Association for Research and Enlightenment

The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) is an organization devoted to the American self-proclaimed psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945). Its headquarters are in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded in 1931, the A.R.E. now boasts several tens of thousands of members, and probably many more who participate in its activities in some way. While most of its members are American, the A.R.E. is represented in more than 60 other countries. The A.R.E. does not recognize that it is a church or a religion, though it recognizes that it is a spiritual organization. As its organizational mission, the A.R.E. aspires "...to help individuals change their lives for the better by exploring concepts and ideas found in the Cayce work."

History

The A.R.E. is heir to a previous Cayce-related organization, the Association of National Investigators (A.N.I.). Dependent on the financial support of a few major donors, the A.N.I. emphasized major institution-building projects such as the original Atlantic University and the Cayce Hospital for Research and Enlightenment, a hospital staffed with medical personnel willing to apply Cayce-recommended treatments. (The name of the hospital would later inspire the name of the A.R.E.) The A.N.I. and its various projects folded with the onset of the Great Depression.

In 1931 Cayce called a meeting of his supporters in Virginia Beach, asking them directly whether they felt that "the work" ought to continue. The result was the creation of the A.R.E. as a successor organization to the A.N.I.. This was also the beginning of a tradition of annual meetings at Virginia Beach featuring talks on spiritual subjects, as well as a live Cayce "reading" (trance-delivered psychic discourse).

Prior to Cayce's death in 1945 people seeking a reading from Cayce were asked to join the A.R.E. This helped insulate Cayce from charges of fortune-telling (which was illegal in some U.S. states), as he was not charging a "fee" for his services but receiving a salary from the member-supported A.R.E. Apart from supporting Cayce and his staff, a major emphasis of the early A.R.E. was the encouragement of small groups devoted to spiritual study, prayer, and meditation.

When Cayce died he left many requests for readings unanswered. His son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, returned from the army later that year and took charge of the A.R.E. Under Hugh Lynn Cayce's presidency the A.R.E. arrived at the basic cluster of activities and interests which it follows today. A major boost came with the rise of the 1960s Counterculture and then the New Age movement, which coincided with a plethora of popular books on Cayce.

After Hugh Lynn's death the A.R.E. came to be led by his son (and Edgar's grandson), Charles Thomas Cayce (interspersed with some periods of shared control). Charles Thomas retired in 2006. The A.R.E.'s current executive director is Kevin J. Todeschi, previously the editor of the A.R.E. membership magazine "Venture Inward."

During the last few decades the A.R.E. has focused its efforts on globalizing its activities by opening centers in various other countries, and on attracting attention from mass media (typically, cable programs from the "unsolved mysteries" genre). During the 1990s a rift occurred between the A.R.E. and the resurrected Atlantic University over issues of control, but the former relationship has since been restored.

Activities

Major activities of the A.R.E. include::*Organizing Cayce study groups:*The "Glad Helpers" intercessory prayer group:*Lectures and tours at A.R.E. headquarters; library facilities:*Disseminating Cayce readings through various media ("circulating files", CD-ROM, internet):*Encouraging research into various aspects of Cayce:*Book and magazine publishing:*"Conferences" (i.e. public talks on Cayce for which tickets are sold) and tours

In addition the A.R.E. cooperates with several Cayce-oriented health providers, a summer camp for adults, teens and families, Atlantic University, and the Cayce/Reilly Institute of Massotherapy.

tructure

The A.R.E. is led by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. The same board also heads a sister organization, the Edgar Cayce Foundation, which claims to hold the copyright to the Cayce readings and related material. (Critics point out that Cayce himself freely distributed the same material without copyright.) Books using Cayce quotes are thus expected to pay royalties.

A.R.E. membership is conceived as a kind of subscription arrangement, in which the "member" receives a packet of goods (publications, mainly) and services (e.g., access to Cayce readings online) in exchange for an annual fee. These can be halved or even waived altogether for people who cannot afford the full fee. Life memberships are also available.

Within the United States and Canada, A.R.E. activities are divided into 11 multi-state / multi-provincial regions and 3 major metropolitan areas. Their relationship with Virginia Beach is basically that of a branch office to headquarters. Overseas, there are presently 29 "Edgar Cayce Centers" in 25 countries, and another 35 countries with a lesser degree of A.R.E. representation.

Study groups and the Glad Helpers group are organizationally independent of ARE headquarters (and in fact pre-date that organization). They do however cooperate to some degree. For example, ARE headquarters refers inquirers to study groups, while study groups may donate money or encourage their participants to join the ARE.

tudy groups

Cayce study groups tend to meet weekly, in members' homes. About half the meeting is generally devoted to the study of some appropriate Cayce text, traditionally the two volumes of "A Search For God." These consist of lessons which Study Group #1 put together with guidance from the sleeping Cayce (who refused to allow them to continue until he felt that they were successfully living the spiritual lessons already given). Often, study group members will attempt to apply the lessons in their lives, just as the first group did.

Usually, the other half of the meeting will be given over to meditation. Several prayers are often recited, including the Lord's Prayer and the Twenty-Third Psalm ("The Lord is my shepherd..."). Despite the prevalence of Christian traditions, a significant number of "Cayce people" are Jews or other non-Christians.

ymbol

On the sleeping Cayce's recommendation, the old A.R.E. symbol consisted of a white cross and dove, on a blue background. In 200? this was changed to a dove and globe (still white on blue).

Criticism

Critics have accused the A.R.E. of presenting a distorted image of Cayce; neglecting generally-accepted standards of scientific research; attempting to tightly control the use of Cayce readings; undemocratic governance; over-emphasis on product sales or "spiritual entertainment"; and constituting a church or sect after all (despite protests to the contrary).

In 1997 Michael Shermer witnessed the institution's ESP experiments and explained the outcome was of no statistical difference from chance. [Michael Shermer. "". 2002, ISBN 0-8050-7089-3 page 69.]

ee also

* A Course in Miracles

References

* A. Robert Smith, "About My Father's Business"

External links

* [http://www.edgarcayce.org Official site]
* [http://caycelibrary.com Edgar Cayce Library]
* [http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/07/08/a-field-trip-to-edgar-cayces-association-for-research-and-enlightenment/ A field trip to Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment]