Edgar Cayce is often associated with creating the New Age movement especially with his views on holistic healing and eating naturally. He was, in fact, an incredible healer and it was this ability that Cayce preferred to be known for. Cayce was a modest man and did not use smoke and mirrors; he felt no need for flash and pomp. His ability spoke loudly enough.
Cayce's ability for healing first came to light after Al Layne, a hypnotist put Cayce in a trance in an effort to restore his voice after a serious case of laryngitis. After months of not being able to find a cure, it would be Cayce himself that would cure it. Later on, Layne and Cayce performed the same act on others with astonishing results; all the cures worked. Cayce soon gained the title the Miracle Worker of Virgina and would receive correspondences the world over asking for his help.
Cayce soon learned how to put himself into a hypnotic trance. He would lie down on a couch with his hands folded over his chest and appear to fall asleep. He was not asleep, however, he was awake and tapped into something extraordinary. Using "We" instead of "I" Cayce answered questions ranging from the specific such as "What will cure my back pain" to the more outrageous, "When will the world end?"
Once out of his state, Cayce could not remember the reading. It would not be until the 1920s that any recordings would even be made of Cayce's readings. There is really no telling how many readings Cayce gave throughout his life but the agreed number is somewhere near the 20,000. While Cayce is most known for his healing work, he was also able to prophesy predicting a pole shift much like the Mayan prediction concerning 2012.
Edgar Cayce died in 1945 of a stroke which many believed was caused by an increase number of readings. In 1931, Cayce created the Association for Research and Enlightenment which is still around and still very popular. In fact, many of Cayce's readings and beliefs are outlined on the A. R. E website. Psychics and Clairvoyants of the modern day owe a great deal of thanks to Edgar Cayce who helped to pave the way to a world more accepting of their abilities.
