Toward a Deeper Meditation. John Van Auken

a trident in one hand (power over negative forces), and his body is covered in ashes (indicating the need to die to physical gratifications in order to awaken to spiritual resources).

      In another reading, Cayce differentiates the Trinity, using the microcosm of our composition: body, mind, and soul (1747-5):

      1. Father-God is as the body, or the whole

      2. Mind is as the Christ, which is the way

      3. The Holy Spirit is as the soul, or—in material interpretation—purposes, hopes, desires

      In the macrocosm, these would likely be Father as the Cosmos, Son as the Universal Consciousness, and Holy Spirit as the motivative force driving the Universe.

      Returning to the microcosm, Cayce tries to help us grasp the difficult concept that physical life is a shadow of spiritual life. In this next reading, he develops this idea using Genesis (note: “these” refers to the parts of the Trinity):

      These, then, in self are a shadow of the spirit of the Creative Force. Thus the Father is as the body, the mind is as the Son, and the Soul is as the Holy Spirit. For it is eternal. It has ever been and ever will be, and it is the soul made in the image of the Creator, not merely the physical or mental being but with the attributes [of the Creator]. For, as is given in the beginning: God moved and said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, not the light of the sun, but rather that of which, through which, in which every soul had, has, and ever has its being. For in truth you live and love and have your being in Him. “These considerations, then, each in analyzing of self, each has its part in your own physical consciousness, yes.”

      5246-1

      In another reading, he approaches it this way (1158-12):

      Material things are the shadows of that which is spiritual in its essence. Now you experience that H₂0 is water—everywhere! Then water is water, and a part of the whole, with all the essential elements that make for the ability of manifestations in bringing life, in quenching the thirst. And it becomes active thus in whatever sphere or phase it finds itself; whether in the frigid, as ice; in the temperate, as water; or in that phase as steam. Yet everywhere—in every phase—its activities are the same!

      Our physical bodies are solid matter (ice), our mental and emotional bodies are fluid (liquid), and our soul/spirit bodies are cloud-like (vapor). All three are the same—water in different forms and conditions: solid, liquid, and vapor! The Water of Life is therefore in our bodies, minds, and souls. All are here with us.

      In readings 3143-1 and 5657-11, Cayce equates gaseous states with spiritual conditions and realms, noting that we came out of the gaseous condition (vapor) into matter (solid) and are now moving out of matter toward the more ethereal, vaporous, gaseous condition of spirit and soul.

      How do we become more conscious of the Spirit’s, the Holy Spirit’s, presence within us, within our little spirits? Cayce gives us the answer, a difficult answer. We may, on occasion, perceive the Spirit through our five physical senses, but the better way and therefore the one we must strive for is through “spiritual intuitive forces”: “It partakes of the spiritual intuitive forces as comes from close communion with the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter, the consciousness of the Christ.” (262-15)

      We need to budget time in our lives for this communion. From such communions come the all-important “spiritual intuitive forces.” But this won’t work if we simply attempt to talk to the Holy Spirit from our outer, conscious mind. We must learn to listen, I prefer feel, from our deep inner mind and heart, the Holy Spirit’s message. That is where true communion occurs.

      Here it is important to understand that Cayce taught that “Christ is not a man.” (991-1) Jesus is the man and Christ is the Spirit. The Christ Spirit was within Jesus, and even Jesus credited his gifts and wisdom to this Spirit in John 14 and 15.

      God’s spirit with us is the Emmanuel (literally, “God with us”) of the ancient prophecies. According to these prophecies, a messiah (literally, “anointed one”) was to be sent from God into the earth to awaken and bring salvation and resurrection to all souls. The disciple John begins his gospel with a poetic vision into the role and influence of this messiah. It begins, “In the beginning was the Word ….” Actually, in the original Greek, this text reads, “In the beginning was the Logos …” Logos means much more than the English term word. It means the divine, rational principle that governs and develops the universe. There is an incident in John’s gospel in which Jesus actually uses two Greek words for word, giving emphasis to the greater meaning behind logos. Jesus was in an argument with the Pharisees and scribes of the Temple and had made the famous statement, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (8:58). Of course, he is speaking from the perspective of the Logos, through which all was made and to which Jesus is attuned. Here is that statement (8:43): “Why do you not understand my word [lalian]? It is because you cannot hear my word [logon, a form of logos].” It is clear that Jesus is drawing a distinction between words that are in speech and the source of all expression, truth, and understanding, the Logos. Also, in the original Greek text, there is no masculine pronoun in the initial sentences of the passage; therefore the text actually reads:

      “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. This One was in the beginning with God. All things were made through this One. Without this One was not anything made that has been made. In this One was life; and the life was the light of humanity. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness does not apprehend it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John [the Baptist]. The same came as a witness, that he might bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness to the light. This was the true light, even the light that lights every person coming into the world. This One was in the world, and the world was made through this One, and the world knew him not. This One came to his own, and they that were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Logos became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld its glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

      This is such an inspired opening to the most mystical of the four gospels. But another gem behind this new understanding of “the Word” is in chapter 8:31. Here Jesus informs us that we can abide in the Logos, and thereby receive the truth directly and be made free: “If you abide in my Logos, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

      According to many religions, especially ancient Hinduism, the Maker put a little of Him/Herself in each us during the initial creation. This means that at a deep level, we are gods within God, little “I ams” within the great I AM. In this way, Jesus, at a deeper level, was also the “Son of God” and we are sons and daughters of God. As Jesus stated by quoting Psalm 62, “You are gods.” Like Jesus, we are both sons and daughters of “man” while, at the same time, sons and daughters of God. The human and the divine abide together in us. The great challenge is to integrate these two in the proper order. At present, most of us are humans who love spirituality. The goal is to become Spirits, Godly Spirits, who are temporarily manifesting in human form and consciousness. After the resurrection, Jesus withdrew into oneness with the Maker, but he said that we are channels of the Maker’s light and love into this world until he returns to lead a Golden Age.

      As Cayce has said in several readings, the flow of life and wisdom begins in the Spirit, flows into the mental, and then makes its presence visible in the physical—not the other way around, as we too often believe. Let’s first get in touch with the Spirit, through the Mind, and then our physical lives will change for the better and we’ll be able to do more good than if we did so on our own without the Spirit.

      Cayce makes this clear statement: “The Spirit is the true life.” (262-29)

      When we look around, we see multiplicity, diversity, and separateness. You are