Elvis Presley grew up in a Christian family in Mississippi and spent his life following the religion’s teachings. This belief system blossomed over the years, but in later life, he also became enthralled with diverse matters of spirituality. The King’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, revealed in her memoir, Elvis and Me, that the King “always kept the Bible on his bedside table and read it often.” And he also read a number of “philosophical books” during their time together.

When Elvis’ mood grew darker, Priscilla revealed how he looked to spirituality to solve his worsening fears and worries. She said: “Faced with ever-deepening despair, he began looking to other philosophical books for answers and guidance. He read the works of Khalil Gibran. One book, in particular, The Prophet, inspired him.” Gibran’s The Prophet is a book of aphorisms and fables centred on various religions.

As well as always seeking the hidden truths in life and faith, however, Elvis was also a believer in some of the more unorthodox concepts. With this mindset, it is not surprising that Elvis was also a believer in superpowers. And he even thought he had the power to change the weather.

Elvis’ bodyguard Dave Hebler wrote a new book earlier this year where he discussed a different side of the King. Writing in his book, The King’s Bodyguard, Dave said: “Elvis ordered: ‘Be quiet while I concentrate. See that cloud over there?’ I looked up to see the little, lonesome cloud.”

Dave said Elvis claimed he could make the clouds move and disappear with the power of his mind. The former bodyguard continued: “Elvis started talking about the power of metaphysics and how, through years of study, he had the power in abundance. He told us he was going to make the cloud disappear using the power of his mind.”

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Dave was left sitting beside Elvis wishing that the cloud would move just so that he would not look silly. He penned: “I thought: ‘Come on, cloud. Move. Do something. For God’s sake.'”

Dave was even more surprised when the King’s purported superpowers actually worked. He recalled: “Finally, that little cloud moved slightly.”

Elvis was no doubt pleased with how his powers worked out, but Dave was sceptical about how it all worked. He added: “If you watch a cloud for any length of time it will move and/or change appearance.”

Looking into the extraordinary was a normal thing for the King, Priscilla later revealed. She explained how he would read a number of books that explored the paranormal world in his day to day life. He would even use these concepts to help his friends out when they needed it.

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Priscilla revealed that Elvis became “enamoured” with these philosophical books. She wrote: “He passed them out to friends, fellow actors, and fans. They appealed to his religious nature and he loved bringing people together ‘in the spirit of one underlying force – Almighty God.'”

When Elvis died, on August 16, 1977, his funeral was conducted by the Wooddale Church of Christ’s pastor C.W. Bradley. He was later buried at the Love in the Forest Hill Cemetery next to his mother, Gladys Presley.

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