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Remembering Our Innocence
- Andrea Adler
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In today’s episode of “Healing from Within” host Sheryl Glick welcomes Andrea Adler, referred to as the “Metaphysical Marketer” is founder of HolisticPR.com. She is an international speaker, a workshop presenter, and consultant, and has authored three books on holistic marketing.
As listeners of “Healing from Within” are aware, it is in discussing issues of physical, sexual, emotional, verbal and any other harmful interactions with others, that we come to realize and reclaim our inner personal strengths and power and move out of painful, limiting, restrictive thinking and behavior, to become masters of our life experiences. In sharing stories of their painful beginnings and thwarted success, the authors, healers, and visionaries who are guests on this radio show, have shown they are able to forgive the often inappropriate behavior and influences of people and to assume a new improved personal energy. It is only within their own discovery of their higher self and their destiny or life plan that they relinquish the influence of the outer world and allow for the maturation of their inner soul being.
“Pushing Upward”, is a transformational fiction where the main character, Sandra Billings, gets introduced to the ancient Chinese Oracle, the I Ching. The I Ching offers guidance to Sandra as she navigates some life challenges and searches for meaning and truth. As the story unfolds, Sandra Billings explores a pattern of defeat and repetitive actions leading to unsatisfactory results in her creation of a healthy and prosperous life. It may become quickly apparent to the readers that the norm for most people- dysfunctional families, childhood emotional traumas follows us into adulthood, and only, when we accept divine guidance, and the opportunities offered to us do we begin to understand our unconscious and often self-sabotaging behaviors. This new spiritual awareness through self investigation of who we are allows us to reevaluate the outside world and our relationships for a way towards healing and self-actualization.
There are several the main topics that resonate throughout this intimate and open- minded story in Andrea’s book, “Pushing Upward”. The first topic is how an older stranger, Emma, becomes a mentor and helps Sandra overcomes the lack of appropriate parenting in her early life. Another emphasis in the story is how Sandra, through a stranger’s love, learns to forgive her abusive family members. As Emma assumes the role of grandmother, mother, friend, and teacher she becomes a force for healing.
Another topic, while reading the story emerged. I became aware that Sandra had an eating disorder. As she stuffed down food, it was really the anger and rage of long buried emotions. Another theme emerges- Sandra, in a moment of clarity, tells the emotionally, offensive story of being raped by her brother’s friend at only ten years old. Her brother was the perpetrator who initiated this outrage. Now it is medically recognized that sexual abuse at an early age often leads to eating disorders and other emotional problems. In readings for sexually abused clients, when I felt the physical pain they felt and observed their broken and wounded spirit, and their altered ability to trust and thrive I was left shaking and in tears. I have wished to address this often overlooked and understated topic and moral travesty. This offense is a betrayal by authority figures, family members, religious figures and athletic coaches. People think these acts of abuse are perpetrated by strangers and are only random. This kind of sexual abuse is more rampant then people want to admit. The need to be aware and take immediate action is a spiritual responsibility for parents, teachers, medical personnel, social workers and care takers.
This past year in Pennsylvania, Jerry Sandusky, the head of a charitable foundation for disadvantaged young boys, used his prestigious position for a twenty year reign of sexual abuse. This story alone is a blatant reminder that we must listen to our children and observe their state of being, as children do not make up accusations about being inappropriately touched or worse. Incest and family impropriety is another serious element to this type of sexual abuse. Approximately one out of four girls and one out of six boys are targeted by perpetrators. Recently it was suggested it may be one out of three.
In Andrea Adler’s book, “Pushing Upward”, there is a poem Andrea shares, written by a friend thirty five years ago when Andrea first thought of writing this book. The poem is as follows:
Who knows where the next road will lead
Or where the next road will exit?
Countless doors, unending directions,
Not knowing which one to take
Excited, confused, lost in the weave,
So many choices, high hopes and dreams
In the midst of the fury,
The whirlwind of thoughts,
Nothing else matters
But the strength of your heart.
Others have walked this road, you need not travel alone,
This journey you’re taking
Filled with rainbows and clouds
Will one day be embraced
As your own.
Andrea Adler has given a graphic look in her novel, “Pushing Upward”, at issues that surround far too many of our dearest treasures, the children and our senior population and also an insight into family dynamics. Andrea shows that we may transcend our earlier beginnings and create a beautiful life through discovering the pains and sorrows of one’s childhood and in finding friends and support systems with a deeper connection to love, Andrea shares a transformative story of survival and triumph.
