In this enlightening episode of In Her Image, host Jessica Woodbury dives into a profound conversation with Bethany Brady Spalding and McArthur Krishna about the role of Heavenly Mother in Latter-day Saint theology and the deep, often overlooked, impact of acknowledging Her in doctrine and personal worship. They discuss the disconnect between church teachings and member practices, and how integrating a more holistic view of Heavenly Parents can transform personal spirituality and church culture. With inspiring personal stories, Bethany and MacArthur share their experiences of bringing Heavenly Mother into daily life and teaching. They explore how recognizing Her role affirms the divine potential of women, fosters equal partnership in marriage, and supports a nurturing model of spiritual sovereignty. This episode invites listeners to rediscover and cherish the expansive nature of the Divine Feminine and consider the ways it can bring balance, healing, and joy to their faith journeys.

Josie Grover, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares her journey of discovering Heavenly Mother and her evolving spirituality. Initially struggling with the doctrine of polygamy, Josie found solace in the hymn "Oh, My Father," which led her to a deeper connection with Heavenly Mother. Her experiences, including a challenging bishopric and the Women's Relief Alliance, highlighted the need for women's empowerment and representation. Josie emphasizes the importance of women finding their divine potential and advocates for greater female presence in church leadership. She finds joy in her spiritual growth and the support of her community.

Venmo for one-time donations: @Jess.Burdette

Marianne Paventy shares how the In Her Image podcast helped inspire her recently published book of poems titled Walk in Wisdom’s Paths.

In this episode, Jessica Woodbury interviews poet Marianne Paventy about her profound spiritual journey toward a deeper understanding of Heavenly Mother. Marianne shares how her relationship with the Divine Feminine has evolved over time, describing pivotal moments that led her to seek a closer connection with Heavenly Mother. She discusses the inspiration behind her newly published poetry collection, offering listeners an intimate look at the creative process and the spiritual insights she gained along the way. Together, they dive into some of Marianne’s most cherished poems, such as “The Ascent” and “The Throne of God is a Loveseat,” reflecting on the personal experiences and scriptural influences that shaped her work. Join us for this heartfelt conversation on the power of poetry, faith, and the Divine Feminine.

Marianne's book "Walk in Wisdom's Paths" can be purchased here: https://olympiapublishers.com/books/walk-in-wisdoms-paths

Tickets to the Oct 19 event in Eagle, ID: https://walking-with-wisdom.eventcube.io/

Mandy Green’s online classes: https://projectillumination.thinkific.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Susan Madsen to discuss the role of women in leadership within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how recognizing Heavenly Mother could transform the Church's culture and leadership structures. Susan shares her insights on gender equality in religious and community contexts, offering practical suggestions for how integrating the divine feminine into worship and doctrine could empower both women and men. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about the future of leadership in the LDS Church.

Susan R. Madsens main website:

https://susanrmadsen.com/index

Unleashing Sister Saints Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1EDz9mIXhDotTyhEZzp0as?si=AVEyuFUgSTKc0Moi-UjxFw

Utah Women and Leadership Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/6S9DnvzcpGLHgPxvqQrqZ7?si=Sc3x3OhJQaWMuvshE3__bw

A Bolder Way Forward website:

https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/a-bolder-way-forward/overview

The primary aim of A Bolder Way Forward is to help more Utah women and girls thrive. Utah women and girls thrive when all aspects of their safety, security, health, and wellbeing are met, allowing them to explore and pursue educational, professional, civic, leadership, and other opportunities according to their interests, and to feel abundant levels of support and a sense of belonging as they do so.

A Future Only God Can See for You: a Guide for Teen and Young Adult Women on Preparing to Lead

https://a.co/d/4qlwtU5

Instagram accounts:

Her main Instagram page

@susanrmadsen

Unleashing Sister Saints

@unleashingsistersaints

A Bolder Way Forward

@bwfutah

Utah Women and Leadership Project

@utwomenleaders

Join Meg Rittmanic in this expansive interview with Meghan Farner about the Divinely Feminine role in covenants and ordinances.

Sign up for notifications for Meghan’s book “Consider Yourself As Eve: A Guide to Spiritual Development for Women (and the Men Who Love Them)” to be published November 2024:

https://share.hsforms.com/1XDjgKqfITm2OpCLDKvrLpQe860f

Meg’s favorite episodes of Latter-day Disciples podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-93-mothers-feminism-and-priestesshood-with/id1598827209?i=1000632454519

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-127-the-law-of-the-gospel-a-new-view/id1598827209?i=1000660937877

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-83-ancient-egypt-and-seeking-truth-with-jared-rubalcaba/id1598827209?i=1000624538616

Shadow work podcast links:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-her-image-finding-heavenly-mother-in-scripture-scholarship/id1566494543?i=1000659941361

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-her-image-finding-heavenly-mother-in-scripture-scholarship/id1566494543?i=1000642368934

Meg Rittmanic shares her plans for her contribution to the podcast for this season. At minute 13 Meg shares a talk she gave in her ward about Heavenly Mother on mothers day. This talk is a great place to start to connect the dots around Heavenly Mothers story in scripture. Join Meg in a journey to come to understand Her attributes, Her healing love, Her mission, and how exciting it is to help in restoring truths about Her!

Join us

We are so grateful to Aspen Moore, Rebecca Young, and Carol Robins for providing an inclusive version of the Book of Mormon. Here are some resources they shared during the interview and their Instagram information:

Heavenly Parents: An Inclusive Book of Mormon Reading

The easiest way to read it is on your phone through the Medium app or on your computer @ Medium.com

Those interested can download the Medium app on their phones which has a black background with a white capital M and 1/2 of a lowercase e.

They can also create a free account (scroll down to the bottom of the registration page to find the free option)

and follow Heavenly Parents Project which houses Heavenly Parents: An Inclusive Book of Mormon Reading

Additionally, here are a couple links to resources that have more information about Heavenly Mother from the LDS Church that we used during our discussion.

A Mother There - BYU Studies Article

A Mother in Heaven - Gospel Topics Essay

The Heavenly Parents Book of Mormon instagram page is @heavenly.parents.bom

Rebecca's instagram page is @our.heavenly.parents

Aspen's instagram page is @seeking.her.wisdom