Understanding Edgar Cayce

Hello and thanks for reading. Hopefully there's somebody out here in ATS-land who can clarify something for me regarding "the Sleeping Prophet", Edgar Cayce, with whose notoriety, but not work, I am familiar.

I borrowed "Edgar Cayce's Story of the Origin and Destiny of Man" from my local library. The book is by Lytle Robinson but draws from what are referred to as "the Cayce readings". Each chapter focuses on a specific civilization, like the North American "Mound Builders", and begins with a history of the civilization as it intersects with a supposed Atlantean emigration, followed by extracts from the Cayce readings, which are not always easy to decipher. The language is either cluttered and/or semantically difficult in many instances.

Many of the readings refer to "the entity", and though I am halfway done reading the book, I have not found a decent explanation of what he is talking about. (Perhaps I missed it?)

For example(s):

"In the present, as a result of this experience, the entity has knowledge or ability in things pertaining to the working of metals and buildings...and the democratic feeling."

"...the entity was a teacher among the people of that period and among those destroyed in the overflow of the land -- and again will the entity be in the earth's sphere when a change comes about."

"The entity dwelt among those where there was storage of the motivative forces in nature, from the great crystals that so condensed the lights, the forms, the activities as to guide the ships upon the bosom of the sea, and in the air..."

"There we find the entity was among those who were not only in what is now known as the Yucatan land, but also the Pyrenees and the Egyptian land."

"The entity was among those who were keepers of money, corn, wine, skins, and precious stones; and the one close to the King who rose in power during that experience."

Many (but not all) passages referring to this entity mention it "being among" such and such people or environments. I am somewhat under the impression that he is talking about an individual through whose eyes he is (supposedly) viewing his surroundings, thus making the reading possible. I would be happy with this explanation were it not for passages when the tone seems to suggest that the entity is an other-worldly being...a spirit or deity.

Here's to hoping that this thread reaches the resident Edgar Cayce scholar here at ATS. If anyone cares to chime in, thanks in advance!

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

Fallen Beings. Aliens

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

If your interested in Cayce listen to coast to coast AM. It's staffed by many followers of his and George Noory, the main host, is a very big fan/promoter.

They often have people on about it, and Noory drops many comments off and on in other shows.

The entity is the person he is reading.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

The "entity" is his client. Remember these were readings that often dealt with his clients' past lives. So more specifically, he's talking about their soul.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

I read many Edgar Cayce books years ago - One distinct impression one gets is that the mind Cayce is 'channeling' in his readings is distinctly separate from the mind of Edgar Cayce - Cayce is simply the vehicle that this other entity uses
to respond to questions put to it - Whether it be about people Cayce was trying to heal or other civilizaions of the past
and/or events that will transpire in the future.

I have also read other books on 'psychic healers' of the past - Often they would channel specific real doctors who had
since died - And yet when channeled would return to perform healings - sometimes by touch.

In Cayce's case the channeling led to information on the condtion and modality of healing for persons who were
often no where near Cayce when he gave the reading from a mailed letter that may have come from many, sometimes
thousands, of miles away.

I would postulate the mind that Cayce was channeling was what is called an 'Ascended Master'
- a person who has passed from this life but transcended death and rests on a 'spiritual plane of existence'
where they can come back and help living people of our world. Ascended Masters are seen in Western, Eastern,
and even some pagan religions such as the Hopi Indians.

Skeptics don't believe in this top of 'other world' state of existence - And of course in Cayces day were always
trying to prove he was a charlatan and fraud,

Interestingly enough, the skeptics always faied

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

All kinds of info here. www.edgarcayce.org...

Use the search bar in the top right if you have a specific need to know. I have found this an interesting sight. And use it on occasion.

a reply to: AlienView

His readings and his own conscious mind differed greatly! For starters, Cayce was a devout Christian his entire life and often had conflicting views to his own readings after he woke up from his trance.

I've never seen a skeptic able to argue that point.

He self-entrained or hypnotized to reach an altered state and then couch tripped recording them... sort of like what Freud did sans the injectable drugs legal for everyone at the time.

It is Edgars Abhidhamma or cosmology of his mental mapping. So like the Abhidhamma of the buddha it isn't going to be an easy to understand read... especially going into future graspings. As it takes other grasping to fulfill those... like those chasing Christ returning etc. in reincarnation they are always present that do and the same with those that do not.

Anyways, he was a psychonaut exploring his inner world, what else did a gay man in Alabama not approving of his lifestyle have else to do but be forced to remain in his home cause he was different only finding refuge in his inner world and in places accepting of him for who he was...

Despite all the force no one changes unless they alone choose too... so running around trying to admin everyone is such a stupid and juvenile thing to be doing, those without control of themselves want it on all others. Those that have control over themselves understand every last single molecule of themselves. It leads to insight also into others, going through or seeking the same. Not everyone can be is or ever will be the same and thats just the way it is, one can have a meeting of the mind in understanding, but then the path diverge and off to more learning...

a reply to: BEBOG

Ummmm..... no offense, but what the hell are you talking about?

a reply to: AgarthaSeed


The topic... who he was and how he got to where he was. If you're honestly curious look that stuff up.

If not maybe Pepsi vs. Coke is more your speed?

I mean no offense but some are more interested in exploring the inner world as it splashes against everything as an artistry, and some well are not that sort.

Those not that sort like to be told what to believe know a role and follow right along with it.

No stone left unturned... truth seekers as it fits to them; many times that does not matter how it fits to others... and well art and creativity come out of it like water boiling out of a pot.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

"In the present, as a result of this experience, the entity has knowledge or ability in things pertaining to the working of metals and buildings...and the democratic feeling."

The entity is referring to the person being talked about.

It is the same as saying this. " In the present , as a result of this experience, the person has knowledge or ability in things pertaining to the working of metals and buildings...and the democratic feeling.

a reply to: pianopraze

Back when my sleeping habits were different, I would listen to C2C almost every night. I finally sorted out an issue that caused me twenty years of insomnia and am usually asleep before the first Carnivora ad.

a reply to: Tarzan the apeman.

Thank you for dropping that link.

originally posted by: AlienView
a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

In Cayce's case the channeling led to information on the condtion and modality of healing for persons who were
often no where near Cayce when he gave the reading from a mailed letter that may have come from many, sometimes
thousands, of miles away.

One of my other recently borrowed library books was The Psychic Detectives, in which author Colin Wilson examines "Psychometry", a parapsychological phenomenon whereby a medium is able to "read" objects. For instance, he details stories about individuals who could hold a stone and then give an accurate account of the surrounding environment (including geological history), or describe a person upon handling an article of their clothing. Wilson writes briefly about Cayce in one of the chapters. If you haven't yet, you might enjoy reading the book.

a reply to: AgarthaSeed

Thanks for contributing to the thread. I am particularly interested in the fact that Cayce lacked an education past grammar school, yet (it is said) that in trance he talks about subjects beyond his knowledge and in some cases is corroborated by e.g., archaeological study. In another response in this thread I mention the book "The Psychic Detectives" by Colin Wilson. One thing he suggests is that intellectual powers associated with "left brain dominance" - the type to which we are culturally predisposed to grant exclusive deference - are of little importance in (or totally counter to) the development of psychic faculties, which Wilson postulates are dominated by "right brain" activity.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses


It's of note that autistics use nearly both left/right equally... the awkwardness is which foot or sense to put forward. As that left/right dominance can go either way.

Making the pathways in such a world conflict, after that male/female brain of logic and ration finally coalesce it ends up in the land of reason. So of course ample room and time to unshell so to speak instead of demanded roles. It is more of an evolution adapting to the adversity you mention... the days of forcing right handed scissors and writing utensils in the hands of the left handed are no longer thought as evil. Of course adaptation into a right handed world isn't easy either. More than 80% of people being born today according to statistics are born as autistic... so obviously a huge shift occurring.

Those not well maybe parts of them were but could not express properly due to the systems they were force to adapt to religious or culturally.

The best pathway to pick is one literary or mathematical in such persons... to know which side is dominant. Another interesting note is some people are literal minded some are figurative minded; when they think they either see or hear the thoughts. Both can be developed no matter who someone is; although carving new pathways is an actual pain that occurs... so when someone says their head hurts after hearing seeing in the process of learning... new pathways are being carved in.

Some blocks can take awhile to clear, some blocks occur from abuse as some expressions cannot express properly, like the afore mentioned scissors as a physical, regional as far as language, and psychological from all points in between. So when as children being assaulted in body speech and mind in various ways... there arises a need to adapt to what ever adversities are placed there helpful or not...

everyone has their own personal balance of what those are, to oneself and towards others. But when has such as all of the above not occurred? Controlling oneself is a difficult thing and some do not want to at a certain point when thats all they have been ie controlled by others.

So Mr. Cayce like the rest of us had to adapt and well his legacy is a product of that adaptation. Each individual has a special story or path in and through life ingrained already in there, losing who that is in becoming someone else... is difficult for those both brained and working it out.

Square peg in round hole has never worked unless force of thought was applied. Some may sit there in silence and see all the possible ways that may occur... hey thats not normal sitting there lost in critical thinking. lol Observation often has personal and professional projections applied onto things not them seen as a subject, meaning no control no environment where actual truth can take place.

That projection is the fault, a true observation cannot come from another with those two things attached... heart and mind get in the way of it but entwined same as left/right brain or basically the same thing; head and heart conflicts means logic and ration become at odds and all true reason is lost.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses

Hey I love it when folks show interest in Cayce's life and work! I've studied him my whole life and look forward to discussing it.

As far as the Colin Wilson book, it's strange to me that he would mention psychometry as being a part of Cayce's readings. Since psychometry ( sometimes called clairtangency) requires a physical object to be touched, I'm assuming he means the letters that clients mailed to him on occasion were the objects in question.

If that's the case, Wilson is wrong. Psychometry was never performed by Cayce. And most likely, he never even handled client's letters himself. When he'd lay down and get into a trance-like state, an assistant would be reading the letters aloud to him. Usually, it was his wife Gertrude.

Overall though, the analysis of left/right brain archetypes or behavioral models don't really do Edgar Cayce any justice. His abilities couldn't be measured by scientific means, which is why many critics called him a fraud. The age old stubbornness of " if we can't see it or measure it, then it simply doesn't exist."

The Akashic records don't work that way

a reply to: AgarthaSeed


lol thanks for the reminder I got Edgar and another famous fellow from Alabama's bios mixed up and they both ran together... I cant recall the other fellows name though, I think Family guy and American dad spoofed on him though, one where Chris is an artist and he is shown as a little man riding on a dog and in ny where roger and steve becomes a prostitute... same plot in a sense.

a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses
None of it was beyond his knowledge though. Did you forget that he worked in a library? He read endlessly.