Hola Sistah

It’s been a year already. Wow. I still don’t understand why it was your time to transition. Your absence is felt every day, and, of course so is your presence. You are loved. 

Until we meet again. 

My first divination with Ann which changed my whole world. I miss you Ann!

Thank you for sharing your community and welcoming me into your tribe. Say hello to Holly… we miss you both.♥️🙏🏼

My condolences to Rose Ann's family. I first met Rose Ann when [ describe how you know each other ] and we would often [ include common activities together ]. 

 Ann & I met  around 30 years ago.  We met in the halls of AA.  She was very knowledgeable in the Recovery of Addiction.  When she spoke every one listened.  I wanted what she had.  We hung around together for many years and always kept in touch.  We did a lot of things together.  She and some friends took me on my 40th birthday to NY city and we rode a horse and buggy through Central Park.  It was the best birthday I ever had.  

We went white water rafting in the mountains of Maine it was a first for all of us.  We had a great sober weekend together.  

Ann was very active in the fight against Aids.  She took care of a dear friend Esther who had the virus.  She took her into her home, cared for her until her final day.   Then her Mom got sick with cancer she was the best daughter to her Mom.  She & Holly took care of her Mom into her final day.

I always told Ann I wanted her next to me when my day came.  I think of her often and will never forget our time together... She is sadly missed.

Love You Ann!!

I met Ann back in 2014 through a dear friend of mine who was going through her shamanic training. I had the pleasure of experiencing her divination sessions and a few of her rituals she and Holly would put on at her home in NH. 

Ann was one of the first teachers to get me acquainted with great spirit, and her influence was huge in my life. 

Thinking back, I remember one of the shamanic journeys she had me go through. She wanted me to wake up early to see the sunrise and to let go of something that was very special to me. On an early winters day I drove myself to the ocean to do just that. Afterwards, I walked the beach searching for 3 items that called to me (another one of her assignments). It was challenging at first but eventually I got in the spirit. When it came to letting go of my special item, which was a deer antler found deep in the Gila forest of NM, I threw it with honor into the ocean.  This moment was a very profound one and something I will never forget, thanks to Ann. 

Whenever I saw her my whole spirit would light up, her presence was powerfully healing. 

She created ripples that will continue to echo into this earth, into the cosmos. She is an idol and someone I look up to. I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to be in her radiant, magnetic presence. She is and was a true gift to humanity. 

I love you Ann. Big cosmic HUG to you. 

I don’t even have the words to describe your presence in my life…. Profound, beautiful, authentic LOVE ❤️ I am so saddened and still in disbelief that I won’t hear your voice or see your face. I will hear your laugh when Jonathan is laughing and I will always hear your words of wisdom and love echoed in my soul.  You are one of a kind my dearest sister. Thank you for all the blessings , love and bum bum rubs.

I love you forever!

 oh and I got you during your journey 🙏🏼✨♥️🔥🥰😘

As I listened to the memories today during the Celebration of Life for Ann, I heard mention of a Great Blue Heron. [it was hard to hear everything clearly].  However, it is important to know that, besides Ann and Holly, two others from their initiation have also passed: Elder Durvasa James Clark and Elder Grandfather Great Blue Heron, Hank Wolcott.  I have experienced a Great Blue Heron appear and fly by at significant points in my journey.  If it was a Great Blue Heron, it was most likely Hank.  :-) Maybe you will see him, as I see the Dragonfly, which Ann said represented her mother or find a penny on the ground, which is also an indication that Ann's mother is around. 

[you can see photos of Durvasa and Hank on the eastcoastvillage.org web-site]

I shared many experiences with Ann at the East Coast Village.  She arrived with Holly, maybe a few months before I did, in 2004.  We learned a ton from Elder Malidoma in the Indigenous African Spirit Technologies program and among each other in community.  Ann and Holly were definitely a team and a presence at the Village.  In 2009 they were both initiated as Elders and went up another level of experience and awareness.  Both of them served on the Board of Directors, giving of their time and knowledge.  Ann began working with others and brought them to the Land, as we call the East Coast Village, to experience the beautiful energy there and work with the Ancestors and the Nature spirits.  As part of these programs, Ann asked her community to contribute some time on the Sunday to make an improvement to the Land, which was greatly appreciated.  She also supported Malidoma with the 3-year Certification program from 2013-15.  While Ann and Holly stepped back from regular involvement with the Village, having completed years of service, Ann honoured Holly's passing with a passionate respect for Holly's involvement as an Elder of the East Coast Village.  Both of them will be remembered, missed and appreciated for their passion and contributions.

My journey with Ann began during priestess path. All my sisters gathered to walk fire.  It wasn’t my first time walking but Ann took it to a level of spirit that met my soul. It was clear this woman held medicine. I told my beloved Wren about her and the trust I felt. He signed up for 3 of her trainings and assisted others.  Ann called him brother and they bonded. 

Though I participated in events over the years and spent time in Ann and Holly’s home, it wasn’t until I found a yes fo GFI that Ann’s presence in my life became more personal. We acknowledged each other as sisters, told each other I love you. Ann came and blessed my land this summer with my GFI family. In so many ways my journey had just begun, and also came full circle at the fire. 

Though I’m grieving deeply, I know it’s not over. We continue to walk together especially at the 🔥 ❤️‍🔥🔥

Ann and Holly generously made their home available for a Dagara Beyi naming ritual that transformed my life in April 2012. I recall laying on the grass in the backyard and being elevated to a beautiful place by the entrancing sound of a crystal bowl that somehow appeared right by my head. When I came to, slightly disoriented, Ann was there, ready to hold and cradle me like a new born babe. Watching her dance later that evening, with her brilliant inner flame around a lively ancestral fire, is one of the memories I will always cherish.

Ann and Holly will forever be my elders. They both gently guided me through a plethora of  challenging moments and rituals at a life changing 18 day Elder Initiation in June of 2012 in Albany, NY. Some of the qualities they shared throughout our journey together are compassion, wisdom, authenticity, acceptance, forgiveness, joy, grace, playfulness and generosity of Spirit to name a few. I hold both of them close to my heart and in my prayers for they impacted me in large and small ways. 

 A true, authentic and sincere shamanic guide through the elemental medicines is rare these days, specially one that maintains their humanity in a grounded and practical way. Ann was that and much more. Her powerful presence, fierce love and unwavering devotion to leading others back to their center, regardless of how far they may have strayed, was and continues to be, admirable. 

I hold a bright Light out for you dear Ann and for your beloved family, in celebration of a life well lived, well loved and well accomplished. May those you touched and inspired continue to make you proud. May both you and Holly rejoice in your long awaited reunion, knowing how loved, respected and appreciated you both are and will always be.

Muchas Gracias Hermana! Amor, Luz y Mucho Ashé!

Alexandra DB