Edgar Cayce and the Crucial Years: Texas and Dayton, 1919-1925

Robert W. Krajenke

Robert W. Krajenke is the author of the three-volume Edgar Cayce's Story of the Old Testament as well as Spiritual Power Points. A minister in a Detroit-area Unity church, he is a well-known writer and lecturer for the ARE. He is considered the leading authority on Cayce's Texas/Dayton period.

Because of the inherent drama and significance of the period, my research has focused extensively on the Texas/Dayton phase of Edgar Cayce's life, especially the eighteen months in Dayton, Ohio. Thomas Sugrue and Joseph Millard devote little space and no detail to those eighteen months, leaving us with the impression that the only thing of importance that happened then was that Arthur Lammers was told he had been a monk in a past life.

Edgar's career can be divided into three general periods. The first phase covers the period from 1900 to 1920, from the discovery of his gift and his acceptance of his power. In this period the psychic work was almost entirely physical readings. The second period is the Texas/Dayton period from 1919 to 1925, ending with the move to Virginia Beach. The Texas period is dominated by the search for a vast untapped "Mother Pool" of oil which the readings describe as lying below the Rocky Pasture in San Saba County, Texas. In Dayton another kind of deep delving begins, an exploration into the workings of mind and soul--for which the "Mother Pool" seems almost a metaphor. This middle period is the crucible for the transition of a "wishy-washy" young man (to use Cayce's own words) into the major world-class teacher and spiritual leader which he becomes in the third and final phase of the work in Virginia Beach.

In Dayton, Cayce encountered a dark night of the soul. The readings call it "meeting self." Some of his earliest personal material indicates that the success and value of his work would be measured by the quality of his spiritual life. In Dayton, he confronted psychological and spiritual challenges that laid the foundation for his transformation. Those eighteen months in Dayton represented a time of initiation and conscious inner work necessary to strengthen him and to set the unshakable bond between Edgar, Gertrude, and Gladys Davis that was to be the spiritual bulwark against the even greater challenges and responsibilities that awaited them in Virginia Beach.

I. Dreams of the Mother Pool

In December 1918, Edgar Cayce received a letter from J.D. Thrash, a newspaper editor in Cleburne, Texas. Thrash, writing on behalf of investors in the Sam Davis Oil Company, wanted both a physical reading and business advice on holdings of the Sam Davis Oil Company in the rich, turbulent, booming oil fields of Texas. This was new territory for Cayce, and he was both excited and hesitant about involving himself in oil speculation.

Edgar was caught on the horns of a dilemma. Whenever readings were conducted from a profit motive, or with an intent to get an advantage over anyone, he suffered greatly, even though it was not he but the conductor who was seeking the information. In the past those he trusted, including his father, had taken advantage of him while in the trance state. The only way he discovered the duplicity was because readings of this type always left him sick and weak when he returned to consciousness. In one instance, he was unable to give any further readings for a year.

On the other hand, Edgar Cayce needed money. For almost twenty years, he had been dreaming of building a hospital where treatments prescribed in his psychic readings could be administered and supervised under professional care. Without a hospital where competent and credible supervision and documentation could be maintained, there seemed to be little hope that his gift would ever help more than a few. Doctors were skeptical and frequently forbade, rejected or adulterated the recommended treatments. Pharmacists often refused to mix the formulas outlined in the readings, or substituted ingredients which neutralized or reversed the intended effects. In other cases, family members were hostile and non-supportive or grew lax in carrying out the sometimes long and involved healing procedures. And often at the first signs of relief, the patients discontinued treatments, only to have the condition return. Or if healing occurred, the doctors said it was coincidence or a spontaneous remission that would have happened anyway.

After two decades of dreaming and a virtually useless search for funds to build his hospital, all he had to show for his sometimes quixotic search were three wooden shipping crates which he kept stored under his bed and in the bedroom closet in his apartment adjoining the Cayce Art Studio in Selma, Alabama. These crates contained hundreds of transcribed readings and dozens of personal letters and notarized affidavits offering documented testimony to the efficacy of his readings. But they represented only a small fraction of the total amount of readings he had given since 1900. By his own estimation, he had given over 8,000 readings in the twenty years since he discovered his gift.

As Cayce struggled with the dilemma raised by Thrash's letter and the promise it held, a man reappeared who would become his lifelong friend and confidant, David E. Kahn. Kahn's timely and unexpected arrival provided Cayce with the one person whose advice he could trust. And Kahn's advice was to go for it!

Early in 1919, Edgar received another letter, this time from T.J. McConnell, a banker in Meridian, Texas, also an associate of Thrash and a stockholder in the Sam Davis Oil Company. McConnell wrote saying he represented a group of investors who held leases on 3,000 acres of oil range near Meridian, and was contacting Cayce on the advice of his astrologer. "Would you, with your wonderful, God-given power, consent to give a reading on these holdings?" McConnell wanted to know. After several more letters, McConnell was finally able to settle upon a specific request--a reading for Lucky Boy # 1, an abandoned oil well on the northeast corner of the property.

Kahn and Cayce headed for Texas. With his conscious knowledge limited only to the information in their correspondence, the entranced Cayce described accurately to the inch--later verified by the U.S. Geological Survey--layers of clay, sand and shale down to the presence of oil. The reading pinpointed the deposit, gave specific directions for drilling (including the quantity of nitroglycerin necessary to clear the old well), and predicted the exact amount of production it would yield--600 barrels a day.

The success was followed quickly by requests for information on other holdings, which when followed brought in two more producing wells as predicted. Suddenly Cayce's glistening white hospital stood drenched in a splash of Texas oil. Thus began a futile three-year search for the "precious fluid."

While Cayce's first venture into the oil fields was promising, documentation from this period is rare. David Kahn in his biography, My Life With Edgar Cayce, covers this period more extensively than other Cayce writers. However, the stories Kahn tells are only from his point of view and from the vantage point of many years later. In other words, it's a pretty flattering tale he tells of himself.

One of the few stories about that early Texas period that comes from someone who was there was captured by Tom King, a Texas wildcatter. In 1957, at an ARE study group meeting in San Antonio, Texas, King met Cecil Ringle, the original driller on the Comyn well for the Sam Davis Oil Company. It was through that job that Ringle became a lifelong friend of Edgar Cayce's--but it is doubtful that he had any love for David Kahn. The following is Cecil Ringle's account (as told to Tom King) of the Sam Davis well, his introduction to Edgar Cayce, and Cayce's initiation into the hard, greedy and dangerous life that oil fever can bring.

II. Cecil Ringle's story

Cecil Ringle and his wife Leona had been contract drilling on wells in Illinois. During the fall of 1919 they heard of new oil strikes near Desdemona, Texas, and they decided to head South. The thought of working another cold, miserable winter on the big cable tool rig helped make up their mind. They loaded their rig and tools on a flatcar and went to Texas, unloading at Strawn, where they put up in a hotel.

The long trip had been tiring, and they decided to rest for a couple of days before Cecil would go look for a job for his rig. No one knew where they had gone, so Leona started writing letters to the relatives back home.

Then there was a knock on the door. While Cecil hurriedly put on his shirt, Leona went to the door. An army officer and a group of men stood outside. "Is there a driller here by the name of Ringle?" the man in the uniform asked. Surprised that they knew his name and occupation, Cecil asked them how they found him. "No one is supposed to know where I am," he said.

The army officer introduced himself as David Kahn (1) and explained that Edgar Cayce, the young man with him, had a strange gift of knowing all things when he went to sleep. It was Cayce who had told them when Ringle would arrive, the hotel and the room number in which he would be staying, and that he would be the best man for the job of cleaning out an oil well.

Suspicious and skeptical, Ringle mumbled that he didn't know, that he would have to look into it and he would let them know. Immediately, Kahn asked if they could use his bed for a demonstration. Ringle agreed and Edgar Cayce loosened his shoe-laces, took off his tie, unbuttoned his collar, and lay down on the bed. His eyelashes fluttered and closed and Kahn gave him the suggestion that he would have the oil well drilled by the Sam Davis Oil Company on the James Walker Survey, Comyn, Texas, and that he would give the reasons for its being sabotaged. In addition, Cayce would tell them what had been thrown into it, and what procedures would be required to clean out the well.

Cayce started answering Kahn in an authoritative manner. The well had been sabotaged because of an oversight in the title examination by the oil company which had purchased a portion of the James Walker Survey to construct a tank farm to gather the oil from pipelines into the new Desdemona oil field. The oil company had failed to realize that the outstanding oil lease held by Sam Davis could be held by production, and if held would give Sam Davis title to all oil facilities on the land, including their tank farm. When the Sam Davis Oil Company well reached 3520 feet and began to get a show of oil, the oil company management panicked and ordered the well sabotaged.

Cayce described what had been dumped into the well--a length of logging chain, several barrels of nuts and bolts, and an upside-down churn drill bit--and named a local blacksmith who could make the tools necessary to fish out the chain. The sleeping Cayce identified the size of overshot necessary to set hold of the bit, and named an electrician in nearby Cleburne who could make an electromagnet big enough to pick up the nuts and bolts. The reading concluded with a remark that a very good oil sand would be encountered at 3550 which would produce over 600 barrels a day. In other words, a very good well!

