Reviews of Workshops
that have been presented at our Unity Center

Janese Johnson:

Using intuition provides rich (but not always easy) life

On a snowy Feb. afternoon, 10 people braved the elements to attend "Using Intuition in Your Daily Life." They learned that living a life that accentuates intuition -- following their inner guidance -- can make it richer, fuller, and more in line with the soul’s purpose, but it does not necessarily make life easy.

The workshop was presented by Janese Johnson, who has taught and shared her intuitive abilities for more than 30 years. Her grandmother taught Janese to "do intuition" when she was 12. Janese is an intuitive counselor who does workshops and private consultations throughout the U.S. Now living in west Asheville, she has fostered 17 children, adopted 5, and has been on "an incredible healing journey for 20 years."

She began the workshop with this quote from Albert Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and forgotten the gift."

Webster's Dictionary defines intuition as "direct perception of true fact" without evident rational thought and inference. "As a society, we’ve come more into logic and we’re more concerned with ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts…’ We ignore our intuitive promptings on a daily basis." She added, "You have to think differently to activate the intuitive mind."

She considers intuition to be her connection with a higher way of thinking, "tapping into God. When I say God, that’s my interpretation. You can use whatever term you want."

"Intuition is hard to talk about because it’s not logical… I talk inwardly to God all day long because I’m always receiving" messages.

At age 12, she was taught to read tarot cards. She also read a book that "convinced me that I was supporting victim thinking by doing psychic readings…. I saw that I was ‘dis-serving’ by giving people their future… Also, we have free will…."

She drew a stick figure inside three circles, calling the inner circle "I don’t deserve anything" and the outer "great love." If someone is in the inner circle, "they’re not going to manifest" the things they want in their life. She said intuition involves one’s four "bodies:" physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Intuitives work with different ways of knowing, including visual, audio, and kinetic (touching). "I’m a visual" intuitive," Johnson said. She closes her eyes when "feeling" people, to provide clarity in "feeling" that person’s energy -- and to avoid visual or emotional interference and distraction.

She uses dreams for personal guidance a lot. Since people sleep @1/3 of every day, "dreams are a third of our life and, if we don’t use them, we’re missing a third of our life." Later she said, "Dreams are the best thing, because it can cut out the logical mind."

Books can be another way to get answers. Everything Talks To Me Now examines life "in a Native American way."

Intuition "means following what your soul wants you to do." She emphasized that "following intuition doesn’t mean easy. I just received it to go back to college – and I’m shaky." Johnson had received intuition to adopt 5 children, and later to move to Asheville with 4 of her 5 children. "The first 3 years were very long… Five years later, I love it in Asheville."

When she meets someone, "I’m sitting in their energy." "We ‘feel’ people because people aren’t always what they present… We can feel that their words don’t match their energy.... So, if we ‘feel’ people and ‘feel’ information, once it’s settled, we can take it to the logic and know what to do with it."

"We have to become less timid in going after intuition… We have to want intuition… It’s a natural given. We’re all intuitive. It’s better to go after it, than to ignore your intuition."

How does she guard against self-deception? "Prayer and asking for divine guidance," she replied. "We can turn it over to God -- our higher self or souls.

Don't assume "that intuition will give you an easy life – great and positive..." She added, "The intuition might be there for a different teaching – not just love and light." She advised, "Take what you did do – and ask for the higher meaning."

"Working with intuition hasn’t taken away the fear, but it has made me more courageous," she said. "Fear comes more from the emotional body, while intuition comes more from a higher divine level… We’re still going to have the fear."

Doing light work and grounding are important in doing intuitive work. "I did lots of light work, surrounding myself in light… It gets me into my body. I felt connected, not pulled… Everything’s vibrational… Bring in higher light energy."

"It’s very important to be grounded and have grounding techniques. When I begin to spiral out, I imagine myself as a tree. All of a sudden, I feel rooted."

She quoted Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk and writer, who advises, "Don’t ignore the emotions. Acknowledge but don’t give it so much energy to run our lives… Don’t be afraid to say things. Just say them…"

One intuitive exercise was to ask a question of one’s higher self and then spend 10 minutes, alone, writing "whatever comes up." Such a method will draw an answer from one’s inner self.

~John North, a former newspaper journalist, is writing a book about his recent year-long, solo, around-the-world trip as a "philosopher-adventurer." He volunteers monthly write-ups for the UNCA Philosophy Department, serves on the 2003 President's Circle of the Asheville Citizen-Times, and attends classes at Unity taught by Ursula Martens, Ph.D. In November '03, he took a month-long trip to Guinea in West Africa, to write about & photograph the experiences of a Swanannoa teacher, Lesa Schirmacher, as she works to improve the curriculum at a "sister" school in the world's second-poorest country.

Gregg Levoy:

‘Callings’ workshop puts focus on self-examination

In October 2003, Gregg Levoy presented a 3.5-hour workshop at Unity that asked 50+ participants to look within for their "callings."

Levoy is the author of "Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life," and a full-time speaker & seminar leader. A former adjunct professor of journalism (Univ. of New Mexico) and a former columnist & reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer and USA Today, he now lives in Asheville with his wife, Rose Sierra.

Levoy began by explaining that his presentation would address:

• What are the questions?

• What is the voice of "no?"

• What is the voice of "yes?"

• An action plan.

When he was a youngster, Levoy's family played "the alien game." In it, his father would play an alien from another planet who would "go out and ask questions – and we (children) had to answer." From that game, "I learned the essential role that questioning plays in learning." Questioning "draws knowledge to me -- and from me," Levoy said. "To the degree that knowledge is power, and we’re after power, the way to do it is thru questions."

He said he would ask the workshop participants many questions and, "the thing to do is to shoot from the hip – first expediency, and then second, do an ‘end-run’ around the left-brain." "Try to be as specific and complete as possible with responses." The point is to find out "what’s calling to you in your own life."

Later, in what Levoy termed "the search for concentrations of energy," participants were directed to go back and circle repeating words or phrases in your answers to the previous (27) questions. "Pick something that’s calling to you to focus on for the rest of the afternoon… for a greater sense of energy, alignment, etc. Maybe it’s a ‘duty call’ or a ‘doing call.’ Pick something and write it down."

Then the participants formed four-person circles to discuss their answers.

Next, he began a section titled "What hits the fan?" He termed this "the voice of ‘no.’" Levoy cited the film "The Right Stuff," which showed that "at any attempt at a breakthrough, there’s a Mach 1 experience (bumpy). It’s part of the journey to get there.

"Bring on the chaos! Let it come! Because chaos is part of the journey." The Bible describes chaos as "the condition of the earth before it was formed," Levoy said. "Whatever resistance comes up – and you don’t want to hear it, you’re going to stumble on it… between intentions and achievements.

"People constantly are talking about wholeness as something to achieve, including the parts you don’t want to look at…. You kind of have to bring it on… There is no ‘away’ – as in ‘running away.’"

He asked participants another series of questions re: the voices of "no" and "yes." Regarding "no," Levoy said, "One of the primary categories of why people resist their ‘callings’ is the Law of Scandalization of Others… The loss of love and approval is behind a lot of people’s motivation." Most people want to have others’ positive regard to "approximate what other people think is a favorable way to live. As a result, they literally bleed (away) authenticity."

As for the voice of "yes," Levoy noted, "Saying ‘yes,’ means somebody’s got to do something. It means putting the neck on the chopping block."

For an action plan, Levoy urged us to form a "personal board of advisors" to "build accountability into the system. You’ve got to punch in and be accountable to people."

He added, "Five years is not a long time to make a transition." He highly recommended starting slowly to build momentum. He noted "We need all the power we can get. The importance of generating the force of ‘yes’ in your life" would be hard to underestimate and requires "tapping into the help that's available to you."

"Asking for help, literally, is challenging. It means you’re admitting your shortcomings." Nevertheless, Levoy said "the willingness to ask for help" is a key to success.

He suggested shifting one’s thinking from "if" to "when," making a commitment to thoroughly research the objective, keeping a progress log comprised of daily "to-do" lists and listing a minimum of six concrete steps to bring one closer to fruition of the goal.

~John North, a former newspaper journalist, is writing a book about his recent year-long, solo, around-the-world trip as a "philosopher-adventurer." He volunteers monthly write-ups for the UNCA Philosophy Department, serves on the 2003 President's Circle of the Asheville Citizen-Times, and attends classes at Unity taught by Ursula Martens, Ph.D. On Nov. 29, he begins a month-long trip to Guinea in West Africa, to write about & photograph the experiences of a Swanannoa teacher, Lesa Schirmacher, as she works to improve the curriculum at a "sister" school in the world's second-poorest country.

Rev. Edwene Gaines:
"As you give, you’ll receive," Prosperty-Plus speaker says

Proclaiming herself "a woman of power," Rev. Edwene Gaines presented her "Prosperity Plus" workshop at Unity on Nov. 15, 2003. "It’s my commitment to make a difference on the planet!" To that end, she travels 250 days a year, enrolling "co-workers" in her mission. "When you put your intention out there -- 100 percent, the universe finds a way to make it happen."

Edwene's definition of prosperity is "full health, perfect relationships, satfisfying work, and all the cash you can spend!"

In her opinion, Jesus Christ "was talking about THIS as the kingdom of heaven." Gaines asked us to make a commitment. "Your divine assignment for the next 21 days is no complaining about anything that happens. You’re only response is: ‘God, that’s great!’ If you can go 21 days, you’ll have it." If you forget, forgive yourself and start over! The mystics called such a commitment "the secret of transcendence."

"My experience is, we live in a universe governed by spiritual law. There are four spiritual laws we must live by. They are not optional and we don’t get to vote on them," she said. "They work whether you believe in them or not." They are:

• Tithe, which requires returning 10 percent "off the top, [to] where you’ve received your spiritual food."

• Forgive everyone, all of the time, especially ourselves.

• Set clear-cut, tangible goals. "Jesus Christ said, ‘Ask and ye shall receive.’ He didn’t say, ‘Make me guess.’"

• Seek and define and get on with your divine purpose. "It’s good to be a seeker," Gaines said. "Eventually, you need to be a finder. In my opinion, we have too many professional seekers in this world."

"The only people I have to forgive are people who don’t do things my way – and many of them drive in North Carolina," quipped the Alabaman.

Next, she presented "the Law of Tithing," noting that "if you’re not tithing, you’re out of spirit." She added, "The law is 10 percent of all that you received" must be given to "where you received your spiritual food. The purpose is for you to acknowledge that God is the source." And yes, "it's gross, not net... so get over it!"

Gaines told how she was a single parent, working two jobs per day, living from paycheck to paycheck and noted, "That’s not living." She asked God for guidance and was told to tithe. She committed to tithe for six months and tripled her income. By the end of that year, she was making $100,000, had a beautiful home, and 3 businesses. Since then she tithes always.

By setting one’s clear intent, focusing and tithing, one can achieve it, she said. "If you’re alive, you have desires. The human being is a goal-achieving organism. That’s how we evolved. Your job is to figure out what you want – and to go for those goals." She stressed, "’How’ is none of your business. God knows ‘how.’ Your business is to decide what you want. It will be established for you… The moment you speak it, it exists."

The secret of all prosperity, she said, "is right identification. The question is: Who are you?" She quoted Charles Fillmore’s statement that "I am the light of the world. I am an aspect of the essence."

She added, "Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, it will be given to you… You don’t have to justify your goals." She asked us to "choose 12 goals that you deeply desire," and outlined a goal-setting process:

1. Buy a little notebook to carry around with you to write down things that might be fun to do.

2. Write down your goals in a very specific way. 

3. Be open and receptive to change. Ask every day: What changes must I make in myself to achieve my goal?

4. Determine a reasonable date by which you expect to achieve your goal.

5. Read your goals at least three times every morning AND every evening, to activate "the Law of Mind Action."

6. "Image yourself via a mental picture," she said. "Picture it."

7.  Accept your success now and act as if you already achieved it.

8. Take positive action toward goals.

9.  Don’t tell others, except (maybe) your "prayer partner."

10. Cross off goals as they are achieved -- and continue to add new ones.

11. Tithe 10% – at least -- of all income.

12. Remember, God’s highest law is love.

Gaines asked, "If money weren’t an issue, what would you do?" Such thinking takes you "outside the box." She said her perpetual question is: How to spend her days doing things that are meaningful?

"The only meaning life has is the one you assign it," she said. Goals and desires "are not in conflict," she said, adding that a "bad desire is when we want to control others. That’s when we suffer.... Even the desire to be desireless is still a desire," she said. "If you’re living and breathing, you have desire, even if it’s just to take the next breath."

Besides tithing for six months (to see if it works), practicing forgiveness, setting tangible goals and finding your divine purpose, Gaines gave us a final assignment: Setting for yourself some grand adventure that you’ll accomplish in the next 12 months, stepping outside your comfort zone.

Regarding one’s divine purpose, she said, "Ask yourself the question: ‘What’s the most fun thing I could do with my life?’ Earth is the party planet… The age of the Christian martyrs is over."

Her voice crackling with enthusiasm, Gaines said, "You’re on a mission! Every one of us here is on a mission! You’re making up your divine purpose daily and my only question is: ‘How big do you want your divine purpose to be?’" Quoting Jesus in the Bible, she said, "’Ask and you shall receive.’"

"You have everything it takes to begin your dream," she said. "The entire workshop could be given, based off this one sentence: ‘As you give, you shall receive.’"

Gaines finished by quoting "one of our modern-day mystics," former race-car driver Mario Andretti who said "If everything seems under control, you’re not going nearly fast enough."

~John North, a former newspaper journalist, is writing a book about his recent year-long, solo, around-the-world trip as a "philosopher-adventurer." He volunteers monthly write-ups for the UNCA Philosophy Department, serves on the 2003 President's Circle of the Asheville Citizen-Times, and attends classes at Unity taught by Ursula Martens.

© 2003 John North