The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) is an open-membership organization devoted to the American psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945). Its headquarters are in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Edgar Cayce (1877-1945; the surname is pronounced like Casey) is generally remembered as an American psychic who gave trance discourses on subjects like astrology, reincarnation, and Atlantis. ... Part of the Virginia Beach oceanfront resort strip. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner (D) Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ...

Founded 1931 on the ashes of a previous organization (the Association of National Investigators), 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 accept that it is a church or religion, though it accepts 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."

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's, 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 campsite, Atlantic University, and the Cayce/Reilly Institute of Massotherapy.

Structure

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 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 Canade, 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. 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.

Study 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. Meditation usually refers to a state in which the body is consciously relaxed and the mind is allowed to become calm and transcend. ... The Lords Prayer (sometimes known by its first two Latin words as the Pater Noster, in Greek as the , or the English equivalent Our Father) is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ...

Symbol

The A.R.E. symbol consists of a white cross and dove, on a blue background.

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"
• Constituting a church or sect after all, despite protests to the contrary

Links

Official site