pastoral, more primitive society. I’m afraid it would cause much turmoil. What’s our alternative?
“A: Then to manifest patience, as well as persistence, to manifest brotherly love, to manifest long-suffering when there is known that the ideal and the purpose is right, is building that which is the schooling, the training, the qualifying for closer walks with God.
“So until each soul, each entity, knows those closer walks, there must be, there is, turmoil in the experience of every soul; more and more mental, more and more material turmoil. But to be at peace, to be in harmony with constructive, creative forces, is to know Him that is the way, that is life; and in Him you live and move and have your being! 1362-1.”
“Q: That presupposes a faith or belief in God. What about the many people who claim to have no such faith or who simply believe in nature?
“A: Each individual is, in reality, that manifestation of the individual’s conception of the impelling force from within, whether it be termed or called God, nature, Universal Forces, natural powers, or what not. 900-234.”
“Q: In other words, it doesn’t matter what you call the Power that gives life to all of us, and to animals and plants, even the nonbeliever can’t deny the Deity’s existence without denying life itself?
“A: Life is, in all its manifestations in every animate force, [the] Creative Forces in action. 262-46.”
“Q: If the Creative Forces is another name for God, would it be fair to say that our individual creative efforts, such as the work of a poet or a painter, are a manifestation of the God force in these artists?
“A: Life is creative and is the manifestation of that energy, that oneness, which may never be wholly discerned or discovered in materiality [if we don’t allow time for such creative pursuits as the arts in our daily life] ~~ and yet is the basis of all motivating forces and influences in the experiences of an individual. 2012-1.”
“Q: I see your point, that creativity is not limited to artists, for surely the birth of a child is the most profound creative act, or evidence of the Creative Forces. And life itself is creative. But what is Life?
“A: And what is life? God manifested in the material plane. For it is still in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Thus life as a material manifestation is the expression of that Universal Force or Energy we call God. 3590-1 Life, as a whole, is a continuous thing emanating from power, energy, God-consciousness, ever. 1471-1.’ [Life is God] in power, in might, in the awareness of the strength needed to meet every problem day by day. 3161-1.”
“Q: I understand that it is everlasting and that it comes from God, but what is this energy that makes the difference between what is alive and what is lifeless?
“A: All energy is electrical in its activity in a manifested form. 735-1.’ Life in its manifestations is vibration. Electricity is vibration. 1861-16.’ The vibratory force is the active principle [that] all radiates from. 195-54.’ Electricity or vibration is that same energy, same power, you call God. Not that God is an electric light or an electric machine, but vibration that is creative is of the same energy as life itself. 2828-4.’ All power, all force, is a manifestation of what is termed the God-consciousness. 601-11.”
“Q: You say that God wants us to recognize our oneness, as though we were one big family. Is that our only purpose?
“A: God seeks all to be one with Him. And as all things were made by Him, that which is the creative influence in every herb, every mineral, every vegetable, every individual activity, is that same force you call God ~~ and [He] seeks expression! Even as when God said: ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. 294-202.”
“Q: But aren’t we often influenced, even directed, by other people or the special circumstances of our lives that we did not create, such as growing up in a crime-infested urban ghetto or in a friendly small town?
“A: As to whether circumstances or environs [are] to rule an entity’s being or experience, or will, depends then the most upon what the entity or soul sets as its standard of qualifications [such as high or low ideals] to meet or measure up to, within its own self; or as to how well self may be guided by its standard in making decisions in those directions. 590-1.’
“Each entity is endowed with its choice. And the choice is the result of the application of self in relationships to its ideal ~~ and finds manifestation in what individuals call habit, or subconscious activity. Yet it has its inception in that of choice. 830-2.’
“There is that within self that is creative; and it, that creative force, cooperating with the Divine without, will lead to the choice of that which is life. And when the choice is made, then there may be a vision, astrologically and otherwise, of what end [purpose] thereof is. But each soul is given the birthright of the ability to choose ~~ under any environment, circumstance, any experience. 1580-1.”
“Q: Young people are often led astray by poor choices in companions whom they may chance to meet in school, at work, or on the street. Or they may chance to be inspired by an uplifting person. Isn’t that the chance we parents have to live with?