Amazed at this demonstration, Ringle agreed to do the job and negotiated a day-work contract with the Sam Davis Oil Company to clean out the well. Just in case the young Cayce was right, he had a clause inserted into the contract giving him the option to take twenty-five percent of the well in lieu of his hourly rate. The group kept one copy of the contract, and heleft the other copy with Leona at the hotel room.

On January 26, 1920, Ringle filed his intention to drill with the Texas Railroad Commission. Edgar Cayce's information proved to be critical in cleaning out the well, and the job went fast and well. Twice Edgar Cayce, in a reading, gave warnings about upcoming attempts to sabotage the well. One saboteur, dressed as a tramp, came into town on the railroad. Confronted by Cecil and a loaded .45, he left town in a hurry, bewildered that he had been unmasked so quickly. The town sheriff looked rather unfavorably at Cecil's taking the law into his own hands, so on the next sabotage attempt Cecil alerted the sheriff, who politely ushered the scoundrel out of town with a warning never to show his face in Comyn again.

In early March the well was cleaned out, and Cecil started drilling. By suppertime he had deepened the well to 3540 and began to get "the prettiest sand and green oil" he had ever seen. Fascinated, he kept drilling down to the 3550 feet described in the reading. He bailed oil as fast as he could with the oil steadily gaining on him until, near midnight, it finally reached 1100 where the pressure equalized and he shut down for the night.

Meanwhile, back in Desdemona, Leona became concerned when Cecil failed to show up for supper and got someone from the Sam Davis group to go see if Cecil was all right. When the men saw the oil that Cecil was bailing out of the hole, they rushed back to the hotel. They told Mrs. Ringle that Cecil had a show of oil and they needed to borrow her copy of the contract, as they had misplaced theirs and had to pay Cecil some money in the morning.

Gullible, she handed over the contract, which they took back to their room. Since the signatures were on the second page, they were able to rewrite the first page, giving them the option of the twenty-five percent interest instead of day-rate pay.

The next morning they brought back the contract with a check for his services, and told Cecil they were bringing another driller in to complete the well. "Forget the day-pay," Cecil told them. "I'll take twenty-five percent of the well and complete the job myself." They refused, and an argument developed. When Ringle dug out his copy of the contract, he was incensed to find the language had been altered. When Leona told him how they had tricked her, he grabbed his pistol and vowed to shoot them all, and they all started running for the sheriff.

Without a legal leg to stand on Cecil finally gave up, took the check for his time, and moved to another well. In the three days it took the others to move another drill on the well, the well was sabotaged again with scrap iron, and remains plugged up to this day.

This story sets a colorful yet ominous tone that casts a long shadow. According to Ringle, who remained friends with Cayce through the years, Edgar went back east after the readings were given and was innocent of any wrong or duplicity. David Kahn's readings often contained warnings and admonishments about his egotism and impatience getting out of hand, and we are left to wonder what his involvement was in all of this chicanery.

III. Oil and metaphysics

With Lucky Boy # 1, Cayce's life was never the same. For three years he lived inthe shadows of oil derricks and the hot glare of the Texas sky on vast acrage which his readings--always accurate before--indicated held not only the richest site in Texas, but in the entire continent!

During Edgar Cayce's stay with the Comyn job, he gave several other readings for the Sam Davis Oil Company. In one, he was asked where the biggest pool in Texas could be found. His answer: "This is in San Saba, in the vicinity of Rocky Pasture." The geology in the San Saba readings was incredible and mind-boggling:

...there is produced in the vicinity of the Rocky Pasture that trap, which may be really called the Mother Pool, or that which has been and is the accumulation of ages, produced by this uplift lying south of this country and vicinity, see? [5628-3]

And if 600 barrels a day was considered a good well, consider the impact of this information on the boys at Sam Davis Oil:

...but where the well is to be drilled the first showing will be at 960 feet and 4 inches.... The larger production we will find in the dome at 2600 feet, which will be something better than 40,000 barrels, reducing to more than 5000 barrels a day. [3777-12]

Cayce's information during the first year in Texas brought in a few producing wells. He always seemed to have better luck for others than with any project in which he stood to gain. And his reputation, in certain quarters, was well-established.

On January 22, 1921--almost a year to the day since Cecil Ringle filed his intention to drill the Comyn well--J.W. Gilette, an oilman with thirty-four years experience in the business, testified in an affidavit which states:

This is to certify that I obtained the assistance of Edgar Cayce in the development of the well I drilled on the J.I. Sturkie farm in the Asa Hoxey [area?], Comanche Co., Tex. [For the last three years I] have made a study of the oil business from a structural standpoint...[and I] have a system for locating oil which is far superior to systems followed by most oil men; yet I believe Mr. Cayce can beat any system going....

The best geologists in the country can not approach Mr. Cayce when it comes to giving advance information on oil territory.... I consider Mr. Cayce a real wonder, and any one is very fortunate who can secure his advance dope on drilling wells. [3777-7 reports]

Cayce's response to their question prompted other questions concerning San Saba. After their greed killed off the Comyn well, the group got together and formed the Cayce Petroleum Company, starting the long series of efforts to tap the great "Mother Pool," efforts which continue to this day.

For three years the accuracy of his readings was undiminished. The readings brought relief to the suffering. They were used to resolve differences and disputes; and prevent bloodshed amid shootouts among the hot-tempered, iron-fisted, hard-drinking oilmen who trusted him. In times of drought the readings located water for ranchers, and while awake Cayce even predicted the end of a record drought to the hour.

Cayce and Kahn criss-crossed the country from New York to Florida, from Denver to St. Louis, giving readings and seeking investors for "the proposition" at San Saba. But after three years, thousands of miles, more thousands of dollars, and months away from home, the Cayce Petroleum Company had yet to flush up its first barrel of crude.

Cayce's reputation and the search for investors ultimately brought Cayce and Kahn to Denver at the invitation of a famous newspaper publisher who wanted to investigate and profit from Cayce's fabulous powers. Soon convinced of Cayce's ability, the publisher offered him one thousand dollars to dress up like a turbaned potentate and feed the public's fantasy for oriental mystery and occult power. Cayce refused and was left stranded without funds or resources until divine providence intervened through the unlikely agency of the Women's Club of Birmingham, Alabama. Learning of his "amazing power," they sent him a one-way ticket and an invitation to address them for an evening on the subject of psychic phenomena. Leaving David Kahn behind to continue his search for investors, Cayce went to address the ladies of Birmingham on a subject of which he claimed to have little conscious knowledge, but which he could demonstrate abundantly.

The trip to Birmingham was a virtual triumph--especially in contrast to the dismal failures in Texas. Invited for an evening lecture, he gave a demonstration reading instead. The reading produced requests for more. Word spread and requests became constant. The invitation was extended from one evening to a week, then to four, and finally six months, with readings given twice a day every day. Physicians, sometimes two or three, were present for many sessions. At every occasion Cayce spoke about his hospital, and there was a great groundswell of interest. The city Superintendent of Hospitals grew firmly convinced of the authenticity of his powers and became an enthusiastic supporter.

The Birmingham Age-Herald gave substantial coverage to the Cayce phenomena. One story read:

A HOSPITAL OF LAST RESORT PROPOSED BY INVALIDS SERVED BY EDGAR CAYCE

Through his success with local invalids, friends of Edgar Cayce have convinced him that Birmingham is the logical site for the establishment of that hospital for which he has planned and dreamed more than twenty years.

Citizens of Denver, Colorado and of Columbus, Ohio and other cities that have entertained the healer and benefitted from his services have besought him to locate elsewhere. But being Southern born and loving the South, he had decided that if Birmingham wants the hospital, he will stay here.

For six months the swell of interest rolled through Birmingham, gathering its momentum from newspaper articles, eyewitness accounts, personal testimonials and imaginative exaggerations in hundreds of different conversations and gossip throughout the city. The great wave swelled to a dizzying crest with a prestigious fund-raising committee securing pledges totaling over $60,000. After the fruitless, discouraging, and debilitating quest in Texas, Cayce had arrived! He was popular, accepted, well-liked, and adored. And the hospital would rise with wings of healing from the hearts of those he helped.

The fund-raising committee requested a reading to identify the most favorable site for the proposed hospital, and the Source dropped a bomb. The perfect location: "...the environs about Norfolk, Virginia."

The crest having been reached, the swell collapsed again into the formless, foaming, unfathomable sea of destiny and dream. The prestigious committee of city boosters disbanded, and a once-again discouraged Cayce left the city, going where he was invited, talking for the hospital and looking into the eyes, the faces of those he had helped for the beacon lights that would guide him to his dream.
And then, mile-weary and tired, he decided it was time to go home. To reunite with his wife and family whom he had seen only once or twice in the past three years.

In 1921, after the Great War, President Harding struck a chord in the nation. "We are not to be discouraged," he said, "but resolve to undertake our work with high hopes...in the effort to find our normal, onward way of life." The bankers and oilmen in Meridian and Dallas knew what the "return to normalcy" was: removing the war tax; reducing the high cost of living; making government less wasteful and more efficient; and above all, returning to the peaceful, prosperous way of life that had been interrupted by the Great War to End All Wars. In 1922, signs of normalcy were everywhere. Prosperity was sweeping the country. Business was booming in the cities. Everyone--even the farmer--was optimistic. But for Cayce, it was not easy, nor was it his destiny, to be getting on with the "normal, onward way of life." Events were already set in motion that would soon disrupt and challenge his plans and family.

