June 2020 Blog - Discernment

Adirondack Sunset by my friend AND PHOTOGRAPHER John Filangeri

A heartfelt thank you to all my clients who have chosen to use my services virtually.  Your patience, understanding and support during this extraordinary time of COVID has meant the world to me.  It has been a challenging and rewarding experience to offer my services online and several of you have expressed a desire to continue virtually even when in-person appointments are able to resume.

As I write this piece on Memorial Day, New York State has announced that the Mid Hudson Valley Region (where Rose Healing is located) has reached the criteria for Phase 1 “Un-Pause”.    However it remains unclear when businesses and services such as mine will be permitted to see clients in person again. To that end we have continue to extend the temporary closure of Rose Healing. All our appointments are available online.

My theme for this month is Discernment.  It will be an interesting few weeks ahead energetically and otherwise.  Just as each of us had our own experience of the COVID lock-down, so too we shall each have our own experience of the “return to the new normal” or the “UN-Pause”. In March I created a post that said “Flatten the Curve - Choose Peace over Panic”.  For June’s blog I created “Time to Flatten the Fear”.    We are going to each be challenged to choose what makes us feel safe in the new Post-COVID19 environment.

On a spiritual level the COVID19 experience is a profound invitation from the Universe to use this giant “time-out” and re-evaluate where we were and where we want to go.  To simply “return to normal” would imply we may have missed the message of this pandemic.

Perhaps we are being invited to turn our focus inward. To stop being that person who chooses to quickly point out on social media or elsewhere how someone’s opinion, if different than ours, is wrong.  We are being shown clearly that attitude is wrong. Learn to appreciate that everyone has a point of view and their own unique perspective.  The experience of living in a Post-COVID environment invites us to change the narrative and start with ourselves. Less Judgement, More Compassion, More Dialogue, More Understanding and of course ultimately More Love.

Rather than defeating us, this Pandemic has drawn us together in ways we could have never imagined.  While the news media seems to almost exclusively focus on the negative, there is so much positive.  Relationships have been strengthened within households, school systems, neighborhoods, States and even the entire Country.  How amazed I remain at the selflessness of the hundreds of medical personnel who volunteered to come to New York from the relative safety of their homes in other States!  We are far more united as a people than the media wants us to believe. It is June people…..time to step away from the TV, Social Media, Computer Screens and GO OUTSIDE.

I recently witnessed in my community something that reminded me of my childhood from the 1960’s and 1970’s.    Kids running towards the ice cream truck with neighbors coming out of the houses to gather (socially distanced 6 feet apart) and share a smile and an ice cream. There is a simple joy and quaintness that we had lost touch with prior to this Pandemic.  We have been forced to return to a simpler way of being.  Cooking dinner every night, connecting with our neighbors, going for a walk and in general just being closer to home.   There are so many memories being made now in this unique time – many of them positive. I wonder if I have written enough about the pandemic and the surreal parts of it in my journal. How can I capture the feeling of these past 10 weeks. I felt the same way after 9/11.  Because like all major events, with the passage of time, some of the intensity of the experience will ease from our memory.  But just like all major historic events, we will be forever changed.

In the following weeks I anticipate the misinformation, manipulation and judgements will continue to come at us at an alarming pace and from a variety of sources. We have to DISCERN what we will listen to and how, and if, we will allow it to affect our decisions.  That is a personal journey.  Each of us will go on it alone and yet together. Choose Kindness towards each other as we each figure out the new environment.    Think about how this pandemic forced us to recognize what was working in our life and what was not and how there is a new way forward.  If we can choose it. Ponder how we can be a better friend, spouse, co-worker, parent and American as we move forward together in peace, love and kindness.    

Rose Healing Center is to help (virtual sessions, phone sessions). Did you remember to download our free guided meditations with the crystal harp? Thank you for reading this blog.  Much love and gratitude for our journey together. Rosemary

May 2020 Blog - Patience

Even as the word patience comes to me as the theme for this month I can feel myself push against it. For those of us living in NY on May 1st we will be entering our 8th week (or 2 months) under a COVID State of Emergency and if the plan holds then the Governor’s NY ON PAUSE order which started 3/22/20 will end on 5/15/20 in phases by region.    But what then?

I find myself starting to become weary of all the trite words that are supposed to help us cope.  “This too shall pass; We will get through this; Now more than ever; Stay Positive, Stay Well”.  The “Now more than ever”is particularly annoying to me. I am not sure why except I see it in ads everywhere.

There is no instruction manual on how to feel at a time like this.  This is so stressful for everyone. Each person is having their own unique experience of COVID – whether we are sheltering in place, working from home or out the in the world every day as an essential service working harder than ever before. Everything feels as if we are in an alternative universe like a video game or a bad movie where we are waiting for it to end so we can return to life as we knew it.  But each day that passes, I am beginning to understand that life as we knew it will not be returning anytime soon, if ever.   

That is a hard thing for a person to process.  The strangeness of having the world be one experience one day and a completely different experience the next.  To go from a vibrant and healthy economy where there were more jobs than people seeking them to over 15% US unemployment in such a short period of time is – stunning.    Each day can feel like Ground Hog day (the movie) except far more horrible.  To watch the awful heart-wrenching numbers of sick and dying, the ever present charts and graphs - hospitalizations, deaths and new infections by country, state, region.  As I write this, today’s COVID numbers show over 1.4 million cases in the US with over 59,000 deaths but the good news is that the curve has flattened.

The waves of emotions that flow arrive often at unexpected moments – not necessarily when I am thinking about the heartache and bravery happening in our hospitals and nursing homes.  But also the grief of so many people so many places. Several of my clients are in the healthcare industry.  On the rare moments we can connect, I can feel the energy of exhaustion and grief in them.  I try to help offering words of encouragement, energy healing and reminding them of the deep gratitude so many feel for what they are doing every day.

In searching for a quote for the moment, I came across this from the Tibetan Buddhist Nun, Pema Chodron.  

“How are we going to spend this brief lifetime? Are we going to strengthen our well-perfected ability to struggle against uncertainty or are we going to train in letting go? Are we going to hold on stubbornly to ‘I am like this and you are like that’?  Or are we going to move beyond the narrow mind? Could we start to train as a warrior, aspiring to reconnect with the natural flexibility of our being and to help others do the same? If we start to move in this direction, limitless possibilities will begin to open up”.  Pema Chodron

There are times during these past few weeks that I have allowed myself to reminisce of what used to be simple pleasures like visiting with our family and friends, eating out at our favorite restaurant, experiencing live music or sports, going to a Broadway play, visiting the beach or mountains or really travelling anywhere.  More profound for me is the longing I feel for bodywork and touch.  But there is no massage, no reflexology, and no therapeutic touch.   At least not yet. Will these “simple pleasures” return? I do not know but I remain hopeful.  I cannot bear to think of a world where people cannot freely gather to celebrate, touch, grieve or pray together.  That is what America is all about or at least it used to be.  

Over the past few weeks, I have been in contact with several old acquaintances who own small businesses.  One runs a gym, another a restaurant, another an educational consulting firm.  Each of them has put everything into their businesses.  Their passion, blood, sweat, tears, money, and love, only to see it literally disappear in one day.  Like so many small business owners they have had to let their staff go.  Like all of us, they now sit in a vast ocean of the unknown waiting for what the new normal will look like. But here is the amazing part – they aren’t just waiting.  Each of them have pivoted – almost instantly to serving during our COVID crisis.  The restaurant owner is serving meals to the unemployed (including his own staff) and supplying local food pantries, the gym owner has offered his services online at a reduced cost, and the educational consulting firm is now offering virtual services to support educators in their online teaching efforts.  While this is amazing, they each wonder when they can “return” to what used to be.    

