Personal oracles have been around for as long as people have inhabited this planet. Almost every religion and culture throughout history has embraced its own oracle stories and practices. The ancient Babylonians, for example, looked to the clouds for oracle messages. Called Nephomancy, cloud gazing is one of the oldest and most widely used forms of divination in the world. The Druids used it extensively but called it Neladoracht. Also in the western world were the ancient Greeks, who still retain a reputation for being oracle aficionados. For them, oracles were wellsprings of divination and prophecy available to all citizens, from the common worker to kings, philosophers, and religious leaders. Oracles addressed personal issues, politics, philosophy, religions, law, social mores—no topic was taboo. This understanding of the relationships that bind together natural forces and all forms of life has been fundamental to their ability to live for millennia in spiritual and physical harmony with the land.
Valeria interviews Ann Bolinger McQuade — She is the author of “Everyday Oracles: Decoding The Divine Messages That Are All Around Us.”
Ann Bolinger-McQuade is a regular contributor to magazines, a popular workshop facilitator and radio talk show guest. Ann shares her curiosity and passion for discovering the hidden obvious and encourages us to tune into the guidance and support that surrounds us all. Bolinger-Mcquade’s perspective of the world as alive, nurturing and filled with personal oracles springs naturally from her Native American ancestry. As a child growing up in Kansas she was intrigued with the idea of having Native American ancestors, but never considered her heritage relevant to her life. Her ancestral imprints began to emerge when a series of personal events that were triggered by her breast cancer diagnosis sent her hurling onto what she describes as an invisible moving sidewalk. (Imagine the people carriers in airports.) She believes that at certain times we all land on such a sidewalk, designed to carry us to a specific destination. This particular sidewalk transported her to a place where oracles that were hiding in plain sight seemed to magically appear at precisely the right time.
Ann coined the term personal oracles to describe those mysterious messages that guide and often comfort us, and in so doing illuminate an interconnected world that is tuned in and available to us at all times. Ann makes her home in Tucson and Taos with the love of her life --- her husband Kenneth --- and her dog Pandora and a cat named Moon Boy. For the many blessings in her life she gives thanks.
To learn more about Ann Bolinger McQuade and her work, please visit: https://everydayextradimensions.com