IV. The boy on the train

In October, 1922, while Edgar was enjoying his triumph in Birmingham, an Englishman named W. Alfred Darling, his American wife Irma, and their one-year-old son were visiting Denver, Colorado when the baby was suddenly taken ill. The doctors diagnosed the condition as lymphsarcoma--a death sentence, in those days. The Darlings were en route to Dayton when they encountered the uniformed Captain David E. Kahn on the train to Chicago.

Kahn was on the way to New York seeking to raise funds for "the proposition" at San Saba. We don't have the details of how Kahn met the Darlings, or if they talked about "the proposition" or the sick baby first. But we do know that David was aggressive, ambitious and gregarious; and that his favorite topics of conversation were the remarkable exploits of his friend Edgar Cayce, and his extraordinary ability to heal the hopeless and to give accurate geological information on valuable properties. When the train arrived in Chicago, Dave and Alf took the southbound train for Birmingham, and Mrs. Darling and "Little Alf" went on home to Dayton.

Kahn's arrival must have occasioned a joyful reunion for Dave and Edgar, and for Alf Darling, Sr. the phenomenon must have been an eye-opener. While the doctors gave the Darlings no hope for their son, the first treatment promised complete recovery within six months if the prescribed treatments (including osteopathic adjustments, injections of atropine, and changes in diet) were followed. Over the next few months, the parents wrote or wired Cayce whenever a change took place in the baby's condition, and Cayce would promptly give another reading. By July of 1923, the 175 cancerous nodules on the baby's body were reduced to three.

Little Alf was born on July 4, and in this era of extreme patriotism it must have made him seem a special child. Perhaps, like George M. Cohan (who shared the same birthday), the parents dreamed their child would inherit and express the best that American had to offer. Linden Shroyer and Mrs. Darling took a special interest in the boy, traveling to Dayton several times during the summer of 1923 to give readings for him.

When Kahn ran into the Darlings on the Denver-Chicago train, the situation at San Saba was deteriorating. Without a show of oil, some of the investors grew discouraged. Others, knowing of the information, sat on the sidelines, waiting to move in and take over at the first opportunity. And the threat of sabotage was real and constant. Cayce's leases on 30,000 acres of land were coming due. Without money to renew the leases or to continue drilling, we can imagine how auspicious it must have seemed to Kahn (and to Cayce) to make new contact with Darling, an accountant whose firm numbered some of the wealthiest businessmen in Dayton among their clients. This made Dayton a place ripe for prospecting for the gregarious, fast-talking and tireless Kahn.

One of the firms serviced by Alf Darling was Dayton Photo Products, headed by Arthur Lammers. In addition, the Darlings rented their extra bedroom to the young bookkeeper employed by Dayton Photo. From the moment Kahn made his introduction to the Darlings, it was almost an irreversable destiny that Arthur Lammers would be drawn into the picture.

On April 25, 1923, while Cayce was in Texas, Alf Darling wrote to him about a meeting in Altoona in which Cayce was expected to be present. However, the meeting was postponed until May, and Cayce remained in Texas for a few more weeks (keeping leases in order, etc.).

Apparently somewhere along the way, Kahn and Cayce met up with a "fast-talking promoter" named William K. "Tex" Rice who held mineral leases on acreage in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Rice and Cayce wanted somehow to combine their interests for their mutual benefit, and the Penn Tenn Fuel Company was forged--but apparently, with little success.

On May 13, a reading was given in Altoona on the affairs of the Penn Tenn Fuel Company, with Dave Kahn conducting. Several questions are devoted to Tex Rice:

Kahn: Now, Mr. Cayce, in regards to Tex Rice of his coming week's work in raising finance, will he be successful and to what extent?

Cayce: ...Not as successful as he hopes. More though than sufficient to carry out what is needed... [and] will be some surprise to those connected with him. Work the plans already made thoroughly and success will come, see.

Kahn: In regards to the connections of Edgar Cayce and Tex Rice, will they have successful?

Cayce: We see that they will.

Kahn: Now, Mr. Cayce...Mr. Rice has decided to hand in his resignation on account of the life he is leading, is that proper?

Cayce: Be very proper for the success of the organization... Use a little discretion and judgement and foresight in placing one in this capacity.

Kahn: Now, Mr. Cayce, is there any advice or danger in the work laid out for Tex Rice?

Cayce: Follow closely the plan as to how the work shall progress. There is no danger if these plans are adhered to and followed out closely--success will come over-abundantly in the next ninety days [emphasis mine]. [4945-2]

Apparently a great deal of money, as prophesied, did change hands within ninety days. The outcome, however, was of no benefit to Edgar Cayce but resulted in shame and embarassment. Edgar tells the story in his own words in a letter written to a friend ten years later:

A few years ago I met a man by the name of Rice, who was one of these high pressure salesmen and interested in floating an oil proposition in Texas. I became acquainted with him through the fact that I had held some leases in Texas. He made arrangements or a contract with me to include these holdings in his proposition. To be sure, I might have investigated the man more but my idea was to get the matter off my hands so that if there were developments my associates and I might receive our share of the benefits from the operations. However, Rice became very much interested in the phenomena of the rdgs. and, of course, immediately had his list of friends whom he felt sure needed the benefits that might be derived from the readings. Among his friends was this gentleman, a Mr. [269] who still lives in north-central Pa. His reading indicated that from catarrh of a dry nature in his head and throat he was gradually losing his sense of hearing, which--when I met the man and became acquainted with his family--I could easily see; that is. that he was losing his hearing--though, of course, I could not tell whether it was from that cause or not. Rice carried me to Mr. [269's] home on a little visit... While there, however, Rice used the association in getting a considerable amount of money from Mr. [269]. Naturally the inference was--I felt sure (though it might have been my own guilty conscience)--that I was in cahoot with Rice; and, of course, they paid little or no attention to the suggestions made in the rdg. [269-3 report]

On July 9, about the same time that Cayce is inadvertantly participating in Rice's fraud, the Darling child fell and knocked loose the last remaining nodule off his face. Complications arose, and the results proved fatal. On July 14, "Little Alf" died and six days later, in order to ascertain the cause of death, a questioning Cayce returned to Dayton to do the first postmortem reading of his career.

After closely following the boy's progress almost to the point of total recovery, Cayce must have been deeply affected by the child's death. We need only remind ourselves of his response to the "shiny lady" of his childhood vision. When she asked him what he wanted to do with his life, he answered without hesitation, "To help suffering people, especially children." Knowing Cayce's sensitivity about "the gift" harming anyone, Rice's defrauding and the death of the boy coming so close together must have been very difficult for Edgar to deal with, especially when one considers that for the past three years nothing good had come out of the Texas oil-field speculations--except for the persistent, enveloping, all-consuming dream of "hitting it big."

Two interests are competing within Edgar Cayce at this time. One, his soul's purpose, is represented by the healing work and selfless service on behalf of the Darling child. The other, the "karma of the get-rich-quick consciousness" (to use Hugh Lynn's words), was fired by his speculation and dreams of wealth in the Texas oil fields. His involvement with oil speculation consumed, or seemed to consume, an inordinate amount of his interest and attention, and we wonder whether, like the Darling child, something wasn't dying and in need of healing in Cayce as well. After all, what is the "darling child" within us but the gift of our own unrealized and unlived potential coming into expression?

V. A second chance at millions

Madison Byron Wyrick, a fifty-one-year-old Western Union Executive at Lake Station in Chicago, was also speculating in oil, and held leases on property in Kopperl and Daffau Counties in Texas. On May 23, 1923, Wyrick wrote to Cayce, saying mutual friends in Texas recommended him. (2) He stated that he was undergoing a severe constitutional breakdown and that his doctors could not agree on a diagnosis or prescribe satisfactory remedies. An appointment was made, and on June 5, 1923, Wyrick received his first reading. His condition was diagnosed as diabetes, and a regimen was outlined that soon produced a steady and consistent turnaround in Wyrick's deteriorating condition.

On July 23, six weeks after his first physical reading, Wyrick requested the first of many readings on his oil speculation. By November, Wyrick was so improved and convinced of Edgar's sincerity and ability that he offered to move his rig to San Saba and divide all earnings from any production on a fifty-fifty basis between his corporation and the Cayce Petroleum Company. He extended the same terms on all the acreage and leases that he had in Kopperl County. In exchange, Cayce gave the readings without charge. The almost daily correspondence between Wyrick and Cayce over the next two years provides important insights into Edgar Cayce's inner life and feelings. Slightly older, and a man of solid spiritual instincts, Wyrick was a kind of mentor to Cayce and remained active with the ARE until his death many years later. However, in all their correspondence the one letter for which Edgar looked so ardently and hopefully never arrived--the letter saying "production is gained."

Six months after his physical reading, Wyrick was virtually free of all symptoms. On December 17, Wyrick wrote the kind of heartening letter Cayce always welcomed.

Permit me to thank you personally for the wonderful improvement in my physical condition since I commenced treatments as suggested in the physical reading you gave me June 5th this year....