In the meantime, all of us are truly being invited during this time of COVID to connect with a higher vibration.  The vibration of love.    Of what it really means to be connected to each other while we are not able to be physically connected.  To that end I have also pivoted my Rose Healing Center work.  On 3/18/20 we closed our physical location to seeing clients in person.   I did not understand at that time that this “temporary closure” might end by being for months on end but it appears that due to a variety factors including my location in Northern Westchester, NY that hands-on services will be one of the last to return in New York State.     It is my preference to see my clients in person vs. virtually. But like so many business owners, I have had to pivot.  As I type that I cannot help but think of the Friends episode where they are trying to carry the couch upstairs.  So that is what we all are doing – learning to do things differently. PIVOT!

Rose Healing Center is to help (virtual sessions, phone sessions) available at reduced costs if necessary.  Did you remember to download our free guided meditations with the crystal harp?    I am continuing to work on new ways to connect with you all, specifically with my sound healings with the crystal harp.  Finally, bringing it full circle, I would like to remind you all that yes all those trite sayings are true and they do actually offer us hope.

This Too Shall Pass; We will get through this; Stay Positive, Stay Well and perhaps most importantly,

LOVE WINS always.   

Thank you for reading this blog.  I wish you and your loved ones safe passage through this difficult period.  Please take care, stay positive and find time to be in the sunshine breathing fresh air, having fun and smiling. It is challenging operating under the current restrictions; however, I am confident we will get through this, together. Much love and gratitude for our journey together. Rosemary

April 2020 Blog - Peace over Panic

Each month when I sit down to write this blog I have to push through the resistance I feel to writing it. It is not that I don’t have something to say, it is just the ongoing efforts of coming up with new ideas of what to write about. In the time of COVID19 this was even more pronounced than normal. So I have a process. I put a reminder in my email to start it usually a week or two week before the 1st of the month. I usually start by re-reading last month’s blog and then I connect to my higher self or source (God) and ask for help. That last step is by far the most important.

I was kind of shocked to re-read what I wrote in Mid-February for our March theme. A “time-out” was the March theme. Wow even I did not realize exactly how much of a time out we were talking about! I am re-sharing two sections from my March blog because they certainly carry over into April.

Ogunquit maine sunrise June 2019

During the time out, maybe if you listen hard enough you will hear your own voice and that of Source guiding you. There is real emphasis on how we waste our time and how easily we can be distracted from what really matters. Maybe you could ask some probing questions like what would my life look like if I were free from fear, lack, anxiety or self-sabotage? The work you do on yourself will have a ripple effect on all those around you. So be aware that when we focus inward it has outward implications.

Yes. Certainly those words can carry over into April. Especially the line about how we “waste our time and how easily we are distracted from what really matters”. Our Theme for April is Peace over Panic. We are in an unprecedented world-wide pandemic that has effectively shut down life as we know it. So it doesn’t take being an intuitive to figure out that April’s energy will be even more challenging and perhaps some of the most difficult weeks we have experienced in a long time. New York State appears to be the epicenter of the outbreak in the USA and Westchester County NY (where Rose Healing Center is located) was one of the early hot spots for the virus. During these past few weeks, we have had opportunities to witness the best of humanity and the worst of humanity. From the brave men and women on the front lines in medicine, science, government, law enforcement, fire and ems emergency response to the service workers like truck drivers, delivery people, sanitation workers, food service workers, grocery store workers and more. These are the people who are out there every day putting their own lives at risk. And we send them so much gratitude and love. To the worst examples like people punching other people in stores while fighting over toilet paper. I am also sending them love but maybe a little tough love too. ;-)

For many of us this time has meant some major adjustments to a whole new way of being. Specifically being at home, alone but together. Some are experiencing the difficulties of being isolated alone while other are quarantined in our homes with our families. As I have spoken about this with many of my clients, each has its own set of benefits and challenges. So how do we choose Peace over Panic? To assist everyone I have shared a list of suggestions on how to cope with being at home. I can't control a lot of what is going on right now, but I can contribute this information which available at our COVID19 page.

