The generally and legally accepted modality of healing in the Philippines and throughout most of the so-called civilized world, as practiced by trained and licensed medical doctors working in hospitals or clinics, is collectively known as allopathic medicine. Now, most allopathic drugs have clinically known and sometimes fatal side effects, but they are defended on the grounds that the benefits far outweigh the risks, as shown by clinical studies.

Another modality of healing which is becoming more accepted, though still looked upon with suspicion by allopathic doctors, is the so-called alternative or holistic form of healing, which treats the whole person rather than merely eliminating the symptoms of the disease. Under this would fall herbal preparations, acupuncture, hypnosis, pranic or energy healing, faith healing and psychic surgery, yoga, homeopathy, nutritional therapy, and so on.

Edgar Cayce

But there is another method of healing virtually unheard of in the Philippines, which comes from psychic sources done by Edgar Cayce, a poorly educated American psychic from a small town in Kentucky who lived from 1877 to 1945. While in a trance-like or altered state of consciousness, he prescribed health remedies or discourses on deep metaphysical topics which astonished medical experts and scholars.

Throughout his lifetime, Edgar Cayce (pronounced “kay-see”) gave more than 14,500 psychic readings, most of which dealt with common medical problems. About 2,500 of these readings concerned religious, esoteric and metaphysical topics of great significance, such as the origin and destiny of man, Atlantis, religion, the Bible, reincarnation, karma, the akashic records and hundreds of other topics.

We shall confine our discussion of the vast psychic readings Cayce left to health advice and remedies for some common ailments.

I first came across the works of Cayce in the mid-’70s, and was fascinated because they made a lot of sense to me. Furthermore, his psychic readings on health matters have been studied and investigated by knowledgeable medical doctors and scientists.

In the late ’70s, Cayce’s son, Hugh Lynn, visited the Philippines, and I had the good fortune of meeting and talking with him on various subjects regarding his father’s remarkable psychic legacy.

Hundreds of miles away

The person seeking Cayce’s medical help need not be physically present. He or she might be hundreds of miles away. All Cayce needed was the subject’s name and location. And after a short while, his voice would change and he would announce, “Yes, we have the body of (subject) here.” And then he would give detailed instructions on what to do to heal the ailment. And most of the time, his health advice incredibly worked.

When asked where he obtained his information for his readings, Cayce named two sources: from the Akashic Record and from the subconscious mind of the individual seeking help.

We spoke about the Akashic Record in recent columns (Sept. 18 and 25 and Oct. 2) and therefore will not elaborate here. It is sufficient to state that the Akashic Record, according to Cayce, is the “record that each soul writes in the skein of time and space.” It is therefore not a physical record, but exists on the etheric or astral plane which can be read by a highly developed psychic with the permission of the individual concerned.

The subconscious mind of an individual is the bridge between the conscious mind and superconscious mind, which has knowledge of past, present and future. Cayce was very emphatic that he was not getting the information from a spirit entity. He was therefore not a spirit medium as this is commonly understood.

Holistic healing

Before we discuss specific ailments and their remedies prescribed by Cayce, it is important to understand his basis for healing. It is holistic in nature. In other words, it addresses the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of a person’s being, while the more accepted allopathic modality treats only the symptoms of the disease and seldom its cause.

On the spiritual side, Dr. Herbert Puryear wrote in the “Edgar Cayce Primer”: “There is within each of us a pattern, the law written within, through which we may enter into the presence of the Creative Forces within ourselves. This is the source of healing…

“When one who seeks healing has set a spiritual ideal and requested help from others, the sensitive centers in the body (known as chakras, in the east) become receptive and responsive to the help that may be received.”

The seeker therefore must attune herself or himself to the spirit within. On the mental level, “these patterns may be awakened though the directive, integrative and motivational higher centers of the body. The power of suggestion is strongly recognized by the readings as well as hypnosis and self-hypnosis to quicken the healing process.”

On the physical side, Cayce usually prescribed proper elimination, manipulation of the spinal column, diet, massage, the use of castor oil packs or even just a glass of water. The effects of these unorthodox treatments have caused astonishment to physicians who have studied them.

Next week: The Edgar Cayce remedies for common ailments

Note: The next Practical Mind Dynamics seminar is on Oct. 13-14, and the next Soulmates, Karma and Reincarnation seminar on Oct. 20, at Rm. 308 Prince Plaza I, Legaspi St., Greenbelt, Makati. For seminar details and reservation, call 8107245, 0929-9818962 or 63; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.jimmylicauco.com