OM DENNE EPISODE
What if the illness you can't explain is trying to tell you something your doctor never will?
Host Aaron Lazar sits down with Jonathan Hammond — Harvard graduate, former Broadway actor, and one of the world's most sought-after shamanic practitioners — for a conversation that reaches beyond the ordinary and into the hidden blueprint of your life. Jonathan has been Aaron's spiritual counselor for nearly two years, working with him twice a month through his journey with ALS, and what emerges in this episode is raw, wise, and deeply human: a reframing of illness, transformation, and what it actually means to heal.
Drawing on Hawaiian Huna tradition, transpersonal psychology, and more than two decades of private practice in Maui, Jonathan introduces the concept of the hidden story — the soul-level narrative running underneath your conscious life, shaping everything from your health to your relationships to the career that once felt like a dream but now feels like a cage. This is the conversation for anyone who has ever had the unsettling feeling that something bigger is happening to them than what appears on the surface.
Together, Aaron and Jonathan explore the philosophy at the heart of shamanic healing — that nature is always authentic, culture is often not, and the body will eventually demand the life the soul intended. Jonathan's message lands with quiet power: "You go to the doctor to set your arm. You go to the shaman to find out why you broke it."
Guest Bio: Jonathan Hammond is a Maui-based author, spiritual teacher, shamanic practitioner, and spiritual counselor whose work bridges Hawaiian Huna tradition, transpersonal psychology, indigenous earth wisdom, and energy healing. A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan, Jonathan enjoyed a successful career as an award-winning actor on Broadway and television before a profound personal healing journey led him to devote his life to shamanism and soul work. He is an ordained Alakaʻi (leader and guide) in the Kahili Hawaiian shamanic tradition, a certified Master Teacher in Shamanic Reiki, and holds certifications in Cherokee Bodywork, Huna, and HoʻoʻponoponoHe has taught at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, The Shift Network, and Penn State University. He is the author of The Shaman's Mind: Huna Wisdom to Change Your Life, creator of the audio course The Shaman Within (produced by Hemi-Sync®), and his forthcoming book Shamanism and Natural Magick: A Guide to Your Rewilding will be released in 2026. Jonathan maintains a thriving international private practice from Kihei, Maui.
Learn More About Jonathan Hammond:
Website: https://WsBQMs.short.gy/rotpZF
Instagram: https://WsBQMs.short.gy/M5Stt1
Book — The Shaman's Mind: https://WsBQMs.short.gy/kB3ttj
Audio Course — The Shaman Within: https://WsBQMs.short.gy/Kfyeu6
Teachings at Omega Institute: https://WsBQMs.short.gy/S6Mfqj
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Presented by the ALS Network - https://WsBQMs.short.gy/nLpfro
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Episode Navigation:
1. 00:08 — What is a shaman? Aaron and Jonathan reconnect after 16 years — from Lake Louise acting workshop to Maui healing practice — and Jonathan strips away the mysticism to answer the question everyone is afraid to ask
2. 01:20 — The hidden story: Why the body keeps the score, why Western therapy alone isn't enough, and the transpersonal realm — soul, ancestors, energy, purpose — that shamanism addresses where psychology stops
3. 06:37 — How Aaron's ALS diagnosis and a social media book list led him to Jonathan's door — and why the first principle of Hawaiian Huna, "The world is what you think it is," became the foundation of their work together
4. 11:34 — The hidden story made real: Jonathan shares the story of a grieving mother whose baby's death carried a soul contract — the felt truth that exists beneath what is empirically verifiable
5. 14:32 — How do you know it's truth and not just a story you're telling yourself? Jonathan explains the language of nature, discernment, and why the voice that moves you toward growth is always worth trusting
6. 21:00 — Nature vs. culture: Everything in nature is authentic to itself, advocates for itself, and gives its gift. Human culture creates separation from that authenticity — and healing is the journey back
7. 29:00 — The Gaia theory and the sacredness of all life: With 8 billion people and 16 billion hands, humanity can be a force of stewardship on Earth — and recognizing your own sacred nature changes how you treat everything you encounter
8. 40:36 — Jonathan's impossible dream: What it felt like to stand on a Broadway stage on opening night and realize, with terrifying clarity, "If this is it, I am in the wrong life" — and the volcano messages that changed his path
9. 44:38 — Shamanic illness and the soul that won't be ignored: Why illness sometimes comes to make you over, why the soul doesn't care about your preferences, and why the
in-between place — where the old way is gone and the new way isn't formed — is where transformation lives
10. 49:09 — Empath without boundaries is a doormat. Empath with boundaries is a force of nature: The sacred prostitute vs. the goddess, why martyrdom is not found anywhere in nature, and how knowing what you are changes everything about what you attract
11. 56:43 — 5D consciousness, the Wetiko virus, and the narcissist in the room: The Cree concept of a mind parasite that drives greed, separation, and dehumanization — and why the best response is not engagement, but becoming the best version of yourself
12. 01:03:52 — Creating the preferred world from the inside out: How light bearers, truth tellers, and those who lend their heart and creativity to collective service are ushering in a new consciousness — one lived reality at a time
