Anne Heck

Body as Messenger

2012-01-24T06:53:35-08:00

My new year’s greeting comes a bit later than most. I’ve been nurturing myself after mid-December hip surgery.

Having had a number of body challenges over the years, the primary thing I’ve learned is that pain is a messenger and the body will reveal the words it’s holding if we’re willing to listen.

As I haven’t been able to move comfortably for several months, my stillness has supported active listening and kept my attention focused on what’s going on within me.

Part of the message coming to me has been about transitioning into menopause. I’ve been listening to the stories of my grandmothers and eagerly seeking what they have to teach me at this time.

Another piece of what I’ve been hearing offers a different perspective on how I move in the world - encouraging me to transform my pattern of pushing to be and do more - and opening myself to creatively allowing my life to unfold.

In the midst of this exploration, a doll began taking form. She definitely holds the essence of my ancestors. She also requested much love and light focused on her left hip, so it’s been embellished with beads and lace.

There’s another element that’s curious about her -- she’s pregnant -- and I’m not quite certain what she will birth.

She gave me her name - Sweet One - and she feels complete for now, though I expect with her full belly, she’ll be calling on me to be midwife to her creation. As I walk slowly and gently in the world, I’m allowing all this to unfold. I'll be keeping you posted . . .

Fall 2011 Newsletter

2011-11-29T12:55:12-08:00

I've had a full and juicy fall and am grateful for many wonderful learnings and experiences. I completed an inspiring and life-changing 7-week teleclass in Feminine Power with Claire Zammit and Kathryn Woodward-Thomas. 1500 female leaders from all corners of the globe gathered weekly to learn new technologies and participate in exercises that assisted in transforming core beliefs. This work supported the formation of an empowered relationship with our emotional selves, guided us to become empowered agents of change and encouraged us to create evolutionary partnerships to unleash our unique gifts. This was a tranformative time, has inspired me in many ways and is now being embodied to be shared in my circles and workshops in the coming year.

As well, I attended the SE Women's Herbal Conference and participated in plant meditations, dynamic movement, earth-honoring ceremony and luscious women-only time. I came away with a much wider spectrum of connections with the divine feminine and much gratitude for walking as a woman at this powerful time.

In September, I began apprenticing with Amrita Hobbs. Amrita lives in Australia and is an international speaker and facilitator of women's circles with a special focus on rites of passage ceremony. With her guidance, I'm connecting more deeply with the importance of ceremony in our lives and have become inspired to know my female lineage as I examine who I am with respect to those women who walked before me.

At the end of October, I was interviewed by Charlotte McGinnis as part of Conscious Conversations. Here, I share some of my story and the gifts that I've gleaned from my path. I hope you'll take time to listen here.

I also want to share a free and very valuable resource that I've made available to you. It's a series of blessings that I utilize daily to maintain clarity and balance in my life. At a recent workshop, one participant describes this work as her "missing link." The blessing process is available here ~ I hope you will take advantage of using this gift in your life practice. And perhaps you, too, will be interested in attending my spiritual dowsing workshop in the new year (see below).

I'm looking forward to bringing the richness of what I'm experiencing into my work in the new year. Journey to the Heart - an Asheville Women's Circle will begin in January. I'm seeking those who are

committed to connecting to their heart space and opening themselves to some new ways of being in the world. The group will be intimate which means space is limited, so contact me soon if you're interested in reserving your spot.

In addition to Asheville Women's Circles, I'll be offering some workshops in the coming year. These are described below. Lastly, I've been letting creative juices flow this past month and had opportunity to sell my newest fiber and clay art pieces at the Francine Delany Craft Fair on Dec. 3rd. Among my creations are these bright and joyful pin dolls, robot necklaces and my most popular seller for the tea enthusiast ~ tea wallets! If you missed it, I still have a bit of inventory so ask me next you stop by for a healing session or circle time. I love to share my artwork.

Joyful wishes to all of you this holiday season.

Much love, Anne

Journey to the Heart Women's Circle

The next 16-week session of this Asheville Womens' Circle begins in January. This will be an intimate circle which will enable participants to explore their inner world more deeply and to remember who they are.

I'm seeking those who are committed to walking this spiritual journey in community with other intentional women. There are currently two spaces left. Are you ready to journey to the heart? Details here.

