Edgar Cayce on Meditation

By Kevin Williams

Blog Ref http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Multi-Dimensional_Science

 

The following is an excerpt from the late great Cayce scholar Elsie Sechrist's book Meditation: Gateway to Light. More information concerning Cayce's insights into meditation can be found at the Cayce research foundation (A.R.E.).

Prayer is speaking to God and mediation is listening to God. Mastering the technique of meditation is not easy. There are three keys necessary to succeed in meditation. The three keys to this door of communication with God are sincerity, enthusiasm and perseverance.

As for sincerity, ask yourself these questions: Do I really know who and what God is? Do I know him personally as a loving Father, or do I just know about him? More important, does he know me? Are we on speaking terms, or do we just nod occasionally? If we find ourselves answering in the negative to these questions, we may begin to realize how greatly we need him. His promise has ever been that if we believe, live by his laws, he will aid us swiftly when we call, no matter where we happen to be.

Enthusiasm is important because it is an inner fire, an inner light seeking its own source. In Webster's dictionary, the origins of the Greek word "enthusiasm" meant to be "inspired, or possessed by a god." In meditation, this inner fire stimulates every cell of the body and every reflex of the brain to listen. How do we evoke enthusiasm for our search for God? By first examining those people who, from the beginning of time, have found him. The Bible tells of man's experiences with God. Studying it in conjunction with efforts at meditation and prayer awakens the necessary enthusiasm to begin.

Perseverance is perhaps the most difficult key. We need to keep on, day after day, in the effort to re-establish our communion. When we first attempt to harness the thoughts, to control the body, to sit still, we realize just how much the body controls us, mind and spirit.

The purification and control of the spiritual body takes place within the endocrine glands, under the direction of the mind. The Cayce readings and modern science concur that constructive thoughts and emotions release healing hormones into the body and mind. But the Cayce readings go further. They suggest that the endocrine glands are the spiritual centers of the body and that through them our spiritual forces find means of expression. Meditation is a key to opening these spiritual centers.

These spiritual centers are: the sex glands, the Lyden gland, the Adrenal glands, the Thymus, the Thyroid, the Pineal and the Pituitary glands. The proper application of the energies illuminates them, transforming the individual into a light in the world.

Ideals enter the mind when led by the spirit. The Cayce readings remind us over and over again that mind is the builder, led by the spirit we are entertaining, the spirit of God or the spirit of the devil - self. What one thinks and eats, one becomes.

Spiritual cleansing begins when the mind is in accord with his spirit. It is across the bridge of the mind that we pass, as we come to know God. Once a soul sets for itself an ideal which is spiritual in essence, every cell in the body is made aware of this and changes begin to take place. Our seven spiritual centers become the points of contact with the divine within; thus we experience a stepping-up of activity in all these centers. We have redirected the use of this energy to its highest function. A refining process has taken place in the body, a lifting of the rate of vibration; these centers now disseminate their energies and hormones to the entire body.

As the individual sits in meditation, his mind focused on an affirmation (an ideal), spiritual energy begins to move upward from the sexual glands. Usually, at this point, a pulsation may be felt at the end of the spine. If the spiritual force has been able to rise unhindered and undefiled to the pineal and pituitary, one may experience an incandescence as if the whole body had been filled with light and become transparent.

It is at the pineal center that we gradually become oriented to the Christ-presence, where we may even receive the Mind of Christ, depending on the degree of the attunement.

This force then flows into the pituitary, from whence, being now in purified form, it flows downward, cleansing and strengthening body and mind.

 

And Jesus also said, "He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38) The movement of these spiritual forces in meditation are the rivers of living water.

The more we become able to still the conscious mind, the more trouble we can expect from the subconscious mind, for it is the conscious mind of the soul. It, too, must be purified. We have stimulated this area of the mind as a result of the ideal we have upheld; attitudes and thoughts previously concealed in the subconscious rise to the surface for examination. Symbols and old familiar scenes begin to flash before us like pictures on a screen. However, this is still only the beginning of meditation. We should not dwell too long on these pictures but press on to the silence. In other words, we must return attention to the affirmation.

We may at this point be fascinated by the many faces appearing, or numerous pairs of eyes staring. We may even hear our names called; we may feel as if we were in the midst of a crowd, listening to chatter and laughter. We must not stop there, for we are not yet in real meditation. Of course, it is fascinating at first, for it is an entirely new experience. The sounds, the voices, the pictures, the eyes and faces may all belong to souls already in the beyond who, having seen the light pouring through the open door (the spiritual center), have been attracted. It is much akin to the sensation of looking through a strange keyhole, only to see another eye looking back. Intriguing, perhaps, but neither stands to gain much from such a restricted encounter.

We must leave this entertainment behind and "press on to the mark of the high calling," his mark, the superconscious mind, the Christ Consciousness, the Holy Spirit, the "hill of the Lord."

Spiritual height is reached by attunement to the Creative Forces in meditation. The release of energy should never be forced by such methods as exercise, or holding the breath, or by focusing one's mind on a special center, or by willing the center to open. When meditation is properly approached, these centers will open voluntarily. The knowledge, power and illumination of the soul which accompany this opening will then be concentrated on the good of others and not to one's own misdoing.

The opening of the centers should come only as a result of spiritual growth, not through any abnormal means. Unless the power released is used to express his spirit with and for others, it will but inflame our lower natures.

The glands of reproduction are the reservoirs of the life force. They house the creative energy of the body. As the individual sits in silence, having lifted his mind by use of the Lord's Prayer (an excellent affirmation), creative energy is released at this level. This energy now carries the stamp of the divine, because both the purpose and the thought which released it were holy.

The Lyden gland, control-center of the soul's activity, opens its doors to this energy, enabling the mind of the soul - the subconscious mind - to rise to the level of the pineal, seat of the Christ consciousness. This energy is then transmitted to the other centers of the body by means of the pituitary. As it passes through the centers, it illuminates them.
Meditation brings an increase in vigor and improved health. An expansion of consciousness is achieved, and with this expansion comes the realization that we are in eternity now. The realization dawns that indeed there is no death. The only real death is the separation in consciousness of the soul from God. When this has been overcome there is no death, for consciousness is continuous in whatever realm one manifests.

 

Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions." (John 14:2) These mansions of God are afterlife levels of consciousness. Where is consciousness? Within the bodies we now occupy, wherever we are. "For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."  (2 Corinthians 6:16)

 

Through meditation, we may become aware of these afterlife realms of consciousness as in dreams. Therefore, whether we are on this Earth, or in another afterlife realm, the "house of the Lord" is the shell which we occupy. For while God wills that no soul shall perish, he will not force humankind to seek him.

 

Meditation Tips from Edgar Cayce

•  Meditation is the attuning of the mental and physical body to your spiritual source.

•  Meditation builds a protective barrier around yourself against harmful forces.

•  Meditation will help you manifest the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the white light of the Christ.

•  Meditation allows you to obtain information on any subject and the answer will come from within.

•  Meditation is the way to at-one-ment with God.

•  Constant communication with God through meditation will result in spiritual guidance.

•  During meditation, you can increase the spiritual forces taking place within your inner self.

•  This is necessary to help you attune and become one with the Creative Force - just as in the pitch of a song of praise.

•  Raise these spiritual forces in yourself and you will enter the presence of your Maker.

•  No sacrifice is necessary except your desire to be one with God.

•  You will know within yourself when you are in an at-one-ment with God.

•  Read about the promises of Jesus in the book of John, chapters 14-17, to learn about the spirit of light within you to help unlock your inner self.

•  Set definite time periods to listen to the voice of your Maker. Meditate either at 11:00 am to noon in the day or 11:00 pm to midnight in the evening. The best time is 2:00 am to 3:00 am in the morning. (For at least 30 minutes)

•  Meditate facing east (for polarity with the Earth) and in the same place each day.

