Sophia Rose's Abode in New Mexico
FOREWORD
Entering Sophia Rose’s world is like entering into a sacred dreamscape of Nature, arising from deep remembrance. A sanctuary where the flowers whisper to us through sensual color and feeling… Where the ancient voices are heard within the dense Earth and the light fluttering of a Colibri or a butterfly… Where the warm desert sun and the cold winter snow can shape us into being. Where the Land becomes our medicine. Where we become one with it, as we’re designed to be.
Sophia knows this deeply. Devoted to the divine beauty of life that surrounds her, she has evolved into a channel for deeper conversations with Nature and with the Source. As a heart-led herbalist, she alchemizes the Earth & Cosmos into her medicines, by tuning into the plants and aligning to the cycles of the moon. At the core of her work lies reciprocity, giving back to the Land and every being who needs love & healing.
We have been following Sophia for a while now and are in love with her work, her offerings, and everything she shares. We have also been intrigued by the Land that Sophia is based on, in mystical New Mexico (which we actually got to visit a few years ago and loved!). In recent years, Sophia has moved into an amazing home with a very unique energy. We could feel that this space was special, just by seeing the photos she was sharing.
Oftentimes, a place and a space can shape a person, opening up a huge portal for grounding and growth. We can certainly relate to this, having renovated our own dream home in a place that speaks deep to our soul. Place matters… and so does Home.
What makes a home? How does a home nourish us?
With this in mind, we felt inspired to reach out to Sophia and ask her to share her home with us… And wow, what a share it has been, leading us to a beautiful conversation and discovery. We’re very grateful and so excited to share it with you.
Grab your favorite herbal infusion.
Listen to some calming music (we highly recommend this album by Green House)
Enjoy and may this article inspire you,
Linda Pappa & David Mourato
Tell us about where you live...
What is the landscape like, around your area?
What fuels and inspires you about calling this place home?
I live in Northern New Mexico in a small mountain town, just off the high road, between Santa Fe - Taos.
It is surprisingly lush at this elevation (8,500 ft). Wild roses and an ancient orchard surround my home.
A large part of what drew me here was the trees. There are apples, plums, apricots, hawthorn, mulberry, peaches, and more.
Beyond the cultivated borders of my land are mixed juniper and piñon forests, vast expanses of desert sagebrush, miles and miles of towering ponderosas, and higher up the mountain, stands of aspen that turn a brilliant shade of gold in autumn.
I feel immensely lucky to live here.
If you drive ten minutes up the road from my house, you're in a snowy forest, but if you go twenty minutes in the opposite direction, suddenly you're in the desert, surrounded by red rocks and blue skies. I love living in this in-between space. I find great comfort in the year-round stream that flows behind my home and the now empty field, so fertile with dreams.
The other thing that makes this place feel like home is the community.
I moved here during the pandemic, so I haven't had as much connection as I would like, but everyone has been incredibly welcoming despite the current limitations.
Like many places in Northern New Mexico, my home has a lot of history. The house itself is two hundred years old! I purchased it from the children of the woman who lived and died here. She was beloved by the community, and everyone, including me, still refers to this as ‘Judith's House’.
I've met two men in their nineties who grew up here. I met the first man when I was attempting to herd cows out of my yard at dusk, wearing only a nightgown. An old truck pulled up, and an even older man stepped out. He proceeded to help me coax the cows back onto the road before introducing himself and giving me the last four digits of his phone number, which is all you need here because all of the phones have the same prefix.
Everyone has a story about this place, and I can't wait to hear more of them once the pandemic is over and I can host my neighbors for a proper housewarming party.
How did you come to find this home?
And how did it find you?
I spent the first half of my twenties in Northern New Mexico. I started my business here and had plans to build a home with my partner at the time, on the mesa just west of Taos. But life had other plans, and, out of necessity, I ended up moving back to Austin, TX, where I grew up. Long story short, I'd been trying to move back ever since. After many failed attempts at purchasing property in New Mexico, I found this house through a realtor that I'd originally contacted about another place. That particular property was a hard no, but much to my delight, he got this listing the next day, and I came up to see it that weekend. I put in an offer before it went on the market. After some wild and stressful negotiations, I signed the papers and moved in—but not in that order because it was a pretty complicated situation.
I found this house through a lot of prayer and a stroke of good fortune.
When I first visited the house, I genuinely couldn't imagine living in such a beautiful and grand place. But as I walked the property and saw the hawthorn trees, covered in bright red berries, I knew that I was home. It's been a good practice in humility and graciousness to accept that this place has welcomed me.
It still doesn't feel like it some days. When I moved in, all of the previous owner's things were still here—books, dishes, clothes, furniture. In a way, this was a blessing because I moved from a five hundred square foot cabin and had pretty much nothing to fill the space. But it was also a pretty intense process to clear out the attic and essentially throw away the remains of someone's life.
With each new piece I bring into the house, the space feels more and more like mine. It is a beautiful experience to be patient and remember that this is a life-long relationship, and there is no need to rush the process of making this place my home.
What is your home made of? What makes it unique?
The exterior walls are nearly three feet thick, so the house stays cool in summer and warm in winter. I’ve been told that it was originally two houses that were either moved together or somehow connected. This *mostly* makes sense, but I’d like to know more. Either way, it’s a meandering affair with lots of character and very little practicality. There is not a single closet in the entire house, and as beautiful as it is, much of the space is not very usable. I don’t love it any less, but I do have a greater appreciation for the thoughtfulness that makes modern spaces both beautiful and functional in a way that this home will likely never be.
My home is made of adobe, which is to say—dirt.
Recently you’ve shared that you’re autistic and the many ways this influences your life and work. How does this impact the way you make your home?
