Recently on Whisperings
Playtime for a Full Heart
December 6, 2018
As a break from all the emotion--much of it heart-breaking--swirling within and around me, I took a play break to write and draw. Here are the results for your enjoyment. Can you find the numbers from the poem hidden in the drawing?read more
The Day After
November 7, 2018
I am posting this blog on the new moon, the day after the midterm elections. We begin two new cycles--lunar and political--yet much has not changed. I found helpful today the wisdom in this poem, "Revolution the Day After," by Carrie Newcomer so I thought I'd pass it on.read more
Finding my Way in the Dark
October 7, 2018
It’s the dark of the moon, sunlight is waning, and my mood is dark. How to channel my rage and sense of helplessness?read more
Tending
September 8, 2018
I just finished deadheading the petunias around my mailbox. Noticing how much I enjoy doing it. I like to check how the flowers are doing, see whether they have enough water, pause to enjoy their colors and scent. I like to touch them, to talk to them, to spread their stems so that they have air and space (a little like fluffing pillows). Yet there are so many things in my life I do not tend, that I ignore or take for granted.read more
A Tall Order
August 11, 2018
It’s amazing what you can get on Amazon. Recently, when I was in Lanesboro Minnesota visiting my friend, I learned that the nearby town of Peterson, population 200, had taken up a collection and ordered an 8 ½-foot gnome to honor their Norwegian heritage. (Who knew you could get an 8 ½-foot gnome on Amazon?) Well, the gnome got lost somehow en route, so Amazon apologized and sent them another one. (How do you lose an 8 ½-foot gnome?) read more
Incredibly Out of Touch
July 10, 2018
Had an embarrassing “old and clueless” moment at the movies the other night. We left laughing sheepishly at ourselves but also feeling a bit battered. And embarrassed to feel so out of touch (and slightly cranky) with the modern world.read more
Gift from a Horse
June 13, 2018
Nearly three weeks ago I went to a daylong personal growth workshop with horses. The day of the workshop I woke feeling tired, spacey, weepy and fragile. And I was limping a little with a sore hip. The horse taught me something during every activity, and one exercise I believe has changed me profoundly.read more
Liberating Limericks
May 15, 2018
A limerick about struggling to write a blog, and the limericks spoken by the subjects of two pieces of art.read more
Spinning My Wheels
April 14, 2018
I want to post a blog touching on one of my usual themes—wonder, creativity, humor—but today those feel a little scarce. Well, I do feel wonder as I sit today in this blizzard, the worst I’ve seen in many years. I feel kind of muffled and mired, able to do all the necessary daily tasks but lacking the will and energy to do the many things that would probably lift my spirits and vitality.read more
Pele's Cauldron
March 16, 2018
Today I’ve been thinking about Kilauea, the volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii that’s been reshaping the island's terrain continuously since 1983. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I need to be reminded that the blaze of Creation is a deeper, more powerful fire than the smoky flame of anger and conflict we contend with constantly these days…read more
Don't Bore the Gods!
