Edgar Cayce

[Jackal]

I did a search, but couldn't I find an Edgar Cayce thread, so I thought I'd start one.

Anyway, I feel that Edgar Cayce's readings are some of the best evidence for psychic abilities.


Claimed psychic abilities

Edgar Cayce has variously been referred to as a "prophet" (cf. Jess Stearn's book, The Sleeping Prophet), a "mystic", a "seer", and a "clairvoyant".

Cayce's methods involved lying down and entering into what appeared to be a trance or 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, they were not systematically preserved. However, an October 10, 1922, Birmingham (Alabama) Age-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 on-line. 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce

Skeptics criticize Cayce for making some mistakes and this is unfair because the same skeptics complain when believers criticize scientists for making mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes there are errors in the information sent by human-built telecommunication systems, so I don't think that it would be surprising to find different types of errors and interference periodically when receiving or sending information by psychic means.

The fact that Cayce was correct a significant portion of the time is impressive enough.

[derrida]

cayce was my favorite when i was a believer
but the atlantis never came back on the 70s (40 years now!)
and he also diagnosticated a patient that was already dead..

[Arouet]

Why is the "best" evidence always so old?

[Jackal]

[derrida]

or more likely because nowadays is easier to spot a fake
cayce was to his era what silvya browne is to this one

[really?]

[derrida]

[Jackal]

[derrida]

[derrida]

by the way
i should state
that i do not believe cayce was a fraud.. by that i mean
i do not think he had any psychic powers or mediumship or whatever he was doing,
but i actually believe that he went into trance and believe in that he could do what he said hecould do.

i have seen mediums go into trance and speak like little boys.. i do not think they were pretending (althought sure they could).

[Craig Browning]