I LOVE to LAUGH!!

I think I was recently discussing in my raw foods yahoo group how much I have been LOVING laughing lately. Laughing has helped me to really stay happy and find joy and peace so MUCH easier. Here is a GREAT article I found on the health benefits of laughter. There is TONS of info in the internet, if you want to research it more.

Ricky Gervais is one of the FUNNIEST and most ENTERTAINING people I have EVER seen. I must say that I LOVE British humor so....if you are not into it, then you may not think this is funny. Chris first told me about him when he bought the British version of the show "The Office." This series is truly one of the most HYSTERICAL things I have EVER seen. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed so hard!! Then Chris and I one night started delving through the You Tube videos and found this one. I have been wanting to post it for some time but....I am a bit slow and it took me FOREVER to figure out how to post it on your blog. I think I finally figured it out and now I can share the joy of laughter with all of you. I just want to forewarn that there is a bit of swearing in this and in the series, so if you find that offensive you may not want to watch this! For those who do watch it, I hope your day has been uplifted and you feel refreshed and rejuvenated!!

There is a FUN little website put together by a woman named Karen Bishop. I signed up to receive her latest energy alerts. I really enjoy them!! One day I was reading one to Chris and, of course, he was making fun of me and my "out there" ideas. Well, it was SO funny because the further I read, the more it hit home in his life and pertained to what he was going through. I was laughing so hard by the end. I can't even tell you how many times that has happened with all my VOODOO stuff. Life is such a great learning ground, isn't it?

Well....anyway I was reading today's and I thought I would post some of what she says. She is talking about the current fire issues in California and how that is affecting all of us in one way or another. You can read the whole article HERE! I am just posting a small piece of what she says. I know it can be a bit "out there" and though I feel she speaks lots of truth, I am grateful for the articles because I take what I might need from them and leave the rest!!

"Some might say that we are being attacked by the darkness, as it does not want the light to take over and shine so brilliantly. But this is only a lower level interpretation stemming from the minds we operated from which resided in a lower vibrating reality. We no longer live in those states of dis-connect from our higher level selves. And in this way, the polarity and blaming things of the outside can no longer exist. Thus, it becomes more evident than ever, that we are simply purging and releasing all the darkness within us. And as the true lightworkers that we are, we transmute these darker and denser energies through ourselves.

So in this way, all we can seemingly see is darkness, darkness everywhere. This is because it is up and out, leaving, and it can hide no more. I have not seen or experienced or felt this much of the darker energies all at once for several years. This state we currently find ourselves in is a very common phase of the ascension process, and very normal indeed. It simply means that we are, as always, right on track as we climb the ascension ladder, and are moving some big chunks of darkness, assisting them on their way to a new and better matching residency."

What else? I am currently reading a book called "The Jackrabbit Factor." It has been interesting but I am still trying to decide what I really think of it. This week, because of an immense gift from some person who I feel so GRATEFUL for, I am attending an "Art of Womanhood" Conference. I wasn't going to be able to attend and I thought I would want to go. We couldn't afford it!! A very good friend of mine emailed to tell me they had a full paid scholarship available and I might be able to get it. I called the woman in charge immediately and I GOT IT!! So....if for some strange reason, the person who donated the money for me to go is reading this, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!! My heart is so FULL of LOVE for your gift!! I will be "paying it forward" at some later date, I am sure!

Anywho, I am reading the book with the intent to discuss it at the conference. I think I was meant to find it to help Chris more than me. Chris NEVER reads and I recommended that he read it so....he started it yesterday and is already half way done. It is a pretty easy read but it teaches the basic idea that thoughts are things! I have decided that if this is a new concept to you then this is an EXCELLENT book to teach the idea! So...I would recommend to those people who just recently saw the movie "The Secret" or are just beginning on the path of our creative power! I will keep you posted on my final consensus of it when I finish.

Now the diet. Um....yesterday I ate:

October 28th:

1-2 quarts of water

1 cup OJ with green powder and herbs

lots of grapes

2 quarts of green drink

more grapes

Large salad with our homemade pizzas DELICIOUS!!

So....I used to teach about our homemade pizzas at my transition classes. David came over for dinner last night and had been requesting raw food. Well, since I have to cook for my family, it is hard to want to make more than one meal. Instead I remembered this dish that is basically "almost raw", if there is such a thing. LOL!! It's a lot of FUN, TASTY, and VERY healthy!! Here is how you make it. I think EVERYONE should try it and eat it!! We all LOVE them.

First, preheat your oven to about 375 degrees. Then, you take the Ezekial Sprouted Wheat Tortillas. You can make your own raw pizza sauce which is what I used to do (I think I have a recipe for it in my Rachel Raw Recipes book), or at Good Earth they sell the BEST pasta/pizza sauce EVER. It is in a blue can with on the pasta isle. So....spread that on your wheat tortilla. Then you cover the sauce with any fruit or veggies you want on your pizza. Last night we had pineapple, olives, onions, tomatoes, red bell peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, raw cheese, mushrooms! That is all I can remember anyway. But....just like any pizza you can put anything you want on it. Then....you take and VERY CAREFULLY put it directly onto the rack in the oven. It only needs to stay in for about 5 minutes, maybe even less. When it is done, take it out, cut in pieces and ENJOY!! This is SO YUMMY, I promise.

That is all for today. God bless you all!!

Abundant peace,

Rachel

by Rachel Talley

The Whale Song

I have always been fascinated with humpback whales. From what I read about them, they are AMAZING creatures. I received an email about a humpback whale being saved which is a GREAT article. It can be found HERE!! The article inspired me to do some research and learn more about humpback whales. I remember learning about them in the past but....I was once again reminded of what beautiful creatures they are.

Right now, I am actually listening to their songs which I found at The Whalesong Project Website. If you click the picture of the whale on their home page, you get 2 hours worth of their songs. I just LOVE them and think the are so melodic and relaxing. Also, they have a very informative FAQ's page that I would recommend reading. Oh, and don't forget all the really cool photos. They are MAGNIFICENT!!

It would be SO EXCITED for me to swim with humpback whales. I don't know, I guess my little girl parts that has always thought they were such special creatures is still present!! This has been A LOT of fun for me. The other really neat part about sea water and animals is some educational info (which I am pretty sure I have posted before but I am going to post again) which states that the mineral content of seawater is almost exact same as our blood. How cool is that? Here is just a tidbit of that info for your reading pleasure.
That the mineral content of seawater is practically the same as blood is significant, and it is a fact, according to Dr Maynard Murray, that seawater contains all the trace minerals needed by humans. Dr Murray demonstrated forcefully that animals fed on his crops fertilized sparingly with diluted seawater exhibited superior growth and health compared to other animals. This is described in Dr Murray's book Sea Energy Agriculture (see Chapter 8). Said Dr Murray:

"The disease resistance of plants and animals in the sea is remarkably different from disease resistance in land animals and comparisons between animals of the same or similar species are most interesting. For example, fresh-water trout all develop terminal cancer of the liver at the average age of 5-1/2 years; cancer has never been found in sea trout. It is also known that all land animals develop arterio sclerosis, yet sea animals have never been diagnosed as arteriosclerotic. Investigators have also established the startling absence of disease in the sea, citing not only the absence of 'chronic' disease forms, but especially the general vigorous health of sea animals that has apparently lengthened life many times in comparison to similar land species. These longevity differences are especially evident in such sea mammals as whales, seals and porpoises who have identical physiological systems with the majority of land animals important to man. And the major differences between sea and land life appear to be attributable to the superior food chain of the sea!"

Dr Murray's many experiments with all kinds of crops and animals all showed dramatic benefits from sea minerals. For instance:

"Started feeding mice both experimental and control, food that was raised on the Ray Heine and Sons Farm. The experimental food had been raised on soil fertilized with 2200 pounds (per acre) complete sea solids. The control food was the same as the experimental with the exception that it was not fertilized with complete sea solids. The food consisted of a combination of one part soybean, two parts oats, four parts corn, balanced food proteins, carbohydrates and fats for mammals.

C3H mice were obtained for this feeding experiment. This strain of mice has been bred so all the females develop breast cancer which causes their demise. The mice were two months of age when received and started on the feeding experiments. The life expectancy of this strain for females is no more than nine months which included the production of two or three litters. The experimental and control groups both consisted of 200 C3H mice and those fed on control food were all dead within eight months seven days. The experimental mice that were fed food grown on the sea solids fertilized soil lived until they were sacrificed at 16 months; definitive examination revealed no cancerous tissue. The experimental group produced ten litters compared to the usual two to three litters and none developed breast cancer.

In the next experiments, twenty-four rabbits were obtained. Twelve were designated experimental and fed on food grown on sea solids while the remaining twelve were labelled control and fed accordingly. All of the rabbits were given a high cholesterol diet for six months which produces hardening of the arteries. The control group did develop hardening of the arteries and all had died within ten months. The experimental group did not exhibit hardening of the arteries."

Another way people can obtain all the colloidal minerals they need is from fresh seawater taken about a teaspoon a day. Health from the Sea and Soil, by Charles B. Ahlson (Exposition Press, NY, 1962), described the remarkable health improvements by people with different ailments gained simply by taking fresh seawater. It is important that the seawater is fresh and unheated, because once heated the minerals lose their colloidal status necessary for the body to properly utilize them.