The other theme is being present. We talk often in the holistic community about living in the moment, being present etc. Perhaps there is not better time than now to really understand what that means. To live today, and then tomorrow. No planning for a future, at least not yet. Only the now.

There is a comprehensive list of suggested coping mechanisms at our RHC COVID19 page - but I will also share a few right here: Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage of this pandemic. Limit the amount you take in but of course stay informed.   Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep and avoid alcohol and drugs. Be grateful for what you do have. There is so much to be grateful for. Remind yourself of that.

Be aware of how much you are attaching to the story. Yes, this is real. But watching it over and over is not helping. Take a break from the media. Choose a time to look at news maybe once or twice a day. Practice self-care. Some suggestions – Keep your own health high. Make good food choices, move your body, get enough sleep. Get out in the sunshine. Call a friend. Find support online with Yoga, Meditation or Energy work. Even small decisions during this time can have a large impacts on your health and the health of those around you.

Consistently remind yourself that this is temporary. Longer than any of us would have ever thought possible but still temporary. Rose Healing Center is here to help (virtual sessions, phone sessions). Did you remember to download our free guided meditations with the crystal harp? I am holding each one of you in my loving thoughts and sending each person who reads these words a burst of energy filled with vibrant health. You are not alone. We are all in this together. Blessings to you all.

March 2020 Blog - Welcome Spring and "Time Out"

The Theme for March 2020 is Welcome Spring and Time out!

March 2020 brings us some interesting holidays and celebrations and spiritual themes. The energetic theme for our March blog is welcome spring (which arrives 3/19/20 at 11:50 PM) and a reminder to take a “time out”.  

On March 13th – it falls on a Friday which makes it Friday the 13th which many consider to be an “unlucky day”.  If you fear the number 13, you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia.  I do not share that fear at all.  I have always found Friday the 13th to be a magical and sacred day.  Recently I discovered that the ancient Mayans of Central America considered the number 13 sacred. So consider doing something that is special to you on Friday 3/13.

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day – a day to honor the Patron Saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the Emerald Isles.  It is truly a day of celebration of Irish history, ancestry, traditions and customs. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York City in 1762.

Red Tailed hawk - a reminder to see things from a new higher perspective.

March 19th is The Spring Vernal Equinox when days and nights are equal in proportion of light. The energetic theme for our March blog is welcome spring (which arrives 3/19/20 at 11:50 PM) and a reminder to take a “time out”.   In our busy world with computers, cell phones, instant messaging, social media, etc. we are being bombarded daily with “instant” response needed type energy.  But when we really explore that “instant response needed” question, I guess we have to ask ourselves the old Byron Katie question – “Is that really true?”

As you can all see with intense media coverage of various recent global events, we have to remain solid and aware of our personal truth and our connection to Source. Trying times are in invitation to ask yourself - who are you when you are no longer controlled by fear, lack, or anxiety?

March is energetically inviting us to take some time for self-reflection and awareness.  To do this properly we truly need a time out from all forms of stimulus and take a break from too much media.   It is not a suggestion to be uninformed but merely a time out.  For a breather – even for an hour. For many of us that means letting go of the cell phone which is almost constantly in our hands.  I know many of you are already questioning if you can do that.  But there are ways to manage this.  It takes discipline and self-respect to let go of the phone and the instant response world – even for just an hour or two. Start small and give yourself the gift of time to listen to something other than other people.  Maybe if you listen hard enough you will hear your own voice and that of Source guiding you. There is real emphasis on how we waste our time and how easily we can be distracted from what really matters.

Maybe you could ask some probing questions like what would my life look like if I were free from fear, lack, anxiety or self-sabotage? The work you do on yourself will have a ripple effect on all those around you. So be aware that when we focus inward it has outward implications.

As always we here at Rose Healing Center stand ready to help you become more centered, grounded, peaceful and healthy this spring. We are excited to announce in addition to our Customized Individual Session offerings of Craniosacral Therapy and the Healing Point Combo we are now also offering Chakra Balancing with Crystal, Color and Sound. We will continue to offer our monthly Sound healing circles with the Crystal Harp.

