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ALTON - If you want to grow in your spirituality, an upcoming conversation at River Bend Yoga might be for you.
“Raise Your Spiritual IQ!,” a three-part series hosted at River Bend Yoga in Alton, will cover three topics that invite people to explore their spirituality from a new perspective. At 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2025, community members can stop by River Bend Yoga for an hourlong discussion titled “Past Lives — Present Lessons,” which encourages attendees to “discover the secrets of karma and reincarnation to answer questions about your life today.”
“Come with that open heart, and you’ll learn something,” said Sheila Aehle, one of the organizers. “It will take you further in your study. We’ll go through some of the techniques in the book, but the main focus is learning how to raise that spiritual IQ in whatever way you are guided.
Aehle and Flora Van Koten practice Eckankar, the path of spiritual freedom that encourages your personal connection with the divine. What they have learned by being students of Eckankar for many years will be part of the discussion on March 6, but they emphasized that the “Raise Your Spiritual IQ!” series is for anyone who wants to learn how to connect with their own inner knowledge and apply it more in their daily lives.
Van Koten promises the discussion on March 6 will be “very lowkey,” similar to a roundtable where people can bring their own stories and questions. Every attendee will receive a “Raise Your Spiritual IQ!” journal with guided techniques, as well as a book on the topic "Past Lives — Present Lessons."
But Aehle and Van Koten emphasize that the discussion is nondenominational, and everyone is welcome to participate. They believe karma and cause-and-effect relate to everyone, no matter your background or beliefs.
“To me, karma is, believe it or not, about divine love,” Van Koten said. “It’s learning. Even in this lifetime, we’re having lessons to learn how to give and receive divine love. Divine love is unconditional love, which is acceptance of everybody and everything around us.”
Van Koten and Aehle believe that every living being is “Soul,” and life is a chance to learn. They encourage people to connect to their spirituality by singing the HU song, a “love song to God.” Both women noted that the HU song has been hugely beneficial to them.
Among other topics, the “Past Lives — Present Lessons” discussion will talk about how we can learn from our past experiences, take responsibility for our actions, and move forward with this new understanding.
“There is fear, and there’s guilt when we take responsibility sometimes. But to dwell in that state is negating the fact that I’m a spark of God, that I’m loved and here to learn a lesson, and it’s almost a point of vanity to be a victim,” Van Koten explained. “The reality is, if you believe, as I do and Sheila does, that we are Soul and we are here in this wonderful school, this wonderful classroom, this life is a gift to teach me how to be a better person, more understanding of and compassionate to others, then it comes…It’s letting go and letting God, basically.”
The three “Raise Your Spiritual IQ!” sessions will help people connect with their higher power while learning more about themselves as Soul. In addition to the “Past Lives — Present Lessons” session on March 6, you can check out “Your Dream Worlds Revealed” on April 3 or “Soul Travel Exploration” on May 1, all at 1 p.m. at River Bend Yoga. All of these discussions are free, and anyone is welcome.
For more information about Eckankar, call 630-427-5950, visit Eckankar.org or download the free HU app at HearHu.org. For more information about the "Raise Your Spiritual IQ!" series, click here. For your own copy of the "Raise Your Spiritual IQ!" journal, click here.
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