Source file
Series
Scope and Contents
From the Collection:
This collection consists of original copies of Edgar Cayce's readings, accompanying case files, correspondence, and supplementary research.
As Edgar Cayce gave a reading in trance, his wife Gertrude would serve as the conductor. She guided the reading and offered the questions posed by the reading recipient. Cayce's stenographer Gladys Davis Turner would record the reading in shorthand, then transcribe her notes into two typewritten copies. One would be given to the reading recipient, while the other was retained in a case file.
Turner maintained the readings and accompanying material from 1923 until her death in 1986. She arranged the records and consistently updated the case files with new information she collected about reading recipients. Her diligence created an extensive record of how readings may or may not have affected recipient's lives, and a collection of data to study the veracity of the readings over time.
From 1959 to 1971, Turner led the Readings Indexing Project to create a Master Index for study. The readings were also microfilmed, and later converted to CD-ROM and online formats.
Reading recipients were given numbers to maintain their anonymity and Turner took the responsibility seriously to maintain confidentiality while making the information accessible. She wrote in the November 1940 A.R.E. Bulletin that "It is important for members of the Association to realize how impersonally this work is done. All readings bear a file number. The cards and extracted material bear only the file number and can in no way be related to any particular individual."
These records form the foundation of the Association for Research and Enlightenment's activities and make Edgar Cayce one of the most documented psychics of the twentieth century.
As Edgar Cayce gave a reading in trance, his wife Gertrude would serve as the conductor. She guided the reading and offered the questions posed by the reading recipient. Cayce's stenographer Gladys Davis Turner would record the reading in shorthand, then transcribe her notes into two typewritten copies. One would be given to the reading recipient, while the other was retained in a case file.
Turner maintained the readings and accompanying material from 1923 until her death in 1986. She arranged the records and consistently updated the case files with new information she collected about reading recipients. Her diligence created an extensive record of how readings may or may not have affected recipient's lives, and a collection of data to study the veracity of the readings over time.
From 1959 to 1971, Turner led the Readings Indexing Project to create a Master Index for study. The readings were also microfilmed, and later converted to CD-ROM and online formats.
Reading recipients were given numbers to maintain their anonymity and Turner took the responsibility seriously to maintain confidentiality while making the information accessible. She wrote in the November 1940 A.R.E. Bulletin that "It is important for members of the Association to realize how impersonally this work is done. All readings bear a file number. The cards and extracted material bear only the file number and can in no way be related to any particular individual."
These records form the foundation of the Association for Research and Enlightenment's activities and make Edgar Cayce one of the most documented psychics of the twentieth century.
Dates
- 1886 - 2025
Extent
From the Collection: 172 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Physical Description
Collection of secondary sources related to individual readings created by Gladys Davis Turner, Charles Sinex and the E.C.F. staff in the mid-1970s.
Repository Details
Part of the The Edgar Cayce Foundation Repository