Podcast Summary: Elvis Presley and the Paranormal with Miguel Conner

Podcast: New Thinking Allowed Audio Podcast
Host: Jeffrey Mishlove
Guest: Miguel Conner
Date: May 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jeffrey Mishlove sits down with Miguel Conner, host of Aon Bite Gnostic Radio and author of The Occult, the Mystical and Magical Life of the King, to explore the little-known mystical side of Elvis Presley. Connor shares his research and personal journey that led him to see Elvis as an American shaman and wounded healer, drawing deep connections between Presley’s life, esotericism, and the evolution of American spirituality and culture. The discussion traverses Elvis’s uncanny birth, interest in occultism and mystics, reputed magical abilities, archetypal importance, and the legacy of his death.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Journey to Writing about Elvis

• Miguel’s Transformation: Miguel describes how, initially a Beatles fan with little interest in Elvis, he experienced synchronicities, visions, and altered states (including ayahuasca journeys) that compelled him to write about Presley.

  "This voice, this force, was urging me to write about him, about Elvis. And I had never written a biological. But it was so overwhelming, it was calling to me. And I’m old enough, Jeffrey, to know that when the gods call you, you either obey or the pain that's going to be involved is going to be unbearable." —Miguel (04:05)

• The Writing Process: His research and the universe’s signs converged, resulting in the book he describes as "quantum entangled with Elvis." (05:10)

2. Miguel’s Background in Esotericism

• Host of a long-running Gnostic/Esoteric podcast, full-time since 2018.
• Identifies as a “heretic,” not a Gnostic per se, but deeply influenced by Gnosticism and Hermeticism.
• "Gnosticism has been a big interest and passion in my life, and that also happened because of an Ayahuasca vision." —Miguel (05:50)

3. Elvis as Shaman and Wounded Healer

• Conner frames Elvis less as a spiritual teacher, more as America's shaman who, through music and presence, guided cultural transformation during technological and social upheaval.
• He discusses the shamanic archetype, particularly the “wounded healer,” drawing parallels to other tragic rock icons.

  "A shaman is one who guides the tribe and gives them healing medicine. A shaman is somebody who dances and creates music for the tribe. So that’s who I see Elvis as America’s shaman." —Miguel (08:33)

• The idea of fate: Elvis was marked from birth, and his suffering became a tool for collective healing, paralleling ancient shamanic traditions. (09:45)

4. Mystical Elements of Elvis’s Birth and Destiny

• Supernatural Birth Signs: Born in poverty in 1935, during intense labor, a mysterious blue light appeared over the family’s shack, witnessed by Vernon Presley (Elvis’s father), echoing archetypal births like Jesus, Caesar, Buddha. (11:20)
• Twinless Survivor: His twin brother was stillborn; this loss profoundly affected Elvis’ psyche, driving his lifelong quest for meaning, but also making him prone to addiction and loneliness.

  "They grow up with this kind of guilt, survivor phenomena or syndrome... They are seekers, they tend to be mystics, but on the dark side, they tend to be workaholics, prone to drug addiction and cannot make connections with other human beings." —Miguel (12:20)

5. Occultism and Esoteric Practices in Elvis’s Life

• Spiritual Seeker: Early openness to the metaphysical, influenced by his mother’s psychic abilities.
• Pentecostal Upbringing: Faith healing, astral travel, and premonitions were part of the family culture.
• Eastern and Esoteric Influence: His engagement with Kriya Yoga (Yogananda), Hermetic traditions, Kahlil Gibran, Theosophy, and more—often preceding trendsetters like the Beatles.

  "He almost quit the music industry to be a monk full time, but he had to be talked out of it." —Miguel (14:28)

• Secret Spiritual Life: Though less public than the Beatles, he meditated, read occult books, and studied Manly P. Hall, Alice Bailey, and other esotericists—sometimes surreptitiously, due to pressure from management and family. (16:37–19:19)

6. Miraculous Abilities Attributed to Elvis

• Faith Healing: Multiple testimonies suggest Elvis healed headaches, hangovers, even cancer and broken limbs.

  "There’s an instance where Elvis was driving in Memphis and he saw there was a bus on the sidewalk and the driver had gotten out and he was holding his chest...Elvis got out, put his hands on his chest and started doing, like, his healing power. And suddenly the man no longer had chest pains." —Miguel (19:45)

• Influence of Royalty/King Archetype: Discusses myths of ‘healing kings’—Elvis as the “King of Rock and Roll” is compared to mythic archetypes. (22:14)

7. The Shadow: Psychological Complexity and Fate

• Deep enmeshment with his mother (potentially abusive), resulting in lifelong emotional issues.

  "It’s called lethal enmeshment... when Jesse died, Gladys... became very possessive of Elvis to the point she wouldn’t let him out of her sight...and this certainly really harmed Elvis’s psyche very much." —Miguel (26:26)

• Death as Destiny: Elvis anticipated his own early death. He left many hints and seemed to have premonitions in his final days. (23:59–26:02)

8. The Paranormal Legacy: Apparitions and the Afterlife

• Reports of Elvis visitations after his death—dreams, near-death experiences, and apparitional sightings—are “ubiquitous” in American culture.