Medical examination in January last disclosed the fact that my system was overcharged with sugar to the extent that I was diabetic, carrying 12-1/2 percent sugar, gravity 1040. I was advised that there was no known cure, that the only relief obtainable was by adhering to a strict diet. This I commenced immediately and test made at frequent intervals showed large quantities of sugar present. After taking up the treatment suggested in your psychic reading, the sugar began to diminish until recent tests showed no trace of sugar with gravity reduced to normal.

I wish I could convey a message of my experience to all Diabetics that all so afflicted might enjoy the change from a despondent death-dealing lethargy to good health and happiness. [953-5 report]

Some time before or during the summer of 1923, Alf Darling must have arranged for Kahn and Rice to meet Arthur Lammers. Apparently the purpose of the meeting was to give Lammers an investment opportunity with Penn Tenn. However, in August he was in no mood to travel on behalf of "the proposition." On August 20, after talking long-distance to Tex Rice in Chicago, Lammers wrote Cayce in Selma to say:

My dear Cayce:

Your letter of the 17th, just received by me. I was under the impression from Mr. Rice that he had wired you it was impossible for me to get away, at least so he told me over the phone from Chicago, where he is now.

The facts of the matter are as follows: Until a clear statement of the Penn Tenn Fuel Company is made I will in no way be associated with its activities.

It is very apparent that the proposition has been seriously mismanaged. Mr. Darling has been working on the detail of a statement for the last week or so, but cannot complete the work until he has had a conference with Mr. Rice and Mr. Kahn.

I am not inclined to travel around the country with reference to a proposition I do not understand, and until this statement is completed it is impossible for anybody to understand just who's who.

Please do not misunderstand me. I have the kindliest of feelings for you and an interest in your end of the proposition, but I cannot be associated with the Penn Tenn Fuel Company until its affairs are in such shape as to warrant a business-like endorsement. [4945-2 reports]

In the following weeks, there was active correspondence between Madison Wyrick and Edgar Cayce, with several mentions about "Arthur Lammers getting in on the proposition." And somewhere in between, apparently Tex Rice and Arthur Lammers joined forces. On September 13, Wyrick wrote Edgar that he could not join Rice and Lammers in their project because it was "too big and too much on the order of a stock promotion scheme." On September 15, Cayce answered Wyrick, stating that he was still negotiating with Lammers but not with Rice, "...for those days are passed." Apparently when he wrote that letter to Wyrick, Lammers was in Selma to investigate "the proposition."

On September 7, Gladys Davis, a young honey-blonde graduate of the local business school, began her lifelong career as Edgar Cayce's secretary. She had been working for only a week when Lammers arrived in Selma, and Edgar left with him, never to return. During the next few weeks, Gladys spent many hours with Gertrude, going through the old wooden shipping crates, familiarizing herself with the language and scope of the readings. The next time she saw Edgar was in November, when the family joined him in Dayton.

In his unpublished memoirs, Cayce indicates that Lammers on his first visit to Selma came down and went with him to San Saba to look over "the proposition." On the long train-ride to Texas, Cayce regaled Lammers with many stories relating to his strange gift, and these stories seemed to trigger a latent interest in Lammers concerning metaphysics. When they arrived in Texas, Lammers told the officers of the Cayce Petroleum Company that they were going through the "back door" with Edgar and suggested a reorganization. Rather astutely, he observed that there was a growing interest in psychic phenomena, and with reputable parapsychologists lending their names and support, it would be much easier to raise money for a psychic research institute than for a hospital devoted to research and documentation of the physical readings, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Lammers followed up his presentation with an offer to develop questions for a reading devoted to psychic phenomena and the formation of a psychic research institute. From the beginning, it would seem Lammers put himself in a leadership position in terms of managing Cayce's business interests. And Cayce, it would appear, responded warmly.

The records show that in June and July Edgar Cayce made trips to St. Louis, Cincinnatti, Chicago and Dayton, the cities mentioned in his memoirs. If Lammers traveled with Cayce to San Saba on behalf of "the proposition" this would suggest a pretty active relationship with Arthur Lammers long before the famous horoscope reading in October, and that the first involvement with Lammers was related to oil speculation rather than metaphysics.

During the Texas trip, Cayce and Lammers cemented an alliance, and traveled back to Dayton together. On October 8, 1923, the first in a series of readings on psychic phenomena [now indexed as the 3744 series] was begun in room 115 of the Phillips Hotel in Dayton. The room was to be the scene of extensive psychic work by Cayce in the coming months. Arthur Lammers, Madison Wyrick, Linden Shroyer, and George Klingensmith, a business associate of Arthur Lammers, were present. The following day, Lammers requested a physical reading for his niece, and on the eleventh of November, Lammers received the now-famous "horoscope reading" in which the first reference to reincarnation is made.

Astrology was enjoying one of its many periodic rebirths in the early 1920's, and it was something of a fad sweeping through the nation. Lammers was a follower of Evangeline Adams, a prominent New York astrologer who was a proponent of "scientific astrology" who did much to popularize astrology during these years. Lammers's idea was to compare a horoscope reading by Edgar Cayce with one he had obtained from Evangeline Adams. Cayce's reading indicated it woild be more useful to study previous incarnations rather than astrological influences, and told Lammers he had been a monk in his previous incarnation, which Cayce said was the basis for Lammers's interest in spiritual philosophy.

In light of his awakening interest in reincarnation, Lammers requested an additional reading on the past-life associations of Edgar Cayce, Arthur Lammers, Linden Shroyer, and George Klingensmith, all of whom were involved with "the proposition" as well as the hospital and psychic research institute (though Shroyer was more skeptical at first). On October 22, the four men were told they had been associated in the past for destructive purposes and now had an opportunity to align themselves for constructive purposes. In this reading, Lammers was told he had been Hector of Troy. (3) This suggests that the period in Dayton was karmic in nature and an opportunity for spiritual regeneration.

The same day, Lammers requested a reading on "The Plan of Protected Investment Company," possibly the project that was "too big and on the order of a stock promotion scheme" for Madison Wyrick and his associates. No record on the reading exists in the files.
The summer and fall of 1923 must have been heady times for Edgar Cayce. Lammers was charismatic, and entrepreneur, a promoter and marketer given to "big plans" with an ability to gain men's confidence. Cayce saw him as

the first person to my mind that I had ever come in touch with that was not looking to the selfish end of the proposition first and foremost. Consequently, I had felt drawn to him in a way that I had to few people. [4906-1 report; to Buddy Wilmott, 12/19/23]

Cayce turned over "the business part of the work" to Lammers, and Lammers responded with a string of glowing ideas and plans for the future. He felt Cayce was wasting time trying to support himself through his photography. The time had come to make a full-time commitment to his work. Thus Arthur Lammers "persuaded" Edgar Cayce to sell his little photography studio, cut his ties to his Southern roots, and meet his family up North to begin his career as a full-time psychic secure under Lammers's patronage. An innocent extremist, Cayce telephoned his wife long-distance and instructed her to sell the business for whatever she could get and move the family North as quickly as possible.

When Gladys came to work the next day, Gertrude announced their sudden change in plans and apologized for giving Gladys such brief employment, never expecting that Gladys would want to accompany them up North. However, from her first interview with Edgar, something had been stirred in Gladys that she had never felt before. "When he talked to me, I felt totally enveloped in his attention. I had never felt that before from anyone." And over the weeks, a warm bond had developed between her and Gertrude. In the short time she had been with them, she felt as if she belonged to the Cayces. Gladys was torn between her love and loyalty to her family and the attraction she felt for the Cayces. And being young, the chance to escape the boredom and monotony of Selma for a big city in the North was attractive as well.

There was never any doubt as to what she would do, but the emotions were painful. All that night she sobbed bitter tears on her bed because she knew "my life would never be the same." Hearing her daughter's sobbing, Gladys's mother tried to convince her to remain in Selma, but Gladys had made up her mind. With her eyes wet with tears, she moved to Dayton.

We can imagine what a confusing and unsettling time the reunion must have been for Gertrude and Edgar. For the past three years Cayce had spent little time with his family. And now, on an impulsive--almost impromptu--decision, they were uprooted and reunited in an unfamiliar Northern city. Cayce was chasing dreams again, and Gertrude felt that if Edgar could just find what he wanted, she would be satisfied (according to a reminiscence by Gladys Davis Turner in later years). For Gertrude and Gladys, it was the first time out of the South with the harsh winter cold soon settling in.

