Edgar Cayce Foundation Welcomes First Archivist
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 22, 2018
Contact: Customer Service, are@EdgarCayce.org
Phone: (757) 428-3588
Edgar Cayce Foundation Welcomes First Archivist
Virginia Beach, Va. – Thanks to a generous donation, the historic materials of the Edgar Cayce Foundation will for the first time ever be under the watchful, experienced eye of an Archival Scientist. Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) is pleased to announce the arrival of Jessica Newell, M.A.L.S.—who makes organizational history as the Foundation’s first staff archivist.
Thanks to donors Margie and Sam Scaletta, the unique and life-changing materials produced by Cayce’s work will be professionally preserved for generations to come. "It is a sacred honor to help support the Foundation at this stage of its development, and I am so excited to have Jessica on staff to help with the next steps and to be a part of this important renaissance," Edgar Cayce Foundation President Leslie Cayce said.
Newell holds a Master of Liberal Arts, Archival Studies Concentration from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Evansville in Evansville, Ind. The challenge Newell has accepted in this role includes maintaining best practices to preserve Cayce’s work and create a one-of-a-kind archive, digitally accessible from (almost) anywhere.
The Edgar Cayce Foundation was chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia in February 1948, to provide permanent legal and physical custody of historical resources including the Edgar Cayce readings themselves. The Foundation’s charge includes related correspondence and records such as original stenographer notebooks, appointment books, research studies and reports on the readings, indexes and inventories, reports of preservation activities, photographs, sound and video recordings—and so much more—all now under Newell’s qualified care. The Edgar Cayce database consists of an astonishing 24 million words.
Most of the Foundation’s archival records are stored in the Don and Nancy deLaski Education Center building on the A.R.E. headquarters campus in Virginia Beach, Va. But sensitive, historical, aging, and fragile materials are further protected within the Foundation vault in that building. Private tours of the Edgar Cayce Foundation vault are by appointment only. However, A.R.E.’s Visitor Center is open to the public seven days a week, with many free activities.
Edgar Cayce founded the non-profit Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in 1931, to explore spirituality, holistic health, intuition, dream interpretation, psychic development, reincarnation, and ancient mysteries—all subjects that frequently came up in the more than 14,000 documented psychic readings given by Cayce, who died in 1945. The mission of A.R.E. is simply to help people around the world change their lives for the better through the ideas and information found in the Cayce readings. The Virginia Beach headquarters is a popular site for locals and tourists with free daily lectures, a Health Center & Spa, the Cayce/Reilly® School of Massage, an extensive metaphysical library, a meditation garden, a stone labyrinth, and a bookstore and gift shop. Visitors from around the world come to experience conferences featuring speakers on subjects like ancient mysteries, holistic health, and spiritual development. The campus is also home to Atlantic University (AU), which offers two masters degrees (Transpersonal Studies and Leadership Studies) through an online platform, as well as continuing education and certificate programs. Through A.R.E.’s many programs, services, publications, and membership outreach, individuals from all walks of life and religious backgrounds are provided with tools for personal transformation and healing at all levels—body, mind, and spirit. For more information, please visit EdgarCayce.org.
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