  "The Elvis visitation is almost, in American culture, is almost as common as Bigfoot or the UFO or Jesus or the Virgin Mary." —Miguel (29:56)

• Raymond Moody’s serious research into these post-death appearances is cited as credible documentation. (30:43–31:19)
• Elvis now occupies a mythic “Bardo” status: “He has taken on a life in the Bardo Plains, an even stronger presence than when he was alive on earth.” —Jeffrey (32:01–32:32)

9. Archetypal Significance and Cultural Impact

• Archetype Overload: Jungian idea that archetypes (e.g., The King) can “possess” an individual’s psyche, with potentially destructive consequences (Elvis, Marilyn Monroe). (22:53)
• Trickster and Crossroads: Elvis as an agent of transition, embodying the Trickster during major technological and cultural shifts—radio, sexual liberation, new spirituality, integration of multicultural art forms.

  "That’s why I call him the Lord of the crossroads... the trickster is in the middle of it, sort of playing around and helping us shift and change...rock music is really a form of spirituality, was never really a form of entertainment." —Miguel (40:57–43:00)

10. Elvis’s Relevance to Modern Spiritual Seekers

• Forgotten Esoteric Side: Many biographies document Elvis’s spirituality and powers; Conner’s book aims to revive this awareness for spiritual seekers.
• Model of Self-Knowledge: Elvis’s lifelong struggle for self-understanding is a template for others.
• Mirror of American Identity: According to Conner, “Elvis really represents what America is, both the good, bad, the shadow side and so forth…”
• Growing Interest: Recent books about the mystical sides of Jim Morrison, Sylvia Plath, and others suggest a cultural readiness to integrate these “hidden” spiritual narratives. (35:10–37:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "And lo and behold, by the February of 2023, I sat down in a cold winter night... I sat down and three months later, I had a first draft. And this...the universe kept answering me." —Miguel (04:30)
• "I'm a recovering addict and to me it's still a mystery why I survived. And for example, my brother could not overcome his demons." —Miguel (08:07)
• "A shaman is one who guides the tribe and gives them healing medicine...I think it makes more sense." —Miguel (09:40)
• "He was always very open minded...it was really in 1964, when he met Larry Geller...that the floodgates had opened and he could really find the answers about his twin, Jesse, who became sort of his Damon, his higher self." —Miguel (14:35)
• "Even when he joined the army in 58, he was talking to people about how reincarnation made more sense than the doctrine of eternal damnation." —Miguel (15:09)
• "He would send Priscilla to go see Manly P. Hall lectures because he would have...disrupted his lectures. So he had to send Priscilla to write notes and bring them back so he could read them." —Miguel (17:35)
• "Elvis...could cure her headaches just with the touch of his head. His girlfriend later, Ginger Alden, talks about if a groupie or his or her sister was sick, he could cure headaches or her nausea or her hangovers." —Miguel (19:45)
• "He tapped too much into the King archetype and it was too much…That's one of the theories...that I propose in the book." —Miguel (23:04)
• "When Gladys died in 58...he was just a kid. Even though he was already the king of rock and roll, it destroyed his psyche. He could never recover from that." —Miguel (27:48)
• "The Elvis visitation is almost, in American culture, is almost as common as Bigfoot or the UFO or Jesus or the Virgin Mary." —Miguel (29:56)
• "Elvis has taken on a life in the Bardo Plains, an even stronger presence than when he was alive on earth." —Jeffrey (32:01)
• "There’s nothing like Elvis that has ever appeared. And I don’t think there’ll be anything similar, although there might be, as I'm writing the sequel..." —Miguel (33:50)
• "Elvis represents all that. The multiculturalism, the acceptance of other traditions, the sensitivity but ambition that is both kind and individualistic and all that." —Miguel (36:32)
• "He learned how to manipulate the weather. Moving clouds was a gift that he learned with Larry Geller, creating force fields, moving objects and so forth." —Miguel (37:52)
• "Elvis was definitely part of this spiritual movement I call rock and roll and it was essential for us being able to pivot to again this post war America." —Miguel (42:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:03] – Beatles vs. Elvis and the mystical moment of becoming an “Elvis person”
• [05:27] – Miguel’s Gnostic/Esoteric background
• [07:28] – Elvis as shaman, wounded healer, and archetypes in rock history
• [11:00] – Mystical circumstances of Elvis’s birth, twinless survivor
• [14:00] – Elvis’s lifelong spiritual seeking, Pentecostal, yogic, and occult interests
• [16:06] – Why Elvis’s esoteric side wasn’t as public as the Beatles’
• [19:19] – Elvis’s healing abilities and reported miracles
• [22:14] – The “King” archetype and its psychological impact
• [23:54] – Premonitions and acceptance of his early death
• [26:02] – Psychological analysis: overprotective mother, “lethal enmeshment”
• [29:12] – Public reaction and Elvis apparitions after death
• [30:43] – Raymond Moody's research into Elvis afterlife phenomena
• [32:01] – Elvis’s posthumous mythic status
• [35:10] – Elvis's value for modern seekers and America’s spiritual self-image
• [37:38] – Weather manipulation and magical abilities
• [39:01] – Meteoric rise and role as “Lord of the Crossroads”
• [43:53] – Final reflections from Jeffrey and Miguel

Concluding Note

Miguel Conner brings a compelling, deeply-researched, and personal perspective to the mystical dimensions of Elvis Presley, restoring Presley’s place not just as a pop icon but as a liminal figure of American spiritual evolution. The episode offers listeners both historical context and new interpretations, inviting spiritual seekers to rediscover the hidden sides of an enigmatic cultural shaman.