Edgar Cayce

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Rudolf Steiner

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) was an American psychic and author, known as the "sleeping prophet." By the time of his death he had amassed a record of more than 14,300 clairvoyant readings for people across the nation, with many of the sessions captured by his secretary of twenty-two years, Gladys Davis. He left 9.000 medical diagnoses to the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), a nonprofit organization still active in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which he founded in 1931. In the 1920s, Cayce’s trance readings expanded beyond medicine to include “life readings”, in which he explored a person’s inner conflicts and needs. He employed references to astrology, karma, reincarnation, and number symbolism. He also expounded on global prophecies, climate or geological changes, and the lost history of mythical cultures, such as Atlantis and Lemuria. He had no recollection of any of this when he awoke from his sessions. He was a devout Christian and it was therefore hard for him to read the transcripts.

Early life

Edgar Cayce was born on March 18, 1877, near Beverly, south of Hopkinsville, Kentucky to the farmers Leslie Burr Cayce and Carrie Elizabeth (née Majo), one of six children. As a child he often played with his imaginary friends (“play folk”) or communicated with his deceased grandfather. His father also realized one day that Edgar Cayce had the ability to memorize the content of a book simply by sleeping on it but found it hard to focus in school. . He felt closest to his mother and a deep love for her because she never laughed at him and he felt comfortable sharing his thoughts with her. .

When he was young, he got quite attached to the Bible and resolved to read it once for every year of his life. He also worked at the sexton at the church. . In May 1889, while reading the Bible in his hut in the woods near a creek, he saw a woman with wings who told him that his prayers were answered and asked him what he wanted most of all. Even though he was frightened, he said that he wanted to help others, especially sick children. . One day he got injured at the spine in school and told his parents exactly what he needed overnight to be healed and it worked.

He attended school until he was 16 years of age and then started to work for his uncle in the fields.

Career as a psychic

While still working at the bookstore, at the age of twenty-one, Cayce developed a paralysis of the throat muscles, which caused him to lose his voice. Doctors could not find a physical cause or a remedy. One night he went to the performance of a hypnotist and when he was hypnotized that evening he was able to speak but when he returned from the trance, the paralysis returned. After this occurrence he turned to Al Layne, a Hopkinsville hypnotist and osteopath. When Layne hypnotized him, Cayce detailed in the entranced state a circulation problem in his throat area and recommended specific medication and manipulative therapy, which eventually aided in restoring his voice completely.

When Layne realized the potential of Cayce’s ability he suggested that Cayce try the same hypnotic method to help others and suggestions in the first health reading for Layne helped heal his decade-long stomach problems. After that doctors in the area took notice of Cayce and began testing him by having the entranced Cayce diagnose their own patients. They realized that he needed only name and address of the patient to tune in “telepathically” to the individuals mind and body and were impressed with the effectiveness of his recommendations. After an article on October 9th, 1910 in the New York Times, people from all over the country sought out the “Sleeping prophet”, as he was to become known.

Cayce established a routine to enter into his entranced state, first loosening his tie and collar, then untying his shoes, after that reclining on his back on his couch and folding his hands on his solar plexus. After a few moments of deep breathing his eyelids would flutter and his breathing would become deep and rhymical which was the signal for the conductor of the session to contact the subconscious.

All individuals who had a reading were identified with a number to keep their names private. Cayce gave health readings to literally thousands of individuals from famous people to ordinary citizens, even including President Woodrow Wilson.

When Edgar Cayce died on January 3, 1945, in Virginia Beach, he left 14,306 documented stenographic records of the telepathic-clairvoyant readings he had given for more than 6,000 different people over a period of forty-three years. These readings consist of 49,135 typewritten pages and constitute one of the largest and most impressive records of psychic perception ever compiled.

Involvement with Theosophical Society

Edgar Cayce was a member of the American Theosophical Society for about two years. He was admitted to membership in the Birmingham, Alabama Lodge on December 6, 1922, sponsored by Mrs. Gladys Dillman and Mrs. Lucy Coonley.

Theosophists and spiritualists were always fascinated by Cayce, and the Theosophical Press and Theosophical Publishing House distributed many books about his prophecies. The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 21 articles about Cayce, and the psychic was mentioned in numerous other articles. Joseph Millard's book Mystery Man of Miracles was very influential to Dr. Shafica Karagulla, who worked with Theosophical Society in America president Dora van Gelder Kunz, as they studied clairvoyant healing.