February 14, 2018
I had a humbling Aha! moment the other day. Humbling but also freeing.read more
Turning Toward the Sun
January 15, 2018
Mmmm….bright sunshine is bathing my face, neck, shoulders, chest. I smile, my pulse slows, my shoulders relax, my mind empties: I absorb into every cell this infusion of warmth and light. It’s Minnesota, it’s winter, and I’m fully clothed. But as the sun makes its daily circuit around my house, it shines onto my living room recliner. Can I lean toward the light each day to nourish my body and soul?read more
Christmas Sparrow
December 13, 2017
This month I offer a poem written by Billy Collins. In honor of surprises and wonder, and how they invigorate us instantly. And in honor of the resiliency of the many creatures that quietly live among us. If you have had experiences similar to the one in the poem, I'd love to hear.read more
Minnesota November
November 18, 2017
Halloween/Samhain/All Soul’s Day ushered in the dark time, a reminder of death and ancestors, of mystery and shadow. In November, as bony trees appear, cold deepens and days become shorter and cloudier I sink into that bleakness, become more subdued, sleep more, dream more vividly, move more slowly. I make things in my home warmer and softer. I gather blankets and also thoughts, pondering the past, considering the future. And sometimes I just sit and stare at the brown landscape, or let my thoughts wander as I doodle. At least, I do these things when I can. My body and soul, embedded in the natural world, want me to do these things at this time.read more
Allowing Ambiguity
October 18, 2017
When doodling to relax the other night, I stumbled into drawing an image that I noticed makes sense the way I drew it and also upside down. Then I discovered more images in it when I turned the paper other ways. I am enjoying this drawing but it also makes me slightly uneasy. Since I don’t see it as purely abstract, how can it be three or four things at once? Which way is up? What is it really?read more
Beyond the Sights
September 20, 2017
I just got back from 2 ½ weeks traveling around Alaska with Tom. Although what I saw was gorgeous, it was when I was startled awake by other sensations that I was most awed. Perhaps because I am usually so visually oriented, it seems that if I get beyond my eyes, especially to my sense of smell, touch or sound, then I can find my heart.read more
Let's Take a Break
July 22, 2017
Because of major travel and other obligations this summer and early fall, I will be taking a break from Whisperings and my newsletter through September. See you in October!read more
Buoyed by the Unexpected
June 22, 2017
I’ve been marveling at a small miracle this week. I bought a Gerbera daisy, but somehow between the store and home I bent the stem of one of the blooms, bent it at a ninety-degree angle. I apologized profusely to the plant, and I assumed the flower on that stem would die within twenty-four hours. To my astonishment and wonder the blossom remains as lovely as ever a week later, with no signs of fading. I suppose it sounds trite, but the stem has given me hope, buoyed my spirits, when I’ve badly needed it this week.read more
Ants in the Sun
May 27, 2017
Don’t you love how when you’re really tired, that’s when you slam your hand in the car door, or trip and bruise your knees (or break a bone), or forget to make that important phone call, or burst into tears when your coffee cup dances off the table and smashes on the floor—Or when you roll over onto your glasses (glasses which you virtually NEVER take off), distorting and cracking the frame beyond repair. As I did last night. Every year the days of spring and early summer take me by surprise.read more
On Being Silly
April 27, 2017
A friend was telling me the other day how delighted she was to have discovered someone new who she could be silly with. I was a bit wistful, realizing I hadn’t been silly in awhile and I miss it. We talked about how fun, and how rare, it is to find a true companion in silliness—not only someone willing to be silly, but whose “brand” of silliness meshes with your own (there are so many different ways to be silly!). Kids are often joyously silly together, but adults less so. Were you discouraged from being silly as a kid?read more
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Welcome to Whisperings
“There is a place where words are born of silence,
A place where the whispers of the heart arise.”
— Rumi
I will ponder here what whispers to me in the silence. I’d love for you to whisper back; maybe we will all get clearer—or maybe, like in the old kids’ game of “telephone” we will end up somewhere else entirely (which would be fun too)
Recently on Whisperings
Playtime for a Full Heart
12/06/2018
The Day After
11/07/2018
Finding my Way in the Dark
10/07/2018
Tending
09/08/2018
A Tall Order
08/11/2018
Incredibly Out of Touch
07/10/2018
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Anne on the Radio
Listen to me talk about "Graceful Eccentricity, Intuition and Tarot" on the radio at this link. Scroll down to January 14 until you see my photo and bio and the link to listen. My portion comes in after about 33 minutes.
Reflections and News
My Reflections and News contain personal reflections, poems, quotations, photos, a bit of my artwork, links to things I love, and news and information about my intuitive guidance practice.
Shelter in the Wind: November Reflections and News
Illusion/Disillusion: October Reflections and News
Seeking Equilibrium: September Reflections and News
Beyond Either/Or: Late August Reflections and News
Replenish: August Reflections and News
A Lot to Hold: July Reflections and News
Frizzle Sizzle Singing: May Reflections and News
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