The story is familiar: at the height of its glory, a mighty civilization sinks beneath the waves and vanishes, leaving only tantalizing legends in its wake. But what do we really know about Atlantis? In Atlantis: Ancient Legend, Hidden Prophecy, John Michael Greer provides a fair, fascinating and clearly referenced overview of Atlantis as envisioned by thinkers from ancient Greece to the present day. Covering a wide range of material from the sensible to the silly, Greer maps out this popular legend and provides tantalizing hints of the reality which may lie behind these stories.

Greer notes that Plato took pains to state that his account of Atlantis (the earliest we have) was literal truth, not allegory or metaphor. He also points out that Plato's account describes a civilization which was no more advanced than its neighbors. Plato's Atlanteans drove war chariots rather than flying saucers and used spears and arrows rather than mind control rays and levitation devices.

So where did the Atlantean crystal healers and channeled guides come from? From no less than that (in)famous Russian emigr? and polymath Helena Petrova Blavatsky. Her Atlanteans (not to mention the denizens of Lemuria, Mu and other ancient civilizations allegedly destroyed by catastrophe) bore little resemblance to Plato's Mediterranean warriors. From there, a shy photographer named Edgar Cayce gave detailed dream-descriptions of the sunken city and the people who had lived there in past lives--as well as an erroneous prediction that Atlantis would rise again in 1968/69.

While Greer refrains from prophesying about when Atlantis will rise, he does offer us some thought-provoking (if a bit gloomy) reflections about our present culture. Modern geologists have shown a long history of radical climate change. And as oil supplies run dry and our consumerist lifestyles become increasingly untenable, we may find that our tales of forgotten civilizations contain hidden truths--and our myths of eternal progress and the triumph of science may hide horrible falsehoods.

If you have any interest in Atlantis or advanced prehistoric civilizations, Greer has compiled information from Plato to the present day, providing an encyclopedic listing of sources for your own studies of the lands beneath the wave. Atlantis: Ancient Legacy, Hidden Prophecy is sure to become the definitive text on the subject, and is highly recommended.
[[ASIN:B0009IS3WK Mysteries Magazine]]