Chetana Catherine Florida
Founder of The Lighthouse Center
The Lighthouse Center, Inc. was founded by Chetana Catherine Florida who was born and raised in Detroit,MI. Following the death of her first husband in 1972, she began a search for meaning in life…and death. Starting her meditation practice helped her find comfort and a renewed sense of stability in her life. She delved into metaphysics and soon discovered that she had an amazing intuitive gift. It did not take her long to ascend to teaching meditation, doing psychic readings, spiritual counseling and teaching metaphysical classes in the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Howell areas. She quickly acquired many students with whom she established a ‘ lighthouse group’ which met in people’s homes and the Whitmore Lake fire station. However, we soon outgrew the homes and the fire station, and in 1989 Chetana purchased our current building and incorporated the Lighthouse Center as a 501(c)(3) Michigan non-profit corporation.
In 1987 Chetana met her guru/teacher Jain Master Gurudev Chitrabhanu. During her first pilgrimage to India with Gurudev, Chetana received her spiritual name at Mt Shatrunjaya in Palitana. “Chetana” means “Pure Awareness, Pure Consciousness”. Over time there were six group pilgrimages to India, and during her final trip in 2002, she received the International Vegetarian Award in Mumbai. Gurudev was also invited to the Lighthouse Center two to three times per year for talks and retreats focusing on the Jain philosophy of ahimsa (non-violence), reverence for all life and relativity in thinking.
Chetana was a beautiful teacher and the Beloved Spiritual Mother to hundreds of meditation students at the Lighthouse and around the world. As founder of the Lighthouse Center, Chetana’s vision was that of creating an inclusive, interfaith meditation center focused on loving all of God’s creation and holding the space for continued spiritual growth for seekers in the Light. Following her untimely death in 2003, Gurudev Chitrabhanu served as a spiritual advisor to her students and continued to visit the center a couple times per year. He taught that one’s spiritual journey was to focus on transcending or ’conquering’ one’s own inner enemies of Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit (i.e. AGED), which obstruct our natural state of being, that of Enlightenment. Gurudev helped many come closer to their own true divine nature and to become strong enough in body, mind and soul to take charge of one’s own spiritual journey toward Self-Realization. He passed away in April 2019.
One of the many offerings of the Lighthouse Center is a book club. In 2018 the club took on the reading and discussion of the “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda, for the second time. Becoming increasingly inquisitive about Yogananda’s mention of Kriya yoga as ‘the airplane route to enlightenment’, a member was designated to research this method. We ended up connecting with Michael Limauro of Ananda MI who came to talk to the book club about his kriya practice.
The book club members were entranced by Mike and invited him to teach the Raja Yoga class in preparation for Kriya initiation. In amazing Divine Synchronicity (in hindsight that is), Mike began teaching the first course two months before Gurudev Chitrabhanu passed away. Then that summer in 2019 several members became disciples of Yogananda, in preparation for further study and for Kriya initiation that fall. As if in confirmation of this amazing synchronicity in continuing spiritual teachings bridging Eastern and Western spiritual traditions which were the focus for both Chetana and Yogananda, another surprising event occurred. The morning following our discipleship ceremony, we were moving some unneeded furniture out of the center. Our Director of Operations halted the move of a particular credenza to ask a handyman to first check a drawer that had been jammed shut for over two decades. To our amazement, out came six framed photographs of Paramhansa Yogananda and his spiritual lineage that had been hidden in there all those years unbeknownst to us!
Presently we continue to host Mike Limauro on an annual basis to teach Raja Yoga, now known as the “Essence of Self-Realization” course and a prep course to Kriya initiation. The initiation is scheduled in the fall of each year and performed by Ananda CA’s outreach minister, Nayaswami Pranaba. The Lighthouse also hosts monthly in-person Ananda Michigan Sunday Services and Kirtans.
On other Sundays at the Lighthouse Center we meditate and watch fascinating videos followed by lively group discussion of the subject matter. These include videos of Dr Joe Dispenza, RJ Spina, Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society, and any others which spark interest by the gathered group. We continue to be an interfaith meditation community as per Chetana’s initial vision. And as we continue our spiritual practices, we employ open minded self-inquiry to continue our spiritual growth in the Light. We strive to be Heart centered and protected by God’s Divine Love and Light.
