Edgar Cayce on the
Book of Revelation
The
Book of Revelation, often called
the Revelation to John, or the
Apocalypse of John, is a book of the
New Testament that occupies a
central place in
Christian eschatology. Its title
is derived from the first word of
the text, written in Koine Greek:
"apokalypsis", meaning "unveiling"
or "revelation". The Book of
Revelation is the only apocalyptic
document in the New Testament canon
although there are short apocalyptic
passages in various places in the
Gospels and the Epistles. The author
names himself in the text as "John",
but his precise identity remains a
point of academic debate. Second
century Christian writers such as
Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and
Clement of Alexandria identify
John the Apostle as the "John"
of Revelation. The bulk of
traditional sources date the book to
the reign of the emperor
Domitian (AD 81-96), and the
evidence tends to confirm this. The
book begins with John, on the island
of Patmos in the Aegean, addressing
a letter to the "Seven
Churches of Asia". He then
describes a series of prophetic
visions, including figures such as
the
Whore of Babylon and
the Beast, culminating in the
Second Coming of Jesus.
Wikipedia has an excellent
chronological list of events in
the Book of Revelation and
an outline of the book. The
obscure and extravagant imagery has
led to a wide variety of Christian
interpretations: historicist
interpretations see in Revelation a
broad view of history; preterist
interpretations treat Revelation as
mostly referring to the events of
the apostolic era (1st century), or,
at the latest, the fall of the Roman
Empire; futurists believe that
Revelation describes future events;
and
idealist or symbolic interpretations
consider that Revelation does not
refer to actual people or events,
but is an allegory of the spiritual
path and the ongoing struggle
between good and evil. As you will
see, Cayce gives an idealist
interpretation to the Book of
Revelation.
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Table of Contents |
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1. Introduction to Cayce's
Interpretation of the Revelation |
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Through
his otherworldly journeys, Cayce learned the
true interpretation of the Bible. According
to Cayce, the Bible is the symbolic account
of the fall of the human soul from its
divine origins (as symbolically described in
the Book of Genesis) and restoration of the
human soul to heaven (as symbolically
described in the Book of Revelation). In
other words, Genesis is the symbolic
testimony of humanity's fall from heaven and
paradise lost. Revelation is the symbolic testimony
of humanity's restoration to heaven and paradise
regained.
In the
Book of Revelation, John records a vision he experiences,
probably while dreaming or meditating. This
vision contains a tremendous amount of symbolism;
the same kind of symbolism one would see in
a dream, a vision of the spirit world. In fact,
the Book of Revelation contains the same symbolism
found in the symbols in the
Prophet Daniel's dream. All
Biblical dreams, such as those of Joseph,
Gideon, Daniel, Paul, and Peter, are very symbolic
and therefore had a hidden spiritual meaning
rather than a literal interpretation of the
symbols. Such is the case with the Book of Revelation.
During
several of
Cayce's journeys into the spirit realms,
he was able to unlock the
secrets to the symbolism in the Book of Revelation.
He gave a large amount of information specifically
for the purpose of discovering the book's hidden
meaning.
Cayce described the
true nature between humanity and God. Cayce
revealed that humans have three different
dimensions of human awareness: the
conscious mind (personality), the subconscious
mind (soul) and the superconscious mind (spirit).
An important goal in everyone's life is to awaken
our
superconscious mind to attain what Cayce
called
"at-onement" with God.
The superconscious
mind is called by many names by many religions
in many different cultures. Some of these names
are: Buddha consciousness,
Christ consciousness,
the Collective Mind,
the Universal Mind, the Collective Unconsciousness,
the Holy Spirit, Brahman, God, the Clear White
Light, Allah, Higher Self, the Mind of Christ,
etc.
Cayce's
references to the Christ, the Christ consciousness
and the Mind of Christ, has little to do with
the personality known as Jesus. Cayce revealed
how Jesus became the Christ -- a full manifestation
of the Christ consciousness -- the perfect
union of the human with the divine. It is
God's desire for all of humanity to attain
"Christhood" (or "Buddhahood"
if you live in the East). Such an
"enlighterned" condition will
truly bring the Kingdom of God to this world.
