FATE Magazine....

DESTINATION VIRGINIA BEACH:

EDGAR CAYCE'S ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH

AND ENLIGHTENMENT

The legend of Edgar Cayce lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Many people know about Edgar Cayce, the most-documented psychic of the 20th century, but most don't know of the legacy he left in Virginia Beach.

Until his death in 1945, Edgar Cayce was one of the most remarkable psychic talents of all time. As a young man, Cayce found he was able to enter into a self-induced sleep state, enabling him to answer questions or give discourses about almost any subject matter or topic. These discourses, which became known as "readings," numbered more than 14,000 and have undergone intensive research for more than a century.

Much of the information requested of Cayce concerned physical ailments. Given the name and location of an individual anywhere in the world, he could correctly describe the person's condition and outline treatment procedures. Cayce related the interconnectedness of attitudes, emotions, and the physical body and eventually became known as the "father of holistic medicine."

Cayce moved to Virginia Beach in 1925 and founded the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in 1931. Though begun as the international headquarters for his work, the A.R.E. has become much more for members, visitors, and anyone interested in psychic phenomena.

Located in Virginia Beach--where visitors are always welcome--the A.R.E. community has grown into a global network of individuals who offer conferences, educational activities, and fellowship around the world. People of every age are invited to participate in programs that focus on topics like holistic health, dreams, reincarnation, ESP, the power of the mind, meditation, and personal spirituality.

In addition to study groups and various activities, the A.R.E. offers membership benefits and services, a bimonthly magazine, a newsletter, extracts from the Cayce readings, international tours, a massage school curriculum, an impressive volunteer network, a retreat-type camp for children and adults, an affiliation with Atlantic University (which offers a master's degree program in Transpersonal Studies), and A.R.E. contacts around the world.

Though you don't have to visit Virginia Beach to enjoy the benefits of the A.R.E., it's well worth the trip. The A.R.E. Visitor Center has become an Edgar Cayce mecca for good reason. A visit to Virginia Beach can (and probably will) change your life.

"I think the A.R.E. is one of the best kept travel secrets in America," says Robert J. Grant, the A.R.E.'s coordinator for public information. "While a number of television and radio programs, books, and articles have been published about the work of Edgar Cayce, a lot of people don't realize how ideal Virginia Beach and the A.R.E. are for a vacation with something different."

The Visitor Center is located just one block from Virginia Beach's Atlantic Ocean, close to the tourist accommodations and beach facilities of this famous east coast beach destination. More than 40,000 people attend tours, conferences, or workshops at the A.R.E. Visitor Center every year.

The ground floor of the Visitor Center features four auditoriums for year-round lectures, conferences, workshops, and audiovisual presentations. The receptionist can provide details about guided tours, ESP testing, weekly programs, and walk-through exhibits dealing with Edgar Cayce and the A.R.E. There is a film documentary on the life of Edgar Cayce shown every day at 3:00pm, as well as lectures on a variety of topics every day at 3:30pm.

The first floor also contains an excellent bookstore, with a large selection of popular and hard-to-find titles in the fields of holistic health, parapsychology, comparative religions, inspirational reading, life after death, dreams, psychology, and the work of Edgar Cayce, as well as learn-at-home audio courses, a variety of videotapes, Edgar Cayce Home Health Products, and much more. The bookstore also produces an excellent catalog for mail order customers.

The second floor exhibit area depicts the research of the Edgar Cayce readings on health and healing, as well as the Harold J. Reilly School of Massotherapy. The A.R.E. Library is an extraordinary resource for visitors, housing more than 14,000 Edgar Cayce readings, as well as one of the largest specialized parapsychological collections in the world (nearly 70,000 volumes). The library also houses thousands of books in the fields of holistic health, psychic experience, and comparative religions. It's a veritable gold mine for matters of the mind.

This floor also serves as the offices of Atlantic University's Transpersonal Studies program. The curriculum enables students to pursue in-depth studies of such contemporary thinkers as Carl Jung, Ken Wilber, Rudolf Steiner, and Edgar Cayce. The university offers courses which focus on dreams, creative writing, comparative religions, and the transpersonal aspects of psychology, philosophy, and science.

In an exciting development, Atlantic University recently received accreditation for its master's degree program from the Distance Education and Training Council. "Accreditation lets the public know that Atlantic University's programs meet certain standards," says A.U. president Dr. Jerry Cardwell. This accreditation has brought heightened awareness for the school and the A.R.E.

Also located on second floor, the Harold J. Reilly School of Massotherapy is recognized internationally as a leader in the fields of massage therapy and holistic studies. The school offers a 225-hour and 600-hour program, including instruction in the Cayce/Reilly massage method recommended in the Cayce readings, a thorough study of physiology and anatomy, and an introduction to a wide variety of massage techniques.

The third floor contains a popular meditation room, providing a quiet respite overlooking the Atlantic. The colors in the room were specifically chosen because the Edgar Cayce readings, as well as other traditions, suggested that they can assist in awakening a higher awareness. The stained-glass windows in the meditation room were a special gift from Fredrica Fields, a renowned stained-glass artist whose Cayce readings accurately predicted her talent in this art.

A prayer for healing group, begun by Cayce in 1931, meets every Wednesday morning to pray for people who have requested prayer. A list of those who have asked for prayer is compiled and sent to anyone who would like to be prayed for or participate in prayer. During specific periods each day, approximately 1,000 people around the world are praying for individuals whose names appear on the list.

Located just west of the Visitor Center, the Meditation Garden provides an ideal place for quiet contemplation, reading, taking or stroll, watching the goldfish, or chatting with friends. A white cinderblock building next to the garden is the home of A.R.E. Publishing Company, which produces books, videos, and audiotapes offering guidance for a more fulfilling life.

A large white frame building on a nearby hill was constructed in the late-1920s to serve as the Edgar Cayce Hospital. The Cayce Hospital was a place where people could receive an Edgar Cayce health reading and have its suggested treatments carried out by a license medical staff. It now serves as the A.R.E.'s organizational headquarters.

Though Edgar Cayce died 50 years ago, his legend lives in Virginia Beach. It's always fun to go to the beach, but Virginia Beach offers something special. The A.R.E. beckons anyone interested in Cayce and the work that continues today.

For more information about the A.R.E., contact P.O. Box 595, 67th and Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451-0595, or telephone (804) 428-3588. For more information about the Virginia Beach area, contact the Virginia Beach Information Center at (800) VA BEACH (822-3224).

"There is seen, there is being laid out plans for a work that as given is to change the thought of mankind in general in many directions."

--Edgar Cayce reading 254-37