The Untold Story of Cayce & the ACIM Scribes
Did you know that the the book, A Course in Miracles shares a deep philosophical connection with Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach?
The very first version of A Course in Miracles (ACIM; the Course) was given to Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach a full three years before it was officially copyrighted and published. This edition was only recently discovered in the year 2000.
Here’s how it happened: In the summer of 1965, just months before the scribing of A Course in Miracles began, Dr. Helen Schucman was experiencing a series of intense psychic visions that were deeply unsettling. Her colleague, Dr. Bill Thereford, tried to help her understand these phenomena by encouraging her to read about Edgar Cayce.
Despite Helen’s initial resistance as a staunch atheist and psychologist, they traveled together to Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach. There they met Hugh Lynn Cayce, Edgar Cayce’s son. Hugh Lynn became a supportive friend and mentor to them during the early years of the ACIM scribing. Helen and Bill gave Hugh Lynn the first typed, unpublished copy of ACIM in 1972 for safekeeping. This is sometimes called the Urtext, the Original Edition, or the Hugh Lynn Cayce version of ACIM.
Shortly afterward, Helen and Bill formed the Foundation for Inner Peace and edited the notes for ACIM into a more abstract, poetic version, intended for a global audience. They published this edited edition in 1976. This is referred to as the standard Blue Book edition of ACIM.
When the standard edition was published, approximately 45,000 words had been edited out. The parts that were eliminated were deemed private to situations in the lives of Helen and Bill. These are referred to as the “Cameos,” and there are 33 of them. These are interesting to study, because many of us deal with these same issues in our own lives. You won’t see these in the standard Blue Book of ACIM. However, they can be found summarized in this book, 50 Ways to Create Miracles in Life.
Many people feel that ACIM is extremely difficult to comprehend and use in everyday life. This book, 50 Ways to Create Miracles in Life is a primer for the Edgar Cayce Readings and A Course in Miracles in that it compares the 50 Miracle Principles at the beginning of the Course. The 50 Miracle Principles are basically the “syllabus” for ACIM and help define the concepts that ACIM discuss in depth. These principles continually circle back to the same core truths, applying them to different areas of life. They are the “branches” that take us back to the “root” of the tree of life. The connection with Biblical verses are also given, and are surprisingly matched to these principles.
50 Ways to Create Miracles in Life is a succinct and practical guide for all three spiritual teachings. This book is currently being used in a study group at Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. on the comparative study of the Edgar Cayce Readings, A Course in Miracles, and the core truths of Bible. Click on the link above if you are interested in starting a study group, or join us at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. on Thursdays from 2-3pm in the Copeland Dining Room for lively discussion on Cayce and his connection to the A Course in Miracles teachings. We are studying the 50 Miracle Principles at the beginning of ACIM, one principle a week, over the next year.
