What did Edgar Cayce predict?
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Executive summary
Edgar Cayce, a self-styled “sleeping prophet,” produced thousands of trance readings that include predictions about earth changes, geopolitical upheavals, medical cures, Atlantis and past lives, and technological or societal shifts [1] [2]. His most famous forecasts—stock‑market warnings, the so‑called “Earth Changes” including polar shifts and the return of Atlantis, and disasters affecting California and New York—are widely cited by proponents and skeptics alike [3] [2] [4].
1. Major thematic predictions: earth changes, Atlantis, and pole shifts
A central strand in Cayce’s readings were large-scale geophysical events he called “Earth Changes,” which included earthquakes, volcanic activity, sinking and rising land, rechanneling waterways, and even a polar shift that would expose or raise the lost land of Atlantis from the sea [5] [2]. These themes recur across readings cited by New Age writers and by the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), which curates Cayce’s material and promotes interpretations that link his prophecies to future planetary cycles [6] [5].
2. Specific notable predictions often attributed to him
Among the specific forecasts attributed to Cayce are warnings of a major stock market collapse (linked by supporters to the 1929 crash), prophecies about the destruction or severe alteration of California and New York City, and predictions about alliances and world‑war dynamics before World War II unfolded [7] [4] [3]. The A.R.E. and popular retellings also list future‑oriented items such as the opening of Egyptian “hall of records,” the discovery of Atlantean records, widespread longevity improvements, and even inventions like a “gasless motor” [6].
3. Medical and psychic readings as a predictive corpus
Cayce’s output was not limited to headline prophecies; roughly half his more than 14,000 readings addressed healing, diagnostics and past‑life material, making his corpus a mix of practical prescriptions and metaphysical claims rather than a single prophecy list [1]. Proponents point to detailed historical or archaeological parallels—such as Cayce’s extensive references to the Essenes before the Dead Sea Scrolls were found—as evidence of precognition, while critics note these claims require careful sourcing and context [7].
4. How supporters and institutions frame “fulfilled” predictions
Organizations that steward Cayce’s legacy, notably the A.R.E., publish lists of “prophecies that came true” and highlight items they argue were prescient—economic warnings, archaeological correlations, and technological hints among them—while reframing ambiguous readings as prophetic guidance rather than literal forecasts [6] [7]. Popular books and pamphlets since the 1960s have amplified selective readings—especially apocalyptic earth‑change material—helping fuel New Age movements and maps like Lori Toye’s “I Am America,” which draw explicitly from Cayce [2].
5. Accuracy, controversy, and alternate readings
Scholars and skeptical commentators emphasize that many of Cayce’s most dramatic statements are vague, post‑dated, or metasymbolic, and that proponents sometimes retrofit outcomes to match readings; high‑profile successes cited by enthusiasts (e.g., the 1929 crash citations) remain contested in method and documentation [7] [3]. Major reference works note his claims about Atlantis, extraterrestrials and pole shifts as central to his mythos but classify them as beliefs rather than empirically verified predictions [2] [4].
6. Legacy, agendas, and what remains unverified
Cayce’s legacy is dual: a devoted A.R.E. following that preserves thousands of readings as spiritual and practical guidance, and a body of skeptical scholarship that questions literal fulfillment and highlights selective citation and New Age amplification [1] [2]. Public interest continues through books, popular articles and commercial works that both celebrate and commercialize his forecasts—materials that tend to emphasize evocative, dramatic prophecies like Earth Changes and Atlantis while downplaying ambiguities and failed or vague items [8] [9]. Where reporting or sources do not provide definitive verification of a particular reading’s fulfillment, that uncertainty remains part of the record [10].