Our Daily Show Interview! Ancient Wisdom for Today: Free Class Series Starts 8-7
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ALTON - Community members are invited to expand their spirituality at an upcoming free three-part series at River Bend Yoga.
At 1 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month for the next three months, attendees can study “Ancient Wisdom for Today” and grow their spirituality from a new perspective. On Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, the first of the series — “The School of Life: What’s In It for You?” — invites community members to River Bend Yoga for a conversation about spirituality and growth.
“It’s a spiritual adventure of a lifetime,” said Flora Van Koten, one of the organizers. “Am I practicing fear, or am I practicing love? That’s all it comes down to.”
Organizers Van Koten and Sheila Aehle practice Eckankar, the path of spiritual freedom that encourages your personal connection with the divine. What they have learned by being students of Eckankar will be part of the discussion on Aug. 7, but they emphasized that the “Ancient Wisdom for Today” series is for anyone who wants to learn how to connect with their own inner knowledge and apply it in their daily lives.
Every participant will receive the book “Eckankar: Ancient Wisdom for Today” and a “Raise Your Spiritual IQ!” journal with spiritual exercises. Van Koten and Aehle will guide the meetings by bringing up topics from the book, but the meetings are relaxed.
Attendees are encouraged to talk about their own questions and experiences. Aehle and Van Koten emphasized that they want to hear from the attendees and connect with them.
“This is all leading up to our own spiritual mastery, our own unique path,” Van Koten explained. “It’s nice to share and identify with someone else who’s going through the same thing, but it’s not the same thing. Even though we have the same emotions sometimes or it’s similar, everybody is on their own unique path. We’re all on this path called homeward to God, the divine journey, however you want to look at it.”
On Sept. 4, the group’s discussion will center on the topic “Experience the Reality of Past Lives, Dreams, and Soul Travel,” followed by “The Goal of Spiritual Mastery” on Oct. 2.
All three sessions aim to encourage attendees to think about their spirituality and how they are connected to God. Aehle and Van Koten hope that the series ultimately brings people closer to their spiritual lives.
“I think it helps us to know and understand that we’re living on holy ground. It may not look like it, but to recognize and be more aware of that in your life is very cool,” Aehle added. “Learning what tools unlock that puzzle box for you — we go deeper and deeper into that every day if we allow ourselves to.”
Stop by River Bend Yoga at 1 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2025, to learn more. 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.
