History of Arica Institute

The Early Days:
Building Our Foundation

In the formative years of the Arica Institute, the profound wisdom and practices of Oscar’s teachings were experienced by participants of group trainings — the Three–month Training, the Arica 40–day Training, and the three–week “Advanced” training.

As the Institute grew through the 1970s, this period marked an important transition — a few practices were undertaken individually at home, while others remained group training experiences, with many integrating both individual reflection and collective group energy.

Evolution and Refinement

The transformative Nine Hypergnostic Systems™ training incorporated the “40–day” teachings and continues to be offered today as an immersive two–week residential training, revised in the 1990s, and followed by a personalized individual practice. At this time and for the next thirty years, a number of the higher Transcendental individual trainings were developed by Oscar, with the assistance of his wife, Sarah, which took the whole process from the clarification processes of the 1970s to the higher attainment of true States of enlightened Knowledge through in–depth teachings and meditational practices. In 2014, The Original Arica Trainings™ was introduced as a 10–day residential experience by Oscar and Sarah, including a revision of several of the shorter one–day and two–day trainings from earlier years.

Throughout these developments, the Arica Institute facilitated our community’s group training presentations through licensed Sponsors who organize teams of certified teachers and apprentices to present these group programs.

Our Community

An important aspect of the Institute’s non–profit organization lies in its democratic structure and shared stewardship. Its elected Board of Directors guides the Institute in adhering to corporate bylaws and ethical standards while fulfilling legal and fiduciary responsibilities.

Behind the scenes, dedicated volunteers bring the Institute’s vision to life by coordinating teachers and Sponsors, ensuring ethical compliance, building our digital presence, and sustaining our mission through fundraising initiatives.

The entire community of Arica members continues to work together toward our goal of realizing the unity of humanity — or what Oscar called “Humanity–One.”