The mystic who was an enigma

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945)

Looking at the biographical and autobiographical material surrounding the life of Edgar Cayce it seems to become more and more of a mystery. The main landscape of Cayce’s life seemed to become an enigma, an amazing portrait of contradictions. He was a man who purportedly did not consciously know what he was doing as a psychic nor understand most of the product of his psychic work. Yet, he consistently delivered far-ranging concepts about history and the future which have become more and more valuable as 20th century science has caught up to and confirmed many of his statements.

He gave thousands of medical diagnoses which saved countless lives and made him justifiably world-famous, yet he was so detached from his work, which he long regarded suspiciously and experimentally, that it did not occur to him to "read" a cure for his own infant son, who died before Cayce realized what was happening. At one point he was so troubled by his talent, he refused to "read", even for his wife’s tuberculosis condition, relenting only when he realized that she was near death and that both she and the doctors had given up.

Though often perceived as (and called) "the freak" as a young man, his personal sincerity and dedication to his egalitarian ideals created the legacy of friendship and family which has endured to this day and has sustained the transmission of what came through him.

He was a socially naive man, often easily manipulated, whose psychic information and predictions made many small fortunes and some large fortunes for several individuals. He was genuinely able to "read" where multi-million dollar fortunes would be made, yet he was so blind to the motivations of others, the people whom he read for could and did leave him with an empty bag for his efforts, and not just once.

He could have easily acquired millions of dollars directly in gambling, but considered that use of his talent a desecration of his deeply held religious beliefs, a taking advantage over others. Indirectly he could also have made millions in the employ of others, but he turned down several offers by powerful, wealthy men who would make him a personal or world guru on condition of exclusive access to his talent. He just wanted to help people realize their connection with God.