I read the answer from staff advisor David to a question posed 7 years ago about the staright dope opinion of Edgar Cayce. I appreciate the manner in which David replied, and his ability to be objective. However, he apparently had a misconception on exactly who Cayce was. He was not a typical psychic under the most common definition. He simply had the ability to go into his subconscious by way of a trance, and then other souls could speak through him. He was a type of medium. The accuracy of his readings were only as good as the soul who was speaking through him.
Had David understod this, I think he would have had a different response. His points seemed comparative to other psychics by a common definition…where they had visions and interpreted these visions by themselves. Cayce had no recollection of his readings after the trance was over.
I view the ability to contact other souls that are not currently in physical form the most practical ability as far as truth is concerned. Cayce gave documented readings for over 40 years and is the only psychic who can truly stand up to skepticism. Cayce may even be the most important man of the 20th century as far as spirituality is concerned.
What better way to get answers for spritual questions than communicating with other souls? And when these answers fit nicely into the physical world as well, we have established credibility. What other faith-based tool do we have…the Bible? Well, does the Bible stand up to scrutiny as well?
But, assuming Cayce was actually contacting the dead (which I’d be willing to bet real money he wasn’t) then it seems to me that if the accuracy is only as good as the soul, and the accuracy is not 100%, then either (a) the souls speaking through him are not able to perceive the material world clearly or (b) sometimes they lie. In either case they aren’t reliable and their credibility is suspect, so how does talking to the dead give the living any advantage?
And the Bible absolutely fails to stand up to scrutiny.
Wow, this forum is pretty active! Hi PhotoPat, Muffin, and Contrapuntal!! I have read alot of the Cayce material, and I find that it is remarkable. To me, it is more than contacting the dead. He found the place in our subconscious mind where our soul has some type of existence.
If you search Edgar Cayce you will find that his readings are unique. 40 years of recorded readings where he was basically asleep yet his body was available for other souls to speak through. These souls, through reincarnation, are more than a dead person…they are ancient souls which have lived many lives and know much more than any person can know.
The knowledge given in his readings have no limit by human standards…as in speaking to the dead…but span beyond any known dimensions. He relates the history of mankind in a manner that has withstood scrutiny for 75 years.
When I said that the accuracy of his readings was only as good as the soul offering it, I do not intend to say that it is inaccurate. Studies have shown that his 49k pages of documented readings over 40 years were almost 90% accurate.
Even if we discount everything he said, we still end up with the most credible spiritual inspiration that we know. I bet that any of you who spend an hour reading about him will be impressed. Cayce’s proven ability to provide healing remedies cannot be denied, while his spiritual information is only as valuable as the reader’s ability to be spiritual.
Cayce had a 7th grade education and no technical knowledge, yet gave medical treatment suggestions that are equal to that of the finest doctors…in fact, maybe better…and in very technical language. Hard to fake that.
Soffty, please read this article. I realize it’s only one but I’d suggest comparing some of the points made in it to the claims made at the pro-Cayce websites.
My opinion of the soul is that we all reincarnate. I see the soul as eternal energy in some non-physical form. Cayce said we are spiritual beings, temporarliy living in the physical world…not physical beings with souls. Our souls, or just plain us (since we are souls first), live in a realm that is not of this dimension. We incarnate to pursue the “meaning of life” (which I am writing a book about). God is either the purest form of the soul, or a pure energy of which souls strive to be as pure, and our physical lives serve two purposes: to purify our souls and get closer to God, and to improve mankind so that we can live a better life and better achieve the first purpose.
I have found that studying Cayce’s readings has made me more spiritual, and I have since talked with other people who are on the same path as me. Just today, I was directed by my sister to search Shirley MacLaine because she has apparently taken this spirituality to a higher level. Cayce’s readings about mankind’s history are compelling to those who are on a spiritual level which religion cannot satisfy…one based on what I consider the most important human trait…common sense.
If our future includes computers and robots, it is common sense (abstract reasoning) that separates us from them. If we create a computer with common sense, we have created life. Choosing between right and wrong is one example of common sense…and I’m talking about ethics from a spiritual perspective…not a selfish physical perspective.
Hi Photopat! Yes, I have read most of the articles on Cayce…including the negatives. I have always been an objective person, and it is fairly easy to see subjective opinions. I try to be scientific, and skeptical, which is why I am so impressed by Cayce. Keep in mind that predicting the future cannot be specific, as we have free will, and the future can be affected by his readings and the person who got the reading.
