In this episode, Jess talks with Brittany Manjarrez who is currently living in Paris, France. Brittany felt inspired to translate the hymn "Souviens-toi",  existing only in the French LDS hymnbook, into English. Its inclusion of Heavenly Parents immediately caught her attention and endeared her to the song. She shares what translating it was like and how "Remember, Little One," as she calls it in English, came to be included in the "Let's Talk About Heavenly Mother" fireside in Utah, USA. In order to include the hymn, Brittany tracked down the previously unknown author of the song, Marie-Françoise Euvrard. She shares excerpts from a conversation she had with Marie, relating tender details of infertility, pain, and pure revelation. Brittany reads her translation of this sublime hymn and discusses what finding Heavenly Mother has meant for her. 

Valerie Hamaker is a relationship therapist with advanced training in trauma recovery, sexual health, and family systems work. She runs a private practice in Kansas City, Missouri and speaks locally and nationally on a wide variety of topics.  She is the host of two podcasts, Generation Xausted and the Latter Day Struggles Podcast which is currently growing at an exponential rate due to the large number of Latter Day Saints going through faith and trust crisis.  Valerie has found her calling in reaching out to those struggling with their faith of origin and giving an honest and expansive perspective for those seeking to stay, and stay in their integrity.

Kate and Valerie discuss psychological agency and spiritual progression.  Kate asks Valerie for help understanding the common fear response to seeking Heavenly Mother and making Her part of our worship.  Valerie shares some of her ideas for why fear comes up in the institution and among our friends and family, as well as advice for responding in these situations. 

Check out Latter-Day Struggles Podcast on instagram @latterdaystrugglespodcast and on Apple and Spotify. 

 We think you'll like Episode 33. Stages of Faith Development, Why we are stuck, How to get Unstuck. 

 As well as Episode 9.  How Does Ignoring the Divine Feminine Hurt Us?

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latter-day-struggles/id1612326898

Jess and Dr. Val Larsen continue their conversation on how Dr. Larsen first started contemplating Heavenly Mother and what he has discovered through careful reading of the Book of Mormon and studying associated historical works. He suggests that Lehi and Nephi, along with Joseph Smith, received and worked to restore the pre-deuteronomistic, old religion of Abraham in their respective dispensations. As Dr. Larsen and contemporary scholars have found, this ancient religion believed in a divine Council of the Gods, including Heavenly Mother, Heavenly Father, and their Son Jesus Christ. This belief in separate embodied, glorified members of a Heavenly Family makes the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints distinctive from other religions. Yet, as a church, we tend to deemphasize this point. Val suggests that this "Greater Apostasy" keeps us from fully worshiping the Divine Family, and that as we undo the removal of Heavenly Mother from our theology (which took place in the days of Josiah), we can continue to see the unfolding of the ongoing, modern-day restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and better help prepare the world for His Second Coming.

Read Dr. Val Larsen's articles on Heavenly Mother here:

"Hidden in Plain View: Mother in Heaven in Scripture"

https://squaretwo.org/Sq2ArticleLarsenHeavenlyMother.html

"First Visions and Last Sermons: Affirming Divine Sociality, Rejecting the Greater Apostasy"

http://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/first-visions-and-last-sermons-affirming-divine-sociality-rejecting-the-greater-apostasy/

"Josiah to Zoram to Sherem to Jarom and the Big Little Book of Omni"

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/josiah-to-zoram-to-sherem-to-jarom-and-the-big-little-book-of-omni/

In the previous episode, episode 59, Jess read "First Visions and Last Sermons: Affirming Divine Sociality, Rejecting the Greater Apostasy", written by Dr. Val Larsen and published in 2020. In this week's episode, Jess interviews Dr. Larsen on how he first started contemplating Heavenly Mother and what he has discovered through careful reading of the Book of Mormon and studying associated historical works. He suggests that Lehi and Nephi, along with Joseph Smith, received and worked to restore the pre-deuteronomistic, old religion of Abraham in their respective dispensations. As Dr. Larsen and contemporary scholars have found, this ancient religion believed in a divine Council of the Gods, including Heavenly Mother, Heavenly Father, and their Son Jesus Christ. This belief in separate embodied, glorified members of a Heavenly Family makes the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints distinctive from other religions. Yet, as a church, we tend to deemphasize this point. Val suggests that this "Greater Apostasy" keeps us from fully worshiping the Divine Family, and that as we undo the removal of Heavenly Mother from our theology (which took place in the days of Josiah), we can continue to see the unfolding of the ongoing, modern-day restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and better help prepare the world for His Second Coming.

Tune in next Sunday for part 2 of this conversation. Read Dr. Val Larsen's articles on Heavenly Mother here:

"Hidden in Plain View: Mother in Heaven in Scripture"

https://squaretwo.org/Sq2ArticleLarsenHeavenlyMother.html

"First Visions and Last Sermons: Affirming Divine Sociality, Rejecting the Greater Apostasy" 

http://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/first-visions-and-last-sermons-affirming-divine-sociality-rejecting-the-greater-apostasy/

"Josiah to Zoram to Sherem to Jarom and the Big Little Book of Omni"

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/josiah-to-zoram-to-sherem-to-jarom-and-the-big-little-book-of-omni/

This week we continue our conversation with Mandy Green and dive into the book of Proverbs, exploring some of the key words associated with Heavenly Mother in the Scriptures. If you're studying Come, Follow Me this week, this will be a great enrichment to your study! 

Check out a sample lesson of Mandy's course Finding Heavenly Mother in Scripture here.  Also, connect with her on Instagram at @mandy.b.green and @reflectinglightpodcast 

Mandy Green has spent the last 8 years learning Hebrew and Greek, studying the Bible in it's original languages, visiting ancient temples and becoming an expert in the symbols and key words of the Feminine Divine.   She created a platform called Project Illumination to share her knowledge and arm others with tools to be scripturally literate themselves.  She is a treat to listen to as she shares her passion of revealing our Heavenly Mother in the texts.

Monica Alvarado comparte su testimonio de nuestra Madre Celestial, una doctrina estimada de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. 

"Todos los seres humanos, hombres y mujeres, son amados hijos procreados en espíritu por padres celestiales: un Padre Celestial y una Madre Celestial. Esta comprensión se fundamenta en las enseñanzas de las Escrituras y de los profetas acerca de la naturaleza de Dios, nuestra relación con la Deidad y el potencial divino de los hombres y las mujeres." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/mother-in-heaven?lang=spa

La nueva cuenta de Instagram de Monica: www.intstagram.com/nuestra_madre_celestial

Se puede leer Una Guía a la Madre Celestial para Chicas (publicado por Deseret Book) gratis aquí: https://dstreetpress.com

After discovering Heavenly Mother through Instagram over one year ago, teacher and writer Monica Alvarado's spiritual life has been transformed.  Monica's connection with the Divine Mother shines through her IG account @her_mighty_works where she expounds on the scriptures and unveils feminine wisdom in some of the Bible's oldest stories.  We loved hearing how she steps into the darkness, seeing it as a womb space, and welcomes the metamorphosis of new birth.  She taught us to seek to learn what messages pain has for us, and that the process of healing is liberation for you and all humanity. 

We hope you gain as much courage and light as we did as you listen. 

The girls are back in town! In Her Image episodes will be coming out again starting Sunday, August 21st.