to someone else. Perhaps more than anything else, this premise of somehow preparing ourselves for the activity of Spirit to flow through us is what defines the readings’ approach to cooperation:
As it has so oft been given from the first, know that the Lord, thy God, is one! Know that thy ability, thy service, begins first with cooperation in being that channel through which the glory of the Lord may be manifested in the earth! 262-92
THE DYNAMICS OF COOPERATION
Individually and collectively we have a tremendous impact upon our present situation and our surroundings. When we interact with one another without a spirit of cooperation, we actually create disharmony in our lives and in our world. In other words, a non-cooperative attitude with just one other person affects the entire planet. Although at first this might be difficult to comprehend, as an analogy we can look at the human body. When any one part of the physical system is ill, or broken, or dis-eased, it actually affects the functioning of the whole. In the same manner, each of us is an integral part of the whole world and our thoughts, feelings, and activities have an impact upon all others. In the language of the readings:
Though there may be many approaches, cooperation in the activities—as in the Universe—brings the harmony of the universal activity; as does cooperation in human experience bring harmony and peace; while egotism and self-assertion and self-exaltation and self-indulgence bring inharmonious experiences, and the activities of turmoils, wars, strifes. 1297-1
By working with cooperation, we have the opportunity to positively affect all of materiality. The readings state that there are universal principles of harmony and unity that are trying to manifest into the third dimension. Even one person can make a difference. This manifestation is only possible through us as we attempt to become selfless channels through which the spirit can flow. Cooperation is a necessary step in bringing this about. Without cooperation, disharmony and chaos reign in our world environment. With cooperation, everything becomes possible. In fact, in one reading (262-4), the first study group was told that cooperation brings about harmony, and “harmony makes for peace; peace for understanding; understanding for enlightenment.”
From Cayce’s perspective, thoughts are as powerful as deeds in their creative potential. For this reason, both the mind and the body are necessary for true cooperation. Cooperation at the mental level deals with a unity of purpose. Cooperation at the physical level requires a harmony of activity. Cooperation within ourselves, as well as in our interactions with others, is necessary for the achievement of any outcome or for the attainment of any goal. We are told that “without that whole-hearted cooperation and oneness of mind and purpose, irrespective of position, condition, relation one with another, there may not be expected the result desired.” (254-42) Therefore, true cooperation allows for a oneness of mind, a oneness of purpose, and a oneness of result. It allows for the manifestation of the Creator’s laws and precepts in the earth—laws which are our natural heritage.
We are responsible for ourselves as well as for what we contribute to the whole. Every thought, every desire, every act that we put forth can’t help but influence another—even someone on the other side of the world. Through cooperation we become aware of this interconnectedness with one another. True cooperation is not for the advantage of self, but rather for the advantage of the whole:
In cooperation is the offering of self to be a channel of activity, of thought; for as line upon line, precept upon precept, comes, so does it come through the giving of self; for he that would have life must give life, they that would have love must show themselves lovely, they that would have friends must be friendly, they that would have cooperation must cooperate by the giving of self to that as is to be accomplished—whether in the bringing of light to others, bringing of strength, health, understanding, these are one in Him. 262-3
In this regard, cooperation is not so much an activity of consensus as it is one of selflessness. It is not the demeaning of self, but rather purposefully choosing to use self as a channel of assistance to someone else. Ultimately, cooperation is best expressed through an attitude of loving service to others.
COOPERATION AS A
PATTERN OF AWARENESS
There is within each one of us a pattern of perfection that is dormant, simply waiting to be awakened through the use of our own will. As we open our minds, our hearts, and our souls to becoming a channel of blessings, harmony, and cooperation, we naturally attune ourselves to this inner pattern of wholeness. From Cayce’s perspective, this realization of wholeness was perhaps best exemplified in the life of Jesus, a child of God (just as we) who lost sight of himself and made his every thought and deed in harmony with the very best that was within him. By so doing, Jesus took on the “mind of Christ” and became the pattern of spiritual fulfillment for every soul in the earth. This Christ Consciousness was further described as “the awareness within each soul, imprinted in pattern on the mind and waiting to be awakened by the will, of the soul’s oneness with God” (5749-14), and its manifestation is the eventual destiny of each and every soul.
Oftentimes, when individuals hear the terms “Christ” or “Jesus,” right away they may arrive at preconceived notions based on their upbringing or particular religious background. Throughout history, the perspectives people have had on the life and teachings of Jesus have been varied, oftentimes even at odds. Some individuals involved in so-called “new age philosophies” or comparative religious studies have sometimes decided that Jesus was “just a teacher.” Was he only a prophet? Others have decided to disregard him altogether. Members of non-Christian faiths may have ignored his life and ministry. Was he a man who committed blasphemy by thinking himself a God? Others may have said, “Well, Christians have been cruel to me and therefore I’m not interested in Jesus.” Even among those who call themselves Christian there is no complete agreement about His divinity. Disagreements over the meaning of His life and ministry have resulted in dozens of denominational factions, charges of heresy or breaking away from the faith, and countless wars. Was He the only son of God? Was He a God who became man, or always a God? These and many other questions abound. However, the Edgar Cayce material offers a perspective that suggests there is a way of looking at Jesus’ life in a manner that unifies humankind rather than divides us. In fact, for most of us, regardless of our religious background—whether we call ourselves Christian, or Jew, or Muslim, or Buddhist, or Hindu, or even agnostic—the Jesus we were brought up with is not necessarily the Jesus in the Edgar Cayce readings.
Essentially, the readings present Jesus as our “Elder Brother,” a soul who came to show each one of us the way back to our spiritual Source by perfectly manifesting the laws of the Creator. Part of His mission was to demonstrate fully the living awareness of the spirit in the earth—something each one of us will eventually have to do. Ultimately, we will all be challenged to manifest that same pattern in our lives through service and unconditional love. Jesus’ life of service to others provides an example for all of humankind. As one reading states:
For the Master, Jesus, even the Christ, is the pattern for every man in the earth, whether he be Gentile or Jew, Parthenian or Greek. For all have the pattern, whether they call on that name or not; but there is no other name given under heaven whereby men may be saved from themselves. 3528-1
True cooperation, then, is allowing this consciousness of service—the same consciousness that was manifested in our Elder Brother, Jesus—to work through us. The readings called this putting on the mind of Christ:
As we open our hearts, our minds, our souls, that we may be a channel of blessings to others, so we have the mind of the Christ, who took upon Himself the burden of the world. So may we, in our own little sphere, take upon ourselves the burdens of the world. The joy, the peace, the happiness, that may be ours is in doing for the other fellow. For, gaining an understanding of the laws as pertain to right living in all its phases makes the mind in attune with Creative Forces, which are of His consciousness. So we may have that consciousness, by putting into action that we know. 262-3
HOW