EDGAR CAYCE ON
CHANGE, CHANGES AND EARTH CHANGES
by Kevin J. Todeschi

Over the years I have spoken to literally hundreds of individuals who were concerned about forthcoming earthquakes, the Big Quake, or “safety lands�?�?areas of the world that might somehow be free from geological disaster. I have been amazed at how many people seem to be familiar with Cayce’s “predictions�?(at least with what they believe to be his predictions) while at the same time being unaware about much of the rest of his work. In fact, the number of individuals who can cite such “facts�?as California and/or Japan sliding off into the ocean, Europe disappearing in the twinkling of an eye, a shifting of the poles, or the Great Lakes emptying into the Gulf of Mexico is absolutely mind-boggling!

Even among those individuals who state they have read books about Cayce, there is often little or no familiarity with any of the material on holistic health, spirituality, dream interpretation, or human relationships. But those same individuals can generally mention one of Cayce’s earth change predictions. This is especially amazing when you consider that more than 9,500 of the readings deal with the physical body and health and less than 20 even discuss the subject of earth changes!

Why is it that so many of us are fascinated with cataclysmic change? Did the Cayce readings actually state that earthquakes are inevitable? Are psychic predictions from a reliable source unavoidable? When might we expect the changes to occur? Just what is this “New Age�?business of change, changes, and earth changes all about?

Our Fascination with Cataclysmic Change

In 1974 I began my involvement with the Edgar Cayce material. In that same year I became convinced that I needed to be living and working in Virginia Beach, Virginia, NO LATER THAN December 31, 1982. My justification for moving within that time-frame was what I thought at the time were Cayce’s earth change prophecies coupled with an astronomer’s prediction of “the Jupiter Effect�?�?a planetary alignment that was expected to place excessive strain on continental-plates and fault-lines already stressed to the breaking point.
During the eight years between 1974 and 1982, I became focused on “when and how�?I would finally make the move from Colorado to the beach. My friends and family became confused, concerned, even frustrated about my complete determination. But there was no convincing me otherwise, I had to get to Virginia Beach. My conviction about the impending “Big One�?was so complete that I remember telling many individuals that a car I had purchased in 1980 would be “my last car�?since the world as we knew it would soon cease to exist. (I have replaced my automobile five times since then.)

I made several visits to Virginia Beach before the actual move. I even made an aborted “move�?to the area for a brief two months in 1980. Finally I achieved my goal within the self-imposed time-constraints and landed at the Norfolk, Virginia airport on December 26, 1982. I started work as a member of the A.R.E. staff the very next day.

Shortly after I joined the staff, I began talking with people on the phone about their own “sense of urgency�?in regards to the impending disasters. At the time I was eager to send out as many “Moving to Virginia Beach�?packets as were requested. I (like many others) was still convinced that the “Big One�?was just around the corner. Even though the long-awaited Jupiter Effect had come and gone �?without apparent physical happening �?I just knew the time was short. Since then I have come to recognize this feeling of urgency to be more of a call-to-change rather than a call-to-move.

For the next several years I continued to be convinced that the quakes were coming. In time, however, I began to grow frustrated by the number of people who were not only convinced that the era of the big quakes was upon us, but who also seemed to be looking forward to them. In fact, I was surprised at how many of us involved in this type of work were eagerly waiting for God to somehow “wipe the slate clean�?so that we could just simply start all over.

By the time of the “Harmonic Convergence�?in 1987 my understanding of the “changes�?had undergone some major reclarification. When calls came in from individuals who were convinced that the Quake-to-End-All-Quakes was coming, part of our conversation always included this suggestion from me: the subconscious mind would use whatever it took to bring about a personal transformation �?even fear of earth changes. If the individual felt that he or she was being guided at a soul level to relocate, it wasn’t simply to escape from “disaster.�?The person was also being prompted to make some personal changes. During the brief media blitz of the Harmonic Convergence, a few New Age organizations predicted that the dates August 16 and 17, 1987, would culminate in major geological change. When A.R.E. was contacted a number of times by representatives of the local media for interviews on the subject, I repeatedly suggested that the shift was “vibrational and consciousness-oriented�?and that people should not expect physical calamity to certify the happening. But with only one exception, the local newspapers were not interested in what we had to say, turning instead to others with more sensational interpretations. The next big expectation for The Quake focused on May 10, 1988. Based primarily upon a number of individuals�?interpretations of the prophecies of Nostradamas, the Big One was pinpointed (even down to the hour!) for May 10, 1988 at 12 noon. That date was also indicated by the interpretation of a number of Indian prophecies. A.R.E. announced the date and time as a possibility in two of its membership publications (A.R.E. Journal, July 1980, and Venture Inward magazine, May/June 1988). The date came and went without incident. In October 1989, the San Francisco Bay area earthquake of 7.1 on the Richter scale caused many individuals to believe that the series of “cataclysmic quakes�?were finally upon us. However, it was not the case. Nevertheless, the tragedy did result in many individuals remembering their concern that the Big One was just around the corner.

A minor media sensation occurred when the Browning Report (1989) predicted a major quake of magnitude 8 for New Madrid, Missouri, for December 1990. Although newspapers carried the information, videos were created and sold on the topic, and perhaps as many as a hundred people called A.R.E. for advice, nothing happened. The report was soon forgotten.

New Age catastrophe advocates received a new date to consider when new psychic predictions announced that January 11, 1992 would herald in the dawning of personal enlightenment. Although this prophecy (dubbed �?1:11�?because of numerological factors) did not necessarily suggest there would be earth changes �?resembling instead the vibrational activities of the Harmonic Convergence �?many believed that some type of physical change would occur nonetheless. Beginning in the winter/spring of 1993, my office was inundated with phone calls regarding the latest prediction that the California quake would inevitably occur on or before May 9, 1993. The prediction received only minor media attention but the number of metaphysically-oriented individuals familiar with the claim was astounding. In March, I had a verbal argument with one man who was very angry that A.R.E. wasn’t “broadcasting�?the information about the quake, allowing individuals to “get out�?and therefore save themselves. Finally, when it became clear that we were finding no point of agreement, I suggested that the person call me back on May 10. The call never came.

For decades, much hype surrounded the year 1998 as being very significant. In fact, for years many speakers affiliated with the Cayce work seemed to imply that something physical would definitely happen between 1958 and 1998 �?a forty-year period which the Cayce readings saw as being extremely significant. I remember stating in my own lectures that I would be glad when December 31, 1998 finally passed so that people could get over their earthquake fascination �?I was naïve in my estimation. The year 2000 only bought with it more potential prophecies and 2001 is lining up to be just as anticipatory for the earth change enthusiasts.

What if we are all looking at this material wrong? What if we really need to understand that the changes have already occurred? Whatif we need to get on with our lives, and our real mission of transforming the earth?

What Did Edgar Cayce Really Say About Earth Changes?
Because I had originally been so concerned with Cayce’s earth change predictions, I was surprised when I eventually counted them for myself. Less than twenty of the readings even discuss physical earth changes! Some of these readings suggest that the entire planet can expect major earthquakes and inundations before the turn of the century. A few, given concerning the period 1932-1936 are especially fatalistic. Oftentimes, they are the very readings that have been quoted out of context or have proven to be inaccurate. Just one example is the frequently quoted reading which states, “The earth will be broken up in many places. The early portion will see a change in the physical aspect of the west coast of America...�?(3976-15) This reading was even quoted in A.R.E.’s long-running “Introductory Film�?(1975-1993). But the question to which Cayce was actually responding dealt with the changes to be expected in 1934!

The readings also pinpointed 1936 as a year of major cataclysmic change. The irony of this date is that although no physical earthquakes resulted (nor did a predicted pole shift occur), 1936 did mark the outbreak of civil war in Spain, Chiang Kai-shek’s declaration of war on Japan, and Hitler’s reoccupation of the Rhineland �?an event which many pinpoint as the impetus for the eventual outbreak of World War II. Since the year did result in many changes (as suggested by the readings), we could theorize that what Cayce had once foreseen in the vibrational future somehow took on a different manifestation. Rather than earthquakes, the changes expressed themselves in the affairs of humankind through the outbreak of war.

In other readings, Cayce’s perspective of the events leading to the end of this century are much more positive. These readings suggest that the changes will be gradual not cataclysmic, resulting in the dawning of a “New Age�?of hope and community for all of humankind. The underlying theme was that the period between 1958-1998 would be one of great global transformation. These changes would enable us to move from the vibrational consciousness of the Piscean Age into that of the Aquarian. The readings suggested that the Piscean Age was the time period when there was the fulfillment of “God Consciousness�?coming into full manifestation in the earth �?the pattern set by Jesus being the primary example. However, the real promise of the Aquarian Age is that all of humankind will eventually possess the awareness of its true relationship with God, and be able to communicate directly with Him!

Today, I am more convinced than ever that many of us who are students of the Edgar Cayce readings have somehow misunderstood or misinterpreted these predictions on earth changes or that somehow those changes have become manifest at a different level.

Are Psychic Predictions Unavoidable?
One challenge that arises when working with psychic predictions is that they are completely subject to the activities and the free will of those individuals about whom the “prophecy�?is foretold. This means that a psychic can make predictions based only upon current events and “thought-forms.�?These thoughts and events are then projected onto a future time-line, enabling an effective psychic to “see�?the result.

However, because of the very nature of predictions, they are not set in stone, nor are they necessarily unavoidable. When enough individuals combine, utilizing their free will in a positive direction, the potential future “seen�?by the psychic is altered. An excellent example of this is the Old Testament story of Jonah. He foresaw the destruction of Nineveh because of the people’s own negative thoughts and deeds. God Himself was not going to destroy the city, rather it was the people themselves who were bringing about a destruction based upon their own selfishness and acts of hate toward one another. In order to help the people, Jonah predicted the city’s downfall. As a result, the people banded together, changed their thoughts and actions, and �?through the use of unified free will �?altered their foreseen future in less than forty days! The destruction never came, and Nineveh was saved.

We might even say that the people of Nineveh were “destined�?to undergo profound personal changes that would give them a greater opportunity to fulfill God’s Will for their lives. It was not that the destruction of the city was inevitable, instead it was that their own personal transformation was going to happen one way or another. Through the use of free will, the people were able to decide for themselves how their personal change was to be brought about. The people transformed themselves and, in turn, the city, rather than having external events in the city force them to undergo personal change.

One of the most interesting dynamics of people working together is that they can raise the “vibration�?of energy and thought to a higher level. Simply stated, this means that literal physical earth changes seen decades ago by Edgar Cayce could now be changes that will occur on a different level. Certainly, some earthquakes will continue to occur as part of the natural physical evolution of the planet. But potentially even more influential changes could come from world-wide political turmoil, economic challenges, wars, and many more “upheavals�?that are not necessarily geological in nature. In fact, one of the earth change readings states that the exact nature of what’s coming is yet to be shaped: “As to the changes that are coming...these will, as indicated, depend upon what individuals and groups do about what they know respecting His will, His purpose with man.�?(reading #1602-6)

When Will the Changes Occur?
We have become so used to change that we no longer recognize it when it happens. Ours is the age of computer communication, satellite programming, fiber optics, instant-access cable, and virtual reality. Our VCR’s are voice-programmable, our grocery store checkout lines read prices with lasers, and a wafer-thin computer disk can hold the entire set of Cayce readings. Whether it’s medicine, relationships, technology, ecological-awareness, or internationalism, the earth today is very different than it was even 10-15 years ago.

There are wars and rumors of war broadcast around the globe in the blink of an eye. We hear of floods and famine and hate-crimes as they occur; and a day doesn’t pass when we don’t see renewed evidence of gang-wars or drugs or our inhumanity to one another. But all of this information has become so common that we may often simply shrug our shoulders, change the channel, or turn the page. In many places, the world has become more fractured than ever before, as politics, race, sexuality, culture and especially religion divide us. Countless thousands of individuals have been killed, are dying, or have given up all sense of hope. The dis-eases of the our time have crippled bodies, tortured minds, or imprisoned souls. And yet, in spite of the fact that CHANGE IS ALL ABOUT US, some of us continue to wait for the Big One as evidence of “changing times.�?BR>
On a more positive front, our age of change has also had more life-affirming ramifications. Many events in the last few years have been hope-renewing: the reunification of Germany, the collapse of Communism, a greater sense of unity and focus within the United Nations, an annual global event that unifies untold millions of individuals in prayer every December 31, the formation of the European Economic Community, the awareness that we must bind together as one planet to heal the ecological world we call home. There has even been a renewed sense of faith in God for hundreds of thousands. We are now allies and friends with those we once fought. We have the technology and the desire to bind together in the face of natural or man-made disaster, helping those who have been impacted with food lifts, medical supplies, and restoring hope.

Many changes are underway that seem to suggest our potential unity as one human family.

Change, Changes, and Earth Changes
In my own life, as I look back it seems as though a number of “changes�?have somehow unexpectedly crept up on me. Things have occurred that I never would have expected twenty years ago when I first became aware of the Cayce material. On the negative side, I’ve encountered divorce, financial difficulties, depression, and a recurring sense of wondering what I’m supposed to be doing with my life. On a more positive front, I have had many wonderful opportunities and activities present themselves because of my involvement with A.R.E. I have finally realized that life is to be lived and enjoyed as a process NOT as a series of achieved goals, and I have had the opportunity to make best friends as far away as Japan and Egypt! I have also discovered that the changes are as much an internal process as they could possibly be an external one �?and I am confident that there are even more to come.

From my own experiences and observations over the years, I believe that many of the changes Cayce foresaw seem to have taken on a different vibratory level. The changes are now affecting the economy, have resulted in political upheavals, or are helping to facilitate global “transformations�?that are every bit as powerful as earthquakes. It’s time for all of us to wake up and realize that THE CHANGES CAYCE PREDICTED ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. Our world, our civilization, and our personal lives are all undergoing dramatic personal and collective change. And yet, this is sometimes hard for us to recognize because the changes have not been a single event. They have been a process. We must keep from expecting the “Big One�?any moment. We must avoid thinking that God is going to wipe the slate clean, allowing us to start over. We can’t simply quote Cayce’s earth changes predictions �?ones that some of us suppose are “going to happen no matter what�?�?and let that be our only response to his foreseen changes.

Cayce’s predictions are not really about earthquakes. Instead they are about the fact that a new world is being born. The changes provide an opportunity to get our priorities back in focus. The promise of the Aquarian Age is that this refocus is indeed going to happen. Our actions and our attitudes alone will determine the course we take in order to arrive at this inevitable future. The experiences we require to get there are “changeable�?�?open to choice �?but the destiny is not.
Somehow we’ve collectively lost track of our purpose in the earth. The changing events in our world and in our lives are to enable us to remember why we are here. If our faith is currently placed in money �?our finances will be tested because we’re not in the earth for monetary gain. If we’ve placed all our hopes for the future in government, then we can expect political upheavals. If we put our security exclusively on the solid ground where we live, then we may need an earthquake or a cataclysm to redirect our lives. Whatever we’ve focused on previously may be taken from us. Simply stated, the changes are the testing which will enable us to put God first in our lives.

Ultimately, that’s the only reason for this business of change, changes, and earth changes. Our planet is in the midst of upheavals that will enable individuals everywhere to eventually gain this realization: with God as our Creator we are all part of the same family. That understanding and experience is our collective destiny. As I reflect upon Cayce’s earth change prophecies, that is the reason we are undergoing change. This is the promise of the New Age. By our thoughts and deeds as individuals, we contribute to how long it’s going to take us to get there.

We don’t want to fool ourselves: the geological condition of the planet makes some earth changes inevitable. In other words, there will continue to be earthquakes. But the purpose of the changes we are experiencing is not for the earth changes themselves, it is so that we will undergo personal transformation. Just as the people of Nineveh were faced with inevitable change, humanity today is in the midst of an unavoidable process. Our need to come together as one global community is greater than ever before. It is a necessary part of fulfilling our destinies as a human family; it is a necessary part of our heritage as spiritual beings manifesting in the earth.