3/46 A.R.E. Bulletin carried this article reporting on Case
[
5328], which was reprinted in 7/54 FATE magazine:
An Extraordinary Hypnotic Experiment
Vaughan Shelton
(The following is a true account of an experiment in
hypnotism conducted among a group of soldiers overseas.
Among the GI's present were Hugh Lynn Cayce, manager of
the Association, and Vaughan Shelton, commercial artist
and writer of this article. The subject of the experiment,
called "Paul" by way of concealing his true identity, had a
life reading from Mr. Cayce 5 months before. Members of the
Association will be interested in comparing the paragraphs
from his life reading that deal with the Lawrence Vance
incarnation with his own hypnotically induced recollection
of it. It will be noted that his own memory was much more
detailed and specific than the life reading. It is also
worth noting that even under hypnosis he was very reticent
about revealing a certain aspect of that incarnation which
was only disclosed upon later investigation - Ed.)
The limit of memory is supposed to be within the present
lifetime... But listen to the strange story of Lawrence
Vance:
In November, 1944, our outfit was occupying an old chateau
near Metz, in the French province of Lorraine. The siege of
Metz, you will remember, had stalled the Third Army in its
tracks, and we, like most other troops, were doing little
else but waiting.
To help us occupy the winter evenings we were lucky to have
an accomplished hypnotist in the company, whose supply of
stage and parlor tricks would fascinate busy civilians, let
alone G.I.'s with much time to kill. This was Bill Weldon,
of McAlester, Oklahoma.
Bill's demonstrations included a number of applications of
the hypnotist's control over his subject. He was successful
in having some of the boys project themselves to other rooms
in the chateau and describe what men were present there, and
what they were talking about. He even gave one young man
a very pleasant half hour at home with his family. Most
impressive, though, were his experiments in memory, and
almost all his subjects could be persuaded to recall a
day in their early childhood in detail.
It was during an experiment of this sort that a strange thing
happened concerning a young man we'll call Paul. He was a
very intelligent chap who had been in college at the time of
his induction. While in England before the Invasion he had
had a Cayce reading. Naturally he was interested in the idea
of reincarnation.
One evening Paul had been hypnotized and given a number of
post-suggestions, including the suggestion that he wouldn't
recall his name when wakened. Returned to consciousness by
the usual device of counted to ten, he reacted to all the
post-suggestions in order, also not being able to think of
his name. After returning him to an hypnotic state Weldon
repeated the question, "What is your name?" The reply was
startling to those of us who had seen Paul's reading. He
answered, "Lawrence Vance."
Lawrence Vance, you see, was the name given in his reading as
his during an experience in the New World. He had been told
that he had worked as an organizer of young people's clubs
in the frontier settlements. But, no other details of a
specific nature had been given.
Weldon not having seen the reading, repeated the question and
was baffled to receive the same answer.
After a whispered consultation with Hugh Lynn Cayce, and
those of us who knew the background, it was decided to find
out some more about Vance. A little reluctantly at first,
Paul started to tell the story himself, now in the character
of Vance. This experiment was repeated on other occasions
and, as his confidence in Weldon increased, he talked more
freely, answering all questions but one..."Exactly what part
did you take in the American Revolution?"
Rather than retelling the account of Lawrence Vance in the
piecemeal manner that Paul did, let's put it all together.
He was born in 1754, in a cabin near Fort Pitt (now
Pittsburgh). His father and mother had a small farm, and
neither was well-educated. This being a far frontier at the
time, Lawrence had no formal schooling, but his father was
able to teach him to read and write.
One of his childhood playmates was a neighborhood girl named
Constance Moore. As they grew up together this friendship
became a romance, and they decided to marry. The
preparations for the ceremony were begun. But, in the few
days before his wedding the fickle Lawrence fell in love
with another local girl, Anne, and married her instead.
