Message us Mermaids 🧜🏼‍♀️

The lands we walk upon hold soul-level memories. The cities we inhabit were built by many hands—some working freely, many others in chains. Our very identities are shaped by histories both acknowledged and erased. In this powerful conversation with ethnic studies scholar Maria, we explore how settler colonialism created enduring structures of inequality that continue to impact our spiritual and social reality.

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Maria helps us understand how colonial powers systematically removed indigenous peoples from their lands while forcing enslaved Africans to work that same land—creating hierarchies that persist today. This isn't distant history. These patterns of displacement, exploitation, and categorization continue to shape our modern experiences, from census boxes that can't contain our complex identities to immigration policies that separate families and communities.

What emerges most powerfully is how we might begin healing these deep wounds. Maria shares her own journey of reconnecting with ancestry despite missing pieces, showing how we can reclaim identity through creative means—studying local histories, preserving family stories, and finding contextual understanding when direct knowledge is unavailable. She challenges the terminology used to categorize people, explaining why labels like "Hispanic" can perpetuate colonial erasure while terms like "Latino" or "Chicano" emerged from communities claiming their own narratives.

The conversation takes a transformative turn when Maria introduces the concept of joy as resistance. "If you give up your joy, you're giving up your humanity," she explains, revealing how maintaining moments of connection and happiness becomes a radical act in the face of dehumanization. This spiritual survival strategy has helped communities endure unimaginable hardship while preserving their essential humanity.

As we navigate increasingly divisive times, Maria offers a vision of healing that begins in our immediate environments—classrooms, households, and community spaces where we can practice solidarity across differences. These "microcosms of understanding" create ripple effects that gradually shift larger patterns of division. The episode concludes with a powerful invocation from organizer Pedro Rios: "What is solidarity if not love?"

Join us for this soul-stirring conversation that honors historical truth while revealing pathways toward collective healing. Subscribe now and share this episode with anyone seeking to understand how our past shapes our present—and how we might create a more just and loving future.

References

Gloria Anzaldua, author, historian, feminist, gay activist: Gloria E. Anzaldúa

Pedro Rios, AFSC, San Diego Director:

Pedro Rios | American Frie

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Chloe Brown is the graphic artist behind all of the Mermaids’ delightfully whimsical branded reels, stories and picture posts on social. Contact her at MysticalMermaidLounge@yahoo.com for artistic consultation and design work.

Sponsorships

We do not advertise nor accept sponsorships so that your listening experience remains free of distractions. If you are as passionate as we are about supporting spiritual seekers, consider buying us a coffee at: https://buymeacoffee.com/mysticalmermaidlounge.

Please feel free to email us with positive and constructive ideas, questions or comments at MysticalMermaidLounge@Yahoo.com.

Thank you for listening! Please follow and rate/review if you love us. Blessed be.

Message us Mermaids 🧜🏼‍♀️

******WARNING: ANIMAL ABUSE DISCUSSED******

What if you could truly understand what your beloved pet is thinking? What if the barriers between species weren't as impenetrable as we've been led to believe? In this captivating conversation with psychic-medium Melissa Engerman, we explore the profound connections possible between humans, animals, and the spiritual realm.

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Melissa shares her remarkable journey as an intuitive who has communicated with spirits and animals since childhood. Rather than seeing these abilities as extraordinary, she approaches them with refreshing humility: "Everyone can talk to pets. Everyone can talk to spirits. I don't have any special abilities." This perspective opens doorways for listeners to reconsider their own intuitive capabilities and relationship with the natural world.

The conversation takes fascinating turns as Melissa explains her process of animal communication—working primarily with photographs, entering a meditative state, and receiving information through mental images, physical sensations, and intuitive knowing. She shares touching stories of helping a diabetic dog understand the importance of insulin shots and mediating peace between household pets. These anecdotes aren't just heartwarming; they demonstrate practical applications of energy work that can transform relationships between pets and their humans.