•  For some people, the song of the spheres is necessary for their comfort in meditation and to rest the senses.

•  Sit or lie in an easy position, without any binding garments around your body.

•  Sit as in readiness. Crucify desires within yourself. Turn yourself inward.

•  Quiet yourself mentally. Cleanse the inner room of your mind. No unkind thoughts are allowed.

•  Shut out all thoughts pertaining to activities or attributes of carnal forces.

•  The hands should always cross the solar plexus, the balancing between the forces of the body, when meditating or seeking to open yourself to the unseen sources.

•  Never open yourself without surrounding yourself with the Christ Consciousness by thought, by word of mouth, by impressing it upon yourself - also for protection.

•  Certain types of breathing are suggested, that there may be an even balance in the respiratory system, that the circulation becomes normal in its flow through the body.

•  With low music or incantations, let yourself go deeper, to the seeing, feeling, experiencing the creative forces of love and enter into the Holy of Holies.

•  Then listen to the music of your inner spiritual centers responding.

•  Enter in the closet of your inner self and pour out your self so that you may be filled with the Spirit of God.

•  Find what is the impelling desire (i.e., your ideal) in your inner self - council with your soul.

•  Make your will to be one with the whole.

•  In your temple, let the voice, the feeling, the spirit of your purpose be free in its direction to yourself.

•  Meditate on the fruits of the Spirit in the inner secrets of the consciousness and the cells in the body will become aware of the awakening of the life in their activity.

•  Only in patience can you become aware of your soul's activity.

•  Attune yourself almost in the same manner as you would tune a violin for harmony.

•  Seek God's face and God's ways. When you are fully attuned, let your intonations, breathing, and posture be rather an outgrowth of your attunement.

•  As the body attunes itself, it may be a channel where there may be instant healing with the laying on of hands.

•  Voices can be heard when attuning yourself during meditation.

•  Visualizing while attuned in meditation can influence others.

•  Many people meet their spirit guide during their first experience of meditation. Do not be satisfied with a guide other than one from the Throne of Grace itself.

•  After raising your consciousness, God meets you in your own temple (the Holy of Holies, the third eye).

•  No one can know attunement who has not developed their inner self.

•  If we fail to apply what is given us in meditation, the body will act!

"For life and death are one, and only those who will consider the experience as one may come to understand or comprehend what peace indeed means." - Edgar Cayce Article Source http://www.near-death.com/cayce.html

Edgar Cayce.

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Edgar Cayce
Circa October 1910
Born	Edgar Cayce (1877-03-18)March 18, 1877 Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Died	January 3, 1945(1945-01-03) (aged 67) Virginia Beach, Virginia
Resting place	Riverside Cemetery, Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Nationality	American
Occupation	Psychic Clairvoyant
Known for	Founder of Association for Research and Enlightenment
Religion	Disciples of Christ
Children	Hugh Lynn (b. 1907) Milton Porter (b. 1911) Edgar Evans (b. 1918)
Parents	Leslie B. Cayce Carrie Cayce
Website
www.edgarcayce.org

Edgar Cayce (/ˈkeɪsiː/; March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American psychic who allegedly had the ability to give answers to questions on subjects such as healing, wars, and even had visions of the world's end.^{[citation needed]} He also gave a reading about Atlantis while in a hypnotic trance. Though Cayce himself was a devout Christian and lived before the emergence of the New Age Movement, some believe he was the founder of the movement and influenced its teachings.^[1]
Cayce became a celebrity toward the end of his life and the publicity given to his prophecies has overshadowed what to him were usually considered the more important parts of his work, such as healing (the vast majority of his readings were given for people who were sick) and theology (Cayce was a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ). Skeptics^[2] challenge the statement that Cayce demonstrated psychic abilities, and traditional Christians also question his unorthodox answers on religious matters (such as reincarnation and Akashic records, although others accept his abilities as "God-given").
Cayce founded a nonprofit organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment.^[3]

Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Marriage and family 1.3 1877 to 1920: Kentucky period 1.4 1920 to 1923: Texas period 1.5 1925 to 1945: Virginia Beach period 2 Purported psychic abilities 3 Supporters 4 Controversy and criticism 4.1 Criticism 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Edgar Cayce was born on March 18, 1877, near Beverly, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, one of the six children of farmers Leslie B. Cayce and Carrie Cayce.^[4]

[edit] Marriage and family

Cayce was engaged on March 14, 1897 and married on June 17, 1903 to Gertrude Evans. They had three children: Hugh Lynn Cayce (March 16, 1907-July 4, 1982), Milton Porter Cayce (March 28, 1911-May 17, 1911), and Edgar Evans Cayce (February 9, 1918-).^[4]

[edit] 1877 to 1920: Kentucky period

In December 1893, the Cayce family moved to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and occupied 705 West Seventh, on the south-east corner of Seventh and Young Street. During this time Cayce received an eighth-grade education, discovered his spiritual vocation and^[5] left the family farm to pursue various forms of employment (at Richard's Dry Goods Store and then in Hopper's Bookstore, both located on Main Street).
Cayce's education stopped in the ninth grade because his family could not afford the costs involved.^[6] A ninth-grade education was often considered more than sufficient for working-class children. Much of the remainder of Cayce's younger years would be characterized by a search for both employment and money.
Throughout his life, Cayce was drawn to church as a member of the Disciples of Christ. He read the Bible once for every year of his life, taught at Sunday school,^[7] and recruited missionaries. He is said^{[by whom?]} to have agonized over the issue of whether his psychic abilities, and the teachings which resulted, were spiritually legitimate.
In 1900, he formed a business partnership with his father to sell Woodmen of the World Insurance but was struck by severe laryngitis in March that resulted in a complete loss of speech.^[6] Unable to work, he lived at home with his parents for almost a year. He then decided to take up the trade of photography, an occupation that would exert less strain on his voice. He began an apprenticeship at the photography studio of W.R. Bowles in Hopkinsville.
A traveling stage hypnotist and entertainer named Hart, who billed himself as "The Laugh Man," was performing at the Hopkinsville Opera House in 1901. He heard about Cayce's condition and offered to attempt a cure. Cayce accepted, and the experiment took place on stage in front of an audience. Remarkably, Cayce's voice apparently returned while in a hypnotic trance but allegedly disappeared on awakening. Hart tried a posthypnotic suggestion that the voice would continue to function after the trance, but this proved unsuccessful.^[8]
Since Hart had appointments at other cities, he could not continue his hypnotic treatment of Cayce. However, a local hypnotist, Al Layne, offered to help Cayce in restoring his voice. Layne suggested that Cayce describe the nature of his condition and cure while in a hypnotic trance.^[8] Cayce described his own ailment from a first person plural point of view ("we") instead of the singular ("I").^[8] In subsequent readings he would generally start off with "We have the body." According to the reading, his voice loss was due to psychological paralysis and could be corrected by increasing the blood flow to the voice box. Layne suggested that the blood flow be increased, and Cayce's face supposedly became flushed with blood and his chest area and the throat turned bright red.^[8] After 20 minutes Cayce, still in trance, declared the treatment over. On awakening, his voice was alleged to have remained normal. Relapses were said to have occurred but were said to have been corrected by Layne in the same way, and eventually the cure was said to be permanent.
Layne had read of similar hypnotic cures effected by the Marquis de Puységur, a follower of Franz Mesmer, and was keen to explore the limits of the healing knowledge of the trance voice.^[9] He asked Cayce to describe Layne's own ailments and suggest cures and reportedly found the results both accurate and effective. Layne suggested that Cayce offer his trance healing to the public, but Cayce was reluctant. He finally agreed on the condition that readings would be free. He began with Layne's help to offer free treatments to the townspeople. Reports of Cayce's work appeared in the newspapers, inspiring many postal inquiries.^[9] Cayce was able to work just as effectively using a letter from the individual as with having the person present. Given the person's name and location, he said he could diagnose the physical and/or mental conditions and provide a remedy. He became popular and soon people from around the world sought his advice through correspondence.
Cayce's work grew in volume as his fame grew. He asked for voluntary donations to support himself and his family so that he could practice full-time. To help raise money, he invented the card game 'Pit', based on the commodities trading at the Chicago Board of Trade. The game is still sold. He continued to work in an apparent trance state with a hypnotist all his life. His wife and eldest son later replaced Layne in this role. A secretary, Gladys Davis, recorded his readings in shorthand.^[9]

[edit] 1920 to 1923: Texas period

Historic marker in downtown Selma, Alabama, in front of the building in which Cayce lived and worked.

The growing fame of Cayce coupled with the popularity he received from newspapers attracted several eager commercially-minded men who wanted to seek a fortune by using Cayce's clairvoyant abilities. Even though Cayce was reluctant to help them, he was persuaded to give the readings, which left him dissatisfied with himself and unsuccessful. A cotton merchant offered Cayce a hundred dollars a day for his readings about the daily outcomes in the cotton market. However, despite his poor finances, Cayce refused the merchant's offer.^[10] Others wanted to know where to hunt for treasures, while some wanted to know the outcome of horse races.^[11] Several times he was persuaded to give the readings as an experiment. However, he was not successful when he used his ability for such purposes, doing no better than chance alone would dictate. These experiments allegedly left him depleted of energy, distraught, and unsatisfied with himself. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he would use his gift only to help the distressed and sick.^[9]
He was persuaded to give readings on philosophical subjects in 1923 by Arthur Lammers, a wealthy printer who, by his own admission, had been "studying metaphysics for years".^[12] Cayce was told by Lammers that, while in his supposed trance state, he spoke of Lammers' past lives and of reincarnation, something Lammers believed in. Reincarnation was a popular subject of the day but not an accepted part of Christian doctrine. Cayce questioned his stenographer as to what he had said in his trance state and remained unconvinced. Cayce himself challenged Lammers's charge that he had validated astrology and reincarnation in the following dialogue:

Cayce: "I said all that?...I couldn't have said all that in one reading."

"No," Lammers said, "but you confirmed it. You see, I have been studying metaphysics for years, and I was able by a few questions, by the facts you gave, to check what is right and what is wrong with a whole lot of the stuff I've been reading. The important thing is that the basic system which runs through all the mystery religions, whether they come from Tibet or the pyramids of Egypt, is backed up by you. It's actually the right system." ^[13]

Cayce's stenographer recorded the following:

"In this we see the plan of development of those individuals set upon this plane, meaning the ability to enter again into the presence of the Creator and become a full part of that creation.

Insofar as this entity is concerned, this is the third appearance on this plane, and before this one, as the monk. We see glimpses in the life of the entity now as were shown in the monk, in this mode of living.

The body is only the vehicle ever of that spirit and soul that waft through all times and ever remain the same."

Cayce was quite unconvinced that he had been referring to and, as such, had validated the doctrine of reincarnation, and the best Lammers could offer was that the reading "opens up the door" and went on to share his beliefs and knowledge of the "truth" with Cayce.^[14] It appeared Cayce's instincts were telling him this was no ordinary reading. This client who came for a reading came with quite a bit of information of his own to share with Cayce and seemed intent upon convincing Cayce, now that he felt the reading had confirmed his strongly-held beliefs.^[15] It should be noted, however, that 12 years earlier Cayce had briefly alluded to reincarnation. In reading 4841-1, given April 22, 1911, Cayce referred to the soul being "transmigrated". Because nobody systematically recorded Cayce’s readings up until 1923, it is possible that he may have mentioned reincarnation in other earlier readings.
Cayce reported that his conscience bothered him severely over this conflict. Lammers overwhelmed, manipulated, confused, reassured and argued with Cayce. Ultimately his "trance voice", the "we" of the readings, also supposedly dialogued with Cayce and finally persuaded him to continue with these kinds of readings.^[16] In 1925 Cayce reported that his "voice" had instructed him to move to Virginia Beach, Virginia.^[17]

[edit] 1925 to 1945: Virginia Beach period

The Cayce Hospital 2006

Cayce's mature period, in which he created the several institutions which would survive him in some form, can be considered to have started in 1925. By this time he was a professional psychic with a small staff of employees and volunteers.^[18] The "readings" increasingly came to involve occult or esoteric themes.^[19]
In 1929, the Cayce hospital was established in Virginia Beach, sponsored by a wealthy recipient of the trance readings, Morton Blumenthal.
Cayce gained national prominence in 1943 through a high-profile article in Coronet titled "Miracle Man of Virginia Beach".^[18] He said he couldn't refuse people who felt they needed his help, and he increased the frequency of his readings to eight per day to try to make an impression on the ever-growing pile of requests. He said this took a toll on his health as it was emotionally draining and often fatigued him. He even went so far as to say that the readings themselves scolded him for attempting too much and that he should limit his workload to just two readings a day or else they would kill him.^[20]
Edgar Cayce suffered a stroke and died on January 3, 1945.^[21] He is buried in Riverside Cemetery^[22] in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

[edit] Purported psychic abilities

Cayce has variously been referred to as a "prophet" (cf. Jess Stearn's book, The Sleeping Prophet), a "mystic", a "seer". While giving a reading for a seeker he at times referred to consulting the Akashic Record (the etheric imprint) of that soul's experience.
Cayce's methods involved lying down and entering into a sleep state, usually at the request of a subject who was seeking help with health or other personal problems (subjects were not usually present). The subject's questions would then be given to Cayce, and Cayce would proceed with a reading. At first these readings dealt primarily with the physical health of the individual (physical readings); later, readings on past lives, business advice, dream interpretation, and mental or spiritual health were also given.
Until September 1923, his readings were not systematically preserved. However, an October 10, 1922, Birmingham Post-Herald article quotes Cayce as saying that he had given 8,056 readings as of that date, and it is known that he gave approximately 13,000-14,000 readings after that date. Today, only about 14,000 are available at Cayce headquarters and online. Thus, it appears that about 7,000-8,000 Cayce readings are missing.
When out of the trance he entered to perform a reading, Cayce said he generally did not remember what he had said during the reading. The unconscious mind, according to Cayce, has access to information which the conscious mind does not — a common assumption about hypnosis in Cayce's time. After Gladys Davis became Cayce's secretary on September 10, 1923, all readings were preserved and his wife Gertrude Evans Cayce generally conducted (guided) the readings.
Cayce said that his trance statements should be taken into account only to the extent that they led to a better life for the recipient. Moreover, he invited his audience to test his suggestions rather than accept them on faith.
Other abilities that have been attributed to Cayce include astral projection, prophesying, mediumship, viewing the Akashic Records or "Book of Life", and seeing auras. Cayce said he became interested in learning more about these subjects after he was informed about the content of his readings, which he reported that he never actually heard himself.^[23]

[edit] Supporters

Cayce's clients included a number of famous people such as Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Edison, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin.^[24]
Gina Cerminara published books such as Many Mansions and The World Within. Brian Weiss published a bestseller regarding clinical recollection of past lives, Many Lives, Many Masters. These books provide broad support for spiritualism and reincarnation. Many Mansions elaborates on Cayce's works and supports his stated abilities with real life examples.
One such example from Gina Cerminara's works:^[25]

"Cayce once gave a reading on a blind man, a musician by profession, who regained part of his vision in one eye through following the physical suggestions given by Cayce. This man happened to have a passion for railroads and a tremendous interest in the Civil War. In the life reading which Cayce gave, he said that the man had been a soldier in the South, in the army of Lee, and that he had been a railroad man by profession in that incarnation. Then he proceeded to tell him that his name in that life was Barnett Seay, and that the records of Seay could still be found in the state of Virginia. The man took the trouble to hunt for the records and found them in the state capitol at Richmond: that is to say he found the record of one Barnett Seay, standard-bearer in Lee's army who had entered and been discharged from the service in such and such a year."

The Dictionary of American Religious Biography writes about Cayce,^[7]

As a humble individual full of self-doubts, Cayce never profited from his mystic gift. He read the Bible every day, taught Sunday School, and helped others only when asked. Many did ask, and over the years he produced readings that diagnosed health problems, prescribed dietary regimens, dealt with psychic disorders, and predicted future events such as wars, earthquakes, and changes in governments. He spoke, moreover, of reincarnations, the early history of Israel, and the lost civilization of Atlantis. Enough of his diagnoses and predictions proved true to silence many skeptics and to develop a wide following.

[edit] Controversy and criticism

Cayce had advocated some controversial and eccentric ideas from his trance readings. In many of Cayce's trance sessions he had reinterpreted the history of life on earth. One of Cayce's controversial claims was that of polygenism. According to Cayce five human races (white, black, red, brown and yellow) had been created separately but simultaneously on different parts of the earth. Cayce also accepted the existence of Atlantis and had claimed that "the red race developed in Atlantis and its development was rapid". Another claim by Cayce was that "soul-entities" on earth had intercourse with animals to produce giants which were as much as twelve feet tall.^[26][27]
Olav Hammer wrote that many of Cayce's readings discussed race and skin colour and that the explanation for this is that Cayce was not a racist but was influenced by the occult ideas of Madame Blavatsky.^[28] Robert Todd Carroll in his book The Skeptic's Dictionary wrote that "Cayce is one of the main people responsible for some of the sillier notions about Atlantis." Carroll mentioned some of Cayce's notions which included his belief in a giant crystal ball used to power energy on Atlantis and his prediction that in 1958 the United States would discover a death ray which had been used on Atlantis.^[29]

[edit] Criticism

Skeptics of Cayce say that the evidence for his powers comes from contemporaneous newspaper articles, affidavits, anecdotes, testimonials, and books. Martin Gardner for example wrote that the trances of Cayce did happen, but the information from his trances occurred because Cayce had been reading other books from authors such as Carl Jung, Ouspensky and Blavatsky. Gardner's hypothesis was that the trance readings of Cayce contain "little bits of information gleaned from here and there in the occult literature, spiced with occasional novelties from Cayce's unconscious."^[30]
They are also critical of Cayce's support for various forms of alternative medicine, which they regard as quackery.^[31] Michael Shermer writes in Why People Believe Weird Things, "Uneducated beyond the ninth grade, Cayce acquired his broad knowledge through voracious reading and from this he wove elaborate tales."^[32] Shermer wrote that, "Cayce was fantasy-prone from his youth, often talking with angels and receiving visions of his dead grandfather." Shermer further cites James Randi as saying "Cayce was fond of expressions like 'I feel that' and 'perhaps' -- qualifying words used to avoid positive declarations."

[edit] See also

• New Age Spirituality
• Atlantic University

[edit] References

1. ^ York, Michael (1995). The Emerging Network: A Sociology of the New Age and Neo-Pagan Movements. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 60. ISBN 0-8476-8001-0.
2. ^ Gardner, Martin (1957). Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. Dover Publications. pp. 216–219. ISBN 0-486-20394-8.
3. ^ "About A.R.E. and Our Mission". Association for Research and Enlightenment. http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/edgarcayce.aspx?id=1036. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Chronology". Association for Research and Enlightenment. http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/edgarcayce.aspx?id=1971. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
5. ^ "About Edgar Cayce". Association for Research and Enlightenment. http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/edgarcayce.aspx. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
6. ^ ^{a b} Cerminara, Dr.Gina (1999). "The Medical Clairvoyance of Edgar Cayce". Many Mansions. p. 13.
7. ^ ^{a b} Bowden, Henry Warner (1993). Dictionary of American Religious Biography (Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-313-27825-9.
8. ^ ^{a b c d} Cerminara, Gina (1999). "The Medical Clairvoyance of Edgar Cayce". Many Mansions. p. 14.
9. ^ ^{a b c d} Cerminara, Dr.Gina (1999). "The Medical Clairvoyance of Edgar Cayce". Many Mansions. p. 15.
10. ^ Smith, A. Robert. My Life as a Seer: The Lost Memoirs. p. 403.
11. ^ Cayce, Hugh Lynn (2004). The Outer Limits of Edgar Cayce's Power. p. 71.
12. ^ Sugrue, "There Is a River" p. 238
13. ^ Sugrue, "There Is a River" pp. 237-238
14. ^ Sugrue, "There Is a River" p. 240
15. ^ Sugrue, "There Is a River" p. 241
16. ^ Cerminara, Dr.Gina (1999). "An answer to the Riddles of Life". Many Mansions. pp. 25–28.
17. ^ Auken, John Van (2005). Edgar Cayce on the Revelation. "Eventually Edgar Cayce, following advice from his own readings, moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and set up a hospital,"
18. ^ ^{a b} Miller, Timothy (1995). America's Alternative Religions. SUNY Press. p. 354.
19. ^ Sugrue, T. There Is a River Ch. 20 '
20. ^ Callahan, Kathy L. (2004). In The Image Of God And The Shadow Of Demons: A Metaphysical Study Of Good And Evil. Trafford Publishing. p. 162.
21. ^ Browne, Sylvia; Lindsay Harrison. Prophecy: What the Future Holds for You. p. 67.
22. ^ "Grave of Famous Prophet Edgar Cayce". RoadsideAmerica.com. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12606. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
23. ^ Bro, Harmon Hartzell. "Edgar Cayce: A Seer out of Season", Aquarian Press, London, 1990.
24. ^ Edgar Cayce: an American prophet, Sidney Kirkpatrick, 2000
25. ^ Cerminara, Gina. "Many Lives, Many Loves", Chapter 2 - Clear Seeing People, William Sloane Associates, 1963
26. ^ Charles E. Orser Race and practice in archaeological interpretation 2004, p. 68
27. ^ The Edgar Cayce Readings, Readings Extract - The Races of Man at the Time
28. ^ Olav Hammer Claiming knowledge: strategies of epistemology from theosophy to the new age 2001, see p.114 and the footnote at the bottom of the page
29. ^ Robert Todd CarrollThe skeptic's dictionary 2003, p. 69
30. ^ K. Paul Johnson Edgar Cayce in context: the Readings, truth and fiction 1998, p. 23
31. ^ Skepdic.com article on Edgar Cayce.
32. ^ Michael Shermer. "Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time", 2002, ISBN 0-8050-7089-3

[edit] Further reading

• Cayce, Edgar Evans. Edgar Cayce on Atlantis, New York: Hawthorn, 1968, ISBN 0-312-96153-7
• Cerminara, Gina. Many Mansions: The Edgar Cayce Story on Reincarnation. orig. 1950, Signet Book, reissue edition 1990, ISBN 0-451-16817-8
• Kirkpatrick, Sidney D. An American Prophet, Riverhead Books, 2000, ISBN 1-57322-139-2
• Kittler, Glenn D. Edgar Cayce on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Warner Books, 1970, ISBN 0-446-90035-4
• Puryear, Herbert B. The Edgar Cayce Primer: Discovering The Path to Self-Transformation, Bantam Books, New York, Toronto, Copyright © September 1982 by Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc. ISBN 0-553-25278-X
• Stearn, Jess. The Sleeping Prophet, Bantam Books, 1967, ISBN 0-553-26085-5
• Sugrue, Thomas. There Is a River, A.R.E. Press, 1997, ISBN 0-87604-375-9
• Todeschi, Kevin, Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records, 1998, ISBN 978-0-87604-401-8

[edit] External links

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• Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.)
• Edgar Cayce Canada (E.C.C.)
• An American Prophet: Yeah, Right from ABC News