Health and Rejuvenation Center Cayce Health Database Version 1.0

Personal Spirituality True Health Ancient Mysteries

THE WORK OF EDGAR CAYCE

     Edgar Cayce was born March 18, 1877 on a farm near Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  His childhood was marked by paranormal experiences such as seeing and speaking to recently deceased relatives and sleeping with his head on textbooks to memorize school lessons.
     His abilities as a psychic diagnostician surfaced briefly in 1892, when at the age of fifteen he was injured playing ball at school.

     "He ran, and made it, but the ball hit him on the end of the spine just as he reached the base.  The bell rang then, and they ran into the classroom.  All during the afternoon he acted queerly, laughing and giggling, making faces, throwing spitballs....  Going home he rolled on the ground, jumped into ditches, and stood in the middle of the road, stopping buggies and teams with upraised hands ....  During supper he threw things at his sisters, laughed uproariously, and made faces at his father."  (Sugrue, 1942, p.50)

     That evening, after being put to bed, he soberly instructed his parents to apply a poultice containing corn meal, onions, and some herbs to the back of his head near the base of the brain.  He insisted that the injury sustained in the ball game had produced shock, but that he would be well in the morning if his instructions were followed.  The poultice was applied and he awoke the next morning feeling fine.  He could not remember anything since the school recess period of the day before.
     This incident was merely a sample of the abilities which Cayce would manifest in later years.  At the age of twenty-four he developed a gradual paralysis of the throat for which medical doctors were unable find a cause or cure.  As a last resort, he allowed a friend to hypnotize him so that he could reestablish the trance states that he had utilized as a child to memorize his homework.  From this altered state of consciousness he was able to diagnosis his condition and remedy the problem.
     Cayce was hesitant to use his ability for others since he felt responsible for the information and was concerned that the suggested treatments might be harmful. Consequently, many of the early beneficiaries of his services were desperate cases, often given up by medical doctors.
     The case of the young Dietrich girl is exemplary of these early readings.  This child was the daughter of a prominent Hopkinsville citizen.  Upon receiving Cayce at his home, Mr. Dietrich explained:

     "... that his daughter, Aime, had been ill for three years.  She was now five, and since the age of two, after an attack of grippe, her mind had not developed.  She had been taken to many specialists; none had been able to cure her or even stop the convulsions which attacked her in increasing numbers.  Her mind was a blank."  (Sugrue, 1942, pp. 116 -117)

     Cayce promptly went into the living room, lay down on the sofa and gave a reading for the girl.  He explained that at the age of two the child had slipped and struck the end of her spine while getting out of a carriage.  The injury had allowed infection ("grippe") to set in, halting mental development and producing convulsions.  Cayce prescribed osteopathic adjustments to correct the spinal pressures.  Within a week the child's condition showed definite improvement. Within three months she was totally well and proceeded to develop normally in all respects.
     This case and the previous instance (when the young Cayce was injured playing ball) were selected from the numerous remarkable events of Cayce's early years to illustrate an important theme which recurred in later readings.  Namely, that physical causes (such as spinal injury) can produce physical and mental symptoms. This point is emphasized in other sections of this presentation.
     As an indication of Cayce's interest in providing help to persons stricken with physical illness, over 8,000 readings were given for individuals suffering from various ailments.  The remainder of the readings cover virtually every field of human endeavor, from religion and philosophy to business and international affairs.  The readings addressing mental health are particularly fascinating and cover the entire field including psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia, personality disorders, developmental disorders, etc.  Treatises on learning and memory, the nature of personality, perception, psychosocial development, consciousness, the meaning of sleep, etc. are interspersed throughout the readings and provide intriguing perspectives on these concepts.
     Although many of the early readings were not recorded, 14,145 were stenographically transcribed and have been preserved by the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Recognizing the need for confidentiality, each reading is assigned a number corresponding to the person or group requesting information.  The identifying number is followed by another number designating the sequence of the reading.  For example, a reading cited as 182-6 indicates that this reading is the sixth in a series of readings for an individual or group designated as 182.

RESOURCES

      Among the many books available which discuss the various aspects of Cayce's life, three biographies have proven to be outstanding.  There is a River by Thomas Sugrue (1942) was the first extensive account of Cayce's life and contributed greatly to public recognition of his work.  The three anecdotes cited earlier in this section were excerpted from this work and are indicative of the Sugrue's knowledgeable treatment of the subject.  The philosophy chapter near the end of the book is a concise statement of the perennial philosophy propounded by Cayce and is highly recommended for those interested in this aspect of the readings.  Edgar Cayce - the Sleeping Prophet by Jess Stearn (1967) is a highly readable work by a popular, contemporary author.  A Seer Out of Season: The Life of Edgar Cayce by Harmon Bro (1990) is a scholarly, and often poetic work, and is undoubtedly the most realistic of the biographies.  Bro provides a rare glimpse into the humanity and foibles of Cayce while simultaneously portraying the larger context of the Cayce's life.  

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