Praise for The Quest of Rose

“Written with breathtaking beauty, warmth and charm, Jean and Anneloes have done the human potential movement a huge service by integrating the insights of the new paradigm science and the wisdom of ancient mystics in a magical storytelling way that catalyzes and ignites the reader with the turn of each page. Together they weave a very accessible and memorable roadmap for activating and developing the future potential of our species. Of enormous practical value are the nine Cosmic Keys of Consciousness and the twelve transformative practices, which are integrated into the rich story-line at the end of each chapter. The Future Humans Trilogy is a must read for everyone working to facilitate the evolution of consciousness.”

~ Dr. Claire Zammit Ph.D., Founder of FemininePower.com

"A brilliant, brilliant, brilliant book, absolutely necessary for shifting our view of human history, our current human predicament and Life as well. A huge Thank You!”

~  David Meggyesy, Author of Out of Their League & World-renowned athlete

“How can the enduring mysteries of science and spirituality as well as matter and consciousness, be engaged with sustained and vivid imagination? With our worlds on the edge, how we learn can be more important than what we learn if we are to boldly and faithfully innovate a future of belonging and flourishing. This soul-stirring book, studded with transformative principles, perspectives, possibilities, and practices, courageously seeds our collective will towards generating possible worlds.”

~ Aftab Omer, Ph.D. President, Meridian University

“I have long had a personal rule: Read anything Jean Houston writes. The Quest of Rose, written with Anneloes Smitsman, confirms this commitment. This prescient work comes at a critical moment in human history, when we are besieged by tremendous challenges that may affect the continued existence of our species. We cannot afford to ignore this magnificent work!”

~ Larry Dossey, M.D., Author, One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters

“A fabulous excursion into the true potentials - and if we are lucky, the future reality - of the human personality. We learn just about everything that is conceivable about the evolutionary possibilities of the human - a mind-boggling trip. To be read and lived with admiration and appreciation.” 

~ Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Ph.D.  Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Award-winning Author. Founder & President, The Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research

“Like shamans on a magical journey of healing, in The Quest of Rose, Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston masterfully use the fictive power and world-creating artistry of the sacred creative imagination to weave a spellbinding story which reveals the deeper mythical—and liberating—nature that lies hidden within seemingly ordinary, nonfictional reality. Encoded within the story they tell—which is truly our story—is a living transmission that activates and awakens our evolutionary potential, helping us to remember who we are and what we are here to do. This book is a true gift to humanity that I cannot recommend highly enough.” 

~Paul Levy, author of Dispelling Wetiko and The Quantum Revelation

“This astounding Future Humans Trilogy is a work of pure genius that inspires one to “Know Thyself” as a multi-dimensional architect of the future possible. Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston brilliantly brings to life our true essence as Cosmic, activating forces of evolution, by equipping the reader with the tools, codes, keys, patterns, practices and principles to birth a collective metamorphosis out of the chrysalis into a luminous future.  This is one of the most important books of our catalytic time of change and should be available for all people and in every educational institution as an architectural guide to creating a world that works for all.”

~ Diane Williams, Founder, The Source of Synergy Foundation 

“The Future Humans Trilogy by Anneloes Smitsman, Ph.D, and Jean Houston, Ph.D, provides a brilliantly creative and hope-filled framework for understanding and responding to our difficult times. The trilogy chronicles the life of a young woman who nearly dies from COVID-19. This near-death experience inspires a heroine’s journey of self-discovery and personal transformation. The book trilogy leads the reader through a kaleidoscope of ideas—which includes emergent science, ancient mystical wisdom, and transpersonal psychology—that not only provokes, but also inspires the modern imagination. In this work, one encounters a complex yet coherent picture of a universe that is fully alive, always evolving, and exploding with potentiality. In this universe, the human being has access to an imaginal realm bursting with powerful life-transforming and world-creating capabilities; it is our choice to mindfully partner with the whole of creation. The Future Humans Trilogy is an encouraging myth and practice for our time.”

