Dear Friends,

I welcome you to my sixth Newsletter.

There are two topics I would like to discuss with you in this latest Newsletter.

One is about roses and unfolding beauty, the other is about light and energy and their incredible power.

Helen Drousas, an astounding adventurer and spiritualist, rewarded me with a beautiful book last time I was in Melbourne. It is called the “Rose Oracle, A Communion, Let the Roses speak to you” by author Monique Haan who lives in India.

Some of you know that I use the comparison of the rose freely in my readings and you can imagine how blessed I felt to receive such a wonderful gift! The book is an oracle and you can ask questions, which the individual roses in the book will answer in their own way of extending petals of comfort, understanding and deeper meaning to you. You then discover their wisdom, their hard to believe imperfect perfection and behind it all Monique’s unique mystic understanding of nature and love. I have not met Monique Haan yet, but would be honored to get to know her one day. She publishes the book herself and I so compliment her on this extraordinary achievement. By reading  the “Oracle” and looking at the beautiful pictures Monique took of roses in the Botanical Gardens of Adelaide you will feel compelled to see and hear more in nature in general and particularly in flowers.
The book is the heart’s journey to The Beloved Within and The Rose.Symbol of Divine love, the heart – seat of the soul – That which Knows of the interconnectedness of all life, and the beauty and freedom of our true being. The images serve to express these qualities and archetypal experiences of all people. All who embrace this book experience a gentle awakening of Grace in the heart.

If you would like to enjoy this exquisite creation for yourself or would like to bestow its beauty as a gift, please contact Helen on segnorizo@hotmail.com or 0416 760 635 to order your copies. (AU$49.95 + p&h)

I know of only one similar book, also given to me by a loving friend, Catherine Jacob in Sydney. “The Flowers of Dr Bach” is the title, authored by Mechthild Scheffer. The “book” contains 38 big square cards that are meant to re-harmonise, re-centre and induce meditation. Each card has a Bach flower on it with its description. On the back of the card you find three paragraphs. The first will explain what you need to understand in your life, the second gives you an idea of how to connect yourself better with your inner guide and the third explains in which way the flower of your choice can enhance the positive outlook on your life and love. My edition of these Bach Cards is in French and I am not sure under what title it is available in English, but if you are interested I am sure you will find out!

It is noteworthy how these two authors, both of immense knowledge and wisdom, have thought of a similar tool for us to use and enjoy.

We have such a bond with flowers, haven’t we! Each of us relates to them individually but collectively also, we seem to have a feel for flowers. Let us think of the Fleur de Lys with its regal status, the Sturt desert rose, the lilac, the oleander or the wattle, so important for us Australians.

I want to talk to you about another champion: my friend Gene Kotze, from South Africa, now in Vancouver, BC. She is a light and energy designer. I met her in Sydney where she worked for an important corporation. Gene has this unbelievable sense for creational outlets and knows that everything is energy and movement. She researches it continuously and is herself an energy powered mind and body. She helped me write the following paragraphs and I am so thankful for her priceless friendship. Gene reflects: “It is so interesting how we perceive colour. There is no colour without the light reflecting it, providing that colour is present in the light source. That includes moonlight and day lighting”.

We know that everything is energy and Gene wants to find out more about the perception we have of light, how it affects us and how we can use it to better our lifestyle as well as personal and planetary health and wellbeing for all beings on this planet.

We see things every day, from the moment we get up in the morning until we go to sleep at night. We look at everything around us using light. We appreciate kids' crayon drawings, fine oil paintings, swirling computer graphics, gorgeous sunsets, a blue sky, shooting stars and rainbows. We rely on mirrors to make ourselves presentable and sparkling gemstones to show affection. But did you ever stop to think that when we see any of these things, we are not directly connected to it? We are, in fact, seeing light -- light that somehow left objects far or near and reached our eyes. Light is all our eyes can really see. The other way that we encounter light is in devices that produce light -- incandescent bulbs, fluorescent bulbs, lasers, and the sun. Each one uses a different technique to generate photons.

Gene not only designs with light, she uses light during meditation by mentally visualizing pure white light to clear negative energies, sending light to certain situations and sending light to loved ones. She has also been using light therapy to successfully treat her psoriasis.  

Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, LEDs, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, for a prescribed amount of time. It has proven effective in treating Acne vulgaris, seasonal affective disorder, and for some people it has ameliorated delayed sleep phase syndrome. It has recently been shown effective in non-seasonal depression. Proponents claim demonstrable benefits for skin conditions such as psoriasis and, more controversially, a degree of "skin rejuvenation."

Colour therapy, also known as chromotherapy, is often facilitated in the healing rooms of alternative health practitioners. Colour therapy is classified as a vibrational healing modality. Vibrational medicine incorporates the use of chi energies within living organisms such as plants, gemstones and crystals, water, sunlight, and sound.

Colour is simply a form of visible light, of electromagnetic energy. All the primary colours reflected in the rainbow carry their own unique healing properties. The sun alone is a wonderful healer! Just imagine what life would be like without sunshine. It has been proven that lack of sunlight contributes to depression for some people.

A therapist trained in colour therapy applies light and colour in the form of tools, visualization, or verbal suggestion to balance energy in the areas of our bodies that are lacking vibrance, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental.

