In Her Image Podcast

In this episode, Jess and Kate interview psychotherapist Dr. Julie Hanks! Doctor Hanks discusses her personal mission helping women step into their power and changing the current structure to better embrace women's power and authority. She gives a glimpse into how the inclusion of Heavenly Mother in our dialogue as church members plays a role in that two-part mission. Doctor Hanks suggests ways to talk to church leaders about Heavenly Mother, and what to do when faced with rejection. She relates what she has done when personal and general revelation conflict. She inspires a desire to step into one's own power, and articulates why claiming our power is such an important part of life in the long run.

Dr. Hanks' programs, podcast, and blog can be found at her website: https://www.drjuliehanks.com. 

Julie read some of the lyrics from her song, Mother Where Art Thou, as the anchor for this episode. 

The song can be found on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6Mxw1s6l7PD0tjzO01BIMt

or on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/mother-where-art-thou/1291730037?i=1291730042

Other resources: 

A Girl's Guide to Heavenly Mother: https://deseretbook.com/p/girls-guide-to-heavenly-mother?queryID=1cb3df66c81409044e4ea2936691a311&variant_id=194661-hardcover

A Boy's Guide to Heavenly Mother: https://deseretbook.com/p/boys-guide-to-heavenly-mother?queryID=1cb3df66c81409044e4ea2936691a311&variant_id=194660-hardcover

Jess welcomes her new co-host, Kate, to the podcast!  Kate discusses her passion for Women's health, body literacy and what it means to live in harmony with your cycles and recognize how you were literally created in God's image. Kate shares how her appreciation for her body preceded her search for Mother God and how the two met in the middle. She explains balancing the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine energies in all of us and in the world.  Whether you are a man or woman, whether you are currently menstruating or not, we can all follow the divine patterns our Heavenly Parents have given us such as multiplying and replenishing (not just about having kids), and spiritual and physical creation.

For more from Kate you can follow @daughterofmother_earth on Instagram and you can listen to episode 19 of In Her Image.

Period Repair Manual  (Book)

In this episode, Sara talks about her journey to becoming involved in birth work, and the way it connects her with Mother God. Jess and Sara discuss how Heavenly Mother invites all of us to birth new life, whether it's our own new lives or children or other creations. The episode ends with an important announcement from Sara.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, we'll be taking a break from publishing new episodes of In Her Image until January 2022. Take this time to go back and listen to episodes you missed or re-listen to your favorites! If you have ideas for podcast episodes or would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us an email to [email protected]! Happy Holidays!

Today’s episode is with Bethany Brady Spalding, co-author of the bestselling Girls Who Choose God series and the Guide Books to Heavenly Mother. In this episode, she tells Sara how each of her children’s books came to be. Originally inspired by an inquisitive 3 year old, these books portray a healthy balance in the male and female divine. The purposeful order and progression of the books, culminating in the Girl’s and Boy’s Guides to Heavenly Mother, is absolutely fascinating to hear spelled out. Bethany shares her wisdom with fellow pioneers blazing the trail in uncovering Heavenly Mother, inspiring persistence and faith in positive changes to come.

As we mentioned in episode 28 with Bethany’s co-author McArthur Krishna, A GIrl’s Guide for Heavenly Mother and A Boy’s Guide to Heavenly Mother are now being sold through Deseret Book! If you, like us, appreciate these books being carried by a church-owned bookstore, please send an email to Deseret Book [email protected] letting them know.

Unfortunately, the article Bethany mentions that she wrote for Exponent II about her daughter's entrance into young womanhood is not accessible without a subscription, but we hope the ideas she shares here help spark your own meaningful rituals and traditions.

Bethany's children's books can be found at Deseret Book through the following links:

A Girl's Guide to Heavenly Mother

https://deseretbook.com/p/girls-guide-to-heavenly-mother?queryID=4044744900145169cc4429b8b0864511&variant_id=194661-hardcover

A Boy's Guide to Heavenly Mother

https://deseretbook.com/p/boys-guide-to-heavenly-mother?queryID=4044744900145169cc4429b8b0864511&variant_id=194660-hardcover

Our Earthly Family, Our Heavenly Families

https://deseretbook.com/p/our-heavenly-family-our-earthly-families?query=earthly%2520family%2520Heav&variant_id=135731-hardcover

Girls Who Choose God

https://deseretbook.com/p/girls-who-choose-god-mcarthur-krishna-92526?queryID=b6c17c97bc556b69abb82724a7e24b65&variant_id=3041-hardcover

Sara is on Instagram as @my.mother.is.the.queen, and her co-host Jess is @her.scriptures.