~ Dr. José M. Román, Vice-President Research Administration, Rutgers University

“A narrative of consciousness, codes, and cosmos, this allegory splendidly weaves modern science with wisdom born of the enduring mystical traditions. We are immediately rewarded with deep faith in the ability of the human person to mature, grow, and evolve. Whether or not you have a gifted, story-weaving Icelandic grandmother or not, grab your cardamom-infused goodies and a cup of tea and listen to your heart’s deeper realm of consciousness to embrace a profound and life-transforming guided experience. You will see yourself and the world around you in a whole new light. The Quest of Rose is the perfect book for these most disruptive times that demand a fresh look at everything.”

~ Bishop Heather Shea, CEO and Spiritual Director of the United Palace of Spiritual Arts

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a wizardly guide to help navigate these turbulent times?  To be shown a blueprint of the future, one that would describe what could be, what is seeking to be, as the next stage in the whole healthy evolution of our species with all of the life present in Earth?  Of course, such a thing is impossible, right? – who would be able to communicate such a thing, let alone access it in the first place?!  Well, apparently it is not impossible, for Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston have done it.  And they have done it in a way that invites you into it, into the landscape of the blueprint, with a fable for our time. This is the fabulous story of Rose, Grandmother Verdandi, and all the friends who “share with you their own journey of developing a personal relationship with this Cosmic architecture of life.” The fable brings you into the spacetime of myth and engages you in a grand rite of passage – at once personal and about all of us and all of life.  In the spirit of Louis Malle’s 1981 film My Dinner with André, or Brent Capra’s 1990 Mindwalk, Smitsman and Houston share profound conversations that range through quantum physics, indigenous wisdom, cosmic evolution, spiritual transformation, and existential and transcendental philosophy from both East and West, North and South.  And they do so in the most delicious and wholly enjoyable way, making these topics understandable, relatable and relevant.  Smitsman and Houston invite you to walk under the moonlight or sit with them by the fire, listening to its crackling, warming your hands and your heart, watching the flicker and play of light, seeing shapes dart about in the shadowplay as you listen to their modern Mahabharata.  As we enter this imaginative space, they drop us deeper into the imaginal realm of our own emergence – individually and collectively.  Rose calls this the “entrance in the Cosmic architecture school of life” where we encounter our future heritage as we listened to elders, traveling sages, druids, wizards and crones, and in so doing, find their guidance within ourselves.”

~ Prof Dr. Alexander Laszlo, Ph.D. Director of Research of the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research, co-founding member of EARTHwise Centre. 

“Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston deliver an engaging narrative in which profound realizations seem to pop off each page. These stellar intellects bring to life a mythic journey of personal and societal transformation. A delightful weave of edifying and enduring wisdom; beautifully crafted; and a testament for evolving human potential, The Quest of Rose will revision and advance the path you take.” 

~ Dr. Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D.  The Milton H. Erickson Foundation​

“This is an epic book for our unprecedented times! The Quest of Rose is a book unlike any other you are likely to read. It is breathtaking in its scope, enlightening in its depth and uplifting in its message. It seamlessly weaves together quantum physics, cosmology, mythology, spirituality, psychology, history and more, with gripping impact. It is the one ‘must read’ book for everyone of all ages and backgrounds concerned with how we navigate our way through this chaotic transition time accentuated by the COVID pandemic.” 

~Professor Alexander Schieffer, Ph.D. Co-Founder. ​Home for Humanity​, Adjunct Professor, Da Vinci Institute, South Africa, 

“The Quest of Rose immerses us in the life of one young COVID survivor, Rose, and her quest for deeper meaning after her brush with death. Through Rose’s vivifying dialogues with her evocative grandmother, Verdandi, and her peers, we participate actively in her unfolding discovery of the cosmic architecture of life. We engage side by side with Rose in activating our imaginal cells and expanding our states of consciousness through grandmother Verdandi’s potent exercises to unfetter our quantum powers. We not only share the mythic initiation journey of Rose, but learn with her how to transform our own lives and become the future humans we need to be to create the future world that works for all. This is THE paramount book for our times!” 

