#20 A Beautiful Journey - From Actress and Professor to Yogi and Mother with Hollie Mann

Hollie Mann is a yoga teacher, writer, and mother living in the beautiful box canyon of Telluride, Colorado. In 2018, she left a career as a professor of political theory at University of North Carolina to move west with her family. She has been a writer, educator, consultant, and yoga instructor for fifteen years. Her writing tends to focus on the intersection of politics, philosophy, and moral life, but she has written on subjects as diverse as gender equality in the high tech industry, the upcoming 2020 elections, and the Golden era of Hollywood.

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A lot of us are craving a feeling of being held and supported and that we don’t have to do it all on our own.
— Hollie Mann
Grace is when the distinct pain of a human life can sit comfortably right alongside its breathtaking beauty.
— Hollie Mann
Everything is a moment in our lives.
— Hollie Mann
I try to live an authentic life where my thoughts, words and actions are aligned.
— Hollie Mann

NOTES

  • Hollie Mann’s early career as a child actress was non-traditional yet filled with support from many sources, including parents who were spiritually grounded and a safe and nurturing community in Richmond, Virginia.

  • A fun fact: One of Hollie’s earlier spiritual experiences was her theater role playing Agnes, a pregnant nun, in “Agnes of God”.

  • After an academic career as a professor of political theory, Hollie and her family moved west and ultimately settled in the town of Telluride, Colorado.

  • Her career as a Yoga instructor blossomed in Telluride where she fully embraced the practice of Jivamukti yoga, a form of yoga that combines aspects of modern life with the spiritual and devotional components of yoga, including music, chanting, Sanskrit and meditation.

  • Hollie discusses her faith in a higher power and how even as a skeptic she finds comfort in the belief that she is supported and held by something bigger.

  • Hollie describes the various ways that she helps her children tap into the divine - nature, church, prayer, meditation, chanting, yoga and open-ended conversations about God.

  • On Kirtan and chanting, Hollie explains that its benefits are available to all, even to those who aren’t musical or don’t understand the words.

  • Marla and Hollie discuss one of Hollie’s recent blogposts in which she describes what grace means to her, and how beauty and suffering often exist side by side.

  • Hollie describes the many lessons she has learned from her children. An important one is that she too is a child in this world, opening up to the world of play.

  • Hollie practices chanting, spends time in nature, reads “spends time in the company of fine writers” and writes whenever feeling challenged.

  • Hollie shares her thoughts on the importance of admitting to mistakes.


You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

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RESOURCES:

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#19 A Miraculous Journey Using Sound, Music and Energy Healing Practices with Madhu Anziani

Madhu Anziani is a sound healer extraordinaire who, after sustaining a serious injury which rendered him a tetraplegic (paralysis affecting all four limbs), used a combination of sound and energy healing to miraculously recover mobility.  He has studied Jazz and World Music and is certified in sound, voice and music healing from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and is a regular lecturer at San Francisco State University. He is experienced in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Hebrew chanting as well as the system of Wisdom Healing, Qi Gong.  Madhu is also a sanctioned teacher of the Pachakuti Mesa tradition of ancestral Peruvian healing arts.  For links to all of his websites, visit linktr.ee/madhu.

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Any kind of music, if it lights up our spirit, that’s going to be healing.
— Mahdu Anziani
We are multi-faceted beings of light, living light... we are functioning on many plains, many dimensions.
— Madhu Anziani

NOTES

  • Madhu describes his fall from a 2-story window which shattered 2 vertebrae in his spine and left him paralyzed from the neck down with no use of his limbs, unable to feed himself or even breathe on his own.

  • In an induced coma state he sensed an angelic presence and the knowledge that he would be able to heal.

  • While also studying music at SF State, Madhu’s studies in the Holistic Health Program with Professor Eric Pepper had a profound effect on him, particularly a demonstration by a Japanese energy healer. This experience gave him hope for spontaneous recovery while in the hospital.

  • Reiki healing involves the use of one’s hands to direct universal energy to where it is needed in order to facilitate healing in ourselves and others.

  • Madhu’s father and sister learned to practice Reiki to help him heal while in a coma.

  • He was able to hear healing music that his father and sister played 24/7 while he was in a coma. He mentions the music of Jonathon Goldman, specifically “Peaceful Journey”, as well as the healing effects of listening to any music that makes one happy.

  • The Five Principles of Reiki became Madhu’s meditation:

    • Just for today, I will not worry;

    • I will not get angry;

    • I will work hard;

    • I will be grateful;

    • I will be kind to others.

  • He describes the principles behind Sound Healing.

  • Madhu describes the blessing of having two influential grandmothers, in particular his father’s mother who was a “very advanced being” who spoke often of reincarnation and previous lives… “I am forever”.

  • Madhu’s journey to healing was excruciating and required extraordinary focus. He used Shamanic initiation to control his mind. The process took several months and encompassed many small miracles.

  • Were it not for his injury he would not have delved as deeply as he has into the healing arts, seeking out teachers and modalities from around the world, including the opportunity to study with a Qi Gong master.

  • A deep connection to Mother Earth is crucial for healing. This included honoring our ancestors, for “our ancestors are the earth”.

  • Madhu discovered an earth-based cross-cultural healing lineage from Peru known as the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition founded by Don Oscar Miro-Quesada Solevo. He learned to perform rituals and offerings to the land; this is referred to as “sacred reciprocity”.

  • Marla will have the privilege of studying with Madhu in The Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross-Cultural Healing Arts for Personal and Planetary Renewal.

  • The experience of heartbreak, of being broken open provides an opportunity to surrender, to open one’s heart and become part of a commonality, as we meet other people who share a heart wound which is a part of a spiritual journey.


You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

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RESOURCES:

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#18 Celebrating Indigenous Cultures and Shamanism with Jeffery Olsen

Jeffery Olsen is a bestselling author who inspires audiences internationally with his intriguing story of perseverance and inner strength. After a horrific automobile accident took the lives of his wife and youngest son, also inflicting multiple life-threatening injuries to Jeff, including the amputation of his left leg, he found the courage to survive over 18 surgeries to eventually heal and thrive, both physically and emotionally.

Jeff has appeared on many national and international television and radio programs sharing his insights. Olsen’s latest book, Knowing,” is a compilation of his earlier works, yet with even deeper insights and extended chapters.

Jeff continues to work as a Creative Director and participates on several boards including The Road Home, The Wholeness Network, and as a World Ambassador for the International Association for Near Death Studies.

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Among all of his accomplishments, Jeff is most proud of and most fulfilled by simply being a husband, father and friend.

Jeff’s website is: www.EnvoyPublishing.com. He can also be found at www.spiritkeeperseries.com.



They had it all figured out.. maybe thousands of years ago.
— Jeffery Olsen, on Native Americans
You must put a seed deep into the darkness for it to ever grow... and it will grow toward the light.
— Jeffery Olsen
I got in touch with the Divine Feminine (Mother Earth)
— Jeffery Olsen
There are threads of truth that run through all things and I think that finding them and recognizing them keeps us in the awe and wonder of life.
— Jeffery Olsen

NOTES:

  • Jeffery describes the profound shared spiritual experience he had with Dr. Jeff O’Driscoll, an ER Trauma doctor, which occurred while he was on the operating table after his horrific auto accident. Both Dr. O’Driscoll and a nurse were able to see the spirit of Jeffery’s wife and feel her gratitude.

  • His interest in indigenous cultures began at an early age and was sparked by a connection to a Native American man who worked with horses on his family farm. He was struck by the unique and gentle way this man worked with the horses: “You don’t break a horse, you connect with it”.

  • Jeffery’s NDE turned his old ideas about religion upside down as he began to recognize certain common themes shared by all religions, in particular the universality of divine love and the concept of the light being within us.

  • While attending a shamanism workshop, Jeff was recognized by the shaman as having “been there”.

  • Learning about moon cycles, our connection to the earth and the concept of the Holy Trinity helped Jeff make sense of his NDE.

  • Shamanism embraces both the light and the darkness, which are interconnected. The sun is the light and the soil is the darkness.

  • For therapy, Jeff lays on the ground outside and feels that Mother Earth is holding him and Father Sky is looking down. Everything is alive, even the rocks.

