On my last trip to the East Coast, I visited Virginia Beach. The A.R.E. is there; it's the Association for Research and Enlightenment, headquarters for the work of the psychic, Edgar Cayce. If you are inclined to have psychic abilities or if you are just interested in such things, I suggest that you visit the A.R.E. if you are ever in the area, and visit the web site if you are not. (I have made a link to the site below; I have also put one on my Links page.) They have a great metaphysical book shop there and free lectures also. They have tests that you can take to test your aptitude; they are free and easy. I believe that everyone has psychic abilities, but I also believe that there are a lot of shysters out there today making money by offering their special brand of enlightenment or service. On this trip I was traveling with my friend, Kathleen Barrett; we were on a spiritual adventure. While on this round about excursion to Virginia Beach from Texas we visited many places, some include: a diamond mine in Arkansas, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, The White House in Washington DC, and an ashram in New York State near the Adirondack Mountains. We ran up and down the East Coast, taking care of business and visiting friends and family.

My friend was a participant in a vision quest at the ashram. I was too broke to take the guided spiritual exploration. I really wanted to, and I was trying to work something out by cleaning a teepee that had become over grown with plants. I pulled buckets of weeds and vines, and I burned them in the fire pit at the center of the large teepee. I was a little bitter as I worked, because, I didn't really believe in paying for enlightenment. Although, now I believe that there always seems to be some kind of price attached to gaining knowledge, so I guess cash could be one of the less costly payments. I really wanted to be part of this Indian experience, and I didn't have the knowledge to do it on my own. I have always admired the American Indian's ways and beliefs.

I thought that I had a spiritual happening in the sweat lodge that night when the tremendous heat exacerbated certain physical reactions in my body. When the "talking stick" that was going around the circle of women, got to me, I told of my tingling skin as if growing bark and the heavy, liquid feeling of being like a tree pulling up water from its roots anchored to the earth. The next morning I was truly enlightened. What I ended up with was the worst case of poison ivy that I have ever had; my eyes were swollen shut and my face was almost flat.  I called myself the lizard lady, for I truly looked like a scaly red lizard. I thought, "If I happen onto one of the "questers" later, they will surely think that they are receiving a grotesque vision for them to decipher." Sorry, no pictures of the lizard lady. I'm not making fun of anyone--except myself; everyone has to reach their enlightenment in their own way and in their own time. Was it really poison ivy or was it the bitterness manifesting on my skin? Either way, it was a lesson learned-- maybe two or three. Let resentments go, and do not judge; learn to recognize the things that you are physically allergic to.

There were actually many spiritual lessons for me on this trip, as there always are in life's everyday events. Even so, my memory holds one peaceful morning's occurrence as special. This was at a beach on the Virginia coastline-- of which I'm sure that my friend, Kathleen, still knows the name. My travel tip for those of you that are drawn to the introspective is: if you visit Virginia Beach or go anywhere near the East Coast, plan to stop by one of the beaches there before dawn to see the sunrise over the Atlantic, and meditate as the day breaks. It will leave you awestruck.

VCW

Visit the A.R.E. web site by clicking on the link or typing in the URL address provided on this page.

See an Atlantic Sunrise

A.R.E. ............................................................................... http://www.edgarcayce.org/

The Association for Research and Enlightenment was founded in 1931 for reasearch on the Edgar Cacye readings.

Edgar Cayce was one of the worlds most famous physics, also known as The Sleeping Prophet, who performed more than 14,000 readings in his lifetime. "Today's A.R.E. is a network of people actively studying and applying Edgar Cayce's tireless wisdom and practical suggestions for experiencing a better life."

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