How did the Association for Research and Enlightenment compile and vet medical readings from Edgar Cayce after his death?
Executive summary
The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) became the steward of Edgar Cayce’s body of readings after his death and set about compiling, preserving, publishing and promoting the material through institutional channels under the leadership of Cayce’s family and a board of trustees [1] [2]. The organization created archives, a publishing arm and member-only databases to disseminate the 14,000+ readings while asserting copyright control and curating supplemental material—actions that transformed private stenographer notebooks into an institutional legacy rather than an independent scientific vetting process [3] [4] [2].
1. How the readings were gathered into an institutional archive
After Edgar Cayce’s death the readings and related files, which during his life had been personal property and transcribed by his secretary, became the property of family members and early staff; A.R.E.’s trustees then consolidated those original stenographer notebooks, appointment books and other supplemental materials into centralized collections that now form the foundation of the A.R.E./Edgar Cayce Foundation archives [3] [1]. The organization added a library, vault and office space to preserve the material and later deposited collections and published files with institutional repositories, creating the physical and digital infrastructure to hold the readings [5] [6].
2. Who decided what to publish and how the readings were presented
Control of publication and presentation rested with the A.R.E.’s board of trustees and close Cayce associates—most prominently Hugh Lynn Cayce—who guided the organization’s decision to disseminate published material and to build educational programs around the readings, while the A.R.E. Press became the official publishing arm responsible for books, newsletters and later digital media that framed the readings for members and the public [1] [7]. That centralized editorial authority also meant the A.R.E. could assert copyright through the Edgar Cayce Foundation and control how lengthy quotations and compilations were reused, a legal stewardship that has practical effects on access and scholarly use [2].
3. Preservation, cataloguing and public access efforts
The A.R.E. invested in preservation—microfilm and digital copies of the original readings and an extensive research library focused on metaphysical and health topics—placing items in both its own collections and in external repositories to facilitate research and public display, including the famous couch and many volumes now listed in library guides and special collections [3] [6] [8]. Membership benefits such as an exclusive online database and member-only access to the full set of readings are the organization’s primary distribution mechanism, indicating both broad availability for members and restricted access for non-members [9] [4].
4. “Vetting” the medical material: institutional framing versus scientific validation
The A.R.E. has historically presented Cayce’s health readings within a framework of holistic and spiritual practice—operating health centers, promoting body-mind-spirit approaches, and publishing interpretive materials—rather than engaging in conventional scientific clinical validation of Cayce’s diagnoses and medical prescriptions; the organization markets the readings as transformative, practical guidance and curates related therapies, but the materials are promoted as spiritual/holistic resources rather than peer-reviewed medical protocols [4] [7]. External critics and reference sources note that the readings and the A.R.E. have faced skepticism and accusations of promoting pseudoscience, a point indicating that the A.R.E.’s internal vetting has not equated to mainstream medical endorsement [10].
5. Limits of the public record and where reporting is silent
Available institutional and organizational records show how A.R.E. compiled, preserved and published the readings and how it exercises editorial and copyright control [1] [2] [3], but the sources provided do not document systematic, independent clinical trials, peer review processes, or external scientific adjudication of Cayce’s medical recommendations; therefore it cannot be asserted from these sources that the A.R.E. performed or commissioned comprehensive scientific validation of the readings after Cayce’s death [10] [3]. What is clear from the organization’s own materials and library records is an emphasis on preservation, education and member access rather than formal medical vetting [6] [9].