“A: No association or experience is by chance, but is the outgrowth of a [universal] law, spiritual, mental, or material. 2753-2.’ There is nothing by chance. Friendships are only the renewing of former purposes, ideals. 2946-2.’ Each individual constantly meets [him or her] self {we are drawn to situations that reflect our current values}. There are no coincidences, or accidents, that arise in the meeting of people or individuals. 2074-1.’ Nothing is by chance, but is . . . a patter of . . . the choices made by the entity in its relationships to things, conditions, and . . . entities. 1825-1.”
“Q: But we meet so many people who influence us for better or for worse.
“A: We meet few people by chance, but all are opportunities in one experience or another. We are due them or they are due us certain considerations. 3246-1.”
“Q: You mean there is some purpose to be served by each encounter?
“A: Each entity enters a material experience for a purpose, not accidentally, not by chance. But life and its expressions are purposeful. 1792-2.”
“Q: I suppose we can learn something from every experience, and if our purpose is to become wiser, each encounter helps. But what is the purpose of life itself other than, as you said earlier, to acknowledge God?
“A: The purposes for which each soul enters materiality are that is may become aware of its relationship to the Creative Forces or God. 1567-2.’ The purposes for each soul’s experience in materiality [in the physical world] are that the Book of Remembrance may be opened that the soul may know its relationship to its Maker. Footnote: (In an attempt to explain fourth-dimensional or spiritual experiences such as this, Cayce often uses metaphors that employ three-dimensional objects that we might readily visualize, such as a book. Both sentences in this response suggest the same thing about the soul’s purpose on earth, only one introduces the metaphor Book of Remembrances, meaning that the soul needs to remember its connection to God.) 1215-4.”
“Q: Wasn’t that relationship defined by Jesus when he referred to God as the Father in Heaven? From that there seems a widespread belief, at least among His followers, that we are all God’s children. But is our purpose simply to be worshipful children?
“A: The entering of every soul is that it, the soul, may become more aware or conscious of the Divine within, that the soul-body may be purged [or material addictions or other destructive ways] that it may be a fit companion for the glory of the Creative Forces. 518-2.”
“Q: Beyond recognizing that God exists, if there is more to our purpose in this life, how does one fulfill it?
“A: By the material manifestation of the things thought, said, (and) done, in relation to its fellow man. 1567-2.’
“Little by little does one come to the understanding of the purpose for which they came into the earth. [Rising to meet that] purpose is of the making of the individual, plus that given in the beginning, and as souls seek[ing] the Father, in that companionship that one may have through communion with Him ~~and communion with Him means doing not shutting self away from your brother, from your neighbor, even from yourself ~~rather applying self to duties material, mental, and spiritual, as is known. 99-8.’
“The whole of the experience of an individual entity in a material plane is the coordinating and cooperation of [the] Creative Forces from without [the influence of God] to the divine [spark] within [the soul]. 1158-8”
“Q: You speak of ‘communion with God’ and ‘companionship’ with Him as our destiny. Now can we as fallible people ever hope to reach that lofty goal?
“A: The purposes, the import of the earthly sojourn . . . is to meet self, to overcome those weaknesses in self, and [to] become more and more adaptable to the spiritual truths that are a part of each and every entity. 1362—1 Each sojourn or indwelling may be compared to what you have in your mental experience as a lesson, as a schooling for the purposes for which each soul-entity enters in earth experience; and why an entity under such environments came into that experience. Each study of each lesson then adds some phase of development for the soul. 1158-5.”
“Q: It seems an overwhelming task to overcome our own weaknesses, and yet you believe that life gives us a chance, an opportunity to grow spiritually?
“A: Through the physical body the soul has an opportunity to express the attainments developed in other spheres of consciousness [on the other side]. Life in the earth becomes an opportunity for paralleling, correlating, cooperating, [and] bringing into existence the effects of using all experience presented for the development of the soul. 262-50.”
“Q: How can we become wise enough to avoid bad choices?
“A: Wisdom then is the divine love [of God] made manifest [expresses] in your daily conversation, your daily avocation, your daily acts as one to another [living a God-centered rather than a self-centered life]. THIS is Wisdom. This as you apply, this as you make known in your conversation, in your acts, will become more and more part and parcel of your very self. And though the earth may make for the calls [tempt us] for what is satisfying of the moment, the glorifying of self, the exalting of self ~~ if you have the divine love you will find that in the application of your Knowledge, your Wisdom, the glory of the Christ is brought forth in your conversation, your daily life, your daily activity among your fellow men. Choose then this day whom you will serve: The Lord holy and righteous, or the self who is weak and unworthy of the love unless you show forth His Love as you have seen in your experiences [with those who love you], to your fellow man. 262-104.”
“Q: It is breathtaking to think that we might one day be companions with God.
“A: Remember, you are corpuscles in the body of God, each with a duty, a function to perform if the world would be better for you having lived in it, and this is your purpose in the earth. 3481-2.”
“Q: In other words, our primary purpose is to learn to love our neighbor. And no matter what else we do with our creative gifts, we fulfill our purpose to the extent that we devote ourselves to the service of our brothers and sisters.
“A: Know that the purpose for which each soul enters a material [earthy] experience is that it may be a light unto others. 641-6.”
This material was taken from ‘No Soul Left Behind’, The Words and Wisdom of Edgar Cayce, Compiled and Edited by A. Robert Smith.
Why are we here? All of us, the entire human race, past, present and future?
Edgar Cayce had a belief system that offers a hopeful alternative to the agnostics, humanists and others who reject the idea of a Supreme Being, formulating their own explanation for human existence; as do the countless sects whose unorthodox beliefs fit no mold but their own. Too often, these diverse belief systems have led to bloodshed that violates most all creeds.
His belief system is rooted in the idea that the energizing spark of each one of us lies within our own soul. It is there that we are made in the image of God. Therefore, the story of humankind is what happens to the soul, here on earth and far beyond the grave, on its grand quest through this world to realms beyond. Cayce’s vision is more inclusive than exclusive and serves as a unifying agent for people of ALL or no faiths.
Humankind’s purpose, our destiny, he explains, is to become nothing less than companions of God. How we are to live our lives to realize this noble objective is set forth in the interviews that follow:
“Q: I’m going to ask you about the great mysteries ~~ about life and death and our destiny as individuals and as the human race, and whether we have a purpose here beyond ourselves. Let’s start with some basics: What is responsible for life itself?
“A: Life, or manifestation of that which is motion, is receiving its impulses from a First Cause. 254-67.”
“Q: What do you mean by the First Cause.
“A: That which has brought, is bringing, all life into being; or animation, or force, or power, or movement, or consciousness, on either the material plane, the mental plane, [or] the spiritual plane. Hence, it is the force that is called Lord, God, Jehovah, Yah, Abba, and the like. Hence the activity that is seen of any element in the material plane [such as the cycle of life seen in nature that stems from the planting of a seed] is a manifestation of that First Cause. 254-67.”
“Q: The First Cause, then, is the power of Deity at work in the universe on all levels, which manifests or shows up as the sunshine that makes crops grow, or the creative energy of the mind of people, or the power of love and other spiritual values. But since millions of people on earth recognize and worship different deities with different names, is there really only one?
“A: One force. 254-67.”
“Q: By One Force, do you mean One God?
“A: The Lord God is One. [There is but one deity.] Would that all souls could, would, comprehend that great sentence . . . . [It] is the motivating force in all who seek. Not in all who impel, but in all who seek to live, who seek to manifest, who seek to give expression of God’s force or power. 2067-1. . . . Man is ever in that field of being a channel, an emissary, for that [whom] he worships as his god. May that god ever be the Lord, God or Hosts ~~ His name is One. 442-1.”
“Q: Why were we created in the first place?
“A: God’s desire for companionship and expression. 5749-14.”
“Q: Did God achieve that objective?
“A: All souls in the beginning were one with the Father. The separation or turning away brought Evil. 262-56.”
“Q: When did the turning away happen ~~ in the Garden of Eden?
“A: Separation began before there appeared what we know as the earth, the heavens; or before space was manifested. 262-115.”
“Q: Why did God allow man this much freedom?
“A: That he [man] may know himself, to be himself and yet one with the Father; separate, yet as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, so the body, the mind, the soul of an entity may also be at-one with the First Cause. 815-7.”
“Q: This, I take it, is what is often called ‘the fall of man’. Was this inevitable in the destiny of souls, or was it something that God did not want but did not prevent once He gave man free will?
“A: He did not prevent it, once having given free will. For, He made the individual entities or souls in the beginning. For the beginnings of sin, of course, were in seeking expression of themselves outside of the plan or the way in which God had expressed same. Thus it was the individual, see? Having given free will, then, though having the foreknowledge, though being omnipotent and omnipresent it is only when the soul that is a portion of God chooses that God knows the end thereof. 5749-14.”
“Q: If this was the ‘original sin’, what was sinful about it?
“A: All forms of sin or lessons may be implied in the word selfishness. 815-7.”
“Q: When God created souls, was it originally intended that souls remain in a spiritual form rather than take on a physical form in the earth?
“A: The earth and its manifestations were only the expression of God and not necessarily as a place of tenancy for the souls of men . . . The problem here is to reconcile the omniscience of God and His knowledge of all things with the free will of the soul and the soul’s fall from grace. [We must accept that God knew what would happen by granting free will to all souls, and yet gave them the privilege of choosing their way in the world.] 5749-14.”
“Q: The experience of the human race has been terribly violent. Wars and lesser conflicts often begin between people of different religions who hate or can’t accept the faith and practices of their neighbors. What do you say to people on either side in such conflicts, Arabs and Jews, or Protestants and Catholics?
“A: The first lesson [you give then] for six months should be [the principle of] ONE ~~ One ~~ One ~~ One; oneness of God, oneness of man’s relationship to God], oneness of force, oneness of time, oneness of purpose, oneness in every effort ~~ oneness, oneness. 900-429.”
“Q: You say oneness of purpose ~~ that is, all people have the same purpose ~~ but is there no room for individuality, each of us finding a personal purpose that is special for us?
“A: Know that the Creative Energy called God may be as personal as an individual will allow . . . for the Spirit is in the image of the Creative Forces [God] and seeks manifestation [expression]. It may take that personality, that personal activity that will be allowed by the individual itself; for we are co-laborers, co-creators with that energy we call God, that energy we call universal Forces. While this may appear to be the Whole, if we will understand that ‘the Lord thy God is One’ (Mark 12:29) and all power, all force emanates from that One Source, we will get an understanding of ourselves and our abilities [as we work in tandem with God, such as the gardener who cultivates the soil and plants the seeds so that God can transform them into a crop]. 391-4.”
“Q: So, what is the purpose that we all have?
“A: The purposes, the import of the earthly sojourn of each soul, is to meet self, to overcome those weaknesses in self, and become more and more adaptable to spiritual truths [such as kindness and generosity] that are a part of each and every entity. For what gain is there in the experience of a soul [that seeks] to gain the world in fame, in fortune, in social relationships, and [manages] to lose self’s own soul? For the soul is continuous. Life is in constructive forces [that serve humankind] or what you call God. 1362-1.”
“Q: In our society, it’s hard to ignore the pressures for success in our chosen field and financial gains to support a family when so much emphasis is given these objectives. Many people would regard it as a big step backward if we abandoned such goals, as though we were reverting to a pastoral, more primitive society. I’m afraid it would cause much turmoil. What’s our alternative?
“A: Then to manifest patience, as well as persistence, to manifest brotherly love, to manifest long-suffering when there is known that the ideal and the purpose is right, is building that which is the schooling, the training, the qualifying for closer walks with God.
“So until each soul, each entity, knows those closer walks, there must be, there is, turmoil in the experience of every soul; more and more mental, more and more material turmoil. But to be at peace, to be in harmony with constructive, creative forces, is to know Him that is the way, that is life; and in Him you live and move and have your being! 1362-1.”
“Q: That presupposes a faith or belief in God. What about the many people who claim to have no such faith or who simply believe in nature?
“A: Each individual is, in reality, that manifestation of the individual’s conception of the impelling force from within, whether it be termed or called God, nature, Universal Forces, natural powers, or what not. 900-234.”
“Q: In other words, it doesn’t matter what you call the Power that gives life to all of us, and to animals and plants, even the nonbeliever can’t deny the Deity’s existence without denying life itself?
