This psychic reading given by Edgar Cayce at the Edmonds' home on Pennsylvania Ave., Norfolk, Va., this 25th day of August, 1935, requested by those present.

Present: Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. Esther Wynne, Hannah & Noah Miller, Florence & Edith Edmonds, Frances Y. Morrow, Hugh Lynn Cayce, Helen Ellington, Ruth LeNoir and a visitor, Dorothy L. Wright.

TEXT

1. GC: You will have before you the Norfolk Study Group #1, members of which are present here, and their work of the lesson Destiny. You will continue the discourse on the section, Destiny of the Body. You will answer the questions that may be submitted.
2. EC: Yes, we have the group as gathered here, as a group, as individuals; and their work on the lesson Destiny.
3. Following those suggestions that have been made, you each should present yourselves as channels of blessings to others; in that others may receive a better concept of the necessity of presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice, as a living example. Each should understand that sacrifice does not necessarily mean a giving up; rather a glorifying of the body for a definite purpose, for an intermediary, for an ideal, for a love. Along this line should the idea be, rather than that there should be a refraining from this or that. The choice must be made as to the purposefulness for which the activity is to be; and in keeping with what has been presented, that the bodies ARE the temples of the living God. So, the activity should be such that the self, the ego, the I AM would present same to the God, the Father, the Universal Influence, the Creative Energy, the I AM THAT I AM, in such measures and manners as to be a glorifying of that the body, the entity, the soul would present as its portion of the whole. Thus may you each of this group, in presenting your experiences through the application of that which has been given, make for those ways, means and manners in which others, seeing, knowing, hearing, may take the initiative necessary for the awakening of THEIR own purposefulness in any given experience; that may make for the turning of hate to love, the turning from strife to a purposefulness towards peacefulness that may bring to all mankind - at THIS time - that necessary in the influence of all. For thoughts as they run have their activity in the experiences of all, and thus create the environ, the atmosphere of thought upon which those who are active in their various spheres of experience and of expression must draw for that which will be a portion of the motivative influence in their experience.
4. Thus may you each here contribute of yourselves through your expressions in those thoughts presented in this lesson, the Destiny of the Body; and that which has been presented should be sufficient at this time for not only the completing but for the presenting of that which has been the experience. For as given, seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For the spirit is willing, flesh IS weak. But if ye glorify that flesh, that body, in the service of the Spirit of Truth, that Truth may indeed quicken same; and may it not be glorified before thy brethren? Ready for questions.
5. (Q) Was the Apostles' Creed man-made or inspired?
   (A) What is inspiration? From the standpoint of the seeker (for all haven't sought this), it was man-made. From the standpoint of many another present, it was the interpretation prompted by the inspiration to make a united effort in the purposefulness of one line of thought.
   To be sure, this answers to some and to others does not.
   The Apostles' Creed as presented, to be sure, as would be judged by those who are orthodox, is inspirational; and comes from those sources that to many a man are considered authoritative.
   As to the experiences of the apostles themselves, this - to be sure - was created or put together some ninety-seven, yes a hundred and sixteen years later than the last of their activities; yet it was the expression that came from the activities. The belief of all the twelve apostles? No, not as written; but the experience in the minds and hearts and souls of many who sought as best they understood to present a solid front, with each naming that for which he stood in his own life.
   Most of these expressions presented in the Creed may be the experience of each and every soul. And to no soul does any expression become a portion of self until experienced; EXPERIENCED by the soul! Many may find here and there a word, a phrase, a sentence, a line that answers to something because it has been the experience or is the answer to a longing that has not yet been satisfied wholly. For until there is an answer that to the soul is the JUSTIFICATION of that which is THOUGHT, it is not even a good axiom to the soul!
6. (Q) With whose spirit, mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, would we commune; with ourselves or God's?
   (A) Within ourselves to God. For, as intimated elsewhere, "My Spirit beareth witness with thy spirit." Whose spirit? There is only ONE Spirit - of Truth. There may be divisions, as there may be many drops of water in the ocean yet they are all of the ocean. Separated, they are named for those activities in various spheres of experiences that are sought to be expressed here. The communion of the spirit of the divine within self may be with the source of divinity. This is what is meant by the communion of saints, of those that are of one thought, for [because] all thought for activity emanates from the same source, and there is the natural communion of those who are in that thought. This may be be expressed by that indicated oft, that unless a helpful experience may be presented in an individual's activity as a parallel, as a complement, as a positive and negative force that may be united in one effort, it does not run true. For OPPOSITES create disturbance, dissensions, disruptions, devilment. A union of force makes for strength and power. Thus, the communion of saints means that all who have one purpose, whose thoughts and motivative forces are one, may communicate; whether those in the material plane, in the borderland, or those that may be upon the shores of the other side of life.
   What meaneth the interpreters of the experiences in that, "Ye as standing here shall see glory; and after six days he taketh with him Peter, James and John and goeth apart into the mountain and there was transfigured before them"? What saw they? A glorified body? The glory of the body brought what? Communion of saints? For who appeared WITH Him? Moses; that to those present meant a definite undertaking which set them apart from other peoples, which has made for the first association or communication direct with a creative force or God through the activative forces in their experience. And Elijah (or John the Baptist); representing that they, too, would become as messengers to a waiting world, ready, ripe unto the harvest as he had told them. Then this INDEED was the communion of saints.
