8/44 A.R.E. BULLETIN using HLC's letter from England, dated
May 24, 1944: [Also used under
254-115 Reports.]
VOL. XII. II
B U L L E T I N
ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH AND ENLIGHTENMENT, INC.,
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
"Man's search for truth is his search for God."
We are favored this month with an article from Hugh Lynn
Cayce, Manager of the Association. This article is very
timely, as there are now so many new members, who need
such information on the ideals and purposes of the
Association and on his father's relationship to the
Association and to the members.
"WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THIS MAN?"
England, May 24, 1944
May I add my welcome and greetings to you who are attending
the meetings of the Thirteenth Annual Congress of the
Association for Research and Enlightenment, Incorporated!
For several days, I have been trying to select a subject for
this paper; something more than hello and good-bye, but
obviously not a treatise on anything demanding technical
study and research. The army routine hardly permits time
for that; certainly not just now. The result has been
considerable thinking about a subject which has as many
sides as there are individuals involved: namely, WHAT IS
THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSOCIATION?
Frequently, my father receives letters containing a tirade
over the necessity of joining a society in order to secure
a reading. For many individuals the blank is only a form,
something to be filled out in order to secure the reading
in question. The signing of membership forms constitutes
the first and last act for too many as members.
Part of the indifference has been due to confusion on the
part of those who constitute the Association's policy forming
group and the members of the office staff. Much of the
confusion is due to a wide variety of concepts held by
important members. All of the indifference and confusion
are not without basis and can be traced to some consistent,
but hard-to-interpret, statements in readings given over a
period of many years.
There are two horns to the dilemma. On one hand there is the
constant warning that the Association must not become a cult
or ism with any formal system of beliefs, and on the other
there is need for concerted study and unity in presenting
"the work." This is neatly phrased by the readings "in
decency and order." Since I do not have the readings in
front of me, I cannot go into this in any exhaustive manner.
Everything from details of membership fees to broad
principles are contained in readings on the Association.
A careful study of all these past readings would be in order
in preparing any expansion of the membership activities.
In the development of the Association program the privileges
and work of members form the backbone of the organization.
Stated simply, the purpose of the Association is to serve its
members.
For example, an individual seeking a reading becomes a member
of the Association, for only members of the Association can
receive readings. This reading is a privilege, a service
rendered to the member. For it he pays a membership fee,
either as an Active or Associate member. Any function of the
organization can be interpreted in terms of service to the
members, and reversely, only through members can the work of
the organization be carried on. There is no need to follow
this further. I wanted to establish a simple premise from
which we can examine certain general principles.
Each person will come seeking something different. You know
what these are, for you were motivated by these desires:
some come seeking help for a suffering physical body; some
want help for a loved one; others have a problem in human
relationships or a decision which must be made regarding
their work; a few are interested in the possibilities of
scientific research, in studying the laws which govern the
unusual manifestations of the readings; many are attracted by
the strangeness of the whole matter and come out of
curiosity, fluttering about for a time and then either they
settle down or drift off; a growing number find new
spiritual stimuli. These are common interest, easily
recognized by all of you.
The Association program must be broad and free if it is to
serve all of these needs and interests.
Yet, we must pause and consider still more basic aspects of
the principles of service involved. All of the above
attractions of the work are only means to an end. In
serving its members the Association is committed to
stimulation of the spiritual nature of man.
This does not mean that the organization has any set formula
or any system of beliefs. It is freedom from all these which
gives the Association its greatest opportunity.
Let us state this a bit differently. The readings point out
that each individual is part of a great system of spiritual
evolution. Every physical reading, every life reading, every
mental and spiritual reading, is concerned with giving man a
better understanding of his relationship with God and with
his fellow man. Every department of the Association, every
phase of its program, must recognize this principle and lead
to this end.
There are expressions describing methods which are essential:
freedom of thought and expression; simplicity and clarity;
cooperation; honesty.
The time has come when we must cease being vague about
membership in the Association. It is time for those
interested in the work to stop saying that the Association
is an organization which permits Edgar Cayce to give psychic
readings without the law attacking him. Edgar Cayce does not
need the Association. This is a strange statement, you say.
Isn't it for Edgar Cayce that we are working as members
of the Association? Certainly not! A great many of our
members, some of them prominent in its affairs, have for a
long time been assuming that they are rendering a personal
service. There is no doubt that some are drawn to this point
of view because of past relationships which bind them
karmicly (if I may be permitted to build a word).
In becoming connected with the Association Edgar Cayce has
limited himself and his work to the intelligence and ability
of those who make up the membership of the organization.
In thinking through this matter let us examine some general
statements which will help us think clearly about membership
in the Association. Without the readings in front of me, I
may not be able to quote exact passages but the ideas will
not be far from the information given through the years in
the readings.
