527: DEEP DIVE: Edgar Cayce | The Sleeping Prophet's Eerie Predictions
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The first thing the young telegraph operator noticed was the small black couch. This was 1935, and Sigmund Freud, who is still alive, had made the psychiatrist's couch a symbol of psychoanalysis and therapy.

But the young man hadn't come to the office to see a shrink. He was there to see the most famous psychic in the country, Edgar Cayce. Cayce entered the room, soft-spoken and well-dressed. He explained that he, not the young man, would be the one on the couch. So Cayce kicked off his shoes, lay back, and put himself into a deep trance. After a few minutes, Cayce began to whisper all sorts of things about the past, the present, and the future. Cayce said,

Then the young man realized that Casey wasn't just making predictions about his life. He was making predictions about everyone. Events that were to happen all over the world. Since then, Edgar Casey has been called the sleeping prophet because many of his predictions have come true.

Edgar Cayce was born in 1887 into a poor farming family in rural Kentucky. He was never an average kid. When other children were outside playing, Edgar wanted to study the Bible. But studying religion isn't the only thing that sets him apart from the other kids.

Soon he would wander into the forest to play with what he called little folk. When Edgar was 11 years old, he was in the woods reading his Bible when he was visited by what he described as a woman with wings. The woman asked him what he wanted most out of life. He said he wanted to help others, especially sick children.

Later that day, Edgar Cayce's father received a letter from the school complaining about his son's performance. So his father tested his spelling and was so upset at how poorly Edgar did, he knocked the boy out of his chair. While on the ground with his ears still ringing, 11-year-old Edgar heard the woman's voice in the forest. She told him to lay his head down on the school book and go to sleep.

When he woke up, Edgar knew everything in the book. Like, everything. He was able to recite the book word for word. So Edgar began studying by sleeping on his books. By the end of the year, he was the best student in school and even moved up a grade. His parents were starting to catch on that something was special about their son. But it wasn't until Edgar suffered a spinal injury that his parents understood his true potential.

While playing ball at school, Edgar got hit in the coccyx, the tailbone. It was so severe that it left him partially paralyzed. That night, while in a deep sleep, his parents heard him talking. They listened closely as their son recited the ingredients for an herbal cure that he said would fix his injuries. His parents had nothing to lose, so they prepared the remedy according to their son's instructions. The next morning, Edgar was in a coma.

Edgar was cured, but he remembered nothing of what he said. When Casey was a little older, he caught a cold and developed severe laryngitis. He'd been working as an insurance salesman at the time, so this was a real problem. No voice, no sales. Edgar tried everything. For 10 months, he saw doctor after doctor, but nothing worked, and there was no explanation. A friend recommended that Edgar see a hypnotist.

Hypnotism was just a fad at the time, and there were many skeptics. But desperate and with nothing to lose, Edgar called on the hypnotist Al C. Lane. At Casey's house in the dining room, Edgar was instructed on self-hypnotism. He took to it quickly and fell into a trance. But what happened next, nobody saw coming.

While in a hypnotic trance, Casey spoke in a clear voice and said, yes, we can see the body. Lane was taken aback. He'd never seen anything like this before. Not only was it a creepy statement, but what body was Edgar referring to?

Edgar then started to describe his own ailment in detail and gave a diagnosis. He said it was laryngitis due to a circulatory problem in his throat. He went on to say that it can be fixed by hypnotic suggestion. Shocked but intrigued, the hypnotist Lane followed his patient's orders. He instructed Edgar to make his body's circulation return to normal.

Edgar then sat up and coughed up blood. He took a deep breath, then his voice returned to normal. And yes, it sounds unbelievable, but there was an eyewitness. Edgar's sister confirmed it happened just this way. She saw the whole thing.

Sadly, this remedy only worked for short periods of time. The laryngitis would return. So Edgar repeatedly called Lane to perform the ritual to restore his voice. The hypnotist was so taken by Edgar's ability to cure himself that he wondered if this skill could be applied to other sick people. It turned out it could.

Seeing the potential, Lane asked Edgar to use his abilities to help others. But Edgar wasn't so keen on the idea. Not that he didn't want to help other people. At his core, that's what he cared about most. It's what he told the woman with wings in the forest, right? But Edgar didn't go to medical school and wasn't confident in his abilities. What if he gave bad advice, especially to people who are sick?