Over the years, numerous lodge programs of the Theosophical Society in America have centered on books about Cayce's life and teachings. His son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, represented the A.R.E. in lectures at Theosophical Society lodges. For example, he spoke at the Washington, D.C. Lodge in June, 1951; Herakles Lodge in Chicago in 1956; St. Louis in 1958; Orlando in 1964; Ft. Wayne in 1970. Another son, Charles Thomas Cayce, gave a seminar, "Unlocking the Mysteries in Your Dreams," in Minneapolis in 1983. The Miami, Florida Lodge offered a set of three lectures and four classes under the supervision of A.R.E. members in 1953.

The TSA also shared lecturers with Cayce's organization. The A.R.E. invited Dora van Gelder Kunz to conduct at workshop in Virginia Beach on July 16-29, 1986. Several Theosophists wrote important books about Edgar Cayce, including Gina Cerminara and K. Paul Johnson.

In chapter 15 of the book “There is a River”, the author Thomas Sugrue recounts Cayce’s metaphysical explorations with an Ohio printer and avid seeker in Theosophy, ancient religions, and the occult named Arthur Lammers. His cooperation with Lammers starting in the fall of 1923 in Alabama marked a turn in Cayce’s career from medical clairvoyant to esoteric philosopher. Lammers, who was familiar with Blavatsky's work wanted Cayce to delve into questions about life after death, astrology, the existence of a soul and the purpose of our lives. In one of his readings for Lammers, he provided Lammers with a whole philosophy of life, dealing with karmic rebirth:

"In this we see the plan of development of those individuals set upon this plane, meaning the ability to enter again into the presence of the Creator and become a full part of the creation.

Insofar as this entity is concerned, this is the third appearance on this plane, and before this one, as the monk. We see glimpses in the life of the entity now as were shown in the monk., in his mode of living. The body is only the vehicle ever of that spirit and soul that waft through all times and ever remain the same."

Pioneering work

Cayce was a significant pioneer in many disciplines that have gained widespread acceptance since his death:

The value of dreams as a tool for self-understanding and guidance. He saw dreams as a safe and reliable work to explore one’s own soul.

The importance of meditation as a spiritual discipline. He evolved an approach that was easy to apply to the Judeo-Christian world.

A perspective on reincarnation, karma, and grace that is potentially acceptable to the Jude-Christian world. He presents reincarnation as an inescapable reality of how the universe operates. Karma can be softened by the influences of grace available to all souls.

An approach to astrology that recognizes past lives and the influence of the planets, especially with regard to helping people find a sense of purpose in life. He used the influence of the planets as a way of describing innate temperament and its impact upon the personality and aptitude.

According to Cayce’s reading we live in an orderly universe that is governed by universal laws. Humanity has a purposeful place in this universe, and there is a plan for us as souls: to bring the qualities of spiritual life into the material world consciously. That plan requires that we make proper use of two great gifts that God has given each of us: a creative mind and a free will. Edgar Cayce emphasized in his readings the importance of staying healthy with careful, consistent application of certain fundamental principles, among them the need for balance, and an awareness of the creative power of our attitudes and emptions in shaping the condition of our physical body. Healthy living also means having positive, supportive, and loving relationships with other people. He also pointed out, that we need to understand that the various systems of the physical body – the nervous system, the circulatory system, the endocrine system, and the internal organs – are interconnected profoundly. A disorder in one system can cause systems in another; achieving balance and harmony in one system can benefit the others. We also have to remember that each of us is made up of a body, a mind, and a spirit that are interconnected. For healing to be total and lasting, we need to work on integrating all three aspects of ourselves. In his readings Edgar Cayce pointed out that a succession of lifetimes makes it possible for the soul to move towards oneness with God while taking responsibility for its choices. Karma is more than debts to be paid; it is a matter of soul memory, even memory stored in the unconscious mind. We tend to repeat old patterns until our free will consciously decides to create new patterns of thinking, feeling and acting. It is not important to remember details of past lives but to focus on the challenges and opportunities in our current lifetime, employing reincarnation as a tool for understanding how and why everything happens for a reason. In addition, for each lifetime the soul comes into the material work it has a mission that includes work to help transform itself for the better as well as work that transforms the world for the better. Finding and using the soul’s talents through self-study is the key. Cayce’s approach to the soul and spirit demands that we take responsibility for our own lives. Often, the circumstances in which we find ourselves are of our own making, sometimes stretching to previous lives. Similar to Theosophy, Cayce’s premise was that there are two sides to ourselves: The personality (familiar identity) and the individuality (the authentic self). Healthy living requires that we learn to forge a deeper connection to our individuality, and the process begins by paying attention to our purposes, intentions, and ideals. Two disciplines support this work: meditation (listening to the divine within) and self-analysis through dream interpretations. Soul development involves maturing into a certain way of being in life: present, patient, helpful, loving. It is learning how to put aside one’s personality and willfulness and instead waken to one’s individuality and willingness to serve God. In his readings Cayce also points to a new way of understanding Christ. He distinguishes between Jesus, the most recent incarnation of a soul who had many lifetimes on earth, and the universal Christ Consciousness, the awareness of the oneness of all life. Christ Consciousness resides in the unconscious mind of each soul, waiting to be awakened bey free will.

