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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 partnersCarole Butler of Largo and Louise Kahana of North Redington Beach stand on eitherside 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.         

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