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paralleling ASFG 1, lesson on “KNOW THYSELF”
GENESIS 7 TO 12.10
(pages 15 and 16)
Here’s a paraphrased and integrated explanation of the two texts — the A Search for God (ASFG) lesson on Know Thyself and the Edgar Cayce Bible Minutes (2/7/1939, 262-61 Supplement).
Paraphrased Summary
Both the ASFG lesson and Cayce’s Bible class notes emphasize that life is a process of inner building, where each individual is responsible for shaping not only their physical self but also their mental and spiritual bodies. Cayce connects this inner work to the biblical story of the Flood, showing it as a symbol of cleansing and transformation.
ASFG Perspective:
We are the sum of all our experiences across states of consciousness. What we think and desire builds us, not just in physical form but in our mental and spiritual essence. Christ’s words stress that it is not outward appearance but inner purity that defines us. Thus, “knowing thyself” means recognizing that our thoughts and intentions shape who we become. Each life event, even difficulties, is a lesson that leads us toward unity with God.
Cayce’s Bible Minutes:
The Flood is more than a historical or natural event; it mirrors the inner floods we each face — crises on physical, mental, or spiritual levels. Just as Noah’s ark provided a way of escape, so too do we have an inner ark: Christ-consciousness within us. We cannot avoid trials, but we can pass through them with divine guidance. After the Flood, humanity shifted from temptations of physical form to challenges of the mind. Mental choices, thoughts, and attitudes became the builders of destiny. Thus, Noah’s story is about the mind as the builder, teaching us that the ark of salvation is within ourselves.
Key Themes Across Both Texts
1. Inner Building (Mind as Builder)
ASFG highlights heredity, environment, karma, and thought vibrations as forces shaping our individuality.
Cayce ties this to Noah’s time: after the Flood, humanity’s development became primarily mental. How we think determines whether we build constructively or destructively.
2. Flood as Symbol of Crisis
Every person faces floods — overwhelming experiences that threaten stability.
The ark represents the inner refuge: turning to God, not escaping outwardly, but cultivating spiritual alignment within.
3. Right Thinking vs. Outer Appearance
ASFG warns against hypocrisy: outwardly “beautiful” but inwardly corrupt.
Cayce echoes this in showing how people of Noah’s time shifted to mental temptations — when the mind dwells on the wrong, it leads to bondage.
4. The Tower of Babel vs. Spiritual Unity
ASFG stresses unity with God: “I and my Father are one.”
Cayce warns that without spiritual grounding, even one mind and one language (as at Babel) only builds towers destined to fall. True unity is inward and spiritual.
5. Abraham as Example
Cayce points to Abram (Abraham) as the model of one who looked inward for spiritual guidance, making faith the foundation of self.
This connects to ASFG’s call to “lose ourselves in the Whole,” finding identity in Christ-consciousness rather than self-centeredness.
Takeaway
“Know Thyself” means recognizing the ark within. Both texts agree that salvation, growth, and transformation do not come from outward appearances, towers, or even fleeing troubles — but from aligning our mental and spiritual selves with God. The Flood, Noah’s ark, and Abraham’s faith are all symbols pointing to the same truth:
Our thoughts build our reality.
Inner crises purify us.
True escape is not avoidance but awareness of the Christ within.
Comparison: Know Thyself (ASFG vs. Cayce Bible Minutes, 2/7/1939)
1. ASFG: We are the sum of our experiences across states of consciousness. Our thoughts, desires, and vibrations build not only the physical body but also the mental and spiritual.
Cayce: Mind the builder. After the Flood, humanity developed through mental processes. The key is not physical temptation but mental choices shaping destiny.
2. ASFG: Christ warned: it is not what goes into the body but what comes out of the heart and mind that defiles. Outward appearance may deceive; inner truth matters.
Cayce: Noah’s time illustrates this: the Flood destroyed mixed physical forms. Temptation now comes from how the mind dwells on things (e.g., Ham and Canaan focusing on nakedness).
3. ASFG: Life is a lesson. Each experience helps us gain knowledge of the Whole — “I and my Father are one.”
Cayce: Floods as trials. Everyone experiences physical, mental, or spiritual floods. The ark is symbolic of Christ within — our way through trials, not around them.
4. ASFG: Right thinking builds righteousness. “We become what we think.”
Cayce: Ark as inner refuge. Just as Noah built the ark, each person has the ability to recognize and enter their inner ark — God’s presence in self.
5. ASFG: Losing ourselves in the Whole: one individual described seeing their physical, mental, and spiritual bodies, with the spiritual becoming largest and most enduring.
Cayce: After the Flood, the focus shifts to spiritual unity. Building towers outwardly (Tower of Babel) fails without inner spiritual direction.
6. ASFG: Christ is the measure: only when our thoughts and actions bring blessings to others do we find true self.
Cayce: Abram (Abraham) symbolizes the faithful self, turning inward for guidance and beginning a new spiritual pattern for humanity.
