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FAMOUS PEOPLE MENTIONED

Achilles

ca. Twelfth Century B.C.

Case 900

According to Greek mythology, Achilles was the bravest, strongest, and most competent Greek hero of the Trojan War. When he was an infant, every part of his body (except for the heel by which his mother held him) had been dipped into the River Styx, thus making him nearly invulnerable. He killed the great Trojan hero, Hector, and died shortly thereafter when an arrow pierced his heel.

Apparently, Achilles was a real individual as well as a figure from mythology for in 1924, a twenty-nine-year-old stockbroker was told that he had been Achilles. Self-certain, intelligent, and wealthy, he was told in his reading: “One upon whom many will rely for their mental activities in the Earth’s forces. One that is given especially to being the control in many financial undertakings.” (900-6)

In his life as Achilles, [900] had never met Helen of Troy, although he constantly held her up as an ideal since she was the reason for which the Greeks and Trojans were fighting. In his present life, [900] found himself married to [136], who had been Helen of Troy. Although he idealized his wife and considered himself her protector, because he had once been killed fighting for Helen’s honor, subconsciously he sometimes felt that the beauty and power of such a woman could be dangerous. The two later divorced. (See also “Helen of Troy.”)

Six months after his first life reading, [900] obtained a follow-up reading on his Grecian incarnation as Achilles:

In the entrance into the earth’s plane in that of, or called, Achilles, we find in the period of earthly existences when conditions were accentuated along certain lines. The entity then as the male offspring and entered in with the beauties of the rustic nature of the time and place, near Athenia or Athens, and raised to manhood, or young manhood, in and about the Mount, and given all advantages in the exercises and games and learning of the day, with the beauties of that in that day as could be obtained by one that was raised for the special purpose of entering into the political, social and other conditions of day and age. Soon learned that of the soldier with the spear, bow and axe, with an armor as prepared by the mother of the body, and given all the benefits of the aristocrats of the age, given exceptional abilities and applied same in the moral, physical, development of the body. One, then, beautiful of stature, physical, mind and of the expressing of same. Soon drawn in early manhood into the political situations surrounding the conditions of the country, coming then as a companion to many of the leaders in that day when there were personal combats in every phase of the physical prowess of the body. The entity showing the exceptional abilities of the environments under which the body had been developed in the day when this, the development of physical prowess, was studied and given the greater extent of attention. In personal combats often the body [was] successful and called the leader of the army and group, or the personal representative of the armies of the entity in the reign of those in charge of same at time.

In the social and moral life, we find the entity one showing development in mental abilities. One showing development in moral conditions, as is shown in the relation to captives as were taken by the armies and distributed, the favorites to the favorite of the army. In the personal combats we find the exceptional abilities in mental forces also shown. The entity then departed the life in personal combat, wounded in the heel, from which gangrene set in in body and became blood poison to the system. In the day we find much written concerning this entity, and there are given many abilities that are only written in the form of the day and age, as is written of many who show their abilities in a manner that is developing in earth plane toward the spiritual forces to which all strive.

Departing then with only the forces as of not able to meet the needs of physical suffering under the conditions which came to same. Only erring then in that manner. Hence in the present plane the necessity of being able to meet those conditions that would seem to overwhelm the entity, the necessity of, as has been given, “Be still—and listen to the voice from within.”

900-63

In this life, [900] was extremely intelligent. He was among the few individuals of Cayce’s contemporaries who could easily understand some of the most complicated concepts explored in the readings. He was told that in the past, as Achilles, he had mastered the earth. He had also gained great mental abilities. The challenge for [900] in this life was to apply the achievements he had accomplished over the physical/mental realms and bring a new understanding of oneness and spirituality to the world. For a time, he headed up the work of Cayce’s Association, becoming its chief financial backer and the builder of the Cayce Hospital. Extremely interested in higher education, he also founded Atlantic University. Unfortunately, due to personality conflicts and jealousy, [900] would later withdraw from the Association. In time, he would also lose his fortune. Mr. [900] died in 1954 of a heart attack.

Adams, John Quincy

1767-1848

Case 2167

John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams, second U.S. president, and would become the sixth president of the United States in 1824. At the time, he was considered the primary architect of U.S. foreign policy. After his presidency, he held a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1831-1848, where he fought consistently against the expansion of slavery.

In 1940, a twenty-three-year-old college student, who was studying diplomacy at George Washington University, was told that he had been John Quincy Adams. After receiving his reading, his mother stated, “Everything regarding his nature, characteristics, etc., is so true!” The reading said, in part:

For as opportunity presents itself to this entity for a service of a nature that requires the analyzing of all phases of man’s experience among his fellow men, let it all be tempered with justice, mercy, peace and truth. These are the purposes upon which this land were founded; and they are those forces, those self-evident facts of man’s existence that are a part and parcel of every soul’s expression in the material plane; that freedom of speech, freedom of the purpose for worshipfulness of Creative forces according to the dictates of one’s own conscience, shall never perish from the earth …

Then, we find one destined—by that already accomplished, and the intent and purpose—to be a power, a voice among his fellow men; in strange places, in strange lands—perchance.

Yet, let it be with that purpose for which the entity once took that oath; to sustain those principles, those activities which caused the foundation of this land.

Hence in service for his fellow man, in the raising of the voice for considerations in all walks and all phases of man’s experience, we find the channels through which the entity may have an outlet for not only the expansion of his virtues as indicated, but also make for a growth in the knowledge and in the power and the might of one doing God’s service among his fellow men …

Before this, then, the entity was in the name Adams; John Q., or Quincy.

2167-1

In Rome he had been an interpreter of the law and an advocate of freedom of speech and freedom of activity for all the people. From the Holy Land, [2167] had acquired the innate tendency to be “soulful” about matters in life and as a result he was easily discouraged. In lifetimes in Israel and in Egypt, he had developed an intense interest in spirituality. He was told that his greatest strengths in the present would be as a political economist or a diplomat.

Three years later, in 1943, [2167]’s mother reported that her son was then the youngest officer on the faculty of a tactical school in New Jersey. He was married and had three daughters. No additional follow-up reports are on file.

Alexander the Great

356-323 B.C.

Case 1208

Alexander (III) the Great was one of the greatest conquerors and military leaders the world has ever known. Schooled by the philosopher, Aristotle, he became king of Macedonia at the age of twenty. By the time he died at the age of thirty-three, he controlled an empire that spread from Greece to India and encompassed both the Egyptian and Persian empires.

Parents of a three-day-old boy were told in 1936 that their child’s upbringing and education were of the utmost importance. Cayce predicted that if the child were raised properly, his life would be instrumental in helping to create a new world order that could unify humanity. The parents were told that their son had once been two leaders from the past: Alexander the Great and Thomas Jefferson. Although his soul had gained in its incarnation as Jefferson, he had lost as Alexander. (See also “Jefferson, Thomas.”)

Before that we find the entity was in that land during those periods when there were the activities that made for the rise and fall of many lands, in the Grecian, the Persian, all of the eastern lands; when that entity now known as Alexander the Great made for the conquering forces of the earth—the depleting that there might bring to self the exaltations.

Here the entity lost. For these will become in the experience of the entity those influences that might makes for right, or power making for indulgences. And if these are not conquered in the experiences as the principles that are set in its earthly experience, these may run as wild in the very activities of the entity—even as then.

1208-1

As if foreseeing coming events, the reading warned the parents that their child’s opportunities for fame or “those of defame, will be as one.” At least seven times in the reading, Cayce reminded the parents of their important role in guiding and directing this child. Unfortunately, [1208]’s parents had an extremely difficult relationship so that the boy never received the stable upbringing he required. Until he was fifteen, he was shuttled among relatives’ homes in different states (and various schools) so frequently that he was rarely in the same place for even a year. His difficult childhood made it impossible for him to obtain the potential promised in his reading. Confirming Edgar Cayce’s statement that he would “belong … to the world,” his life took him to such places as Japan, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Africa. Although he was personable and people liked him, much of his life seemed spent in trying to find himself.

Audubon, John James

1785-1851

Case 410

John James Audubon was an ornithologist, a naturalist, and an artist who became known for his drawings and paintings of North American birds. His classic work, The Birds of America, contains more than 400 handcolored plates. The National Audubon Society, founded in 1905, was named after him.

