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Zephyrhills Business Caters To The Spirit(s)

Tribune photo by CHRISTINE DELESSIO

Michelle Nathe receives Chakra from Grace Noble at The Center for Divine Light in Zephyrhills.

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By GEOFF FOX

gfox@tampatrib.com

Published: January 23, 2009

ZEPHYRHILLS - Stephanie Lee's hands hovered inches above Michelle Nathe's body and moved slowly over her torso.

Nathe lay motionless, eyes closed, in a pleasant-smelling room illuminated by a string of lights and a candle. Throughout The Center of Divine Light, soothing instrumental music eased through unseen speakers.

When she emerged from the room several minutes later, Nathe felt "tingly and relaxed."

"I'm open for anything," said the Dade City woman, who has a long-standing interest in the metaphysical.

The center sells all manner of incense, oils, teas and gemstones and offers services such as ionized foot detox, massage therapy and aura cleansing. It opened a couple of months ago in a two-story house at 5221 Eighth St., not far from the intersection of Gall Boulevard and State Road 54.

If this isn't exactly where you'd expect to find a spiritual healing center, consider this: There's an animal crematory in a garage on the property.

Still, the center seems to be finding its clientele.

"It's getting big," Lee said. "We had people from Jacksonville coming down for the grand opening."

The center is run by Lee, psychic Carla Goddard and Scott Leahy, who specializes in crystal bowl therapy.

Goddard often has to explain what she does for a living.

"We're not your stereotypical psychics," she said. "We won't tell you your future or lottery numbers. Stephanie, for example, is a medium and angel practitioner. A psychic can give you information in the present. A medium can communicate with the other side."

Put another way, Lee, who does intuitive readings, where she interprets people's auras and energies, says she can see guardian angels surrounding people. It is a gift she says she noticed as a young girl.

Goddard, on the other hand, says she can tell if a person is angry by the energy they project.

Leahy's crystal bowls are said to align a person's chakras - the body's energy centers - through sound.

The various practices are meant to help people improve their lives, or at least suggest ways to do it.

"If we cannot help someone, we will tell them," Goddard said.

The Center of Divine Light, known as a "spiritual wellness center," operates under a few fundamental philosophies, including:

•There is one power in the universe - a divine spirit. "Some call it God," Lee said.

•Universal power is present in all human, animal and mineral kingdoms.

•We can use this universal power to manifest good things in our lives.

The center also offers yoga classes, guided meditation, where people are helped to relax through imagery, astrological chart readings and other services.

Lee acknowledged that many people have to be open for the processes to work.

"If you're skeptical, you put a wall up," she said.

Lee said she noticed her abilities at a young age but that they seemed to disappear when she was a teenager. They returned, she said, after she survived a serious traffic crash.

"I pick up on the other side," she said. "I can tell you, for instance, if your mother is with you. I could tell if she had red hair because there would be a red glow around her head.

"In the darkness, I see more."

Besides working at the center, Lee said, she has about 730 clients from the United States and Mexico. She said she can do a reading as long as she can hear a person's voice.

"Phone readings are wonderful," she said.

Throughout the center are signs meant to bring relaxation - "Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I calm my body" - or inspire - "Remember the magic is in the journey."

The center also sells herbs, crystals, books, clothing and other items.

"It's a complete metaphysical shop," Lee said. "There's a lot of jewelry with goddesses and fairies and angels and dragons.

"We're very diverse."

LET'S GET METAPHYSICAL

For information about The Center of Divine Light, call (813) 782-8888 or go online to www.thecenterofdivinelight .com.

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

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