There are people of all walks of life throughout history that have claimed to have the gift of foretelling the future. People like Michel de Nostradamus and Ellen G. White, but the one that really catches my attention is Edgar Cayce. Edgar Cayce was a devout Christian who was born March 18, 1877 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and died January 3, 1945 in Virginia Beach, Virginia at the respectful age of 67. He was a prophet who supposedly had the ability to tap into the Akashic Records. These intangible records are said to be a collection of mystical knowledge that’s been encoded on an ethereal plane of existence referred to as the astral plane. The Akashic Records are thought to include every single experience known to mankind since the beginning of time. These records are supposedly pretty intense because according to them, nothing is hidden. Every minute detail of our existence is said to be imprinted within them. However, there is no scientific validation that these records actually exist.

Edgar Cayce would often refer to the Akashic Records during many of his readings. While conducting the sessions, the people for whom he was doing the readings usually would not be present. Their questions, ranging from personal to health, would be given to Cayce. He would then lie down and enter a trance where he would access the Akashic Records. His wife, Gertrude Evans Cayce, guided the readings for him. Unfortunately, Cayce’s earlier readings were not documented, but according to an article in the Birmingham Post-Herald released in 1922, it stated that Cayce gave over 8,000 readings followed by an addition of up to 14,000 more readings after that date.

Edgar Cayce claimed that he didn’t remember anything mentioned during his sessions once he was out of the trance-like state. He believed that our unconscious minds have access to information that our conscious minds do not. Not only could Edgar Cayce tap into the Akashic Records, he also claimed to have the ability to perform astral projection, which is the ability to travel in astral form outside the physical body. Many people refer to this phenomenon as an out-of-body experience (OBE). Cayce was considered as a prophet who reported to have foreseen major events like both World Wars, the Great Depression and even the assassination of the 44th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

Skeptics believe that Cayce gathered his information for his predictions from the articles and books that he read. Skeptics also criticize Cayce’s support for alternative medicine, which they view as quackery. Edgar Cayce became quite the celebrity before his death. He was even known as the most documented psychic of the 20th century.