Honoring Lori

I feel the emotion welling up inside me as I sit down to write this post.

In February of 2021 I was contacted to work with a woman named Lori Stevens by her son, Luke Anderson. Luke had found me through my connection with Goop. Lori was terminally ill and Luke was requesting that I work with her to provide energy healing. The goal was for Lori to have the best possible end of life experience. I immediately sensed the gravity of the circumstance and felt honored and eager to begin working with Lori. Although the family lived in close proximity to me, all of Lori’s work was conducted remotely over the phone due to covid.

From the moment Lori and I greeted each other for her first session there was a strong and deep connection between us. I felt as if I had known her for years. When she spoke to me it was how I imagine she would have spoken to one of her children. I explained the work that we would be doing together and she was 100% on board. I guided her through a restful Reiki experience. As the session was coming to an end she repeated over and over to me “I love you, I love you, I love you”. I remember muting my phone as tears streamed down my face and I tried to pull myself together. I had never before cried during a client session. Lori had my attention and had become very precious to me in just one hour.

Over the next year, I worked with Lori regularly. She expressed that her doctors, family and caretakers all had their own ideas about what this process should look like for her but she wanted to do things her way. She wanted to do what felt good to her. Lori’s son Luke and her daughter Charlotte dedicated themselves to ensuring that Lori was able to do things her way and made every attempt to facilitate for their mother.

It quickly became clear to me that Lori was herself a healer. She was incredibly sensitive to energy and our worldviews aligned. Even when she lost her words or became frustrated with her inability to communicate I understood her. We were speaking the same language.

I taught a modified Reiki 1 class for Lori, Luke and Charlotte hoping to empower them to support themselves energetically through this process. This was the first time we would be face to face via Zoom. Lori was stunningly beautiful, radiantly present and beaming with joy. In addition to energy healing and Reiki, Lori explored sound healing and homeopathy. I also made a referral to Cindy Mattingly, who supported Lori’s care with space clearing, medical intuition and Tibetan Soul Healing Tse Dup.

The last time Lori spoke to me she said goodbye. She explained that she was saying goodbye to everyone because she didn’t know if there would be another opportunity. I was struck by how empowered she was, gathering her energy and actively preparing for her passing. I worked with her several more times when she was unable to speak. Cindy had helped the family create signs and alternate means of communication for Lori.

I received a text from Luke the morning after Lori’s passing. I was devastated for Luke and Charlotte and their family. Lori was like a beacon of light that lit up life and this was a profound loss. I was also deeply affected. I had to step away from my work for the week and found myself unable to provide support, as I myself was grieving.

Cindy Mattingly and I were graciously invited to attend Lori’s memorial service. For me, this was a great honor. The service took place at a large venue and it was completely packed, unsurprisingly. I listened to the stories of Lori and her life as told by Luke, Charlotte and Lori’s friends and family. They were poignant, hilarious, meaningful and full of the magic I had witnessed in the short time I had known Lori. I felt grateful for the opportunity to know Lori in a broader context through the eyes of her loved ones and to celebrate and grieve with them. I came to understand that she had a way of profoundly impacting the people in her life. I listened to one of her friends say “If Lori loved you, you knew it” and I was transported back to that first session when she repeated those words “I love you” to me, as if they were a mantra.

As Cindy and I were leaving the service she asked me if I had explored why I had such a strong connection with Lori. In doing my best to hold space as Lori’s practitioner and a support for her family I had not allowed myself to investigate the depth of our connection. Cindy suggested that Lori had been my mother in another lifetime. As she spoke these words I was overcome with emotion and knew that the statement held the vibration of truth. I remembered a session when I did an Akashic Record reading for Lori and conveyed to her that we had lived together. “True” had been Lori’s response.

As the weeks passed I felt Lori with me, received signs of her presence and heard her guidance. I shared my experiences with Cindy, Luke and Charlotte. Through Lori’s guidance we have been building The Lori Project, a platform supporting individuals facing end or life, their loved ones and the care teams and providers who serve them. The goal is to empower participants by providing access to virtual evidence-based Integrative Healthcare, such as Reiki, meditation, breath work, homeopathy, EFT tapping, hypnosis, as well as end of life planning, green burial options, etc. We are creating a community of practitioners who can offer their expertise and services, as well a free resources to assist those who are navigating this journey.

I know that a blog post could never convey Lori’s magic. It is otherworldly and indescribable. Her light cannot be captured. Lori beautifully demonstrated that it is possible to heal in an empowered way through the process of passing. My hope is that through this program her magic lives on, rubs off and helps as many people as possible to heal through their process of dying, grieving and caring for those who are on this journey. Stay tuned for much more to come on Lori’s program.

In loving memory of Lori Stevens.

*If you are interested in participating in Lori’s Program, please inquire at info@caitlinmarino.com or follow along via Instagram @loriproject.

Coming Fall of 2023