This psychic reading given by Edgar Cayce at his office, 115 West 35th Street, Virginia Beach, Va., this 3rd day of October, 1927, in accordance with request made by self - [2480], via Mr. [341] and [849].

Present: Edgar Cayce; Mrs. Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. Mr. L. B. Cayce and Miss Beth Graves. Born June 25, 1909, Wetumpka, Alabama.

TEXT

1. EC: We have the entity here and those relations with the universe and universal forces as are latent and exhibited in the present earth's plane.
2. In entering the earth's plane we find the entity coming under the influence of Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus, with adverse influences in Mars and Neptune. Hence BEWARE of long voyages on water when the seasons are in the changes, or in that near the ides.
3. In the influences as are latent and as exhibited:
4. We find here one with an at-variance to that as has been given in the astrological or astronomical aspects of the life, for the experiences and the place of birth, or entrance into the present experience, belie those set conditions - for much has been builded through the experiences in the earth's plane, and oft through this experience will the entity contact much that may be given here as respecting those experiences that will bring almost the physical consciousness of many of those contacts. Hence we will see that in which will's influence has builded much in the earth's plane for this entity.
5. Coming under the influence of Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, we find the highest ennobling influences in the life, and this also meted with mercy and justice. Hence the study and the mental process of the entity's experiences in the present plane will ever be weighted with those of love rather than censure, of justice rather than judgment, of mercy rather than of the ones that would demand an eye for an eye or tooth for tooth.
6. One, then, studious in nature.
7. One that loves the joke, and sees the ridiculous and yet much of the sublime in MANY of those conditions that are easily passed by others.
8. One that is considerate of others' feelings, yet very decided in his own idea and his own understanding.
9. One that has many of those that are called friends, and makes those friendships few for self.
10. One that finds much in life as contradictory to many of the tenets as have been told to same as precepts, yet finds much IN precepts to guide and teach in the way of knowledge and of the manner to meet the various conditions as they arise in the life.
11. One that will go far in the present experience towards development, will that entity apply will's force in the correct direction.
12. One that will do well to have ALWAYS the second rather than first name used as the name, for the [R...] means much that [L...] can NEVER mean to the entity in the developments towards understanding.
13. One that is ever in the way of understanding through the tenets of love and of mercy, yet can never gain the same understanding through those of the way that would bring punishment, either penal or corporal.
14. One that through the experiences has gained much that are as urges, as is seen in the seeking of knowledge through experience in every field.
15. One that will find that by comparison will the entity be able to measure up to the standard as should be and is set before self.
16. IN THE APPEARANCES, WE FIND:
17. In the one before this in that land now known as New England. The entity then the minister, the teacher, to the peoples about what is now known as Providence, Rhode Island, and this country ever holds for the entity a fear, a dread, yet an innate desire to see and explore, or view many of the places thereabout. Then in the name Riland. In that experience the entity gained much through the service rendered to the peoples as natives, and the peoples as journeymen, and the entity gave in the understanding toward the relations of man to man, and man to the Maker. In that as may be applied in the present experience will be that as teacher, or minister, to the needs of the spiritual and mental man.
18. In the one before this we find in that period when there were wars in the Holy Land. The entity then among those of the Crusade from the English land, and in the name Egbert. The entity gained and lost through this experience, being made or urged through undue egress to the act of being in the Crusade, for the real desire was to remain at home on account of love in the life - yet this very same nature WITH the experiences brought much to the development in the land to which the entity went. In the urge as is seen from this experience is the study of sacred and profane history of all the wars as pertain to religion, and again the love of reading of the love affairs of peoples in all positions or stations.
19. In the one before this we find in the land when the Master came in the land of Galilee. The entity then among those fishermen who heard, saw, and experienced much of the teaching and the ministering by the Master - for the entity, while not wholly accepting, never rejecting those teachings. Rather the fear of the position held preventing same from being in the life as the crowning experience in the earth's plane. Then in the name Zioul, and the entity in this experience LOST rather than gained, for without applying those tenets, those lessons, with the experience, the entity lost in that experience. The urge, rather that of the innate desire to know what those teachings were by the Sea of Galilee, for this land, this teaching, this experience, holds the highest of the urges for the entity. Cleave - cleave to same!
20. In the one before this we find in that land when divisions arose in what was known as the division in church and state in the Egyptian rule, when the banishment came of the priest. The entity then in that capacity of the keeper of the priest in banishment, for the entity then gained much through the experiences of that existence or that experience. In this period the entity acted in that capacity of the peacemaker between the divisions as arose in that land, keeping and ministering to the priest, yet never forsaking the counsel or the guidance of the ruler or of those that were of the counsel or the teachers of the day. The entity then among those who were in after periods worshiped, as is seen in many of those monuments builded in that period, and in one of the pyramids yet uncovered much may be seen to the application of those tenets the entity in that period set forth. In the name Aiozelt, for these will be found in this of the king's pyramid. In the urge is seen that love of the oriental, yet rather the occidental with the oriental applications.
21. In the abilities then of the entity lies that as the teacher, the minister, or the historian, for the entity needs first gain that full insight of that lost in the contact with the Master, and in this gain that understanding that the life lived must be the reflection of the entity's concept of the Creative Energy that the inner self must worship.
22. Then keep that of the Nazarene and Galilean history before self, and bring to others that knowledge that in the giving of self to service is the highest service to the Creative Energy, or God - for in Him is the light, and the light is the light of the world; for, as He became the Son through the manner of the experience in the earth's plane, so may we, as sons, become brothers and heirs to that kingdom.
23. We are through.

