Welcome to Destination Healing: Connecticut and Southern New England! To bring this column to life for Inner Tapestry readers is an honor and a blessing that truly energizes me. From Connecticut to Western Massachusetts to Rhode Island, you will meet unique people whose life stories will inspire you to follow your passion and create a joyful, meaningful life. You will discover a variety of places, programs and services that have the potential to enhance your quality of life at home, at work and at play. From time to time, you may also enjoy musings on an array of topics from the practical to the metaphysical. Whether offering you an interview, profile, review or commentary, my intention always is to inform, educate and enlighten! Feel free to share your thoughts, comments and ideas with me as well as Joan, via e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I may not be able to respond to each message personally but I will read each one.

Heart stories reach into the depths of our being and draw into awareness emotions and ways of thinking previously untapped by our conscious minds. They move us out of the monotony of our daily existence, evoking a sense of awe and wonder that leads us to ask ourselves, “What if I...” These stories inspire us to listen to our heart’s calling and perhaps, take an unconventional path toward living our passion. Heart stories show us our humanity, our power and vulnerability by exposing shared fears and bringing to light the potential each of us has to lead a spirit-centered and conscious life.

On the outskirts of the central Connecticut valley, in the sleepy town of Tariffville, you will find The Purple Rose Healing Center, a metaphysical gathering space owned by Laura Rose and co-operated with business partner, Annie Kelleher. At first encounter, these two gifted psychic healers evoke shadow and light—sisters of the soul, not the blood. Laura’s hair and eyes are dark, and her complexion peachy. Annie is fair skinned with golden hair fading into wisps of white that curl around her face. The power of their intuitive gifts is potent, immediately felt, as if the energies of the sun and moon come together in their connection to one another and the healing services they offer at The Center.

*Childhood Psychic Experiences*

The ability to communicate with spirit guides is a gift each woman possessed since early childhood. Sadly, both also learned that giving voice to their gifts was not acceptable to the adults or other children in their lives. Ultimately, damage caused by abuse—sexual, physical and emotional—that haunted each woman at different points in her life, led to total suppression of her psychic potential.

For a psychically sensitive child like Laura, the ability to connect to the energy of other people left her vulnerable to their fear and anger. It was much safer for her to block her intuitive gifts so that she did not have to experience the dark emotions that plagued those who hurt her.

“I was able to communicate with angels, guides and deceased loved ones [but] my family of origin was so abusive, I reached a point where I could not distinguish between the loving messages of my angels and the fear [that infused] my physical condition [at that time.]” Laura shared.

It was not until many years later—well into adulthood—that Laura learned how to open to her gifts in a safe way.

As a young girl, Annie remembers her bedroom filling with light as she fell asleep. Growing up in the Roman Catholic faith, she learned that the angels were watching over her so the glow in her room did not seem worthy of attention. Annie was not aware that other adults or children did not have angelic visions.

Not until she tried explaining a vision to a six year old friend. Annie had been very ill and out of school for several days. A classmate was bringing homework to her. Annie’s memory of the incident is quite vivid,

“She asked when I would return to school. I told her that my angels said I would be well enough to go back to school on Thursday. By the look on her face, I knew that my friend did not experience angels the way that I did.”

Even though Annie did return to school on the appointed day, she never voiced any other metaphysical experiences to anyone else until much later in life.

*Traditional Careers and Life Choices*

Not having anyone with whom they could share and make sense of their esoteric experiences led both women to focus on academics and traditional life paths. Laura earned high honors throughout high school and college. Upon graduating from law school, she worked many years in private firms before becoming a prosecutor with the Assistant State’s Attorney Office in Hartford. Laura also served as an advocate for victims of sexual assault and abuse. Today, along with her husband, Rich, Laura is raising two stepsons, both in their late teens. Laura does not interact with her family of origin.

Annie graduated from John Hopkins University with a degree in medieval literature. She explored a broad field of careers including federal investigator, interior designer, and daycare provider before she found her true calling: Annie is a successful novelist with 11 science fiction-fantasy books to her credit. Over a period of 14 years, she confronted emotional and physical abuse unleashed at the hands of her ex-husband, an attorney, who used every angle of the law in an attempt to control and manipulate Annie’s life.

“I now know that some monsters are real,” she shared, “they lurk in the very places you least expect them.”

In 1990, Annie started writing her first novel, Daughter of Prophecy, while she was raising her children and working full-time as executive director for a non-profit agency. Daughter of Prophecy sold in 1993 and published in 1995.

“The very pursuit of my heart’s desire forced me to realize that the person I was with was getting in the way of my dreams, not supporting me the way I had supported him.” It was clear to Annie if she did not get away from him, something “very integral” to her soul was going to die.

The same month that Warner Books published Daughter of Prophecy, Annie filed for divorce. For the next ten years, the abuse intensified. Annie was more than convinced she had done the right thing.

“I became determined to live the absolute best life I could and make the best life possible for my children.”

Post-divorce, Annie often felt as if she had fallen into an abyss. In 1996, she relocated the children from New Jersey to Connecticut and entered the master’s program in English at University of Connecticut. She thought teaching would compliment the pursuit of a writing career.

Despite publishing two more novels by 1997, she still needed consistent income and benefits for her family, things that graduate funding did not provide. Annie left school for a career in corporate marketing communications. This was not the divinely intended path for Annie, either. She was laid off twice, but each time managed to find a new job. When she found herself facing a third layoff in the fall of 2002, Annie finally realized that her life was meant to take another direction.

Little did Annie know that giving into blind faith would lift her out of darkness into the light of day: The week her severance ran out, Harlequin offered
a three-book deal.

Abandoning the pursuit of a traditional career and following her heart’s call to write led Annie out of her first marriage, down a new spiritual path and into a new life in Connecticut where she met her current husband Don, expanding her family to six children between the ages of 14 and 27.

*Honoring and Developing Psychic Gifts*

The intense focus required of a career in law allowed Laura to block her intuitive gifts. Meanwhile, her mother was operating a metaphysical store called The Golden Hawk in Plainville, CT. “I loved going into her store... it felt like ‘home;’ but I was too busy with my career to participate in that business.”

The angels and guides she had put on hold for so long eventually started “nudging” Laura. When subtly failed to get her attention, the messages became so strong they were impossible to ignore. “The spirit guides made it clear that the negative energy surrounding me at work every day was too much for a sensitive woman. If I didn’t leave the legal profession, I would suffer a health condition that would force me to leave. Undeniably, I needed to follow a different path.”

Laura had no idea what career path would be next for her. To open herself to possibility, she went on her first vacation in many years, spending every morning in meditation. On the last day of her five-day retreat, she had a vision of her mother from the other side. Laura’s mother encouraged her to open a metaphysical store similar to The Golden Hawk. She had absolutely no idea how to proceed since she paid so little attention to her mother’s business operations but she did give Laura a clue.

“Mother showed me a wallet size chakra card, depicting the energy centers of the body.”

Later that evening, Laura shared the vision with a close friend. Startled, her friend, a massage therapy student, pulled out from her purse the very same chakra card that Laura’s mother revealed in the vision.

“She had bought it from my mother many years before and carried it with her ever since!”

For Laura, this was a sign pointing her toward her new career path. A few months later, she resigned from the prosecutor’s office and opened her own metaphysical retail store, The Purple Rose— a symbol of new beginnings and strong spiritual healing energy.

Laura developed her psychic potential by studying with many well-known psychics and metaphysical teachers including, James Van Praag, Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. and Ted Andrews, and herbalist and Reiki Master Rosemari Roast.

Annie’s intuitive gifts manifested through a series of life events that occurred during a three-year period. For Annie, the most significant occurred in December 2002, as she was facing her third corporate lay-off. Additionally, she had not sold a book in over three years. Annie and was seriously questioning her life’s purpose. Disillusioned, Annie prayed for a sign.

“It came to me in a clear and powerful way: In exactly the same moment that I had sat down to begin rewriting the novel, I received an email from my agent requesting a new proposal to submit to a new publisher.” There was no promise of a sale, but Annie had a feeling; she committed herself to writing full-time from that moment on.

“The day I got laid off for a third time was the day I chose to write a new proposal for a book I just could not get off the ground for several years. I should’ve been rewriting my resume!” she laughs.

“It was insane by most normal standards. I was not married. Two children were in college. My ex- owed me thousands in child support, and I chose to devote myself full-time to writing.”

As she opened to her creative potential through writing, her intuitive gifts blossomed, “I realized that I was co-creator with Something Else. My life was evolving into all things esoteric. Writing allowed me to access my real gift, which is helping others communicate with a dimension most people believe to be inaccessible.”

Over the years, Annie immersed herself in a variety of spiritual traditions, from Buddhist to Christian to Pagan. She studied with many metaphysical teachers including, energy healers Ruth Labbe and Rosemari Roast, Nora Jamieson, and Native American healer, Bern Richard as well as Vicki Noble, creator of the Motherpeace Tarot.

*Soul Sisters*

Six years ago, Annie walked into The Purple Rose and became a regular customer. It did not take long for her and Laura to develop a genuine friendship. Just as Laura and Annie’s lives, their psychic potential and friendship have evolved, so has The Purple Rose. In October 2007, Laura’s spirit guides communicated that it was time to change the retail business so that she could engage in her true passions: readings, healing sessions and teaching workshops.

Fast forward to January 2008, Laura and Annie collaborated in a new venture: The Purple Rose Healing Center. The Center is an inviting space—safe, cozy, and filled with loving energy. Folks of all backgrounds and spiritual traditions come to explore and to deepen their connection to Spirit.

“Individually Gifted, Powerful in Union”

Both Laura and Annie possess a natural compassion that is immediately evident to clients. Each woman consults a variety of tools such as angel, Tarot or animal medicine cards to focus her psychic connection. Laura accesses the energy of Spirit to bring forth messages of love and light from angels, spirit guides and deceased loved ones. Annie can focus on metaphysical energies—human, animal, and spiritual—not easily processed through the five basic senses. Both women convey highly accurate spiritual messages and guidance with clarity, love, and light.

While each is individually gifted, to sit with Annie and Laura, together, as they communicate with the Other Side is a powerful experience.

“We are able to raise each others energy to new heights and bring forth really powerful messages.” Laura expressed with a warm smile, “We can better focus on the client’s issue, and ‘hear’ the deceased loved one or receive the guidance being offered from the other side.”

Annie added, “We honor each other’s gifts in an equal relationship focused on being of service to the client.”

Laura and Annie believe that part of their life’s purpose is to teach others how to come together to help heal each other and the Earth. In addition to readings, they accomplish their intention by offering workshops designed to help others awaken and honor their intuitive gifts and develop their psychic potential.

Laura whole-heartedly agrees with Annie, who commented, “Though the process will be different for each person, everyone is psychically or intuitively gifted and it is possible for everyone to access and develop their gift.”

Karen M. Rider, M.A. writes articles, stories, reviews, and promotional copy that educates, enlightens and entertains the reader. Karen is guided by three muses—clarity, integrity and creativity—in all endeavors. She holds a degree in health psychology. Karen resides in central Connecticut where she shares life’s adventures with her daughter and husband. She is working on her first novel. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .