Edgar Cayce: life and psychic abilities of a modern mystic

Edgar Cayce

The Life of a Mystic

The Life of a Mystic: Edgar Cayce

Edgar Cayce is renowned as one of the most respected mystics of the modern era. The terms mystic is used in the broad sense of supesensory and supernatural abilities and perception of reality. A common definition of a mystic is a person who is "… initiated into esoteric mysteries…" ( Mystic definition). As will be discussed, the life and works Edgar Cayce certainly fit this definition.

Cayce was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky in 1877. He came from a staunch Methodist family. There were also signs of psychic abilities in his family with his father and grandfather displaying certain psychic tendencies. His grandfather had the ability to find water with a divining rod and his father seemed to have the ability to attract snakes (Pollock, Edgar Cayce: The sleeping prophet). Therefore, we can assume that Edgar's psychic and mystical abilities would not be considered to have been totally out of place in his social and cultural environment. One should also take into account that his mystical and psychic abilities grew in a developmental fashion. There is documented evidence that the first signs of his abilities were evident in early childhood.

The signs of his psychic abilities were evident from a very early age. As a child he would see "the little people" who would dance about him freely, but disappear when others came around. He met an angelic female creature in the woods one day who asked him what he would most like to do. After telling her that he would like to help children and others, she promised that he would, one day. (Pollock, Edgar Cayce: The sleeping prophet)

This meeting with a beautiful or angelic entity was to have as profound impact on his life and was the precursor to his healing abilities.

The first true indication of his abilities manifested themselves when he developed a form of laryngitis as a young man. When he was hypnotized in an attempt to find the source of his condition he correctly established the cause of his condition as a paralysis of the muscles and suggested his own cure while under hypnosis (Pollock, Edgar Cayce: The sleeping prophet).

After this event, Edgar Cayce began to use his psychic powers to help those who were ill. In a state of trance-like sleep he successfully diagnosed and helped to cure the illnesses of others. During these trances it appeared that he had access to a source of knowledge outside of himself and often outside of conventional wisdom. He also frequently perceived "… unorthodox remedies, and unheard of combinations of medicines and herbs with generally good results for those who were ill (Pollock, Edgar Cayce: The sleeping prophet). Even more amazingly, "At times Cayce would not only tell the inquirers what medicine to take, but would tell them where they could find such a medicine, even describing the store, the particular shelf, and the specific spot on the shelf! (Pollock, Edgar Cayce: The sleeping prophet).

The method used to undertake these healing were, on the surface, extremely simple. After a meal Cayce would rest and go to sleep. The individual who was responsible for the readings would provide Cayce with information about the sick or ailing person. Cayce would then describe the individual's condition as well as provide a cure for the complaint. Another significant factor which defies scientific and rational logic is the fact that Cayce could undertake this healing process even if the sick individual was at a distance. "Even at long distances Cayce would somehow locate them, evaluate their condition, and prescribe a cure while they went about their business" (Pollock, Edgar Cayce: The sleeping prophet).

Furthermore, the depth of his medical knowledge, although he had no training, astounded medical experts. He would often refer to drugs and medications that were not generally known or even on the market. Another astounding documented fact was that, "Although he had a conscious knowledge only of the English language, Cayce is also estimated to have spoken in some two dozen foreign tongues while in a trance" (Edgar Cayce, Clairvoyant: 1877-1945).

An example of his abilities was a five-year-old child, Aime Dietrich. She has been extremely ill for a number of years after an attack of influenza which had led to extreme mental stagnation and lack of development. In a trance Cayce diagnosed her problem as an influenza germ that had become lodged in her spine. He recommended osteopathic treatment which led to the girl's eventual recovery (The Life of Edgar Cayce).

Personal Crises and Support Systems

One of the central issues that Cayce experienced was the fact that his visions and prophesies were often in conflict with his orthodox and conventional religious background. After awakening from his trance state he was concerned at the nature of the predictions that he had made while in a state of mystical illumination. As noted, these predictions were in many cases at odds with accepted Christian dogma. As a deeply religious man this had a profound effect on him. As one commentator notes;

When Cayce woke from his sleep, he was shocked. The answers he had given were foreign to everything he had believed since boyhood. & #8230;he began to wonder if he were not being used by a malicious spirit to disseminate falsehoods. (Pollock, Edgar Cayce -- Psychic Deceiver)

He also expanded on this deep concern to Lammers:

"But what you've been telling me today, and what the readings have been saying, is foreign to all I've believed and been taught, and all I've taught others, all of my life. If ever the devil was going to play a trick on me, this would be it." (Pollock, Edgar Cayce -- Psychic Deceiver)

However, he overcame these doubts about the source of his powers when he considered that they enabled him to help and heal others. After much meditation he therefore decided that their source could not be evil or in opposition to the will of God.

There were many periods of trauma and upheaval in his life. In general, especially in the earlier period of his life, he lived in a secure and comfortable fashion with his supportive wife and friends and "…. In spite of his being uncomfortable with the readings, his life was fulfilling. He had a loving wife, a home, a Sunday School class at the local church, and a good job" (The Life of Edgar Cayce). He also opened a photographic studio and was later able to run his own hospital for a time.

However, his second son, Milton, developed whooping cough shortly after his birth. When the doctors were not effective in curing him, Edgar undertook as reading of his son's condition and found that there was no hope. This was a devastating use of his abilities that traumatized Cayce. After the death of the child both Cayce and his wife, Gertrude, suffered from depression. As a result Gertrude became physically ill. The medical doctors eventuality told Cayce that he wife has tuberculosis and was terminal. However, when Cayce undertook a reading of her condition he became more positive about her condition and during his trance-like state he prescribed certain medications. His wife subsequently recovered from her illness (The Life of Edgar Cayce).

One of the greatest threats to Cayce's health and life was the fact that the trance states and readings that he undertook were extremely physically and psychologically draining. "The trance reading caused problems with Cayce's health which were easily seen." (What did Edgar Cayce claim to be able to do?) Doctors had warned him that he should reduce the number of reading but the need to help others was stronger in Cayce than concerns about his own health. In 1944 his health began to deteriorate and even his reading of his own health advised more rest. But his obligations to others overrode these concerns and he eventually collapsed from exhaustion. He had a stroke and become partially paralyzed. He died on January 3, 1945 (The Life of Edgar Cayce).

Conclusion

The visions, prophesies and healing powers of Edgar Cayce have raised a number of important issues. The first is the validity of mystics like Cayce in a modern world that is predominantly materialistic and rationalistic. The question arises; to what extent are the predictions powers of and prophesies of mystics like Cayce valid and true in a world where science, reason and logic dominate?

There are many rationalists who would discount the likes of Cayce as merely fraudsters and charlatans. However, even these critics have to acknowledge the extensive documentation and evidence that indicates the veracity and authenticity of Cayce's achievements and powers. The fact that he was able to predict real historical events like the World Wars of the last century and the stock market crash is indicative of his validity as a modern day prophet.

A second issue that the life of Edgar Cayce raises is the way that he was perceived by the society and the prejudices and difficulties that he faced during his life. In this regard it could be argued that the religious and Christian environment in which he was brought up and lived was generally supportive of his abilities.

On the other hand there were many problems that he had to face during his life. One of these was his self- doubt and the obvious criticism that must have been directed at him from many of the more conservative sectors of the society in which he lived. Consequently, one of his greatest concerns was that his powers and insights into reality were from a source that was counter to the ethos and norms of his conventional Christian upbringing. This was a cause of intense concern for him, which he could only overcome by referring to the good that these powers achieved in the world.

In the final analysis, it is the fact that Casey helped hundreds if not thousands of people who were ill or suffering from various conditions that validates the positive and essentially good source of his powers. Possibly what is even more important is that Cayce's life provides an important massage for people living today in the contemporary world. In the face of an increasingly selfish, egotistical world concerned with greed and power, Cayce's life is an example of selflessness and the deep concern for others and society in general. It is this non-egotistical and selfless desire to help others that is one of the most important aspects of his life. His life suggests that there are regenerative and mystic powers that are released through the loss of ego and concern for others and that is all too often forgotten or ignored in our contemporary societies.