The Lost Continent of Atlantis

The first recorded references to a sunken continent once known as Atlantis were made by the Greek philosopher Plato in two of his dialogues, "Timaeus" and "Critias", which date back to the fifth century B.C. Atlantis is mentioned in a conversation occurring between some Egyptian priests, and reference is made to a volcanic catastrophe that buried the land mass beneath the sea some nine thousand years before.

Since then, much of the material that deals with the Atlantis legend has been written and elaborated upon by many eccentric individuals and occultists. One book of importance, however, was Atlantis: the Antediluvian World, written by Ignatius Donnelly. Donnelly presented geological and archeological evidence along with legend to support his belief in Atlantis' existence. He also pointed to similarities between Egyptian and Central/South American cultures, such as their 365-day calendars, flood legends, and embalming and pyramid-building practices, as suggesting that these peoples shared a common origin - though they had since become separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, he cited certain peoples of Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands (all of which were likely landing spots for refugees from Atlantis) who were distinctly different from their neighbors in those regions.

As compelling as Donnelly's and others' arguments were, science has never produced solid proof of the lost continent's existence. There is a wealth of geological evidence, however, to support the idea that vast portions of the Atlantic Ocean's floor were once above the surface - some 14,000-25,000 years ago.

The largest (and, often, most bewildering) body of material ever delivered on the subject of Atlantis comes from perhaps the most renowned psychic of all time, Edgar Cayce. Cayce was a medium who would enter a trance state and offer diagnostic advice to the many people who sought his help. Most of the Readings he gave were in response to people's health concerns, but sometimes he would deliver Life Readings, which dealt with their reincarnational pasts. It was within these life readings that his material on Atlantis emerged.

About 700 of the people whom Edgar Cayce read for purportedly had previous incarnations in Atlantis that were affecting their present lives. What has often been marveled at is the degree to which all these readings - delivered over a period of 21 years from 1923 to 1944 - remain consistent and never contradict each other. While Plato had written of the sinking of Atlantis as a singular event that occurred swiftly, Cayce maintained that the continent was wracked by three major upheavals separated by a wide gulf of years. Europe, Africa and the Americas had harbored hosts of Atlantean refugees more than once, he said.

According to Cayce, the continent of Atlantis had stretched from the Gulf of Mexico on one side to the Mediterranean on the other (this correlates with Plato's description). Evidence of its existence could be found in modern-day Morocco, the Pyrenees, British Honduras, Tucatan, and America. He claimed that the continent was, in fact, the home of the "first of the sons of men".

The Atlanteans were reputed to have a sophisticated and highly technological civilization similar to modern America. As a people, they developed rapidly, inventing electrical and aerial devices and modes of transportation - "machines of destruction that sailed both through the air and beneath the water" - explosives, and even atomic and radioactive forces.

For those who sought Edgar Cayce's advice and were informed of their previous incarnations in Atlantis, the Reading carried a warning. The Atlanteans became known for their selfishness and their tendency to exploit their environment regardless of how this would affect the people with whom they shared the world. Their wanton ways, in the end, brought a period of widespread destruction and geological change. In the modern day, according to Cayce, their souls have been returning to the Earth and carrying with them the same destructive impulses. Would history repeat itself?