At times we are seeing things with our eyes shut, like light or shapes or movements and we know that we cannot live without what we call light. How much of it we can tolerate though is a very personal matter and it ever so often echoes our moods and emotions. Artists have used lights and shadows for their play with colours and shades. You have most likely heard of the Italian term “chiaroscuro” (clear-dark), a mention used to describe the artistic way of heightening the contrast between a two dimensional effect to induce an illusion of greater depth and meaning to a particular painting or photograph, etc. The two dimensional piece of art will then look like a painting or photograph in three dimensions. Sometimes black and white speak louder than a symphony of colours. Does this remind you of some of the old films?!

I cannot but mirror this two dimensional way of looking at the world with the simplicity of clear words. We have all learnt how to use so called smart words and I would safely say most of us have also been brainwashed with so many of them. I must confess I am a great lover of beautiful words but I often prefer clarity and conciseness to complex elaborations, which can make me lose interest for the content of what is discussed.

May I share a story with you today from America, where the writer suggests roses have a mind of their own?

Faith in a Rose

By Lorraine V. Murray | AUGUST 27, 2001

When I walk into the side garden and spot my three rose bushes, their branches tangling merrily in the wind, I’m reminded of how precious everyday faith is. Especially faith in our own capabilities. Faith in renewal. And faith in doubtful outcomes. When my husband and I first moved into our home 16 years ago, I yearned to raise roses, but I kept facing mental roadblocks. In my estimation, roses were magical beings that only cleverer women could produce—women who wore crisp cotton sundresses and were surrounded by little gaggles of giggling children. Women who were, first and foremost, nurturers.

Childless, I’ve often suspected that the nurturing gene somehow passed me by. I’ve never been adept at many of the homey undertakings other women take for granted, like selecting just the right wallpaper for the kitchen, putting dust ruffles on the beds and knowing the exact angle you hold a baby in order to produce a hearty burp.

As the years passed, my yearning to grow roses didn’t diminish. But every time I was tempted, I reminded myself sternly that my thumb lacked even the slightest smudge of green. Besides, our side garden is too shaded, and roses need sunlight to thrive. I tried to content myself with admiring the roses other women grew. A single white rose bush growing in my neighbor’s yard particularly captured my fancy. Every time I walked by, I stopped to marvel at the miniature blooms, which were as delicate as sea shells.

One day in a local nursery, I spotted two young rose bushes sitting side by side in containers. They were tagged “Joseph’s Coat” and “Don Juan.” As I gazed longingly at the pictures on the tags, I envisioned myself in my garden, cutting a cluster of roses in the spring. Then I recounted all the reasons why the poor little bushes were likely to languish and die under my care. Maybe tulips would be better, I thought. Somehow, they seemed hardier and less temperamental.

I decided to take a chance. I bought the two bushes and loaded them into my car.

A few days later, I was running a high fever and my body was covered with bumps. After the doctor confirmed my suspicion that I’d come down with chicken pox, I was housebound for a few weeks. As I was regaining my strength, I’d sit on the front porch swing and admire the rose bushes still in their containers a few yards away. Somehow just looking at them gave me hope. Despite the fact that I shuddered when I peered into the mirror, I told myself that maybe I’d get well, maybe I’d plant those bushes—and maybe they’d produce some stunning roses.

That was five years ago. I did get well, I planted the bushes, and much to my surprise, they have been thriving ever since. Despite the meager amount of sun in the garden, each spring the Joseph’s Coat bursts into a crazy quilt of red, orange and yellow flowers, while the Don Juan sports a cloak of velvety red blooms. For most of spring and summer, the vase on my dining room table never lacks a long-stemmed occupant.

A year ago, the two rose bushes got a companion. One day, my husband and I noticed that the neighbors with the white rose bush were revamping their front lawn. A closer inspection revealed they had uprooted the little bush I’d admired so much and thrown it in the trash heap.

Ever so carefully, we retrieved the bedraggled bush, carried it home and planted it near the other roses. After a few days of dutiful watering, I was rewarded by the sight of tiny tendrils of green emerging on its branches. That spring, a cluster of tiny white roses added their notes to the symphony of color in the side garden.

Still, I don’t congratulate myself that somehow I’ve managed to do everything right. Friends often exclaim over the jewel-like blooms. They wonder if I spray the roses for pests or blend special nutrients into the soil. I hate to disappoint my friends. I’d love to be like one of the women who grace the pages of the gardening magazines. They seem to have a treasure chest of secrets to share.

The truth is, the roses seem to be doing fine without me. Of course, I water them during dry spells and prune them in the winter, but that’s about it. They seem to have minds of their own. Slowly they are taking over the side garden, sinking deeper roots and sending tendrils that creep like curious fingers up the side of the house.

Even in winter, when they are leafless—brown and rather forlorn looking—the trio of rose bushes reminds me of the little everyday miracles in my life.

People, I’ve learned, do survive terrible ailments like chicken pox. Women like me who are hopeless at tending children can somehow keep roses alive. And even a rose bush that was thrown away can make a comeback.

What wonders we can witness if we just have faith.

As for the photos: look at these beautiful roses, pictures by Eloise de Hautecloque, who I will introduce to you in the next Newsletter:

And these shades of dark and bright, suggestive of so many situations in our lives:

In love and light

Mariana
www.mariana-amar.com