~ Dr. Rama Man​i​, Ph.D. Co-Founder, Home for Humanity, Convenor Centre for International Studies, University of Oxford   

"Join Rose along her journey as she discovers what it truly means to be human. Her urgency and enthusiasm to uplift humanity is ever so critical as it coincides with the rapid changes happening throughout humanity and planet Earth. From the greatest depth of our soul to the very social fabric that holds our society and how we interact, realizing in each moment we have a choice, to dream, to create and truly be our own cosmic architect. The lessons and wisdom generously taught to us by Anneloes and Jean reveal valuable stories,  keys, codes and blueprints to change our life stories to those courageous enough to step outside of the known into a wondrous imaginal realm where the world we see, feel and experience is the result of our choice of self love and alignment with the Cosmos. This book is overflowing with connection points of evolutionary biology, physics and references some of the most cherished mystical teachers from our human story. Dr’s Smitsman and Houston timely and eloquently weave the yin perspective that holds the womb space necessary to birth and sustain the life force of what is possible for humanity as part of our rightful evolution."

~ Susan A Manewich, President of New Energy Movement, Co-Director of the Nui Foundation for Moral Technology

“Going through the lines of The Quest of Rose feels like surfing the Great Wave. The Cosmic breath seems like being called back, driving one with a soothing balm into a return home in our hidden heart. Each word within it, as a symphony, has an everlasting light showing the sacred interaction of being. And as a handbook, it is fully packed with essential practicals.”

~ Dr. Kurt Barnes, N.D., DEA., Founder & Chair of EARTHwise Centre, psy-coach, and international psycho-social expert

“Jean Houston embodies the generous, catalytic and enlightened servant-leadership that inspired His Holiness the Dalai Lama to opine that the world will be saved by the western woman — and in fact, she has inspired and mentored many of them! Now, as the patriarchal patterns of industrial civilization are unraveling, women are coming to our rescue. Dr. Houston is bringing her powers together with the genius of a brilliant younger woman, Dr. Anneloes Smitsman, who embodies a fresh emergence of feminine creative leadership. Enjoy and let your eyes be opened and your soul be nourished by what emerged — Future Humans: The Quest of Rose. It tells a relatable story - of Rose’s (and our collective) near-death encounter in this apocalyptic time — and the discovery, exploration and transmission of infinitely renewing and magical nature of our living universe. As a reader, we accompany and participate in a human story, gradually coming to see and understand how to live in a world that is profoundly multidimensional and magical, and yet single, whole, wholesome and holistic. Drs. Houston and Smitsman are playfully inviting each of us to join them, and in the process, to recognize and use our latent powers and potentials to co-create and inhabit a thrivable future for our children and grandchildren. You’ll finish this book amazed and joyful.” 

~ Terry Patten​, Author, ​A New Republic of the Heart​

“We are faced with a tsunami of books showing us where we are on our spiritual evolution as a society, let alone a species. My belief for many years has been that humanity is suffering an identity crisis. We have truly lost our way, and in our desperation to avoid the culture of death that we have created, we are attempting to fix our challenges at the level of effect, not cause. It will never work. At last, a book has emerged from the brilliant radiance of Anneloes Smitsman and the steady, all-encompassing heart of Jean Houston. Follow Rose as she discovers who she is, and discover who you are. Do the exercises and anchor that discovery in meaningful action. This is not a plea to read a book...This is a plea to change the story of who we truly are, so we can choose a culture of life.”

~ Lawrence Bloom, Secretary General, Be Earth Foundation, A UN Intergovernmental Organization 

“The Quest of Rose is an extraordinary and unique creation. It is amazingly exciting, informative and inspirational. A combination of scientific treatise, cosmic adventure, and an imaginal feast. The structure of Rose’s story, related in conversation with, principally, her grandmother and friend Sophia, releases a body of wisdom, vision and a wealth of cutting edge contemporary scientific material revealed to her through a near-death experience from contracting Covid-19. It is a fascinating contemporary premise that challenges mind, heart and soul in a profound way. The beautiful Cosmic Compass design and visual aids are all great assets and most useful to understanding some of the more complex ideas.” 