Fresh kelp and even dehydrated kelp is a good source of minerals from the sea and it is becoming common practice for farmers desiring the best crops while at the same time avoiding poisonous spraying to fertilize them with fertilizers derived from sea kelp.

And finally, on the subject of seawater minerals is a recent item from the Queensland Fruit and Vegetable News:

"There may be hope for Australian deserts if recent Israeli research is any indication.

Today thirsty plants are not only drinking but thriving on seawater at an experimental farm near the town of Ashkelon on the Mediterranean Sea.

Dr Dov Pasternak from the Boyko Institute at Ben Gurion University, is overseeing the project which is studying 150 species of plants irrigated by sea water.

The research into seawater for irrigation is directly related to the successful efforts of Dr Samuel Mendlinger, also from the Boyko Institute, to produce a special strain of sweet, high quality autumn melon grown on brackish water using drip and sprinkler irrigation.

Among other fruits and vegetables being successfully irrigated by saline water from underground aquifers are asparagus, broccoli, sorghum, olives, peas, and pomegranates.

Agricultural production in 14 southern Israel settlements is now based on underground saline water, and instead of costly desalination Israelis are taking advantage of Nature's abundance, learning to harness sea and sub-soil water to grow crops."

Oh, you guys, the books that I recently posted on the side bar of my blog page are AWESOME!! They are even more than awesome. They are eye opening and inspiring. I loved them both but my favorite was "The Hummingbird's Daughter." For you idealists out there, READ IT!! The main character in the book, Theresita, is a REAL person. Luis Alberto Urrea, the writer and descendant of Theresita, has an intriguing article on his site discussing a bit about her life. That will give you an idea of what the book is about. But then.....I just recently found a COOL article that was written at the time that she was arrested. Read it and you will understand that she was a real person with gifts given to her from God. This book changed my life. I can't go on enough about it. Go out and buy it yesterday.

Now to the diet. My yeast infection is pretty much gone. Oh, but I had another great learning experience last night. Chris and I went out to eat at Tucano's. I ate just some salad and steamed veggies. Well, the salad I got, I am sure, had TONS of fat and I think might of even had cream. (even though I didn't realize it til later) But....soon after eating, I had extremely loose bowels and my intestines were being really weird. I didn't have pain or cramping but I could just tell things were NOT moving the way I would like them too!! I am wondering if it might have even been the whole salad bar thing and food just sitting out for a long period of time. Anyway, I won't be doing that again.
When I first went back to eating some cooked, I was pretty mild in the beginning. I normally stay away from grains because I DO NOT like the way I feel eating them. Then I started eating some more processed things just periodically. Oh, like bread. I am NOT a bread fan. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the taste and texture but my body DOES NOT like it. Twice I ate some bread. Big shocker, the bread was the physical manifestation of the yeast infection. It was 2 days later that I got one. So....I must say the infection has been a blessing.

I have gone back to eating mostly raw almost all of the time. It has been years though since I have done any gourmet or even too heavily combined raw foods. I have really never been able to feel good eating that way. I have found, like I have already stated, that I actually do better with lightly steamed veggies than any of the heavily combined high fat, high sugar raw food dishes. Oh, don't miss understand me. I think they ROCK and are usually AMAZINGLY delicious especially Omar's dishes or even Sage's raw dishes. I had my day believing I could eat them and still feel good and have everything function great but soon learned that, for me, that wasn't the case. The less food combining and the more plain and simple my food is the better I feel.

The really FUN thing I have been doing lately is reading over an SO AMAZING website that has TONS of the works and writings of Mahatma Gandhi.

There is a BEAUTIFUL article written about health and diet that teaches is beliefs on the subject. I was reading over it last night. I had read it before but wanted to read it again and get a better feel for it. I was reading over the food section of the article and was, once again, in awe of his light and wisdom. I don't know if I ever mentioned but one of the first books I read that lead me to a path of living a higher vibrational life was his book "Gandhi, An Autobiography." If you haven't read it, another masterpiece of sheer bliss. This is a book I will read over and over. Such excitement and LOVE!!!

Ok, now to what I have been eating. Well, I already mentioned what I ate last night. But...for breakfast and lunch I just had my usual of green drink and grapes. That's basically what I have been eating all day until dinner, as of late. You will find that I stay on the same diet for a short period of time until I try something new and then move on. But....as I have stated in the past my diet is pretty BORING!!

Here is what I ate today:
October 27th:
1+ quart of water
1 cup OJ mixed with green powder and fungal herbs
a few grapes
1 1/2 quarts green smoothie
more grapes
more OJ with green powder and fungal herbs
steamed green beans with salt and nutritional yeast
1 lb. romaine lettuce with smoked dulse seaweed and tomatoes with a green salsa wrapped in a corn tortilla AWESOME!!
2 small chunks Xochi dark chocolate (it's some multi level marketing thing and someone gifted me some chocolate pieces. They are YUMMY and supposed to be VERY healthy almost raw)

Man, now that I look at it, it seems that I ate TONS of food but it doesn't seem like that much when I am eating in it. Oh, and I will take more green drink and herbs again later. There ya go on the food thing.

Lastly, I had a friend ask a question the other day about how she had been all raw the whole summer but as soon as it got cold she was craving EVERYTHING!!! She said she couldn't stand it anymore and gave in. She asked why that was and what she could do about it. I mentioned that I believed it was a pretty strong universal pull at this time of year. That, especially in the United States, we are emotionally and physically preparing for the holidays. I believed that her own childlike parts, along with EVERYONE else's who is also craving was making it quite hard for her to move past those cravings and overwhelming feelings. I could tell she didn't want that to be the answer. She wanted me to tell her some quick fix where all cravings and emotional desires for food all of a sudden disappear. So sorry!! I wish I did have the magic pill but I don't. Sometimes just incorporating some lightly steamed veggies or even sprouted corn tortillas go a LONG way when the winter holiday months "come to town"
so to speak. But....I think as we all strive, as a whole people who are all really connected and one, to move to a space of healthier eating.....we can then move past holiday cravings a bit easier. Not that we can't do it even without the change of others but I believe it will be TONS easier when we are all making more of an effort to be physically, spiritually and emotionally healthy and strong. I think the personal strides we each make to love ourselves a bit more than gives someone else the space and ability to do the same for themselves. We are all ONE BIG HAPPY family!! That is just such a neat feeling for me. I LOVE IT!!

I am finally done for today. I have done good with the posting so far, eh? God bless you all.

Abundant peace,
Rachel

__._,_.___

by Rachel Talley

Healing Our Lives

Ok, here is the email I received last night from a friend. She is SO sweet and always emailing me to let me know what she thinks of my recent post. I really LOVE it when people email me and let me know some inspiring thoughts about what I post. But...I wanted to just share this because I will be posting more and thought others might be interested in some of the emails I receive in regards to my blog.


Rachel

I have really missed your blogs - I keep checking every few days and they always lift me when you post. I can understand how it would be hard to come up with things you think are of interest. I enjoyed your thoughts on the conference talk. I also just enjoy hearing about your life and how you work through your struggles and what you eat each day - those things are interesting to me. For me, you don't always have to have a subject to talk on - I just enjoy knowing how your doing and what your doing and the struggles you face each day. Helps me get through some of min.

Thank you so much for taking your time to write.
After reading this, I decided I would try to be more diligent in my posting. Thanks Torey for prodding me forward and keeping me on track.

Since she stated she would like to know of my daily struggles, here is one. About a week ago I got a yeast infection. Before starting raw foods, I had SEVERE candida issues and even after eating raw they have come and gone. They became much more manageable after my diet change but still not fully under control like I would like it to be. Of course, until recently, I had no idea they were probably emotionally based. As I look back at times of when and where I was in my life when I got one, it was ALWAYS a stressful, overwhelming time. It was always a time when I felt extremely anger and resentful of my present moment in life. I would be feeling unsupported and unloved.

There is an EXCELLENT book that I read years ago but decided to pull out and look at after the return of another infection. It is called "You Can Heal Your Life." I LOVE Louise Hay. She was one of the first to discuss the idea of "thoughts as things." She even has put together a Internet radio station that has TONS and TONS of AMAZING and INSPIRING talks and discussion by people who have learned from life and are now helping to motivate and teach others.

Anywho, I was flipping through her book and wondering what yeast infections meant emotionally and what do you know, feeling unsupported! Big shocker for me, eh? So......I was thinking about this. I was thinking that I don't consciously feel unsupported or that I am not taking time for myself. Then I started praying that if this was really true for me, which I was already believing it must be from past experience, then it must be true now. And sure enough, through God's grace and love, I started to recognize my anger and resentment toward myself and my husband and oh....pretty much everyone. It is SUCH a WONDERFUL thing to be able to pray for answers and then GET THEM. It was interesting the way the answer came. It came in a way where instead of the Lord telling me what I wasn't seeing, I all of a sudden started seeing what I hadn't been before. I started noticing my feelings that I normally ignore and act like aren't there but then over time just fester until one day I have a total EXPLOSIONS.

The yeast infection is kind of a blessing and a hardship, as most learning experiences are. I realized that this time I didn't blow but I created self sabotaging behavior and attacked myself instead of attacking others. I tend to go back and forth with this behavior. This is another thing I am trying to work on. Really, as soon as I something is open to me to notice whether it be physical or emotional, that I will IMMEDIATELY take it to the Lord and ask for help and understanding. Then use the atonement to help me move through the pain I really don't need to carry.