In April of 1934, a forty-two-year-old widow was told that she had an innate talent for seeing “the beauties that are seen in nature … The song of the bird, the beauty of the rose, the buzz of the bee, the activities of those things that give forth in themselves the expressions of the joy of just using—for the time being—a portion of God in their activity.” Apparently, she had once been Audubon:

Before this we find the entity was among those peoples that came into this land, where there might be a refuge from the trials first of that they had experienced in the rough voyage on the sea, and in what is now known as Louisiana.

The entity then was among those peoples that found a haven there, and brought to those lands in the latter experience the joys of many, and builded for much that has given joy and peace to the minds and hearts of many who have loved God’s little folk in the bird kingdom.

Then, in the name Audubon, the entity made for a home; and when turmoils and strifes came, even through those trials of those that made war—and the changes in the associations, the entity brought to many the faith and hope still in those same powers and influences that had preserved them from the water and from the billow and from the storm; that though the forces in nature may roll and rage they may destroy only the body, and the soul may live on in that which has been the desire.

410-2

Mrs. [410] was told that she possessed broadness of vision and could deeply appreciate anything that grew, anything that was alive or anything that was beautiful to behold, whether it was “the blessings of the afternoon rain or the morning sun.” Her talents as an artist and her love for nature had developed in Chaldea when she had learned to appreciate the beauties of everyday life. In ancient Egypt, she had learned of purity and had worked in one of the temples.

In the present, [410] possessed talents as an artist and was encouraged to direct her skill into such things as the creation of booklets or greeting cards and pictures which could bring beauty into the lives of those who were sick, depressed, or in need. She also maintained an interest in a flower business.

Augustus

63 B.C.-A.D. 14

Case 1266

Originally named Gaius Octavius (also known as Octavian), he was the nephew of Julius Caesar. When Octavian was only eighteen, Caesar was assassinated, but in Caesar’s will Octavian was named adopted son and heir by his uncle and given the name Gaius Julius Caesar. In the power struggle that followed Caesar’s death, he became one of three individuals charged with reorganizing the republic. Shortly thereafter, he and Mark Antony defeated Caesar’s assassins and divided the empire amongst themselves. An affair with Cleopatra led to Antony’s downfall; and after Gaius Julius Caesar had conquered Egypt (leading to the suicide of both Antony and Cleopatra), he became sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He was given the name Augustus (the Exalted) by the Senate and became known as the first Roman emperor.

Augustus added new territories to the empire and, after years of fighting, managed to bring peace to the country (the Pax Romana). Considered one of the great administrative geniuses of history, he overhauled every aspect of Roman life, bringing prosperity and stability to the empire. During his rule, Augustus revived religious customs and restored a stern sense of morality to the country. As emperor, he sponsored the leading artists and writers of his time and led his empire during what has been called a golden age. After death, he became deified.

In 1936, the son-in-law of a seventy-six-year-old manufacturer convinced his father-in-law to obtain a life reading. Experiencing financial and business challenges, Mr. [1266] was the head of a large rubber company in the middle of a restructuring and takeover. Cayce began the reading by stating that [1266] had made some progress in overcoming a soul tendency to place himself above others. In a life just previous to the present, he had been named Samuel Goldenson and was very active in the cause which brought the colonies together in order to overcome British rule. In fact, Cayce stated that it was Goldenson who first uttered the statement, “taxation without representation is tyranny.” In a life in France, he had also fought against taxation by the ruling class at the expense of the common people.

Apparently these two lives had helped to balance a tremendous ego and the sense that [1266] was somehow better than others. Cayce stated that this individual had been the Roman emperor Augustus:

Before that the entity was as Caesar Augustus, who made for the great expansions of the Roman land not only for power but for the gratifying of the ego of self; and those periods when the great expansions of that land arose.

The entity then was that one who builded for that empire.

And there is felt innately in every move that those peoples of that land, that are of the Roman and not the Italian mixture, are superior in some manner or way. This is innate, and yet there is known and must be known within self that the spiritual purposes, the spiritual desires must be those that make for the greater forces that manifest in and among men.

1266-1

In Israel, Mr. [1266] had apparently served as a counselor. His talent with manufacturing and rubber had first developed in Atlantis when he became involved in the production of various products from trees. He was told that even at seventy-six he still had a work to do which was “in helping others to know their true relationships to their Maker or to the Creative Forces, and in the ways and manners of giving expressions of same toward their fellow man.” It was a statement which [1266] himself felt drawn to because he later told Mr. Cayce that one of his innate urges was to help people “find their source of power.”

