Edgar Cayce's Atlantis. John Van Auken

the organization that grew up around him. Because of the great interest in Cayce’s story of Atlantis, a series of special readings were conducted on the topic. These were assigned the numbers 364 and 996.

      Cayce gave health readings to literally thousands of individuals, from famous people to ordinary citizens, even including President Woodrow Wilson. Cayce was secretly taken to the White House for this reading not too long before Wilson’s death, and it has only been in recent years that Wilson’s library released that fact.

      When he died on January 3, 1945, in Virginia Beach, Cayce left 14,306 documented stenographic records of the telepathic-clairvoyant readings he had given for more than 6,000 different people over a period of forty-three years. The readings consist of 49,135 typewritten pages. The readings constitute one of the largest and most impressive records of psychic perception ever compiled. Together with their relevant records, correspondence and reports, they have been cross-indexed under thousands of subject headings and placed at the disposal of doctors, psychologists, students, writers, and investigators who still come to the A.R.E. to examine them. Of course, they are also available to the general public in books or complete volumes of the readings, as well as on CDROM.

      While many people believe that Cayce’s income came from the readings, the truth is that Edgar was a professional photographer for the majority of his adult life. He won several national awards for his photographic work and never charged for a reading. His hobbies reflected the things he most loved in life. He was an avid gardener, loved to fish with family members, and enjoyed carpentry. He also taught Sunday school throughout his life.

       Accuracy of Cayce’s Health Readings

      Edgar Cayce is widely acknowledged as the “father of the holistic health movement,” because of the accuracy of his health readings and the effectiveness of the remedies he suggested. As such, Cayce’s health suggestions are given a great deal of credibility by medical science, and this recognition has actually been increasing in recent years. For example in 2005, a popular physician who writes a syndicated daily newspaper column, Dr. Peter Gott, began recommending the use of castor oil for arthritis in the manner Cayce outlined.

      Substantial anecdotal reports and follow-up letters from individuals given health readings by Cayce have indicated that the majority of those receiving health readings endorsed his accuracy. In a biography of Cayce, Sidney Kirkpatrick reviewed research that assessed Cayce’s health advice. Kirkpatrick reported that 14 of the 15 physicians who had treated patients who received readings (as surveyed by journalist Sherwood Eddy) gave Cayce a near perfect score. Even the one physician who was cautious had to acknowledge that the psychic’s powers were “extraordinary.” A 1971 study of Cayce’s health readings published by Hugh Lynn Cayce and Edgar Evans Cayce found an overall 86 percent accuracy rate.

       1923—The Atlantis Material Unexpectedly Emerges

      It could be rightfully argued that the emergence of Atlantis in the Cayce readings came as a complete surprise. In 1923, a wealthy businessman in Dayton, Ohio, Arthur Lammers, convinced Cayce to come to Dayton to conduct readings. Cayce gave numerous readings in a Dayton hotel with most of them health readings for several individuals. Lammers was deeply interested in psychic phenomena and he reportedly had discussions with Cayce on a host of psychic topics between the health readings. On October 8, 1923, Lammers decided to ask the sleeping Cayce a list of questions regarding the source of his information as well as on psychic phenomena in general (reading 3744-2). This was the first time that anyone thought to pose questions to Cayce in areas outside of health issues. The first definite reference to reincarnation in the Cayce readings emerged on October 11, 1923 (5717-1). The first reference to Atlantis came on November 20, 1923 (288-1). In that reading, Cayce related that a particular female had a past incarnation “in that fair country of Alta, or Poseidia proper …”

      The emergence of reincarnation in the readings shocked and challenged Cayce and his family. They were deeply religious people, doing this work to help others because that’s what their Christian faith taught. As a child, Cayce began to read the Bible from front to back, and did so for every year of his life. Reincarnation was not part of the Cayce family’s reality. After deeply reflecting on the issue, the family came to a decision. It was very clear that many people had been helped by the health readings. While the “new” information emerging in the readings was unusual, it also appeared to be helpful to individuals. So they decided to continue the readings until and unless anyone reported that they were hurt by them. This never happened, so Cayce continued to perform readings until his death in 1945.

      Ultimately, the Cayces began to accept the new ideas, though not as “reincarnation,” per se. Edgar Cayce preferred to call it, “The Continuity of Life.” He felt that the Bible did contain much evidence that life, the true life in the Spirit, is continual. Many readings explained why there were repeated incarnations as well as how Cayce was able to access information from the past. The readings explained that everything that has ever happened, all that was done, and even things that were thought about were recorded on the Akashic Record. Many readings explained that the Akashic recording process was similar to a film of time and space. Some of these readings describe what can be interpreted as electromagnetic waves forming the record. In Cayce’s trance state, his consciousness was able to access these records and interpret them.

      Eventually, Edgar Cayce, following advice from his own readings, moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and set up a hospital where he continued to conduct his “Physical Readings” for the health of others. But he also continued this new line of readings, which were called “Life Readings.” From 1925 through 1944, he conducted some 2,500 of these Life Readings, describing the past lives of individuals as casually as if everyone understood reincarnation was a reality. Such subjects as deep-seated fears, mental blocks, vocational talents, innate urges and abilities, marriage difficulties, child training, etc., were examined in the light of what the readings called the “karmic patterns” resulting from previous lives experienced by the individual’s soul on the earth plane. The bulk of Cayce’s story of Atlantis is derived by piecing together pieces of information from these Life Readings as well as two series of readings conducted to specifically address the Atlantis story.

       Problems Interpreting the Cayce Readings

      Edgar Cayce’s readings present some difficulties in interpretation and understanding—especially when an individual initially tries to read them. First, they are somewhat difficult to read, mostly due to their syntax and the presence of archaic or biblical terms and style. They are written records of a verbal presentation, a process that occasionally does not carry the full intent that was expressed, and punctuation can significantly change the meaning or intent of the voiced statement. Also, most of the readings were given to specific people with uniquely personal perspectives and prejudices on the topics being discussed. Therefore, the responses in the readings were often slanted to fit the seeker’s perspective and needs. For example, in a reading for one person, Cayce recommends one marriage for life, to another he recommends never getting married, and to a third he encourages him to marry at least twice. In the few cases where a reading was purposefully done for a broader presentation to many people the “sleeping” Cayce was still somewhat at the mercy and wisdom of those directing the session and asking the questions. Nevertheless, Cayce and his wife Gertrude and their assistant Gladys were very conscientious people, always seeking to be exact and true to the original intent of the reading. As mentioned earlier, the “sleeping” Cayce would occasionally stop his direct discourse to give an aside to Gladys about the way she was recording the material, correcting spelling or giving a clarifying explanation of something he had just said. Finally, because some of Cayce’s readings cover so many points or issues within the text, it can be difficult to determine which one he is referring to when the paragraphs are so complex. Despite all of this, with practice, one can become familiar enough with the syntax, archaic terms (“thys,” “thees,” and “thous”); a repetitive use of the word “that,” and the complex thought pattern, that one can eventually learn to read and understand the Cayce readings fairly easily.

       Edgar Evans Cayce’s Analysis of the Atlantis Readings

      Edgar Cayce’s youngest son, Edgar Evans, was an engineer by profession who decided