Edgar Cayce's ARE (Virginia Beach)

```mediawiki Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (ARE) is a spiritual and educational institution headquartered at 215 67th Street on Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded in 1931, the ARE was established to preserve and disseminate the teachings of Edgar Cayce (1877–1945), the American mystic known as the "sleeping prophet," who conducted more than 14,000 trance-state readings over the course of his lifetime. The organization's work centers on holistic health, spiritual development, and the study of consciousness, drawing on the extensive archive of Cayce's documented readings that remains housed at its Virginia Beach campus. Beyond its archival and research functions, the ARE operates a conference center, bookstore, health center, library, and outdoor meditation spaces, making its Atlantic Avenue campus one of the more distinctive institutional presences along the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The organization also maintains Atlantic University, an accredited graduate school affiliated with the ARE that offers programs in transpersonal studies.

History

Edgar Cayce moved to Virginia Beach in 1925 after years of itinerant work as a psychic diagnostician in Kentucky and Ohio, drawn in part by readings he himself had given that identified the area as favorable for his work. By 1931, Cayce and a group of supporters formally incorporated the Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach, creating an institutional framework to archive, study, and share the body of material generated through his trance sessions. The ARE has been headquartered in Virginia Beach continuously since that founding year; claims that the organization was established elsewhere and later relocated are inaccurate.

Cayce conducted readings in a self-induced hypnotic state in which he would respond to questions on topics ranging from physical ailments and their recommended treatments to matters of spirituality, past lives, and prophecy. Over his career he produced more than 14,000 such readings, the transcripts of which were systematically catalogued and now constitute the core of the ARE's research archive. Following Cayce's death in January 1945, leadership of the ARE passed to his son, Hugh Lynn Cayce, who worked to expand the organization's membership, publications, and public outreach over the following decades. Under Hugh Lynn Cayce's direction, the ARE developed its current campus infrastructure and broadened its programming to reach audiences beyond the immediate circle of Cayce devotees.

The ARE's campus on Atlantic Avenue grew substantially in the latter half of the twentieth century. The current facilities include a conference and event center, the Edgar Cayce Library, a health and rejuvenation center offering spa and therapeutic services, a well-stocked metaphysical bookstore open to the public, and outdoor spaces including a meditation garden and labyrinth. The library and archives hold not only the 14,000-plus original reading transcripts but also an extensive collection of books, periodicals, and research materials on topics including holistic medicine, parapsychology, ancient history, and comparative religion.

Culture

The influence of the ARE on Virginia Beach's cultural identity has been significant, helping to establish the city as a recognized destination for those interested in integrative health, spiritual inquiry, and what is broadly termed the New Age movement. The organization has fostered a local community of practitioners and seekers, and the concentration of holistic health clinics, meditation centers, and metaphysical bookstores in Virginia Beach owes much to the ARE's decades-long presence in the city. The ARE's annual and recurring public events — including lecture series, workshops, healing fairs, and community meditation gatherings — draw participants from across the United States and internationally, contributing to the city's wellness tourism profile.

Among the ARE's recurring public programs is the Body Mind Spirit Fair, which brings together vendors, speakers, and practitioners affiliated with the organization's broader community of interest. The ARE also hosts regular sound healing sessions, drum circles, and other experiential programs at its oceanfront campus, many of which are open to drop-in visitors without prior membership or registration. These programs reflect the organization's stated commitment to making Cayce's teachings accessible to general audiences rather than limiting engagement to formal members or scholars.

The ARE's educational influence extends to Atlantic University, which offers graduate-level coursework in transpersonal studies, consciousness research, and related fields. The university represents the academic dimension of the ARE's mission, providing a formal degree-granting structure for the study of subjects that intersect with Cayce's documented interests. While claims of formal research partnerships with regional universities such as Old Dominion University have circulated, specific published studies resulting from such collaborations should be verified through peer-reviewed sources before being treated as established fact.

The ARE has also supported creative expression rooted in Cayce's philosophical framework. Themes of spiritual growth, consciousness, and the mind-body connection have inspired local artists, musicians, and writers connected to the ARE community, and the organization's campus and affiliated venues have periodically served as exhibition and performance spaces. This integration of spiritual inquiry with artistic and intellectual life has contributed to the texture of Virginia Beach's cultural scene in ways that extend beyond the organization's formal programming.

Visiting the ARE

The ARE campus at 215 67th Street is open to the public and offers several points of entry for visitors with varying levels of familiarity with Cayce's work. The bookstore, one of the more comprehensive retail collections of metaphysical and holistic health titles on the East Coast, is freely accessible and carries books published by the ARE's own imprint as well as titles from other publishers. The health center offers spa services including massage, energy work, and hydrotherapy treatments informed by recommendations found in Cayce's readings, and these services are available to non-members. Public tours of the campus provide an overview of the organization's history, the archive of readings, and the ongoing research mission.

The outdoor meditation garden and labyrinth on the campus grounds are accessible during regular hours and offer a contemplative space within walking distance of the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The ARE's conference center hosts the organization's lecture and workshop calendar throughout the year, with many events priced accessibly or offered on a sliding scale to encourage broad participation. Visitors planning a trip to the ARE are advised to consult the organization's event calendar in advance, as programming varies by season and some workshops require advance registration.

Notable Figures

A number of individuals associated with Edgar Cayce's ARE have contributed to its public profile and mission over the decades. Hugh Lynn Cayce, Edgar's elder son, served as the organization's president for many years following his father's death and was instrumental in shaping the modern ARE as an institution oriented toward both research and public outreach. Charles Thomas Cayce, Edgar's grandson, later served as president of the ARE and continued to develop its educational programs, including the expansion of Atlantic University.

British author and researcher Lynne McTaggart, whose book The Field examines concepts of a unified field of consciousness, has been associated with the broader community of researchers who engage with topics related to the ARE's mission, though readers should note that McTaggart is based in the United Kingdom and her connection to the ARE as a Virginia Beach resident is not established by available sources. Similarly, the works of Joseph Murphy, whose writings on the subconscious mind and healing were popular in the mid-twentieth century, have circulated within ARE-affiliated communities, though Murphy's direct institutional affiliation with the ARE requires verification before specific claims about named research centers or residency are asserted as fact. ```