Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet
Lying on a couch with his eyes closed, an American photographer gave thousands of 'readings', diagnosing illnesses and describing lost Atlantis.
What was reported
Edgar Cayce, from Kentucky, discovered as a young man that when he lay down and seemed to fall asleep, he could answer questions in a trance. Over more than forty years, mostly in Virginia Beach, he gave over 14,000 'readings', most of them suggesting remedies for illnesses, others describing past lives, the lost continent of Atlantis and the future.
Stenographers recorded his words, and the transcripts are kept by an organisation he founded in Virginia Beach, which still promotes his work.
Explanations offered
Sceptics note that many of his predictions, such as Atlantis rising in 1968 or 1969 and great disasters later in the century, didn't come true, and that his health advice was a mix of folk medicine and ideas of his time. His followers believe he had genuine psychic gifts.
- When
- 1901–1945
- Where
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
- Witnesses
- Thousands of people who received readings
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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