A Gift of the Unknown

Edgar Cayce was born in Kentucky in 1877 on a small farm on March 18th, an unremarkable young boy who was to become the western worlds most renowned “Psychic Diagnostician”, as he in later life described himself. He could give medical descriptions and diagnoses of any physical or mental problem without even meeting the sufferer. Not that impressive except that he did all of this with out any medical training or background, while in a cataleptic state. He became known as “The sleeping prophet”2 for his many predictions also prophesied while in this deep trance state. The question is where and how could he have possibly gained this foresight? Was he a charlatan plain and simple or did he posses a true mystical gift?

Cayce in his early life had many acquaintances relating to the various medical arts. Could he have gained much of his medical knowledge from such acquaintances? Much of the more contemporary information could have been gained if he had a good memory, however he claimed to be unaware of any such things when not in trance. He was described on many occasions as being a very good judge of people, with an innate understanding of body signals, as would any fraudulent manipulator worth their weight. He came across as if he knew much more than he would say. But this wasn’t expressed in any arrogant form, rather in his relaxed content nature.

Through his many friends and acquaintances, from the early days upwards, in both conventional and at the time not so conventional medical practises he could have gained much of the knowledge he claimed to have no understanding of except when in a trance-like hypnotic state. However many of the cases he dealt with had already been described as “hopeless”. As in the case of C. H. Dietrch’s, a former superintendent of schools, six year old daughter. She had been ill for four years of her short life, becoming progressively worse, with seizures daily, as she was past along a string of doctors and specialists. None of who could be any help. She was finally diagnosed as a helpless case. There had only being nine similar cases even reported on record, stating that “she would die soon in one of these attacks.”

C. H. Dietrich was told of a young man with a gift for diagnosing patients with baffling life-threatening problems. So in desperation he contacted Edgar Cayce, who promptly made a “reading” of his daughter’s problem. He diagnosed her problem as “one of congestion at the base of the brain” and described out treatment for her. She hadn’t responded to any treatment for four years, by now she was having as many as twenty convulsions a day. Within eight days there was a marked change in her and within three months she was completely cured.