But Lane didn't back down, especially because he saw the financial opportunity of partnering with someone with a skill to heal. Edgar wasn't interested in the money and said no, but Edgar's fiance stepped in. She truly believed in Edgar's gift and saw it as a blessing God gave him. She convinced him that he should share it with the world. He needed to. So Casey relented with the caveat that he wouldn't take any money for his services.

He began doing readings for Lane's patients. The hypnotist had a number of ailing clients who were desperate for cures. But there was one patient in particular Edgar really wanted to help.

In 1902, Casey was introduced to a five-year-old girl who was suffering. She would have up to 20 convulsions per day, and she suffered other cognitive issues. Doctors had diagnosed her with a fatal brain injury. Like Edgar's laryngitis, no doctor had been able to help, which made Edgar more determined.

Lying on his couch, Casey entered his trance and realized something astonishing. He declared that she did not have a brain injury, not at all. He diagnosed her with a spinal injury, an injury he could cure. Edgar prescribed a vertebrae readjustment. Within a few months, the little girl had fully recovered, no more seizures, and her cognitive abilities like speech returned to normal. After Edgar healed this five-year-old child, his life would change forever.

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The girl's father, a prominent school superintendent, told the whole city of Bowling Green, Kentucky about Casey's abilities. He raved about Edgar. People were shocked to learn Casey cured a girl when no doctor could. People started coming in droves seeking help. And of course, the news about Edgar spread even further to other towns and cities. Letters came pouring in, detailing injuries and sicknesses, begging for help. Edgar Casey would read them and feel compelled to offer assistance.

He would lie on his couch and enter a trance for about 45 minutes. But because of how long they took and how much energy he needed to perform each session, he would limit himself to two readings a day. Every session would begin with, yes, we can see the body. Then he'd give a detailed holistic remedy. The hypnotist Alain, or Edgar's fiancé, would take notes. They'd transcribe what Edgar was saying. Because when he woke from his trance, he wouldn't remember anything he said.

Casey earned the title psychic doctor, but people who actually went to med school weren't so fond of Edgar having that title. Still, with no formal training, this non-doctor outperformed the professionals, and that was a problem.

With this new notoriety, Edgar attracted a big following and people in the medical field started to hear about this psychic doctor. People who had spent years with their heads in books and labs were skeptical but intrigued. They wanted to see firsthand how a man without training could diagnose and prescribe treatment. Knowing they were trying to expose him as a fraud, Edgar agreed to meet with a team of doctors. He wanted to prove to them that he was the real deal.

All he needed was the name of a person and where they would be. The doctors gave Casey the name of a college student and his location. Edgar laid down and entered a trance. He located the college student and announced, yes, we can see the body. Edgar proceeded to diagnose the college student with typhoid fever.

Surprised, the doctors shared a knowing look. Edgar was right. That was exactly what the student was suffering from. But now the doctors needed to understand how Casey figured this out. They wanted scientific proof. While Edgar was under hypnosis, the doctors began to poke him with needles. They stuck him in his hands and feet, trying to draw blood. But they failed. No blood would leave his veins.

Not only was this confusing and a little unsettling, but Edgar didn't flinch while they were prodding him. Not once. When he came to, Casey was furious. He had come willingly and in good faith. He never would have agreed if he had known they wanted to treat him like a lab rat. They took advantage of his kindness, and sadly, they weren't the only ones to do it.

After some unfortunate events and business ventures unrelated to his readings, Edgar Cayce returned to his hometown of Hopkinsville, Kentucky with his wife and newborn son. Edgar's father introduced him to a homeopathic doctor named Wesley Ketchum. He wasn't anything like Al Lane. Ketchum had really big dreams and knew the potential Edgar had. Ketchum was a man of his word.

Ketchum promoted the hell out of Casey. He even got the New York Times to run an article detailing his clairvoyance. The headline read, illiterate man becomes doctor when hypnotized. Edgar didn't love this because, well, he was not illiterate, not at all. But Ketchum's publicity stunt worked. Casey received over 10,000 letters after the New York Times piece. Tucked in many of the letters was cold, hard cash.

Until then, Edgar never took a dime for his work and didn't want to. Ketchum, on the other hand, had no problem accepting payment. While Ketchum focused on the earnings, Edgar stayed true to his morals. He focused on helping sick people. His abilities were also growing stronger. He was becoming even more perceptive. In one session, he laid down, loosened his tie, and prepared for a reading. Upon entering the trance, he announced, "'We do not have the body. He's not here.'"

In this clairvoyant state, Edgar couldn't locate the patient. Casey had hoped to find the patient in his New York City apartment. He concentrated hard and finally located the man on a bus. Casey declared that the patient was running late because of a traffic accident.

So Edgar waited for the man to arrive at his apartment before beginning the diagnosis. After the session, Ketchum called the man in New York City. The man had been on a bus and there was an accident. Edgar's accuracy was growing. His father and Dr. Ketchum witnessed it and saw an opportunity. While Edgar was in his trances, they would pepper him with questions. What stock should I buy? What commodity should I sell? Which horse should I bet on?

But cheating and gambling were not okay. When Edgar discovered what they were doing, he was furious. He only wanted to use his gift for altruism. So he did the only thing he could do. He cut ties with Ketchum and his own father. This left Edgar in a dark place. And things only worsened when he found out some patients weren't getting better. He learned many of them were happy to receive his advice, but many did not heed it. So Edgar became determined to ensure all his patients were on a path to healing.

And this desire to heal is what finally breaks him.

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In the early 1920s, World War I soldiers began returning to the States, but they did not come back the same. They were suffering with PTSD. Many of them sought Edgar's help, and many of them were close friends. He diagnosed them and told them what they needed to do to improve. They were too on edge to follow through, and they weren't healing.

It was just too much. The shell-shocked soldiers and others weren't heeding his advice. Edgar couldn't stand by and let this happen. His dream was to help people, and he would do that, no matter the cost. So Edgar came up with a plan, a way to fix this. He wanted to build a hospital. Totally logical. Edgar could diagnose patients there and then oversee their treatment. He'd make sure they were on their way to recovery.

One little problem. Edgar was poor. Remember, he wasn't taking any money from the readings. His source of income was through photography, and that career hadn't taken off. He desperately needed money for his dream hospital. Lucky for Edgar, he was about to meet someone who could make his dream come true. Except, you know how it goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Enter Morton Blumenthal. He's a well-off stockbroker from New York and a big fan of Edgar's. Morton believed in his abilities, so much so that Morton offered Casey $100,000, which is about $1.8 million today. But in return for the money, Edgar was to do readings for Morton. And they weren't just about health. Being a Wall Street guy, Morton wanted finance tips. Edgar already had a fallout with Dr. Ketchum and his own dad because of gambling.

Edgar grappled with his own convictions. Ultimately, the hospital was important. He agreed to Morton's terms. Casey was emerging from the darkness, picturing a place where sick people could get the help they desperately needed. With the investment, Edgar built the Hospital of Enlightenment in Virginia Beach. Patients were able to be rehabbed on osteopathic machines. They received homeopathic remedies. And most importantly, Edgar could see them through the journey.

It turned out that at the Hospital of Enlightenment, Casey had developed a treatment method that would impact how we look at medicine still today.

The sleeping prophet revolutionized the medical field in many ways. Physicians would see a patient, prescribe medication, and that would be that. Edgar didn't take a myopic view of treatment like many doctors. He felt that if a patient was to truly heal, if they were to get better, they needed more than pills and shots. To achieve health, a patient needed to work on their minds, body, and spirit. The whole person needed treatment, not just the illness.

At his hospital, treatment plans included a well-balanced diet, exercise and meditation. There was a focus on emotions. The belief was that negative thoughts could make an ailing patient worse. On the other hand, positive thoughts would aid in the healing process. While Casey was implementing this new approach, many people in the medical field thought he was ridiculous, that his methods were unnecessary and unscientific.

But today, many doctors and professionals believe in what Casey was doing. They agree that a patient needs to work on the whole body to treat cancer and other sicknesses. It's a widely held belief that our everything, the mind, gut, etc., it's all interconnected, and holistic medicine like acupuncture does work.

In the well-respected Journal of the American Medical Association, it was written that "the roots of present-day holism probably go back 100 years to the birth of Edgar Cayce." This psychic doctor created treatment plans to help heal skin ailments. Research has proven that Cayce's approach – a specific diet, chiropractic medicine, and other natural remedies – is exactly what's needed to clear up psoriasis and other skin conditions.

With no medical training, Edgar Cayce succeeded in helping thousands of people suffering from these skin issues. And that's not all. Cayce also discovered links between food and health that have since been proven true. He said sugar and white flour might aggravate mental disorders. Today, we know that highly processed white flour affects blood sugar, and it can cause energy spikes and crashes that can exacerbate anxiety and depression.

With the Hospital of Enlightenment, Casey was fulfilling his life's goal. He was helping sick people, but he could only do this if he kept his benefactor happy. He needed Morton Blumenthal to keep the investments coming, but those investments wouldn't last forever.

Edgar and Morton met in April of 1929 for a reading. Morton asked about the booming markets. While in a trance, Casey gave a dire warning. He said, "There must surely come a break where it will be panic in the money centers." Edgar was right again. Six months later, Wall Street came crashing down, and so began the Great Depression, the worst financial disaster in history.

Now, you might be asking if Morton heeded Edgar's advice. It appears he did. So Edgar probably saved him from bankruptcy. But saving Morton from destitution wasn't enough. In the midst of the Depression, Morton pulled out as a benefactor. This left Edgar with only one option: close the hospital.

Time and time again, Edgar Cayce has proven that he was the real deal. He had a gift for diagnosing illnesses and predicting future events. And I don't want to scare you, but some of his predictions are terrifying. In January 1934, Cayce predicted that Hitler would rise in power and reign over Germany. Hitler became Fuhrer in August of that year. Cayce said that Hitler would remain in power until an outside war would destroy him.

In 1935, Cayce predicted the outbreak of World War II. He saw an alliance between Austria, Germany, and Japan. But the war would involve many nations. The United States would finally enter the war in 1941.

Casey predicted the deaths of FDR and JFK, and that the United States would go through a period of civil and racial unrest in the 1960s. In 1938, Casey said a portion of temples may yet be discovered under the sea near what is known as Bimini off the coast of Florida. Expect the rising of Atlantis in 68. And sure enough, 30 years later in 1968, the Bimini Road was discovered in the Bahamas.

He described Atlantis as being an ancient civilization of equal size to Europe and having superior technology. He said Atlantis disappeared somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean about 13,000 years ago due to a large flood. We now know that every civilization has a flood myth, and in all of them, the Great Flood occurred 13,000 years ago, during a period of time known as the Younger Dryas.

When the Soviet Union was at the height of its power, Casey said, from Russia comes the hope of the world, not with respect to communism, but freedom. It will take years to crystallize, but Russia will once again be free. In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved and abandoned communism.

In 1934, not much was known about the Jewish sect called the Essenes. But Cayce described the sect in detail. His description was determined to be remarkably accurate. He said their records and documents would come to light. And 12 years later, the Dead Sea Scrolls, written by the Essenes, were discovered. He predicted the El Niño and La Niña weather events before anyone knew about them. In the 1930s, he said the 44th president of the United States would be black.

And on January 1st, 1945, Cayce said he would be buried in four days. His wife didn't like this prediction. But sure enough, he died of a stroke three days later and was then buried in his hometown, just as he predicted. But the sleeping prophet's most disturbing predictions are for events yet to come. According to Cayce, the Earth is in for a catastrophe that will reshape continents and rewrite borders around the world. Buckle up.

In 1936, Edgar Cayce predicted the world would undergo a pole shift between 16 and 20 degrees. When both Mount Etna in Italy and Mount Pele in Martinique erupt together, we will have 90 days to evacuate the coastlines. In 2023, Mount Etna saw eruptions in February, May, August, and November. Scientists at Mount Pele say that seismic activity there is above the baseline.

If the poles shift, as Edgar Cayce predicts, the world map will look very different. Africa will be divided into three parts. The Nile will widen, and a brand new waterway will split the continent. You might have read that this is already happening in Africa.

As the Red Sea grows, Cairo will eventually disappear into the sea. A new landmass will develop to the north and west of Cape Town, and a new mountain range will emerge from the area. Asia is already very seismically active and will suffer the most dramatic changes. Land will be covered from the Philippines to Japan. As the Pacific plate shifts its position, the islands of Japan will sink, leaving only a few small islands. Taiwan and most of Korea will be completely lost to the sea.

The entire coast of China will be pushed inland hundreds of miles. Indonesia will break up, but some islands will remain and new ones will emerge.

The population of India will be told not to seek higher ground within the interior of the country due to buckling of the land. Instead, they will have to head to the Himalayas. The high mountains of Tibet and Nepal will provide refuge. Antarctica will no longer be covered in ice, but will once again become fertile and green. Australia will lose nearly 25% of its land due to coastal flooding. The Adelaide area will become a new sea. The Simpson Desert and Gibson Desert will become fertile farming lands.

New Zealand will actually grow in size and will once again connect to mainland Australia. New Zealand will ultimately become one of the safest areas in the world. Europe, however, will suffer. Most of Northern Europe will simply be gone, sunk into the sea, as the tectonic plate underneath it collapses. Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark disappear, eventually becoming hundreds of small islands. Most of the UK, from Scotland to the English Channel, will disappear into the ocean.

but several small islands will remain. London and Birmingham will actually survive, not as cities, but as islands. Ireland will disappear, except for land at high elevations. Russia will be separated from Europe by a new sea when the Caspian, Black, Kara, and Baltic seas combine. The new sea will stretch all the way to Siberia. Russia's climate will remain intact, leaving Russia to supply most of Europe's food.

much of Central Europe will sink, and most of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea will be completely lost underwater. Most of France will go underwater, leaving an island in the area surrounding Paris. A completely new waterway will then separate Switzerland from France. Italy will be entirely divided by water. Venice, Naples, Rome, and Genoa will sink below the rising sea. Higher elevations will become new islands. New lands will rise from Sicily to Sardinia.

In Canada, most of the coastline will be pushed in by 200 miles. Regions in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and areas of Alberta will become the refugee survival centers of Canada. As the North American plate buckles, California will be reduced to 150 separate islands. The West Coast will recede east toward Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado.

The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway will join and continue from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. All coastal areas from Maine to Florida will be taken over by water and pushed inland for miles.

Most coastal areas of Mexico will be flooded. The California Baja Coast will ultimately become a series of islands. Much of the Yucatan Peninsula will be lost to rising seas. In Central America, higher elevations will be safe and most of the land will sink and become a series of islands. In South America, heavy earthquakes and volcanic activity will remake the terrain.

Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil will be covered by water. The Amazon basin area will become a huge inland sea. Peru and Bolivia will be mostly gone. Salvador, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and parts of Uruguay will sink below the sea, as will the Falkland Islands. An entirely new sea will rise and take over much of central Argentina.

This cataclysm will displace billions of people. Billions more will be killed. Cayce made these and many other terrifying predictions. But is he right? Cayce predicted the pole shift to happen in 1998. Clearly, the Earth is still intact and billions have not died. However, NASA has detected a slight pole shift that could be a concern. And get this, it occurred in 1998.

Now, to be fair, Edgar Cayce has his detractors. He gave over 14,000 readings, so odds are he'll be right at least some of the time.

It's the correct predictions that make headlines. Nobody really notices the things Casey got wrong. Casey used expressions like perhaps, maybe, and I feel that, rather than using positive declarations. This is a common technique used by strip mall psychics. This is known as the Barnum effect, a common psychological phenomenon where people accept vague descriptions as uniquely applicable to themselves.

There were many occasions when Casey would receive a letter from a sick person and then do a reading for them, giving a diagnosis. Casey didn't know that when he was in his trance, those people were already, you know, dead. Now, Casey supporters defend this by saying, well, if they had applied the cure while they were alive, they wouldn't have died. OK, sure. But if Casey was talking to spirits or communing with the universe, the universe should have given him a heads up.

Every time Edgar Cayce got something wrong, there was always a convenient excuse. For example, Cayce gave the location of buried pirate treasure, which sent people scrambling all over the world looking for it. Nobody's found it yet. Cayce's supporters said it's possible the ghosts of Native Americans or pirates were playing tricks on him. And hey, that's a great motto. When things don't go your way, blame pirates. ♪

Was Edgar Cayce a psychic? I don't really know. Nobody does. Edgar Cayce was never exposed as a hoaxer. I believe that he really saw whatever it is that he saw. A recent poll surveyed thousands of American adults of similar income, education, and academic performance. It found that 50% of people believe in some form of ESP or psychic phenomena.

What the poll also found is that people who do not believe in psychics tend to be more structured and analytical in their thinking. And the people who do believe are more emotional and creative in their thinking.

The poll quickly pointed out that believers were gullible and lacked critical thinking skills. Now, that may be true, but the poll also found, and this is important, that those "gullible" believers were far happier in their lives and had much lower levels of stress than skeptics. When we talk about psychic phenomena or the supernatural aspects of religion, there are things that defy scientific explanations.

But nobody can deny these things provide solace to the bereaved, hope to the unfortunate, and structure to an existence that is chaotic at best. Does the supernatural exist?

I don't know. I would agree that most psychics are frauds taking advantage of people. But Edgar Cayce wasn't in this for the money. He really wanted to help people. Whether he was a real psychic or just delusionary, I don't think it matters. We need more people willing to dedicate their lives to helping others. We need more people who see themselves not as the center of the universe, but as part of a larger community where we have to look after each other. We need more people like Edgar Cayce. Now more than ever.

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