Carol Lynn Pearson has been a pioneer in finding Mother God and inspiring others to do so for decades. In this episode, Sara asks about her journey writing and performing her one-woman play Mother Wove the Morning in the late 80’s and 90’s, and about her more recent publication, Finding Mother God, a book of poetry published in 2020. Carol Lynn recites some of her favorite poems from that book with all the eloquence and bravado of a stage performer, yet the sincerity and humility of a true seeker. She offers encouragement for others hoping to find and share about Heavenly Mother, urging us not to be afraid to use our voices and step outside the lines to make our desires known for greater church-wide recognition of the female half of God.

Visit https://carollynnpearson.com to find Carol Lynn's works, including Mother Wove the Morning in video format and Finding Mother God (autographed!) 

Sara is on Instagram as @my.mother.is.the.queen, and her co-host Jess is on Instagram as @her.scriptures.

Singer/songwriter McCall Char joins Jess for this episode. McCall shares her song "Oh Mother Mother" and discusses how the inspiration for the song came. They talk about the range of feelings that can accompany a journey to the Goddess, and what those feelings may be trying to communicate. McCall relates how seeking Heavenly Mother has affected her relationship with the Father, and lets us in on personal revelation she has received when feelings of doubt and darkness start to creep in around her desire to learn more of Her. McCall's vulnerability and down-to-earth yet free spirit inspire hope and persistence in a journey that can seem daunting and unyielding at times.

In the episode, some wonderful resources were mentioned:

Sharing Heavenly Mother Panel Discussion part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEJs-bFMAE

Sharing Heavenly Mother Panel Discussion part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnST3HPbxkQ

Sharing Heavenly Mother Panel Discussion part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGz3f0j78yY

Valerie Hudson on "The Two Trees" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1f1M_JVbZw

Daniel C. Peterson on "A Divine Mother in the Book of Mormon?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CYqCti5rQM

In this episode, Jess and Sara interview McArthur Krishna, co-author of "A Girl's Guide to Heavenly Mother" and "A Boy's Guide to Heavenly Mother." These books are now for sale through Deseret Book. If you're looking for Christmas gifts for the young women or young men or primary groups in your wards, or for your family, stock up on these books from Deseret Book! Then they'll get the signal that this kind of content is something that people are interested in and want more of! This opens the door to more books about Heavenly Mother being published by Deseret Book in the future!

In the episode, McArthur discusses how the doctrine of Heavenly Mother is essential to our existence and salvation and has been cherished and promoted throughout church history. She debunks the cultural misunderstanding that we shouldn't speak about our Mother in Heaven, quoting a flood of church leaders who have taught about her. She tells the stories of several women of different ages who have shared with her the importance of this doctrine and talks about the importance of soul development. Knowing that Mother God and Father God stand beside each other as equals changes everything.

Kayla (@k_thought_nuggets on Instagram) shares how she has found Heavenly Mother in singing, in the stars, and even in spiders. She relates her journey coming to hunger for more knowledge about the Queen of Heaven, remembering back to her childhood fascination with ancient goddesses in mythology, a study she has since reignited. 

In this episode, we refer to a few different resources that have been illuminating for Kayla (and Jess): 

Valerie Hudson's Two Trees article https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-12563/

Sharing Heavenly Mother Panel Discussions on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sharing+heavenly+mother

Jess also mentions Faith Matters' podcast episode 82. The Future of Women at Church, which Sara and Jess highly recommend. 

In Her Image co-hosts Jess and Sara are on Instagram as @her.scriptures (Jess) and @my.mother.is.the.queen (Sara).

Ashtaroth (Ashli) Carnicelli shares the story of her personal walk with Heavenly Mother, Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. From her adoption as an infant to her reconnection with her biological father as an adult, Ashli sees the hand of both Father and Mother God in her life. She shares personal answers she's received to questions like, "is it okay that I'm hanging artwork of Heavenly Mother in my home?" and "What is She like?" Listen and be uplifted by Ashli's faith and enthusiasm!