Author and filmmaker Sidney Kirkpatrick discussed his research of the American prophet Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) using his exclusive access to Cayce's personal papers and trance readings, as well as the recently disclosed identities of his clients. Cayce gave his readings from a deep hypnotic trance, and would not remember what he said afterward. His often accurate medical readings, Kirkpatrick noted, had an incredible specificity referring to such things as blood type, and body temperature. In the course of his life, he probably gave around 25,000 readings, of which today about 14,000 are documented in the "vault" on the campus of the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach.

There has been some debate as to what was the source of Cayce's channeled information. In Cayce's day, Kirkpatrick recalled, it was thought the messages came from God or "Christ consciousness," but from a more recent study of the databases, various distinct identities emerge, including a physician, an engineer, and an archangel. Intriguingly, there are a lot of readings that mention treasure hunting, with one of them citing a location in the Everglades, 'Lost Man's River,' that purportedly has buried pirate treasure.

Among the clients Cayce gave readings for was Burton Wheeler, who at one time was a presidential contender to replace FDR, Kirkpatrick reported. He also talked about a fascinating instance in which the Irish medium Eileen Garrett gave Cayce a reading while he was doing the same for her, as both traveled simultaneously into ethereal dimensions.

Note: The A.R.E. has offered to give Coast to Coast listeners a 25% membership discount, which includes complete access to the Edgar Cayce readings and a year subscription to Venture Inward, the magazine that our guest Sidney Kirkpatrick co-edits with his wife Nancy, plus a free personalized Astrology Forecast! Go to EdgarCayce.org or call 800-333-4499.

Rising Seas

First-hour guest Jeff Goodell, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and author of five books, spoke about the alarming rate of sea level rise-- up to 7 ft. by the end of the century, by many estimates. There's a lot of heat already built-up in the atmosphere, so even if we did cut C02 pollution, we'd still have the problem, he remarked. This sea rise could cause coastal inundation, he continued, devastating properties in areas like South Florida, and leading to mass migrations. Rather than building sea walls and barriers, the Dutch have developed a promising approach "living with water," he reported. They've constructed "water squares" within communities designed to fill up with water during floods, and that can be drained out later.

The last half-hour of the show featured Open Lines.

News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Mish Shedlock, Robert Zimmerman