My Life as a Seer: The Lost Memoirs

by Edgar Cayce, A Robert Smith (Compiler)

Overview

His message lives on...for over 75 years, the prophecies and reading of Edgar Grace

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250100122
Publisher:	St. Martins Press-3PL
Publication date:	02/01/2002
Pages:	454
Sales rank:	233,276
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.01(d)

About the Author

Edgar Cayce was born in 1877 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Despite only having a seventh-grade education, he was able to repeat complex and technical medical jargon when under a trance. Cayce soon began to talk about spiritual principles such as holistic healing, Christ consciousness, and reincarnation. He would also predict some of the more astounding events of the twentieth century, such as world wars and the Great Depression.

Cayce died in 1945. The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, carries on his teachings.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpts from diaries, dictated memoirs and public talks were pieced together to form this posthumous autobiography of Cayce (1877-1945), a celebrated psychic and spiritualist whose ideas are considered to have anticipated the New Age movement. He called himself a "reader," and tells how, from an early age growing up on a Kentucky farm, "celestial visitors" came to speak "through" him. Early on, questioning whether his ability to see the future and past came from God or the devil, he turned to the Bible for solace. Moving to Louisville as an enterprising young man, he began to perform "healings" of the sick. As he grew older and gained a following, he started his own institute, which he used as a platform to espouse his metaphysical philosophies. These "prophesies" included a strong belief in reincarnation, that humans are returning souls living in eternity; Cayce called this "spiritual reassurance." Narrator Ready is impassioned without coming across as too grandiose, allowing Cayce's indelibly American life as a kook/genius to explain itself in straight, old-fashioned terms. Based on the St. Martin's hardcover. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Cayce enthusiasts and those interested in psychic phenomena in general will find a treasure in these republished memoirs. A well-known psychic who did what were called "readings" (primarily diagnosing illnesses and prescribing cures) while in a self-induced trancelike state, Cayce died in 1945. These memoirs give the reader insight into Cayce's childhood, his values and beliefs, and how he viewed his gift. The person who emerges from these memoirs is someone who, despite his fame and an unusual ability, was quite ordinary and who found success in life somewhat elusive. Cayce's significance makes this a recommended addition to public and academic libraries alike.--John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Libs., New York Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A confusing, disappointing journey into the life of America's most famous psychic. Cayce (1877–1945) was a pioneer in psychic phenomena. Convinced of the power of hypnosis, intrigued by reincarnation, Cayce became famous for putting himself in trances and giving "readings"—he would answer questions about individuals ranging from "How best may I be of service?" to "Will it be possible to achieve the entity's ideal of purging Christianity of its theological errors and persuading organized religion and science to accept the truth as revealed through this psychic source?" Published more than 50 years after Cayce's death, My Life as a Seer is the compilation of several autobiographical and biographical sources: a manuscript, "Edgar Cayce's Memoirs," that Cayce dictated to his secretary in 1932; stories about his childhood that Cayce wrote near the end of his life; the two diaries he began; one lecture text; and a biographical essay by Cayce's father, Leslie B. "Squire" Cayce. The memoir is sandwiched between the editor's rambling, unclear preface and seemingly arbitrary appendices, including excerpts from the New York Times about Cayce and William Mosely Brown's 1928 address at the dedication of the Cayce Hospital. Such disparate records require the hand of a master editor, and Smith fails to knit his sources together into a cohesive whole. The preface provides little help; the reader unacquainted with Cayce's exploits will find little in the way of context or background. Instead, Smith devotes his energies to fleshing out hagiographic—and unconvincing—parallels between Cayce and Gandhi. The exploits recounted in the body of the memoir seem dated and quaint. Though thebook is billed as "New Age," today's New Agers will find little that resonates. (8 pages b&w photos, not seen)

Kirkus Reviews

"The story of Edgar Cayce has inspired me from the time I was twelve years old. As one of the first well-studied medical intuitives, his work and his life helped blaze a path for the future of medicine."—Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"[Edgar Cayce had a] tremendous impact. Because from his teaching and his channeling, I understood the karmic, cosmic law of cause and effect."—Shirley MacLaine, author of Out on a Limb and Dancing in the Light

"Our culture has put mysticism down. A few giants like Edgar Cayce broke through."—Matthew Fox, author of Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh

From the Publisher