   It is the natural state that the intent and purpose of activity in whatever environ or sphere ye may find self, is attuned with that sought by the soul. When may such a communication be given? Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you - that attunement to which thou hast brought thine self! Hence more and more is the admonition given that if ye would know God ye must be godlike to some poor soul. If ye would have friends, be a friend to a friendless one. If ye would know peace and harmony, BRING peace and harmony to the experience of another soul. Yes, be even as He; who showed His glory to His disciples in the mount; facing death, facing even the denial by one to whom He was showing himself that he had any part in that which He would give to others. Let it be so in thine ministry, in thine activity; in the preparations of thy body, thy mind, thy knowledge concerning that which may bring to thine self those awarenesses of the Spirit of Truth, those things that make for the experiences of each and every soul. Seek not the experience until - and unless - ye know from whence and how and to whom it is given!
7. (Q) What is the Holy Church?
   (A) That which makes for the awareness in the heart of the individual. It is as He that was set as the head of the Church is the church. The Church is never a body, never an assembly. An INDIVIDUAL soul becomes aware that it has taken that Head, that Son, that Man even, to be the intermediator. THAT is the Church; that is what is spoken of as the Holy Church.
   What readest thou? "Upon this I will build my church."
   What church? The Holy Church? Who is the head? That One upon whom the conditions had been set by that question asked. For here ye may find the answer again to many of those questions sought concerning the Spirit, the Church, the Holy Force that manifests by the attuning of the individual; though it may be for a moment. He asked, "Whom say men that I am?" Then Peter answered, "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God!" Then, "Upon this I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." He said to Peter, "Flesh and blood - FLESH and blood - hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Heaven? Where? Within the hearts, the minds; the place where Truth is made manifest! Wherever Truth is made manifest it gives place to that which is heaven FOR THOSE THAT SEEK and love truth! but a mighty hell for those that seek gratification of their own selves! And these are those things which become stumblingblocks to many an individual that becomes more and more material-minded. For there must be seen; yet they heed not what HAS been seen and heard and given of old. Who communicated, ye want to know, to Peter when he gave this confession? Whom did He say is thy father, thy mother, thy sister, thy brother? He that doeth the will of the Father in heaven, the same is thy EARTHLY father, thy EARTHLY mother, thy earthly brother and thy sister. They that love TRUTH rather than the satisfying, the gratifying of FLESHLY desires. This does not indicate that no beauty, no joy, no happiness is to be in the experience of those who claim to seek to be the channel of blessings, or the source of inspiration to others! Who is the father of Joy? Who is the father of Happiness? Who is the father of Peace? The same that thou would serve in showing forth the Lord's death till He come again. For he that is long-faced, he that is sorry for the world is sorry most for himself; and of such has He said, "Though in my name ye cast out demons, though ye heal the sick, I will say Depart from me, I never knew you." Why? For ye have your own glory when such is done that it may be seen and known and heard among men alone.
   But love thy neighbor. Love thine enemy. Love those that despitefully use you. For what profit hath thou if ye love only those that love you?
8. (Q) Should the outlines of this portion of the lesson on Destiny, the Physical Body, be in the form of questions?
   (A) In the form of questions and answers, as indicated.
9. (Q) Please explain how the physical body may be cleansed?
   (A) Read rather that presented in Meditation. Here it is given. What may be cleansing for one will only partly be found so by another. WHAT is thy standard?
10. (Q) Why did Jesus say, "Touch me not," when He first appeared to Mary after the resurrection?
    (A) For the vibrations to which the glorified body was raised would have been the same as a physical body touching a high power current. Why do you say not touch the wire? If ye are in accord, or not in touch with the earth, it doesn't harm; otherwise, it's too bad!
11. (Q) Please explain Romans 8:23, "And not only they but ourselves also which have the just fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our body."
    (A) Just as given, as to the manner in which the glorified body, though still of clay, was shown before those witnesses that were to bear the evidences within themselves and their activities. Read this within the light of that given, and ye will understand.
12. (Q) Please explain I Cor. 15:51. Is the reference here to body? "Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."
    (A) Referring to the body; though the individual here speaking (Paul) LOOKED for this to happen in his own day, see? For what is the stumblingblock to us today? If we do a good deed we want God to repay us tomorrow! So did Paul! Did he not groan continually that the mark, that scar in him, was not removed? Did he not bring those things as said by Peter concerning same? That, "He speaketh many things hard to be understood, that many wrest with to their own destruction." To what did he refer? That their idea (of many who spoke) of time and space was limited; for they had even less conception of same than the weakest among you here!
13. (Q) Any message to the group as a whole?
    (A) Let this be in thy minds, thy hearts and thy lives, as ye go about preparing that as will be thy contribution to this lesson which will go to many. For, as given, the time will come when these things written here ye many may study again; and will be as Bibles are to many in the present. But let thy light so shine among thine own associates day by day that ye are indeed NOT ASHAMED to speak that thou hast heard in the manner of thy living, in the same breath with that ye do and say to thy fellow man.
14. We are through for the present.

BACKGROUND

1. Subject of Reading 262-87 - "Norfolk Study Group #1."

Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation