Chapters 7-8 Summary and Analysis

In chapter 7, Shirley goes to the bookstore where David had taken her the week before and talks to the owner, John. John listens to what Shirley wants to ask and then begins to discuss with her the Akashic Records, a kind of panoramic record of everything that has ever been thought or felt or done. John then introduces the idea of mediums to Shirley, giving her multiple books on the subject that he suggests she read. Among the books, Shirley reads a biography of Edgar Cayce. Cayce is a humble farmer in Kentucky, uneducated, who is suffering from asthma. While undergoing hypnosis for the condition, Cayce channels a man who sounds different from Cayce and who offers a cure for the condition. Cayce tries the cure and it works. Soon after, Cayce is able to induce in himself a...