11/14/46 Gina Cerminara's letter to [
1747]:
Dear [
1747]-
On my return here yesterday from New York I was happy to find
your letter among the rest of the mail. Thank you so much
for answering the test questions. At the moment I cannot
give you your score because the score-sheet is among the
papers my mother is going to send me. As soon as I receive
it, I'll drop you a card letting you know how you scored.
I might as well explain to you now, though, that there's no
possible way for you not to have scored creditably, because
it's not like an intelligence test where the highness or
lowness of the score indicates the degree of intelligence.
This test was based on the work of a psychologist by the name
of Spranger. His theory was that human beings can be divided
into 6 basic personality types, according to the things on
which they set most value. He said there were 6 basic types,
as follows: theoretic, aesthetic, economic, religious,
social, and political.
My hunch about you was that you belonged predominantly to the
religious type and/or the social type. Just glancing over
your answers I am quite certain that your score will bear
this out, though for an exact weighting of the answers I will
need the score sheet. The "political" type means the type
that likes power for the sake of power; "aesthetic" the type
that considers art and beauty of primary importance, etc.,
etc. Naturally I would have a bias in favor of religious,
social, aesthetic, and theoretic rather than economic and
political types, because I belong to the former rather than
the latter, but that doesn't prove anything. Spranger's idea
is just a theory, however, and perhaps a fuller knowledge of
reincarnation would show that there are varying levels of
consciousness which Spranger has mistaken for "types" instead
of stages. In other words perhaps the classification he
makes is on a horizontal level, which distorts the
complexities of a spiral of growth to a mistaken simplicity.
If you were to ask me about what was the highest on this
assumed spiral, I would be inclined to say the religious
valued type, but after that it would be difficult to
establish the next levels in proper order. Love of beauty is
fully as important as love of other people, because beauty is
an aspect of God; though on the other hand a person who loves
beauty and is fastidious with regard to it can become callous
and selfish and unkind to others (we know somebody like that)
out of the mistaken assumption that beauty is everything.
Still, though love of others is closely associated with love
of God, it is again distorted and mistaken to think that
loving and serving others should exclude beauty.
In your case, since you ask for an opinion, I would say that
you had a slight tendency to disregard the importance of
beauty. That's why I suggested to you once the hobby of
painting, because that would tend to balance the overemphasis
away from aesthetic values. The more I read the Cayce
readings, and think about their implications, the more
convinced I am that "evil" so called is principally
"over-emphasis". Evil is basically selfishness, of course,
but when one comes to classify the various forms of
selfishness takes, one discovers that they are varieties of
exaggeration in one direction or another. Wisdom consists
in becoming unselfish AND in achieving balance.
When your reading [1747-3, Par. 25] tells you that you should
pay more attention to the body, for it is the temple of God,
here too there should be the recognition of the aesthetic
significance of this, because a temple is beautiful, to honor
a God which is Love and also Beauty. And just as one makes
every object of the temple beautiful, inside and outside, so
it is a spiritual obligation to make one's body beautiful
within and without, in its clothing and every detail of its
adornment.
When the Puritans revolted against the adornment of the
Catholic churches they were right in abhorring the license
that had grown up within them. So they swung the pendulum
over the stark nakedness in their churches. The Catholics
had committed the over-emphasis of letting the beauty of
their churches degenerate into sensuality and license; but
then the Puritans swung to the opposite over-emphasis of
defaming God through the ugliness of their churches.
Similarly with beauty and adornment of the body in clothes,
etc. It CAN degenerate into vanity. But the balanced and
wise soul does not permit himself to be misled. Hence he
makes his body and its adornment in clothing completely
beautiful and harmonious, in color, texture, etc., but he
never permits himself to forget that he is thereby doing
honor to God, and he never becomes attached to the adornment
itself.
If you can come to understand this, I believe you will have a
fuller and happier life; and the study of beauty, through
painting, color, harmonious clothing, etc. can be a very
worthwhile expenditure of time.
I didn't mean to go into all this, and it really has little
to do with the test you took; but the matter of types,
so-called, and my recent reflections on the great danger of
over-emphasis and unbalance, prompted me (together with your
asking for an honest opinion and evaluation of the test
results) to expand on the matter.
Yes, I had a very pleasant trip and very worth-while, too.
Now I have to dig down and complete the writing of the book,
of which I have so far completed about 42 pages.
Hope the lectures went well - but knowing how thoughtful of
detail and how efficient you are I'm sure all the
arrangements must have been very well planned.
All my love, Gina
11/23/46 Gina Cerminara's letter to [
1747]:
Dear [
1747]:
My package of papers and books finally arrived from
Milwaukee, and I have just worked out your scores on the
Study of Values Test.
Here they are: (The highest score obtainable for any value
is 60, not 100.) [See Source File Key #1743 for Graph
Profile of Values re 1747-3.]
I guess my hunch was right!
You really have a significantly high religious and social
score, which, in my opinion, is a good thing.