VI. A third chance for oil

One week after the family arrived, on November 23, David Kahn arrived in Dayton with a boyhood friend, Buddy Wilmott and his partner. Buddy was an experienced wildcat driller whom Kahn brought to Cayce to talk about "the proposition" in San Saba. After this initial visit Buddy Wilmott soon became very loyal to Edgar Cayce, and something of a spiritual rebirth occurred within him. He requested a physical reading, which included some business questions. Upon receipt of the reading he wrote to Edgar, saying

...it is a wonderful piece of work, as far as I am able to interpret it, and is bound to come from some divine power and I believe in it... It is the most powerful demonstration of the Divine Being that has ever crossed my path yet. [4906-1 report; letter to EC, 12/3/23]

And then he speaks of the rebirth of a new man:

I don't know, there is some kind of change came over me since I met you. I feel better, feel bigger and feel cleaner. As you know, I have been quite a drinking man in my past life. I can say this, that I have entirely lost the desire to take a drink. Everybody notices it. I was in an oil office day before yesterday, signed a contract when a bootlegger came in with a gallon of whiskey for one of the men for Christmas. They opened it, all took a drink, pushed the chairs back, and said, "Now, Big Boy, get on it." Well, you should have seen the expression on those fellow's faces when I read them the "riot act" and stepped out without taking a drink and closed the door. I don't know if they have all recovered from the shock yet or not. Now, can you tell me the cause of this? I never swore off, never made no promises, but I utterly hate the taste of whiskey and do not want it around me. It is something I can't explain. [4906-1 report]

Initially Cayce offered to bring Wilmott into "the proposition," but Wilmott declined, indicating he was uncomfortable with Lammers. Disappointed, Cayce affirmed his feelings about Lammers in the letter dated December 19, declaring that Lammers was "the first not looking for selfish ends" and that he "felt drawn to him as I have to few people." On December 23, Buddy responded, saying

...I am perfectly willing to give you one-eight carried free into the tanks in each test that you locate for me. This means that you would have one-eight of the gross proceeds of each test for yourself or institute, and would have no bills to pay at all, and if this is the right thing to do, I can build you the finest institute in America in less than five years for you see my plans are laid to drill during the year of 1924 at least twenty five new wells on leases scattered over the Mid-Continent field. [4906-1 report; 12/23/23]

This could be a potential windfall of millions through readings that have already proven geologically accurate. However, it is the paradox of this period that whenever these riches seemed so tantalizingly close, and that each day's mail or the ring of the phone might bring news of that long-awaited gusher coming in from San Saba (or from Madison Wyrick on Daffau and Kopperl Counties, or from Buddy Wilmott wildcatting in Oklahoma), Cayce and his family lived out their greatest poverty and passed through the dark night of the soul.

VII. March 19--a date with money, fame, and power

In December 1918, when Edgar received the letter from J.D. Thrash requesting information for the Sam Davis Oil Company, Thrash was seeking both health information and business advice. Because Thrash wanted two different types of information, it was necessary to clarify the focus of the reading before any information could be given. Several letters passed between them, and in the course of this correspondence Thrash requested Edgar Cayce's birth information in order to have a horoscope cast. Cayce complied, and very soon after that he began receiving letters from dozens of astrologers advising him that on March 19, 1919, the astrological conditions would be more favorable than at any other time of the year to give a reading that would be of the greatest benefit to mankind.

Rather than giving a public reading, as the astrologers suggested, Cayce gave one with Gertrude acting as conductor. No one else was present. The reading focused on the subject of astrology and influences affecting Edgar Cayce and his work. And from that reading, we gain these early and interesting psychic insights about Edgar Cayce:

...no middle ground for this body...very good or very bad, very religious or very wicked, very rich or always losing, very much in love or hate, very much given to good work, or always doing wrong, governed entirely by the will of the body....

The body is strange to other bodies in all of its actions, in the psychical life, in all of the ideas as expressed in the spiritual life as to its position on all matters pertaining to political, religious, or economic positions. This body will either be very rich or very poor....

When credence is given to the work in a material way, anyone is willing to pay in a financial way for such information; but without credence there can be nothing obtained.

...The body should keep close in touch with the spiritual side of life; with sincerity to the spiritual side of life, if he is to be successful, mentally, physically and financially. The safest brace is the spiritual nature of the body; sincerity of the work done or obtained through any channel with which this body is connected is governed by the masses through the action of the body towards the spiritual. [254-2]

The Thrash letter is significant in that it not only introduces Edgar Cayce to the oil fields of Texas, but acts as a forerunner to where that quest for oil will lead--to horoscopes, reincarnation, and the study of psychic influences with Arthur Lammers, Madison Wyrick, and the loyal friends and loved ones around him.

In summer and fall of 1923, the date of March 19 begins to appear once again in Edgar's own reading and in readings for Gertrude, Arthur Lammers, Zelda Lammers, Linden Shroyer, Shroyer's wife and others. It appears to be a time of significant influence for many.

During one week in February, Edgar obtained five readings for himself. His horoscope series describes him with the same extremes as the March 19, 1919 reading--as "one who is very good, or very bad...very wicked, or much given to good works...scaling to great heights in intellectual capacity, or groveling in the dregs of self-condemnation." The reading warns of a crisis to be reached on March 19. At that time he will "reach the turn for the developing that may bring destructive forces," but the forces could be averted by the use of his will.

The nineteenth of March is also a point in time when his "mate" will again be in touch with his "present development," and there

again will come the power of monies, both in the way of earth's fame and glory, and with this will again the opportunity and again give the place in the world development towards the mark of higher calling, as is set in Him.

However, the promise of earth's fame and glory was followed by an ominous warning about the development set in motion by the influences surrounding March 19:

Upon that meeting will the developing depend, or begin, to be made manifest, or be cut short. [294-8]

In the early fall, astrological forces could bring "sudden destruction to the physical." While this sounds alarming and dangerous for Edgar, the reading emphasizes the use of his will in regard to astrological influences, and makes yet another prediction--that within two years, he will travel again "to many places beyond this present bounds, or across many waters" (294-8). Both Edgar's and Gertrude's readings predict a greater unfoldment of psychic and spiritual ability starting in March. This development will be needed, the readings declare, in order to bring greater understanding to the masses.

Obviously March 19 was fraught with significance, and as the date drew near, Cayce looked forward to it with trepidation as he struggled with his declining finances and his bitter disappointments with Lammers. In a letter to Madison Myrick on the seventeenth of March, he wrote:

I, of course, am a little bit anxious about the 19th. That is the date as set in one of my readings that something special is to happen relative to the work. Seemingly, from that day on things are to be entirely different. [5628-2 report]

However, Edgar's choice of readings on this fateful day were not for himself or spiritual development, but for Buddy Wilmott. Two readings were given on March 19, on two wells Buddy was drilling north of Morris, Oklahoma, in Okmulgee County. However, "the power of monies...of earth's fame and glory" were not to come from the information in these two readings. Cayce dispatched the March 19 readings with an accompanying letter expressing his enthusiasm to Buddy.

I am sure the report as sent this morning, even judged by your letter, will check up. Consequently, I am looking for a wire from you saying you have the "precious juice" with abundance of gas about Tuesday next. [4906-6 report]

And on the same day, he wrote Wyrick:

Today is the nineteenth, but whether we have gotten the right thing sighted or not we do not know. We've had so many letters and so many different kinds of information this morning that I guess we will have to simmer (not boil) them about a bit to find out just where we are. [5628-2 report]

A week later, Buddy wired back disappointing news: "No show of gas or oil whatever. Have shut well down" (4906-6 report).

The next morning, Cayce dispatched two more readings with a note saying, "I don't know what to tell you... I am still believing you have a well in seven, though I guess you have given it up" (4906-8 report). And except for that letter in May, no more word from Buddy is heard until December. At year's end he is discouraged, deeper than ever in debt, and with a proposition for a new well before him. Buddy relates how he went on his own and "drew a blank" for the year. And then he asked the telling question that must have often been on Edgar's mind: "I cannot make up my mind to ask you in regard to a report on them [the new wells] for did it ever occur to you that it might not be the right thing to do?" (4906-9 report).

VIII. The dark night of the soul

As 1924 began, Edgar Cayce had every reason to believe that "many long held dreams" would come true. He had three oil propositions going for him, the promise of Lammers's patronage, and a prophecy that an institute of learning would grow and develop beyond their biggest dreams. However, 1924 saw things go from bad to worse, and Cayce's correspondence through the year is filled with references to his financial troubles, his disappointment, and the stress and anxiety he was under.

Due in part to the hasty move, there are long periods when requests for readings are few. Friends and supporters of the Cayces don't know how to reach them. Edgar, Gertrude, and Gladys make use of the free time to obtain horoscope readings for themselves. They began enthusiastically, for the new readings had begun to answer many of the perplexing and unresolved questions for Edgar about his life, power and the work. This set of readings, while containing many ideas and statements that are hard to understand, also helped explain to the three their shared feeling of having known each other before.

As the year went on, Cayce must have begun to realize that none of Lammers's promises would be delivered. Lammers became less and less available to Cayce. Finally, after many evasions, Lammers's bookkeeper Linden Shroyer confessed that he hadn't been paid for a month and that Lammers was engaged in a legal battle that would bankrupt him. Within a few months Lammers lost everything, including his home and business. After scaling the heights of great expectations of "millions of dollars flowing in," the Cayce family descended to the hard reality of a hand-to-mouth existence. They fell behind in the rent. Gladys and Edgar began walking across town instead of taking the trolley to the Phillips Hotel in order to save nickelfare, while Gertrude remained home and took care of the baby, Edgar Evans.

Letters in the archives show that Edgar was repeatedly reduced to the embarassing position of asking for "loans," advances, and handouts from the people who became interested in the work. Friends also suggested ways to make money on the readings--such using the readings to get the reward for information leading to the solution and recovery of stolen loot from a dramatic Chicago mail robbery in which (according to the reading) an innocent man was being accused; or to win a hundred-thousand-dollar prize for a successful formula for synthetic morphine; or to sell a screenplay to Gloria Swanson via a friend with important Hollywood connections.

