A Community for Everyday Spiritual Living
At Wasatch Spiritual Center, we believe spirituality is more than something we practice on Sunday. It's a way of living each day with greater love, peace, purpose, and possibility.
We are a welcoming, inclusive New Thought community where people from all backgrounds are invited to explore timeless spiritual principles, deepen their relationship with the Divine, and discover practical tools for creating meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Rooted in the teachings of Science of Mind while embracing wisdom from many of the world's spiritual traditions, we honor the truth that every person is a unique expression of Spirit. Whether you're seeking inspiration, healing, lifelong learning, authentic friendships, or simply a place where you can ask questions and grow, you'll find a supportive community that celebrates your journey and encourages you to become the fullest expression of who you were created to be.
Wasatch Spiritual Center is much more than a Sunday gathering. Along with uplifting services, we offer classes, workshops, meditation, affirmative prayer, Deeksha, sacred music, spiritual practices, retreats, community events, and opportunities to serve and grow together. We believe transformation happens through both inspiration and practice, and we're committed to creating experiences that nourish the mind, heart, body, and spirit.
We are proud to be an independent New Thought community and part of the Affiliated New Thought Network (ANTN) and Emerson Theological Institute. These connections reflect our commitment to spiritual education, compassionate leadership, and the ongoing exploration of universal truths that unite rather than divide. We welcome people of every faith tradition, and those with no religious background at all to explore, learn, and grow alongside us.
To create an expansive community of love, healing and connection through compassionate spirituality to better ourselves and serve the world.
To awaken and empower the Sacred Self within all to uplift humanity.
COMMUNITY - connection, diversity, joy, love, safety, support, welcoming.
SEVA - (pronunced See/va) selfless service/Sanskrit - compassionate care, creativity, outreach, “the center of the light” speakers series, Sunday celebration, teaching classes, workshops.
LEADERSHIP - accountability, communication, discipline, integrity, learning, organizing, transparency, work ethic.
These Are the People Who Help Make Wasatch Spiritual Center Feel Like Home
Community Spiritual Director
Rev. Lanna Cairns, a spiritual teacher, author, and founder of Wasatch Spiritual Center in Salt Lake City, draws on her background in religious studies, philosophy, and New Thought teachings to bridge traditional faith and modern spirituality for diverse seekers. She completed her ministerial training with Emerson Institute in the summer of 2026. Rev. Lanna will begin her Doctorate in Divinity at Emerson Institute in 2027.
Rev. Lanna holds a master’s degree from one of Canada's top Religious Studies programs, focused on the intersection of Buddhist influence with the holistic healing movement. Her academic journey, combined with extensive personal exploration, including retreats with Tibetan Buddhist teachers Glenn Mullin and Ruth Denison, Vipassana meditation with Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock, and training in various spiritual modalities, has given her a deep, multifaceted understanding of spiritual growth and transformation.
For nearly 30 years, Rev. Lanna has been involved in Religious Science and has served on numerous boards. Rev. Lanna is the author of three books: "Organizing for Your Brain Type," "Every Child Has a Thinking Style," and "A Mindful Life: A Spiritual Guide to Making Peace With Your Mind, Time and Stuff." These books showcase her ability to combine practical strategies with spiritual insights. Her books have been published in Chinese, Japanese, and Polish. Her work has taken her from corporate boardrooms to international stages. She shares her message of empowerment and inner peace. She has just started writing her fourth book, "Calm Your Mind. Create Your Life."
Known for her vibrant energy, depth of knowledge, and compassionate approach, Rev. Lanna is committed to helping individuals find peace, purpose, and a deeper connection to their spiritual selves. She is the founding community spiritual leader of the Wasatch Spiritual Center in Salt Lake City. She supports others through daily meditations, one-on-one spiritual counseling, and group workshops. Her mission is to guide others in uncovering the wisdom and power within themselves. Her teachings emphasize authenticity, joy, and the discovery of one’s innate divine nature.
Professionally, she founded her first organizing company, “Perfection Prevails,” in 1999. She later rebranded it as “Organized World.” She worked on antitrust cases and business relocations. She also worked for families such as the Halliburtons, Procter & Gamble, and the DuPonts. In addition, she assisted businesses like wineries, architecture firms, Kaiser Permanente, The Huntsman Cancer Institute, and The Salt Lake City Public Library. She currently resides in Salt Lake City and is married. She has two children and two rescue dogs, Hoodoo a Golden Retriever and Tashie, her Tibetan terrier.
Executive Board President
Donna Wysinger is passionate about creating a welcoming community where people can explore timeless spiritual principles, build meaningful relationships, and experience the joy of everyday spiritual living. As Executive Board President of Wasatch Spiritual Center, she is dedicated to supporting the Center's mission of inspiring personal transformation through love, learning, and service.
A lifelong student of personal growth and spirituality, Donna has studied a wide range of wisdom traditions and is currently continuing her education in Science of Mind through Emerson Theological Instituge. She believes every person has a unique spiritual path and is honored to help create a community where all are welcomed, supported, and encouraged to grow.
Executive Board Treasurer
Jamie Palmer serves as Executive Board Treasurer with a heart for compassionate service and thoughtful stewardship. She is committed to helping Wasatch Spiritual Center remain a welcoming place where people can connect, grow, and experience the practical benefits of living from spiritual principles.
Known for her kindness, integrity, and caring nature, Jamie has spent many years helping others navigate life's transitions with empathy and encouragement. She believes that simple acts of love, generosity, and authentic connection have the power to transform lives and strengthen community.
Executive Board Treasurer
Musical Director
Gary Stoddard's love of music and people shines through every Sunday at Wasatch Spiritual Center. His uplifting spirit, engaging style, and heartfelt performances invite everyone to sing, laugh, reflect, and connect. Gary believes music is a universal language that inspires joy, builds community, and reminds us of the presence of Spirit in our everyday lives.
Technical Director
Every Sunday, long before most of us arrive, Bryan Bale is hard at work preparing the technology that helps bring our services to life. From sound and projection to recording each gathering for our YouTube community, Bryan faithfully serves behind the scenes with excellence, humility, and heart. His quiet dedication and countless hours of service make a lasting impact on our Center and everyone who experiences it.
TOSV Connections Coordinator
Natalie Miller serves as our TOSV liaison, helping strengthen our growing partnership with The Other Side Village, where our Sunday gatherings are held. She welcomes everyone with warmth, assists with setting up each week's service, and helps connect our community with outreach opportunities through The Other Side Village, The Other Side Academy, and The Other Side Prep School. Natalie's joyful spirit, big heart, and enthusiasm for building meaningful relationships make her an invaluable part of our community.
TOSV Operations Manager
Keith Spencer is the Operations Manager at The Other Side Village, where he helps drive the day-to-day execution of one of the nation’s most innovative community-based solutions to homelessness. With a unique blend of corporate experience in the tech industry and lived experience, he brings both strategic insight and personal understanding to his work. Keith focuses on building systems that balance accountability, dignity, and long-term sustainability. He is driven by a belief that real transformation happens when structure, opportunity, and community come together to support lasting change.
Events Coordinator
Kelly has a special gift for creating experiences that bring people together in meaningful and memorable ways. Combining exceptional organizational skills with creativity, warmth, and attention to detail, she helps ensure that every Wasatch Spiritual Center event is thoughtfully planned and welcoming for all who attend. Her passion for hospitality and community shines through in everything she does, helping create the joyful and connected atmosphere that makes our Center feel like home.
Compassionate Care
Vivian has a beautiful gift for helping others feel cared for, connected, and valued. As our Compassionate Care Coordinator, she reaches out with warmth and compassion to those who may be navigating illness, grief, change, or other life challenges, offering encouragement and a reminder that they are never alone. Through simple acts of kindness and genuine presence, Vivian helps express one of our community's deepest values, that love is something we share in both joyful moments and difficult ones.
Minister, Teacher, Coach
Rev. Nicole Merges is an ordained minister, spiritual teacher, energy worker, and transformational coach who helps people navigate life’s changes with greater clarity, connection, and meaning. She is the founder of Brightsol Wellness, where she combines spiritual wisdom, coaching, energy work, and transformational practices to support people in releasing what no longer serves them and creating space for what’s next. Rev. Nicole previously served as Director of Spiritual Education and Professional Development for Centers for Spiritual Living, where she developed and facilitated educational programs for spiritual communities and leaders. Today, she brings her experience as a minister, chaplain, coach, hypnotherapist, and energy practitioner to workshops, speaking engagements, and one-on-one work that inspire people to reconnect with themselves, trust their inner wisdom, and rise into the next chapter of their lives.
Physician & Keynote Speaker
Lara Patriquin, MD is a physician, keynote speaker, and student of the mind. A radiologist and Associate Professor at the University of Utah, she spent twenty years learning to look beneath the surface of what people present, and came away convinced that the most consequential diagnoses are not in the body, but in the mind: the old programming, written early, that quietly runs our decisions and relationships decades later.
Her work sits at the meeting point of science, contemplative practice, community, and humor, drawing on a long apprenticeship in meditation, contemplative prayer, and inquiry. She teaches leaders, physicians, and audiences across North America, in English and in French, how thought creates experience, and how to loosen its grip and return to the clear, open mind we were born with.
Minister, Practitioner, Teacher
Myrna Hirst is a licensed Practitioner and Ordained Minister. She has been centered in the Science of Mind philosophy for more than 25 years and knows it has changed her life for the better.
Myrna’s life has been filled with adventure from the beginning. She has lived in Hawaii, Texas, California and Utah, gathering rich experiences from dancing the hula to playing guitar with a group in the 60’s. While in Houston she was involved in the Apollo space program, and her daughter April was born the day Apollo 13 returned safely to earth.
Myrna raised three children and five stepchildren, and now has fourteen grandchildren and innumerable great grandbabies! Now she’s retired from parenting and her teaching career, and spends her time writing, reading, and loving life
Community Leader, Guide
Scott Moore is a yoga teacher, author, and retreat leader who has spent more than 25 years exploring the place where ancient practice meets ordinary life. He is internationally recognized for his work with Yoga Nidra, the yoga of conscious sleep, and has guided students on six continents.
Scott is the author of Practical Yoga Nidra and 20 Yoga Nidra Scripts, and his newest book, Waking Up with the Yoga of Sleep, will be published by Mango Publishing in November 2026. He taught Yoga for Wellness at Westminster College for nine years, has studied in India, Korea, and France, and leads annual retreats in Tuscany and Southern Utah.
He teaches from direct experience rather than borrowed doctrine, including several encounters with the unified field of love that underlies everything. Scott lives in Salt Lake City with his partner, Seneca, and their son, Elio.