Jamie Butler Launches The Lighter Side Network
Crites was the first guest on the first show of Ursula Lentine’s The Way of the Spiritual Path, one of five shows that was introduced at the launch of Atlanta’s The Lighter Side Network March 1 on vimeo.com. The title of that show, The Answer is in the Problem, was later explained by Crites, a recovering alcoholic.
“Carl Jung identified that the only way to overcome alcoholism addiction was by having a spiritual awakening,” explained Crites, who experienced her second spiritual awakening in 2005. “I said a prayer that I remember to this day, verbatim, and I was sitting in a meeting the next morning, at 7:30.”
Despite praying for salvation year after year, it wasn’t until that July evening that Crites was changed. If that sounds extraordinary, that is the point of The Lighter Side Network, a business dedicated to creating “the space where the everyday and extraordinary meet.”
Collectively, the hosts of the five shows will produce over 20 videos a month for subscribers and single-show renters. A monthly subscription is $3.99 and a single-show rental is $1.29. Renters have three days to view their purchases.
Network founder Jamie Butler, medium and founder of the Center for Love and Light, had been working on her own videos for about a year when she decided to seek out partners. “The quality of the work was not what I wanted,” said Butler. “What I wanted to do, I couldn’t do by myself, so I looked for others to share in the costs and the profits.”
What the five hosts share is a commitment to what Butler calls “wholeness living, which is taking mind, body, emotion and soul and addressing all their needs at the same time.” In her own spiritual journey, Butler valued the wisdom and expertise shared by many specialized teachers, but exhausted herself in trying to figure out how all her learning meshed together.
That sentiment is echoed by integrative therapist, author and inspirational speaker Dr. Karin Luise. “Our main goal is to help people cultivate better lives, to develop more awareness and experience more joy,” said Luise. Whether one is working on having a better body, or more loving relationships, the common thread among the five hosts, said Luise, is progress on spiritual paths.
In fact, it was Butler who helped Luise in her dark night of the soul. After a traumatic loss, Luise fell apart after looking for answers in all the usual places, including traditional Christianity. “I still find a lot of answers there,” said Luise, “but there were things that were happening to me that I couldn’t explain. Jamie helped me tap into a more intuitive place, and I ended up finding peace somewhere I never thought I would go, and healing at a level I never expected.”
After experiencing such extraordinary outcomes, Luise is motivated to reach as many people as possible. That’s why joining The Lighter Side Network was an easy decision.
Despite just launching, the network starts with subscribers on day one because of Butler’s work up to that point. Butler reports that there are already 300 subscribers and an additional 600 single-episode renters. But what really surprised her was the demographics – 40 percent of subscribers are from outside the United States. While Butler sees the figures as proof of the universal appeal of the topics covered, she did work in Japan for a couple of years and has taught workshops in Europe.
While she cannot speak to the network’s customers, Luise has noticed a shift in her client base that she ties to her own spiritual progress. “Before my personal shift, both my clients and I stayed in pain for longer periods of time,” said Luise. “Now, the people who come to me are ready to shift away from pain, and I think that’s because I’ve shifted away from pain, so they are drawn to me.”
Along with Butler, Luise and Lentine, who is a Center for Spiritual Living minister and a pranic healer, the network is rounded out by astrologer Laura Boone and spiritual activist Darshana Patel.
For more information, visit Shows.thelightersidenetwork.com
