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The Rainbow Connection, March 2001

Visiting U.S. Media Personality Charms Australian Spiritual Seekers
By Margot Maurice, The Rainbow Connection March 2001

Ilana Marks is a young woman who certainly 'walks her talk.'...... At the end of January, I had the distinct pleasure of playing host to this energetic American media personality from Boston.

Ilana hosts a talk back radio and television program each week and has been a favorite with her audience for the past five years.

When Ilana first contacted me and said she'd be in Sydney and would like to catch up with me, I explained that I was on the other side of the country to Sydney. She wasn't daunted by this but replied that she would catch a plane over to Perth if that was what was necessary. I then explained again that I was in Dunsborough which is three hours south of Perth.

"That's not a problem," came the ready reply. "I'll hire a car and drive there."

"She's definitely keen" I thought. From that point on we corresponded regularly making arrangements for Ilana to stay with us while she was here. When the time came for Ilana to leave the U.S. the contact was naturally not as regular while she was traveling and at times I thought maybe she won't come after all, as it's a long way.

I received word from Hawaii that she had been there and they were thrilled with the response to her talk. I knew then she would have been traveling around the eastern parts of Australia prior to going to New Zealand.

On her return to Sydney she contacted again letting me know of the plane time and when she was expected to arrive in Perth. It was interesting then as Spirit very clearly said, " The plane will be delayed." I emailed Ilana and said if her plane was delayed she may choose to stay overnight in Perth in order to undertake the long drive down here in daylight. She said she'd let me know what was happening.

Of course the plane was delayed and about 9 pm I had a call from Ilana telling me she'd arrived at Perth airport, had hired a car and was on her way. "If it is too late for you to wait up" she said, "Just go to bed and leave a light on for me."

"This young woman is definitely different," I thought and after trying to stay awake for quite a while I went to bed around eleven leaving my partner John to await our guest.

I met Ilana next morning at breakfast. There was an instant recognition of each other and it was more like "How have you been for the past four hundred years than nice to meet you."

We both recognized a connection from several past lives where we have been mother and daughter. This was obviously the reason we had to meet up again and the reason for Ilana's sense of urgency that she had to meet me.

During the time Ilana spent with us, we talked, laughed, meditated, visited the local tourist spots, did channeled readings for each other and generally 'hung out' together.

I had arranged for Ilana to deliver a talk to some associates on the Sunday where she spoke about "Choosing the Voice of the Soul." Apart from her talk Ilana had proved very definitely that she had chosen the voice of her soul in bringing her visit and our meeting to fruition. There must have been times when anyone else (not involved in this type of work) would have considered her decision sheer madness to drive off into the unknown late at night, to a destination unknown, to sleep at someone's house who was also unknown. All of these events took place on the other side of the world to where she lives. If that's not listening to your soul, and trusting, I don't know what is!

Meeting Ilana Marks was indeed a rare experience for all who attended her talk. Hearing first hand, Ilana's experiences in interviewing many well known personalities in the 'New Age' and Spiritual community in the U.S. made many people who had previously only been names, suddenly seem real with a story for all of us.

Listening to Ilana we all understood that she had learned to differentiate between the voice of the ego and the voice of the Soul and in following the voice of her Soul, she had found freedom. She had certainly felt the ever present presence of Spirit, had experienced her Higher Self and her guides were with her all the way.

My life is all the richer for having met or reconnected with Ilana Marks and I'm sure that many people who met Ilana on her world trip and attended her talks, would agree. I for one look forward to the next time she heads for the southern hemisphere again, following the 'voice of her Soul.' On the Internet visit www.ilanamarks.com.

Making Her Mark Around The World

Radio show host wraps up global lecture tour
By Michael Marotta

When Ilana Marks started her radio show in June of 1997, she hoped for success similar to that of her cable-access program "On the Mark."

Stirring the political pot with guest forums, candidate debates, and candid discussions about town policies was Marks' focus on her television show, but when she made the switch to radio, she wanted to reach a broader demographic over the airwaves.

Her holistic and metaphysical live call-in radio show which airs on Marshfield radio station WATD Sunday nights from 7:30 to 9 p.m. quickly drew a large audience from all over the South Shore. But Marks could not have known that her radio program would one day take her far beyond the region and country on a global lecturing tour. Buoyed by invitations via the Internet to take her show on the road, Marks decided to accept some of the many offers she's received last fall and began a three-month journey bringing her metaphysical message to groups all over the world.

To keep her family with her, Marks took her two children out of school knowing the education they would receive on the trip could not be duplicated in a classroom. "I was getting invitations from people in Australia and Hawaii asking if I was interested in coming to lecture there," Marks said. "People had heard the show through the Internet, or simply had spoken to someone who had been on the show before."

Marks made stops in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom giving lectures on metaphysical ideologies consistent with her New Age themed radio show.

"It just took on a life of its own," Marks said. Because she only gave about a dozen lectures during the three-month trip, Marks said she was able to make a vacation of it, taking in some sights in between working.

After giving a lecture in Honolulu, Marks, her husband and their two kids then flew to Australia and then to New Zealand. Later, Marks returned to Sydney to lecture at a week-long mind, body and spirit conference. After the conference ended,Marks flew across the country to Perth for another lecture.

From Perth, Marks flew to Singapore en route to India, a stop where no lectures were on the docket but a spiritual healing and valuation was sought. Indulging in Indian customs in Bombay and spending almost a fortnight in Ashram, Marks then eased the transition to Western civilization by giving talks in London.

But when she arrived back at home, Marks remained so inspired by the tour she decided she had to try to recapture it on paper.

"Three days after I came home, I just totally got inspired to start writing," Marks said. "I never thought I'd write a book about anything, but I was inspired and in three weeks, I wrote a book. It just came flowing out of me, so fast that I didn't even type with punctuation or anything.

" Currently in the process of being edited, Marks has spoken to myriad publishers about bringing her as-of-yet untitled book to the mainstream.

"I'm very excited about this book because its a whole other realm that is going to open up for me," she said.

But Marks realizes that it was the scope of her radio show that enabled her to experience what she did, and is intrigued by the seemingly endless possibilities in radio.

"There are a million political shows, a million sports shows," Marks lamented, adding that once her show hit the airwaves, it was an instant success. "People started calling in right away. Then we started going out on the Web and I was getting all these offers from people around the world who wanted to be on my show."

The "offers" were from a who's who of the holistic and metaphysical world, certainly adding a dynamic boost to not only her shows popularity but its credibility as well.

Marks really enjoyed interviewing Dr. Deepak Chopra, a world renowned spiritual advisor.

"Deepak was wonderful, his mind is very sharp; it was very exciting" Marks said, adding that other guests include Kenny Loggins, Dr. Brian Weiss and Neale Donald Walsch.

Marks is hoping the next step for her radio show will be syndication. And while she has become an international player over the Internet, Marks said she likes the traditional ideology of basic radio. She hasn't ruled out a return to television either, because she said giving demonstrations in holistic healing would be much easier done with the visual elements possible on TV.

Marks, who in 1996 ran for Selectman in Scituate, and was once a vocal member of the anti-Greenbush group the Coastal Coalition, has ruled out returning to television with her old political talk show format.

"One of the things that has happened to me from getting all this work and from expanding internationally with the work I'm doing is that it's given me a different perspective," Marks said. "When I see an issue that people are getting really upset about and focusing all their energy on, I see that that is just a really small piece of a very large puzzle, and there's no reason to get so upset at everything.

"What I'm doing now is on a much more global, universal level, and I think that this is truly the wave of the future. And my book is about that; it's set against the backdrop of India, but includes (the message from) the whole trip, (how) each thing leads to the next. Now I feel I'm really doing what I want to be doing."

Marks said that she will focus on the message of her show, and take the next step when it comes to her. But for now, it's the mind, body and spirit connection of her radio show that gives her a driving force in her life, and Marks is excited about it's potential.

"I really didn't realize that it was going to grow this big" Marks continued, "but now I do know that what I'm doing is just the tip of the iceberg and it's really going to grow exponentially now because I've opened up to a larger audience.

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World trip leads to inner self

By Emily Shartin, Globe Staff Correspondent, 12/13/2001

They aren't the kinds of questions most 3-year-olds would trouble themselves with: Why are we here? What is my purpose in life? But ever since she was that young, Ilana Marks says, she has wondered about her role in the world. Thirty-five years later, she has found some answers.

A three-month trip across the world, with stops in Hawaii, Australia, Singapore, and India, inspired Marks to write her first book, published last month and curiously titled ''The G-String Theory.'' The book - which draws its title from music, not exotic dancing - encourages readers to find peace within themselves, and to allow a unique sense of ''centeredness'' to resonate in others, Marks said.

Marks, who was born in Cape Town and has lived in London and Jerusalem, arrived at this self-described ''new wave of being'' after years of involvement in local political and spiritual communities.

Originally having trained as an actress, Marks once hosted a cable television program that dealt with Scituate politics, and now hosts a Sunday-night radio program on Marshfield-based WATD that explores a range of spiritual topics and has featured such guests as New Age guru Deepak Chopra.

Although Marks speaks passionately and articulately about her beliefs, she said she respects those who disagree with her, and emphasizes that ''The G-String Theory'' describes only her own experiences and revelations.

''I don't ever try to convince everybody that what I believe is right,'' she said during an interview at her home.

Late last year, Marks traveled with her husband and two daughters to speak in Hawaii and Australia, and decided to stop in several other countries on the way home, including India. Upon her return to Scituate, Marks broke her foot, an accident that she credits with giving her the time to reflect on what she had seen. She began typing an account of her travels, and quickly saw her efforts forming a cohesive whole.

''Within a couple of days I really knew I was writing a book,'' she said.

A key element of ''The G-String Theory'' is the time Marks spent in India with Sai Baba, a spiritual healer who is regularly visited by thousands of people a day, including celebrities from around the world. The intense spirituality of the experience was heightened by the contrast between what Marks calls the ''hilarious and exhausting'' world of everyday life in India, and the sense of peace within Sai Baba's ashram, where visitors go barefoot and wear loose-fitting outfits called punjabis.

''You're inside these walls, and it's chaos on the outside, and inside it's sanctity,'' she said.

She had been invited to visit Sai Baba by a friend, John Daoust, a chiropractor who is affiliated with the Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham and who has been a guest at the ashram five times.

Ed Perry, president of WATD, calls Marks's radio program, which has been on the air since 1997, ''refreshing.'' He praises Marks for being able to talk seriously and intelligently about topics that some might consider sensationalistic. He was especially impressed by a program she did on UFOs.

''She's sort of a local Oprah, I would say,'' Perry said. ''She explores the edges of our world.

'' Marks does not foresee a return to politics because she believes she can have more of an impact on people in her current capacity, but she believes politicians could benefit from her experiences.

''I think bringing a little bit of the heart-centeredness into politics is going to be really key,'' she said. Marks believes the events of Sept. 11 have prompted people to seek a better understanding of who they are and what they want the world to be.

''We're really going to start seeing our purpose here,'' she said. ''People might say this is idealistic, but I don't think we're that far away from it. ''

This story ran on page 1 of the Boston Globe's South Weekly section on 12/13/2001

On The Mark with Ilana Marks
Ilana Marks
ilanamarks@aol.com