Having a stable home of my own has been life-changing. As a self-employed single young autistic female, it feels like a miracle to have purchased this house totally on my own. I am really proud of myself for all of the inner and outer work I did to make this possible.
Being autistic makes having a safe and beautiful home vitally important for me. I moved out of my mother’s house when I was seventeen and have moved around every six months or so for the last ten+ years. It has been exhausting for me on so many levels.
I am more sensitive than most people to bright lights, loud sounds, and anything even slightly synthetic. Exposure to these things leads me to feel overstimulated and depleted. This sensitivity has led me to seek out and create spaces that help me regulate my nervous system and avoid overwhelm.
When I was in high school, I’d hang out with my friends and need to re-arrange the room slightly, or switch off the overheads lights in order to relax and stay in my body. When I was younger and lived with roommates, this was a struggle for me (and them). Seeing and sensing subtle things within an environment that are imperceptible to others can make you (and them) start to feel a little crazy.
I’ve always filled my homes with found and natural objects that just feel good. Color is also very important to me. I don’t like anything too bright because it feels distracting. When I step into my space, I like to feel my awareness diffuse throughout the room rather than land on any one object. I try to have very little visual noise in my home so I can relax and enjoy the space.
Take us on a tour... What are your favorite areas around the house? What purposes do these areas serve for you?
What are your most beloved rituals and moments lived there?
I am big on kitchen rituals. At the end of each day, I take great pleasure in washing and putting everything away so that the following morning feels effortless. If I have a project planned, I’ll try to set out all of the ingredients and tools I’ll need, so I can arrive in the morning and set to work. Tonight, for example, I laid out all of the things I’ll need to bake sourdough tomorrow. Similarly, I often set out everything I’ll need to make coffee in the morning, so all I have to do is heat the kettle and let the day begin.
Living alone, these small gestures of kindness and forethought make all the difference. It delights me to step into a space that feels frictionless—that is, where I can drop into a flow state without having to tend to too many details. I also take great pleasure in cleaning the house. It is a large space, so it’s quite an undertaking, but vacuuming has become one of my favorite past-times since moving here.
Much of the house still doesn’t feel quite like mine—partly because it’s so big, and as one person, I just don’t fill the space. That said, the first part of the house that I made my own was the tea loft. Ironically, this was an architectural feature I found off-putting at first but now love. The woman who lived here before Judith, who I bought the house from, was an architect. I’m pretty sure it was her who conceived of the catwalk and loft. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. On sunny days you’ll find me lingering here as long as possible, sipping Puerh and watching the rainbows dance across the ceiling.
How do you commune with the land surrounding you?
What are some of your most cherished rituals to find grounding within your environment?
I didn't get outside this winter as much as I would have liked. My dog Willow and I did take some glorious hikes through the snow, and I spent a lot of time gathering kindling in the woods. As the weather warms, we're going for more runs in the lowlands, and I'm looking forward to this Spring and Summer when I will be able to get better acquainted with the mountains.
I have connected deeply with the trees on my property, the hawthorn and apple in particular, and they have shared a lot of their healing magic with me.
There is also a vibrant acequia that runs along the back of my property. Acequias are irrigation ditches that take various forms ranging from concrete canals to hand-dug trenches to wide lazy waterways. The one behind my house flows like a year-round stream. It is a great blessing to live so near the water that nourishes this land. Before the stream froze over, I would go outside each morning and splash a bit of the water on my eyes, ears, neck, mouth, and heart, saying a little prayer for each.
How do you feel this home embodies your essence?
In what ways have you grown and transcended since moving there?
I think that, like any relationship you nurture, my connection with this house will deepen over time.
Mostly I am just continually in awe of it—the patina on the broad pine planks of the pantry floor, the graceful shapes, and shadows made by the hand-hewn archways and dramatic skylights, the smell of pinon burning in the kiva.
“When I first set foot in this house,
I immediately thought—this place is too nice for me.
I genuinely couldn't imagine myself living here.
And yet, as I've settled into the space, I am growing into a woman who does live here, despite the disbelief I still feel some days.
This house has given me a new lease on life”
Living in Austin, I was really isolated and lonely. I didn't have space to work or tend to my business in the way it deserved. Since moving here, I've clarified so much internally about who I am and what I want. In a way, this house feels like my destiny. It is a place that allows me a lot of room to expand, both physically and spiritually. It is so peaceful up here, and the warmth of the community is palpable.
It all still feels very new. So much of the house I still hardly go in. But I have a clear vision for space, and it's only a matter of patience and persistence until my outer world reflects all that I can sense within.
What are your intentions for this space moving forward?
Gosh, so much. I’m doing my best to be gentle and pace myself. It’s tempting to want to do everything at once, but I try to remember that life is long, and there is plenty of time to do things in a good way at a steady pace.
But first, I want to grow roses. People often say that the best time to plant a tree (or any perennial) is fifty years ago. So this year, I’m investing in Roses, Elderflower, and more Hawthorn. I’d like to have a small flower farm with bees and small livestock. I’m planning to transform the studio into a small shop where people traveling the High Road between Santa Fe and Taos can stop to buy herbs, eggs, flowers, honey, and other local goods. It is such a special space I’m eager to share it with the world!
I would also very much like to build a closet...
WRITTEN BY LINDA PAPPA & SOPHIA ROSE | PHOTOS BY SOPHIA ROSEIf this article and video inspired you, we invite you to discover more about Sophia’s work and connect with her through Instagram and her website.
Sophia crafts botanical medicines in deep reverence & co-creation with the Land. She has also published a few small guides and books (which we absolutely love!) and has a separate platform called Garden Party, where she shares a lot of herbal wisdom and resources to connect to Earth’s medicine & heal from within.
