Our Core Element
I am really excited to say that a few people have contacted me to tell me they enjoy reading my blog!! And then, there was an email sent to my Yahoo Group by Karen who stated that she had been inspired BY MY BLOG to make some needed dietary changes!! YOO!! HOO!!! You guys, I want to shout for joy that people are making needed transitions and KNOW they CAN do it!! WAY TO GO, everyone! And THANK YOU so much for taking the time to let me know how you feel about it!! It means the world to me to be able to connect with others and help in anyway I can. I know if I can help only ONE person, I am helping to change MILLIONS!! What a MIRACLE to us all!!
Yesterday was a relaxing day for me. I got to read some of "The Righteous Branch", a book I am enjoying IMMENSELY right now. It speaks of so many STUNNING truths. For the last 3 to 4 years, Chris and I have been drawn to many of the Native American ideas of life and living. When we first started on the path of learning of their ways, we instantly felt the spirituality that resides with bounteous teaching they hold. Because of our lack of understanding, our pride and ego, we tore them from their lands and their traditions. I have a friend who believes that woman and men both have 1 core element inside of them, that when taken away leaves them lost within their own minds and hearts. For woman, it is childbirth and for men, it is culture or tradition. I believe this is DECIDEDLY true!! I have seen what it can do to a woman to think she cannot bring child into this world. It can devestate them to no end! I see men, in our current society, and they seem obscured to the world around them and what spirituality and connection with God really means. The connection to Source, Mother Earth, angels, goddess, and so on seems hidden to so many.
r a in their sexuality as human beings. That through childbirth for woman, and culture and tradition for men, we can face the world of fears and uncertainty while cleaving to each other and the Creator for support and strength. This is just how I see it. If I cannot even stand in union with my spouse and love him in his movement toward understanding himself, I will NEVER fully understand me and my personal path. As we both look to each other to aid in our understanding of who we really are, we can then look upward at a God and Elder Brother, hand in hand, knowing that the answers will come. So... there ya have my insights for today. I am grateful for them. The more I appreciate, honor, and accept him and vice versa, the closer we become to each other, along with hearing and heeding the voices that teach us the truths that bring each of us peace. And WOW!! I figure if I can do that with my spouse, I would hope and pray that I could do it with ALL species that are present with me on this Earth. Am I going on to much about peace? Maybe I should find a new topic. I am just LOVING the learning right now and hope others find this interesing too!!
I am LOVING my soups right now too!! I have eaten green soups off and on while on this raw path but lately they have been tasting SO GOOD!! I LOVE the seaweeds I put into them. I purchase my seaweed from the Maine Coast Sea Vegetables. They have THE BEST seaweeds I have ever tasted. They go to great lengths to offer the healthiest, best tasting, and HIGHEST quality seaweeds I have found yet. My favorite is the Applewood Smoked Dulse. It is still consider a raw food since it is smoked at very low temperatures. I also LOVE the Sea Lettuce Leaf and just the plain Dulse. I buy them all in bulk because they are a daily addition in my diet. For awhile, I was eating TONS of dulse on everyday. I could tell my body was REALLY wanting all the minerals it provides. It is rich in B vitamins and other needed trace minerals. Read all abou it HERE!
I know I haven't felt as hungry today. I think it is the thyroid thing kicking in!! Which I am SO excited about. I have been cold and a bit fatiqued! But I must say, that this is the first week in a VERY long time that I haven't worked out everyday. This is probably adding to my "issues." I am not surprised I don't feel as hungry as the body is cleansing. I am listening and will let you know if I even eat anything else today. I have been VERY thirsty though and I am drinking more water than I normally do. I drink, AT LEAST, a half a gallon a day. I can tell I will probably get a gallon in today. Another cleansing reactions has been sweating off and on more than normal. I am glad to see my sweat glands are working well when I am releasing!! I LOVE my body and how MAGNIFICENT it is !!
Holding our Inner Child
This will be a shorter post. I have found that if I wait too long to post what I ate, I forget it. Like with the last post, I forgot to post that I had some durian. Just one piece but I wanted to make sure I got in everything I had been eating. My diet is still pretty boring though, if I say so myself. If you start seeing a patteren here, sorry!! Here is what I ate yesterday and today.
