It was just two weeks ago this coming Sunday through an unexpected invitation I found myself teaching one of my favorite workshops on the east coast of Florida. That workshop that I offer from time to time is my introduction to extra sensory development, just a taste of the way or path to psychic development.

As usual I brought boxes of “tools” with me that I use to keep the focus of attendees. I set up my easel and flip chart. All was going according to plan as we worked our way through the exercises both mental and physical. I spoke of my own early and sometimes laughable experiences with spirits and apparitions.

Then something unusual happened. I flipped to the next illustration on the chart. It was a simple outline of a heart. In the center of the heart in rose colored crayon was the word JOY. One woman jumped up from her chair and said “I like that!

I do love effusive people. Her energy was a real boost to most everyone. Hers was certainly a positive exclamation but not the end of the reactions to the drawing of the heart and “Joy” from the rest of the class.

No one else commented aloud regarding the particular drawing but it was the varied energies the others were emitting that surprised me. There were a few nods of agreement and then…

With some of the students there seemed to be a distrust of the word itself as if it contained some sort of threat perhaps could not be accepted or counted on to be positive. One of the participants actually recoiled as if in fear. Is it possible that someone could be afraid of going beyond being surface happy, of accessing joy in depth? If that were so what could be the reason?

To figure out this puzzle I began considering where joy comes from, where it originates. Certainly joy is more than mere pleasure. It has a depth beyond pleasure. The deep upwelling emotion of joy resonates throughout the body and mind. I dare          say true joy is a soul promoted emotion.

Perhaps it comes and goes quickly or only occasionally as we move through our lives. But to truly live joy each day every day one would have to have a deep sense of gratitude not only for his own life but for every person and situation in his life.

How could that thankfulness or gratitude be brought forward? Can we create it at will?

It is certain that life is full of changes and surprises, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Could it be that you and I are capable of making a conscious decision to be thankful for all our varied situations, people and events? Could we suspend ego-led judgment long enough to be thankful for all our experiences whether filled with tears or laughter? And if we stuck by that mental decision to be grateful in all things could we perhaps invite more joy into our hearts and lives?

At that point in my analyzing I began to realize that Joy and Unconditional Love were inseparable. They are two halves of one thing. If Joy were accessed one would have to be at least at that moment in a state of loving and accepting everything and everyone just as they are. That state of being in unconditional love and acceptance might be all too brief but it would seem that it naturally coexists at the moment when Joy is flooding the heart.

To go a step further is it possible then that the only healing tool we would ever need is found in being unconditionally loving and accepting of ourselves and others? Could love filled joy be the one medicine that would take away any of our distress or disease?

That idea brought me right back to the person in my class that appeared to be literally afraid of Joy. Now I know from experience that some people will cling to their illnesses because that particular disease or condition is providing some sort of benefit in their lives.

The discomfort may be giving them the attention they crave from another person. Holding on to that distress may be their reason for not attempting some task that they do not want to pursue. Whatever the reason for not accepting their own healing, they continuing to hold on to that ailment because it provides what they, on some level of consciousness, believe is necessary in their lives.

Following that reasoning, if Joy were to be a part of their daily living, the disease that has been their rock, their saving grace, their focal point might be taken away. Loosing that kind of stability, however questionable the logic, would certainly be reason enough to fear the dynamic healing arrival of Joy coupled with the unconditional love of self and others.

There is of course another possibility. Perhaps the real fear is that the beautiful flooding of Joy into and from the heart is all too temporary. Perhaps the fear is that when that Joy is not present or seems inaccessible the emotions and stability will go into free fall.

From time to time we all suffer through the ups and downs of emotion but we do not live in fear of a total downward spiral just because life does not conform to our idea of perfect. Most of us have learned the real benefits of keep our “sunny side up”. Good thoughts, good emotions, bring good results.

My response to the thought that Joy is too temporary is to suggest that each of us begin at once to carve a reliable path to Joy. I suggest we find a way to access or create Joy in our lives. For instance, we all need the feeling and knowledge that our lives are supported by Spirit. Because that is true let us begin to reassure ourselves daily that we are made of the divine Light and Love of Spirit. Reinforce our own worthiness throughout the day.

Cause yourself to become aware, to feel that Light and Love lifting you, guiding you from one moment to the next. Remind yourself daily that you are Light, you are Love. Do this and thankfulness, love and all pervasive Joy will become your way of life.

The original question I asked myself was “Is Joy your birthright?” I can now say I believe that it is but like any gift or talent or ability Joy has to be accepted, appreciated and above all used. Joy is that state of expanding love and acceptance. Accessing the Joy that is naturally yours will change your life and the lives of all those whom you touch.

My personal joy is found in helping others to fully actuate their lives. My pleasure comes from seeing my clients successfully pursue the life path of their design. If I can help you with any life questions or directions call or e-mail me, Reverend Lois Cheney for your private clairvoyant reading.

I now offer individually designed and personalized one-on-one intuitive development lessons. All work is completely confidential and you will have a cassette recording of your counseling session for your later review.

Reverend Lois Cheney Telephone: (941) 961-2783 or

E-Mail: RevLois@gmail.com

Words are wonderful tools. Words create pictures and feelings for us whether they are written or spoken. But there is a significant problem with offering words: each of us understands their meanings in a slightly different way.

Don’t get me wrong I love words, language. I am particularly enamored with any sort of dictionary or encyclopedia. However, just lately I have begun to realize how vastly different individual interpretation and understanding of words can be.

In my recent workshop for the Ozark Research Institute, I handed out envelopes to each of the 30 plus participants. These particular envelopes contained no words at all just similar photographs. The pictures of various flowers which I placed in the envelopes were truly beautiful ones taken by my daughter.

The students were advised just to hold the envelopes for a period of time without opening them. Later each told the class what vibrations they had felt or sensed from the envelopes. Even though the contents of those envelopes were similar, each one of the students felt something different. No one was wrong even though no one expressed the word “flower”.

It was obvious even with a highly detailed photograph and no written words as a distraction, individual impressions are different. Each member of the class came from a somewhat different background, had encountered different experiences and consequently each was impressed with a completely different aspect of their personal envelope.

Some felt earth or dirt. One who had the photo of the parrot tulips quite accurately saw a deep purple color. Another simply felt water. One detected pulsing life. And one of the students who had the picture of white lilies saw the color red which I believe was simply the life energy of the flowers.

But I can honestly say no one was wrong. They simply understood things in a different way, were attracted to realities of the photos from their own unique perspective.

In my work as a counselor a great percentage of the problems that clients bring to me are those which exist in their relationships. These difficulties are apparently very similar in nature whether the relationships with which they are involved are intimate, spousal, family, friendship or workforce related. These problems all have a major component of either misunderstanding or total lack of accurate communication.

If our goal is to communicate with each other from the wisdom of our indwelling Spirit, then that communication has to carry more depth than mere words. We need to begin speaking or writing from our intuitive vibration. We need to choose our words as well as our accompanying emotional wave length with great care.

The most ignored principle of good communication is the first one. If we want to be heard we must first listen to the other person and we must listen with love. When we can hear with our hearts, there is a much better opportunity to gain understanding and make an appropriate reply.

Unfortunately, many times we are so busy framing a response to someone’s ideas that we really are not hearing them at all. We have heard this or that similar situation before and think we have the right answer. Often we do not if simply because their situation is not exactly the same as any other problem or challenge.

If you can bring the energy of love’s wisdom, the deep understanding that exists in your heart and soul to all your interactions with others, you will begin to evolve any relationship.

Whether you are speaking to loved ones, friends or strangers, learning to use your highest spirit-inspired words will enable you to move forward with grace. You will lift and inspire all those around you.

My Buddhist friend tells me that it is an affront to Spirit to ever take offense at another’s words or actions. Why? Because if we are offended, we have judged. We believe that the words were an attack against our ego, our self image. We have taken the position that we are entitled to say that the person was “wrong”. We have decided that we have the right to be “hurt”.

We have all heard: “don’t take anything personally” “It’s not about you, it’s them.” Sometimes that is not so easy. If we practice taking the high road in our associations with others, allowing others to be who they are, as they are, life becomes much more pleasant. We can begin to learn instead of suffering.

I am not suggesting that we toss out our ability to intelligently discriminate in our relationships. We need to know when we are moving down a path that will not be for our best good.

If we have exhausted all our best ideas of verbal interaction with anyone and find ourselves at an impasse, it may be necessary to love someone from a distance. It may be necessary to move that person off the center stage of our life up to the balcony or even out to the curb.

We cannot force all relationships to work the way we wish. The most we can do is to give more inner attention to the way we speak and write. If we will do that we will encounter less resistance to our communication with others.

The workshop I offered at the recent conference in Arkansas brought me great joy as I witnessed the enthusiasm of the students. I had opportunities to counsel with many of those who attended. If I can be of help to you with any of your questions or life challenges, simply call or e-mail for your personal appointment. I can meet you in my Florida studio or work with you over the telephone. In either case I will give you a complete recording of your private session.

I am Reverend Lois Cheney (941) 961-2783 or E_mail: RevLois @gmail.com

April is almost here and it is Convention time! The 24th Annual Dowsing and Healing Energies Convention in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is April 24th through the 28th. The convention is sponsored by the Ozark Research Institute where I have been a member for some years.

I am so excited about the convention in Fayetteville for a number of reasons. I am looking forward to seeing many of my old friends as well as making interesting new ones. In fact people attend the convention from a number of countries around the world as well as from the United States. They come from a myriad of backgrounds and practices bringing enormous enthusiasm with them.

It is the diversity of offerings at the convention that make it so stimulating. The wide range of practices and systems that are offered are mind expanding!

Oh, the choices! Here are just a few: Bach Flower Remedies, Dream Interpretation, Heal Your Life, Numerology and Kabbalah, Bend Spoons and See Auras, Using Vision Boards, Palmistry, and, of course my own: Using the Road Less Traveled is NOT Taking a Detour!

Guaranteed: there are no two presenters or no two presentations alike. Attending is always a learning experience.

I am happily anticipating my own time lecturing on Saturday, April, 25th, and Monday, the 27th. I will be offering ways to involve more deeply in your own life path by developing your personal extra sensory perception. I feel a strong desire to get more people interested in their own intuitive development. If I can spark anyone’s interest in accessing and developing their natural abilities, I see that it adds so much to the quality and ease of life.

Through my counseling practice I have seen that one of the major challenges in our lives today is communication. We seem to have problems in our relationships simply because we continue to misunderstand the other person’s thoughts and point of view. Because we can’t totally know their past experiences or why they interpret our words the way they do, we find ourselves at odds.

It is in these interactions with others that our personal intuition can be a great tool. If we are able to understand another person’s feelings at a greater depth, if we are able to connect with them on a deeper level, so much misunderstanding can be circumvented.

If you cannot join me at the convention, let me offer you a private appointment time for your personal psychic consultation. I can help you in person at my study in Florida or over the telephone. I always provide a cassette recording of our work together for your later review. I also offer a series of four individually designed one-on-one intuitive development lesson at my studio.

I would love to help you. Call me today, Reverend Lois Cheney (941) 961-2783 or E-Mail: RevLois@gmail.com.

How much joy do you have in your life? How much room will you make for joy in your life? What brings you joy?

Many times when I am counseling with clients I will ask them to make a “happy list”: “I am happy when I…” Writing the list, making it solid on paper, is hopefully giving them a view of the positive aspects of their life. In truth, the happy list is just one small step toward identifying what brings them to a state of pure joy.

Why would I want them to identify joy in their lives? Joy is much greater than mere happiness. It is an elevated effervescent energy than emanates from the heart. When joy is in control of you, you also have accessed a state of unconditional love and gratitude.

The combination of Joy, Love and Gratitude is absolutely power filled.

Real joy allows you to see the source of everything and everyone as Spirit. When you are afloat in the heavenly aspects of joy, when you allow yourself to see from that higher perspective, your soul shines!

At that moment of intense joy, your soul is offering you deep understanding and seemingly miraculous possibilities.

In the experience of joy, heart and soul wisdom is always completely available. You are receptive to the highest and best information and direction without any coloring or disruption from ego.

If you know that hosting increased amounts of joy in your life will bring you greater ability to see and access your own perfect path, are you willing to deliberately entertain more joy? Will you decide to make more time for joy by eliminating time spent in useless worry and fretting?

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING “FRIVOLOUS” ABOUT JOY! It is an important part of living and experiencing. It deserves to be cultivated and allowed to flow freely in your life.

Decide today, to look for whatever brings you to that elevated energy of joy. Find it. Repeat it. Increase its’ presence until it becomes a strong energy muscle in your life. The rewards will show themselves by illuminating your own higher purpose and understanding.

Your life path and purpose are important. My work is helping you to identify ways of actuating your very best life now. Call me today for a confidential reading appointment or to learn about my private intuitive lessons.

I am your Sarasota Florida Psychic, Reverend Lois Cheney (941)961-2783 or E-Mail: RevLois@gmail.com