“A: Life is, in all its manifestations in every animate force, [the] Creative Forces in action. 262-46.”
“Q: If the Creative Forces is another name for God, would it be fair to say that our individual creative efforts, such as the work of a poet or a painter, are a manifestation of the God force in these artists?
“A: Life is creative and is the manifestation of that energy, that oneness, which may never be wholly discerned or discovered in materiality [if we don’t allow time for such creative pursuits as the arts in our daily life] ~~ and yet is the basis of all motivating forces and influences in the experiences of an individual. 2012-1.”
“Q: I see your point, that creativity is not limited to artists, for surely the birth of a child is the most profound creative act, or evidence of the Creative Forces. And life itself is creative. But what is Life?
“A: And what is life? God manifested in the material plane. For it is still in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Thus life as a material manifestation is the expression of that Universal Force or Energy we call God. 3590-1 Life, as a whole, is a continuous thing emanating from power, energy, God-consciousness, ever. 1471-1.’ [Life is God] in power, in might, in the awareness of the strength needed to meet every problem day by day. 3161-1.”
“Q: I understand that it is everlasting and that it comes from God, but what is this energy that makes the difference between what is alive and what is lifeless?
“A: All energy is electrical in its activity in a manifested form. 735-1.’ Life in its manifestations is vibration. Electricity is vibration. 1861-16.’ The vibratory force is the active principle [that] all radiates from. 195-54.’ Electricity or vibration is that same energy, same power, you call God. Not that God is an electric light or an electric machine, but vibration that is creative is of the same energy as life itself. 2828-4.’ All power, all force, is a manifestation of what is termed the God-consciousness. 601-11.”
“Q: You say that God wants us to recognize our oneness, as though we were one big family. Is that our only purpose?
“A: God seeks all to be one with Him. And as all things were made by Him, that which is the creative influence in every herb, every mineral, every vegetable, every individual activity, is that same force you call God ~~ and [He] seeks expression! Even as when God said: ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. 294-202.”
“Q: But aren’t we often influenced, even directed, by other people or the special circumstances of our lives that we did not create, such as growing up in a crime-infested urban ghetto or in a friendly small town?
“A: As to whether circumstances or environs [are] to rule an entity’s being or experience, or will, depends then the most upon what the entity or soul sets as its standard of qualifications [such as high or low ideals] to meet or measure up to, within its own self; or as to how well self may be guided by its standard in making decisions in those directions. 590-1.’
“Each entity is endowed with its choice. And the choice is the result of the application of self in relationships to its ideal ~~ and finds manifestation in what individuals call habit, or subconscious activity. Yet it has its inception in that of choice. 830-2.’
“There is that within self that is creative; and it, that creative force, cooperating with the Divine without, will lead to the choice of that which is life. And when the choice is made, then there may be a vision, astrologically and otherwise, of what end [purpose] thereof is. But each soul is given the birthright of the ability to choose ~~ under any environment, circumstance, any experience. 1580-1.”
“Q: Young people are often led astray by poor choices in companions whom they may chance to meet in school, at work, or on the street. Or they may chance to be inspired by an uplifting person. Isn’t that the chance we parents have to live with?
“A: No association or experience is by chance, but is the outgrowth of a [universal] law, spiritual, mental, or material. 2753-2.’ There is nothing by chance. Friendships are only the renewing of former purposes, ideals. 2946-2.’ Each individual constantly meets [him or her] self {we are drawn to situations that reflect our current values}. There are no coincidences, or accidents, that arise in the meeting of people or individuals. 2074-1.’ Nothing is by chance, but is . . . a patter of . . . the choices made by the entity in its relationships to things, conditions, and . . . entities. 1825-1.”
“Q: But we meet so many people who influence us for better or for worse.
“A: We meet few people by chance, but all are opportunities in one experience or another. We are due them or they are due us certain considerations. 3246-1.”
“Q: You mean there is some purpose to be served by each encounter?
“A: Each entity enters a material experience for a purpose, not accidentally, not by chance. But life and its expressions are purposeful. 1792-2.”
“Q: I suppose we can learn something from every experience, and if our purpose is to become wiser, each encounter helps. But what is the purpose of life itself other than, as you said earlier, to acknowledge God?