"Once at a Zen Center picnic in Golden Gate Park, I saw Suzuki do what I felt was a silent teaching on the nature of Enlightenment. When he arrived at the gathering he saw a baby blanket on the ground and he lay there a while in his black robes, rolled up in a lacy pink baby blanket." ~Stephan GaskinHappy Anniversary!
OH my GOODNESS! Yesterday was my 12th wedding anniversary. It was quite an interesting day. On Saturday evening, we were invited to a FUN evening with our other Medicine Man named James. We met some really AMAZING people! I was glad to be there and share in the connection with others.
Rebirth and Renewal
I am HAPPY to be alive! I had a really cool day yesterday. At last minute, we decided to hold another sweat lodge ceremony. I LOVE sweating! I love the preparation. I love the process. I most of all LOVE watching others get clear and open by letting the love of the whole universe into their hearts. This is my favorite part. I am extremely honored when people feel safe enough to enter my home and my lodge to begin a deep and ever changing healing experience. WOW~
I must say how grateful I am for the dietary changes I have been making recently. As you all know, I have been striving to hydrate, cleanse, rebuild and alkalize in my own little way. Normally during and after a lodge, because of the emotional and physical releasing that is taking place, you can have ALL kinds of "cleansing reactions" as you might call them. Whether that be headaches, nausea, crying, or fear and so on and so forth. I have had all of these feelings at some time or another during or after the ceremony. It always amazes me what we hold onto that is no longer serving us. The sweat aids in the process of releasing and letting go any of that baggage.
But the sweat lodge is not just about releasing. It is MOSTLY about rebirth and renewal. The love we feel for ourselves and each other is truly a blessing from heaven. It helps us to unburden as we become reconnected with our Source and others. It helps us to understand ourselves and our loved ones a bit better each time we enter and exit a lodge. We gain the opportunity to refresh our presence in the world and how each choice we made changes the WHOLE world, in one way or another. I am telling you, it is a GLORIOUS experience each and every time.
Oh, the coolest part about the lodge is that my 7 year old daughter came in with us for the 1st round. She said she really liked it but felt inspired to leave after that. I was happy to know she was already learning how to listen to her own intuition. I was SO proud of her strength and courage. I felt so blessed that she was my daughter and wanted to be there to help herself and others. She has been blessed with MANY gifts. When some of the people were struggling after the lodge, she was willing and ready to help them through by using those gifts. I am hoping to put together a very easy and mild sweat for children. Those of you who might be interested in something like that, let me know. I will make sure it happens.
Another special experience came through my good friend of mine named Sarah. She has been doing dietary changes also. Like me, she has decided to cut out fat and salt for awhile and has been drinking LOTS of water, along with eating greens and fruits. In this place, her body reached a higher vibration of vitality to be able to really dig deep into her desired intentions for the sweat. It is because of this vitality and excess of strength, that she was able to release so much. She had prepared herself both physically and spiritually for that to take place. I read a GREAT saying a friend made up on one of the groups I am on. I LOVED it and think it is appropriate for here. it's called the 6 P's. PLENTIFUL PERSONAL PREPARATION PROMOTES PERFECT PERFORMANCE! This is definitely what Sarah did. I must say, I was in AWE as I watched her release LARGE amounts of anger and resentment that she had been holding onto for years. I truly believe that because she was willing to make the inspired physical changes she made, her spirit was ready to open and really dig in deep the way she had been wanting for months!! SO AWESOME!
I was really grateful to be able to assist at the lodge. This is my favorite part. When I am able to deal with my own stuff well, I find that I can be of some help to others especially those who have chosen to really get clear. This is the FUNNEST part for me. This makes all the work and preparation for what I do TOTALLY worth it. To watch people become one with others and their Creator, helps you to understand in your own heart, your worth along with theirs. If they are loved, then you know you must be too! Thanks to all who shared this experience with me yesterday. I will be taking pictures of my lodge today and posting those for all of you.
So...the food thing is still going strong. Chris and I got invited to a friends how tonight for a get together. It sounds so FUN and I am excited. He was anxious to make me food that I would eat. He was going to marinate some veggies for grilling and said he would marinate some for me without grilling them. At the time, I said ok because I was feeling really bad about not eating what he was going to make. I think it is almost worse sometimes when people go to the effort to make something you would eat and you still can't or won't eat it. LAME!!! I have been pondering and praying over eating it and finally decided to call him this morning to tell him I am eating a funky diet right now and that I am choosing to stick with that. I am working on some issues of feeling really bad, like I am letting him down. But I feel inspired to stay the course with what I am doing right now and know he is the type of man who will DEFINITELY understand my situation. I am, of course, bringing food as always. This will make it easier to eat while there without eating what is being made. I always recommend taking food to any function you attend where food will be present. This is the easiest way to get around making sure you are eating with others.
Here is what I ate yesterday. I was preparing for the sweat ceremony so all I had was:
1/2 a watermelon
1 quart grapefruit juice with green powder
LOTS and LOTS of water to stay well hydrated
Then after the ceremony:
Lots more watermelon
handful of grapes
I waited about 20 minutes for those to digest so I wouldn't be food combining. Then I ate my green soup which consisted of spinach/celery/cucumber/red bell pepper/grapefruit juice/sea lettuce. It was again DELICIOUS!!
There it all is! Until tomorrow!
Love to all,
Rachel
Changing Children
Today has been a VERY good day! I was awakened this morning about 6 by a friend who thought she might be in labor but wasn't sure. This is her first experience with a homebirth and I think she is a bit nervous. Her previous experience was a induced hospital birth. She is not sure what to expect. I don't blame her. She has yet to call me to let me know she is in labor so I will keep you posted!
ir "stuff." My oldest son Dean seems not happy with his life, as of late. Yesterday he cut his foot on a piece of glass. This morning, in a round about sort of way, he stated that he was sad that I hadn't really taken care of his foot. He ened up feeling that he had to ask Papa to do it. The really cool part about that was that I noticed he was taking responsibility for his feelings and feeling safe enough to express them to me. Something in the past that hasn't frequently taken place. We already had a candle lit and so we proceeded to say a prayer and let go of some REALLY deep stuff he had been carrying. He is an AMAZING healer and doesn't quite recognize it yet. He loves EVERYTHING so much that he walks around being willing to "take on" everyone else's crap. He will carry their pain for them. Of course, in return, he just feels pain and sorrow and then has a hard time really letting it go. I was SO PROUD of him this morning. He felt TONS better when we were done. He was grateful for the experience and LOVE abounded between us both. Isn't CHARITY such an AWESOME gift? WOW!! 
Savior in and accepting his healing for her. Again, an eye opening lesson for me. I have found I shouldn't worry myself, to the extent that I do, about my children and their emotional and spiritual well being. As I work on myself and getting me to a space of healing and health, they tend to follow suit and see the fruits of my and their labors. Pondering
I have been pondering and praying since starting this process of "drinking my food." Part of the reason for starting it was the whole jaw/teeth loss issue. Another reason was that I knew I had some strong emotional and spiritual issues I need to work through. I understand my body well enough to know that when I chose to lessen the work load physically, my whole being then decides the lessen the work load in all regards. I am grateful I know of this technique of healing. I feel it has helped my several times since starting this lifestyle change.
released. They are no longer serving me and my current vibration which I am ESTATIC about. It has been hard for me to release these thought patterns. They are like the comfortable, soft, lovely blanket that I carried as a child to help me feel safe. I find it interesting that when we release and let go of old baggage, our initial feeling is one of fear of the unknown. It has become such a part of us that letting it go can feel sad to even downright painful. All of these feelings have been coursing through me since deciding to "drink my food" two days ago. 
Well....there it is. This is my learning for today. I am extremely grateful to God for it. I find it interesting since starting this juice fast that I haven't really had any physical "cleansing" reactions. As you can see, they have been emotional which makes it apparent that the body heals as a whole. We can chose to raise our vibration emotionally, physically or spiritually and then sit back and let the LOVE in. Cleansing, rebuilding, alkalizing and hydrating are all WAYS of loving ourselves. The outcome is the love we are wanting to recieve. Only Juice Today
Today I decided to drink only juice. This isn't foreign for me since I love it and I have done several juice fasts in the past. The longest juice fast I have ever accomplished was a week long orange juice fast. I LOVED it and felt great when I was done. Here is what I drank today:
1 quart of prune water which is the water from soaked prunes
1 1/4 quarts spinach/celery/apple/lemon juice
1 cup grapefruit juice with green powder
1 quart grapefruit juice
1 1/2 quart mixed greens/celery/cucumber/strawberry juice
1 1/2 quarts grapefruit juice with green powder
So...let's see. That is about a gallon and a half. Right? WOW! It seemed like I drank much more than that. Today wasn't too hard until this evening when I had to make food for my family. It still wasn't too bad at that point, it just was the first time I had any desire to really eat before then.
I feel really good and had energy most of the day. I did feel a bit tired in the late afternoon but just relaxed for a few minutes and then I felt better. I am now VERY tired though. I am ready to go to bed. 
I found I was emotionally stable for the day. I enjoyed this side effect immensely. Physically, I spent a good amount of time in the bathroom which I LOVE! I really enjoy the light feeling you get when you are "cleaning house", so to speak.
The interesting thing about today is about a year ago I swore off all supplements for awhile just to see how I felt while trying to transition to a less fat, no salt diet. There is a green powder I used to drink. I don't see it as a supplement but today I decided to pull it out and start taking it again. I took it for several years when I first went raw. I was consistent with taking it up until last year. I enjoyed taking it again and will probably incorporate while I am doing my little drinking stint.
I am still vacillating on how long to stay on the juice and when to start incorporating smoothies and such. I really agree with Victoria Boutenko's info in her "Green for Life" book. I like what Doug Graham has to say in his new "80/10/10 Diet" book. I do believe in a whole foods diet. With my bowel the way it has been in the past and the bowel being a muscle that I believe gets stronger with use, I am wondering about how long to juice fast. Of course, I do agree that the more we ease digestion, the efficiency of healing and health is quickened. Chris is somewhat concerned about how long I should stay on just juice but I will listen to my inner knowing. Who knows? Maybe I will do juice in the mornings and then smoothies and soups the rest of the day. That sounds like SO MUCH fun to me too! But either way, I hope others are interested enough that I will post everyday what I eat. I am wondering if it might get boring because I do eat alot of the same things over and over. If I do incorporate the smoothies, then my plan is to definitely do this until the day I finally get my teeth in. So...I figure that will somewhere between 6 to 8 months.
I was talking to a friend tonight and mentioned the dietary changes I am making. I was telling her that I was hoping others would want to do some cleansing and rebuilding along with me. She stated that she didn't think she could do it as long as I was. I want to clarify that when I ask for anyone else to jump in, I mean just plan a cleanse similar to mine and decide what you can handle and then go from there. Even if someone ends up doing only a couple day juice fast or a week of green smoothies or whatever, they will want to be a part of it with me and feel better as a result. So...until tomorrow.
Peace and love to you all,
Rachel
Um...Drinking all my Food?
I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I had gotten my 2 back right molars removed. Well, life has been VERY hard for me since then. Because I waited 2 years to finally get up the guts to get those teeth pulled I have ABSOLUTELY killed my jaw. Now everytime I try to chew anything, I feel OVERWHELMING pain in the left side of my jaw enough so that I consider taking drugs but never do. It has become annoying as well as extremely bothersome to the extent that it is NOT worth trying to chew anymore. I can tell that my jaw is over taxed and not happy, to say the least. I believe in listening to our bodies and I feel my jaw is now telling me it needs to take a LONG break.
Having FAITH in the Present Moment
So...I know I already discussed the faith topic but I wanted to talk about my intention at the last sweat lodge we had. Last Saturday, I was honored to participate in an all woman's Native American sweat lodge ceremony. It was, of course, AMAZING as it usually is. We had 13 woman. All of them strong, powerful, inspiring and uplifting woman. It was the very first time we had used our sweat lodge. We just got it up and running about a month ago. I was LOVING that the first sweat was an all woman's sweat.
Well, before each sweat you create an intention that you are sending out to God, the universe and your own heart, of something that you want help, understanding and guidance with. Since I have been on this faith kick over the last little while, I decided to take it one step further and really get conscious and aware in every moment of my life. I knew that creating this intention would help with that process. Instead of hoping that I can have faith in regards to many aspects of my life, I was praying that I could have faith that NO MATTER what was happening, I KNEW the present situation was what was meant to be taking place and all was well. I hope that makes sense.
We went on to have an AWESOME sweat where I gained so many insights. I just loved it! Then the next Monday we had our weekly group meeting. This is a really cool place where a group of us get together with an AMAZING medicine man named David (who happens to have a PH.D. in Psychology which is helpful when you are trying to help others emotionally) and we have the opportunity to dig deep into our "issues" and take responsibility for our lives every step of the way. We learn that we are creating or have created the present situations in our lives that we are dealing with or struggling with right now. Let me just say that I LOVE GROUP!! It can be hard at times and even emotionally painful but David's approach is very Christ centered and I have seen tons of people heal and get clear with his, God's and loved ones help. It's like watching GLORIOUS miracles, for many people, right before our eyes on a weekly basis. It has been a blessing for my family and everyone I know who has participated.
Anywho, last week at group I had lots and lots of "issues" come up and rear their ugly head. These were emotions and feelings that I knew had been festering but...it was quite hard and overwhelming to be honest, conscious and present at that moment when I felt hurt. You see, I have loads of pride that I try to hide from the rest of the world. I know, it is hard to believe because I am just so great! (Note the sarcasm in that last sentence) It is VERY hard in group to hold on to that pride because everyone else is seeing all your "stuff." This is a WONDERFUL blessing because you get to see, on a small scale, that we really are all the same and deal with so many of the same daily fears and phobias. We see that we are all really trying and doing our best with our present cirumstances that we chose to live in. I enjoy reconizing the "oneness" in us all. What is inside me, is also inside you! All the love, peace, joy and happiness right along with all the anger, resentment, sadness, fear and loss. We are all the same!
To make a long story way too long, I finally realized last night that I still couldn't have faith in the present moment. That all along the way I was fighting and fearing my present situations, instead of trusting and letting go of things about myself that were only making me sick. I do believe that over time, this process can be simple, easy and quick if we just learn the use the love of our Savior as a source for true healing. That even though we feel lost and alone in the space of that pain, that we are all connected and you are no different than anyone else. We are all striving to be loved and find that love for ourselves.
I am now forgiving myself, yet again, for choosing to not let go of something that was no longer serving me or anyone else in my circle of humanity. I know I can do this, I have done it before but this tends to be a bit scarier since I feel this is deep rooted stuff that I have carried since for way too long. As I am forgiving myself and repenting, I am truly grateful for the opportunity of loving my God when I have been in a space of anger toward him. I expected him to make the world a safer place for me and my family. I have blamed him for the choices I have made instead of seeing the love that already exists in our world and creating more of it within me. I am learning to release control and let life lead me. In this space of being led, I accept and hold strong to faith that I am LOVE and I am LOVED and this is all that really matters. What a happy thought. I think I will hold to this one for awhile. I hope you do it right along with me!! Hopefully, next time I will be writing about staying conscious in every moment of life. There is no past or future, the here and now is the only present reality we need be concerned with.
A Blissful Birth
I have a very good friend who just recently (within the last couple of weeks) delivered a BEAUTIFUL baby girl. I was honored that I could attend and participate in something so reverent and sacred, as her birth. I wanted to share some of her experiences from my perspective. I pray that it can help others the way it has inspired and changed me.
I feel blessed to aid in empowering woman on their path to creating the pregnancy, labor and birth experiences they desire. I may be a bit of an "idealist" but I truly believe that when a woman strives to tend to her physical, emotional and spiritual needs during pregnancy, she then is taking responsibility for the outcome of what takes place during her birth. There is a beautiful website that speaks of this form of healing that can take place in order to help the mother achieve her aspirations. You can find it at www.birthintobeing.com. I could write all of my beliefs on the subject matter but Elena Vladimirova does such a wonderful job of explaining it so beautifully that I figure why recreate the wheel. You will probably get more of my personal beliefs on the subject the more I post on my blog so hopefully whoever reads this will keep checking back.
Kara came to me as a friend who had a strong desire to create the birth she had longed to have for several years. This was her 5th pregnancy and her 6th child. She's had diversity in all of her births from a c-section with twins to other complications during or after delivery. We discussed what she really wanted for her birth and how to go about making those intentions a reality. She was open, wanting and willing to take full responsibility for her pregnancy and birth by taking action and being VERY proactive, in regards to her overall health and well being.
First, we discussed dietary changes that could and should take place to help her feel better both physically and emotionally. Of course, when helping others, I strive to motivate in such a way that they have a desire to incorporate as MUCH raw fruits, greens, nuts and seeds as possible, accompanied by "cutting out" of the diet what they know to be unbeneficial, or even slightly detrimental,l to her and her growing baby. Kara IMMEDIATELY took action and started educating herself on what and how to go about create physical health. I watched her use discipline and make AMAZING changes. In turn, I felt this made HUGE changes at her birth. Making these changes empowers a woman to know that she can move forward with confidence while hoping that she will see the outcome she desires at the birth to come.