I have been doing my emotional and spiritual work and it has helped A LOT with the infection but I also decided to try some herbal remedies that have ALWAYS worked. They are powerful and very effective. It is the Garden's of Life "Fungal Defense." To be honest, I LOVE Garden of Life's products more than most. With all of my bowel issues, when I am in a pickle or just feel the need to take something, I usually turn to their products along with my powdered green drink.

The products have worked WONDERS and I am feeling MUCH better. I feel so blessed that Mother Earth, through our Creator, has provided so MUCH abundance to aid us in staying healthy and strong. I am VERY grateful for herbs and plants that help our bodies help themselves. Such a AMAZING gift!!!

What have I been eating? Hmmmm, well, my diet consists of about 90% raw foods. I am still LOVING some of the cooked foods I am eating. I think from a physical stand point, one of the reasons for the yeast infection was the HIGH fat foods I had been eating. They were still considered VERY healthy but TONS more fat than I have been used to so I have cut WAY down on my fat intake. I went off all fats for a week as soon as the infection begun. I am now eating some fats but keeping it at smaller amounts for what I am used too.

Since I am going to be posting more, I will start posting what I have been eating again. It is still hard for me to post it since it is not all raw. I tend to feel that I might be judged by some of the more local hard core raw foodists but I will have to learn to get over that, I guess. I am sure I am still judging myself harshly because I am an idealist and I feel I am letting myself down in some way. OH brother!! What a great opportunity to get over it!!

October 24th I ate:
2 heaping tbsp. green powder and Vit. C mixed in OJ
2 quarts green drink
Lots of grapes
5 rounds of garlic and herb polenta mixed with lots of salad greens and salsa YUMMY!!
4-5 small pieces of grilled sliced potatoes
Tons of steamed green beans with salt and nutritional yeast

I think that is it for today. I hope everyone is well and will check back more often.

Abundant peace,
Rachel

P.S. I hope everyone knows that when I talk about supplements on my blog, I am NOT trying to sell anything. I just thought it might be helpful and interesting to others to know what has worked for me. I get NOTHING by stating what supplements I use. Just thought I would add that.

by Rachel Talley

The Great Commandment

I know I haven't been blogging much lately, AGAIN! I hope everyone just keeps checking back to see when I might post. In order for me to not feel so stressed out with it all, I have decided that when I have time to post something interesting I will. And when I don't, I will just post an inspiring quote or something that means a lot to me. The quotes I recently posted I absolutely LOVE!! I hope others are inspired by them also.

Well, we recently had General Conference which I thought was AMAZING! I was VERY inspired by some of the talks and felt prompted to share my favorite with you all. I may post my second favorite sometime soon but even if you have already read it, I recommend reading it again and again. This talk was especially BEAUTIFUL because Brother Wirthlin is old and was having a hard time standing while giving it so another loving man came a stood behind and held him up as he was feeling weak. He helped him to remain strong. Don't we all do that for each other. We are here to help hold each other up! We are here to preach of Christ and ask Him to help us find strength when we feel weak. We can definitely lean on each other when need be but the ultimate gift from our Savior is that he will ALWAYS be there for us even when others cannot. When we choose to let His shining LIGHT and LOVE into our hearts, we can then more fully feel grateful for the life, death and resurrection of our brother and closest friend, Jesus Christ. I shed tears at such a act of LOVE during a AWESOME talk that spoke of LOVE! I hope all of you will feel that same feeling of hope, faith and peace as you read and reread this talk!

Abundant peace,
Rachel

Here is the link to the talk: http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-775-10,00.html

Here is the actual talk. God bless!!

The Great Commandment

by Rachel Talley

Kindness

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." ~ Lao-Tzu

by Rachel Talley

Love, Love, Love

"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius."
~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

by Rachel Talley

Faith vs. Fear

I want to share how OVERWHELMED I am by the respond from my last post. I was VERY surprised. I was concerned that I might be judged or misunderstood but found people to be the exact opposite. I have learned so much just through this experience. I felt loved in a place where I was feeling down about myself and some of my current choices. It felt GREAT to know that even in my humanness and weaknesses that people would still LOVE and ACCEPT me. I have had a hard time loving and accepting this part of myself. It is SO WONDERFUL to think that if others can love and accept me in these choices, then I definitely can love and accept myself. I think want to thank EVERYONE who responded and send words of support and compassion. I can’t truly express in words how much it meant to me. So….thank you my fellow brothers and sisters!!

Chris and I needed to take a last minute trip back east to purchase more cars for our little business. I have had time this morning to ponder and pray upon a few thoughts I had during and after reading my scriptures. I was reading in The Book of Mormon in Alma 29 where Alma is rejoicing in the Lord and the power of repentance and redemption. There was a particular scripture which spoke to my Soul and I wanted to post it here for you. It can be found in Alma 29:4-5.

"I ought not harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that He allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

Yea, and I know that good and evil come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience."

I have read this scripture I don't know how many times but this time it struck me. I firmly believe that we create our current situation throughout all of life. Whatever we see in our present existence is what we have choose for ourselves, whether to learn from or find joy and happiness in. I say, "to learn from" because I have found that once I choose to become a true disciple of Christ, by recognizing the need for utilizing the repentance process on a daily basis, I no longer feel the desire to be stuck in my unhappy state. If I choose to look at my unhappy state and long for the desire of my Creators LOVE in my life, then I choose to look at that situation as learning ground of how I have moved away from what the Lord would have me be.

I was reading on in chapter 30 about Korihor and who he was. As it states, he was the anti-Christ and was preaching to the people that there was no Christ. I found it interesting at the end of the chapter, that Kohihor is given the sign he requested by being struck dumb and then others are motivated to make any changes that need be to once again turn their hearts to Christ. As I was praying on this matter, I was questioning the Lord about why, it seems, fear must be used to aid in bringing about a change of heart for his sons and daughters.

I was outside on the lawn of our hotel smoking our pipe. I was looking around at the beautiful trees and listening to the sounds of life all around me. It wasn't long ago that I realized that of all the living species on earth, human beings are the only ones who do not inherently follow all of God's laws. All other life obeys His will for them and follows the measure of their creation at his command. It isn't until humans become involved in the change or even derangement of God's makings that we find His laws might then be thwarted by that particular species.

As I pondered this idea of fear, some of my first thoughts were that of the AMA or even our government. Over the past several years, I have come to understand that fear is a VERY good tactic to control the masses. A great example of this would be Adolf Hitler and the control he took over people and countries because he instilled fear into their hearts.

I must just say that as I have learned how to better ponder and pray upon questions and ideas that I might have, I have found the EXTREME and UTTER little I actually know. But...I believe that there are MANY things in our current lives that can be used for good or bad. An example of that would be television. There are MANY educational and uplifting shows that can be watched on TV but as we know, we can also become addicted to it and waste away our lives spending and over abundance of time in front of it when we could be doing something more productive. The computer is the same way.

I believe God uses fear to aid in our motivation of turning our hearts to him because we choose to be taught in this manner. It states in a later chapter in Alma 32:16-17.

"Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.

Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety: then we shall believe."

I can tell you that up until the present moment 99% of the time, I have been "compelled" to be humble. Just like the verse in chapter 29 tells us, we choose what we want and how we want to learn in this life. If we choose to learn by being "compelled" or by "being afraid", then God will use this tactic because he LONGS to have our hearts turn to Him. Throughout all of the Book of Mormon, God is "compelling" the people because of their hard heartedness and wickedness and inability to truly repent. This is why, in my opinion, God uses SO much fear throughout the scriptures. We are choosing to learn this way instead of using faith and repentance to bring about the connection with God, which I believe is inherently inside all of us.

Alma goes on in the next several verses discussing what faith is and how it is NOT the perfect knowledge of something and how we apply it in our lives. He is teaching what we need to look for and gives us exactly what we will see in order to find the good in something. These next few verses are some of my favorite verses in the Book of Mormon. They have helped me SO MANY times when I find something which I think is good but need help from the Lord to discern if it truly is or not.

Alma is discussing how faith is like a seed that when planted and is a good seed will grow and flourish but we must FIRST experiment upon the teachings of what the good is, in order to find the truth of it or not. He states in starting in Alma 32:27-28

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to Swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to Enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to Enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be Delicious to me."

Now the COOLEST part about this scripture is that what the Spirit of the Lord does in regards to the feelings and sensations we receive, actually spells the word SEED!! My sister learned his technique on her mission and passed it along to me. Thanks Kimmy!! This is how I remember when I am wanting to know the truth and goodness of something new I might be searching to understand.

S=Swells within our breast
E=Enlargeth our souls
E=Enlightens our minds
D=it becomes Delicious to us!!

The part I find quite interesting about that scripture is that it almost sounds like we might fight something that might be good by "casting it out." I was wondering if we might do that because we feel afraid. Here again we have fear playing a part in our learning and progression. The way I see it, our current knowledge and understanding or even one step further, our misguided judgments might make it harder, if not almost impossible, to see the good and truth in something. We then would hinder ourselves on our path to light and wisdom which would bring us closer to God.

Again, this takes me back to our own creative power in our lives. I believe that there are no mistakes, only paths to or from our Creator and his infinite LOVE!! We can choose to disregard something that might be good and of God because of our own present understanding. I have found that sometimes when I find something to be good but have turned away from it, it is because good brings out the light of God within us all. Sometimes we hold ourselves back from His light for fear of his acceptance and LOVE!! I do believe, and have recently gained faith in, the fact that God LOVES us all no matter what choices we may be making. His only desire for us to relearn how to FULLY connect with Him and be always FULLY conscious and present with all our choices so they will only reflect his LOVE in all things.

As I am learning how to really repent and seek forgiveness in my life, I have found that in order to truly let God's love and acceptance in, I must first let go of the negative emotions, beliefs, and energy that have kept me from His love. I have found this can be painful at times. This is why, I believe, there might be times when I can recognize on some level, that something might be good but turn my heart and understanding from it. Because if I recognize and see the goodness in it, then I might just have to "let go" of a something negative which I had believed was really serving me. But....as I learn to let go of it and repent for it and then place it at my Savior's feet, my heart and my mind become more open and responsive to the good and truth I maybe didn't see before.

I hope what I have written here makes sense. I am sure not all will agree but I feel the information I have received here, for me, is of God and I felt inspired to share it with you all.

So....onto the diet situation. I have been pondering and praying A LOT about my current diet choices. I am still deciding exactly where I am at and what is best for me, at the present moment. I am actually learning that I was still eating a raw foods diet, MOSTLY out of fear. I do believe the raw food in my life is truly a gift from God. I am finding that even though it is a gift, when life becomes hard, like is has been lately, and I may fall off the bandwagon, all my faith that God will still keep me healthy and strong goes DOWN the drain. Why wouldn't he? Am I not striving to be a true disciple of Christ and fully utilize the atonement on a daily basis?

I believe that God knows where I am at and understands the need to completely decipher my present choices and beliefs. I also believe that God LOVES me enough to still take care of me even when it seems I am making choices that might go against my education on a certain subject, like raw foods. I have known for years that there are SO many other factors that play into our health other than just physical but...it seems this insight is just barely creeping into understanding.

So….since I am on this trip, I have decided to put off the green smoothie cleanse. I am planning on doing one within the next week or so. For those who were interested in doing it with me, keep me posted of when might work for you!!
You know, I will be real honest, I am really having a hard time finding the desire to go back to 100%. I still drink green smoothies everyday and actually don’t eat anything cooked (if I do eat anything cooked that day) until dinner time. Like the other day, I ate some of my powdered green drink with apple juice for breakfast, then for lunch I had about a quart and a half of green smoothies, and then dinner was a sprouted wheat tortilla with olive oil, chopped spinach, soaked dulse, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil. I must admit, it was DELICIOUS!!

I figure when the time is right for me, I will feel it and just jump back on the bandwagon of 100% raw again. But…I am learning how much I dislike the labels we give each other. It prevents us from really feeling the love and strength of others because of our judgments. Once the labels are placed, our mind instantly places that person a little box that holds back or even makes stronger any deep connection we might make with that person. Depending on if our judgment of that label is “good or bad”. I have found that the closer I strive to understand the life of my Creator, the more my heart softens and I understand others choices. I find there is no box I put them in, just openness in trying to understand who they really are and love them in that place. I hope that I can get better and better at this. I find life is MUCH more peaceful when God’s grace works with me in this manner.

I hope this doesn’t disappoint anyone that I have still eaten some cooked food. Some of the responses I had about the last post were similar to my same feelings about not being a strict with their raw diets right now. Others just felt that they were also going through so much emotionally, that staying on an all raw diet was just too tough for them at the moment. I have one friend who can feel how raw food really opens her up and she finds it is too much emotionally. She feels much better when she incorporates some cooked to keep her a bit more balanced at this time in her life. This is why I feel it is VITAL that when we decide to incorporate more raw foods, especially if you are considering an all raw diet, that emotional processing and energy work play a large part, along with the physical changes. I hope everyone understands that I ABSOLUTELY believe an all raw diet IS the healthiest way to eat. I am sure that in the near future I will feel more of a need to move back into that space of eating all raw. I am just having FUN with life right now and doing what I can to let go of control and fear and finding the faith I need to own who I really am and what I stand for. My hope is that I can stand for PEACE and LOVE and GENTLENESS and UNDERSTANDING with ourselves and others. I have found that as I have made these dietary choices, it has made it easier for me to truly decide why and how I want to apply raw foods in my life. I do feel very blessed to be going through this and am striving to gather in all the wisdom from my friends, like all of you, so I can know that I have made a conscious and LOVING choice with whatever I put into my mouth.

It is such a blessing that I am married to a VERY balanced man. He has helped me SO MUCH to put these things into perspective. When I get down on myself for what I had eaten or am feeling like a failure, he helps me see the reality of the situation and understand that life IS NOT about food. Life is about finding God, joy, peace and LOVE!!! Do I believe that eating organic food directly from Mother Earth, with it’s high vibration, can assist us in receiving all of those things, of course!!! But…Chris helps me understand that what I am eating is still FREAKISHLY healthy!! That I can be gentle with myself and let myself feel loved, at times, when I need to feel it through eating foods that I might not normally eat. I find it interesting though that whenever I eat anything cooked, my heart is just SO MUCH MORE grateful for it then it would have EVER been in the past. I shouldn't say it is just with cooked foods but all foods.

I was talking with a friend on the phone the other day who has been going through similar issues. She has found she is finding so MUCH joy in all the organic, local produce. She was telling me how she was getting all kinds of SCRUMPTIOUS foods from her garden and from local farmers. She couldn't believe that by being conscious of this choice to be more conscious of where her food was coming from, really filled her heart with LOVE and SERENITY for Mother Earth and God. She is seeing all the gifts in these foods that they are giving her. I was so happy for her. She is moving through some deep emotional issues also and feels just seeing the beauty in all around her, helped her find the peace she is looking for. I must say, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with her. I am grateful for our conversation. It uplifted my spirits and I also thanked God for these gifts.

I think I have officially just babbled this whole post. It may not be as exciting as the last but I hope everyone will still comment. I just LOVED that so many stepped forward and really shared their deep feelings about themselves. WE were all vulnerable and in that space we all found that we truly are all the same. We are all ONE!! We are connected through the power of LOVE!!!

Abundant peace to all,

Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Love & Emotional Eating

So....I have been emotionally eating.
This year has been HUGE in regards to moving through some pretty strong energy and false beliefs. This time my eating has been so bad that I have been binging on some cooked foods. Can you believe it? I have been grateful for the experience though. I have been learning so much about the raw food diet and why I am eating it. Nothing new just different insights. It has been somewhat ironic to me because as of about a week ago, I was eating and feeling, physically, better than I ever have. Well, I should say that when I am "cleansing", I am not feeling too hot. But with how I have been eating over the past year or so, what I have eaten for the past week has been SOOOOOO out of the loop for me. I have eaten things like corn tortillas, slightly grilled veggies, sprouted wheat tortillas and even a couple slices of sprouted wheat bread. I think that is pretty much it. I eat all raw during the day but for the past 5 days, when evening comes I end up succumbing to eating something that I know isn't ideal for my body or where I want to be physically.

I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal but last time I ate anything even remotely cooked was when I first came out of the hospital 2 1/2 years ago. Because of my HUGE amounts of pride, I actually considered not writing about it on my blog. I wanted to try to keep this raw food facade I had and have made for myself. That I was some great raw foodist. What a joke eh? I truly have eaten an all raw diet for 5 years but have had moments here and there where either I want to try something to experiment with how my body will react to it or I am emotionally eating. I think there have been only a handful of times in the past 5 years that I have done it. But....I felt the need to share with others so I could break any false beliefs about myself I might have thrown out there.

To be completely honest, the whole situation has been OVERWHELMINGLY weird for me. I am trying to really wrap my head around the strong food addictions that are still so present in my emotional psyche. It's kind of funny because I vacillate between being grateful for the deep emotional baggage I am bringing forth and being able to work on and feeling completely down trodden because in some way I am letting myself down or even others. Can you believe it?

Some of the things I have learned is I DO NOT like the way I feel and look with the way I am currently eating. With my previous diet, my nails for the first time in my life, were growing long and strong. Just with 5 days of dehydrating my body with the cooked food, I have already had 3 nails break from becoming too brittle. Then morning fatigue is another side effect I am not appreciating. Oh, and I have also learned that emotionally eating (well I think I have already learned this before but now it is on a deeper level) doesn't EVER do the trick. I am hoping to feel better by eating what I really want but then find it to be a vicious cycle because I don't feel as good as I normally do so then I emotionally eat more. See the cycle here!! I am sure many of my readers have already figured this scenario out but I am a slow learner.

Another aspect of my learning is that even when you are not eating as ideally as you might like, you can still be so grateful for the food and puts LOADS of love into it and it almost transform the food into being MUCH easier to digest. I know that sounds a bit wacky but I TOTALLY believe it. Imagine as a child when your mom makes you those Chocolate Chip cookies you love so much. When you get home from school they are there waiting for you with milk. You know with the VERY first bite HOW MUCH your Mom loves you. I absolutely believe this can make a HUGE difference into how well we digest and assimilate it. The times when I was feeling lousy about choosing to eat something that I normally don't eat guaranteed I felt sicker after eating it. But....when I decided I was going to go ahead and eat it and LOVE it and ENJOY it to the fullest, the effects that I might have felt previous never become present. My final consensus is that when we choose to eat something that we know is not "great" for us, we might consider finding love for our food with the hopes that we can find peace all around. If we are educating ourselves and striving to listen and hear what our body and spirit is saying, we can then hopefully move through any eating that we might be doing because of emotional feelings.

