Archangels of the Seven Rays

The story of Edgar Cayce was brought to the attention of the American public with the publication of Thomas Sugrue’s book There is A River in 1942. Edgar Cayce is America’s most famous psychic, best known for his medical cures given while in sleeping trances.

Vignettes from There Is a River
I had read Sugrue’s book as a teenager while living close to his organization’s headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I attended several conferences and lectures at the Association for Research and Enlightenment while I was in high school and college. I’ve recently read the book again, and a number of vignettes stand out.

Edgar Meets the Angel
When Edgar was ten years old, he decided to read the Bible once for every year of his life. He read the Bible multiple times each year for the next few years so that he could make up for the first few years of his life before he could read and before he had any interest in the Bible.

Edgar’s Bible Hideaway
He lived in rural Kentucky and had built a lean-to for himself out in the woods. This was where he read his Bible hour after hour. One day he looked up to see a woman standing before him in the bright sunshine. At first he thought it was his mother, but when she spoke, her voice was like music and he could see shadows shaped like wings on her back.

Conversation with an Angel
“Your prayers have been heard, ” she said. “Tell me what you would like most of all, so that I may give it to you.” He was frightened, but managed to reply: “Most of all I would like to be helpful to others, and especially to children when they are sick.”

Edgar Cayce’s Angels Helps with His Studies
The woman disappeared, but her influence in Edgar’s life at critical times was just beginning. For example, Edgar was a slow student. He preferred daydreaming to studying and was far behind in school. At the age of thirteen, he was still in the third-grade reader.

Learning in Sleep with the Angels
Edgar’s father was ashamed of him. Both his father and teachers used corporal punishment to try and force him to concentrate. One night after a particularly merciless study session with his father, he heard the voice of the angel tell him, “If you can sleep a little, we can help you.”

Edgar Learns Everything in His Books
Edgar begged his father for a few minutes of rest and fell asleep with his head on his spelling book. His father went to the kitchen for a few minutes and snatched the book away when he returned, demanding that Edgar recite his spelling list. Now Edgar knew every word in the book and could spell them all perfectly without fail.

Edgar Cayce Succeeds at School
Edgar began to sleep with his head on his other school books. Over time, he caught up with the other students and eventually became the best student in the school. This helped greatly to alleviate the strife between him and his father, who was now proud of his brilliant son.

Edgar Cayce Finds His Wife with Angel Guidance
The angel returned at another point in his life and guided him to move from the rural farm where he was then working to live in a nearby town. He took a job in town in a bookstore and met his future wife, Gertrude.

Edgar’s Request to the Angel is Fulfilled
Edgar’s ability to diagnose conditions and prescribe cures while in a sleeping state was confusing to him and there were years when he tried not to use this ability. However, his compassion for the suffering of others kept pulling him back to giving his “readings”. And through the readings his request to the angel to be helpful to others was fulfilled.