- Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. of California - https://www.edgarcayceca.org -

STUDY GROUPS

Posted By Bridget On 09/04/2019 @ 9:56 pm In | Comments Disabled

What are ASFG Study Groups?

Search for God (ASFG) groups are one of the most important aspects of local activities. They consist of small groups (2-12 people) that meet in a private home for two hours weekly to meditate and pray together, to study the books A Search for God, and to apply the spiritual principles presented there. These books were written and tested over a period of eleven years by the first ASFG group in Norfolk, Virginia, of which Edgar Cayce as a member. They provide 24 life lessons that provide for a balanced, supportive and safe approach to spiritual development, learning to love, in an effort to achieve an attunement with All That Is and to discover who and what we really are.
See our Northern California Groups ^[1]
See our Southern California Groups ^[2]

How can I get involved with ASFG Group? ^[3]
Is there a fee to participate in ASFG Groups? ^[4]
Is there anything I should read before I participate in ASFG group? ^[5]
Where can I get these books? ^[6]
What if there is no ASFG Group nearby? ^[7]
Why meet in a study group? ^[8]
A Suggested Meeting Order for ASFG Study Groups ^[9]
Breathing Exercises ^[10]

How can I get involved with ASFG Group?

We have provided a list of active study groups here in both Northern California and Southern California. You are invited to visit any of them and join with their weekly studies if you so choose. You do not have to be an A.R.E. Member to attend. You do not need to be associated with any type of religious group or ideology. Our meetings are open to all people regardless of religion, ethnicity or any type of spiritual group affiliation.

Is there a fee to participate in ASFG Groups?

There is no charge for these meetings, though a donation may be collected.

Is there anything I should read before I participate in ASFG group?

No preparation is necessary however, there are many books that provide a solid understanding of the information given in the Cayce readings:

There is a River by Thomas Sugrue
The Edgar Cayce Primer by Herbert Puryear
Many Mansions by Gina Cerminara
Meditation: Gateway to Light by Elsie Sechrist

Where can I get these books?

These books plus many more are usually available at:

Our local California programs
From local libraries, and
A.R.E. website: http://www.arecatalog.com/ ^[12]

What if there is no ASFG Group nearby?

Please write an email to: mysoulgarden@gmail.com ^[13] and request further information or call the toll free number at A.R.E. Search for God Study Group program at 1-877-428-2734.

Why meet in a study group?

The Edgar Cayce readings say that we learn by comparing. This process is especially effective when we share our viewpoints and experiences in a small group setting. As we listen to one another, what matters is not that we should agree or disagree, or try to discover who is “right”, but rather that, as we genuinely allow ourselves to embrace a different perspective, there may be a quickening to growth within ourselves. It magnifies the results.

Group work offers:

Support for its members
Clarification and feedback
Motivation to persevere
A safe environment
Other points of view
Open discussion

Although these are called “study groups” they are not focused on study for intellectual growth per se. They might be more appropriately called “groups for the study, meditation and application of learning how to love.”

Such growth is fostered in three distinct and complementary ways:

First is the study of, and reflection upon, the content of the lessons. This provides an understanding of spiritual law, of universal law and of basic premises from which to reason.
Second is meditation, quickened by the use of an affirmation related to the spiritual laws or premises given in the lessons.
Third is the setting of the intent to make the information more applicable by choosing a discipline agreed upon by the group. This is a commitment to make the insights gained applicable to each in their personal life. In other words, application is key for progress, and the discipline helps maintain a focus on the application.

In practice….

Typically, a Search for God Study Group meets once a week in the home of a group member. A group optimally consists of six to ten members. Some groups choose to rotate through the members’ homes, some choose to keep meeting at one place only.

A Suggested Meeting Order for ASFG Study Groups

MOMENT OF SILENCE: The meeting begins with either a moment of silence or a short prayer offered by one of the members.
GREETINGS & BUSINESS: The first few minutes are usually spent exchanging greetings and then discuss business that is pertinent to the group. If donations are collected this is a good place to do so.
WEEKLY DISCIPLINE: if a discipline or practice was agreed upon in the previous meeting, each person shares their experiences with that particular exercise.
READING & DISCUSSION: For an hour after that, the group focuses on reading and discussing the Search for God material or some parallel spiritual material. The purpose of the discussion of each paragraph is for clarification and perspective, not necessarily to reach an agreement.
SETTING THE WEEK’S DISCIPLINE: After the discussion period your group selects a specific way to apply this material in daily living.
PRE-MEDITATION PREPARATION:
- BREATHING EXERCISES (a yogic practice) – See diagrams below
- HEAD AND NECK EXERCISES – See diagrams below
- PRAYER OF PROTECTION:
  “As we open our hearts to the unseen forces surrounding the Throne of Grace, Beauty, and Might, we throw about ourselves the protection found in the thought of the Christ.”
- THE LORD’S PRAYER – members in unison (at the beginning of each chapter in A Search for God book.
- AFFIRMATION – members in unison (at the beginning of each chapter in A Search for God book.
MEDITATION (10-15 minutes): Members go silently into the quiet mind.
GROUP PRAYERS FOR HEALING: For each other and for whom the group is concerned about.
CLOSING: members in unison say the Twenty-Third Psalm.