Edgar Cayce, The Sleeping Prophet

One of the most interesting and important characters of New Age philosophy is the famous psychic Edgar Cayce. Edgar Cayce was born in Kentucky on March the 18th 1877 and showed signs of psychic abilities throughout his life. As a youngster he was hit on the head by a baseball. Cayce’s father sent his son to bed to recover from the knock, when he went to see how his child was; the young Edgar entered a trance and informed his father how to treat his condition. His father did as Edgar suggested and Edgar recovered. When Edgar was in his twenties he lost his voice, aided by a hypnotist, he entered a trance and once again suggested an effective cure. As a result he developed his abilities further and became known as ‘The Sleeping Prophet’ due to his use of trance as a means to access esoteric knowledge. Whilst in a hypnotic state (though not truly ‘asleep’) Cayce would answer questions on subjects ranging from reincarnation, Atlantis, future events and health issues. Cayce lived before the emergence of the New Age Movement, yet many folks consider him to be the founder and a principal source of its most characteristic beliefs. In relation to health he suggested the use of iodine for a number of medical ailments, especially those relating to the thyroid gland. Cayce particularly recommended the use of Nascent Iodine - this is iodine which has been electrically charged to alter its atomic form; thus turning the iodine into a form that the body can easily recognize and assimilate.