  • A shaman can be described as one who “plays between the realms”, one who has risen to the high place.

  • In Native American cultures, an individual’s status would be based upon what they had given away, not on what they had accumulated.

  • Ceremonies and rituals are a crucial part of indigenous cultures. Jeff describes a fire ceremony as an example.

  • Suggestions of ceremonies that we can practice include taking 10 minutes to lie outside, or watch a sunrise or a sunset, where Father Sky kisses Mother Earth.

    • Sunrise: A time to ask: What can I do today to make a difference? Who can I serve?

    • Sunset: A time for gratitude, the highest vibration.

  • Spirit Keeper Series is a course that about the practices and beliefs of Native American and indigenous peoples taught by Jeffery and two others.


You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     


RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#17 Remembering and Living Life to Its Fullest After A Profound NDE with Jeffery Olsen

Jeffery Olsen is a bestselling author who inspires audiences internationally with his intriguing story of perseverance and inner strength. After a horrific automobile accident took the lives of his wife and youngest son, also inflicting multiple life-threatening injuries to Jeff, including the amputation of his left leg, he found the courage to survive over 18 surgeries to eventually heal and thrive, both physically and emotionally.

Jeff has appeared on many national and international television and radio programs sharing his insights. Olsen’s latest book, Knowing,” is a compilation of his earlier works, yet with even deeper insights and extended chapters.

Jeff continues to work as a Creative Director and participates on several boards including The Road Home, The Wholeness Network, and as a World Ambassador for the International Association for Near Death Studies.

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Among all of his accomplishments, Jeff is most proud of and most fulfilled by simply being a husband, father and friend.

Jeff’s website is: www.EnvoyPublishing.com



I had left my body and was in this strange realm of light having a conversation with my wife.
— Jeffery Olsen
I am them and they are me; we are absolutely connected.
— Jeffery Olsen

NOTES:

  • Jeffery describes the horrendous auto accident that took his wife and younger son.

  • At the scene of the accident, Jeffery experienced a Near Death Experience where he encountered a rush of light, and he spoke with his deceased wife, who told him that he needed to “go back” to care for their other son.

  • He learned a great deal about choice in the moments of his NDE.

  • Upon arriving at the hospital Jeffery experienced a cosmic connection to everyone that he saw there… and felt absolute love for each person. He witnessed his battered body in the bed, but did not feel it.

  • Towards the end of his 5 month stay in the hospital he experienced a powerful dream where he again felt the rush of light and a profound sense of being home. He saw his deceased son in the dream and experienced holding his live body, while at the same time being embraced by a powerful divine presence.

  • The cosmic download from this dream was absolutely forgiveness and realizing that he could let go of regret and guilt… “There is nothing to forgive; everything in everyone’s life is an absolute divine order”.

  • Jeffery describes the trepidation he felt upon leaving the hospital and having his 7 year old see him incapacitated and in a wheelchair… and the heartwarming welcome that he received.

  • Jeffery’s NDE clearly altered the way he looks at the world. He became acutely aware of the many miracles that often go overlooked. “The little things are the big things”.

  • He has a sense of a new “awakening” in the works, and an embracing of diversity.

    • He stressed the importance of asking “What am I learning from this?” when faced with pain or other challenges. To illustrate, he quotes a Robert Browning Hamilton poem, Along the Road.

  • His children have provided powerful lessons, including compassion, love and patience.

  • And from Griffen, his youngest son who passed on: “Nobody ever dies”.


You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review.

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     


RESOURCES:



CONNECT WITH MARLA:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#16 How Indigenous Cultures Can Teach Us About Spirituality and Children with Bruce Alderman

Bruce Alderman, MA is affiliate faculty in the College of Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. In 2005 he received his master’s degree from JFKU in Integral Psychology, with an emphasis on Transpersonal Counseling Psychology.  Prior to working at JFKU, he worked and studied abroad for several years in Asia, including teaching courses in creative writing and inquiry at a Krishnamurti school in India. His current areas of interest include Integral Theory and practice, transpersonal psychology, integral postmetaphysical spirituality, among others. In this enlightening podcast, Mr. Alderman shares his insights on listening to, talking with, and honoring children, based on what he has learned from his travels, his spiritual teachers, and from raising his own son.

You are enough. Trust in life.
— Bruce Alderman's advice to his 5 year old self
...Meeting them where they are at, meeting them with more questions and not necessarily with answers, but trusting them to look together with you to something deeper.
— Bruce Alderman, on talking to children

NOTES

  • Bruce recently launched a YouTube channel that includes conversations with friends and colleagues in the field of Integral Spirituality. Integral Theory is psychologist Ken Wilber’s philosophy, which integrates multiple psychological, scientific, religious and spiritual practices into one cohesive model.

  • While teaching in South Korea, Bruce was deeply saddened by the soul-crushing effect that expectations and pressure to succeed had on children and young people of all ages.

  • In contrast, in Indonesian cultures, particularly Bali and Java, children are spontaneously alive, creative and kind to each other. Children are considered sacred and are cuddled, loved, included in art, music and culture.

  • In Indonesia, both the light and the dark are honored in ceremonies and other aspects of culture.

  • Bruce’s impetus to become a teacher was largely due to the spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, who stressed the importance of interacting with children in a way to prevent them from becoming overly conditioned by society… not “shut down into narrow boxes.”

  • “I to I” is the practice of sitting with someone unconditionally with no expectations, also called “disidentification” because one lets go of the fragments of themselves that they hold on to to survive.

  • Dream Yoga is a Tibetan practice of using visualization as we fall asleep in order to remain lucid in our dreams. In so doing, problem solving, creativity and adventure become more accessible.

  • Words of wisdom:

    • Trust the capacity of children beyond what we expect. Listen. Allow them to express their ideas. Our culture tends to infantilize children.

    • Children have an incompleteness that needs the shaping of the world, but they possess an openness and capacity for communing with the world that we tend to shut down.

    • As adults it is important to try to reclaim our childlike qualities. Although it won’t be the same as it was, it can reconnect us with aspects of our potential.

  • Click HERE to read the full text of the William Wordsworth poem, Trailing Clouds of Glory.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review.

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

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Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#15 Helping Others Embrace Their Spiritual Gifts with Jane Thompson

Jane Thompson had a profound near-death experience in 2008 which changed her life dramatically.  Initially she struggled to integrate the aftereffects of her near-death experience, but after overcoming these challenges, she knew it was an important part of her life's path to compassionately help others to embrace their own spiritual gifts and sensitivities. Jane's focus is now on helping and healing others, serving as an intuitive healer, psychic medium and spiritual gifts coach for adults and children around the world, many who struggle with the unique challenges associated with their spiritual gifts.

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These kids are really tuned into their intuition and they can provide some amazing insights... they’ll come up with things that’ll blow your mind.
— Jane Thompson, on Spiritually Gifted Children
The mind-quieting practice is so important for adults and kids.
— Jane Thompson

NOTES:

  • In Jane’s practice she helps adults navigate coping with newly acquired spiritual gifts, and guides the parents/caregivers of spiritually gifted children.

  • Traits in these children vary, but can include the ability to see the spirit world or predict future events. High sensitivity to the emotions and energies of those around them is typical.

  • Jane’s NDE and newly acquired spiritual gifts was overwhelming and resulted in two years of reclusive behavior. Research on NDEs taught Jane that she was not alone in her struggles, and set her on a path to work with others to cope with and embrace their gifts.

  • As an energy healer, Jane encourages the release of negative (low vibrational) energy which causes blockages, while mixing it with the higher vibrational energy and light found in the spirit world.

  • Jane cites an example of a young boy who was observing a man in his room. She worked with his parents to empower the boy to tell the man to go away, thus empowering the boy and opening up lines of trust and communication between the parents and child.

  • To create a high vibrational environment, sage and rosewater are important ingredients, but intention is key.

  • Advice for parents/caregivers:

    • Let them know they are not alone; there are many others like them.

    • Normalize these qualities. Their sensitivities are not the whole of who they are.

    • Love these children through their struggles so they are not afraid.

    • Approach them with a sense of curiosity.

    • Encourage stories, pictures, dolls, role-playing as a forum for expression.

  • Adults can learn from the incredible intuition and insights these children provide.

  • By working with spiritually gifted children, adults can learn to tap into their own spiritual gifts, which can have an opening-up effect on families.

  • Check out Jane’s website, www.safehandshealing.com, which offers more information about her practice, including an Inner Child Healing Meditation and two video teachings.


You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     


RESOURCES:


CONNECT WITH MARLA:

Have you had a spiritual experience? Do you have a story that a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#14 A Fascinating Look at Spiritual and Energy Healing with Nic Whitham

Nic Whitham is Director of Banyan Retreat, a beautiful sanctuary nestled in the heart of Kent in the UK where healing and other spiritual modalities take place.  Nic grew up in a spiritual family, however before he began his spiritual work, he was Executive Director and VP at Goldman Sachs.  Nic now works full time as a healer, with his partner Steven Sui, directing and offering a variety of spiritual and healing programs at Banyan. Podcast listeners will be captivated by this rare glimpse into the world of spiritual healing, trance mediumship, seance and more.

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It takes many years of practice to be able to invite the spirit world into a safe place with you.
— Nic Whitham, on Trance Mediumship
Love is automatically embedded in all that you do in a healing capacity.
— Nic Whitham
  • Nic Whitham grew up in a family of healers and was exposed at a young age to the remarkable results of energy healing on other humans. He knew early on that this would ultimately be his calling.

  • After a career in finance that took him around the globe, he returned to the UK and the world of energy healing and founded Banyan Retreat with his partner, Steven Sui.

  • There are many kinds of energy healing, including Reiki, Platform Mediumship and Trance Mediumship.

  • In trance healing, a medium invites the spirit world to blend its energy with that of the medium, who needs to be 100 percent submissive to allow this to happen. That energy can then be channeled through the medium to the places where it is most needed.

  • Most energy healing can be accomplished by the healer tapping into universal energy without the need to merge with the spirit world.

  • In Nic’s work, he is able to see people’s auras (colors) which enables him to know which area of the client’s body has issues. He can then channel his energy towards that part of the body that needs repair.

  • Energy healing often requires multiple sessions to be fully effective.

  • Nic described two miraculous examples of using healing practices to cure young children. Children, more so than adults, are more accepting of energy healing because they are less removed from the spirit world and more connected to the aura field.

  • In the US it is difficult to find reputable healers. The UK has its own umbrella organization: The British Alliance of Healing Organizations.

  • Interestingly, healing energy knows where it is needed most. Healing can also be accomplished remotely.

  • Nic highly encourages parents to support their children’s connection to the spirit world, and to talk about their experiences with imaginary friends, etc.

  • Nic described a most extraordinary Christmas Seance at Banyan retreat, where the spirits of children who has been denied happy childhoods were invited to visit and experience holiday gifts and toys.

  • Click HERE to read a wonderful article about Nic and Steven’s work at Banyan Retreat.


You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review.

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#13 Children and the Near Death-Experience With PMH Atwater

Dr. P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D. is an international authority on near death experiences. A survivor of 3 near-death episodes herself, she has completed over 38 years of research on the subject, and has written 18 books, including her most recent book, “The Forever Angels: Near Death Experiences in Childhood and Their Lifelong Impact”. In her quest for knowledge she has interviewed over 5000 people, including young children who have had such experiences, and older adults who have lived their lives after NDEs. Her immersion in the topic has led her to the firm belief that the near-death experience is not an anomaly, but part of a consciousness transformation or “brain shift”. In this interview, you will learn about how children describe their glimpses of the divine and the many ways their lives are affected as they move forward.

 
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Dr. Atwater’s exuberance is infectious, and her passion for her subject knows no bounds!

Our souls make certain we remember who we are so we can always make our way back to the lifestream.

God’s breath is what keeps the universe alive.
— P.M.H. Atwater, Quoting Children

NOTES:

  • Children process near-death experiences much differently than adults do. They typically see a series of three very different lights, and there is always a “father figure” of some sort, as well as animals and birds.

  • When talking to young children after an NDE it is crucial to get down on their level and never have your eyes be above theirs, so that they don’t talk to please the adult.

  • Children find it challenging to be back in “real life” when others don’t understand. There is a longing to return to the light.

  • The near-death experience suggests that there is not an afterlife, but an ongoing life stream.

  • A devastating tornado in Missouri resulted in many children experiencing a phenomena of “butterfly people” who saved them from being caught in the tornado. Could these be angels?

  • Very important to let these children (of NDEs) talk and express themselves; prayer, rituals, centerpieces and alters are encouraged.

  • Accept children on their level and realize the truth in what they say. Respect, honor and don’t judge; allow a child to be a child.

  • Biggest lesson for Dr. Atwater: She is at ease wherever she goes, even in scary places, and has strong trust in her inner guidance.

  • There is much more information on Dr. Atwater’s website, including links to her books as well as a free monthly newsletter.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#12 Using Quietness to Create a Sacred Space with Lacy Borgo

Lacy Finn Borgo teaches and provides spiritual direction for the Renovaré Institute and is the the DMin (Doctor of Ministry) in Spiritual Direction at Fuller Theological Seminary and at Portland Seminary. Lacy provides spiritual direction for adults and children through Good Dirt Ministries and provides spiritual direction for children at Haven House, a transitional facility for the homeless. Listen to the story of Lacy’s spiritual journey, from her early years in west Texas, to the inner city schools of New York, and then to a simpler life in Colorado where she continued to expand her ministry and her work with young children. This remarkable woman recognizes the immensity of the divine gift that we share when we can sit with children and quietly listen without expectations or judgement. Tune in for another awakening episode of Interviews with Innocence!

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TIME STAMPS

  • 0:47 Meet Lacy Finn Borgo

  • 1:47 The start of the spiritual journey

  • 4:46 Lacy’s early education and direction

  • 5:30 The story of Christopher, a young New York inner city child

  • 8:45 The gift of “listening another person to life”, and being fully present

  • 11:05 You don’t always need words to understand, one’s presence can be enough

  • 11:50 The move to Colorado, and the gift of time and space

  • 15:50 Getting in touch with one’s childhood self - an exercise to try

  • 17:00 Describing “soul pings”, or “pings of the Divine”

  • 18:45   Talking to children about prayer

  • 21:30    How the dimensions of the self become integrated during different life stages

  • 22:30    Lacy’s work at Haven House, a homeless transitional facility

  • 24:00 Getting rid of the “shoulds” when listening to children.            

  • 24:25 B.O.W - Body, Openess and Awareness - how to listen to children

  • 26:15 Introducing the new book

  • 29:55   Holy leisure - using quietness to create a sacred space

  • 30:45   More about Lacy’s book

  • 31:40   Lacy’s greatest lesson from children - being open to mystery, wonder, awe and beauty

  • 32:40 Rewiring the brain by daydreaming and looking at clouds

  • 35:14   Final thoughts about the wisdom of children

 
I knew I wasn’t alone, and I had a sense that I was loved.
— Lacy Borgo, at 5 Years Old
A spiritual direction is really a practice of accompanying another as they become awake to the divine.
— Lacy Borgo
We’re really moving in a spiral, into the heart and the divine.
— Lacy Borgo

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

Connect with Marla Hughes of Interviews With Innocence:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#11 The Trail Blazer Who Coined Near-Death Experience by Dr Raymond Moody

Meet the man who blazed the trail and those who have followed in his footsteps. When Raymond Moody MD, Ph.D. began his research into near-death experiences in 1968, he was a skeptic and an atheist. Now he is neither. This psychologist, physician and author is most widely known for his books about life after death and near-death experiences (NDE), a term that he coined in 1975 in his best-selling book Life After Life

This fascinating and delightful man, who is both a doctor of medicine and a doctor of philosophy, shares a lifetime of wisdom and experience regarding near-death and the life beyond, as seen through the eyes of a multitide of individuals as well as bystanders and loved ones. He is a firm believer in the afterlife. Listen to this podcast and find out why!

