References and Recommended Reading
“. . . there is being laid out plans for a work that, as given, is to change the thought of mankind in general in many directions.” (254-37)
Edgar Cayce
1
An Overview of the
Edgar Cayce Material
EDGAR CAYCE (1877-1945) HAS BEEN CALLED “THE SLEEPING prophet,” “the father of holistic medicine,” “the miracle man of Virginia Beach,” and “the most-documented psychic of all time.” For forty-three years of his adult life, he had the ability to put himself into some kind of self-induced sleep state by lying down on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands over his stomach. This state of relaxation and meditation enabled him to place his mind in contact with all time and space and gave him the ability to respond to any question he was asked. His responses came to be called “readings” and contained insights so valuable that even to this day Edgar Cayce’s work is known throughout the world. Hundreds of books have explored his amazing psychic gift, and the entire range of Cayce material is accessed by tens of thousands of people each and every day.
For decades, the Cayce readings have stood the test of time, research, and extensive study. Further details of Cayce’s life and work are explored in such classic books as There Is a River (1942) by Thomas Sugrue, The Sleeping Prophet (1967) by Jess Stearn, Many Mansions (1950) by Gina Cerminara, Edgar Cayce: A Seer Out of Season (1990) by Harmon Bro, and Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet (2000) by Sidney Kirkpatrick. (Further information about Edgar Cayce is available from the nonprofit he founded in 1931, the Association for Research and Enlightenment [A.R.E.]. Visit the Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. web site at EdgarCayce.org.)
During Cayce’s life, the Edgar Cayce readings were all numbered to provide confidentiality. So in the case of 294-1, for example, the first set of numbers (“294”) refers to the individual or group for whom the reading was given. The second set of numbers (“1”) refers to the number in the series from which the reading is taken. Therefore, 294-1 identifies the reading as the first one given to the individual assigned #294.
Although the vast majority of the Cayce material deals with health and every manner of illness, countless topics were explored by Cayce’s psychic talent: dreams, philosophy, intuition, business advice, the Bible, education, childrearing, ancient civilizations, reincarnation, personal spirituality, improving human relationships, finding your mission in life, and much more. In fact, during Cayce’s lifetime, his readings covered an amazing 10,000 different subjects! However, this broad range of subject matter can be categorized into a smaller range of topical areas, such as the following:
•We have the capacity to improve our own health.
•Our individual relationships (home, work, everywhere) are our ongoing research laboratory in personal soul growth.
•We have an innate ability to obtain personal guidance at any time (dreams, intuition, synchronicities, etc.)
•Whatever life experience we are encountering right now is ultimately purposeful with the goal being one of consciousness growth for having had that experience.
•Through attunement (especially meditation and prayer), we can come to an understanding of our personal relationship with God.
•Experiences of various changes in our life are often at the core of promoting changes in our consciousness and personal growth.
•We do not come into life as blank slate—we are an archaeological dig of ancient mysteries.
•We are loved (and assisted) by the Creator.
•We are eternal.
In terms of health, the Cayce information was decades ahead of its time in exploring topics such as energy medicine, the importance of a healthy diet, the role of attitudes and emotions in the wellness process, and the important role various schools of medicine played in promoting health. Although Cayce himself has been called the “father of holistic medicine,” the readings draw from every school of medicine: allopathic, osteopathic, chiropractic, physical therapy; and every imaginable treatment: surgery, diet, massage, exercise, pharmacological, mindfulness, vibrational therapies, meditation and prayer, and much more. In fact, the creation of the short-lived Cayce hospital (1928-1931) was the fulfillment of Edgar Cayce’s dream in which all schools of medicine could work together for the benefit of the patient.
In 1931, a group of Cayce’s contemporaries began obtaining a series of readings on the topic of personal soul growth. The first lesson was on “Cooperation,” followed by “Know Thyself,” “Spiritual Ideals,” and so forth, and for more than a decade the group would explore a series of twenty-four ecumenical lessons in personal transformation. It was the group’s hope that, regardless of an individual’s religious background, universal concepts might somehow be practically applied as a means of becoming consciously aware of the living Spirit in everyday life. Today that information continues to be explored and applied by A.R.E. Study Groups and individuals around the world.
A wealth of information in the Cayce files examines the innate capacity that each of us has to obtain personal guidance into any area of our lives. This aptitude for guidance occurs because the mind and consciousness are not limited to the confines of the physical world or the body. Actually, Cayce suggested that, in terms of dreams, nothing of significance ever occurs to us without it first being foreshadowed in our dreams. He also asserted that everyone had the ability to interpret, or make constructive use of their dreams. The readings also contend that ultimately each individual is actually his or her own best psychic, with an abundance of potential information and insight that is just waiting to come to conscious awareness. Because the universe wants us to succeed in our personal growth and development, we are also constantly greeted with “signs along way”—experiences, encounters, surprise happenings, etc., that can serve as synchronistic guidance that appears just when we need it.
Although it can be challenging to comprehend (and obviously much harder to experience), the Cayce material suggests that each of us is where we are right now for a reason. At some level, all of life’s challenges have been chosen by the soul for the purpose of consciousness growth and development. Rather than seeing this dynamic as some kind of “punishment,” the readings instead contend that this process ultimately enables individuals to become more compassionate, more loving, and more capable