Founder of The Lighthouse Center
The Lighthouse Center, Inc. was founded by Chetana Catherine Florida who was born and raised in Detroit,MI. Following the death of her first husband in 1972, she began a search for meaning in life…and death. Starting her meditation practice helped her find comfort and a renewed sense of stability in her life. She delved into metaphysics and soon discovered that she had an amazing intuitive gift. It did not take her long to ascend to teaching meditation, doing psychic readings, spiritual counseling and teaching metaphysical classes in the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Howell areas. She quickly acquired many students with whom she established a ‘ lighthouse group’ which met in people’s homes and the Whitmore Lake fire station. However, we soon outgrew the homes and the fire station, and in 1989 Chetana purchased our current building and incorporated the Lighthouse Center as a 501(c)(3) Michigan non-profit corporation.
In 1987 Chetana met her guru/teacher Jain Master Gurudev Chitrabhanu. During her first pilgrimage to India with Gurudev, Chetana received her spiritual name at Mt Shatrunjaya in Palitana. “Chetana” means “Pure Awareness, Pure Consciousness”. Over time there were six group pilgrimages to India, and during her final trip in 2002, she received the International Vegetarian Award in Mumbai. Gurudev was also invited to the Lighthouse Center two to three times per year for talks and retreats focusing on the Jain philosophy of ahimsa (non-violence), reverence for all life and relativity in thinking.
Chetana was a beautiful teacher and the Beloved Spiritual Mother to hundreds of meditation students at the Lighthouse and around the world. As founder of the Lighthouse Center, Chetana’s vision was that of creating an inclusive, interfaith meditation center focused on loving all of God’s creation and holding the space for continued spiritual growth for seekers in the Light. Following her untimely death in 2003, Gurudev Chitrabhanu served as a spiritual advisor to her students and continued to visit the center a couple times per year. He taught that one’s spiritual journey was to focus on transcending or ’conquering’ one’s own inner enemies of Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit (i.e. AGED), which obstruct our natural state of being, that of Enlightenment. Gurudev helped many come closer to their own true divine nature and to become strong enough in body, mind and soul to take charge of one’s own spiritual journey toward Self-Realization. He passed away in April 2019.
One of the many offerings of the Lighthouse Center is a book club. In 2018 the club took on the reading and discussion of the “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda, for the second time. Becoming increasingly inquisitive about Yogananda’s mention of Kriya yoga as ‘the airplane route to enlightenment’, a member was designated to research this method. We ended up connecting with Michael Limauro of Ananda MI who came to talk to the book club about his kriya practice.
The book club members were entranced by Mike and invited him to teach the Raja Yoga class in preparation for Kriya initiation. In amazing Divine Synchronicity (in hindsight that is), Mike began teaching the first course two months before Gurudev Chitrabhanu passed away. Then that summer in 2019 several members became disciples of Yogananda, in preparation for further study and for Kriya initiation that fall. As if in confirmation of this amazing synchronicity in continuing spiritual teachings bridging Eastern and Western spiritual traditions which were the focus for both Chetana and Yogananda, another surprising event occurred. The morning following our discipleship ceremony, we were moving some unneeded furniture out of the center. Our Director of Operations halted the move of a particular credenza to ask a handyman to first check a drawer that had been jammed shut for over two decades. To our amazement, out came six framed photographs of Paramhansa Yogananda and his spiritual lineage that had been hidden in there all those years unbeknownst to us!
Presently we continue to host Mike Limauro on an annual basis to teach Raja Yoga, now known as the “Essence of Self-Realization” course and a prep course to Kriya initiation. The initiation is scheduled in the fall of each year and performed by Ananda CA’s outreach minister, Nayaswami Pranaba. The Lighthouse also hosts monthly in-person Ananda Michigan Sunday Services and Kirtans.
On other Sundays at the Lighthouse Center we meditate and watch fascinating videos followed by lively group discussion of the subject matter. These include videos of Dr Joe Dispenza, RJ Spina, Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society, and any others which spark interest by the gathered group. We continue to be an interfaith meditation community as per Chetana’s initial vision. And as we continue our spiritual practices, we employ open minded self-inquiry to continue our spiritual growth in the Light. We strive to be Heart centered and protected by God’s Divine Love and Light.
