Columbia Falls psychic offers an array of spiritual services

It takes a confident woman to operate a psychic's office on the side of the highway in Columbia Falls.

Rose Stuart is one such woman, and her skills don't stop at administering tarot cards or divining truths from palms or tealeaves. She said she is also a homeopathic healer and ordained minister.

Despite the long list of titles, Stuart often dresses humbly. On a recent afternoon, she was wearing sweatpants, sandals and a T-shirt with the Tabasco logo on it.

The down-to-earth dress alludes to something prominent in her character. Stuart is blunt in her predictions, which she believes is an important key to her success in her career.

Stuart comes from a long line of people who have embarked on similarly ambitious career paths. She said she is a ninth generation psychic on her mother's side. She also said her abilities began to manifest when she was as young as 4 years old in the form of visions and premonitions.

She was largely raised north of the border in Calgary, Alberta, though she has spent much of her life in Montana.

Ever since her childhood premonitions first began, she has taken her craft seriously. Stuart believes her gifts were bestowed by God and if she abuses them they can be taken away again. For that reason she does her best only to use them for others when they seek her advice, rather than for her own benefit.

She believes the gift God gave her is stronger than many other psychics. Stuart claims a 98.9 percent accuracy rating when it comes to her predictions. She said some people have told her she is like “the next Nostradamus.”

Working as a psychic anywhere entails a strong personality, Stuart said, and the ability to deal with people who doubt the things she says are real.

She claims she has an innate sense that alerts her when someone is feigning belief in her powers, and she isn't afraid to confront them about it.

“Why do people like me? Because I'm blunt,” Stuart said. “I don't sugarcoat anything.”

Stuart is protective of her craft because she believes she plays an important role in the community. She offers a wide array of services because she's found a niche in a community where she believes a lot of people have needs that are going unmet.

Not every person that comes in is looking for a simple palm reading or to resupply his or her stock of incense.

“Sometimes people come in because they are lost and they don't want to go to a psychiatrist,” Stuart said.

Anyone who looks for what many consider nontraditional methods of coping with life and its unexpected twists and turns might find solace in her space, she believes. She keeps a utilitarian set of tools on her desk, including candles, incense cards and a pack of Marlboro cigarettes.

Stuart is a staunch conservative and, contrary to what many would expect given the plethora of Buddha renderings in her office, a Christian who prays before every meal. In many of her public interviews she extols her belief that visiting a psychic is not against Christian values and would like to destigmatize the field in the eyes of others.

She said she also treats people of all political or religious views.

“We're made by the same person, by God,” she said.

Her feeling is that society today puts too much emphasis on the physical aspects of our humanity, and it comes at the expense of our spirituality.

“We are 90 percent spiritual, 10 percent physical,” she said.

Like any job, she said some stories shine above all the others and make her remember why she does what she does. Stuart said she had someone come into her office who was having a difficult time finding value in her life and was considering ending it. Stuart said helping the client changer her perspective made her a happier woman. She said she is still close with that woman today.

“For me, this is not a joke,” Stuart said. “For me, I am telling someone their life plan.”

Stuart operates three different branches of Rose Boutique. Right now, she is working full time at the Columbia Falls location while her daughter mans the Kalispell office. She also has an office in Great Falls she said is currently closed for renovation. Stuart also specializes in reuniting lovers, a service which begins at $125.

More information about Stuart and her business can be found at online at www.theroseboutiqueetc.com. She also has a Facebook page.

Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.