Kara and I discussed working on emotional and spiritual changes that she knew needed to take place in order for her to truly see and visualize the birth she wanted. She had past fears and phobias that kept repeating themselves in her thoughts and mind that were no longer serving her and her present needs. She was open and willing to release those and let go of them. By asking for help through meditation and consistent prayer using God and the Savior, she was able to feel a difference in her everyday life. I mentioned to her that keeping what I call an "emotional journal" might help her to let go of and release these old pent up feelings. In that journal, she was to write all the negative and positive feelings that she had. As she is writing, she is "letting go" of all the negative and unwanted feelings by putting them on paper and saying goodbye to them. Then, by writing down all the postitive feelings, she is giving more power and love them and letting herself fully feel the joy. There are many other ceremonies and healing modalities that I offer to others to really help them look at themselves honestly and with love, in order to "move through and let go of" really old baggage that no longer needs to be carried and is just weighing them down. Again, just like the physical, Kara did take responsibility of her desires and did her work with the hopes of seeing the results when the time came.
Along with all the other changes she was making, Kara felt inspired to invite friends and loved ones over for a Native American Blessingway. We felt that if she made an intention to give to the universe by making kits to give to orphans in Ruwanda, then she could (along with her friends and loved ones) create intentions for her birth where the universe and God would give back to her. Read more about Native American blessingways. I felt blessed to be at such a sacred ceremony where loved wrote intentions for Kara's birth on beautiful postcards and pictures and then verbally shared them for all to hear. This energy from others would then help her at the upcoming birth event. She put together a gorgeous collage of pictures she could look at while birthing, with the hopes that the love and energy from others would help and assist her while bringing her child into the world.
From what I saw, she received more than just desired results, we all saw miracles. She called me early in the morning on the day of her delivery, telling me she was having consistent contractions but that she was still in very little pain. She then called again several hours later to inform me that they were now stronger an
d even though they weren't as painful as she knew they could and might be, she wanted me to come and be present for her. I arrived within an hour of her call to see, in awe, Kara relaxing on her bed while her husband was loving her through each contraction. From what I saw of her, I questioned if she was even in active labor yet. She looked so calm and serene and at peace with what was taking place. I arrived at approximately 4:00 pm.
We discussed my checking her dilation but she was afraid she wouldn't have advanced to the extent she wanted to. I could tell that even though she didn't look it, she was doing some really great work and I felt she would be farther along than she thought she was. This ended up being the case. Kara's previous deliveries were quite long with the shortest being 16 hours in length. After each child, she has had significant blood loss with the last being so severe that there were complications that had to be immediately attended to. I felt that because Kara had fully taken care of and responsibility for this pregnancy and birth, that this experience would be different in more ways than one, which it absolutely was.
Kara ended up delivering her own baby at 6:22 pm, only 2 and a half hours after I arrived. She had a very peaceful waterbirth with her husband sitting behind her and supporting her in many more ways than just physically. She listened to the needs of her body and made the needed movement changes for comfort and delivery. Then when the time came, Kara caught and brought to the breast, her own baby with loved ones and her other children surrounding her. We figured that total labor time was about 5 hours. A BIG difference from the previous 16 hours of labor. We recognized her past history bleeding patterns and took into account any excess bleeding that could take place. She almost immediately put the baby to the breast to initiate uterian contractions. We moved her to the bed and watched her closely. She again, took responsibility of what was taking place she ingested the needed herbs and fluids that might help her body halt any excess bleeding. The assistance of prayer was ever constant throughout her whole birth process. Her bleeding never became severe enough that there was any concern. I watched, almost in disbelief knowing her previous experiences, at how controlled and stable her body was during this process. In the end, she felt amazingly strong and she glowed radiantly from the love that surrounded her.
This is
only one of several instances where I have seen a woman "do her work" to create the outcome she desires. I wish this process could be witnessed by every mother who is pregnant or desiring to become so. I thank Kara for letting me share her story with others with the hopes that any woman reading this will feel her heart leap with joy in knowing that she to can truly have and create what she wants in ALL aspects of her life. That with honesty, openness, a soft heart, responsibility and LOTS of prayer, we can use and trust our inner knowing to aspire to make the changes for ourselves, with the hopes of seeing those changes also take place within the next and future generations. My prayer and belief is that this can and does happen everyday. I hope that every woman can and will feel empowered to make the needed changes to make the world a better place for everyone and everything living in it by just recognizing her own creative power with the universe. The hand that rocks the cradle TRULY DOES rule the world!!