1. There will be two classes of members; Associate and
Active.
2. Associate members hold a membership for one year and
during that time may apply for readings. They receive the
monthly Bulletin. Through the Bulletin and such letters or
circulars as may be prepared for the purpose, the Associate
members should be informed of the various activities of the
organization and given the opportunity to take a more active
part as an Active member.
3. Active members SHOULD BE the real Association. The most
important of their functions is one which is ignored (as it
is in civic life;) namely, the selection by vote of the Board
of Trustees of the Association. This Board should consist
of Active members who have taken a prominent part in the
Association activities in their respective communities. This
answers the problem of Active members voting on people whom
they do not know. The work of the Active member is limited
only by his initiative, for every effort has been made not
to limit the direction or extent of an individual's study or
participation in any phase of work.
4. This brings us to the Board of Trustees, Active members
who have shown a real interest in the work in the eyes of
other Active members in their community. After this vote
is taken each name is presented to a reading and thus checked
as a future Board member. The existing Board of Trustees is
bound by the Association charter to accept this final list
and so elects them yearly to serve for three years; thus
one-third of the Board is retired each year.
It is this Board that selects the officers of the Association
including President, Vice-President, Secretary, Manager,
Treasurer and delegates the power of the selection of the
office staff. It is this Board that controls the policies
of the organization, plans its major operations and works
out the program.
Briefly, what are some of the services now being rendered the
Active members:
A. The opportunity to secure readings through Edgar Cayce.
The assurance that these readings will be recorded accurately
and the records preserved carefully. Members have a right
to expect prompt handling of all their affairs pertaining
to these readings, and our organization should endeavor
to maintain a schedule which will make this possible.
B. Active members receive free all publications of the
Association, including mimeographed and printed booklets.
They have a right to expect a publication program which will
cover all phases of the work.
C. The Active members have free access to the Association
library and extracted records of the organization. (No one
but the Secretary and one working on the extracting have
access to the personal records, which are filed under a
classification number.)
D. Active members are supplied with leaflets for
distribution, are encouraged to organize study groups and,
if they have time, act as Regional Representatives who
assist in the interpretation of readings, prepare questions
and follow up important case studies.
Look ahead and visualize some of the services which can be
rendered Active members: I will only list them now, perhaps
you will help us plan and fulfill them.
1. A monthly printed magazine giving a far more comprehensive
picture of the work than can be achieved through our
Bulletin.
2. A radio program which will reach many more thousands of
people with the information and inspirational material.
3. A lecture program that will bring outstanding members of
the Association to their communities - frequently.
4. A well organized study group program.
5. An expansion of the printed booklets to include every
phase of the work, prepared by authorities on the various
subjects.
6. Use of one of the finest libraries on psychical research
in the world. (A mail exchange should be worked out.) We
have only scratched the surface on this library program.
7. A research program which will provide helpful and valuable
information direct to the members based on the finest
possible experimentation handled by the best men who can be
secured.
8. A series of books which will amplify THERE IS A RIVER.
9. Adequate provision for lecture, study and library space
near the records, and near Edgar Cayce.
10. A complete index system on the thousands of readings in
the files which will make all the information available by
subject. This will be supplemented by an extracting system
which will provide hundreds of looseleaf books in the library
containing data under a variety of subject headings. This
extracting system should be extended so as to make it
possible for extracts from readings to be furnished by mail
to members interested in special subjects.
Let me return now to the first premise. The purpose of the
Association is to serve its members. All activities must
be pointed toward an ultimate stimulation of the spiritual
consciousness, leading to a better understanding of the
relationship between man and his God and man and his fellow
men.
There are those of you who will say that I have not stressed
enough the importance of Edgar Cayce, the importance of
working with him, for him.
To those of you who think this: The life of Edgar Cayce has
been dedicated to the service of his fellow men. There are
few of us who will ever (in this life) be permitted to serve
as he serves. In building a structure which will give all
men the full benefits of his work we are serving in a way
which cannot be measured in time or space. It is not his
work, it is our work! People like you and I, and thousands
of others who have come to know him, have an opportunity, a
chance, which will not come again, perhaps, for hundreds of
years. He has no problem, no question. In every reading
his life is fulfilled and God is glorified. Ours is the
question, "WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THIS MAN?"
294-202. "God seeks all to be one with Him. And as all
things were made by Him, that which is the creative influence
in every herb, mineral, vegetable, or individual activity,
is that same force ye call God, seeking expression! Even as
when God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.
for, this is law; this is love.
"Hence those who seek in sincerity, in hope, in purpose, to
know, receive only to the measure that they manifest their
hope, their belief, their desire in a God-purpose through a
promise made to a man!
"Thus ye have the source. Thus ye have the manner. The
seeker answers. For, know ye all: Ye give an account unto
God for every deed, for every idle word, for every purposeful
hope you have made manifest. Then, to all: Let not thy
heart be troubled. Let it not be afraid. For ye believe in
God. Then, as His children, for thy sake, for thy Lord's
sake, act like it!"
THE BUILDING FUND
Those who have attended the last two meetings of the Congress
have observed how crowded has been the library, which we have
had to use for a lecture room. Many have not been able to
hear either lectures or readings because they found neither
seats nor standing room for themselves.
The Board, recognizing this existing condition and realizing
that as the years pass the attendance at the Congress will be
larger and larger, began to plan for an auditorium, a larger
library, more offices and, if funds are adequate, bedroom and
other facilities that will meet the needs of the members of
the Association, who will attend the Congress in the future.
The following are extracts from a recent reading to the
members of the Association, calling attention to this
important step in the progress of the work.
254-115. "Prepare for a meeting place, yes - when consistent
with the needs of those who are through this channel seeking
to know themselves and their Maker the better. Let each
contribute according to the dictates of his own conscience.
"There should be the presentation of the needs of the
Association for the building. Let the secretary of the
Building Fund prepare such. She can do a good job! Let
this ever be presented, understood, that all contributions
to the Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc., are
deductible in making out individual income tax returns."
Contributions should be sent to:
Mrs. Richmond Seay
Secretary of Building Fund
425 South Main Street
Blackstone, Virginia
8/14/44 EC's letter to [
1797]:
..., Conn.
Dear Mr. [
1797]:
I have your letter of August 3rd. It was very nice to hear
from you again. We have been so busy here that it has been
mighty hard to keep anywhere in a respectable distance with
our appointments.
I note what you have to day [say?] about the reading for
[...]. Am making the appointment for the afternoon of
December 30, between 3:30 and 4:30 P.M., our time. I believe
this is the same time as you have. If that will be
satisfactory be sure to let me know.
I haven't been able to work for the past three weeks and with
our appointments already a year in advance, it gives you some
idea of what we are up against here at this time. I have not
been physically able and have really been going almost too
heavy. I hope that I will be able very soon to get back to
work to carry on in a way that I may be used to be the most
help to the most people. I don't think that it would be
possible for us to get a reading in for you such as you ask
any time this year, unless we were to undertake it on the
same day the appointment is made for [...]. And that may be
too far off for you, I don't know. You can let me know about
it.
The talk that Hugh Lynn wrote to the Members of the
Association was one written from England. He has been there
for a year or more now and is now in France, so it was one
just written not one delivered in person. Neither of the
boys have been home now for over a year. The other one is in
the South Atlantic but is in the defense phase of the
operations as he is in the Radar Division of the Army. Both
seem to be doing very well.
I am in hopes that both you and Mrs. [...] are fine and that
everything is going well for you. Be sure to let us know and
hear from you as to whether the time set will be satisfactory
for [...].
With kindest personal regards to each of you, I am
Sincerely, Edgar Cayce
10/30/44 [
1797]'s letter to EC:
Dear Mrs. Cayce,
I have just finished reading with a great deal of interest
the report of this congress. I consider it one of my
misfortunes that the congress is held each year at just the
time that my business is most active and demands my undivided
attention.
I noticed that one of the speakers at the congress spoke
about meat in the diet as tho it was undesirable. Have you
ever had any indication from your information as to the best
diet from every point of view for a more or less normal
person.
Another question I would like to ask is this: Have you on
file any advice for a person with a somewhat over-active
thyroid gland?
I know you are very busy but I hope you will try not to over
do. Please remember me to Hugh Lynn when you write to him.
With best wishes, I am,
Yours Sincerely, [
1797]
12/14/44 [
1797]'s letter to EC:
Dear Mr. Cayce,
It has now been some time since I have had any news of you
and I hope you are entirely recovered. I was very sorry to
hear you were having such a difficult time. About the end of
October I took one of my rare trips to New York City and was
fortunate to find [
257] in his office. He brought me up to
date till then. Has Hugh Lynn been able to return to help
you? I understood that such a possibility was under
consideration.
Having no recent news of you I do not know if you are now
giving readings. Naturally, I hope you are but at the same
time I hope you are not unless you are completely recovered.
As you will recall, during August, you gave an appointment
for a life reading for my son [...] on December 30th between
3:30 and 4:30. I am anxious to have this reading for [...]
before he goes back to school after Christmas vacation
because as you can understand it would be difficult to
arrange during the school term. I hope this is not too much
for you to do and I believe some real help should come from
it for [...] who is still having a difficult time. If this
reading can be given I would like to send you a few questions
to be asked and at the same time I will forward you the fee.
With best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas
and a very Happy New Year, I am
Yours sincerely, [
1797]
10/10/60 Daughter, [
2443], reported on her Life Rdg.
Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation