Be the First to Know  |  Subscribe to Joelle News

Fora Travel Advisor: Hotels I send my friends toStudio Joelle: Your space has a story. Schedule a Design Review

What I am grateful for during my self-imposed house arrest

Now that we’re all cooped up, what are we supposed to do with this abundance of undifferentiated free time?  For the moment, I’m telling myself to do nothing writes Charles Mcnulty for the Los Angeles Times . The old me he elaborates,  would have ambitiously drawn up plans. Finally, time to continue writing that book, redraft that play and start a new short story .

The astrologist  Pam Gregory  posts on You-tube live yesterday :  Whenever we have an Aries Equinox, ( March 22)   we experience great  opportunities for setting up goals and manifestation.  While we watch in silence the ' Collapse of the Old World"  we will experience  substantial  " Jumps in consciousness" and  'Kundalini energy'  that will stimulate the opening of  our so far limited  third eye,  downloading  flashes of futuristic information,  evolutionary developments that will lead us to   a  better understanding of our reality.

Bars of perfumed soap in green and red wrappersCup of tea with lemon overlooking New York rooftops

Turning his apartment into a monastery is not one of  Charles Mcnulty ' s immediate plans. He simply want to give himself  "a break from the frenzy of mass cultural consumption — the binge mentality that doesn’t pertain only to streaming television.   For the last few years, I’ve been keeping a tally of my reading. This year I could easily set a record, but I think the time would be more profitably spent if I reevaluate why I read."

In my case things are much more simple, during this time of distress,  I am just grateful to choose for a self-imposed a house arrest.  It has several temporary positive aspects:  No annoyance for missed deadline ,  tax delays,  rough sketches, late RSVP,  unaffordable Spring looks  and  upcoming boring  galas . I am giving myself the luxury of a bit of silence away from the medias where I can fin ally hear my agonized,  Munchian  heart's desperately asking for some rest and self-care.

Vitamin capsules in a small wooden bowlHair oil bottle and an orchid on a window sill

Morning rest and self-care  Ritual :

To prevent COVID-19 disease, I take time to wash my hands, 20 seconds and more  with my ( favorite of all times ) Maja soap. Luxuriously soft its scent reminds me of flamenco dancers from Andalusia. Then I pour boiling water with a slice of lemon on a  pretty Japanese style Gibson  glazed mug  as a holistic health remedy with a twist of Vitamin C and other vitamins.

Then I sit in a comfortable position and prepare for a short  meditation . To do so,  I have been using an wonderful Ayurvedic oil on my temples and chest to help reduce anxiety and hydrate my skin.  Sometimes I also  use it to treat my hair  with it's active nine elements and sooth bruises from mosquito bites during Summer.

White crystal cluster in a wooden bowlPrayer page in Hebrew and English with a sprig of herbs

To add to this holistic ritual Kyle Russel from Crystal Cocentric  once suggested  to add to my collection of crystals   an Apophyllite crystal I should hold it in my hand during meditation. Apophyllite healing properties are known to bring peace and tranquillity and believed to create connections between the physical and spiritual realms.  On this recent  video Kyle shares further his knowledge about the relationship with crystal and the corona virus.

Daily prayers are a must, and the psalm 91 from David's psalms is true consolation to reinforce our faith that we are not alone in trouble times. A 30 minutes walk to Central park before 8 am keeping distance fo r at least 2 meter ( 6.5 feet) from other pedestrian  a token of witnessing that nothing lasts forever and Spring is at the door with a promise of renewal .

Open prayer book beside a plantPolished healing stones in a wooden bowl

Product list for purchase 

Yellow daffodils at the foot of a tree in springBonsai tree and amethyst on a window sill above New York
Joelle Maslaton Oster

Joelle Maslaton Oster

Founder of Joelle Magazine and Studio Joelle, an interior design practice in New York. She writes on art, design and the places in between.

START A PROJECT

SEE OUR PROJECTS · SCHEDULE A DESIGN REVIEW · THE SHOP

MORE FROM JOELLE MAGAZINE

Creel and Gow Cabinet de Curiosites

Gardens of Eden at Christie’s

Inside the World of Ariana Ost: The Queen of Crystals and Sacred Spaces

READ THE LATEST

SUBSCRIBE TO JOELLE NEWSInsider access to the world of Joelle Magazine, and $50 toward a first Studio Joelle Design Review.

Read our Privacy PolicyAlso on Substack: Where Is Joelle?


This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy