existence and functioning of values and ideals, we can take a proactive approach to them.
Since choosing a spiritual ideal is the most important thing we can do, it may be helpful to understand how to identify a genuine ideal. In a purely philosophical sense, an ideal is a representation of perfection that may be beyond us in the present but is something we strive toward. For example, a circle, defined as all points equally distant from a center, exists perfectly only in mathematics. In real life, all circles only approximate the perfection of the ideal. Similarly, in our desire to invent the “perfect mousetrap,” it is the perfect that is the ideal which cannot be obtained, while any given mousetrap is a valid representative of the idea of a mousetrap. Pursuing an idea of happiness (“a happy marriage and a fulfilling career”) is different from living according to an ideal of happiness (“loving deeply, serving widely”). The first envisions a goal—a concrete, fixed end point. Whereas a goal is something attainable, in Cayce’s terminology, an ideal is really a motivating pattern that guides our lives. With a goal, there is no happiness until it is reached, while sometime afterwards the goal that was once so attractive loses its appeal. On the other hand, an ideal is never truly achieved. There is always room for improvement. The ideal motivates us to reach beyond our present grasp. With ideals, it’s the trying, not the fulfillment, that is the purpose.
When you can appreciate the spiritual creative power of an ideal, then you are ready to work with it as a purposeful map of the way you wish to live. Here we draw upon Cayce’s insight into the channel of creation, or the method by which energy is guided to produce manifestations. The “formula” he gave for it is, “Spirit is the life, mind is the builder, and the physical is the result.” Spirit is energy, while the mind patterns that energy to channel the manifested result. Here is how we can assemble the creative power of an ideal. Suppose you wish to grow into the ideal of “being in harmony with all life.” Begin to imagine how living according to that ideal would affect your attitude and behavior in various areas of your life. For example, how might this ideal affect us when at home with the family? What mental attitude toward home and family would naturally result from the spirit of harmony? Perhaps it would engender an attentive attitude of receptivity. And what types of behaviors might such an attitude generate? Careful listening and cooperation might be some ways to express the attitude of attentive receptivity. So there’s one example of completing the formula: the ideal of harmony at home inspires the attitude of attentive receptivity, which generates the behaviors of careful listening and cooperation. This same process can then be applied to the various areas of one’s life.
As another example, let’s imagine that I wanted to pick a spiritual ideal that embodied becoming more loving. I might visualize the most loving person I could ever think of—perhaps a spiritual figure like Mother Teresa, or Jesus, or Buddha, or an enlightened Being. I can imagine how it might feel to be around this Being, and even how this Being might interact with others. What kinds of thoughts would this Loving Being hold in mind? What might this Loving Being do if he or she was faced with the challenging situation or problem that I am dealing with right now? What affirmations or meditation verses would a Loving Being focus upon? As I imagine how an individual who embodies my spiritual ideal would respond to life, and I begin acting in that same manner, I am truly choosing and working with a spiritual ideal.
One practical approach suggested by the Cayce material for exploring your ideals is to create a chart. Take a piece of paper and draw three columns. Label the first column, “My spiritual ideal.” Label the middle column, “My mental attitudes,” and label the third, “My physical activities.” Using a previous example, if your spiritual ideal was “harmony” then what attitudes could you hold in mind that might best exemplify harmony? Certainly, harmony would be one, compassion might be another, understanding a third, personal surrender another, love another, and perhaps also oneness. The key is then to pick activities you can do for yourself and others that equate to each of the attitudes on your chart. For example, for the attitude of oneness, you might choose (for self) meditating on oneness. Conversely, for the attitude of understanding, you might choose trying to discover all of the things you have in common with someone with whom you are having challenges. Ultimately, you bring the spiritual ideal into manifestation by choosing attitudes and activities that can practice that ideal in daily life. For each person in your life, for each circumstance you face, you can create a row in your ideals chart to indicate as your ideal the spirit in which you wish to meet that area of life, the attitude such an ideal implies, and the desired behavior you plan to follow—behaviors for self and behaviors in response to others.
Creating an ideals chart not only is valuable because of the thoughtful work it requires, but also because it can become an object of contemplation. Repeatedly, the Cayce readings emphasized the power of the mind in creating the substance of an individual’s life. The oft-repeated quote, “Mind is the Builder” is especially important in working with ideals. You can readily survey the life you are building for yourself by the ideals you hold and the attitudes and behaviors they generate. Along the same lines, you can come to understand the type of person you are (and the life you are creating) in the process of becoming cognizant of the ideals that inspire you, the attitudes that are empowered by your ideals and your values, and the actions and activities that fill your day’s events. Taken together, it becomes clear why setting a spiritual ideal is the most important tool for growth and transformation that we have at our disposal.
7
Reincarnation and Everyday Life
THE EDGAR CAYCE READINGS PRESENT THE UNIQUE PREMISE THAT THE principal purpose for life in the earth is to bring spirit into the third dimension. Rather than escaping the earth, our job is to collectively bring divinity into the physical dimension. On a personal level, that goal is accomplished by undergoing a series of lifetimes in which each person eventually awakens to the individuality of the soul-self, comes to recognize the spirit within, and ultimately manifests unconditional love and enlightenment—just as the Creator intended. The universal laws of reincarnation and karma are the process through which each of us are able to experience “cause and effect” and the ramifications of each of our choices until the soul realizes that ultimately its desire is simply to manifest the soul’s oneness with God. From the premise of the Cayce material rather than being a “belief,” reincarnation is instead a verifiable process that enables the soul to come to know its true self and its ultimate relationship with God.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