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I have never been so alive as when I heard that doctor say I was dead
— Dr. Raymond Moody (Quote From Patient)
To my utter astonishment, there is an afterlife.
— Dr. Raymond Moody

TIME STAMPS:

  • 2:34 - How Dr. Moody’s interest began as a child 

  • 9:15 - Common experiences of those close to death

  • 16:00 - Current scientific debate - modern philosophers

  • 17:30 - Common experience of bystanders who “connect” with the dying person

  • 20:30 - Pre-birth memories 

  • 21:59 - Kids’ memories - still remembering the origin

  • 29:20 - George Richie and the Halls of Learning

  • 31:45 - How has Dr. Moody’s experience changed the way he sees life?

  • 33:00 - Jeff Olson’s experience

  • 35:00 - How to find more information about Dr. Moody

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

Connect with Marla Hughes of Interviews With Innocence:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!

#10 Interweaving Music, Aromatherapy and Energy Healing with Ellen Whealton

Ellen Whealton, MA, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist and energy healer in San Diego California. She has a Masters in Transpersonal Counseling with an emphasis in Music Therapy from Naropa University in Boulder. She is trained in the Bonny Method of Guided imagery and Music, Holotropic Breathwork, Reiki, and Aroma-Release. She is also an instructor for online courses and presents CEUs for music therapists and counseling psychologists around the globe. In this episode, Ellen will talk about her near-death experience when she was still twelve years old and how she fell into a coma for a week after the accident. Being a parent and a wife has transformed her life even more and while she is going through tough times, there’s still a lot of love that supports her through it all. Tune in for an inspirational episode of Interviews with Innocence.

Wheaton.png
It’s different for everyone. It’s music, it’s nature and it’s gratitude and light. These things are always available. 
— Ellen Whealton, music therapist and healer
There is that divine energy always available to us
— Ellen Whealton, music therapist and healer

TIME STAMPS:

  • 2:41     What happened?

  • 3:33     Ellen’s near-death experience

  • 6:45     12 years old but the memory remains clear as day

  • 7:48     Jesus and Buddha

  • 9:18     Why take the direction to heal?

  • 10:53    The outlet - Music

  • 12:46    Kids have more insight into the higher power

  • 14:18 Validate and listen to your child

  • 16:52 Quiet time - why at night?

  • 18:02 Navigate now, change the future

  • 19:43 How to clear, refresh and lower your stress level with oils and other methods

  • 21:50   Intuitive kids - how do you know

  • 23:26   Crystal bowls and soundtracks for mood

  • 25:24   What do kids teach us?

  • 27:32   What helps you through the tough times

  • 32:57  How to use the oils in the right way

  • 34:32   Life began - where would you be without the near-death experience?

  • 35:17    Saint Germain and messages

  • 38:05    How to connect with Ellen

  • 39:19    Recipes for the best therapy 

A Recipe From Ellen Whealton: DIY Peppermint Foot Cream

Here's a great DIY recipe for creating gifts, party take-homes, or for treating yourself to some pampering! It has an invigorating sensation – the combination of aloe and peppermint feels cool and refreshing. Adding the Lavender to this soothes your skin and creates aromatherapy to calm your mind and promote relaxation.

You may like trying this with sugar added to create a DIY body scrub.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of coconut oil – the kind that's solid at room temperatur

  • ½ cup aloe vera gel

  • 15 drops Lavender essential oil

  • 10 drops Peppermint essential oil

  • Note: You can add more or less of the above ingredients.

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a glass bowl or a stand mixer if making a larger batch;

2. Whip ingredients together for a couple of minutes. You'll know it's done when it is light and fluffy!

3. Scoop it into glass jar(s) with an airtight lid(s), then store in a relatively cool spot so your mixture doesn't liquefy too much. Small glass mason jars work perfectly for this!

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And while you’re there, please leave me a Rating and Review

We do care what you think! What would YOU like to hear on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Click HERE to send us your thoughts.

Would you like to be featured as a guest on the Interviews with Innocence Podcast? Contact Us, and tell us a few words about yourself!     

RESOURCES:

Marla’s Website: http://www.interviewswithinnocence.com

Ellen’s website: http://www.wellnessmusictherapy.com/

Ellen’s Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessmusictherapy/

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts

Listen to this episode on Spotify

Connect with Marla Hughes of Interviews With Innocence:

Do you have a spiritual story or an experience that you have experienced or a young child has shared with you?  Please contact Marla and share your story.

Thank you!