The Essence of the Cayce Philosophy

1) Everything is connected – all is one: Once we perceive this unity it is our challenge to apply this understanding as practical mystics.

2) Life is purposeful: Each of us is born with a personal mission, a “soul-purpose”. There is an aspect of service to soul-purpose.

3) Approach life as an adventure: Life is meant to be a playful search for the truth; it is research in the broadest sense of the word.

4) Be noncompetitive: show compassion: Nothing takes us away quicker from the sense of oneness, and therefore from our own soul-purpose, than the drive for competitiveness. Compassion is the capacity to be present for another person and experience how we are all really the same. It is a matter of feeling with another person, not taking responsibility for that person but being responsible and responsive to that person.

5) Take responsibility for yourself: Help is available but no one else can fix things for us. Ultimately each soul is accountable for itself. The principle of self-responsibility is a cornerstone of Edgar Cayce recommendations.

6) Look ahead rather the back: The present and the future cannot be understood outside the context of the past but in essence he was saying to always look ahead and never back and understand that you are going to come back again. We should make choices that will help create the best possible results in the next lifetime.

7) Changing anything starts with an ideal: Motives, purposes, and ideals are the center of Cayce’s psychology. If we want to change anything in life we have to start at the motivational level.

8) All time is one time: Sometimes we get hints about the deeper mysteries of time (e.g. a precognitive dream). If we pay close attention to our inner lives, we might find clues that time is more complex than we think.

9) Success cannot be measured by material standards: Measuring success, especially in terms of one’s soul, is elusive because we cannot use the same standards for measuring the internal and external life.

10) Courage is essential to any spiritual growth: High aspirations and ideals are not enough, we have to do something with them.

11) Evil is real and comes in many forms:

a) A lack of awareness – a deficit in conscious awareness

b) Extremism – we need to watch for our own tendency to go to extremes

c) Aggression and invasion – all human relations have the potential for these forms of evil

d) Transformation – stay engaged with anything ungodly and keep working to transform it

e) Rebellion and willfulness – we choose every day how to respond to evil; the focus is on our behavior – are we going against the impulse to bring the spirit into the material world.

12) Learn to stand up for yourself; learn to say no when it is needed: It is similar to self-assertion and setting boundaries.

Additional resources

• Association for Research and Enlightenment website.
• Cerminara, Gina. Many Mansions: The Edgar Cayce Story on Reincarnation. New York: Signet Books, 1950, 1990.
• Johnson, K. Paul. Edgar Cayce in Context: The Readings: Truth and Fiction. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1998. Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions.
• Kirkpatrick, Sidney D. An American Prophet, New York: Riverhead Books, 2000.
• Kittler, Glenn D. Edgar Cayce on the Dead Sea Scrolls, New York: Warner Books, 1970.
• Puryear, Herbert B. The Edgar Cayce Primer: Discovering The Path to Self-Transformation, New York: Bantam Books, 1982.
• Stearn, Jess. The Sleeping Prophet, New York: Bantam Books, 1967. This was a bestselling book.
• Sugrue, Thomas. There Is a River, Virginia Beach, Virginia: A.R.E. Press, 2003.
• Todeschi, Kevin. Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records. Virginia Beach, Virginia: A.R.E. Press, 1998.
• Todeschi, Kevin and Henry Reed. Contemporary Cayce: A Complete Exploration Using Today’s Science and Philosophy. Virginia Beach, Virginia: A.R.E. Press, 2014.