BACKGROUND

1. 9/29/27 Letter: "I have become very much interested in your work through my association with [341] and [849]... I admit a doubt of the theory and work, but it has so fascinated me that I seek to know more before permitting myself to pass judgment. I am at present studying for the Baptist ministry, a profession in which I know it would be well for me to become acquainted with any and all theories in the realm of metaphysics..."

REPORTS

1. 10/04/27 EC's letter:
   "I am in hopes that you have read one of the little pamphlets giving an outline as to how I arrived at the conclusion that the information that is gotten through this manner is worthwhile. I wish it were possible for me to sit down and talk with you in person, rather than trying to write - for you never know just how one will receive or take that written in a letter, and I feel oftentimes a great responsibility - if the work is what I am led to believe it is, and a still greater responsibility when I realize that it may be shaping men's lives who are to be our teachers, our ministers, or our writers - or our everyday business man, for I realize what we THINK we become!
   "I certainly glory in your desire to be a minister to the spiritual welfare of your fellow man. This has long been my desire, and I am hoping and trusting that the service I may render through this gift - if it be such - may act in that way as to minister to the physical and spiritual welfare of my brethren, and it has been especially this phase of the phenomena that has appealed to me as demonstrating that it was really worth being considered seriously. I know I have counted some of the greatest ministers in the country among my friends. The few days that I spent with Mr. Moody [Year 1896. See EC's account to Thomas Sugrue 1941-2, pp. 70-75 in THERE IS A RIVER] I count as among the most sacred of my experience. The friendship of Dr. P. W. James and Dr. John A. Davison, both of your church, I count most beautiful. I do not mean to imply that any of these sponsored any of the work I do, though all of them knew considerable concerning same and I believe loved me for what I am and not for what I profess to be.
   "Hoping and trusting that this will prove to be worthwhile to you - for I realize only that which we may apply in our individual lives is worthwhile, no matter how wonderful or how unusual anyone else may feel the work to be - it is, 'How does the information given affect me? How may I apply same in my own life that I may be the better student, the better friend, the better son, may serve my fellow man better, may understand my relationship to my Maker the more, and in understanding same apply it in a manner that my fellow man may know his relation to his Maker?'
   "I shall appreciate your letting me hear from you, and with kindest personal regards, I am..."
2. 10/08/27 Mr. [341]'s letter: "[2480] was very much pleased with his reading and we had a long-discussion on it which I wish you could have heard. [849], [2480] and myself all looking at it from a different angle yet all feeling the same impulse that made us realize that we could understand if we only would. His reading fits him very exactly. There were many phases that [849] and I could see in him very easily and had but tie them back to their cause to give them real life and an interesting meaning. [2480] has for a long time been steeped in the teachings which were mentioned in the readings as the precepts on which he fell back for aid when the need arose, yet these same things are standing in his way when it comes to accepting new theories and beliefs. As you could see from the reading he is very positive in his beliefs and is by no means easy to change. He is interested and sees the whole idea or rather the idea as a whole in its true light and is ready to accept it with a little more time. Of course he is having trouble with several of the lines that such a radical change in thought leads to and cannot fit some to the many theories that go with or follow the main idea. Well none of us could accept all of the many phases at first or for that matter have we accepted them all yet as natural results of the main idea. Well we are certainly a trio and I laugh longer and louder each time I see us here trying to fit ourselves to one another and understand each other and at times having a hard time of it yet on the whole getting along better than one would expect who knew the three of us."
3. 10/12/27 See also friend [849]'s letter under 849-1 Reports, saying how he had been impressed with [2480] and how the Life Reading had helped to understand him.
4. 10/12/27 Letter from [2480] to EC: "I received the rdg. the first of last week. Please do not feel that I value it the less because I did not let you hear from me immediately. Our S. and U. reports (satisfactory and unsatisfactory reports) come out this week and I have been extremely busy trying to make mine satisfactory.
