Who Was Edgar Cayce?
Twentieth Century Psychic and Medical Clairvoyant
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My current course work deals with the life and work of Edgar Cayce, likely made obvious by the fact that I’ve been writing about him for the past several weeks. Cayce (1877-1945) has been called both the “sleeping prophet” and the “father of holistic medicine.” He is the most documented psychic of the 20th century. For more than 40 years of his adult life, Cayce gave “readings” to thousands of people while in an unconscious state, diagnosing illnesses, past lives, and prophecies yet to come. |
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Cayce was born in 1877, on a farm in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. His psychic abilities began to appear during his childhood. He was able to see and talk to the spirit of his deceased grandfather, and often played with “imaginary friends” whom he said were from the other side. He also displayed an unusual ability to memorize the pages of a book by sleeping on it – a gift which certainly helped his schooling. These attributes labeled young Cayce as strange, but all he really wanted was to help others, especially children. Later in life, Cayce had the ability to put himself into a sleep-like state by lying down on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands over his stomach. In this state, he was able to place his mind in contact with the universal consciousness. From there, he could respond to questions, broad or specific:
His responses to these questions came to be called “readings,” and their insights offer practical help and advice to individuals, even in the modern day. Although he died more than 60 years ago, the material in the readings — both practical and esoteric — is evidenced by the hundreds of books that have been written on the various aspects of this work as well as the numerous books focusing on Cayce’s life itself. They contain invaluable information which have had a tremendous impact on the world. “In 1945, the year of his passing, who could have known that terms such as ‘meditation,’ ‘Akashic records,’ ’spiritual growth,’ ‘auras,’ ’soul mates,’ and ‘holistic health’ would become household words to millions?” The majority of Cayce’s readings deal with the treatment of illness, mostly from a holistic perspective. Individuals today receive physical relief from illnesses or ailments through information given in the readings. Although best known for this material, the Cayce did not seem to be limited to concerns about the physical body. In their entirety, the readings discuss an astonishing 10,000 different topics falling roughly into five main categories:
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