Core Parallels
Flood = Crisis: Both see the Flood as symbolic of personal upheaval that cleanses and transforms.
Ark = Inner Christ: Refuge is not external escape but awakening the divine within.
Mind = Builder: Thoughts shape reality, determining whether we rise spiritually or fall into bondage.
Abraham = Example: Faith and inward reliance on God begin the true journey of spiritual man.
In short:
ASFG gives the principle — “Know Thyself” through building mental and spiritual bodies. Cayce’s Bible Minutes gives the biblical narrative — the Flood, Ark, Babel, and Abraham — as symbols of that principle in action.
Genesis 7–12 and Know Thyself
Genesis 7–8: The Flood
Cayce Bible Minutes (2/7/1939): The Flood was not just rain but “fountains broken up.” It symbolizes crises — physical, mental, or spiritual floods. Each soul experiences such floods as cleansing.
ASFG Lesson (Know Thyself): Life brings trials that reveal our true nature. We are not to escape or deny them, but use them as lessons in spiritual growth.
Genesis 8: Noah’s Ark
Cayce: The ark is the way of escape within self. It is not physical flight but discovering Christ within. Each person has “their own little ark.”
ASFG: The inner self, aligned with Christ-consciousness, is the true refuge. “We become what we think.” Right thinking is the ark of safety.
Genesis 9: Covenant and Ham’s Sin
Cayce: After the Flood, humanity develops mentally. Sin becomes a matter of mental dwelling on corruption (Ham and Canaan mocked nakedness). Servitude results from destructive thoughts.
ASFG: Mental and spiritual bodies shape individuality. Wrong thinking leads to bondage; right thinking builds righteousness.
Genesis 10: Descendants of Noah
Cayce: Humanity diversifies. Growth now depends on mental choices rather than external physical forms.
ASFG: Each soul reaps what it sows. Thoughts, heredity, and vibrations build not just races and nations, but also individual destinies.
Genesis 11: Tower of Babel
Cayce: Unity without spiritual direction leads to failure. A tower built outwardly, based on materialism, must fall.
ASFG: Outward appearances may be “beautiful” but can hide inner decay. True unity is in spiritual oneness: “I and my Father are one.”
Genesis 12: Abram (Abraham)
Cayce: Abram represents spiritual man guided from within. Faith is the soul’s attribute that aligns mind with spirit.
ASFG: The highest goal is to lose the little self in the Whole — to identify with Christ-consciousness and bless others through service.
Key Integrations
Floods as Purification
Cayce: Floods = life crises that cleanse.
ASFG: Trials are lessons, opportunities to know ourselves.
Ark as Inner Christ
Cayce: Escape is inward, not outward.
ASFG: Inner Christ-consciousness purifies thought and builds spiritual bodies.
Mind the Builder
Cayce: After the Flood, temptation becomes mental.
ASFG: We are shaped by heredity, karma, thought vibrations. What we dwell on, we become.
Babel vs. Unity
Cayce: Towers built outwardly collapse.
ASFG: Only inner truth and unity with God endure.
Abraham’s Faith
Cayce: Abraham is the model of spiritual man, guided within.
ASFG: Losing ourselves in the Whole means living in Christ-consciousness, blessing others.
In summary:
Genesis 7–12 serves as a symbolic map of the soul’s journey:
Cleansing floods (trials),
The ark (inner Christ as refuge),
Mental choices shaping destiny,
False towers (outward pride) vs. inner unity,
And finally, Abraham’s faith (true spiritual self).
All of this parallels the ASFG principle: “Know Thyself” — the mind is the builder, and the Christ within is the ark of salvation.
Paraphrased & Explained: “Know Thyself” with Cayce’s 1939 Bible
1. The Building of Self: Mental and Spiritual Bodies
ASFG (p. 28–29): We are the sum total of our experiences across all states of consciousness. What we think, desire, and choose builds not only our physical bodies but also our mental and spiritual selves. Outward appearances can deceive, but it is what arises from within that truly defines us.
Cayce’s Lesson: After the Flood (Gen. 7–8), humanity entered a stage where the mind became the builder. No longer tempted by strange physical forms, people now faced temptation in their thoughts. Our individuality is shaped by heredity, karma, vibrations, and choices of mind.
Bible support:
“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” (Matthew 15:11)
“For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)
2. Flood as Inner Crisis
Cayce’s Reading: The Flood represents the crises that each soul faces — physical, mental, or spiritual “floods” that overwhelm but also cleanse. Noah’s ark becomes the symbol of the inner ark, the Christ within, which provides safety and transformation.
ASFG Lesson: Trials are not to be avoided or denied, for “offences must come” (Matt. 18:7). Each challenge is a lesson meant to lead us toward oneness with God.
Bible support:
“In my Father’s house are many mansions.” (John 14:2) – States of consciousness we build through experience.
“For as a tree falls, so will it lie.” (Ecclesiastes 11:3) – We carry with us the results of our choices.
3. Right Thinking vs. Corruption
ASFG: Our thoughts shape our reality — “we become what we think.” Outward righteousness without inward purity is hypocrisy.
Cayce: Ham and Canaan (Gen. 9) show how wrong mental dwelling leads to corruption. Those who build on destructive thoughts fall into bondage, while those who build constructively rise spiritually.
Bible support:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7 — implied by both Cayce and ASFG)
4. The Tower of Babel: Misuse of the Mind
Cayce: A single language or unity of mind seems good, but if the mind is not spiritually directed, it only builds towers of pride destined to fall (Gen. 11). The real tower must be built inwardly, in the soul.
ASFG: Outward “beautiful” structures without inner truth are like whitewashed tombs. Only by aligning thought with Spirit do we achieve unity with the Whole.
5. Abraham: Faith as Spiritual Builder
Cayce: Abram (Gen. 12) represents a new stage of humanity: spiritual man guided from within by faith. Faith is the soul’s attribute that allows mind and spirit to align. Abram becomes “father of the faithful.”
ASFG: To “lose ourselves in the Whole” is to see the physical fade, the mental expand, and the spiritual endure. This is the Christ pattern: “I and my Father are one.”
Bible support:
“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (John 10:30; Matthew 20:28 referenced)
Takeaway
Flood → Cleansing crises. Everyone faces floods; the ark within (Christ-consciousness) is the way of escape.
Ark → Inner refuge. Safety is not external but in awakening the divine within.
Mind the Builder. What we think and dwell on becomes our destiny.
Tower of Babel → Misguided mind. Building without spirit leads to collapse.
Abraham → Faith. Spiritual man arises by turning within and living by faith, sowing constructively with mind and soul.
Thus, “Know Thyself” means understanding the mental and spiritual forces within us, recognizing that each trial is a step in building the soul, and that true refuge is found by aligning with the Christ within.
Q&A REFLECTION QUESTIONS AND SAMPLE ANSWERS
Here are some sample answers to the Know Thyself: Study Guide (Genesis 7–12) questions. These are not definitive — each person’s responses will be deeply personal — but they illustrate how to reflect on the themes of Flood, Ark, Covenant, Babel, and Abraham in light of Cayce’s insights and the A Search for God lesson.
1. The Flood (Genesis 7–8)
(a) Reflection Question: What ‘floods’ have you faced in life (physical, mental, or spiritual)?
I have faced “floods” of worry and doubt, especially during times of financial instability. These crises felt overwhelming, like waters rising without escape.
(b) Reflection Question: How have these experiences pushed you inward toward spiritual refuge?
They forced me to stop relying only on my outer circumstances for peace. Instead, I began turning inward to prayer, meditation, and Scripture for strength — realizing that Christ within is the real ark of safety.
2. Noah’s Ark (Genesis 8:15–22)
(a) Reflection Question: In what ways do you recognize an ‘ark’ within yourself?
I recognize the ark within myself as a sense of inner peace that comes when I quiet my thoughts and center them in God. Even when life is chaotic outwardly, I can still find refuge in that stillness.
(b) Reflection Question: How can you nurture that awareness in daily living?
By starting each day with prayer and meditation, and by pausing to re-center when stress builds up. Gratitude practices also help me stay aware of that divine refuge within.
3. Covenant and Ham’s Sin (Genesis 9)
(a) Reflection Question: What kinds of thoughts most often shape your actions?
Too often, my actions are shaped by anxious thoughts — worrying about what others think or fearing failure. On the positive side, when I choose thoughts of compassion and service, my actions naturally flow with more kindness.
(b) Reflection Question: How do you redirect your mind when it dwells on negativity?
I pause and pray, or I consciously repeat affirmations like “God is my strength and refuge.” Sometimes I step outside in nature, which helps lift my mind out of the cycle of negativity.
4. Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)
(a) Reflection Question: What ‘towers’ are you tempted to build in your life?
I’m tempted to build towers of personal ambition — achievements or recognition that make me feel important outwardly. But those towers are fragile if not spiritually grounded.
(b) Reflection Question: How can you make sure your unity of mind is spiritually guided?
By aligning my goals with service and love rather than ego. Asking daily: “Will this bring me closer to God and help others?” keeps my inner tower connected to the divine.
5. Abraham: Father of the Faithful (Genesis 12)
(a) Reflection Question: Where in your life is God calling you to step forward in faith?
I feel called to step forward in faith in trusting God with career changes. Even when the path is uncertain, I sense God asking me to trust rather than fear.
(b) Reflection Question: How do you practice aligning your mind with spiritual guidance?
I practice through daily prayer for clarity, listening in meditation, and journaling impressions. I also seek to measure choices by Christ’s example — asking if they express love, service, and humility.
In summary:
Each story from Genesis (Flood, Ark, Covenant, Babel, Abraham) symbolizes stages in the inner journey: facing crises, finding inner refuge, mastering thoughts, avoiding false pride, and stepping forward in faith. These reflections help us see how “the mind is the builder” and how knowing ourselves leads to knowing God.
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