   "I was very much pleased with the reading, could not have been otherwise. Certainly hope that I do really possess the wonderful characteristics that were given. I am sure I understand much better just the type of work you are doing after having read the reading over several times carefully. Also I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your letter, it was so sincere. Although I have never met you personally I feel that I know you well. And I feel quite sure that such a consecrated man as you are is sure to make this work a great success.
   "I certainly appreciate the interest you have taken in me and want to thank you a thousand times for the trouble I have put you to.
   "With kindest regards..." [GD's note: He signed with [R...] instead of [L...].]
5. 10/18/27 Letter from EC to [2480]: "Just a note to thank you for yours of the 12th. I am glad indeed to know you at least found the reading interesting. I realize - from [341]'s report - you all have been quite busy with your S and U reports. I am in hopes that you came along alright and everything is in satisfactory shape with you.
   "As I said before, we do not wholly understand the information as is gotten in these readings. There has been in the past years sufficient good to justify us in believing that a great deal of good may be gotten from these, if the individual is able to apply the information given in their daily lives. If he cannot, I say to everyone - forget it, entirely, but, insomuch that the more we read the Life Readings and then compare the happenings of everyday with the information given, the more we see that we do not understand it, yet there must be a very great deal in them. It is to be of help, if possible, that we give them - and should there be any questions as respecting that given that you would like to have gone farther into, that you may be able to better assimilate or apply that given, know that we are ready whenever possible to try and help; for if it be of the sources we BELIEVE it is, it will certainly be able to explain itself. If it is NOT of those sources, we know that it will soon run itself into the ground and show that it is not worth anything.
   "I understand from [341] (whom we saw in Richmond last Sunday) that possibly you might be in or near Virginia Beach at some conference sometime in the near future. Should you do this, I would like very much for you to come in and see us. We shall be very glad to have you make our home your stopping place while you are here if you so desire.
   "Again thanking you for your letter, assuring you of our sincerity of purpose, and our great desire for those who study the phenomena in any way to point out to us the weaknesses and faults that they may be able to see in same - with kindest personal regards..."
6. 8/26/28 See 341-27 in re associations with [2480] and the EC work.
7. 9/43 Mr. [2480] was stationed at the Norfolk Navy Yard for a brief period and made a visit to EC in Virginia Beach.
8. 8/13/52 Letter to Mr. [849] in which he stated in his opinion. Mr. [849] in his books had also become a minister, promoting the "possibility of different religions and faiths working together:"
   I am now serving as a Minister in a very beautiful Church in the heart of ... It is located in a changing community. The membership has in a large measure moved to the suburbs. Our problem is that of winning new members. Across the street from our Church is St. John's Methodist on one corner, and Temple Israel on the other. For 22 years, the Men's Brotherhood of these three Congregations have met for an annual banquet. When various subjects have been presented by the three Ministers, there is an open forum discussion. There is the finest feeling between the three Congregations.
   This past year at one of our Church night meetings on Thursday, we invited a Professor from ... University, a Catholic to speak on the subject, "What I Believe", with the thought of deepening our appreciation for the beliefs of others. When you spoke in your book of our friendship in ... days, and how it continues to this day, you are quite right. I have always had a deep affection for you and remember with gratitude our experiences at ...
   I would like to hear from you.
   Cordially, [signed] [R...]
9. 2/13/53 Letter to Mr. [341]: "I often think of the days at ... and of the association with you and [849], and some of the others. These are pleasant and meaningful memories. I had no idea at the time that all three of us would be working in very different fields for the accomplishment of the same purpose. As time has gone on the similarity of our work has become clearer. I choose to interpret it in terms of the Christian Ministry, and this applies definitely to the work you are doing."

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