Energy Healing Sessions

Keeping ourselves in energetic balance, especially during the busy holiday season, can be a key element to staying healthy and happy. I invite you to gift yourself and your loved ones with a session of relaxing and nurturing energy therapy. Taking time to get quiet and listen to your body's needs can be the first step in bringing ease and balance into your life. Learn more here.

Healing Doll Playshop

In many cultures, dolls have long been used for the purpose of healing. Through the process of creative play, you open yourself to your pure essence and in honoring the messages that emerge, you nurture your connection to your soul. In this playshop, you will:

~ set an intention that will guide your work
~ be guided to connect with your inner wisdom
~ manifest a meaningful representation of a protective guardian for your life and work, a uniquely personal piece that will carry your intentions into the new year.
~ allow your intuitive knowing to flow into form
~ utilize a journaling process to dialog with your creation
~ begin to trust the sacred wise woman within

Details: Saturday, January 28, 10 am - 4 pm. No artistic background required. Plenty of materials provided, though please bring anything that calls to come with you ~ fabric, charms, beads, moss, sticks, paper, ribbons, other things to personalize your doll.

Bring: journal, bag lunch, embellishments
Cost: $95. Registration and payment in advance required.

Space is limited; contact Anne to reserve.

Spiritual Dowsing Workshop - February, exact date TBA

Dowsing or divining is the art of tapping into our own God-given ability to explore the world of subtle energies that are everywhere within and around us, subsequently drawing us ever closer to the Divine in our lives.

I taught this class in October and received very positive responses to my teachings. One woman wrote a note to me with the following:

"Thank you so much for introducing me to spiritual dowsing. This is the missing link . . . you are the answer to my prayer."

In this one-day workshop, you’ll learn the basics of dowsing and how to detect beneficial and detrimental energies in your living environment. You'll learn to work directly with Nature and with the Divine to take charge of your life. Most importantly, you'll learn to use a blessing process to:

* change detrimental energies that weaken you and can make you sick, into beneficial energies that strengthen you, heal you, and enhance your moods and relationships
* attract new beneficial energies into your living environment
* eliminate the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF's) that radiate from TVs, computer screens, microwave ovens, electrical wires, cellular phones, etc. You can actually make these energies beneficial to you and your loved ones with the Blessing Process.
* attract what you most need and want into your life, drawing you ever closer to your highest potential as a spiritual being of Light.

Heart Sharing

2011-11-29T10:29:23-08:00

In October, I was offered the opportunity to share a bit of my story and the many gifts I've received along my sacred path. Charlotte McGinnis interviewed me for Conscious Conversations and has uploaded the video to youtube. There are some good teaching here; I hope you'll take a listen.

Dowsing and Blessings

2011-10-23T17:40:43-07:00

This weekend I presented a short workshop on Spiritual Dowsing at the Lake Eden Arts Festival. As requested, here's a brief overview of a simple blessing process that I've been taught by Joey Korn. I use this powerful work daily to maintain harmony within myself and in my environment.

First, bless yourself to clear and balance your own energy to support optimal clearing of all else.

Blessing yourself:
Creator (or however you address the Divine), please bless me. Create a unique energy configuration within me to support the healing and balance of my complete being - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Thank you. Amen.

Bless all those who live/work with you:
Creator, please bless all individuals who live/work in this space (you may wish to name them) and all who enter here. Create a unique energy configuration within them to support the healing and balance of their complete beings - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Thank you. Amen. (Imagine with feeling each of the individuals you live work with specifically receiving the benefits of this blessing as you say it). You may also wish to bless your space to support healing of relationships, peace among family/co-workers, or whatever you feel you'd like to create in the moment.

Bless the space and remove unwanted energy patterns:
Creator, please bless this space. Convert any detrimental energies within this space and those that affect this space to beneficial energies. Fill this space with light, love, healing, balance, peace, etc. Thank you. Amen.

Bless an object:
Creator, please bless this object (ring, necklace,etc.) with the Life Force to increase beneficial energies and balance and detrimental energies in my complete being, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Please charge this object with a specific energy configuration to support the healing, balance and resolution of the issue I hold in my mind and heart right now. Or state a specific intent for your own healing.

For those of you who attended the workshop and are interested in Dowsing L-rods or books and resources, I encourage you to visit www.dowsers.com

The Creative Call

2011-09-30T17:00:00-07:00

I’ve just returned from Campbell Folk School where my mom and I spent a week together, both of us filling our days with glorious creative endeavors.

My mom immersed herself in watercolor painting while I made art dolls. Mixed Media Artist Dayle Doroshow was my teacher; she led us in using polymer clay and other media to fabricate tiny beings.

One of the many gifts my mom has given me is her love of art. A long-time quilter and an intermittent painter, she has taught me through example to make time for personal expression and has encouraged me to explore my creativity. This gift has been essential, really, for navigating the more challenging emotional periods of my life.

I feel it’s so important for all of us to realize that we are – each one of us – naturally creative. It’s our birthright to come into this world with the means through which we can express creatively the unique gifts we possess. Our culture enjoys intellectualizing our experience and often belittles the importance of being able to access the fullness that is available through other expressions – music, dance, painting, poetry.

What’s been important for me is to discover that what I would previously have considered a ‘down’ or depressed time is really a call by my body-mind asking me to go inward, encouraging me to get quiet -- to journal, to pray or contemplate and to create.

When I don’t dive in and participate in the “involution” of my life, I experience being stuck in the spinning of my mind around how to move forward and I become increasingly frustrated with myself.

The action step I’ve learned to take during these times is to connect with my body, get in touch with my feelings and then express them in some creative way. This involution is what propels me forward to a fresh perspective on life. What comes through me connects me more deeply to my authentic self and assists me in remembering the truth.

I write this, of course, encouraging each of you to create – not just when you’re called inward, but often, so that you can hold a fresh perspective and a close connection to your inner world.

Much gratitude to the artists, to my mom and to the creative experience that calls us to stay present to ourselves.

Take Action: SAFER ACT

2011-09-28T07:51:05-07:00

As most of you know, I'm a survivor of sexual assault. I was violently beaten and raped while out riding my bicycle. My crime went unsolved for 14 years. In 2004, the state of West Virginia placed their DNA evidence online with the national DNA database and there was an immediate match to my perpetrator. You can read more about my story here. This step enabled me to find more resolution and led me to much deeper healing on my path.

I'm asking for you to support me and other survivors of sexual assault by taking just a few moments of your time to ensure that more rapists are brought to justice.

Action Alert: Please call your U.S. Representative to ask him or her to support H.R. 1523, the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry Act of 2011, or "SAFER Act."

Why?: There is a huge backlog of DNA evidence from unsolved rape cases that has never been sent to a crime lab for analysis. The SAFER Act will bring transparency to the DNA testing process, help us efficiently target resources to cities that have the biggest backlogs, and empower victims with up-to-the-minute information about the status of their case. It will help DNA eliminate the evidence backlog and take thousands of rapists off the streets.

How You Can Help: Please call your U.S. Representative to ask him or her to become a cosponsor of the SAFER Act. U.S. Representatives are in Washington, D.C. to represent you, and they want to know what bills matter to their constituents. I've pasted contact information below.

What Do I Say?: Here is an example of what to say to the staff member who answers the phone in your U.S. Representative's office:

My name is ____ and I live in [your town, your state].
I am calling to ask Representative [name] to cosponsor H.R. 1523, the SAFER Act. This no-cost bill will help reduce the backlog of DNA from rape cases, bring more efficiency and transparency to the criminal justice system, and empower victims of rape.
This bill is sponsored by Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Ted Poe and has strong bipartisan support.
Please support this important bill that will help prevent more sexual assaults by taking rapists off the streets.
Thanks for listening and considering this request to cosponsor H.R. 1523. Thank you for all you to do help the people in our district.

Contact Information: To find the name and phone number of your U.S. Representative, visit www.house.gov. Type your zip code in the top right corner to determine your Representative, then follow the link to their homepage, where you can find their Washington, D.C. phone number. For local Ashevillians, you can call Heath Schuler's office at (828) 252-1651.

Please forward this information to others. I'm grateful for your time and support.

Inner Telltale

2011-09-15T17:30:00-07:00

My father taught me to sail when I was a young girl; I have fond memories of navigating towards a spot on the lake shore and watching my telltales to keep abreast of changes in the wind. I remember being amazed - and sometimes aggravated - at how often the wind shifted and I had to change my course.

A number of unexpected experiences have been coming my way lately - some comfortable and some not so much. I know I'm not alone in this one as I've spoken to many for whom change is the new constant.

As the winds shift, I'm learning to listen to my own inner telltale and feel out where I next need to set my course, knowing that the winds could shift again very soon.

Embracing change in this way is so much more enjoyable than resisting it, panicking and capsizing my boat ; )

This past summer, my 7-year-old daughter took the helm. She, too, is learning how to read the wind, adjust her course of sail and navigate what unfolds before her on the waters.

Together, we're inviting the wind to be our teacher and we're keeping an eye on our inner telltales to navigate our life in a good way. So much can be said for checking in with yourself in this way. I encourage you to check your inner telltale. What is it revealing to you in this moment?

Moon Seed

2011-09-12T17:30:00-07:00

In honor of this beautiful full moon time and of the richness of the seeds we carry as women, I wrote this piece ~

Moon seed, nestled in rich belly soil
Seeking a place in which to uncoil
Fertile thoughts gone now, allow you to flow
Wise woman’s wisdom with your stream does grow

Moon seed, sweet source of maiden fruit
Shine upon me, so my soul will take root
Illume my dreams, sweep shadows aside
Come, christen me in your crimson tide

Moon seed, your blessings so full
Drip slivers of wisdom in my heart pool
Lift spirit veils on my dry river bed
Come, let your tendrils across me spread

Knowing my harvest will soon be past
I cling to your tears as if they’re my last
Moon seed, flow top my rivers deep
And take hold, so your light I may reap

Summer's Bounty

2011-08-23T06:00:00-07:00

Though the days are becoming shorter and the morning air hints of autumn, summertime calls my name. This season, painted with bright colors on generous canvases, is still enticing me with its allure of abundance and growth, of joy and lightheartedness.

I’m paying attention to teachings I’ve received from my garden: how to grow wild and unencumbered by rules and boundaries, how to overflow and out-glow expectations, how to bow to the sun and glisten in the rain, how to wait patiently for the perfect time to blossom and listen carefully for the call to harvest.

I’ve just completed the painting of my daughter’s bedroom, which is yellow and blue and filled with the essence of picnics and merriment. At the same time, I’m deeply engaged in learning this beautiful feminine way of creating transformation (see Dancing the Feminine), and bursts of inspiration are ushering in my women’s circles. The season is still enchanting me to grow myself and to blossom into my fullness.

No doubt, I sense the waning of summer. I hear a faint call to lean into those gentle winds of change that coax me inward.

I'm preparing my garden soil with a cover crop of red clover and buckwheat, knowing that this nourishing act will offer support for the coming season. I pack away pesto and blueberries in my freezer ~ reminders of a summer lived fully.

And I offer gratitude to this season of the south, for its bounteous gifts, its vibrant color, its invitation to expand, to reach, perhaps to challenge, and for all its energies that bless me in ways I cannot know.

Dancing the Feminine

2011-08-22T18:00:00-07:00

I'm feeling the call of the feminine in a loud way. Just two weeks ago, with a strong intuitive nudge, I registered for a 7-week teleclass entitled Feminine Power: The Essential Course for the Awakening Woman. The class, led by Katherine Woodward Thomas and Claire Zammit is a global teleclass with over 1500 woman participating from 53 countries.

Perhaps you've been in situations where you have this strong knowing you're in the perfect and right place. As I've exchanged introductions with my sister circle of women in the teleclass, I've been moved to hear stories of strong, determined women from varied backgrounds choosing with conviction to make a difference in themselves with intent to also make a difference in the world. They're hungry to learn to do this in a divinely feminine way. Many of them are stepping boldly into this place, taking risks and setting strong intentions to play life full out, to dance to their own drumbeat with no apologies. I'm inspired, uplifted and humbled to be in their presence.

As I step into this new place, I sense myself letting go of my old masculine ways of operating in the world and opening to the mystery, magic and strength of the feminine sourcing my life. The same day I registered for this teleclass, I also registered to attend the Southeast Women's Herbal Conference that will take place in October. Here I intend to learn from some powerful healers and connect more deeply to Mother Earth in the gentle presence of a circle of women.

There's liberation and clarity in this place of the feminine and I hold immense gratitude for the opportunity to join with women in community to do our collective work in the world. I made two other large commitments that day which I have yet to announce ~ just to add a touch of mystery and curiosity ~ stay tuned!