The Cayces fell into arrears at the hotel and moved their home and office to Grafton Avenue in order to reduce expenses. The move overtaxed their already strained finances, and Cayce wrote to friends again asking for help. The only collateral he could offer in return for a "loan" was the promise about "the proposition" at San Saba and the prophecy of a large institution resulting from their work.
The first horoscope readings for Gertrude, Gladys, and Edgar indicate past-life connections, and supply important psychological insights into another drama being woven into the texture of oil, psychic phenomena, poverty, big dreams and bitter disappointments. A trait commented upon in one of Edgar's personal readings describes him as

One who finds much in the scope of intrigue in secret love affairs. One given often to the conditions that have to do with affairs of the heart, and of those relations that have to do with sex. [294-8]

Gertrude's reading describes a tendency toward "jealous forces" and to be prone to accidents (538-5). Gladys in her reading is described as one who has an "innate distrust of men," yet who will find "its greater force in the home and the dedication of its better self to the future generations of its own strain" (288-1). Cayce thus seems to prophesy marriage and motherhood as her destiny.

The past-life influences described in Gladys's reading indicate an early experience with Edgar Cayce in a French incarnation. Edgar and Gladys set a date to continue exploring their past-life ties, and one day two readings were scheduled--one for Edgar in the morning, and another for Gladys in the afternoon of May 30, 1923. The two readings describe a dramatic court intrigue during the time of Louis XV which resulted in Gladys becoming the mother of an illegitimate child. The child was taken from her, and she entered into a cloistered nunnery. Three years later she learned that her son had died, and she died a short time later at the age of thirty. This past-life experience was the basis for her innate distrust of men, and of an innate, unsatisfied longing for the soul she now knew as Edgar Cayce. The reading closes with a warning and a promise that "though their bodies may burn with their physical desires the soul of each is and will be knit...when presented before the throne of Him, who gave and said, `Be fruitful, and multiply'" (294-9).

It was the tradition for Edgar, Gertrude, and Gladys to discuss each day's reading at the dinner table. It was a way of keeping Gertrude, who had to stay home with the baby, included in the work. We wonder how this pair of readings impacted her. But perhaps it was nothing compared to what was soon to come.

Apparently, Gladys wanted to know more about her bonds with Edgar, and she requested another reading. This reading was given on June 1, just two days after the readings on the French court. It was one of the last given at the Phillips Hotel before the move to Grafton Avenue. The reading began by speaking of the destiny of their two souls becoming one, and then the tone became more sensual and passionate as the Source traced their association from "the beginning" of Creation to an incarnation in Arabia when "both of good stature, beautiful in figure...became enamored of each other and give of themselves to the pleasures of the bodily forces...a giving of satisfaction not understandable to others...." (288-6).

This answering of "body to body" resulted in the birth of a son who became "the first teacher of light and love" to the world. The reading also invades an area of intimacy, as it describes a mark below her left breast that matches a mole in the same position on Edgar's body, which is a sign of their bond and unity.

As in the first set of readings, the theme of platonic love is underscored. However, we can only imagine what these readings must have triggered in the soul of a young nineteen-year-old girl with an innate longing for her boss, yet a mistrust of men; the forty-six-year-old man "given to secret affairs of the heart" and in the throes of what we would call a mid-life crisis; and his wife with a temperment of "jealous forces"--and all living under one roof with an angry teenage son who thought they were all crazy! Fortunately, a wealthy friend made arrangements to send Hugh Lynn to an exclusive, progressive boys' school, so he was not at home for the day-to-day living out of this tense triangle.

At forty-six, Edgar's condition could be described as a mid-life identity crisis. The unfathomable source of information that flowed through him when he put himself to sleep had dominated, directed, and interfered with the "normal, onward" course of his life for twenty-five years. The decision to dedicate himself full-time to it with the move to Dayton had seemingly brought only delays, disappointments, embarassment and stress to himself and his family, while apparently bringing help to others. On the other hand, some of those who had believed--and still believed--in the readings had been brought to financial stress and ruin attempting to carry out his dreams. The readings were consistent in the promises of eventual success, yet nothing had materialized but hardship and suffering, relieved by the testimony of those who had been healed and helped. And it would be understandable if the thought of finding solace in an "affair of the heart" with the attractive twenty-year-old secretary was an intriguing temptation.

Again, we can only imagine the impact the discussion of that reading must have had around the dinner table under these circumstances. For eighteen years Gertrude had been Edgar's loyal, faithful wife, suffering and sacrificing for him. To now be told that the attractive, friendly blonde secretary with whom he spent so much time was his "soul mate" must have been a difficult thing to hear, and one that I am sure neither Gladys nor Edgar were eager to discuss.

Gertrude was a woman with a sensitive and artistic nature. She had been under the strain of the uncertainty of the financial condition of her family, and no doubt worried how the delays and disappointments in the work were affecting Edgar mentally, emotionally and physically.
It is perhaps ironic, too, that Gladys was able to discard her eyeglasses in December due to exercises outlined in her reading. When Gladys started working for the Cayces, she had been having eye trouble for the past two years. Her doctor--a well-known specialist in the South--had examined her eyes, changed her prescription, and advised her to wear her glasses continually, taking them off only for sleep. The young woman followed these directions strictly, but the condition grew steadily worse, until her eyes burned so much that she could hardly keep her glasses on. She began having terrible headaches. Her condition was cleared up completely in December when she obtained her first physical reading in Dayton which included the first recommendation for the famous "head and neck exercise."

A popular saying of the time held that "men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses." Without her glasses, Gladys may have started paying more attention to her personal appearance; while Gertrude, because of the emotional stress and pressure, was plagued with a spreading skin rash and had to wear a stomach brace to correct a tipped stomach condition. A great beauty in her youth, as a middle-aged woman Gertrude had to now confront her diminishing power to attract, especially when competing with a much younger, attractive "soul mate."

Shortly after the move to Grafton Avenue, Gertrude took a bad fall down the basement steps. Her face became bruised, swollen, and discolored, and facial nerves were damaged. Apparently the emotional burden she was holding in became too great to carry any longer. No doubt Edgar must have felt the strain of all this as well. His reading had talked about his tendency to "scale the heights of intuitive perception"--or, "to grovel in the dregs of self-condemnation." Under the strain Edgar's voice began to fade, and he was unable to give any readings for a few days.

Gertrude, Gladys, Edgar. Through the horoscope readings, each one was forced to deal with new emotions, new feelings, and new possibilities along with the confusion that this new information awakened--exposing weaknesses, but also showing them how to build new strengths. The readings created a confusing entanglement, yet at the same time forced everybody to become more conscious and discerning. It became harder to act blindly or to act out old obsessions.

IX. The emergence of the priest

Cayce's personal readings and the "work" readings for this period stress that the time and challenges would require greater faith, spiritual growth, and the unreserved giving of self for the greater good to be accomplished. The attempt to live up to the standards in the readings forced an accelerated inner development, a psychological maturation while forcing emotional conflicts and inner battles into the Light. Naturally Edgar as well as Gertrude and Gladys were all faced with the challenges of overcoming negative emotional patterns. And with each overcoming, a bit more spiritual enlightenment was realized.

With the discovery and acceptance of his past-life experience, Cayce began to focus on the basis of his psychic power. The readings described an early experience as a priest named Ra Ta during a very high culture predating anything known of classical Egypt. This discovery initiated a series of readings on Ra Ta's Egypt, and this whole realm emerges as the incarnational archetype upon which Cayce's work would unfold and be built. As Cayce explored this awareness and began to tap into these latent and buried patterns of consciousness, perhaps we can imagine the unsettling emotions passing over him--a strange feeling of not being Edgar Cayce at all. Everything familiar, known, and accepted about himself must have seemed like an illusion. In its place something ancient, timeless, eternal began to emerge.

In 1922, the discovery of King Tutankamen's undefiled tomb was a signal event, stirring a great interest in ancient Egypt within the mass consciousness throughout the world. Esoterically, perhaps it symbolized the return of the ancient mysteries into the modern world, with the high priest Edgar Cayce playing the role of harbinger. Just as King Tut's tomb was opened to the whole world, on an inner level the Cayces were opening sealed chambers long hidden from the world, and bringing to light the living tradition of the Egyptian mysteries. Perhaps the combination of the crisis and the new information brought forth "soul memories" to provide Cayce with the inner resources and answers which he needed to keep going, despite the problems that had been raised.

The remedy for karmic conditions, the readings imply, is for man to learn to use his free will to develop more spiritual values. An entity can find no real answers until he learns to discover his soul. In order to transform and overcome the grosser, confining stresses of material existence, it is necessary to rely more upon the eternal voice of the spirit within. And touching that deeper soul essence, Cayce was no longer the "wishy-washy" extremist of his Hopkinsville days, but was developing into someone else--a world-class teacher and spiritual role model for a generation not yet born.