I am now back to eating like I want to and how I feel best. I am going to do a green smoothie cleanse for the next week. If there is anyone interested in doing it with me, I would LOVE it!!! Right now, I need all the help I can get! I am feeling quite lost and confused in LOTS of aspects of my life. I feel I am letting go of so much and really finding who I truly am. I am grateful for the opportunity to humble myself and turn my heart to God. I need His help MOST of all!! But...feeling loved and supported by others is VERY important too!! I am SO grateful to all my friends and loved ones who stick by me through thick and thin and let me know that no matter how low I may feel, they are there to help lift and inspire me. Thank you dear ones!!

This is all for tonight. Thanks you everyone for being my continuous readers. I feel LOVED!!

Abundant peace to you all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Birth, Death and Sexuality

I was recently reading through some of my saved birth sites and found an AMAZING one that I hadn't spent time reading through. Her name is Robbie Davis-Floyd and her website is VERY educational and teaches so much about so many of the physical and philosophical aspects of pregnancy and birth. Well, I was reading her article titled "Culture and Birth: The Technocratic Imperative" and there is a VERY inspiring quote in it. I want to share it with you all.

"Through the act of controlling birth, we disassociate ourselves with its raw power. Disassociation makes it easier to identify with our "civilized" nature, deny our "savage" roots and connection with indigenous cultures. Birth simultaneously encompasses the three events that civilized societies fear--birth, death, and sexuality." --Holly Richards, "Cultural Messages of Childbirth: The Perpetration of Fear," ICEA Journal 7(3):28, May 1993

This quote brought up so many thoughts for me in regards to the current choices we make in all of life, not just birth. Because civilized societies greatest fears are birth, death and sexuality, how has this impacted so many choices we make on a daily basis? Just like all of us who truly want to control birth, are we all going about controlling our lives because of these 3 fears? In my life, I would have to say a HUGE YES to that one.

It has been interesting with me lately because I find that as I move through so much of my emotional, physical and spiritual issues and look honestly at my choices, the MAJORITY of my past choices have been ones based in a place of fear. I think that one of the reasons I find pregnancy and birth to be such a life changing experience is because we are somewhat forced to look at our crap and really decide what we can and will face. There are so many of us who are so scared, even given the opportunity, to face up to what might be inside of us and the really ironic thing about that is that we have TOTALLY created a society where it is SO easy for us to do. Life has become so non-traditional and so FAR AWAY from where we would be living more truth, that is has become almost HUMOROUSLY ridiculous how easy it is for us to really live 60, 70, 80 or even 100 years and NEVER really know ourselves and who we really are.

Lately, I have LONGED to live in a more tribal community where we fully understand ourselves, God, our Creator and Mother Earth. We have become so COMPLETELY disconnectedto each other and most things around us that I am realizing how we all kind of walk around like mummies, never really "getting it" because we so afraid of pain. In childbirth, let us not forget the fear of the pain. So many of us do whatever we can to strive to prevent ourselves from feeling the pain of bringing a new life into this world. Do we do this in our emotional and physical lives as well? Do we push others away and don't fully let their love in for fear that we will feel pain and sorrow? That maybe we will be rejected or unloved and because we all care SO much about what everyone thinks of us, we let this devastate us to the point where we all have chosen it is no longer worth it to fully let LOVE in for ourselves, for others and in receiving from others. I know I have and am currently still doing that in my life.

But....I had a dear friend recently had a baby. She ended up with a VERY needed C-section and soon thereafter we were discussing her feelings about her birth. She related to me that when they pulled her baby out, she looked at her and realized it was her child but was having the hardest time feeling fully bonded to her daughter, like she had to her other children after they were born. Her conclusion was that it had something to do with not being able to feel the labor pains that are normally felt during the birth process. She felt that feeling that pain and going through the whole process of childbirth somehow helped her feel more bonded and loving toward her baby. I found this very intriguing. I am sure there are some kind of studies done at this point on this very subject and I recognize that this may not be the case for everyone who had a child though c-section but for her it was VERY real and she felt the difference between the births.

My question then is....is it worth the pain that might come from loving to let love in? Recently when I was processing at our group, I was releasing some STRONG emotions in regards to my Dad's death. He died when I was thirteen and as you can imagine, it was DEVASTATING to me. I was working on connection with Chris and trying to understand why I wouldn't let him FULLY love me the way he wanted to. I longed for feeling loved by him and because I believe we create our current situation in life, I believed that it was me holding back from feeling his love. I proceeded to cry and found that I couldn't let his love in as much as I wanted because I was so afraid of him dying. I was disconnecting and actually using anger to not have to feel his love for me. As I was sitting there crying, David looked at me and said, "But...Rachel what if he did die and you knew you never let his love in or never loved him fully? Would you be happy then?" It was like this brick being thrown right at me. It hit me in the chest but I then understood what it meant to face our fears of pain, birth, death and sexuality because when we FACE them and let ourselves feel past grievances and sorrows, only then can we be more present in our current life and be LOVED and LOVE as compassionately as we possibly can. I would just like to add that because of my current beliefs, NONE of this can be done without the help of our Creator and Father. "Charity never faileth" and the reason is because it is a gift and it come through the LOVE of our Savior through us, to all about us!! I have felt it as I pray for it and move past my fears that are holding me back.

Sorry if today's post kind of seems like a ramble. I just wanted and felt I should get some thoughts out there. I think it is so great when I read something like this and I feel so impressed with thought and ideas. I hope it doesn't feel to boring to my few readers here. I hope it might shed some life into your current life and the choices you might be making. I pray that all of us can make choices that help us move past our fears, that we can open our hearts and minds to new and truthful ideas that will help to make the world a better place. I know I say that A LOT but I pray everyday that my actions will help to make the world a better place. Just like Gandhi I pray that I can "Be the change I want to see in the world."

Now for the eating stuff. The other night at group I had an AMAZING processing session. I released more in that night than I think I had released in my life. I am back to doing the all fruit and greens, no fat or salt diet and feeling great again. On Monday, which is the night we have group, I had done a lot of juice (fresh from Allred's stand) and mixed it with my Vitamineral green powder I love so much!! I think this prepared me for the processing to come that night. I had eaten only peaches and watermelon, along with the juice, that day. I was feeling really good but knew I have some negative emotional stuff I wanted to get rid of and I felt I was emotionally and physically ready. It was HUGE guys, let me tell ya!! It was AWESOME! I wish you all could have seen it.

Well, I knew I was doing some MAJOR cleansing because of the emotional release and the dietary changes. In fact, the coolest part of about it was when I was done I had brought up so much I actually started vomiting. I know that doesn't really sound cool but to me I was so glad because I could tell I have moved MASSIVE amounts of unwanted and unneeded energy. I just LOVE it when that happens. It just frees me up to feel more love for myself and others. I feel the Light shine through me and I feel so much more peaceful in my world. Isn't that great? Everyone can jump up and down and feel as excited as I do.

Yesterday because of the AWESOME cleansing, I fasted with water until late last evening I ate a bowl of peaches. I still would like to try a short water fast soon. I feel my body is longing for it and when the right time arrives, I will do it. I am excited for that.

So...today I haven't had much to eat.
2 cups of fresh apple juice
8 peaches

I think Chris and I are going to go to Tucano's to eat tonight. WE have a coupon and he LOVES it. I go and eat the fruit and salad bar. It is YUM-O!!!!

I think I need to take some kind of writing class because I feel I didn't fully communicate well enough on feelings in regards to our fears. One last thought I had though was that there is an EXCELLENT book called, "The Ways and Power of Love" by C. K. Allen that explain what I mean quite well. I read the book years ago but I think it might be time to pull it out and read it again. I highly recommend to those interested.

That's all for today. Oh, I hope everyone loved the burn pictures. Aren't they AWESOME?

Abundant peace to all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Finally, the Burn Pictures and More!!

I know it has been a week since I have posted again. So sorry to those of you who would like it if I posted more often. I had a request this week to finally post the burn pictures of my friend. I have been trying to figure out how to do this exactly. His brother, who took care of him AMAZINGLY, was VERY diligent at my request for the pictures so we could follow the healing process. So....I have about 60 picture of his feet, arms and legs. I have just been trying to figure out how to post them and get across how AWESOME his healing really was. I hope this turns out well and everyone can see the blessings of using Mother Earth helped heal my dear friend. He used Her gifts in more than just what herbs and oils he placed on the burns, he also took charge of his healing by consciously deciding what he would eat and not eat during the healing process along with any emotional issues he needed to heal to help speed up the process. He covered all his basis. This is taking charge of our own whole being health.

Aaron burned himself by accidentally falling into a raging fire. He ended up with 3rd degree burns on his feet and 2nd all over his arms and legs. We discussed with him the options of going to the emergency room but he stated he felt inspired to go the more "natural" route with his healing. There was a nurse who was present when he burned himself and she felt that he really needed to go to the hospital but he felt the need to put in faith in himself, Mother Earth and God. He took full responsibility for his own healing. I really was taken back by his strength even though he was in so much pain.