~ Penny Joy, Filmmaker, Scriptwriter, and Facilitator of Restorative Justice Circles

"Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston have beautifully infused their own mystical life experience, scientific evidence-based wisdom, and their unique essences into the story of Rose, Verdandi, and the other characters. As you read these pages, you embark on a journey that activates your future becoming and your own remembering. These books are a “Potteresque” experience, and essential literature for people of all walks and ages. It is through the keys, tools, practices, and knowledge they share that we become aware of the important role that is ours to play for this time as we become the co-creative members of the Future Humans World."

~ Justine Page, Founder of The Essence Effect, and co-founder of EARTHwise Centre

"A post-pandemic future that thrives in harmony with the whole of life needs future-ready humans. The wise future human’s quest is guided by a compass. Rose, the book’s heroine, takes the reader on a magical experiential journey of reflective discovery. Source codes of life, cosmic architecture, and heart intelligence interweave through beautiful story telling. Their deep wisdom ensures the compass course of our quest will always point 'True North’. A masterpiece to be read again and again by all called to build back a better world based on universal truth, trust and love.” 

~ Steven Lovink, Bridge-builder to a Whole New World.  

“It feeds you sacred sauce that radiates enlightenment marinated through the unity of collective generational sharing. The words create immersion into transformative evolutionary literature as the stories embrace the soul exploring the edutainment. I felt the light within the words.”

~  Jewels Rottiers,  Creator, innovator, and Silicon Valley consultant

"Welcome to the world of Rose - a young woman going through a traumatic end-of-life situation, aiming to find the new she can rely on in her still young life. She's the embodiment of the challenges to the greater whole we now face, with human extinction as a threat, and planet Earth rejecting humanity, if - and that stands for Rose's search - we're not transforming towards regeneration & thriving. The transformation of the caterpillar, from structure to fluidity, to new structure, is one of the wonders of evolution. But it shows the way humanity needs to let go and build up anew. Follow Rose in her transformation, and join her for the sake of the greater whole, of which we are all part of. What an inspiration that journey of Rose is!” 

~ Ralph Thurm, Managing Director r3.0, Author of The Corona Chronicles - Envisioning a New Normal for Regeneration and Thriving

“Two of my favorite visionaries have taken us on a journey into the imaginal realm  - merging historic archetypes with those evolving from the quantum field of our future selves. Jean has been my guru, storyteller and tour guide into the possible human for decades. And after having worked with Anneloes, who has the gift of merging imaginal thinking with the frontiers of science, it is hard to conceive of a more perfect pair to chart the pathway for an evolutionary coherent reality. This marriage of storytelling, science and imaginal thinking and being, is truly original - yet on some level, for me it was completely familiar, evoking an innate knowingness. As Rose recognizes that “the Universe is also a womb” humankind needs to birth a new narrative. Whether you are an expert or new to the path, this shero’s journey is a mythology for the unfolding new world we are creating. It will surely kickstart your imaginal cells.”

~ Janice Hall, President of Natural Network International, social alchemist, and business ecosystem designer of thrivable worlds

"The Quest of Rose is a compelling new paradigm story of transformation and metamorphosis, transmitted through the insatiable curiosity of a young woman, Rose, in conversation with her wise old grandmother. Together, with family and friends, they unlock the essential keys of self-awareness and conscious choice, liberating new dimensions of communication, to enable future human beings to imagine and co-create the world differently. Wisdom visionaries, Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston, invite you on an adventure, beyond the duality traps of these unprecedented times, to skillfully navigate and transform the evolutionary tensions and moral complexity of life on Earth. Once begun, it is difficult to put this book down. It empowers the intention to set sail beyond the safe harbor, to face and embrace the primordial forces of evolution, to re-discover the Universe as a sentient, harmonious realm of infinite potential, and compassionate loving presence."

~ Chloe Goodchild, Sound Visionary, Voice Pioneer, Singing Philosopher, Author, The Naked Voice, Transform Your Life through the Power of Sound

"The Universe is shaking loose new Cosmic archetypes for each of us to find our part in the new unfolding story. This work provides the platform from which the world can arise.”

~ Yanik Silver, Creator and author of Cosmic Journal and Evolved Enterprise.