Gertrude and Gladys were still paralyzed by their emotional turmoil. They too realized that in order to find peace and continue with the work, they would also have to turn to the readings to find answers which then seemed beyond them. In fact the whole challenge of this period--with its stresses, challenges, and complexities--forces them to rely more and more upon the readings as a guide through uncharted, dangerous, and emotionally charged waters.

On June 30, Gertrude requested a reading to help her cope with some physical problems, and to combat her depression and lack of incentive in carrying on the work. A short while later she requested a reading to give further details on her Egyptian life, during which an earlier reading had indicated the karma between her and Edgar had been created. This reading described Gertrude's life as a temple dancer who used her charm and beauty to seduce the high priest Ra Ta, undermining the spiritual work he had begun. Now, in this life, she was told that she would have to be his strength as he picked up and continued the work he had established in Egypt some ten thousand years before. Gertrude would have to resolve her jealousy of Gladys, or the tension and stress of the situation would once again undermine the will of her husband.

Gladys and Edgar would have to sublimate the physical desire they felt for each other, and raise their love in service to an ideal. For the spiritual example he set would be the source of his work's power and authority. All three would have to learn how to become one in spirit, mind, and purpose, transforming a potentially destructive triangle into an indestructable trinity. From this point on the three began to work together, forming an indissoluble bond that enabled Edgar Cayce to do his work. Gertrude took a more and more active role as conductor, and Gladys became the faithful ameunsis. (4)

X. Trips to Columbus and Chicago

In September Frank Mohr, a longtime Cayce supporter (5), arranged for Edgar and Gladys to come to Columbus to give readings and meet Mr. Iams, a potential business manager. Iams was willing to put up five hundred dollars to promote Edgar Cayce and start a traveling tour, with all profits being split fifty-fifty. The offer was similar to one made by Jack Stone, an old friend in Montgomery, Alabama--except that Stone only had connections and promises, while Iams had cash in hand.

Cayce was tempted to embrace the proposal as a solution to his financial problems, and as a way to get the readings handled in a systematic, organized fashion. However Iams, he found, was something of a dictator who wanted to control him, telling him who he could have readings for, when, and how many he could give. Iams, Cayce felt, was like so many he had already encountered who considered only the "return on investment" rather than the service given. The trip was unsuccessful and disappointing. Only four readings were scheduled, and Cayce wrote to Wyrick that he didn't know which way to turn. He had lost confidence and didn't know how to make an offer to anyone.

While the trip to Columbus was unsuccessful, two significant events occurred during their brief stay. David Kahn's friend Morton Blumenthal, a twenty-three-year-old New York stockbroker whose first reading was made (in July) on behalf of his girlfriend, a New York showgirl, called long-distance requesting a reading for a chronic ear infection. Another telephone call from Chicago resulted in an invitation to come to that city. A check for $150 in expense money was offered. The caller was Oscar Gumbinsky, a beleagured business executive who wanted Edgar Cayce to come as soon as possible to give him a series of business readings. Gumbinsky was being accused of mismanagement, and his name was connected with several lawsuits. He hoped that the readings could tell him how to regain his reputation and position. Gumbinsky's brother-in-law Circal had apparently had some readings previously, and recommended Cayce to him. (6)

Cayce and Gladys headed for Chicago. There, both Gumbinsky and Circal got business and physical readings. Circal's reading outlines a prescription to be made up, which includes a one-sixtieth grain of heroin to be administered for his liver condition. Gumbinsky arranged a meeting for Cayce with his physician and the city health superintendent. The meeting was a success, and it appeared that the way might have been paved for setting up a health clinic in Chicago. Another promising development took form--George Klingensmith introduced Cayce to his cousins Robert and Harriette Saxmann, a husband and wife team of chiropractors. The Saxmanns were very interested in setting up a clinic with Cayce in the Chicago Loop or on property they held in Dixon, Illinois.

Cayce agreed to a demonstration reading for the city health superintendent, and a test was devised for the following evening. Meanwhile Edgar arranged to meet with the publisher of the Yogi Publication Society, who was interested in publishing Psychic Phenomena Through the Subliminal, the manuscript based on the series of readings initiated by Lammers. The meeting with the publisher was long overdue. Lammers had made initial contact in the fall of 1923 but dropped the ball, much to Cayce's consternation. Readings were obtained on all these questions and again the Source promised that "a very large institution" would result from the work. However, in the midst of all these promising turns of events Cayce, a Uranian extremist, abruptly cut his trip short and returned to Dayton to give a health reading for Carrie Salter House, his loyal and outspoken supporter who had fallen ill while visiting the Cayces with her son Thomas.

The news that followed from Chicago was dismal. Wyrick's negotiations with Gumbinsky led to an impasse. Wyrick wanted a fifty-fifty split, and Gumbinsky insisted on the industry standard of one-eighth. Wyrick's task was complicated by the fact that Cayce had already agreed to Gumbinsky's terms. At the same time the AMA learned of Cayce's prescription for Circal and issued a bulletin that any physician administering such a compound would be disbarred from the Association. This was enough to give cold feet to Dr. Frisch, the family physician, and the city health superintendent. Harriet Saxmann fell ill, putting a long delay on any developments related to Dixon, Illinois, or the Chicago Loop. And the Yogi Publication Society, once so promising with its offer of a "double commission," was beset with complications that would eventually put an end to the plan. Madison Wyrick was fed up with the caution and self-centeredness of potential investors. "The dollar is the ruling spirit," he wrote in one of his letters to Edgar. "There's nobody with a faith in or a willingness to help people get better."

However, in the midst of all this disappointment and challenge, a promising new development begins to take form--and it becomes the way which moves Cayce from his "dark night" crucible in Dayton to the greater challenges and opportunities in Virginia Beach, the location which the readings had long before prophesied would be the site where his work would prosper and reach its greatest influence.

Though the connection with Morton Blumenthal was minimal at this time, it was apparently enough to establish a telepathic link. After the trip to Chicago, Cayce scheduled a work reading in which names were submitted to the Source for its recommendation for business manager. Iams, Stone, and Shanks (7) were among the names included, but it seems the Source suggested Blumenthal be contacted, even though at this time he was an unknown to Cayce. When Cayce contacted Blumenthal about the position, Blumenthal was very interested and wanted to learn more about Cayce's work. When he learned of the metaphysical dimensions of the readings, his enthusiasm became unquenchable. Up to then, all he had experienced were the results of two physical readings, and he was no doubt aware from David Kahn of the investment possibilitites in "the proposition" at San Saba.

Morton's requests for readings grew more and more frequent, and he travelled back and forth to Dayton as often as he could. Guided by readings, he began to amass a sizable fortune on the NYSE. When Morton asked for a reading to interpret several dreams, he was shocked to learn that dreams were a field not yet explored by Edgar Cayce. Morton's first dream reading indicated that he had the ability to penetrate "the fourth dimension" or borderland. A dream in which his deceased father contacted him was interpreted as a genuine experience in spirit communication. The reading encouraged Morton to develop this sensitivity and to write about his experiences.

Meanwhile, another development captured Morton's enthusiasm. Tim Brown, a longtime friend of Edgar Cayce's in Dayton, had received a reading for pyorrhea in 1923. The reading gave instructions for mixing a compound to cure the condition. The remedy proved so effective for Brown that he took it to a dentist friend who tested it on several patients, all with the same remarkable results. At Brown's urging, Cayce wanted to begin a small mail-order campaign, offering the remedy to those on his mailing list, but Morton saw great potential in marketing the Cayce remedies, including the pyorrhea formula, in a big way. In the prosperous business climate of the 1920's, the medical industry seemed as though it could be the way to create the fortune needed to develop the Cayce Institute to its fullest. It must have seemed providential that Dayton was the headquarters for America's patent medicine industry! Linden Shroyer was hired as ales representative, and Morton contacted several large New York advertising agencies about promoting the products. But despite all the good intentions, energy, and enthusiasm, nothing significant developed in any way in the months and years ahead.

After all the highs and lows of 1924, the year ended on a promising note. Edgar Cayce must have hoped that the worst was behind him and that conditions would greatly improve in 1925. But nothing was really settled except that Buddy Wilmott, after a year of "dusters," had abandoned the Oklahoma oil fields and had gone out searching for the "precious fluid" unaided by Cayce's readings.

XI. The move to Virginia Beach

1925 began with the news that Oscar Gumbinsky had dropped dead of a heart attack at age thirty-nine, confirming Edgar Cayce's premonition. However, Morton was the source of new developments. He invited the Cayce family and Gladys to New York City to meet his family. Edgar did a series of demonstration readings for some physicians, and physical, life, and dream readings for the Blumenthal family and their friends. Wyrick came to New York to be in on the negotiations between the Blumenthals and Cayce. Wyrick, along with other supporters, expressed concern about a Jew becoming influential in the new institute, since he felt that a Jew is first concerned with money rather than altruism. Cayce stood firm and cited a reading which says that a Jew should always be on the board of directors of the institute.

Upon his return to Dayton, Blumenthal sent Cayce a written proposition suggesting that Morton and his family make up the board of directors, with 50% of the stock going to Edgar. Monday and Tuesday would be reserved for readings for the Blumenthals and the corporation. The other days would be for other readings. Edgar rejected the notion of "reserved days" and insisted that the schedule must always be flexible, with the needs of the sick put first and foremost.