Right away, until I could get all my herbs and things together, we placed mud on each burnt sight. That stayed in placed for about an hour. Once I found everything I needed, we were ready to bandage him. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Dr. Christopher's Burn Paste. It consists of BF&C powder, wheat germ oil and honey. We did change the concoction off and on for his particular situation. We also used some essential oils as more healing took place. I have to say that I believe Dr. Christopher was TOTALLY inspired with his herbal combinations. I have seen some astonishing things from his herbal combos.

Another blessing involved in the healing process was that I have FRESH comfrey leaves growing in my back yard. How cool is that!! So we were able to make up the paste and then top it off with a bruised comfrey leaf on top. I did learn ALOT about burns years ago when I took Sandy Ellis's class on herbs. She has some mind blowing pictures in her latest book, "Dr. Mom's Healthy Living" book. I think, in her book, the healing that took place with the little boy actually took longer to heal than Aaron's and I thought the boy in the book had healed really fast.

Along with the paste he placed on the burns, he decided to change his diet to aid in his healing quicker. The first day he ate no food. Then he ate an all raw diet for over a week along with LOTS of fresh juices. After that he slowly added in more cooked foods while drinking fresh juices and taking some basic wide spectrum supplements. Don't quote me on this but I think about 3 weeks into his healing, he decided to jump on the Master Cleanse. He stayed on it for 31 days!! He found the MOST healing taking place during this time. He also lost 55 lbs. Weight he has been wanting to loose for some time. He looks and feels great now and feels grateful for everything he learned from the experience. He has recently made a switch to a vegetarian diet.

One last thought before I post the pictures, Aaron would not have healed at the rate he did without his MAGNIFICENT brother Jory taking care of him. He waited on him hand and foot for a month. He made all his meals and cared for his burns. Aaron couldn't walk for about 2 weeks but was able to walk again soon thereafter. I think I have decided to just show the worst burns and the healing that took place on those. Otherwise, it would take me the rest of my life to post all the pictures. Ok, now for the pictures.
This picture is the day after the incidence. Not so pretty, eh?
Here is the 4th day after. He decided to cut off the excess skin. He said it didn't hurt. It actually was more uncomfortable to leave it on.
Here is 10 days after. You can see the white parts that are actually new cell growth. If he had gone to the emergency room, each time this white film developed on the burn site, they would have scraped it off. We saw the new cell growth as soon as 1 day after the incidence. It was SO COOL!!
This is only 2 weeks after the initial burn. Can you believe it? I sure couldn't when I saw it. I was in AWE!!!
Here is 18 days after. Can you even tell he was burned there? Now it only looks like a mild flesh wound.
20 days after initial burn. I tried to download the 35 day after picture but it wouldn't let me. OH well!! Now it is FULLY healed and all is well. He does have some mild discoloration in spots for a time but that should be gone soon also. His feeling is 100% in all the spots that were burned. Here is a few more pictures from another of the worst burns.
More burns day 1 on the other foot.
The 4th day after. Notice it is already trying to scab on the ends. How MAGNIFICENT are our little bodies?!!
10 days after. Notice the residue from the burn paste.
14 days after. 2 week!! Can you believe it?
20 days after!!

You know, Chris thought it was a bit crazy to try and experiment on Aaron's feet. I think Chris has a pretty song testimony of alternative medicine but this was even a bit hard for him to believe. His testimony has now grown by leaps and bounds and he brags about how cool it is that Aaron was healed so quickly and effectively. The neatest part of the story though, is if you ask Aaron about his healing, he will thank God for he knows NONE of it would have taken place with his inspiration and LOVE involved.

Here is what I had today to eat.
Saturday, August 11th:
1 bunch of grapes
3 peaches
1/2 a falafal salad from Omar's
1/2 a Raw Pasta from Omar's

I would like to add here that Allred's Orchard on University Ave. is now open selling SO YUMMY for my TUMMY peaches and fresh, raw apple juice. I went and bought 4 cases of peaches today. I am sure they will be gone in the next couple of days. YEAH for peach season!!

My son Dean, who in 2 months will have eaten an all raw diet for 1 year, decided he REALLY wanted to go to Omar's. We went this afternoon and had A LOT of fun!! He loved it. He had been having some cravings lately and really needed some YUMMY raw foods. I could have made it for him but it probably wouldn't have been as good as Omar's. I don't think it is a coincidence that both of us have been craving a lot more lately. I think we both have EXCITING issues wanting to be looked at. He is doing GREAT and looking at them and really understanding himself and life.

I think the heaviness was, once again, a bit much for me. It was DELICIOUS but I am finding, yes once again, (how many times do you think I have to replay something before I listen to myself) that I am really just enjoying eating my own food at home with my family. That making my light meals with little to no fat and properly food combined, is when I feel the BEST!!! It has taken me 5 years of eating raw foods to finally figure out that eating out isn't really all I thought it was cracked up to be. I am TONS of emotional energy wrapped around eating out especially since so much energy has and had been wrapped up in the bonding that took place between my hubby and I every time we went out to eat. I know I still have stuff in there I am going to have to look at. But....I am quite grateful for what I have already looked at and moved through.

Oh, another BIG step for me this week was feeding my kids more of what they really wanted. MY kids will go over to the neighbor's house for food and eat TOTAL and COMPLETE crap. Things like cereal, pizza, candy and so forth. I was feeling so sad that they were doing that I decided to, once again, revamp the ways I am feeding my kids. I am felt blessed lately to be able to work through my emotional issues with what my kids chose to eat. As I have done that, I am finding I am more detached, in a VERY loving way, and my strongest desire is to give them their free agency and learn from their own experiences.

This week I made a HUGE pot of beans. I must admit that I make EXCELLENT beans. It happens to be one of the only cooked foods I make so well. I was trying to figure out what I could do so that my kids would eat at home. I talked to them about what they wanted and we came up with some more things I could incorporate at home that would give the desire to eat here. Chris was in TOTAL shock when he saw me cooking white flour tortillas for my kids. I couldn't believe it myself. Normally, I am SUCH a freak about what they eat and I really had NO emotion on it when I made it for them. They were SO happy and felt SO LOVED!! This in turn helped me feel happy that I felt blessed with some emotional healing. Along with the white flour tortillas, I have made LOTS of more cooked foods I normally wouldn't make for my kids. They eat here for every meal now and think life is so much FUN!! I know, I am sure most of you have chose to learn this in an easier manner. I pray I won't have to take the slow path on learning. That I can decide to switch my thinking, with the Lord's help, and quickly and smoothly move to the place of peace that I am longing for.

I think I need to stop for now. I have a few more things I want to share but my neck is hurting and kids are hungry for potatoes, of all things!! I will, once again, (sorry I just have to keep saying that because I think it's funny!! Hopefully you do too!!) try to post more often this week. Life is FULL of "once agains". We just keep chuggin' along doing our best!!

Abundant peace to you all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Gratitude in ALL of LIFE!!

I was SO inspired by a video I saw the other day. I apologize if someone who reads this is the person who sent it to me!! I can't remember where it came from. But...it is about a 20 year old girl with only 4 fingers and is a famous, AMAZING pianist. Her name is Hee Ah Lee. I was, like others in the video, was brought to tears by her BEAUTIFUL piano playing and her ability to be so focused and LOVE what she is doing. You know, how many times in our lives do we feel like failures or even feel we just can't do things? We are a society of people who feel OVERWHELMED by the smallest task. Part of the reason I believe it is that way is because we are SO busy all the time and anything else we add into our everyday lives makes things seem SO crazy.

Watching the video of Hee Ah Lee really helped me to put my own life into perspective. I recognize my ability to let myself get too busy and not really enjoy and be grateful for all my gifts and talents. Along with the gifts and talents of all my earthly brothers and sisters. How grateful I was just to have 10 fingers and 10 toes after watching the video. We forget, to every second of every day, find gratitude for all our many blessings. We do need to be counting them. Some times when I feel down and I am having a hard time finding things to be grateful for, in my given situation, I will start with just being grateful for my toilet or warm water for a shower or my rocking chair or my bed or whatever. We really ALL our SO blessed!!!

I am sure Hee Ah Lee is also grateful for what she has been given. I believe this is why she IS so talented. She doesn't see herself as any different than the rest of us but strives to be thankful for each and everyday and what it offers her. From my perception, this could and would help all humanity be just a bit happier and more at peace with each of our lives. I have seen a few videos recently of some VERY talented, unique people who have taken their ability to grow and learn to a new level. Some were inspired spiritually and some knew that success came at a price but one that was worth the fight and effort. When I say success, I am not speaking of the word in any worldly sense but one in just each person being able to find JOY in whatever life has to offer them and just finding that place of gratitude deep within their hearts of just BEING ALIVE and being able to share with earthly experience with all our brothers and sister. I know I say this ALL the time and you will probably hear me say it a lot more but WHAT A GIFT we all have been given. We sure are LOVED by a dear Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.

We each get the opportunity to learn and grow from our own experiences and we can choose to let them make us or break us. When I see others fight for growth and understanding, it becomes MUCH easier for me to gain the desire to more fully tackle my own problems (that might seemed SO big before I saw others) because mine seem, all of a sudden, so much easier to work through. I am not sure who said it but I do LOVE the quote that states something like this: "I became saddened because I did not have shoes and then I meet a man with no feet." By understanding this statement, in my mind it is not saying we do not face our own demons and fears inside of us by only seeing others. I feel it is saying that to more fully create balance within each of our lives, we might want to try seeing the world through different eyes. The way I see it is most of us, especially the ones reading my blog, have got it pretty DAMN good. We don't even know how good we got it!! When we recognize this and find LOVE and GRATITUDE in our hearts for it, whatever else we might need to work on becomes just a little easier merely for the fact that we are looking at it a bit more honestly and with a new perspective.