Mr. [1266] died in 1955 at the age of ninety-five.

Barrington, George

1755-1844

Case 2213

He was an Irish adventurer who become famous for his abilities as a pickpocket in England. His crimes would eventually see him deported to Australia where he would become superintendent of convicts. By some accounts, he also authored several histories of his adopted Australian home.

In 1926, a woman who had experienced great difficulty raising her unmanageable sixteen-year-old stepson requested a reading. The boy’s mother had died, as had the boy’s father after his second marriage. Apparently, the boy had run away from home and gone to sea to be an adventurer. A life reading was procured and stated that the child would not return to the United States until he was middle-aged. In the past, the child had developed an innate interest in such things as the sea, mystery, and the love of many lands, firearms, and the occult. She was told that, in the past, her stepson had been the pirate, Captain Kidd. (See also “Kidd, Captain.”) One month later while discussing the life readings in general, reading 254-32 suggested that an interesting parallel could be drawn between the lives of George Barrington and Captain Kidd since they were the same soul.

Boleyn, Anne

ca. 1507-1536

Case 1521

Anne was the second wife of Henry VIII after he divorced Catherine of Aragon and broke with the Roman Catholic Church. At first, Henry was infatuated with Anne, but he lost interest after only a few years of marriage. During their marriage, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, who would eventually become queen, as well as a stillborn son. In 1536, Henry had Anne arrested, tried for adultery, and beheaded.

In 1938, parents of a baby girl were told that their daughter had been Anne Boleyn:

Before this we find the entity was in the English land, when there were those tenets of the Church and the State that were at a period of disturbance.

During those experiences the entity then was close in the activities of those that were in authority; being in the name Anne Boleyn, or that one who lost in its attempt to hold to those forces and influences that would hold to its religion and its moral life, and to that in which it was associated in material and political affairs of the land.

1521-1

In previous lifetimes in the Holy Land, she had developed her intuition and had acquired a personal awareness of the presence of God. She had also served as a prophetess. In ancient Egypt she had been with her father and had assisted him in a rebellion against those in power. Cayce stated that her life direction in the present would be entirely dependent upon the guidance and direction she received as a child.

Although raised in a Catholic home, her father, a writer of some reputation, had a great deal of frustration with many aspects of his religion. [1521]’s parents later obtained physical readings for their daughter on a variety of childhood ailments, including an unusual amount of hair that grew across the back of the child’s neck and shoulders. As she grew to adulthood, [1521] maintained an interest in spirituality and would study both Catholicism and Judaism (her husband’s religion).

At one point, [1521] became a very successful newspaper reporter. One of the last reports on file states that she and her husband had two sons and that she had just been accepted to law school.

Brutus, Marcus Junius

ca. 85-42 B.C.

Case 1976

Brutus achieved fame for his part in the conspiracy that resulted in the assassination of Julius Caesar. A skilled politician, he was admired by his contemporaries for his idealism. He loved the republic which was Rome, although he was extreme in his financial dealings with others. Philosophically opposed to assassinations, he joined the conspiracy against Caesar nonetheless in the hopes of restoring a republican government. When it became clear that the republic would remain an empire under Antony and Octavian, he committed suicide.

In 1939, just before [1976] was about to be born, the child’s father went out to a small stationery store to buy some birth announcements. While he was waiting to make his purchase, his eyes scanned a row of books. Even though he had not read more than one or two books since college, he was suddenly overcome with the desire to buy one of the volumes on the shelf. The book was The Life of Julius Caesar. Later, his wife made fun of him because she had never seen him read a book. When it came time for his wife’s labor, the man took the book with him to the waiting room of the hospital and read it while his wife gave birth. Imagine the couple’s surprise when a life reading for the baby at one month stated that their son had been Brutus:

One that will need discipline, and even in the early stages the routine as a soldier or those characters of conditions that make for such should be the rule of the life in its formative experience; else the entity may become a wanderer.

For there is the inclination to see and be a part of so many affairs.

