Setting my Juice Feast Start Date (Beltane)

Siberian Tiger Running Through Snow (Tom Brakefield)

I have set my start date for May 1, 2013. I decided on this date for several reasons: it's close enough to my graduation date, it's in the spring but most importantly for the Celtic holiday of Beltane.  As I started this post the image of a tiger came to me so I have decided to invite the tiger to walk with me and guide me with its potent energy on this Juice Feasting journey.

I wasn't sure what the tiger message was, so I looked it up in Ted Andrews' Animal Speak and Steven Farmer's Pocket Guide to Spirit Animals.  Even though my Chinese astrology sign is a tiger (I resonate with this description) I know very little about the animal. Andrews reminds us it is a solitary animal (a JF can definitely be a solitary endeavor), they are excellent swimmers (incorporate the water element), they have immense territories and can cover huge distances in one day (immense territories: that would be my personality; cover huge distances: that would be a JF). Farmer's take on a tiger showing up in your life is:

"You'll soon find  a way of healing from a physical condition or emotional disturbance very quickly, followed by a noticeable increase in vitality."

"You'll be taking a long journey soon, one that will be refreshing and restorative."

"Get ready for a new adventure, one that may present some challenges, but will introduce dramatic changes in your life."

After opening myself to my intuition and messages I am no longer surprised how things line up in the Universe to support me--and show me I am on the right trail.  Every one of these things describes JFing. My tiger meter is up and running.

Source

I have felt a strong connection to the ancient Celtic wisdom for sometime. One of it's major days of celebration for renewal is Beltane or May 1.  Beltane is a ritual ripe in fertility and renewal. It is also square in the middle between the Spring Solstice and Summer Equinox.

"This holiday signifies the beginning of summer in the old European growing season, the time for sowing seeds. Ritual's purpose was to ensure a healthy crop and a bountiful harvest in the late summer and fall." Sharon Hidalgo, The Healing Power of Trees.

Furthermore it is a period where dreams are planted and great attention is paid to listening and watching for messages and guidance. "During this time blessings are sought and gods and spirits invoked." And it is a time to light the sacred fire. John Matthews, The Summer Solstice.

The holiday is a metaphorical journey for me in celebrating the renewal of mother earth, abundance in planting seeds (i.e. my new life and dreams) and love for the rebirth of abundant new life that the sun brings. Fertility rites (copulating in the forest or on your garden) are something I'll leave for the rest of the Beltane celebrators.

Not All Products are Equal (Part 2: Jing City)

I am grateful for this product. It's true I will most likely not consume it while I am Juice Feasting. In my pre-Juice Feast days I am trying to rebuild my reserves. So far I have consumed 2 bottles and I ordered 3 more. The first bottle left me dazed but not confused. It made me feel so delicious. It was an elevation that caused me to have to lay down and enjoy the new energy.

After nearly 2 years of working full time and going to graduate school, I was starting to wear out. Although I have recently been much more mindful of my eating habits, whole vegan and raw vegan foods were not replenishing me quick enough. Nor, I confess, am I being disciplined enough for this sole approach to work at the level I desire it.

So I found the need to experiment. The Longevity Warehouse website describes the re-charge experience as: "Initially Jing City is calming. It stops all stress, allowing the jing to download and replenish; an hour later you can start to feel the inner-power... much as if you have had several hours sleep and are fully charged to take on life!" Through the first two bottles I didn't get beyond the inner-power generator. I craved to get home after work to make this elixir. I felt fantastic after the tea but I could not sustain this feeling.


On his website Ron Teeguarden says: "A tonic herb must help balance our emotional and psychic energy so as to help improve one's state of spiritual and emotional well being and happiness."  This statement made no sense to me until I started drinking Jing City, a masterfully formulated tonic elixir. Now as I work on bottle 3, I feel calmer, more adaptable and my meditation practice is stronger. It is one of the most powerful tools I have come across to re-capture my energy--and sustain it.

Schizandra Warrior Juice

One of the great things I am discovering post the 30 day challenge of consuming niacin, jumping on the rebounder then sweating out entrenched toxins is that it is so much easier to listen to what my body needs. At first I thought the benefit of the challenge may lay primarily in external appearances and resolution of health issues, but I've found the real benefit is my unclogged body can tell me what it needs. Since I've embarked on 100 days of Schizandra I'm also noticing new insights. After the first week I seem to look different. However this difference is so subtle it's hard to define other than an instinctual knowing.

Recently I've spent more time learning from the wisdom of Ron Teeguarden. His book is fabulous, however his website is also highly informative and easy to follow. I recommend a thorough reading of  Herbalism and Philosophy on his website. From it I was able to comprehend I may have a yin deficiency. This is a topic I hope to further understand with more study.

Another great thing I have discovered is that I have had to take the plants and herbs to understand them. After consuming tonic herbs in a clean body I am being led to greater insights. My choices and thoughts are aligning with a higher source of energy and information. I could not grasp this level of knowledge before I absorbed the herbs into my being. It is a fascinating process.

From this process I have uncovered a new drink for myself. It is a kombucha replacement drink. I am trying to cut down drastically on sugar. I have made slow progress, but some is better than none. My new drink is called Schizandra Warrior Juice because initially I felt I had to be a warrior to drink it. As I have consumed more I find it to be medicinally delicious and I sip on it throughout the day with enjoyment.

Here's the recipe for Schizandra Warrior Juice:

• 1  25.3 ounce bottle of sparkling mineral water (bottled at source)
• 1 ounce organic fruit juice concentrate (I've used--cranberry, mangosteen, sea buckthorn, noni, tart cherry)
• 1 ounce liquid probiotics (I use Grainfields lemon and ginger) 
• 1 packet Schizandra tea (I use Ron Teeguarden's tea)

This drink is clearly one I could consume on a Juice Feast in addition to my four quarts of daily juice. It is nice to have this other healthy option lined up as some days on a Juice Feast I seek different tastes.

Rebuilding: 100 Days of Schizandra

Image Credit

In this health-is-wealth and powerful book "The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs" Ron Teeguarden shares with us an ancient tool to realign us with the "primary energies of life." Specifically "Schizandra generates vitality and radiant beauty when used regularly for sometime....If used for one hundred days successively, Schizandra is said to purify the blood, sharpen the mind, improve memory, rejuvenate the Kidney energy...and cause the skin to become radiantly beautiful. " Furthermore, his website elaborates: " People who start taking Schizandra regularly all change for the better. Their skin virtually glows and becomes clear and fine after several months."

So, I have accepted the 100 day challenge. Today is day 2. I decided to start with Dragon Herbs because I became an admirer of Ron Teeguarden through his presentations at the Longevity Now  Conferences. He strikes me not only as knowledgeable in Chinese herbalism, but someone who bears the responsibility of that knowledge with integrity and grace. In one presentation he said he had made a vow to love everything. I'm hooked!

From Dragon Herbs

I will freely admit I have had this book for years and I am still uneducated on the ways of Chinese herbalism. Each entry in the book is written in loving and glowing terms and it can be difficult to not fall for these plants yourself! I am fairly certain I will not use encapsulated herbs during the Juice Feast, however I am seeking to start the Juice Feast at a higher level of health and explore where the Feast may take me. For today, I am starting with Schizandra to strengthen and rebuild. Let's see where that takes me.