Edgar Cayce on Soul Mates. Kevin J. Todeschi
counselor, the woman had been married and divorced. Interested in the possibility of another relationship, she asked Cayce an insightful question that connected the concept of soul mates with her own search for wholeness. She inquired, “Please explain for me what is meant by ‘soul-mate’ in relation to my own spiritual development.” Cayce replied:
Those of any sect or group where there is the answering of one to another; as would be the tongue to the groove, the tenon to the mortise; or in any such where they are a complement one of another—that is what is meant by “soul-mate.” Not that as from physical attraction, but from the mental and spiritual help. 1556-21
From Cayce’s perspective, the topic of soul mates was not one of simply a physical or a sexual attraction; instead, it was a relationship inextricably linked to an individual’s own process of spiritual evolution and growth. That premise is explored in much of the Cayce material.
Regardless of his documented talents as an intuitive, at first glance we might wonder what kind of insights Cayce’s information can provide on the topic of contemporary soul mates. After all, Edgar Cayce gave his last reading in 1944, long before much of the information on soul mate relationships even became available. And yet, because of the nature of his work and the questions asked of him by individuals much like ourselves, Cayce may be uniquely qualified as an expert resource on the subject.
Over a period of forty-three years, Edgar Cayce gave intuitive consultations, called “readings,” to individuals from every religious background and all segments of society. In hundreds, if not thousands, of instances, Cayce further explored how personal relationships interconnect with a soul’s spiritual development. In fact, one of the undergirding premises in the Cayce information is that we most often come to know ourselves through our relationships with other people. Whether it is through learning about love in the face of someone we hold dear or growing in patience through a lifetime of challenges, it is through our interactions with others that we become aware of our shortcomings and our abilities. It is through our personal encounters that we come to realize what we need to work on, as well as what it is we have with which to work. Cayce believed that it was also through the dynamics of our relationships that we grow in our awareness of our true identity and our ultimate connection to God.
Perhaps what is most unique about the Cayce information in regard to soul mates is that it also provides a thorough analysis of hundreds of relationships played out within the framework of reincarnation. For more than twenty years in nearly 2,000 “life readings,” Cayce explored for individuals their spiritual development through various lives and their corresponding past-life connections to present-day relationships. For example, when inquiring about the past-life connection with his present-day wife, a thirty-five-year-old man was told, “Ye have been companions oft before—in distress and in exaltations” (2421-2).
From Cayce’s perspective, a soul mate relationship is an ongoing connection with another individual that the soul picks up again in various times and places. From a source of information he called the “Akashic Records” or “the Book of Life,” Edgar Cayce could view the development of relationships over time and describe how past-life influences and choices impacted the present. But more than simply providing individuals with some philosophical dissertation, his readings detailed practical advice and counsel that his clients were able to work with and apply. Taken together, the Cayce material on relationships constitutes one of the most significant sources of information on the dynamics of all kinds of human interactions, the purposefulness of our experiences with one another, and the very nature of the soul.
Perhaps because of the deeply ingrained desire to find a perfect partner, that “other half,” or a special someone with whom to make our life complete, today there are various misperceptions about the nature of soul mates. For some, the concept of soul mates contained in the Edgar Cayce material may appear quite different than that which has been popularized by contemporary society. From Cayce’s perspective, a soul mate is definitely not an individual’s other half that somehow enables that person to become complete. We are attracted to another person at a soul level not because that person is our unique complement, but because by being with that individual we are somehow provided with an impetus to become whole ourselves.
Through an ongoing process of relationships, experiences, and various lifetimes, the soul finds itself involved in a curriculum of personal growth and development. It is true that the destiny of the soul is one of wholeness, just as suggested by the original story of Creation; however, Edgar Cayce believed that eventually every soul would become whole within itself. From this perspective, soul mates ultimately are those relationships that assist each individual in his or her spiritual development and the inevitable attainment of wholeness at the level of the soul.
Kevin J. Todeschi
Virginia Beach, Virginia
1During Cayce’s life, the Edgar Cayce readings were all numbered to provide confidentiality. The first set of numbers (e.g., “1556”) refers to the individual or group for whom the reading was given. The second set of numbers (e.g. “2”) refers to the number in the series from which the reading is taken. For example, (1556-2) identifies the reading as the second one given to the individual assigned #1556.
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Soul Mates
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things . . . So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I Corinthians 13:4-7, 13
It was 1926 and she was a Broadway star. Only twenty-four, she already had been the female lead in a major production. Her role as the young duchess opposite Otis Skinner in Sancho Panza had resulted in critics and fans alike calling her “alluring.” Her life as an actress appeared on a fast track. Her name was Rose,2 and now that the production was coming to a close, she couldn’t help but wonder what came next.
Even though she hadn’t started out to be an actress, acting came easy to her. Because of her love of music, she originally had planned to be a violinist and had studied at the Chicago Musical College. But her drive to play music soon faded, and she decided to take drama lessons instead. Becoming an actress was easier to accomplish than she might have imagined. Rose seemed born to the stage. A producer saw her in her first college play and offered her the ingénue role in his touring stock company. New York followed the touring company, and she was immediately cast in a major production. Doors opened for her. To many, she seemed destined for superstardom. She should have been content, but she was not. After her role in Sancho Panza, none of the new parts seemed right for her. She wondered whether she should continue to devote her energies to the theatre or had the time come for her to marry? She was in love and the appeal of home and marriage sometimes seemed greater than her desire to be on stage.
It might have been unthinkable for some to imagine, but within a year Rose would forsake her career as an actress, settle down with a husband, and devote her life to him and raising a family. Her drive to be an actress had lessened at the same time that her desire to be with him had grown. Rose had found her soul mate and their coming together would forever change her life’s direction.
Although she was young, already she had come to believe that there were no accidents. Life had a way of bringing situations and experiences together—call it a divine script that provided her with potential entrances and exits. Most often, her role was simply to watch and listen for her cues. A part in a Broadway production of Laugh Clown Laugh two years earlier than her role in Sancho Panza had led her to the current crossroads in her life. While in the play, she had met two individuals who would become important in her life’s direction: one a drama critic and the other a thirty-two-year-old businessman.
During a break from rehearsals, she found herself waiting at the pier for a relative’s ocean liner to dock. Attractive, outgoing, and friendly, Rose soon engaged in conversation with the tall, distinguished-looking gentleman