One of my VERY best friends has been going through some "stuff" within her marriage. She LOVES her husband SO much and is working at really LOVING him and ACCEPTING him for whatever choices he makes. Her hopes in doing this is that their relationship can become closer and this can bring about more understanding but also that she can be ACCEPTED and LOVED in the choices she is making. I do believe in KARMA and that what we send out into the universe whether through thought or deed, does return to us. Some times even stronger and/or more powerfully. (By the way, I must add that karma is SO COOL to me. I LOVE that as I learn how to turn and keep my thoughts positive and full of LOVE for myself and everything around me, I find I get this in return. Again, another AWESOME gift from our Creator.)

Anyway, my purpose for telling you about my friend is because I find that as I help her, I see things in my relationship that I had seem to miss before. I find that I am MUCH more appreciative for my husband and what he does for me. Any problems of issues I might have been looking at don't just go away but I am able to forgive MUCH more quickly. This is all because I took myself out of my own "issues" and decided to try and be love and supportive for a good friend and found my situation wasn't what I previously thought it was. I had let myself create another false belief about my husband or about our relationship. When I decided that what I chose to see about him really wasn't truth, I asked forgiveness of my husband and my Savior and all was well. It is and can really be that simple.

Another great story is my son got car sick the other day. It actually happened to be his birthday. We were riding up to a friends house and he wasn't sitting in the front seat like he normally does. SO...after a while he started feeling REALLY sick. He acted like he was going to make it without vomiting so I kept driving. Wouldn't you know it to be Murphy's Law that right as we pull up to the curb of my friends house, my son can no longer hold it in and vomits all over the car. I was SO ANNOYED!!! And of course, I showed my SEVERE annoyance to my son. I was even rude to him, to a certain extent, and kept asking him why he couldn't hold it in. DUH!!! What a STUPID question to ask someone.
Well, he was feeling TONS better so he came and helped me clean up the mess. After we were done, I felt really bad that I had been so childish in the way I had treated him. I went and asked him to forgive me. His response is one I feel we should all have when one asks our forgiveness. He said, "Mom, of course I forgive you. It's ok. Just forgive and forget, right?" I was SO grateful that he was so willing and effortlessly forgiving me but what a LEARNING experience for me. What my 11 year old son taught me that day was nothing new. It was nothing I hadn't heard before but it all of a sudden become clear to me, yet again, that when we chose to stay in a place of constant gratitude and forgiveness, life becomes a life where we can love more easily, move through our own "issues" with peace and gratitude, and really see the world in truth and light. We see the world as it really is. A place full of LOVE, GRATITUDE and FORGIVENESS!! I believe all of our lives find JOY when we choose to live in that space.

So....my sister and I decided to do a fruit diet for the next little while. I started on Monday. She decided to come up and see me this week/weekend so we decided to do it together. We decided to go to up to SLC last night for a concert she wanted to go to so we HAD to go to Omar's to eat. I got the Falafal Bowl, which is my favorite, along with the Sushi!! My sister got the Lebanese Wrap and the Raw Pasta. I liked the pasta A LOT this time. I had forgotten how much I liked it. Oh, we are jumping back on our fruit diet now which means we are eating only fruit and greens. I would like to do it for a couple more weeks but we will see if that happens or not.

Here is what I have been eating for the past couple of days.

Wednesday, August 1st:
1 1/2 quarts of green smoothie
6 mangoes
3 bananas
And my new favorite dish is my salad which is romaine lettuce with tomatoes, mangoes, cucumbers, and dulse soaked in orange juice. YUMMY!!

I ate almost the exact same thing the days before and then yesterday I had:
watermelon
4 mango's
Omar's DELICIOUS food!! YEAH FOR OMAR!!!

I think I am now done with this post. I am excited to start reading a book called "Mutant Message" by Marie Morgan. It is supposed to be another very INSPIRING book. I will tell you all more about it as I go.

Abundant peace to all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Loving Father Sky and Mother Earth

I have these really GREAT face products I use by a company called "Suki". I have LOVED them so far and find that my skin has benefited from their use. I try not to use too many products on my skin but for my face, I find I need to be more gentle. I am sure most woman feel this way. There website is great too because it has a lot of educational info on. I am not big on promoting products but I felt like this is a good company that is trying to do good things.

I received a newsletter from them this morning and they had an informative article about skin cancer. I thought I would share it here. For those who don't know me well, I LOVE the sun. Most days, I try to make the time to sunbathe. I believe the sun can help to keep us healthy. There is now scientific evidences that one of our main sources of Vitamin D comes from the sun. My personal belief is that skin cancer has become so abundant in our society because of the way we are treating our AMAZING bodies. We feed them all kinds of garbage, we aren't using them to their greatest extend by exercising, we hold in and carry all kinds of negative emotions that are making us all sick, etc. Since the sun is a healer, it strives to keep us healthy by pulling out any unwanted and unbeneficial toxins within our bodies. What an AWESOME gift! I believe our bodies are a gift from God and when we learn to apply the Universal Laws he has put into place, we find life becomes easier and we feel happier, more at peace and stronger in all aspects of health.

Throughout history, the sun would be a representation of part of Father Sky. When I look up to the sky, I only see BEAUTY and wisdom beyond our understanding. From the Native American stand point, Father Sky encompasses freedom, flight, and understanding beyond our own capabilities. He gives us our daily breathe through the air we breathe. If this is really what the Sky is, then it is only here to help us learn more about ourselves and the world around us. It is here to bring us joy!! What a gift!

Here is the article. I have copied it so you can read it but HERE is the link.

Skin Cancer Message May Mislead [July 18, 2007] The young woman in the American Cancer Society ad holds up a photo of a smiling woman. "My sister accidentally killed herself. She died of skin cancer," reads the headline. The public-service announcement, financed by the sunscreen maker Neutrogena, is running in 15 women's magazines this summer. It warns readers that "left unchecked, skin cancer can be fatal," and urges them to "use sunscreen, cover up and watch for skin changes." The woman in the picture is a model. And the ad's implicit message -- that those who die of skin cancer have themselves to blame -- has provoked a sharp response from some public-health doctors, who say the evidence simply does not support it. As the ad says, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. But most skin cancer is not life-threatening: It represents less than 2 percent of all cancer deaths, an estimated 10,850 people this year. Almost all of those deaths are from melanoma, which makes up only 6 percent of all skin-cancer cases. And the link between melanoma and sun exposure is not straightforward. Dr. Marianne Berwick, an epidemiologist at the University of New Mexico who studies skin cancer, led a study published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2005 finding that people who had a lot of sun exposure up to the time they got a diagnosis of melanoma actually had better survival rates than those who had little sun exposure. The researchers are conducting a large-scale follow-up aimed at clarifying the relationship between sun exposure and melanoma. Until that is made clear, many doctors say, it is premature to suggest that people are endangering their lives by failing to use sunscreen. "It's just not that simple," said Dr. Barry Kramer, associate director for disease prevention at the National Institutes of Health. "We do have some pretty good evidence that sunscreen will reduce your risk of the less lethal forms of skin cancer," Kramer added. "There's very little evidence that sunscreens protect you against melanoma, yet you often hear that as the dominant message." Dr. J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, acknowledges that the advertisement is aggressive. "We have taken some license in taking that message and using it the way we've used it because that's the way to get the message to our target audience," he said. The ad's creators settled on the approach with the help of focus groups, who told them: "To get the message through to me, you have to shock me and get my attention," he added. "Our focus groups showed us that these young women as a group were oblivious to the risk and felt that skin cancer isn't a serious problem," Lichtenfeld said. "The issue is to try to prevent that sun exposure earlier in life so we reduce the risk for people later in life." In an effort to spread awareness about sun safety, the cancer society has joined with Neutrogena, a division of Johnson & Johnson whose sunscreens carry the society's logo. As part of the agreement, Neutrogena is paying for the public-service campaign, though its name is not mentioned in the advertisement. The partnership benefited both parties, said Iris Grossman, director of communications for Johnson & Johnson. "We have the common goal of raising awareness," she said. But this financial relationship raises red flags for some experts. "When people see an American Cancer Society public-service announcement, they expect it to reflect the best evidence," said Dr. Lisa Schwartz, co-director of the Outcomes Group at the Veterans Affairs hospital in White River Junction, Vt. "We don't want people who have a financial interest to be telling you the benefit of doing something." Neutrogena did not influence the cancer society's message on skin cancer, Lichtenfeld said. By Christie Aschwanden, New York Times News Service, July 17, 2007

Are we not surprised to find out that Neutrogena is paying for the public service campaign? I just thought this was a very non biased article but states the facts. I would LOVE to hear others comments on this. What do you think about the sun? Is it killing us or helping us or neither or both?

I have had a GREAT morning this morning. I went and did my walking and Yoga around the temple. It was GORGEOUS!! I LOVED every minute of it and just felt blessed to be able to look up at the mountains and see the SPLENDOR of everything around me.

I LOVED doing my Yoga on the lawn with the warm sun beating down it's love upon me. In the book, "The Hummingbird's Daughter", Hulia is teaching Teresita how to fully ground and connect herself to Mother Earth. She explains it so beautifully, I wanted to share it here. I am searching in my book for it so I could just type it up but I can't find it so....I will just share with you what it said.

