Edgar Cayce

Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945), (the surname is pronounced like "Casey") is generally remembered as an American psychic who gave trance discourses on subjects like astrology, reincarnation, and Atlantis. He may have been the source for the idea that California would fall into the ocean (though he never said exactly this). Although Cayce lived before the emergence of the New Age movement, he remains a major influence on its teachings.

Major themes

The choice of which elements of the Cayce corpus to emphasize is frought with hermeneutic hazards. The health readings are most numerous, and they involve many alternative health concepts and practices. Cayce--whether awake or asleep--described his work in terms of Christian service. Finally, people with esoteric or metaphysical interests have focused on a somewhat different set of topics.

Related Topics:
Hermeneutic - Esoteric

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:Origin and destiny of humanity. "All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came." Cayce believes that human souls were created with a consciousness of their oneness with God. Some "fell" from this state; others—led by the Jesus soul—volunteered to save them. The earth, with all its limitations, was created as a suitable arena for spiritual growth.

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:Reincarnation. Cayce teaches the reality of reincarnation and karma, but as instruments of a loving God rather than blind natural laws. Its purpose is to teach us certain spiritual lessons. Humans are not reborn as animals. Cayce's view arguably incorporates Theosophical teachings on spiritual evolution.

Related Topics:
Reincarnation - Karma - Theosophical

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:Astrology. Cayce accepts astrology on the basis that our souls spend time on other planets (or perhaps their spiritual counterparts) in between incarnations. The position of the planets at our birth records these influences.

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:Universal laws. Souls incarnated on the earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" (karma) or "As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged." Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God's mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, he has promised to guide us in our spiritual path.

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:Jesus and Christ. Following New Thought precedent, Cayce distinguishes between Jesus and Christhood. Briefly, Jesus was a soul like us, who reincarnated through many lifetimes (and made many mistakes). "Christhood" is something which he achieved, and to which we also ought to aspire. Cayce accordingly calls Jesus our "elder brother."

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:Unknown Life of Jesus. Cayce presented narratives of Jesus' previous incarnations, including a mysterious Atlantean figure called "Amelius" as well as the more familiar biblical figures of Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, Joshua, Asaph, and Jeshua. Cayce describes Jesus as an Essene who traveled to India in his youth in order to study Eastern religions.

Related Topics:
Adam - Enoch - Melchizedek - Joshua - Asaph - Jeshua - Essene - India

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:Ideals. Cayce repeatedly stresses the choice of an ideal as the foundation of the spiritual path. "And O that all would realize &ldots; that what we are &ldots; is the result of what we have done about the ideals we have set" (1549-1). We may choose any ideal we feel drawn to. As we attempt to apply it in our lives, God will guide us further, perhaps inspiring us to revise our choice of ideal. The highest ideal, says Cayce, is Christ; however, the readings recognize "the Christ spirit" in some form as the basis for religions other than Christianity.

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:Body, Mind, Spirit. Cayce often invokes these three terms, or their equivalents, to describe the human condition. "Spirit is the life. Mind is the builder. Physical is the result." (conflation of various readings). The concept has application not only to holistic health but also to the spiritual life.

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: Meditation. While Cayce sometimes describes particular techniques of sitting or chanting ("Arrr--eee-oommm") the crucial element is that of opening up to divine influences. The Search For God books say that "Through prayer we speak to God. In meditation, God speaks to us." Cayce's concept of meditation has some aspects in common with Hinduism or Buddhism (the chakras, kundalini) but is most similar to Christian versions of New Thought. The symbolism of the Book of Revelation, he says, is based on meditative experiences.

Related Topics:
Chakra - Kundalini - New Thought

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:ESP. Cayce accepted psychic experiences as a natural by-product of soul growth. God may speak to us through dreams (many readings consist of dream interpretation), or through intuitions similar to the pangs of conscience. However, Cayce does not endorse Spiritualism or mediumship on the grounds that entities thus contacted are not necessarily particularly lofty. Instead, he encourages seekers to focus on Christ.

Related Topics:
Spiritualism - Mediumship

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: Atlantis. The Cayce readings affirm the existence of Atlantis, a vast continent with an advanced technology whose refugees peopled ancient Egypt as well as pre-Columbian America. Cayce's description of Atlantis has much in common with that of Ignatius Donnelly. According to Cayce, Atlantean society was divided into two long-lived political factions--a "good" faction called the "Sons of the Law of One," and an "evil" faction called the "Sons of Belial." Many people alive today are the reincarnations of Atlantean souls, who must now face similar temptations as before. In this regard Cayce also predicted the coming of a certain 'blue stone' of Atlantean origin, that was to be found on "an island in the Caribbean" and was to have the power to heal. In 1974 a Volcanic blue pectolite now known as the Larimar was found in the Dominican Republic. In metaphysical circles this colored gemstone is said to have healing powers; as with most crystals and gemstones, there is no scientific evidence that it has any special properties.

Related Topics:
Atlantis - Ancient Egypt - Pre-Columbian - Ignatius Donnelly - Caribbean - 1974 - Volcanic blue - Pectolite - Larimar - Dominican Republic - Metaphysical

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:Egypt. Next to biblical times, the most significant era for the "life readings" was a pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization consisting of Atlantean refugees. Cayce purported to have been an otherwise unknown pharoah named "Ra Ta" who built a spiritually-based healing center (the "Temple of Sacrifice") and educational institution (the "Temple Beautiful"). His diagnostic readings and narratives about the past and future were supposed to be a continuation of his ancient work. This civilization also built monuments on the Giza plateau, including the Great Pyramid, and left records of Atlantis in a "hall of records" located somewhere beneath the Sphinx. These readings bear a close resemblance to books by AMORC founder H. Spencer Lewis.

Related Topics:
Giza - Great Pyramid - Sphinx - AMORC - H. Spencer Lewis

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:Earth changes. Some Cayce readings allude to massive earth changes—perhaps in conjunction with a pole shift—in the 1930s, 1960s, or 1990s. Cayce people have developed several creative ways of interpreting such passages, although some were disappointed with the failure of 1998 to bring either the rising of Atlantis, the sinking of California, or the Second Coming of Christ.

Related Topics:
Pole shift - Second Coming

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:"Cayce cures." Cayce's medical readings typically prescribe poultices (often of castor oil), osteopathic adjustments, colonic irrigation, massage (often with peanut oil) prayer, folk remedies (e.g. charcoal tablets), various forms of electric medicine and patent medicines, and specific recommendations concerning diet and exercise. Cayce is often seen as a practitioner of holistic medicine, and has particularly strong philosophical ties with naturopathy.

Related Topics:
Poultice - Castor oil - Osteopathic adjustments - Colonic irrigation - Massage - Peanut oil - Prayer - Electric medicine - Patent medicines - Diet - Exercise - Holistic medicine - Naturopathy

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:The "Cayce diet". Major dietary recommendations include the avoidance of red meat (esp. pork), alcohol (except red wine), white bread, and fried foods; a preference for fruits and (above-ground, leafy) vegetables over starches; and a high ratio (80:20 %)of alkaline foods over acidic. One meal per day should consist entirely of raw vegetables. Several food combinations are contraindicated such as coffee with milk or sugar, or fruit juice with milk or cereals. Cayce did not follow this diet himself.

Related Topics:
Pork - Alcohol - White bread - Alkaline - Acidic

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