page_title: Edgar Cayce
section_title: 1912–1923: Selma, Alabama period
hierarchical_section_title: Edgar Cayce / Biography / 1912–1923: Selma, Alabama period
caption_attribution_description: English: Historial marker to Edgar Cayce in downtown Selma, Alabama. The marker, placed by the Alabama Historical Commission, reads: Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) was internationally accepted as an extremely gifted psychic. An humble man, he never profited materially from his psychic ability, but used it to help "make manifest the love of God and man". Operated his photography studio and lived in this building from 1912 until 1923. Many psychic readings were given here during that time.
context_page_description: Edgar Cayce was an American clairvoyant who claimed to channel a "Source" to answer questions on subjects as varied as healing, reincarnation, dreams, the afterlife, past-life, nutrition, Atlantis, and future events while in a self-induced sleep state. Cayce proposed that his subconscious mind would explore the dream realm where all subconscious minds are timelessly connected. Cayce founded a nonprofit organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment, to store and facilitate the study of the Cayce material. A biographer gave him the nickname The Sleeping Prophet.
  Cayce is also notable for his contributions to the notions of diet and health, particularly the issues of food combining, acid/alkaline diet, and the therapeutic use of food.
  Some consider him the true founder and a principal source of the most characteristic beliefs of the New Age movement.
context_section_description: 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 Pit, a card game based on the commodities trading at the Chicago Board of Trade, and the game is still sold today. 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.
  The growing fame of Cayce along with the popularity he received from newspapers attracted several eager commercially minded men who wanted to seek a fortune by using his clairvoyant abilities. Even though Cayce was reluctant to help them, he was persuaded to give his readings, which left him dissatisfied with himself and unsuccessful. A cotton merchant offered him 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. Some wanted to know where to hunt for treasures while others wanted to know the outcome of horse races. Several times he was persuaded to give such readings as an experiment. However, when he used his ability for such purposes, he did no better than chance alone would dictate. These experiments allegedly left him depleted of energy, distraught, and unsatisfied with himself. Finally, he decided to use his gift only to help the distressed and sick.
  In 1923, Arthur Lammers, a wealthy printer and student of metaphysics, persuaded Cayce to give readings on philosophical subjects. Cayce was told by Lammers that, while in his trance state, he spoke of Lammers' past lives and of reincarnation, something Lammers believed in. Reincarnation was a popular subject of the day but is not an accepted part of Christian doctrine. Because of this, Cayce questioned his stenographer about what he said in his trance state and remained unconvinced. He challenged Lammers' 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.
  Lammers: No. 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.
  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 the doctrine of reincarnation, and the best Lammers could offer was that the reading "opens up the door" and to go on to share his beliefs and knowledge with Cayce. Lammers had come to him 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. Twelve years earlier Cayce had briefly alluded to reincarnation. In reading 4841–1, given April 22, 1911, Cayce referred to the soul being "transmigrated." Because Cayce's readings were not systematically recorded until 1923, it is possible that he may have mentioned reincarnation in other earlier readings.
caption: Historic marker in front of the building
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