Cayce revealed the Book of Revelation is
the symbolic story of how humanity in general
(and a human being in particular) attains this
union with the divine.
Cayce's dream
interpretation of the Book of Revelation
can be contained in a book all by itself. In
fact, a whole book has been written about Cayce's
interpretation of Revelation. It is entitled
Edgar Cayce's Commentary on the Revelation.
There is also a video on this subject from the
A.R.E. Foundation (the Cayce organization).
What
follows is a very brief summary of the information
he received.
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2.
Chapters 1-3: Letters to the
Churches |
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Literal meaning:
On the island
of Patmos, John explains how he was in the Spirit
when Christ appears to him standing in the midst
of seven candlesticks. Christ then tells John
to write down what he sees and hears concerning
seven churches.
Cayce
Interpretation:
While in
meditation, John's conscious mind becomes
open to his subconscious mind and his superconscious
mind.
The seven churches and the seven seals represent
the seven spiritual centers (i.e., chakras)
of the body where the physical, mental and spiritual
forces all come together. The superconscious
mind within John, tells him that anyone who
can regain control of these spiritual centers
within their bodies can access the superconscious
mind and never need to reincarnate again (Revelation
3:12). The following is a chart of the
spiritual centers in the body represented by
the endocrine glands, the corresponding
Chakra and Church, the astrological
influence, and the influence of the Lord's
prayer upon the spiritual centers of the
body toward spiritual awakening.
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The following are
other symbols of Revelation
interpreted by Cayce:
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3. Chapters
4-11: Christ Opens the Seals of the
Book in Heaven |
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Literal meaning: John
now appears at the throne of God and sees four
beasts and twenty-four elders around it. On
the throne sits God who has a book with seven
seals. John weeps when he learns that no one
can open the seals to the book. One of the elders
tells John that Christ is able to open the seals. Christ
then opens the seals, resulting in many Earth
changes. The seventh seal unleashes seven angels
who sound seven trumpets which are sounded one
by one.
Cayce
Interpretation:
John has a mental
awakening when he attains the spiritual level
of the superconscious mind, within the throne
of his own body. The four beasts are his four
lower spiritual center's animalistic desires
and the
twenty-four elders are the twenty-four nerves
from his brain leading to his five senses. The
superconscious mind, is now in full control
of John's body. The body is symbolized as a
book with seven seals which "no one has
the ability to open on his own" (Revelation
5:3). Only through the development of the
superconscious mind within a person, can these
spiritual centers within the body be opened
(i.e., spiritually activated).
As each spiritual
center within the body is activated, different
parts of the body are purified and upheavals
of the body occur mentally, physically, and
spiritually. The superconscious mind spiritually
activates the seventh spiritual center (the
Pituitary, the master gland of the body). As
a result of this, it becomes "quiet in heaven
for one half hour" (Revelation
8:1). This is symbolic of the perfect control
of the mind for one half hour through
meditation.
Here is a table of the seals of the
Revelation corresponding to the opening of
the seals, the spiritual centers in the body
represented by the endocrine glands, and the
four beasts representing the physical
desires of those glands:
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The following are
other symbols of Revelation
interpreted by Cayce:
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4. Chapters
12-14: A Woman, a Dragon, Two Beasts,
and a Lamb |
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Literal
meaning:
John sees a woman
with twelve stars about to bear a child. Next
to the woman is a dragon that is ready to devour
the child she is giving birth to. After
the child is born, the child is taken to the
throne of God. Afterward, a war in heaven
occurs and the devil and his angels are cast
out of heaven to Earth. John also sees a beast
rise out of the sea which the world worships.
John then sees a lamb on the Earth and angels
proclaiming the fall of Babylon.
Cayce Interpretation:
John is shown a picture
of the soul of humanity in its development since
the days of eternity. The woman symbolizes the
soul of humanity crowned with twelve stars,
the twelve basic patterns of human personality
as described in the zodiac. The child she
bears is the conscious mind. As the conscious
mind is born, a rival force of the self occurs,
which brings about recurring periods of rebellion
in humanity. Through divine intervention,
the conscious mind is protected while the unconscious
mind, from which it sprung, is withdrawn below
the conscious level. This is the same story
as symbolized as
the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Rebellion from the physical brings conflict
into the soul but the soul can remain above
it by remaining concealed from the forces of
self will.
The "beast
rising out of the sea" is the selfish animalistic
desires that arise which are capable of ruling
humanity. These desires spring from the self-will
of the unspiritual intellect of humanity whom
the world worships as a symbol of material success.
The human intellect, lacking spiritual orientation,
cuts itself off from all that is divine. The
lamb that John sees are the forces of the superconscious
mind in the world going into action. "Babylon,"
the human desire for earthly riches and success
in the gratification of the flesh, begins to
be destroyed as humans are shown the consequences
of their prostitution of their higher faculties.
The following are
symbols of Revelation interpreted by
Cayce:
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5. Chapters
15-18: Seven Angels, Seven Vials of
Seven Plagues, and a Prostitute Riding
Beast |
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Literal
meaning:
John is shown seven angels each of whom holds
a vial containing a plague which they pour upon
the Earth one at a time. John then sees a woman
sitting on a seven-headed beast with ten horns.
The woman wears on her forehead the name
Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots
and Abominations of the Earth. John is told
the seven heads symbolize the seven mountains
on which the woman sits and the ten horns symbolize
ten kings. These make war against the lamb and
the lamb conquers.
Cayce Interpretation:
John
is seeing within the soul of humanity, the collective
unconscious, that the souls of individuals are
purified and tested on seven levels of consciousness
symbolized by the seven plagues being poured
out by the seven angels. When all seven levels
of consciousness have been purified, then and
only then can a person control the physical,
mental, and spiritual forces within his body.
Physical
diseases arise from the misuse of the forces
and self-gratification of the flesh, wars against
universal truth. This brings about conflict
in the world against groups and governments.
The end of the seven ordeals comes when humanity's
social institutions and concepts collapse, leaving
universal truth to be realized.
The
Prostitute of Babylon symbolizes humanity's
desire lust for riches and gratification of
the flesh. The beast it rides on are man-made
ideas stemming from self-gratification. It
is explained to John that these forces have
taken control of the seven spiritual centers
of the human body, thereby becoming possessed
and ruled. However, as the highest forces of
evolving humanity overcome the forces of self,
even the ten basic urges of the body, symbolized
by the ten horns, will in time fulfill the divine
pattern. As the divine nature in humanity becomes
less realized, society is destroyed by its own
hand through self-gratification.
The following are
symbols of Revelation interpreted by
Cayce:
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6. Chapters
19-22: Rejoicing in Heaven, the Devil
Thrown into a Pit, a New
Heaven and Earth |
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Literal
meaning:
John now sees much rejoicing in heaven and the
appearance of Christ. An angel casts the devil
into a bottomless pit for one thousand years. John
then sees a new heaven and a new Earth come
into being.
Cayce Interpretation:
What was the final
salvation of the bodily, mental, and spiritual
forces described within John, now are shown
to take place in collective humanity. When humanity
recognizes the divinity within them as the controlling
force in the world, and turns away from their
own selfish pattern of living for self alone,
the old pattern disappears and the Christ pattern
emerges.
John is told that
the merging of the evolved self with the divine
superconscious, which has taken place in John,
must also take place in all humanity (Revelation
19:7). The fulfilled pattern of evolved
humanity, the Christ (i.e., superconscious mind),
is now shown in a position of power (the so-called
"second coming of Christ").
Now the archetype
of humanity's continual rebellions,
the self-willed intellect symbolized as the
"devil", is confined for a time in the collective
unconscious mind. During this period of one
thousand years (the 1000 year reign of Christ),
only the evolved souls will be permitted to
incarnate the Earth (Revelation
20:4). At the end of this period, the remaining
souls begin to incarnate, bringing with them
their unsatisfied ambitions and desires. This,
of course, brings about the former conditions
of imbalance (wars and plagues). These
conditions, all man-made, are now themselves
eliminated and all mental forms and patterns
not formed by divine will are purged (Revelation
20:14).
The
"new heaven and new Earth" John sees is humanity's
perfected state of consciousness and regenerated
body. The human mind at this point is now one
with the divine in the perfection of control
and is free from outside limitations. The human
conscious mind merges with the superconscious
mind.
John states that
if anyone adds or takes away from this book,
that person will experience the plagues in this
book. The
book is the body, which is the vehicle for
human experience in the world. Through it, the
lessons of the soul are learned. There can be
no shortcuts or meanderings without dire consequences
to the body.
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7. Conclusion by John Van Auken |
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According
to Cayce expert,
John Van Auken, John the
Revelator's experience was made
possible because Christ is a
channel, a door, a mediation to the
Father; and each of us can apply
this in our lives. The Revelation
represented a new connection between
God and each of us through Christ.
John's vision reveals the
transitions, passages, and stages he
went through and we may go through
to make a new relationship with God,
similar to the one we originally had
in the Garden where we walked and
talked with Him. Remember, in the
Cayce paradigm, characters and
events in the Bible not only
represent individual souls but also
all souls as a group. Adam therefore
is an individual and a group. The
experiences recorded in the Bible
are those that all souls experience.
Therefore, my soul and yours were
created by God in the beginning, in
God's image, and walked and talked
with Him in that primeval Garden of
the original consciousness. Today,
in this present incarnation which so
captivates us, it is hard to believe
that somewhere within each of us is
a godling created in the image of
God, who once had regular, conscious
contact with its Creator.
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Relevant
Cayce Books
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Edgar Cayce on the Revelation:
A Study Guide for Spiritualizing
Body and Mind
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by John Van Auken
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In this amazing book,
Cayce's surprising
interpretation turns the
Revelation into a
powerful study guide for
all to use in
spiritualizing body and
mind. Cayce taught that
"the visions, the
experiences, the names,
the churches, the
places, the dragons, the
cities, all are but
emblems of those forces
that may war within the
individual in its
journey through the
material, or from the
entering into the
material manifestation
[i.e., physical body and
this world] to the
entering into the glory,
or the awakening in the
spirit." Also available
in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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2038: The Great Pyramid
Timeline Prophecy
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by John Van Auken
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Inside the Great Pyramid
in Egypt is a prophecy
in stone that points to
these present times,
especially to the years
from 1958 to 2038.
Points along the
timeline were associated
with world events,
taking it to the level
of an ancient prophecy
of humankind's journey
that continues into
today. Van Auken
presents the whole story
in detail, correlating
the passageways and
chambers in the Great
Pyramid with the
chapters and verses in
the original Egyptian
Book of the Dead, whose
title is more accurately
translated: Book of
Coming Forth into Light.
Also available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Edgar Cayce on Soul
Symbolism: Creating Life
Seals, Aura Charts, and
Understanding the
Revelation
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by Kevin J Todeschi
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Edgar Cayce recommended
exploring three tools
for personal symbolism
that would assist in
personal growth and
enlightenment: Creating
life seals (personal
mandalas), creating aura
charts (a visual
depiction of an
individual's unique
Akashic Record), and
understanding the Book
of Revelation as a
symbolic exploration of
archetypal images,
patterns, and processes
that correspond to the
awakening of the Higher
Self. Also available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Earth Changes:
Historical, Economical,
Political, and Global
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by Edgar Cayce
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For the first time ever,
all of the Edgar Cayce
readings dealing with
earth changes are
available in one volume.
This material is
insightful and discusses
physical changes,
economic changes and
changes in global
consciousness which
Cayce saw as our
collective destiny. Also
included are changes
that Cayce foretold
which have been
prevented as well as
those which have yet to
occur. Taken together,
the material provides an
inspiring look at the
future of planet earth.
Also available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Edgar Cayce's Story of the
Soul
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by W. H. Church
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W.H. Church, a scholar
of the Cayce readings,
traces the genesis of
the soul -- where we
came from and where we
are going -- in a
remarkable work that
reveals the spiritual
process of creation
itself and the divine
plan for the soul's
eventual salvation. Gain
a true understanding of
the genesis of souls and
what happened in the
Garden of Eden. Read
about Atlantis, the
Yucatan, Fallen Angels,
Mound Builders and more.
Also available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Edgar Cayce on Angels, Archangels,
and the Unseen Forces
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by Robert J. Grant
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The "next step" for
those who want to
discover angels in their
lives, this book goes
beyond angelic
appearances to a keen
new awareness of how
angels influence world
evolution and one's own
personal psyche. You
will explore new
research on angels'
roles in personal and
planetary karma, the
angelic hierarchy, the
origin and destiny of
Christ, archangels and
fallen angels, and the
meaning of angels in the
Revelation. Also
available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Edgar Cayce on the
Akashic Records: The
Book of Life
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by Kevin J. Todeschi
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The Akashic Records is
the source from which
Edgar Cayce received
many of his remarkable
insights. Also known in
the Bible as the "Book
of Life", the Akashic
Records is the
storehouse of all
information - every
word, deed, feeling,
thought, and intent --
for every individual who
has ever lived upon the
earth. Todeschi explains
how each of us can
access our own Book of
Life to learn about our
past, present, and
future. Also available
in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Edgar Cayce's
Story of
the Bible
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by Robert Krajenke
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According to Cayce, the
Bible is a sourcebook
for spiritual
development that applies
to every facet of our
lives. Beginning with
the story of Genesis and
the creation of souls
and culminating with the
promises of Jesus and
the Revelation, you will
discover the powerful
plan that has been in
place since the
Beginning a plan set in
motion to restore
humanity's fallen
consciousness to its
true heritage as
spiritual beings. Also
available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Sacred Journey: Edgar
Cayce, the Bible, and
the Path to
Enlightenment
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by M. K. Welsch
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Every person on this
planet is on a sacred
journey. Each moment of
our lives spent on earth
has profound meaning.
The time has come to
remember who we really
are. The author weaves
together a beautiful
true story of our souls,
our purpose, and our
potential with ideas
drawn from Cayce and
supportive passages from
the Bible. This unique
work offers a new
expansive perspective on
the impact of the Christ
spirit on our world. It
reveals Jesus, the
Master-teacher, as our
elder brother who left
behind the pattern souls
could follow to fulfill
our holy purpose for
entering into the earth.
Also available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Passage to the
Millennium: Surviving
and Thriving in the 21st
Century
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by Mary Ellen Carter
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Cayce shines his
intuitive light on the
approaching millennium.
Carter looks at the
unprecedented changes
taking place around the
planet which were not
envisioned by futurists,
social planners, even as
recently as a few years
ago, and were foreseen
by Cayce. This is
Cayce's "New World
Order", and how to
survive in it. Also
available in
KINDLE EBOOK
Edition.
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Return of the Phoenix
(Book One): The Veil
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by Michael Mandeville
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This is an overview of
Cayce's capabilities,
ideas, life,
metaphysics, prophecies,
readings, and historical
context of his work and
an analytic summary of
the major assessments of
his psychic talent. Key
topics related to Edgar
Cayce includes: his
accuracy, his biography,
his career,
clairvoyance,
Christianity, end times,
metaphysics, millennium,
precognition, prophecy,
prophets, psychic
readings and
predictions, religion,
validation and
verification of psychic
accuracy.
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Return of the Phoenix
(Book Two): The Great
Break-Up
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by Michael Mandeville
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The Great Break-Up is a
comprehensive anthology
and verification of
Cayce's psychic
predictions and
clairvoyant vision about
business, economics,
history, international
affairs, politics, and
other topics. Cayce's
predictions are related
within the times of
their making during
1923-1944 and are
presented along with the
historical analysis
which systematically
documents an objective
score of 92% for Cayce's
general predictions.
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Return of the Phoenix
(Book Three): The
Prophecies
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by Michael Mandeville
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This book is a
definitive anthology and
scientific analysis of
Cayce's prophecies for
the 21st century about
great social, religious,
economic, geological,
and environmental
upheaval. Cayce
predicted the opening of
an ancient time vault in
Egypt which will reveal
the spiritual origins of
human civilization and
help humanity rebuild
after a series of
catastrophic earth
changes with a shift in
the location of the
poles. Cayce's
prophecies are fully
presented, for the first
time ever, along with
the major correlations
in the geological record
which corroborate
Cayce's predictions and
prove that they are on
track. This book also
explores the major
parallels between
Cayce's stories and the
ancient memories of
humanity as found in the
ancient records,
legends, and prophecies
of various religions and
cultures.
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