The Nature of Mind in the Edgar Cayce Readings

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The Edgar Cayce readings present one of the most comprehensive and profound views of the nature of mind found in modern spiritual literature. Rather than viewing the mind as simply the product of the brain or a collection of thoughts, Cayce describes mind as a living, creative force that connects the physical body, the soul, and the spirit. Mind is the bridge between the seen and the unseen, the finite and the infinite, humanity and God. It is through the mind that the soul experiences physical life, learns its lessons, exercises free will, and ultimately returns to conscious oneness with its Creator. Throughout the readings, mind is never treated as a passive observer of life; it is the active principle that continually interprets, builds, chooses, remembers, and creates.

One of Cayce's earliest definitions establishes the extraordinary role of mind:

"That which is the active force in an animate object; that is the spark, or image of the Maker... Mind is the factor governing the contention... between the physical to the soul, and the soul to the spirit forces... Mind is that which reasons the impressions from the senses... the active principle that governs man." (3744-2)

This definition immediately distinguishes Cayce's philosophy from conventional psychology. Mind is not merely thought or intellect. It is the active force that governs the entire human experience. It continually mediates between body, soul, and spirit, receiving impressions from the physical world while simultaneously remaining capable of responding to higher spiritual realities. Mind is therefore the meeting place where the physical and spiritual dimensions of life become united.

Throughout the readings, Cayce consistently teaches that the brain should never be confused with the mind itself. The brain is only an instrument through which mind expresses itself during earthly life. In one striking statement he says:

"Thy BRAIN is not thy mind; it is that which is used by thy mind!" (826-11)

Elsewhere he explains that:

"Mind, then, may function without a form or body." (262-78)

This is a revolutionary concept. The mind does not originate in the brain, nor does it cease when the body dies. Instead, the brain serves as a physical instrument through which the mind operates while incarnate. The mind existed before birth, functions during earthly life, and continues after physical death because it belongs to a greater reality than the material organism.

Another remarkable statement summarizes the dual nature of mind in only a few words:

"Mind, as we have given, is both material AND spiritual." (792-2)

This single sentence explains much of Cayce's understanding of human nature. Mind participates simultaneously in both worlds. One aspect reaches downward into physical experience through the senses, while another reaches upward toward the soul and spirit. Human beings therefore live at the intersection of two realities. Every thought, decision, and attitude either strengthens the mind's relationship with the physical world or deepens its awareness of spiritual truth.

Mind is repeatedly described as the great builder. Cayce says:

"Mind, then, in God, the Father, is the builder." (262-78)

Just as Divine Mind is the creative force behind the universe, the individual mind becomes the creative force within human experience. The mind builds character, habits, personality, relationships, health, and ultimately the soul itself. Every repeated thought gradually becomes part of one's nature. Nothing remains merely mental. Thoughts eventually become emotions, emotions become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, and character shapes destiny. The mind is therefore continually constructing the life each soul experiences.

Cayce explains that the mind constantly receives impressions through the senses and intelligently organizes them for the development of the individual. He says that the mind "segregates, correlates or divides the impression to the portion needed" to develop the entity toward its divine source (3744-2). Every experience that enters consciousness is examined, interpreted, stored, and integrated according to its usefulness for the soul's growth. Mind is therefore much more than a thinking faculty; it is the organizing intelligence of human experience.

Another important function of mind is awareness itself. Cayce defines mind as:

"That active force that makes for the awareness or consciousness of the activity being in this, that or the other realm." (275-39)

Mind allows consciousness to become aware of whichever level of reality it is presently experiencing. During waking life, awareness is focused primarily through the physical senses. During dreams, meditation, deep prayer, or spiritual illumination, awareness may shift toward the subconscious or superconscious levels. Thus consciousness is not fixed; it moves according to the direction and development of the mind.

The readings divide the mind into three major expressions that together explain the whole range of human consciousness. The conscious mind is the aspect directly connected with earthly existence. Cayce defines it as:

"That that is able to be manifested in the physical plane through one of the senses." (3744-2)

The conscious mind is concerned with observation, reasoning, learning, and responding to the external world. It processes information received through sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Yet Cayce repeatedly reminds us that this level of awareness represents only a small portion of the mind's total capacity. It is necessary for earthly living, but it cannot by itself comprehend spiritual reality.

Beneath ordinary consciousness lies the subconscious mind, which Cayce describes as:

"That lying between the soul and spirit forces within the entity." (3744-2)

When asked directly what the subconscious mind is, he replied simply:

"An attribute of the soul or mind of the soul." (3744-3)

The subconscious is therefore much more than unconscious memory. It is the mind of the soul itself. It preserves every thought, feeling, action, and experience throughout the soul's journey. Cayce states that the subconscious "never forgets" (5756-4). Every life experience becomes permanently recorded within it, influencing present attitudes and future development. Because of this, dreams, meditation, prayer, intuition, habits, and repeated thoughts become extremely significant, for they all shape the subconscious and gradually transform the soul.

The subconscious is also closely related to the universal consciousness. Cayce explains that suggestions reaching the subconscious receive "their reflection or reaction from the universal forces or mind or superconscious forces" (3744-3). Elsewhere he goes even further, stating that "when we speak of subconscious forces and universal forces we are speaking of one and the same" (900-359). This remarkable statement suggests that the deepest levels of the human mind are not isolated but participate in a universal field of consciousness shared with the Creative Forces themselves.

The highest level of mind is the superconscious. Cayce defines it as:

"The superconscious mind being that of the spiritual entity." (900-31)

He further explains:

"The super-conscious [is] the divide, that one-ness lying between the soul and the spirit force... Not of earth forces at all, only awakened with the spiritual indwelling." (900-21)

The superconscious represents direct contact with Divine reality. Inspiration, revelation, profound intuition, genuine spiritual guidance, and communion with God all arise from this level. It is not developed primarily through intellectual study but through spiritual living, meditation, prayer, and the continual application of divine ideals in daily life. The superconscious becomes increasingly active as the conscious and subconscious minds become harmonized with spiritual purpose.

One of the most misunderstood statements in the readings concerns the relationship between mind and will. Cayce says:

"Mind is the factor that is in direct opposition of will." (3744-2)

He later explains:

"The will [is] that active principle against which such manifestations respond." (900-21)

Mind and will are not enemies but complementary powers. Mind continually presents ideas, impressions, memories, emotions, and possibilities. Will determines which of these will be accepted, acted upon, or rejected. In other words, mind provides the possibilities while will chooses the direction. Human freedom lies not in creating thoughts but in deciding which thoughts will govern life. This explains why Cayce repeatedly emphasizes the importance of establishing a spiritual ideal. When will consistently directs the mind toward God, the entire individual gradually becomes transformed.

Throughout the readings Cayce continually emphasizes the creative power of thought. Thoughts are never considered temporary mental events. They are living creative forces that shape both the present life and the soul's future. One of his most famous statements declares:

"Thoughts are deeds."

He continues:

"What one thinks continually, they become; what one cherishes in their heart and mind they make a part of the pulsation of their heart, through their own blood cells, and build in their own physical, that which its spirit and soul must feed upon." (3744-5)

This teaching extends far beyond positive thinking. Every repeated thought gradually influences the nervous system, the glands, emotions, habits, physical health, and the permanent character of the soul. Thoughts eventually become part of the soul body itself. Cayce explains elsewhere that after death the soul body is "constituted with those atoms of thought (that are mind)" (5756-4). Thus thought literally builds the substance through which the soul continues its existence beyond earthly life.

For this reason, Cayce repeatedly urges the study of self. He says:

"The study of the subconscious, subliminal, psychic, soul forces, is and should be the great study for the human family... for through self man will understand its Maker." (3744-5)

He concludes with the biblical exhortation:

"In all thy getting, get understanding."

and

"Study those and KNOW THYSELF." (3744-5)

The purpose of understanding the mind is therefore not merely intellectual knowledge but spiritual transformation. As individuals understand the workings of their own mind, they begin to understand the relationship between body, soul, spirit, and God.

Ultimately, the Edgar Cayce readings present the mind as far more than a faculty of thought. It is the active, creative principle through which the soul experiences existence. It connects the physical body with the spiritual world, receives impressions through the conscious mind, preserves experience within the subconscious, and opens the individual to Divine guidance through the superconscious. Mind continually builds character, shapes the body, records every experience, and participates in the unfolding development of the soul. Directed by free will and inspired by a spiritual ideal, the mind becomes the instrument through which the image of the Creator is gradually restored within every individual. In Cayce's philosophy, understanding the nature of mind is therefore essential to understanding human nature itself, for mind is the bridge by which the soul fulfills its eternal journey back to conscious oneness with God.