February 2020 Blog - Seeking the Return of the Light

Eagle photo by Andrew Weitzer from Hudson Valley Wildlife in Pictures

Welcome February - our theme is a return to the Light with Highlights on Amethyst Crystals and Purification Essential Oil.

I chose the image of the American Bald Eagle (the U.S. national bird since 1782) because February is a major time for viewing them along the Hudson River. If you are interested in more formal presentation about the American Bald Eagle and its habitat near and around the Hudson River Valley, I encourage you to visit Eaglefest.

February has several holiday and events including Groundhog Day, Imbolc (St. Bridget’s Day - Ireland) and Candlemas (Catholic Calendar). February 2nd is Super bowl Sunday which while not an official holiday, it certainly has evolved into a huge cultural event here in the US.

Imbolc is based on a Celtic tradition and is meant to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox. Imbolc is just one of several pre-Christian holidays highlighting some aspect of winter and sunlight, and heralding the change of seasons.

Candlemas  Candlemas Day is another name for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification and dedication as prescribed by the Torah. The festival is called Candlemas because this was the day that all the Church's candles for the year were blessed. In many Eastern European countries, the feast officially closes the celebration of Christmas. For this reason, Pope John Paul II began the custom of keeping the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s square until Feb. 2. Candlemas Day also was important in the lives of farmers. An old English song went as follows: “If Candlemas be fair and bright, / Come, Winter, have another flight. / If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, / Go, Winter, and come not again.”. In America, Protestants decided we should replace Catholic Candlemas Day with Groundhog Day.

A Good Thought for February

Most February holidays have themes of purification, hibernation, seeking signs of spring, planting seeds (at least in our mind first), return of the light and lengthening of the days.   The larger metaphysical themes are spiritual awakenings, initiations, dedication, inner journeys and honoring the artist within.

Finally later in February we have Valentine’s Day which in our culture has so many double meanings that it can often be a difficult day for those who are not experiencing the relationship they wished they had, while others seem to embrace all things with red hearts.

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www.kacey.co for tickets to our kick off party.

I am excited to share that my friend Kacey Morbito Grean has started a new organization called Let It Shine Inc., “Gathering Love and Giving it Away”.    The mission of this group is to support Hudson Valley women in times of need and transition.  The are holding a kick off fundraising party on 3/8/20 from 1 PM to 3 PM at Hudson House Inn in Cold Spring.  Want to attend? Visit www.kacey.co for more info or click the image above.

Amethyst Crystals

TRUST • INTUITION • SPIRITUALITY

Despite being easily found, this stone has a long history of being associated with luxury.  In the Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, amethyst is encouraged to be placed in the wealth corner, where it is said to amplify the flow of prosperity into the home.

Amethyst healing properties are as plentiful as the stone itself. It is thought of mostly as a protective stone. As it is linked to the crown chakra, it is helpful in purifying the mind and clearing it of negative thoughts including stress and anxiety.  Amethyst is especially useful the workplace as it enhances communication, intuition and prosperity.

Using amethyst to decorate the home is a choice many make for its appearance, alone. However, the stone can have many metaphysical benefits as well if placed in the right room. An amethyst in the family room can assist in familial bonding time, and provide the confidence and calm necessary for open communication. Amethyst in the office will bring intuition for making tough, gut decisions in business, and stress-relief for long work days. Placing an amethyst somewhere in the bathroom is another way to relieve anxiety during a soothing bath.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February, (HA! I didn’t know this when I picked this stone for this month!). and known as the Zodiac stone for Pisces. It is also linked to the element of Wind. This element is believed to activate the mind, and assist in clairvoyance and intuition. It is the ideal stone for meditation that seeks to discover the reason for certain behaviors or actions, both on the part of oneself, or another.

We have some pieces of Amethyst available for purchase at Rose Healing.