Morton capitulated, but his thirst for metaphysical information became unquenchable. He requested more and more readings to amplify the information begun in the 3744 series initiated by Arthur Lammers. Plans for the book Psychic Phenomena Through the Subliminal, which had floundered since the deal with the Yogi Publication Society fell through, were revived; and Morton threw himself into the work of correcting the manuscript and getting it ready for publication in New York.
When one of his scheduled readings was "bumped" for an emergency physical reading, Morton could barely control his irritation and impatience. Cayce insisted that the physical needs of others must always come first. For Morton, the unfolding of knowledge was the most important thing. Edgar tried to warn Morton not to become one-sided. An extremist himself, Edgar had perhaps acquired a new appreciation of the need for balance from the trials and disappointments of 1924, so that none of his extremist tendencies could now possess him to the detriment of his work and ideals.

A theme began to sound in Morton's readings--a persistent warning that the information he sought had the potential "to turn and rend thee," a warning with Faustian overtones that ultimately came to pass a few short years later. But Morton was undaunted. The sleeping Cayce was a fountain of wisdom and truth, and Morton grew more and more determined to create the institute that would guarantee his access to Cayce. Here again are the seeds of the conflict that would polarize Morton and Edgar in Virginia Beach--Cayce's deep conviction that the sick and hopeless must be aided first and foremost, with his first priority the creation of the hospital he had long dreamed of; versus Morton's obsession with the quest for knowledge and drive to establish a university or center for metaphysical study.

Morton was the first of Cayce's supporters who was undaunted by the readings' insistence that the institute be located in Virginia Beach or "the environs about Norfolk." It was this insistence that killed the fundraising effort in Birmingham. Wyrick wanted the institute in Chicago, and Jack Stone thought it should be located in the South. Many proponents had been willing to raise money for a facility in their locale. but not for a hospital in a distant and hard-to-reach location such as Virginia Beach was in the early 1900's. Morton had good reason to prefer Virginia Beach--it was closer than Dayton and easier to get to from New York.

Plans began in earnest for the move to Virginia Beach as the Blumenthal brothers continued to prosper on the stock market. True to Gertrude's early horoscope readings, she experienced a dramatic unfoldment of her psychic sensitivity. Many of her dreams were psychic in nature, and in particular contained stock information for Morton which proved to be profitable. This insured additional funds from Morton for the Cayce Institute.

As Morton committed more time, money and energy to organizing and directing the activities of the Cayce Institute (including moving the family to Virginia Beach), he developed stronger feelings about his role and importance in the work. There were occasional flare-ups between him and Edgar. He depended upon the readings for guidance, and became upset when he couldn't get as many as he would have liked. Meanwhile Edgar firmly insisted that the needs of the sick came first.

As they prepared to make the move to Virginia Beach, Edgar found himself once again about to take a step that would make him and his loved ones totally dependent upon the support of one person. Morton had become the principal financial backer, a situation with similarities to the experience with Arthur Lammers in 1923. Unlike Dayton, however, which was a large city where Cayce had some friends and the possibility of employment if things got unbearably desperate, Virginia Beach was a remote little hamlet offering few if any sources of support if the venture should have failed.

No doubt Cayce had some reservations about the intended move. However, his questions about the work were answered by the Source with admonitions for faith. One reading put it like this: the work would succeed only when Cayce learned to trust God wholeheartedly and "give, give, give." Here again Gertrude, whose karma and destiny was to be his spiritual backbone, must have come forward and supplied nurturing and inspiration to fortify him in this crucial transition.

Just prior to the move, Edgar had a very vivid dream. He dreamed that everybody who was involved in the work--Gertrude, Gladys, Kahn, the Blumenthals, Wyrick, and others--were on a fishing boat headed for Virginia Beach. Everybody had a line in the water and was having a grand time. A party was in progress. Gertrude caught a fish, and Morton helped her to reel it in. Edgar awakened excited and refreshed. The dream portended their future in Virginia Beach. Everyone had a part to play--their own fish to catch, so to speak.

And in October of 1925, the Cayces moved to Virginia Beach, closing one of the most interesting, dramatic, and significant periods in the life and development of Edgar Cayce.

XII. Postscript

In a letter dated 6/3/52 to David Kahn, Rudolf Johnson, an ARE trustee and Dallas lawyer wrote:

...the world needs the philosophy of the Cayce readings to learn a lesson in service as opposed to selfishness. I can imagine no greater proof of validity of all Cayce readings than that which might come through an oil well. It seems that all Americans drool at the thought of oil and take it for a symbol of great wealth. It represents the epitome of materialism. It is certainly something that everyone can understand and try to get his fingers into if possible.

At the time, Johnson was leading a group of investors in the third major attempt to locate the "Mother Pool" of Texas oil fields based on Cayce's information.

It is this blend of psychic phenomena, "get rich quick" schemes, altruistic dreams, spiritual ideals, greed, and the near brush with fabulous wealth (and plunge into poverty) that makes the Texas/Dayton period so fascinating. Deeper yet, it is a classic story of a spiritual journey showing the painful, challenging, and redemptive path by which Edgar Cayce extracted himself from the forces and illusions of an era of intense materialism and the karma of a "get-rich-quick consciousness" (to use Hugh Lynn's description), to achieve a level of mind and service that has truly brought an abundance of Life and Light into the hearts of thousands of people throughout the world. For me this is an especially powerful story--totally unique, yet true--and one which everyone, I believe, can "get his fingers into."

Notes

(1) Kahn wore his uniform proudly, but wisely as well. As long as he stayed in uniform, his creditors could not claim his property to settlea $65,000 family indebtedness that had occurred with his father's untimely passing during World War I.

(2) The mutual friends were A.J. McConnell and a Mr.Martin, associates of the Sam Davis Oil Company and Cayce Petroleum Company.

(3) The reference to Hector is significant because like Hector, Lammers was engaged in an impossible battle. In his case it was a legal battle with his business partner, Harold Wurlitzer of Cincinnatti (from the family who produced the famous Wurlitzer organs and other musical instruments). Apparently Lammers had neither just cause nor financial means to win his case, but like Hector of Troy, he fought his battle against overwhelming odds. in the end he lost his business, home, and financial base, resulting in his inability to come through on any of the promises he made to Cayce. Later readings indicate that Cayce, Shroyer and Klingensmith had somehow all been involved in the defeat of Troy. In something I call "Hector's Revenge" these three men were all to suffer similar experiences at the hands of Arthur Lammers. Each one in his turn was abandoned and left in a penniless condition in an unfamiliar environment (Cayce in Dayton, Klingensmith in Birmingham, and Shroyer in Florida) over the next few months. (See also Cayce's dream about Hector and Troy on 9/19/1933, in 294-16.)
In an interesting "bookends" situation, Morton Blumenthal was told that he had been the Greek hero Achilles. Apparently there was some kind of karma related to the Greek period being acted out through this Dayton cycle. Hector led Cayce to Dayton, and Achilles led him out. But even more interesting is the idea of the archetypes both men reflect. If Hector is an archetype of the hero battling against impossible odds, Achilles is the archetype of wounded pride. Ultimately the clash between Edgar and Morton (which is foreshadowed in their early disagreements on the relative priority of service to the sick versus the quest for knowledge) caused Morton to withdraw his support from Cayce, resulting in the collapse of the hospital in 1931.

(4) In regard to the March 19 prophecy, Gladys notes in the file for the reading that around this time Gertrude became more actively involved as conductor of the readings, and that this was in fulfillment of the prophecy. However, Gertrude did not immediately begin conducting at this time. Rather, it seemed to be a gradual evolution that began in later months. But the feeling is one of a destiny that the three had to learn to work together, transcending and transforming the negativity around them. If Cayce's work was to be measured by the quality of his life, spiritual transformation was his great challenge--and his sexuality was a primary issue. The transformation of a triangle into a trinity, the stablest form in our universe, is in my opinion the real story of the Dayton period. All the rest is backdrop to put the story in its context.

(5) Frank Mohr had been actively interested in Edgar Cayce's work since 1911. Cayce's readings cured his daughter of infantile paralysis, and from this experience and his own health readings Mohnr began to actually lay the foundations for the Cayce hospital in 1911. A mining accident left him paralyzed, and while he recovered his associates cheated him out of his fortune. He came to Cayce for help, and the readings healed his blindness and paralysis. Later he joined Cayce in Denver and stayed with him during part of his sojourn in Birmingham.

(6) Circal's daughter was engaged to either Loeb or Leopold who perpetrated a cold-blooded murder which shocked the nation and grabbed headlines for many weeks at this time. Cayce notes that he was a guest in the Circal home and met the two boys apparently while they were planning the murder. Cayce also gave a horoscope reading for the daughter whose fiance was one of the murderers. it is interesting to consider how involved Edgar Cayce was in the "Americana" of the era.

(7) Besides Stone and Iams, Cayce was also considering a third person as a possible manager. Mr. Shanks, a retired member of the diplomatic corps, was a student of religious philosophy with ideals compatible with the information that was coming through the metaphysical readings. Shanks had also shown enough confidence in Cayce to have invested several thousand dollars in his oil well speculations. Of the three, Cayce had the most trust and confidence in Shanks.