Love, Gina
3/07/48 [
1747]'s letter to GD:
Dear Dorothy Gladys:
You can't perhaps realize what a sensation I had when I read
that you were giving up the [weekly] Diary Letter. For as
you wrote it [
1/16/45 through
2/25/48] and as you intended it
to be was one of the lovliest things and so in keeping with
what Mr. Cayce would have done himself.
Remember how you all used to tell him not to give so much of
himself. How very kind, humble, and considerate to each
individual he was. It was what made us all love him so. And
gave to each the strength to go on when he was gone because
it was what he would want us to do. Your letters was
something like that. And I believe it should still remain
so. Not a bulletin for business work, but really a family
letter. Inspiring us to do as Mr. Cayce did, and Jesus his
pattern, the individual was the important thing and the
classes, groups and masses will follow in their wake. For
when an organizations begins to become more interested in
group, classes, masses, they lose the individual, and it
becomes a thing instead of a warm loving personal unit. The
other looks big, but it won't stand the strain. Look at our
churches, are they what they should be? What is it that is
lacking?
Like you, I feel that Eula Allen is one I too would feel like
giving this up to. But I do think you can do it best for it
was your inspiration.
As for moving from the Hdq. I understand that too. But
again it seems that we are losing that warm throbing
individual touch. It is a most difficult task to stay there
and do such concentrated work. But I do so dislike to see
you being separated so from it. Now I know that change is
always upsetting. And that we must each do that which is
best for the ideal that we have. I just pray that YOU will
be guided and strengthened in the WILL of the FATHER, which
Mr. Cayce always tried to teach us.
To YOU, to the ASSOCIATION, to the teachings given in the
Readings, I am most grateful and if it is His will I WILL be
co-operative love to you.
Sincerely, [1747
4/14/52 [
1747]'s Letter:
Life Reading; of July 14, 1939:
Page 1 - Yes, I do like to see the mechanic of things and
marvel at the mechanic of the body.
I also can see at times ways to add to various things
especially if some one is doing something I will suggest it
be done another way.
The life seal begins to mean more and more to me and I
understand it better as I think of it more. The entire seal
is the oneness, the od, God who I worship. The God of
goodness, the cross, the way of Jesus is the way to
perfection, the moon, a small reflection that is still in the
dark, the earth or world, in darkness lighted up by little
stars or people who glow with the light of Jesus, or God.
Have etched several on pieces of lucite, wearing one now as a
locket.
Yes, I love to dream of places, times, people, thoughts in
joyous harmony. Yet I realize that there are things not as I
would have them, but try so hard to build it where I am.
Using things as I find with both ideas taken into
consideration.
It is very hard for me to be affectionate. I become very
matter of fact.
It is true, love is a thing apart, want it, yet afraid of it.
Lonely in the respect, that I find few to whom I can talk of
the things I love, I see, as mind to mind, and heart to
heart.
I can see from the Palestine experience, why I have such a
hard time in making decisions, as which is right. And I am
trying to stand for what I think is right regardless of what
happens, or what might happen.
The Promised Land experience, here I feel is the answer
perhaps to my need of everything being done just so, if not
it won't work out, as chemistry.
The Atlantean experience. Here I find the answer to my
dislike of men, when it comes to the relationship of
marriage. Like them very much as people, but dislike them
beyond that point. Am delighted when friends find their
partners. And love children.
So far I can't see I have progressed much, although I would
like to accomplish those things outlined.
Healing treatment given by Florence Edmonds on June 1951 at
the Meditation period of the Congress period.
Have never been able to tell right from left. And this has
been a source of confusion (as you realize in driving a car).
Direction wouldn't mean a thing to me because I would become
so confused when told to go right then left that by the time
I got past the first right, I didn't hardly know up from
down. Would promise myself that I would know the next time
but just as sure as someone said right or left, I was lost.
(And I mean lost. Don't know what would have happened to me
if I had been in the army.) So of course I was never sure of
myself. I had to mentally pick myself up and face the west
to know which was right and left.
When Florence put her hands on me, I felt a tearing away in
what I would say was the position of the thymus gland. And
it was sore for over a week after. But I now am able to tell
right from left. I still am very slow at it but at least I
don't have to mentally pick myself up and turn myself before
I know. And I am beginning to have more assurance of myself.
Of course I realize that this may not seem important to
anyone but me, but to give you this as a result of the laying
on of Florence's hands I thought should be what you would
want.
3/25/56 [
1747]'s letter to HLC:
..., Florida
Dear Hugh Lynn,
Have had company the past two weeks, but now catching up on
my mail.
I enclose $25 for membership [
3/29/56 to
3/02/57], $25.00 for
building fund.
Was so very shocked at the passing of Florence and will miss
her so very much.
Do hope that we will be able to carry on the work of those
who have gone on. That their efforts will be rewarded with a
renewed zeal on our part.
Sincerely, [
1747]
12/09/63 GD's note: To this date Miss [
1747] has remained an
active participant in A.R.E. program of membership, group
work, etc.
After nursing her parents through their lingering last
illnesses, she became a practical nurse as well as manager,
in her spare time, of an apartment house which her parents
had left to the children.
Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation