Day 3 Juice Feast -- Types of Juices and Specialty Liquids

Last night I made up two different types of fermented juices.  I've found fermented beets to be just about the only way I can drink beet juice. I used to juice them but found them too strong on my body. It was like my liver became a punching bag and beet juice was a world champion boxer. So, one of the fermented juices is a combination of beet, celery, cabbage with a bit of Celtic sea salt and one stick of kombu seaweed. I shred or chop finely the beets, celery, and cabbage and add all items to a gallon jar.  Then I fill it with spring water and set it in the closet. Here it sits and ferments for about  3 days (my house is fairly warm) and I then harvest it through a strainer and drink and store the excess in the refrigerator.  This mixture can then be filled again with water for a second harvest, although I usually let it sit a little longer (maybe 5 days) this time.  The second fermented juice I made was taken from the Jubbs book Lifefood Recipe Book: Living on Life Force. It's made with shredded cabbage, lemons with the rind cut off and I throw in a pinch of sea salt.  This one need only sit for a day or day and a half before the single harvest. I will drink these in addition to the 4 quarts daily.

The other types of juices I'm making are green juices with either spinach, swiss chard, kale, lettuce I picked up from the farmer's market, 1 head of celery, 1 cucumber, 1 inch of peeled ginger, and two lemons with the rind cut off. I have two of these each day.  I fill the Vitamix up with these items, add in a minimal amount of spring water, blend and strain through the nutmilk bag.  After I did the 3 Day Green Juice Feast I've found I have a greater taste for green juices. This was not the case during the first Juice Feast. I have also had Spirulina Blue Eyed Goddess juice, one quart of pineapple with liquid probiotics added (my favorite!) and small amounts of grapefruit juice mixed with Chlorella Manna or Warrior Greens and fermented spirulina. While making my juices I like to think of the most loving, positive thoughts I can. I usually say my mantra over the juice but when I'm spending extended time with food and making juices I listen to monks chanting Om Mani Padme Hum with a forest (a favorite place of mine to be) background.  The mantra is complex but in simple terms it is said to alleviate the suffering of all sentient beings. I like to listen to it on some nights too as Eknath Easwaran  has taught those who use mantras should try to embed the mantra deeper and deeper into their being.


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I had my first colonic this afternoon. Afterwards I felt so relaxed I could take a nap. Too bad I had to deal with Friday afternoon traffic. During the first Juice Feast I regularly woke up early Sunday morning and drove for my weekly colonic. I don't remember exactly how many weeks (maybe 6 or 7) I went but I stopped once I felt nothing was coming of it. I usually do a castor oil pack the night before I do a colonic but I didn't last night. So today about an hour and a half before the appointment I rubbed magnesium lotion into my abdomen. I haven't done that before so I don't know what will come of it.  My plans for the evening are a trip to the sauna and more sleep.

Solar Power (It Just Makes Sense!)

One of the benefits of preparing for a Juice Feast includes an overhaul of my current way of living. In the course of the preparation I have made huge unexpected leaps. I have switched to a (nearly) 100 percent organic wardrobe (I'm still releasing old things but not buying anything new that isn't organic), I have given up even more chemicals from hair care to body care. These were not planned changes, but my drive to live a healthier lifestyle offered these choices to me. And I conscientiously made these new choices which have changed my life for the better.

Solar Prayer Wheel

Om Mani Padme Hum

Another fantasy of mine is solar power. I am delighted to announce my first (well second really--no I'm not counting the school-mandated calculator either) use of solar power. Let me start with the first solar item. I've had this prayer wheel in my life for over a year. When the sun comes up in the morning it starts spinning and spreading compassion into my life and the world. It does not store power so it stops spinning when the sun goes down.

Solar charger

Now, for the grand unveiling of my current solar energy usage...a solar charger! Today my solar charger came in the mail and I immediately placed its solar side to the window and charged my e-reader (that purple plate has nothing to do with the charger). For my next coffee enema I will be reading electronically, compliments of the sun!  This model is tiny, it can be place against a window but it also comes with two attachable suction cups so it can ride in the car with you. My first foray into solar charging is for USB charging only. Of course, one day I aspire to greater reliance on solar energy. But I am celebrating my first steps.

I am grateful for my dedication to my healing journey and quest for continuous self-improvement. The unexpected life-changing solutions bring much beauty to my life. With solar power I am going to have to get much more serious in my devotions and salutations to the sun!

Healing Thoughts

I cannot tell a lie, I can and have fallen into the trap of negative thinking. It is often a tough climb out, but well worth it. Of course we know to heal our thoughts must change. If we want to change, we must do things differently. This can be paralyzing for some, yet for others it is an act of love. There are three things I do regularly which help me create and hold positive thoughts.

Keep a Gratitude Journal

I have a variation on this, but for me I know gratitude is the way to feeling joy. During the worst of times at night as I cuddled up in bed and my tense body needed to be coaxed to relax, I would recite 10 things for which I am grateful. If I woke up angry I would say 10 more things I am grateful for. Other times I carry a small journal with me where I write 10 gratitude items every morning. However I do it, being grateful always elevates my thoughts and improves my mood.

Om Mani Padme Hum

The Dalai Lama provides a succinct look at the meaning of the mantra of compassion. Chanting these 6 syllables along with thinking about the meaning is a powerful way to purify the body, speech, and mind.

 

Whenever I am cleaning a room of negative energy with salt I write Om Mani Padme Hum all over it and chant it as well. One thing is true for me with this mantra, it brings me peace.

Burn Reiki Candles

I am not a Reiki practitioner but perhaps if you are you can do this yourself; I however buy the candles already charged.

Healing

Cedar, Ocean, Lemon Balm, Heather

• Use to heal the body, mind and soul.
• Use in combination with Peace to heal Mother Earth, animals and 4 elements.

All candles also come with powerful affirmations. I regularly recite the affirmation while the candle is burning and often after I have lit an incense stick. Ancient peoples believed the smoke carries the prayer or affirmation to the Creator.

Here is the affirmation for the Wisdom candle:



I wish you happy thoughts.