“A: The purposes for which each soul enters materiality are that is may become aware of its relationship to the Creative Forces or God. 1567-2.’ The purposes for each soul’s experience in materiality [in the physical world] are that the Book of Remembrance may be opened that the soul may know its relationship to its Maker. Footnote: (In an attempt to explain fourth-dimensional or spiritual experiences such as this, Cayce often uses metaphors that employ three-dimensional objects that we might readily visualize, such as a book. Both sentences in this response suggest the same thing about the soul’s purpose on earth, only one introduces the metaphor Book of Remembrances, meaning that the soul needs to remember its connection to God.) 1215-4.”
“Q: Wasn’t that relationship defined by Jesus when he referred to God as the Father in Heaven? From that there seems a widespread belief, at least among His followers, that we are all God’s children. But is our purpose simply to be worshipful children?
“A: The entering of every soul is that it, the soul, may become more aware or conscious of the Divine within, that the soul-body may be purged [or material addictions or other destructive ways] that it may be a fit companion for the glory of the Creative Forces. 518-2.”
“Q: Beyond recognizing that God exists, if there is more to our purpose in this life, how does one fulfill it?
“A: By the material manifestation of the things thought, said, (and) done, in relation to its fellow man. 1567-2.’
“Little by little does one come to the understanding of the purpose for which they came into the earth. [Rising to meet that] purpose is of the making of the individual, plus that given in the beginning, and as souls seek[ing] the Father, in that companionship that one may have through communion with Him ~~and communion with Him means doing not shutting self away from your brother, from your neighbor, even from yourself ~~rather applying self to duties material, mental, and spiritual, as is known. 99-8.’
“The whole of the experience of an individual entity in a material plane is the coordinating and cooperation of [the] Creative Forces from without [the influence of God] to the divine [spark] within [the soul]. 1158-8”
“Q: You speak of ‘communion with God’ and ‘companionship’ with Him as our destiny. Now can we as fallible people ever hope to reach that lofty goal?
“A: The purposes, the import of the earthly sojourn . . . is to meet self, to overcome those weaknesses in self, and [to] become more and more adaptable to the spiritual truths that are a part of each and every entity. 1362—1 Each sojourn or indwelling may be compared to what you have in your mental experience as a lesson, as a schooling for the purposes for which each soul-entity enters in earth experience; and why an entity under such environments came into that experience. Each study of each lesson then adds some phase of development for the soul. 1158-5.”
“Q: It seems an overwhelming task to overcome our own weaknesses, and yet you believe that life gives us a chance, an opportunity to grow spiritually?
“A: Through the physical body the soul has an opportunity to express the attainments developed in other spheres of consciousness [on the other side]. Life in the earth becomes an opportunity for paralleling, correlating, cooperating, [and] bringing into existence the effects of using all experience presented for the development of the soul. 262-50.”
“Q: How can we become wise enough to avoid bad choices?
“A: Wisdom then is the divine love [of God] made manifest [expresses] in your daily conversation, your daily avocation, your daily acts as one to another [living a God-centered rather than a self-centered life]. THIS is Wisdom. This as you apply, this as you make known in your conversation, in your acts, will become more and more part and parcel of your very self. And though the earth may make for the calls [tempt us] for what is satisfying of the moment, the glorifying of self, the exalting of self ~~ if you have the divine love you will find that in the application of your Knowledge, your Wisdom, the glory of the Christ is brought forth in your conversation, your daily life, your daily activity among your fellow men. Choose then this day whom you will serve: The Lord holy and righteous, or the self who is weak and unworthy of the love unless you show forth His Love as you have seen in your experiences [with those who love you], to your fellow man. 262-104.”
“Q: It is breathtaking to think that we might one day be companions with God.
“A: Remember, you are corpuscles in the body of God, each with a duty, a function to perform if the world would be better for you having lived in it, and this is your purpose in the earth. 3481-2.”
“Q: In other words, our primary purpose is to learn to love our neighbor. And no matter what else we do with our creative gifts, we fulfill our purpose to the extent that we devote ourselves to the service of our brothers and sisters.
“A: Know that the purpose for which each soul enters a material [earthy] experience is that it may be a light unto others. 641-6.”