Hence we will see more and more that of hero worship, even in the early years of the experience …

The name in that period was Brutus—hence the divisions and yet the longings to be as Caesar in that experience.

Then, let the entity learn discipline—teach the entity discipline from every angle—but in love, in patience.

1976-1

Cayce stated that the child would tend to be materialistic and that he would be strong in body and mind and determined to have his own way in life. Throughout the reading Cayce emphasized that the child needed discipline and guidance or else he would have the tendency to become a “wanderer.” For that reason, when [1976] was older he was encouraged to receive some routine military training.

Throughout his formative years, the boy was seen as a model child. He did well in school and became president of his high school class as well as a class officer in college. Graduating with honors, he joined the ROTC and spent two years in the navy as a commissioned officer. Eventually he did labor relations work for a public utility company and was successful. Desiring to get ahead faster, he eventually switched careers to life insurance and investment funds, where he did very well.

By all accounts, [1976] was always interested in civic affairs and had a “natural bent and flair for this type of thing.” Over the years, he headed up PTAs and funded political campaigns; his father predicted that eventually [1976] would run for political office on a national scale.

No additional reports are on file.

Bulwer-Lytton, Edward George

1803-1873

Case 3657

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (First Baron Lytton) was a member of the English Parliament and a writer of historical romances, novels, and plays. His works include The Last Days of Pompeii (1834) and Richelieu (1839).

A fifty-eight-year-old jeweler and optometrist was told that his talent with gems and precious metals could be traced to a life he had lived in Egypt “as a carver of gold, a carver of stones—as of rubies, diamonds, emeralds and those prepared for those in authority and in power.” However, over the years he had become dissatisfied with his occupation and longed to do something else, but he didn’t know what. His discontent and unhappiness had even led to a bout with alcohol, which he had overcome. His reading stated that he had great talents that had gone untapped:

Here we have an unusual individuality—and he’s certainly missed his calling!

While there are those tendencies, inclinations, abilities in any scientific or mechanical activities, the greater abilities of the entity might, in this experience have been expended in a constructive manner, as heretofore, as an author. For this was one Bulwer-Lytton!

3657-1

He had also acquired an interest in things of a mechanical nature from a lifetime in Greece when he served in the military.

Mr. [3657] was told that he could produce even greater works than he had as Bulwer-Lytton, if he would simply put his mind to writing. In response to the suggestion, [3657] later wrote, “I have often felt the urge to write stories but it never was a necessity that I try.” According to the files, Mr. [3657] lived to the age of seventy-four and remained active in his business until a few days prior to his death in 1960. There is no record as to whether or not he ever tried his hand at writing.

Years later, in 1976, his daughter wrote and stated that she had just finished a Bulwer-Lytton novel and was amazed because it “was [just] like listening to Daddy talk!”

Burr, Aaron

1756-1836

Case 1235

Aaron Burr was the third vice-president of the United States (under Thomas Jefferson) and is best known for having killed his political rival, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel. Although he served out his four-year vice-presidency well, afterward his political career was marked by foreign intrigue and failed treason against the United States. His own desire for power proved his undoing. He was acquitted of treason, a capital offense, only because his plots had been thwarted before being committed. After his political ambitions were over, he spent some time in Europe before returning to the United States to practice law until his death. (See also “Hamilton, Alexander.”)

A thirteen-year-old boy was told that he possessed innate abilities as an orator and a politician that had been developed during lifetimes in Rome and at the founding of the United States:

For as we find a political career should be that for the greater training, for the greater development, for the greater abilities, for the greater possibilities for the entity in this experience.

For as the activities have guided, do guide the experiences of others, and as the experiences have been in such an environ, those inclinations will be in such ways and manners as helpful—if the purposes, the ideals of the entity are held in those directions as to make for the correcting of self first, then the aiding in correcting the moral, the economic, the social order for others …

Before this, then, we find the entity was that one known as Aaron Burr; of which so much is known that little may be added to that—but that those things that brought about those experiences in the affairs of the entity during that sojourn may not be repeated. For these will come as experiences, the urges for repeating of those that questioned the entity, even as then.