Huila talks about planting your feet firmly in the grass, almost as if you are pushing your feet deeper and deeper into the soil. You bend your legs slightly and curl your toes around the grass and dirt. Then you press your heels into the earth while picturing roots, coming out of your heels, burying themselves down deep into the earth. You just visualize these roots growing longer, larger and deeper until you feel fully grounded and present with our Earthly Mother. Feel yourself becoming one with Her. Open your heart to feeling her love for you. Connect with her so strongly that you can hear the messages she is sending you of love and learning.
I have tried this a couple of times and it is AMAZING! I found myself on the ground soon thereafter just smelling Mother Earth and being so grateful for everything she has given all of us. I listened to my own breathe and connect myself to every part of my body, thanking Her for this physical body she has given to me. I recommend that everyone try this. We will find a new love for ourselves and for everything our Mother has given us.

So....the diet thing is still a bit off. I am living in a world of extremes. I am either eating REALLY horrible, compared to how I normally eat, or I am eating GREAT!! I am striving to gain some balance right now in my life and I am sure my diet is showing me how out of balance I really am. Of course, when I am eating not as well as I would like, I am emotionally eating because I know they are not foods my body NEEDS!! I can usually tell if it is something I need and I feel like I have gotten pretty good at listening to my body.

All I did yesterday was eat. I have 2 salads, 2 quarts of green smoothie, some peas, and a few other things I can't remember. I know you think it looks great but I have found when I eat all day long that I don't feel good. Especially when I am eating LOTS of salads with LOTS of oil and salt and such. It just is too much for my digestive system.

I have decided I am going to start a watermelon fast either today or in the next couple of days. I am wondering if there is anyone who wants to do it with me. If there are others who want to join the party, then just email and we can make a plan of when to start and how long we want to do it. I LOVE watermelon fasts. I did 2 last summer and I felt GREAT while doing them and after. After a fast, it makes it TONS easier to stay eating the way you want to because even a plain salad tastes great!!

That's my plan for now. I hope to hear from people soon. If not, then I will do it all alone and still have FUN!!

Abundant peace to all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

I Am Back

Hello again. I am so sorry that I have been away for so long again. Life has yet to slow down for me right now, which I am ok with. But...it has haltered my ability to post as much as I would like. Let's see...I went to Vegas with my good friend, Shauna, and we partied with our kids. We did TONS of swimming and had TONS of FUN!! I was really excited to see my sister Kim since she was the reason we went down in the first place. I LOVE her SO MUCH!! I feel blessed to have a sister like her. My lifestyle, as everyone who read my blog knows, is a bit alternative. (That might be an understatement!) Throughout the changes we have made, I must admit I have felt some judgment from friends and loved ones. Kim truly has the gift of trying to love others, no matter what choices they make. I hope when I grow up I can have this same gift. She inspires me!!

We came home late on Wednesday and as soon as we got home, Chris and I planned for another sweat lodge ceremony on Saturday. You know, you wouldn't think it was that big of a deal to plan for one but you'd be surprised. It even surprises me sometimes! It is exciting for me to plan and get things together for it. I just LOVE how I feel every time I leave a lodge after a AMAZING sweat ceremony. Every single one is so eye opening and inspiring.

I must admit that I have the COOLEST friends and I know the NEATEST people. When I first went raw, I met a WONDERFUL woman named Ruth. She, like my sister, has the gift of love and openness toward others. We were there for each other when the going got tough when we were first trying to eat an all raw diet. I don't know where I would have been without her.

Well, on Saturday my intention for the ceremony was to learn how to deeply connect, with a Christ like love, to all living things about me. In the book I am reading, "The Hummingbird's Daughter", the medicine woman is teaching her pupil how to talk to the plants and animals and really understand what they are saying to her. I LOVED this idea!! Right now, I am striving to learn how to really connect on a deep level with my husband and children. As I connect with myself on a deeper level I recognize that I can then connect with all about me on that same level. I am anxious for this to happen.

During our ceremony, while I was going through some strong emotions and processing, I realized how prideful I really am. I saw how much of myself was still unconscious to it. I understood that my pride was preventing me from truly connecting with all about me. I was and am SO grateful to see it and hope and pray that with the Saviors love and support, I can let go and move from this prideful place that I see now is holding me back from truly being a disciple of Christ. It truly was a painful yet awakening and LOVING experience. My desire is to humble myself enough to see all the LOVE in the world along with truly feeling it.

After the ceremony, I came in my house and was getting ready to jump in the shower and low and behold, my good friend Ruth had sent me a gift. I opened it and knew God was working through others to help me on the path I have choose. What I received was a book with some cards called "Medicine Cards."

They are cards that teach you how to understand the language of animals and what some of their healing properties might be. I couldn't believe it. She was SO inspired with this gift and it came on the PERFECT day. It was just what I needed to understand how to connect!! I felt so LOVED and BLESSED!! Thank you so much, Ruth. I love you!!

I have been doing pretty good with eating the way I want, not great though. I will stick to it when I can but with the traveling and stuff it can be tough. I am ok with it and am trying to just go with the flow and do what I can. I went through my sauerkraut faze and had fun with it but I think I am over it now. I was eating it everyday for awhile there. All I have had today is:
Green smoothie
strawberries
mango

I will make some green soup tonight or a salad. I really enjoy how simple my life has become in regards to my personal diet. Since my kids are now eating more cooked foods, I find myself in the kitchen more which has been kinda hard for me. I am NOT a cook and have always had a hard time making good food. Chris is the cook in the family and he is SO good that my food just doesn't compare. He just is so busy he doesn't really have time so even though mine isn't great, I end up doing most of the cooking. I am learning to try to love it and be grateful for the opportunity to serve my kids in this manner. They usually LOVE what I make and I am so thankful for that!

I promise to write more often this week. It is hard for me to make them shorter. I still have to post my friends burns. I am trying to figure out just how to do that because I have SO many pictures of his burns. It might just have to be a really LONG post.

Until next time.
Abundant peace to you all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Bodacious Breasstfeeding

It seems every time I post it takes me FOREVER. I don't know what it is but my plan is to make it MUCH quicker tonight. I think it might be that the pictures take so long to download. I wanted to share some our 4th of July pictures. We had tons o'fun doing ABSOLUTELY nothing that day. I really like days like that. Life sometimes feels really crazy busy and it is so much fun to take a break every now and again and just HANG out!! Don't ya think?

Here I am on our roof for the FUNNEST part of the day. Tons of our family and friends come over to watch The Stadium of Fire fireworks show. Since my parents have owned this house, it has been an yearly event. The kids LOVE it and the fireworks are MAGNIFICENT!! I know, you are all SO jealous!! All 2 of you! hehehehe!
Here are all the other people on the roof. It was really hard to take pictures because we couldn't actually see what we were taking a picture of because it was SO dark. I am surprised we got any to turn out. We all really had a BLAST and I was grateful for the friend and family time.

Let's see what else. I have been reading the BEST book lately. I am going to tell you more about it next time I write but it is called "The Hummingbird's Daughter." I HIGHLY recommend it to EVERYONE!! It is one of the best books, so far, that I have ever read. I hope others would read it so I had someone to discuss it with. It would a great book to hold a book discussion about.

My eating over the last few days has been EXCELLENT!! I have felt so ALIVE and ENERGETIC!! I purchased some apricots that are DELICIOUS! I know, I know there are trees everywhere with apricots on them in our area and if any of you are wanting to get rid of yours, I will come and take them off your hands anytime. I do plan on getting them from my sisters and neighbors homes but they are not fully ripe yet and so I am waiting. I wanted some really bad so I couldn't wait anymore. We have eaten a whole case of them in less in 24 hours. That is how it is at our house. Crazy eh?

But...I know I just recently had the whole discussion about fermented foods and I have decided I am someone who is completely weird. I went to Yulia's house the other day and she had made some of the BEST sauerkraut. I forgot how SCRUMPTIOUS hers is. She only ferments for 3 days so it has a bit a tang but not much. Then she marinates and ferments some beets. They are sweet and so tasty too!! I had been craving them ever since I tasted them.

So what do I do? I come home and make my own. I started my sauerkraut and marinated my own beets. My dinner for the past 3 nights has been my seaweed rolls which consist of the sauerkraut, beets, smoked dulse, and sunflower greens all rolled in a Nori sheet. I have been in HEAVEN!! It is AMAZING! Let me tell you. All day long I eat fruit and green drinks and shakes and then that is what I eat for dinner. I am planning on making more sauerkraut. I really think most of the problem with the Kim Chee I ate was it was probably overly fermented and it had TONS of spices. It was WAY too hot for me. Sauerkraut is bland and mild. I am LOVING it right now. For those of you who might be interested in my recipe, let me know and I will post it on my website.

Here is what I ate today, July 10th.

Lots of watermelon

Lots of apricots

1 quart of banana/berry shake

1 banana

6 Seaweed wrap. YUMMMM-O!!!!

I think that's it for today. I will still post the burn pictures soon. I have really enjoyed being free and open to whatever my body is calling me to in all aspects of life, not just food. I used to stress out about food SO much years ago. I feel so grateful that I am in a place where it can be quick and easy and FUN and still so good for me and my emotional stress level can stay down where it should be!!

Abundant peace to you all,

Rachel

by Rachel Talley