OIL OF THE MONTH:  Purification Essential Oil Blend™

Purification Essential Oil is an uplifting and refreshing oil perfect blend for use as a household cleaner. It neutralizes odors and protects from mildew and mold. Use for pet odors and diffuse in kennel and barn.

On a spiritual level diffusing Purification can purify and cleanse negative emotions and vibrations. Spray some in an emotionally charged room or in your work space, especially if there is anger, violence or chaotic energy. Or use it as you would sage to help clear a space.  This is a fantastic oil for when we need support in seeing our patterning as it relates to abandonment, rejection, or the fear of being alone. It also can calm anger and conflict and bring back purity of thought and restore order. It opens the sacral chakra.

How do I Use Purification Oil?

Use diluted - 50:50 dilution (one part essential oil: one part of vegetable oil). Then,

• Apply several drops (2-4) on feet, ears and temples

• Directly inhale, or Diffuse.

What are the Safety Precautions? Repeated use can result in extreme contact sensitization. Can be irritating to sensitive skin. Possible photo-sensitivity. Generally safe for children over 2 years of age.

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Stay warm and cozy and embrace the knowledge that the light is returning.

Our upcoming events include regular Sound Healing meditations at Rose Healing. I am pleased to be a practitioner at an upcoming Retreat at Mariandale led by the amazing Kacey Morabito Grean Leap Weekend - Unlock Your Potential. In March we will be hosting Betty Sue Hanson teaching an Introduction to Crystals Class. Finally, I have set up a new online booking system for my individual clients so now you can visit our website and see our availability and choose your appointment right from the screen. To check it out just click “schedule appointment” from our home page.

January 2020 - A New Year and New Offerings....

Happy New Year fellow seekers! Wishing us all a safe, healthy, and abundant 2020.

Wishes Ornament

A new year is always a time for new energy. As I seem to suggest often in these blogs, once again this is a perfect time to think about what you wish to manifest in your life.   Years ago a dear friend gave me an Christmas ornament that opens and allows you to write down your wishes for the New Year and place it inside. I lovingly put that ornament away until next Holiday season, when to get to re-visit my wishes for last year and think about the upcoming year. It is a powerful little ritual.

I invite you to really think about your intentions for the New Year and write down a list of at least 10 things you wish to manifest in your life in 2020. This is different than “resolutions”.   When writing be sure to keep it in the positive.  Write what you do want, not what you don’t.  It is a nice idea to tuck this list away somewhere and revisit it at this time next year.

What is an Intention? An intention is a goal, or vision, that guides your activities, thoughts, attitudes, and choices. ... Photo by ME Moore

Some one of my favorites on my 2019 intentions wishes were things like: Patiently go about your life – and find positive ways to sort out the details. Put them in their correct order of importance. Organize. Keep to a sensible routine. Be determined. Do one thing at a time. Notice the unnecessary problems that are caused by overreaction or indifference.  Stay present in the current moment, not the future or the past. 

Ha! I love how ambitious I am with my intention setting!  Needless to say I am still working on these in 2020. To that end, I am proud to say that did accomplish a few things related to the intensity of that particular intention for 2019 (being a carried into 2020) including going into the recording studio to play the Crystal Harp and record Guided Meditations for various things like Anxiety, Sleep and Grounding.  Thank you to Nicky Rose for helping me accomplish this.

These Crystal Harp Meditation recordings are available on my site right now: www.rosehealingcenter.com/music for purchase and include my New Year’s gift to you – a FREE download of my guided meditation for grounding and balance.

As we move to 2020, I am in such deep gratitude for all of you who have allowed me to be a part of your healing process.   I look forward to offering new and exciting groups and events in 2020 including Reiki 1 on 1/26/20 and an Introduction to Crystals Class on 2/1/20. Both taught by Betty Sue Hanson. We will continue to offer Vibrational Sound Healings with the Crystal Harp/Lyre.  January is sold out but February, March & April are are already up on our site and available for purchase.  https://rosehealingcenter.com/soundbath/

Wishing you a New Year filled with love, peace, and prosperity.