Also, if my defintion of the soul is anything close to truth, then the physical world has little to offer in the way of truth. It would be like trying to establish value in American society when each decade the family unit erodes so that the corporate world can profit. Corporations have absolutely no value to society, yet we compromise everything to conform.
In being a non-conformist, I feel that I am closer to truth. So, if I choose to be spiritual, I hope to be able to identify truth in the physical world. I think that the more we define our existence by the physical world the more work our souls have to do to overcome the selfishness that society teaches us. Subjective opinions are very much a product of society, and in being objective, I relate very well to Cayce.
So, to sum it all up, I trust my common sense and desire to be objective, as well as my learned ability to “feel” the subjectivity that is so common with people who are lacking spiritually. Being skeptical is very good, but it does help if we first have the ability to be true to ourselves and discard subjectivity.
I think we each have a different spiritual need, and some skeptics have a hard time dealing with spiritual matters. My goal with Cayce’s readings is to be able to find answers that I am looking for, and if others disagree, it certainly has no bearing on the truth I embrace. One thing I do accept as truth is that if we are on the right path, our spiritual opinion at age 50 will be nothing like it was at age 20.
I think it is terrific that the Messiah is speaking to us through SSG Schwartz. In previous generations, only the family and neighbours of Schwartz would have heard the words of Christ, but now, thanks to the internet, we can all listen to the Messiah on the SDMB.
I didn’t know I was supposed to establish credibility. To provide “straight dope” on Cayce is rather easy. It was all documented on a daily basis with 40 years of public exposure and very positive results. 6000 different people got readings, and Cayce didn’t have many mishaps. That pretty much makes him superman if he was a con. Find me anything that a man has done that compares, and has withstood so many decades of study…from many perspectives.
But yes, for mankind to unite in spirituality and fulfill our destiny we do need physical proof. The fact that we do not have absolute proof indicates what? That we are not ready? Or that we have no souls? Or that we need to study him and apply as much effort to reaching that spot in the subconscious mind where we may actually have that proof.
The straight dope on Cayce is that he is an enigma, in that he is only human but goes beyond what we think a man can do. Before we judge him, should we first read some books on him? I have. His legacy is on a pedestal that is ten miles high as it compares to anything man has accomplished. Is going to the moon more important?
To place Cayce in the same category as anything else, especially psychics, is not the straight dope. The books on Cayce are non-fiction. His readings are for all to see and judge. When I first learned about him I was not interested in spirituality…I was caught up in the illusions that most of us have…that our society is not the fraud that it is.
The most important archaeology is yet undiscovered. It is underwater, and we are just now beginning to find it. In an underwater cave in the Mayan area of Central America, we have discovered skeletons that are 50k years old. To discredit that, we have to discredit carbon dating. An easy way to find answers is to excavate under the Sphinx in Egypt. That day will come.
But this is antithetical to the scientific method. Empirical evidence always yields the same conclusion, without regard to the expectations of the observer. The conclusion is objectively independent of the observer.
Sorry Fear, I don’t understand. That sentence of mine only explains what my goal is. I do like the scientific method when analyzing data that only applies to the physical world. That is why I choose common sense as the most viable method, after all other options are exhausted. As for Cayce’s methods, the facts are indisputable. For the content…well, like I said, where is a better tool for spiritual understanding. It is spritualism…as compared to spirituality.
Oh, one interesting point of Cayce’s readings…he was a very religious man who read the Bible at a very young age and reread it many times. After many years of giving readings for medical and health purposes, he was asked about spiritual topics. From then on, his spiritual readings revolved around reincarnation…a philosophy Cayce did not believe in. He and his family were troubled by this, but reincarnation was still the focal point for another ten years. He had no control over the readings.
Cayce taught Sunday school throughout his adult life, never charged anything for over 14k readings, and his goal was primarily based on healing…but his spiritual readings continued to be based on reincarnation. I think these may be the most credible points a person can bring up as it relates to psychics.
Most of the skeptics relate issues that miss the point, and even do not exist. Some do have a good point, but no matter how well we examine Cayce, he established enough credibility that I think his legacy could prevail in any debate. But, I am not debating here…I am simply enjoying the fact that in discovering Cayce, I have finally found something profound in a world that has little to offer in the way of truth.
Common sense tells us Cayce was a normal person with no connection to souls or spirits or anything else. In fact, common sense tells us souls don’t exist. You are basing your whole analysis of this situation on faith, the exact polar opposite of common sense.