Beyond technique, Melissa offers a philosophical framework that honors animals as conscious beings with emotions comparable to humans. "They feel the same way that humans feel," she explains, challenging listeners to approach animals with greater respect for their autonomy and needs. Her compassionate approach extends to humans too, as she emphasizes meeting people where they are in their understanding of animal care, recognizing that problematic behaviors often stem from lack of knowledge rather than malice.

Ready to explore new dimensions of connection with the animals in your life? Follow Melissa's work at www.ReikiByMelissa.com or join one of her community Reiki sessions at Tranquili-Chi to experience the transformative power of energy healing firsthand. Open your mind to the possibility that the beings around you—furred, feathered, or otherwise—might understand more than you think, and might just be waiting for you to understand them too.

Contact

Website: Reiki by Melissa

Address: Tranquili-Chi Center, 1421 Clarkview Rd., Suite 206, BALTIMORE, Maryland 21209

Phone: (410) 491-4906

Email: melissaengerman@gmail.com

Support the show

Shameless Promotions

Chloe Brown is the graphic artist behind all of the Mermaids’ delightfully whimsical branded reels, stories and picture posts on social. Contact her at MysticalMermaidLounge@yahoo.com for artistic consultation and design work.

Sponsorships

We do not advertise nor accept sponsorships so that your listening experience remains free of distractions. If you are as passionate as we are about supporting spiritual seekers, consider buying us a coffee at: https://buymeacoffee.com/mysticalmermaidlounge.

Please feel free to email us with positive and constructive ideas, questions or comments at MysticalMermaidLounge@Yahoo.com.

Thank you for listening! Please follow and rate/review if you love us. Blessed be.

Message us Mermaids 🧜🏼‍♀️

***** WARNING: SUICIDE AND SUBSTANCE USE DISCUSSED *****

Mary Beth Coster's spiritual journey defies conventional narratives about faith and redemption. When her husband stood at the brink of suicide, Mary Beth—a self-described "broken" person with no strong religious foundation—made a desperate plea to a God she wasn't sure existed. What followed transformed not just their marriage, but their entire approach to life.

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In this deeply moving conversation, Mary Beth recounts how divine intervention prompted her to share long-held secrets with her husband, creating a foundation of radical honesty that saved their relationship. "You leveled the playing field," he told her, finding connection rather than judgment in her confessions. This pivotal moment led them to the Mormon church as authentically flawed humans presuming acceptance for who they truly were.

Perhaps most remarkable is how Mary Beth and her husband overcame years of addiction. Both struggled with opioid dependency, with Mary Beth also battling alcoholism. Through prayer, they quit "cold turkey overnight"—a transformation that three years later has left them physically, mentally, and spiritually renewed.

Throughout our conversation, Mary Beth demonstrates how maintaining personal power within religious structures creates true freedom. Whether discussing her telepathic abilities, her compassion for LGBTQ+ individuals, or her profound connection with rescued animals, she embodies the radical authenticity she preaches. "I'm tired of hiding," she declares, challenging listeners to examine whether their spiritual practices enhance or diminish their authentic selves.

For anyone who has felt too broken, too honest, or too different for traditional spiritual paths, Mary Beth's story offers liberation. Her powerful message reminds us that our most painful moments can become our greatest strengths when we stop hiding and start demanding acceptance for who we truly are. The chains that once bound her have fallen away, leaving a life "we can't wait to happen." What chains might you be ready to shed?

Contact

The Black Lotus Salon, Rehoboth Beach, DE - 443.807.9621

Facebook - Mary Beth Coster

Instagram - @malibucos

Support the show

Shameless Promotions

Chloe Brown is the graphic artist behind all of the Mermaids’ delightfully whimsical branded reels, stories and picture posts on social. Contact her at MysticalMermaidLounge@yahoo.com for artistic consultation and design work.

Sponsorships

We do not advertise nor accept sponsorships so that your listening experience remains free of distractions. If you are as passionate as we are about supporting spiritual seekers, consider buying us a coffee at: https://buymeacoffee.com/mysticalmermaidlounge.

Please feel free to email us with positive and constructive ideas, questions or comments at MysticalMermaidLounge@Yahoo.com.

Thank you for listening! Please follow and rate/review if you love us. Blessed be.