The Te of Piglet
I have been casually reading the book "The Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff. I am ABSOLUTELY loving it. It is a read I recommend to others. There is a section in the book, specifically pages 13 through 23 where he is teaching what he believes Taoism to be. It is very interesting to me since I do know very little about exactly what it is. Just as the book states, there are similar teachings in other circle's where spirituality and understanding are of high importance. He states, "On the North American continent, they are passed on in some of what remains of native teachings-those of the "Indians." In Europe they have largely died out, but traces of their influence can still be seen in such comparatively recent phenomena as stone circles and the marking of "ley lines" (called "dragon veins" by the Chinese)-channels along which earth energy is concentrated. In Tibet, until the Communist invasion, ancient ways were preserved in Tibetan Buddhism, many of the secrets and practices of which predate Buddhism by thousands of years. In Japan, they have been passed on through Taoism. And, despite violent opposition from China's Communist government, they continue to be passed on today."
One last quote from the book is where he quotes Chuang-tse speaking of the Age of Perfect Virtue. "In the Age of Perfect Virtue, men lived among the animals and birds as members of one large family. There were no distinctions between "superior" and "inferior" to separate one man or species from another. All retained their natural Virtue and lived in a state of pure simplicity...
Remembering and Applying Faith
I have decided that life is a BLAST!! Really! Chris and I have both had the opportunity, as of late, to put faith into practice in our lives. It had been quite exciting and scary, at times. I am learning how to apply living in the present while understanding that the past and future are merely false realities that we have set up for ourselves to let ourselves feel all kinds of false feelings. Man, we really like to suffer, don't we?
Fun Potluck!!
So...last night the kids and I went over to Sarah's house for a really FUN raw food potluck. The kids, of course, had a blast playing with the other kids. I find it all interesting because Golden, a couple of days ago, came to Chris and I and told us he couldn't and didn't want to eat an all raw diet anymore. I was grateful for the chance to understand my own feelings about him making this decision and I was grateful that he felt he could come to discuss with us needing to make this change. The funny thing is because of the way our house is set up with having mostly raw food in the house, he still eats mostly raw everyday. Of course, he doesn't realize it. But Millie and Pratt also decided they wanted to incorporate more cooked foods too. Dean chose to stay raw and even watched the other kids make veggie burgers for themselves a couple of nights ago while he sat there and ate his salad and really LOVED it! How cool is that! I am in AWE!
I have found though, on this raw path, that the kids still chose to eat very simply most of the time. While at the potluck, there were all kinds of really delicious foods made and my kids didn't really want any of them. They wanted a banana or apple or something simple. Dean did finally eat some of Sarah's raw cheese in her fridge but that was the extent of what they would eat there. I find it quite cute that they are learning to listen to their own bodies. This isn't a conscience choice for them, it is just them recognizing when they feel good after eating something and when they don't. I believe we can all relearn to understand our own inner wisdom just as a child does, in all aspects of life, not just foods we eat. I believe the world is helping to change it's vibration so we can all easily and smoothly change ours so we can chose to live in a space of peace. 
The food aspect of the potlucks really isn't the fun part for me. I remember a couple of years ago when I decided that I really didn't have any desire to go to raw potlucks anymore. Especially as my diet changed to a much more simpler, easier way of eating raw. But...I must say that I am very glad I have chosen to go to the potlucks, as of late. I am VERY impressed with the people I get to meet and truly feel honored to be in their presence and learn and glean from them. We had some really exciting conversations last night about life and change and truly striving to becoming better people. These are conversations that I truly love to be part of. Thanks everyone who came to the potluck and thanks to Sarah for hosting it at her house. Maybe tomorrow I will post some of my insights into some of the things we discussed. Happy day to all!!
Changing to a blog but hopefully still inspiring!!
So I finally decided to go ahead and make this my blogging part of my website. I have thought about it for a long time but I really felt I was a really lame blogger. So....maybe I will try it out and see how it goes for awhile. I hope I can express myself so others can understand and make this somewhat interesting for myself and everyone else who might be interested in reading about my really WEIRD life.
Sunflower Seed Sour Cream
I find with guacamole and salsa and the cheezy sauce i don't miss sour cream but for those who like it this it a good and easy recipe!
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup water
4+ Tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove pressed or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.