Ilchi Lee

Inspired by the majestic beauty of the land, I began offering meditation tours for members of the Dahn Yoga centers in South Korea.

At that time I did all of the training and teaching myself. I really tried to inspire the people who came on the tour, to introduce them to the spirit of the earth that was so easy to feel in Sedona. In ancient Korean traditions, the earth is called “Mago”, similar in meaning to “Mother Earth” or “Gaia”. I taught them how to connect to Mago and to the deepest part of themselves that is one with Mago. These meditation tours are still continuing today, even though I no longer lead them myself.

Sedona’s natural beauty and people’s reaction to it, including my own, helped me to realize that the earth itself is the common denominator among all of the people living on it. I started to share this realization actively, knowing that the concept could help people understand my initial enlightenment, when I realized, “My energy is cosmic energy and cosmic energy is my energy. My mind is cosmic mind and cosmic mind is my mind.” The same is true for all people when they look deep inside themselves. They can experience the same sense of oneness with everything as I did. I think the idea of having the earth in common connects people, helping to eliminate barriers or differences between them.

While I was sharing these concepts I met some people with similar notions. These people, especially Hanna Strong, Morris Strong, Seymour Topping, and Neale Donald Walsh helped me to spread the idea of the earth being each person’s primary affiliation, and of a common vision of peace. I was very happy to meet people here who already had a vision of the world that was similar to my own, when I had just started to work in the United States.

In order to create my vision I decided that I needed to start a training and retreat center in the United States as I had in South Korea. My favorite thing to do at that time was climbing to the top of Bell Rock to meditate. Bell Rock is one of the more famous rock formations in Sedona. I loved the feeling I had when I was there. I always felt more strongly connected to the earth. One day while I was meditating on top of Bell Rock I had a vision of a kind-looking Caucasian gentleman with white hair who I later discovered was Lester Levinson. Lester Levinson was the originator of the ”Sedona Method” of personal growth, and he had bought land in the middle of the Coconino National Forest near Sedona. He had run a retreat center on the land for many years before his death just two years prior. When he appeared to me he asked me to use his land to help many people heal and find peace.

This experience was strange but also very powerful. I was deeply moved by Lester Levinson’s sincere request. Because of the impression it made on me I investigated the land and the story behind it. Acquiring the land seemed like an impossible task, so I did not immediately act. Eventually, I decided we should use the land as Lester Levinson asked. With great effort, the land was purchased for the non-profit Tao Fellowship, to be used for events and educational programs that help people connect to Mago and find peace.

At first the retreat center was called Sedona Mago Garden, and as it grew and stabilized, it became the Sedona Ilchi Meditation Center. Its latest transformation into the Sedona Mago Retreat Center offers many more Brain Education programs that are accessible and interesting to people without prior Brain Education experience.

My experience with Lester Levinson and Sedona crystallized for me that no matter how truthful or powerful a message feels, one is nevertheless confronted with doubt and fear for the future. However, when you know the message comes from the source of life, then you have no choice but to accept it, however impossible it may seem at the time. I know of no other option. Following that message led to the creation of a place where anyone can connect to Mago and to themselves, where they can find a beacon of peace.