1235-1

The reading stated that innately [1235] could be quite headstrong. Cayce encouraged the boy’s parents to persuade by reason and logic rather than by power or might, for he would rebel against any forcefulness. Although he had often been associated with those in power in the past, Cayce said his activities are “not well-spoken of in many circles.” His guardians were advised to guide him in the direction of law and political science. Rather than learning political might and the force of power, he was to be guided in learning how politics could be used for creating peace and harmony. He needed to discover how the state could direct individuals in their service toward one another.

According to the reports, [1235] never did learn law or go to college. Instead, he married early and had several children. He eventually entered the civil service and worked for a naval shipyard. A veteran of World War II, he was buried with full military honors when he died in 1975.

Campbell, Thomas

1763-1854

Case 2547

Thomas Campbell was a Presbyterian minister who immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Eventually, he would become one of the founders and organizers of the Disciples of Christ Church.

In a reading which saw great promise for the child’s future, the father of a four year old was told that his son had often been responsible for the manifestation of spiritual truths in the earth. If the child were guided aright, once again he would bring much help and assistance to humankind:

Before this the entity was in the Scotch land. The entity began its activity as a prodigy, as one already versed in its associations with the unseen—or the elemental forces; the fairies and those of every form that do not give expression in a material way and are only seen by those who are attuned to the infinite.

Then the entity in the developing was in the name Thomas Campbell, the reformer in the land of the present nativity; which, as combined later with Barton Stone, brought into activity that known as a denomination.

The intent and purpose was to unify all Protestant thought, speaking where the Book spoke, keeping silent where it kept silent upon the activities or associations of individuals in relationships to groups or to masses.

2547-1

Additional lives in the Holy Land had demonstrated that the soul had acquired a deep personal relationship with the Creator, learning how to manifest spiritual principles in the earth. Cayce suggested that [2547] was a great soul and possessed nearly limitless spiritual potential. The boy’s parents were encouraged to guide him in matters of spirituality and to acquaint him especially with the stories in the Old and New Testaments.

In 1957, one of the few reports on file states that [2547] had married and that he and his wife were both very active Baptists, each teaching and working in religious education.

Carroll, Charles

1737-1832

Case 3178

An American patriot, Charles Carroll is best known for having been the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence and the only Roman Catholic to sign that document. He also served as a U.S. senator from 1789 to 1792.

In 1943, a middle-aged auditor and employee of the U.S. government was interested in obtaining a life reading for himself. Among the questions he submitted was, “Did I live in America during the American Revolution?” He was told that he had been Charles Carroll: “Before this the entity was in the land of the present nativity when there were turmoils and even the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Then entity was the last to sign …”

According to [3178]’s reading, a trend that the individual had often allowed himself to fall into was the habit of waiting “for something to happen,” a trait which often led to indecision. In England he had led various groups of people but had often waited to the last minute before making any decision. In Egypt he had taken part in a rebellion and later switched sides to support the very individual against whom he had once rebelled. His affinity for independence was traceable to a life he had lived in Persia when he had been a soldier defending the rights of his home people against invading Greeks. As an aside, Cayce suggested that [3178] learn numerology because—according to the soul’s records—the individual had been born on the same day for the last three lifetimes.

He was apparently already in a job well suited for his soul talents which were along the lines of, “Anything that has to do with the handling of campaigns, programs, or things having to do with others’ financial status, or as a clerk of a town, community, county, or the like.” (3178-1) He was encouraged to work on his tendency toward indecision.

One of the few reports [3178] submitted states: “For some time prior to my ‘life reading,’ on Aug. 24, 1943, I had been thinking about the similarity between the problems of this Country now and then, I had even thought quite a bit about the place the ‘Founding Fathers’ have in our present-day life, so you can imagine my feelings when my ‘life reading’ came.”

Cato, Valerius

First Century B.C.

Case 2162

A Roman grammarian and poet, Cato was considered to be the leader of a new school of thought in poetry that emphasized mythological epics and lyrics rather than traditional dramas. In his day, he was thought to be a very talented writer. Although he was frequently complimented for his work by his contemporaries, he died very poor.

An eighteen-year-old boy was told that two of his previous incarnations would be extremely influential in the present: one as the Roman poet, Cato, and the other as the American politician, Cassius Marcellus Clay. (See also “Clay, Cassius Marcellus.”) In addition to writing, he was encouraged to study international relations and political science. As to whether or not he could match the reputation he had achieved in the past was dependent upon his application in the present:

This might apply especially to those experiences when the entity was the politician, Clay; which bring into the present experience of the entity the ability as a speaker, a leader, one with a special interest in political science, or political economics, or those things that would have to do with the activities of peoples in many walks of life, rather than in that as would pertain to mechanics. However, from other experiences in the earth we find that such has been a part of the entity’s application, in things pertaining to engineering.

But in the Roman activity as Cato, the entity was a writer of verse, a describer of those conditions which prompted the activities of the Romans in their surge through the varied lands, as well as the promptings of the activities of those in authority, with little thought of the producer of those influences brought into the experiences of others—a people to be ruled!

Thus we find, as the entity analyzes self and its activities and its sojourns in the earth, there will be found the abilities to write—whether as a reporter, or of verse, or of prose, as a description of activities of groups or sects or the like; these are of particular interest to the entity.

2162-1

His past lives had provided him with innate talents with both the arts and writing and in leading people. In Jerusalem, [2162] had been a soldier and an architect. In ancient Egypt he had been a builder of some of the temples where he had gained the ability to direct others.

At the time of the reading, [2162] was a student at Harvard. There are no additional follow-up reports as to the direction the young man’s life took.

Cecilia, Saint

ca. Second or Third Century

Case 2156

Considered the patron of music and musicians, Saint Cecilia became a martyr for refusing to worship the Roman gods. One of the most famous saints of the early church, she is revered for her virginity, for her conversion of others to the faith, and for her distribution of possessions to the poor. According to legend, because of her faith, Cecilia was ordered to be burned; however, the flames could not harm her. As a result, she was beheaded.

The mother of a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter obtained a life reading for her child. Others had commented that the young girl often appeared to be in touch with something beyond the everyday world. Repeatedly, she had been called a “wonder child” and a “little prophet.” From the time the child had learned to speak, she had demonstrated an amazing psychic ability. In one instance, [2156] and her mother were sitting at the rear of a bus. The woman had just removed her daughter’s leggings and overshoes and had convinced the girl to take a nap. Suddenly, the child jumped to her feet and demanded to have her winter attire put back on. The mother obliged and had no sooner finished when the whole rear end of the bus burst into flames. The bus was stopped in the midst of a heavy snowstorm, and everyone got out to safety. Cayce confirmed that the little girl was a very special soul:

Before this (in its sojourns) we find the entity was among those who were given a special service in the early activities of the Church, in the bringing of spiritual concepts into the minds of individuals through music.

Then the entity was Saint Cecilia—or as Celia the entity was first known, and then known for its abilities in the teaching and ministering to those in the various stages of man’s expression and development there—in the Roman activity and experience of the early Church; for the entity brought hope, patience, understanding.

Thus we will find hours in the present oft when music—that is of the nature that brings into association those forces of the celestial as well as the mental and spiritual—will be the greater channel in which the entity may enable, or be enabled, to give the expressions of those messages, those lessons that will be so much a help, and bring hope, in the minds of others.

2156-1

According to the reading, the child’s intuitive skills came from her life as a prophetess. In ancient Egypt, she had developed great talents with music that could bring harmony into the lives of others. At the same time, she had learned to manifest spirituality through dance and rhythm, and had assisted women in preparing for childbirth. In the Holy Land, she had been a very spiritual woman and had therefore been able to give birth to a great spiritual leader. In the past she had also found beauty in “the music of the spheres, in the voice of nature itself.” (2156-2)

Sensitive to the point of picking up on the thoughts of others, the child needed to be raised in as stable an environment as possible, her parents were advised. Her intuition could develop further to where it would eventually provide much assistance to humankind. Cayce also stated that [2156] could eventually become a great healer, both as a counselor and with the use of laying on of hands. The girl’s parents were encouraged to give their child a musical outlet, which would assist her both mentally and spiritually.

Later, the girl’s mother wrote that her husband was not at all supportive of their daughter’s psychic ability and had done “everything under the sun to combat [it].” The parents later separated and the child went to live with her father, where she abandoned her psychic abilities. The last report on file, from 1960, states that [2156] had married and was living in Pennsylvania with her husband. At the time, both were involved in a wholesale distributing business.

Clay, Cassius Marcellus

1810-1903

Case 2162

Cassius Marcellus Clay was an American abolitionist, politician, and diplomat. The son of a slaveholder, he became a member of the Kentucky legislature but was defeated in 1841 because of his opposition to slavery. He established an anti-slavery publication, True American, later renamed The Examiner. He served as U.S. minister to Russia and helped to negotiate the purchase of Alaska in 1867. Shortly before his death, he was declared legally insane.

In 1940, a woman got a life reading as a birthday present for her son. The young man was told that his talents with writing and in working with people could be traced primarily to past lives he had lived as the American politician, Cassius Marcellus Clay, as well as the Roman poet, Valerius Cato. (See also “Cato, Valerius.”)

Clay, Henry

1777-1852

Case 3155

In the decades prior to the Civil War, Henry Clay was known as one of the most influential political leaders in the United States. A champion of economic reform and development, he served in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives and was secretary of state under President John Quincy Adams. Clay rose to fame as a master of political compromise and was instrumental in the creation of the Missouri Compromise (1820) and the Compromise of 1850, both of which resolved bitter disputes over the expansion of slavery.

A forty-eight-year-old financial advisor was told that he had often been instrumental in the affairs of human history. From a lifetime in ancient Rome, he had become a champion of freedom of speech and freedom of worship and possessed great talents as an orator. He had also served as a politician in several incarnations, including, what might be called, “Secretary of State” in ancient Persia. In ancient Egypt he had been an aid to the “common peoples,” helping both individuals and groups solve their problems. According to his reading, his talents were, “In the field of politics, in the field of finance, in the field of helping endeavors in varied activities, the entity may find an outlet for its abilities. A good speaker, but speak truth—ever. A good persuader, but how persuadest thou? Temper these with mercy, with justice, with love, and may all be to the glory of God”:

For, we find that the entity was that figure known as Henry Clay, of whose character and activity so much has been written. Little need to be said here, as to whether there were developments or retardments. Well that the entity study the policies, the ideals, the characteristics of that entity, and in its own judgments correct those shortcomings—and especially as related to health; else these activities may be less efficient in a few years than they may be if precautions are taken.

Use that ability of convincing others, as you attained through that experience, and all of the characteristics of the entity, rather to the glory of God and not to the glory of [3155].

3155-1

In 1954, [3155] requested another copy of his reading. After receiving it, he reported that the way his life reading had worked out was “quite a story in itself.” However, the story was not reported. It is known that Mr. [3155] remained interested in the work of A.R.E. throughout his life.

Croesus

ca. 560 B.C.

Case 5001

Croesus is known as the last, and wealthiest, king of Lydia. His fortune had been acquired through extensive trade with other countries. He conquered the Greeks of Ionia and was in turn conquered by the Persians. According to legend, he had a meeting with the Athenian lawgiver, Solon, who told the king that good fortune, not wealth, was the basis of all happiness. Reportedly, after being invaded by the Persians, rather than being assassinated, he received the lesser political office of governor.

In 1944, a thirty-two-year-old sheet metal worker received a life reading in which he was encouraged to overcome the innate urges that had caused him to abuse power over others. He was told that “no individual is worth much without a temper but he who cannot control it is worth much less.” Among other inclinations that he had to meet and overcome in himself was his tendency to be controlling. Apparently, in one past life he had been a grower for a large plantation and had made certain his word was never questioned. He had also been the emperor Croesus, “a hard-hearted guy, with more power than he used properly”:

Before that the entity was in the Persian land as indicated, when the entity was then a king—one in authority—and one who abused authority. For with the repressions that came about through the activities of individuals warring in the desert, the entity was in the office and the activities of the second Croesus.

The entity was among those who had power, wealth, fame, but abused most of these.

Hence these ye meet in thy association, in thy companionship in the present, in the associations where there were turmoils and strifes.

5001-1

[5001] had also taken part in the Crusades, acting as a guide to others. In that life he had “gained” and still possessed the ability to be helpful to individuals rather than controlling of them. Prior to that he had been a diplomat in ancient Egypt. Another tendency he had was to take himself too seriously.

Rather than suppressing his past associations with power and authority, he was advised to direct them into constructive channels where they could bring harmony into the lives of others. He was encouraged to put his trust in the authority of spirit rather than any man-made power.