I recently (well, a little over a year ago) moved back to the almost Chicago area. I left suburban Chicago in 2002, feeling called to live "somewhere else" because I never had. At some time over the 18 years I was away, I began to realize this was all part of my Spiritual Journey. Or, I should say, I became aware I was following my spiritual path. Along the way I was ordained a minister in a small, new thought church, initiated (or reinitiated in this lifetime) on the Path of Sound and Light (also known as Sant Mat and Surat Shabd Yoga, and moved interstate one more time to be closer to my spiritual community. Then, during the pandemic, I felt called to move back closer to family and subsequently rejoined the Spiritual Community (Lake Street Church of Evanston) that I left in 2002.
In the past year, I joined a prayer group for the congregation, became a deacon, and now a lay minister. I am fully stepping up into my intended purpose in life by serving in a spiritual capacity. It only took me almost 20 years and 3 moves around the country to finally come "full circle"! Below is the body of an introduction to myself and what I offer to church members. It will be printed in the church monthly bulletin and then I will be openly offering to be of Spiritual Service to any and all who may be interested:
Introduction
My name is Teri Sandler and I have an old and new affiliation with Lake Street Church. I found my way to LSC in 1996 and was an active member for six years. I left the area in 2002 and found my way back in the Fall of 2020 after almost two decades of following my Spiritual calling. Along the way, I was initiated onto a Spiritual Path called The Path of Sound and Light (also known as Surat Shabd Yoga) a meditation technique to enable the mystical experience of seeing the Inner Light and listening to the Shabd soul music. A more basic explanation is meditating on the Inner Light and Sound of God. I was also ordained as a minister through a small, non-denominational church called Sanctuary of Sacred Truth. This church was focused on Spirit and unification with God as opposed to any type of formal religion.
My ministry is informed by my belief that we are all Sparks of the Divine. In Gnosticism and other Western esoterical religions, the divine spark is the portion of God that resides within each human being. I was first introduced to this concept while researching the idea of Tikkun Olam, or Repairing the World, over 10 years ago. Isaac Luria, the renowned sixteenth century Kabbalist, used the phrase “tikkun olam,” usually translated as repairing the world, to encapsulate the true role of humanity in the ongoing evolution and spiritualization of the cosmos. Luria taught that God created the world by forming vessels of light to hold the Divine Light. But as God poured the Light into the vessels, they catastrophically shattered, tumbling down toward the realm of matter. Thus, our world consists of countless shards of the original vessels entrapping sparks of the Divine Light. Humanity’s great task involves helping God by freeing and reuniting the scattered Light, raising the sparks back to Divinity and restoring the broken world.
The work I offer, via phone or video call, is geared toward the concept of raising awareness of one’s connection with the Divine and the possible roadblocks that may hinder that awareness. My work is not about any specific religion or theology. It is not about the outer world. It is about our inner world and how we view our Spirituality and our personal connection with the Divine. Feel free to contact me with any questions or to schedule time to discuss your Spiritual journey in a safe, non-judgmental energetic place.
And, now, by putting this out into the Universe via the internet, I invite you to feel free to connect with me also.
Namaste!
