My Philosophy

 

How often do we recognize the different opportunities in life? How we choose to approach them mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically will have an effect on the outcome.

In holistic healing we recognize that each individual is unique and whole. Whole means encompassing the body, mind and spirit. We are not cookie cutters, we are individual snowflakes.

The gift of Complementary Therapies is that they work uniquely to you and your situation, taking into account that you are made up of a body, a mind, an energetic field, and a spirit. I believe the mind, energetic field, and spirit helps the body to stay strong while receiving chemotherapy, radiation, or other traditional/allopathic treatments to heal the body. In other words, “what the mind believes the body perceives”, as Gordon Stokes, one of the founders of One Brain/Three-in-One Concepts said.

I believe my role is to journey with persons struggling to understand themselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually; focusing on walking the journey with those experiencing cancer, emotional traumas, life transitions, terminal illness, or end of life transitions; along with helping those struggling with concentration, retention of information in school, work, and life. Through God’s Spirit/Source/Great Spirit discovering the wisdom, love, and light of God within and around your life.

I am an Ordained Interfaith Minister, affiliated with Circle of Miracles Ministry; as such I honor the connection each individual has with God/Spirit. I believe it is important to connect with something Greater than ourselves. How that is perceived and practiced is always unique to each of us. Many people feel no connection, due to hurtful experiences in life, or they have just never thought of themselves as a spiritual being. I feel this is a very important component in the process of wholeness. We are so mysteriously, inspiringly and wonderfully made that this Greater part of us, the Spirit part of us, needs to be connected too, and seen as an integral part in who we are. We are spirit, mind, body and emotions; balance in each area is important to wholeness. In this experience of wholeness we then begin to understand “Oneness”, this oneness with the whole.

In June of 2014 while I was driving doing errands and seeing clients, I heard a voice that said, “The Illuminated Way”. My thought was nice, but I had no idea why I heard it. For the next several days and evenings many times in my mind I would hear, “The Illuminated Way”. I wrote it down and about a week later in the morning as I meditated I said, “I like the words The Illuminated Way, but God why are you saying these words to me, what do they mean? I heard, “This is the name I am giving you for your business”. Wow, I had been waiting all these years and really had accepted to use my name for my business forever. I said, “Thank you God!! I love it”. I sat with it for several weeks before saying anything to anyone, then decided I better check if I can even use that name. I emailed Peter, of Wohlsen Design, LLC, who was to work on this website. I received an email back, to both of our surprises no one had taken this name.

Again, several days later as I was driving I hear God’s voice say, “The Illuminated Way, LLC”. I again waited and heard this repeated several times, before asking God, why do I need to do the LLC? The answer just came with the full name and LLC behind it. So I felt as though I just needed to be faithful. Since my friend had just done a LLC a year prior, she graciously sat with me as I created “The Illuminated Way, LLC” into a LLC legally and my new business name was born.

I am still unsure as to why and what all this means, except I know the name was available legally and on the internet because God was holding it for me for a time such as this!!

I encourage you to explore the areas I work with and see if it resonates with you and your soul.

What does being a Interfaith Minister mean to Lorie?

“Love is our shared truth.
Peace is our eternal hope.”

- Museum of World Religions

I have been asked many times by people, “What does being an Interfaith Minister mean?”

For me being an Interfaith Minister means, I honor the many paths or rivers to God/to Source/to Divine Spirit. I do not concern myself too much with the types of doctrine; even though I do love to learn about different religions and philosophies.

I do not judge how the journey appears for a person because I fully trust in God’s leading. What I look for is the movement forward and awakening of a person to the spiritual love, and light of God/Source/Divine Spirit.

The acknowledging that there is a larger “I” and a smaller “i” which lives within every human being and the larger “I” is much bigger and wiser then the smaller “i” or ego.

Personally, I consider myself a Christian, a follower of Jesus’ example first and foremost, but I also look to the examples of Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Rumi, Lao Tzu, Henry Nowen, Joyce Rupp, along with many others. I look at other religions and philosophies to see how we are similar and how they can intertwine us together in Love, versus the areas that separate or divide.

I see my faith and faithful walk in its simplest and most basic form, LOVE. In the Old Testament of the Bible (the part called the Torah in Judaism), in Deuteronomy 6:5 it says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (NRSV) and in the New Testament of the Bible (the part in the Christian bible where Jesus speaks), Jesus says the previous commandment but adds another, which to me are the two most important points: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.” And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39-NRSV)

The most basic understanding for me is LOVE, which can also be found in many other sacred texts. The Tao Te Ching verse 16 says, “To return to the root is repose. Going back to one’s destiny is to find the eternal law. To know the eternal law is enlightenment.”

The path and the words at first glance may appear differently but if one sits with the meaning it is saying the same thing. This fundamental message of Divine Love, and connecting to God/Source/Divine Spirit makes us one with God, this has oftentimes gotten lost by our attachment to a doctrine or theology i.e. religion, we miss this basic understanding to love God, to love others and to love ourselves like we love others. I feel in these three areas we ultimately cover all areas in life and this is what is pleasing to God, this creates peace within ourselves, and creates peaceful living with our neighbors, who we share the world with, the web of life, in turn this is enlightenment. The awakening to feeling and being showered in this Universal Love, this powerful and all-encompassing presence... GOD/SOURCE/DIVINE SPIRIT.

So Interfaith for me means, the road doesn’t matter so long as it is leading you to these three areas of Love, which is the core essence or soul of how we are made.

I believe to deny this pure, unconditional love is to deny the gift that God/Source/Divine Spirit is giving to us, we also deny who we are as human beings and what God desires us to awaken too and thus denying the love of oneness within ourselves. So simple... yet so difficult to live daily! This is where growth, awakening, and God’s grace come into play; for which I am humbly thankful for on a daily basis. We are all on the journey together in search of this profound and amazing Love!

Let’s be the Love we wish to see and experience!

Remember, it doesn’t matter if you agree with me or not... I will meet you on your path and we will walk together on “your” journey. I will learn along with you how this beautiful spirit lives within you!

May the pure Love of Spirit that lives within you, bubble to the surface. May it awaken the Divine Love within, lighten your path and shower those around you. May you experience the Oneness always.

Peace, Blessings and Namaste!

†Namaste means, “The love in me greets the love in you.”