His first love took the blow badly. Shortly after that
she married a man much older than herself and embarked on
a desperately unhappy married life. She never got over
Lawrence, and frequently came to his cabin, greatly
embarrassing the young man before his wife. He did his
best to console her but was always unsuccessful at it.
Later the Vances had two children. The oldest, a girl named
Suzanne, grew up and married. But a son, also named
Lawrence, was drowned in a river at the age of 11.
While still under twenty, Vance began to visit the different
settlements to form young people's clubs similar to the
4-H variety. He had a small farm that his father had given
him, but detested farming. He seems to have done well as
an organizer, and these activities took him to all parts of
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. An interesting description
of a meeting with "Mr. Washington" in the Virginia woods was
given.
Vance appears to have had strong but unorthodox religious
views. Little could be discovered about this, except that
he was not a Quaker. He admired them and had many friends
in the sect. He "had his own ideas about religion."
When the revolution started he was much in sympathy with the
cause of the colonists and took part in the rebellion but,
and this was repeated very definitely several times, he
DID NOT BEAR ARMS. But, what part he DID take could not
be brought out.
In the spring of 1794 Vance set out for the Ohio Territory on
business. He had a bad cold at the time and his wife pleaded
with him to postpone the trip. But his mind was made up, and
he went. The cold became worse en route, and he arrived in
Ohio as a very sick man. The exposure had apparently brought
on pneumonia, and Lawrence Vance died at the age of forty
in a wilderness camp. Friends buried him in the woods.
Fantastic... Yet, if the reader is willing to consider
the possibility that these experiences could be remembered,
he will probably also see that Vance, the departed, could
witness the burial of his body, and note the date.
Fantasy...or memory? All the witnesses, including an expert
and experienced hypnotist, were convinced that Paul was in
a genuinely hypnotic state. Also, when in the character of
Lawrence Vance he wrote that name in a hand completely unlike
that of Paul. He could write only with the pencil held
between the index and second fingers, like a quill pen; and
the signature ended in a flourish that underlined the name,
in the fashion of colonial times.
Genealogical records for Western Pennsylvania contain
a number of Vances, but none named Lawrence. But, the
state archives have one, and only one. The United States
Government confiscated all the property of a Lawrence Vance
in 1780...for desertion from the Continental Army. This
is from the records of Captain John Flynn's Company, 2nd
Regiment of Foot, Philadelphia County. And the confiscated
land was there.
If this were our Lawrence Vance, it would shift the scene of
his activities to the other side of the state. Also, in 1754
Fort Pitt was in the hands of the French and known as Fort
Duquesne. But, before we question the truth of the story,
let's consider that a person under hypnosis retains his
definite personality, and would try to withhold or hide
an unpleasant incident in his memory.
Whether the story is accurate or not, the existence of
subconscious memory of another experience is certainly
indicated. Perhaps some other hypnotist would like to
investigate further.
(The following are the paragraphs from the young man's life
reading as given by Mr. Cayce July 6, 1944. (Case No. [
5328]
Ed:)
"Before this we find the entity was in the land of the
present nativity during the early period of settling in the
land, and in the areas when there were definite conditions,
definite provisions, definite activities for groups under
certain study. Yet these were for freedom, these were for
brotherhood, these were for activities that would bring a
united effort, and these are latent in the experience of
the entity in the present.
"For the entity then was what might have been called a
booster for the various groups of young people, in much the
same manner, yet under quite different names, as would be the
head of "4-H" Clubs in the present.
"The entity was then in the name Lawrence Vance and was
quite active in organizing young people for definite services
in definite group activities through the land. In the
experience the entity gained and yet in the activity there
came about little grudges of individuals, and these are the
weaknesses in the present.
"Don't let self get over-riled because you become
supersensitive to certain activities in either groups
or in organizations, or for individual activities."
4/12/49 Report requested by GD.
6/26/49 Friend [
3605]'s letter: "[
5328] is working in his
uncle's store in ... and thinking of going to ... to hunt a
job."
Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation