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Natural Awakenings Milwaukee Magazine

Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart: Born from Musician’s Personal Journey

Professional pianist, reiki master and author Ann Ruane understands the challenges of healing from a life-altering event. After her divorce in 2006, she found solace in her music and journaling, but after receiving a reiki treatment during a massage, Ruane found energy work transformational. The experience sent her on a spiritual path and eventually led her to write Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart, released in October through Book Baby publishing. Page after page, Ruane offers a series of thought-provoking reflections on aspects of psychological and spiritual life.

Ruane, who provides energy work along with crystal and spiritual healing through her practice Lux Eterna Healing, has played piano since childhood and was always guided by her love of music. “My mom said she could always tell what kind of mood I was in by the piece I would play when I came home from school,” she reflects. “My hands were always my vehicle for moving through what was inside of me and creating an avenue for healing.”

Her long-time interest in psychology and sociology, along with a helping nature and a knack for teaching—at one time, she had 75 piano students—intersects with a passion to heal herself and others. Ten years ago, after she had become enthralled with reiki and crystal healing, a reiki master suggested that she go beyond journaling and write a book. “I thought, ‘What will I write about?’” she says. Then she received an email about a writing webinar which motivated her to start working on the book.

Ruane used the pattern of her social media posts to craft Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart. “I post inspirational quotes around a weekly theme and then I write a mantra with daily nuggets, as well as a post I call ‘Quotes and Questions’, where I take a quote and offer reflective questions,” she explains. “There are 17 different themes such as anger, forgiveness, fear, joy and love. Each theme incorporates inspirational quotes and personal musings. It’s this natural blend of the methods I use to help myself as well as work with clients in my business.”

The book is an outpouring of what inspired Ruane in her own healing during her divorce. Through Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart, Ruane hopes that readers find acceptance with who they are by recognizing their strengths and weaknesses as well as the unique gifts that they possess.

“I also want them to learn to look within and find that place of gentleness for past choices or things that happened in their lives. So many of us are told to hold that in shame. When we don’t forgive ourselves, we follow the path of believing those limiting thoughts about ourselves,” Ruane emphasizes. “It’s about what you learned from that experience and the choices that you made, not about being paralyzed and shaming yourself for those choices.”

Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart is laid out in a manner in which readers can go back to it time and time again for inspiration or use it as a daily devotional. Readers might also discover something new about themselves each time they open to a page. Ruane notes that she also discovered a lot about herself during the writing process.

“I learned that you can have a dream but still be flexible—the path you’re on is not necessarily the only path. There are little roadblocks, but often they’re not the final stopping point. Don’t give up on a dream. Everything needs to take place in divine time,’” she concludes. “It’s about finding that place of vulnerability and courage, and sometimes not having all the answers, but being okay with that.”

Ruane is composing piano pieces that coincide with the book. She’s also solidifying chapters for two more books, so there will be more inspiration to come from her.

Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart is available through Book Baby, at Store.Bookbaby.com/book/Fall-in-Love-with-the-Whispers-of-Your-Heart. Natural Awakenings readers can enter discount code “LOVE20” to get 20 percent off purchase. Offer good through March 15, 2021.

Sheila Julson is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Natural Awakenings.