newspaper article

The Pilgrimage Inc. helps people of all religions in their

spiritual quests and in self-healing.

By Julianne Wuu

St. Petersburg Times Staff Writer

CLEARWATER, October 14, 2000

Soft lighting illuminates the tiny room as Sharlene Hale of Largo climbs onto a table

at the Pilgrimage Inc., a non-denominational center in Clearwater. Healing partners

Carole Butler of Largo and Louise Kahana of North Redington Beach stand on either

side of her, preparing to lay hands on her and pray. Except for the prayers at the

beginning and end of the session, there is an almost overwhelming sense of quiet and

peace in the room for the next 45 minutes or so. "At first I came for physical reasons,

aches and pains." said Hale, 46, a freelance writer, before her recent session. "But,

then, I got into emotional things. I come here now to keep up my energy... sort of for

a tune-up or maintenance. The vibes are very conducive to healing here." She has

been attending sessions at The Pilgrimage for about a year and a half.

Cindy Livernois, program director and administrator for The Pilgrimage, refers to

the sessions with about 30 clients a week as "The Pilgrimage Process." It is a

process, she said, which concentrates on "healing for spirit, mind and body, with

emphasis on the primacy of spirit." Besides its new location at 2114 Drew St. in

Clearwater. The Pilgrimage Inc. has satellite offices at St. Alfred’s Episcopal Church

in Palm Harbor, First Unity Church in St. Petersburg and elsewhere. "We do not

consider ourselves healers in the sense of curing people, per se," said Livernois, 39.

"But we believe we are here to facilitate God’s power and that our sessions generate

positive energy. Laying on of hands and praying is historical."

A former administrator of the Morton Plant Foundation, Livernois has been with

The Pilgrimage since meeting its founder, the Rev. Tanya Beck, about two years ago.

Livernois is one of only two paid staff members for The Pilgrimage, which is about 10

years old. There are also 75 volunteer "healing partners" who work with clients of

The Pilgrimage, Livernois said. "Our healing partners are of all persuasions: Buddhists,

Catholics, Episcopalians, Unitarians and the like,” she said. In each session, there are

two healing partners. They pray over and lay hands on and over the client. There are

no massage techniques involved. "We find there is a unison with three people: the

healing partners and the client," Livernois said. "It was very relaxing," Hale said

after her session. "I was able to tune everything out."

Louise Kahana, one of the healing partners, said: "I believe what we do is to facilitate

a space where intention and faith allow changes and miracles." Kahana is a massage

therapist and Butler is a therapeutic touch practitioner and a yoga instructor for the

city of Largo. Both are also practitioners of Reiki, a technique for channeling positive

energy through the body. Although the clients of The Pilgrimage are urged to come at

least five or six times, Livernois said some clients feel they need or want more.

Clients are asked to give a minimum donation of $20 or $25 for each visit, but they

can still come even if they can’t afford that much. Besides the individual sessions,

The Pilgrimage also has a prayer chain, through which people can call in or send

in their petitions. The Rev. Kathy Lujthe, from Anona Methodist

Church in Largo, is in charge.