By Christine Tory
In 2017, Vicky Lovell and Danielle Groth crossed paths for the first time. They met during milestone transitions in both of their lives. Lovell was graduating from seminary and answering her first call into ordained ministry and Groth was recovering from breast cancer and in the midst of her own healing. It was a friendship, built on the foundation of their faith, that took time to grow.
The two women approached their faith from different angles, however, it was in that difference that beautiful conversations were shared. They were told they were twin flames, and one was the yin while the other the yang. Their differences proved to be complementary, and their strong bond continues to be a frequency felt by anyone who spends time with them.
It all began one Sunday morning after Groth listened to Lovell preach. Groth boldly approached Lovell and said these now famous words, “You do a great job of teaching us how to love God and our neighbor, but when do you teach us how to love ourselves?” When Groth realized she stumped Lovell with that question, she offered to meet with her weekly to share Reiki. Lovell had no idea what she was agreeing to, but she said yes, and soon became the recipient of a weekly dose of divine love through the hands of her new friend. At the end of every session the pastor and the energy medicine practitioner would spend time chatting about what each experienced and both became enthralled with the experiences they were sharing.
During that time Lovell was caring for a woman who was near the end of life. She invited Lovell to visit her in the hospital to pray, but she asked if Lovell would bring her “Reiki friend” with her as well. The two women gathered around the bedside of this dying woman and while Lovell prayed and held the space sacred, Groth offered her Reiki. The three women agreed that when their collective energies united, something unbelievable occurred. The woman felt the presence of God in a new, indescribable way. She died peacefully a few weeks later, filled with hope, and gave the credit to what she encountered in that hospital room. Danielle Groth and Vicky Lovell began to sense that they were on to something by blending faith with energy medicine.
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In early 2020, Lovell and Groth shared a life changing spiritual experience at a shrine in Grass Lake, Michigan that they believe catapulted their mission, and shared ministry, into a new phase. It was in that holy space they felt their energies merge. It took their faith to a new depth and gave them the holy nudge that they needed to bravely pioneer into the unknown territory of blending energy medicine and mindfulness with faith into something they call Wonder-twinning. However, before they could step into that calling with both feet, they each needed to reconcile their own faith beliefs with Reiki. Many challenged them. Some said they were devil worshiping, while others said they were getting too “woo-woo.” They needed to know for themselves that what they were dabbling in aligned with their faith convictions.
They dove into scripture, spent time in meditation and prayer, visited holy spaces and listened for the direction of the Holy Spirit. In the end, they were convicted that what they were being called to do was divinely guided and in no way going against their faith. Instead, they firmly honored the Creator every step of the way and had scripture to support their actions. They were fascinated by their findings and decided to write a book, Reiki and Faith, to help others who also struggled or are struggling with combining the two worlds of energy medicine and faith. They are now confident that they are to redefine ministry to allow people to experience God or Love in new ways.
When working with individuals during private sessions, Lovell acts as the spiritual gatekeeper and prays a shield of protection around the space and the people within it. She helps guide a conversation with the client while she and Groth actively listen to observe patterns of behavior and thoughts. Groth leads the individuals through meditations or tapping, also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). The simple, yet powerful method helps in healing at both a conscious and unconscious level. Together, they end the session by inviting the Holy Spirit to flow from their hands and guide them as vessels to offer healing to individuals in mind, body, and spirit through the practice of Reiki.
Lovell and Groth, partnering under the name of Wonder-twinning, offer workshops and retreats for events, organizations, and private gatherings. They are repeat guests with organizations such as the non-profit, North Star Reach, where they offer their teachings as speakers at the North Star Reach Care-Givers Conference. They share their mindfulness modalities and techniques through interactive discussions and help others learn how to move through challenging times and emotions. They also lead a workshop series where they teach on the mindfulness of thoughts, how they impact the body, and how to nurture the mind, body, and spirit.
Throughout the past two years, the Wonder-twins have worked with over eighty clients in their peaceful, judgment free office, in hospital rooms, at bedsides, and in nursing homes. People come for a variety of reasons: physical illnesses, childhood traumas, emotional abuse, depression and anxiety, and issues they weren’t able to name, but knew needed to be addressed. Some had deep faith, while others had no faith. Knowing that all people have within themselves the power to heal their own beings, Groth and Lovell became guides on the journeys. The ladies have witnessed miraculous healings take place. They have witnessed people release limiting beliefs that they have spoken to themselves for lifetimes. They have seen wonderful recoveries after surgeries when people first prepared their mind, body, and spirit through a Wonder-twin session. Messages have been received and shared leaving clients awe-filled that the angel guides know them personally and communicate with them specifically.
These two women now accept that they have been chosen to pioneer the blending of two worlds of spirituality—one rooted in faith and the other in energy medicine and mindfulness. Since that first day when Groth approached Lovell and asked about self-love, these two women have been on a mission to teach people how to love themselves. Loving one’s self often means doing the hard work to bring healing to areas of one’s life that need some compassion sprinkled on them. They believe wholeheartedly that when people love themselves genuinely, they are more able to receive love from God and others, and it’s in that receiving that naturally they give it away to their neighbor. Loving oneself has a positive ripple effect to everyone around that person.
The Wonder-twins were featured speakers at the International Reiki Rays Conference this past year where they shared their concept of Wonder-twinning. You can read more in depth about their story in their new book, Reiki and Faith: Supporting Reiki through Holy Experiences and Scripture available from Balboa Press. If you would like to learn more or are interested in experiencing healing in a new way, you can schedule an appointment for Wonder-twinning™ by visiting the website: iamwellreiki.com or by calling (734) 604-6938.
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Barb Scholz is a leading energy medicine practitioner in this region, highly respected by other energy medicine practitioners, and deeply valued by her clients. Born in Lansing, she moved to Ann Arbor when she was 14 years old and has stayed here ever since. She refers to herself as a Modality Museum, and rightly so. Over the course of her life, she has practiced and become immersed in yoga, aromatherapy, essential oils, homeopathy, craniosacral therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, energy medicine using Donna Eden’s method, and more.