Setting My Juice Feast Theme (Acceptance)

                                                     

With a lifelong love of literature, managing complex projects and studying organizational leadership I've come to learn the value of setting a theme around multi-step projects.  When it comes to growing spiritually through fasting its imperative I choose something about myself which I would like to improve. Doing so I find I root myself into a growth strategy that, even if it doesn't stick the first time around (and I no longer have that "bad habit"), it's a bit like a piñata and I've given it a good whack. I know myself and I know that in time I will overcome it.

I've set my theme for the upcoming Juice Feast. It is acceptance. I seek to accept everything exactly as it is.  This is not blind acceptance or stoic stiff-upper-lip acceptance, but an acceptance born of exploration of my emotions, my ingrained habits and thought patterns.  As I mentioned above it may not stick but I will vow to be accepting during my entire Juice Feast in the best and most honest way I can. I am not one who commonly makes lifetime vows. However trying on a good practice almost always impacts my entire life in a positive way.

I've chosen acceptance in honor of my grandfathers--both have passed.  My grandfathers were my lifetime guides to do the right thing and aspire to be a better person. And when I wasn't following that path all too closely--they accepted me completely. They accepted everyone around them.


My maternal grandfather retired early and I followed him around from the time I was four years old until I sat holding his hand while he was dying--all the while trying to write his eulogy in my mind.  He spent a lifetime wanting to (and succeeding) at being the best at what he did. He endured hardships yet he was kind to those who wronged him. He was kind to everyone.

He was one of many sons on a farm but volunteered to go to WWII because he recognized he had the fortitude (unlike his brothers) to do it.  He was one of the many in that generation who were truly heroes--smart with homestead common sense, principled and willing to work himself to the bone.  While on the Asian front his ship's lights were out one night and another ship plowed right through it--and everything sunk to the bottom. He and his unit were shipwrecked on an island with cannibals. Besides his first sergeant duties, to keep his mind occupied he made two airplanes out of spent ammo and an artillery shell for the base--he gave one to me. It's brass so I find myself polishing it when I need courage.

My paternal grandfather dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Marine Corps (of course lying about his age). As a former Marine myself (who graduated high school early and enlisted in the Marine Corps) I can only imagine he got his butt handed to him on many occasion during that condensed boot camp. Grandpa always credited the Marine Corps and good parents for keeping him on the straight and narrow--so I suppose he held no ill will towards his drill instructors. Grandpa was also a farm boy and found himself on his way to Iwo Jima driving an amphibious vehicle. Luckily my grandpa survived one of the fiercest battles.

Grandpa was the type of person who emanated country kindness. In his adult life when he returned from the war and started a family he was a cop in a small town. I met a man who knew my grandpa when the man was a boy. This man was regularly beaten by his father and my grandpa would often find the little boy crying and hurt. Sure my grandpa did his job but all the man remembered was that my grandpa cared for him and showed him kindness.  He was always the type of person who would show up when things looked bleak and ask: How can I help? Unfortunately grandpa couldn't hear a word I said (the tone of my voice isn't too friendly to artillery wrecked eardrums) but we had a life long correspondence and a family translator when we were in person.

Both of my grandpa's died the day after their birthdays. Both in June, and one year apart.  I was devastated. In the space of 3 years I was divorced, moved across one state, endured the startling death of my cat-daughter, completed university, lost my first grandparent, moved across the United States, started an internship and lost another grandparent.  I say my grandpas were my guides but I came to realize they still are. I missed them terribly until one day I realized they were in my heart and always would be. A year after their deaths I started to bounce back into life.  I tried many things to overcome the grief yet little progress was holding. I was grossly overweight for the first time in my life (50 pounds!) and started working on slimming down and healing. I tried many flushes, fasts and detoxes but I wasn't making much progress. The reason I say my grandpas are still guiding me is that in overcoming the grief I found raw foods. Through raw foods and my healing journey I've had to determine my own future rather than following in the footsteps of the two greatest men I've ever known. And here I am...committing to a practice of acceptance.


                                                               

Advanced Affirmations

Affirmations Written on Pure Water for Humidifier

Many of us on the healing path come to realize there is more to healing than the physical aspects. Some of us learn our thoughts have woven our physical (perceived problems) through manifestations. Those who have adapted personalized affirmations have sometimes learned how to un-weave negative, unhealthy thoughts in our minds and see those negative manifestations disappear.

Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life is an amazing resource to discover prewritten affirmations for most afflictions and provide an understanding for how to love ourselves again. After you've been doing this for awhile you'll find it easier and easier to write your own affirmations. But that's not what I meant when I titled this post Advanced Affirmations. Instead I wanted to share what I am doing in addition to saying aloud and thinking positive affirmations everyday.

I have already mentioned water labels in this blog which I place all over my liquids and on jars such as French press for tea, water pitcher, coconut kefir and sauerkraut jars, and rain water jars for plants. 
I've seen such remarkable results from this process that after I connected this with helping others and I began to think about how my positive thoughts affect those around me--whether they know it or not. When I light my karma candles to purify my home and space I now include my entire neighborhood.

How do water, my intentions and positive thoughts reach the world? Masaru Emoto's photographed thoughts captured in water crystals explains it all.

Looking back I will tell you it was not always my first inclination to help others. It wasn't on my mind to hurt others, but I used to focus mostly on myself and my healing needs. Sure I would help others, but it often seemed like a chore. As I've focused so much on my own healing journey I've come to realize how much I want the world to be a better, cleaner place. I have learned over time to give freely what I have to give. Still, parts of the world and my attitude toward it still stink.

Lately I've been more active in trying to make the world a better place, one small act at a time. I usually keep these selfless acts to the world to myself. But I'll mention two (I try to do one a day) to give you an idea. I've surreptitiously stocked the office machines to the brim with paper. I helped an elderly man load his car with groceries. These are not big things, but small acts in an effort to make the world just a little bit better. I've decided to add that to my Juice Feast. Perhaps I will only light a candle, but I will do something to send love out to the world every day.

Source: Sending Love Out Into the World

Are You Helping Others?

Credit: Gone but Not Forgotten

As I've cleaned up my diet, my thoughts and my life practices, I've thought considerably about the impact I have on the world right now and I can't help but think of what my legacy will be (propelling me to try even more to live a better life). I've studied Buddhism irregularly as a philosophy for many years. I find its intellectually rigorous concepts challenging and satisfying. I've tried to incorporate as many of the elements of Buddhism that work for me in my daily life and from it and raw foods I launched my growing spiritual practices. Because I find the philosophy so beautiful yet demanding I do not consider myself a Buddhist nor an aspiring Buddhist. However as a philosophy and a way of life, when I practice its concepts it makes me a better person.

Recently I've developed an interest in astrology. It took several viewings for me but Rick Levine's Quantum Astrology: Science, Spirit and Our Place in the Cycles of History finally makes sense to me. Through his analysis of planetary alignments over the centuries he clearly shows: "We begin to appreciate that single events do not happen by themselves. They always happen in a fabric of continuity connected to larger events of the past, to unknown events of the future and through astrology we get a different perspective of history." Furthermore he articulates: "So as we dip our toes in the quantum pond and watch these ripples move out astrology, more than anything else, reminds us that our future is not sealed in fate. In fact, it's sealed in every little action that we take every time we poke into that quantum pond. Every action we take has ripples and those ripples have ramifications that build and come back in the future in ways that today, we do not know."

As I've developed myself and worked at becoming a better person a natural inclination is, as the Buddhists have taught me, to help others. Over the course of time I've learned that sometimes when you help others you can actually hurt them. In my current dysfunctional work environment I see drama on a daily basis. It is so broken I've come to the conclusion that I don't know the solution to resolve its brokenness.  I've wanted to leave for months yet I held on because I've wanted to help these souls who seem so hurt, lost and angry. After more than a year of misery, I've come to some conclusions. Namely, it doesn't have to be this way.

To build the ladder out of this pit of misery I've harkened back to my undergraduate days studying communication models. The one I've learned so much from and reintroduced into my life is

(Google Images)

Stephan Karpman's Drama Triangle Model. 

I've added a few more commonly used adjectives to the roles written out in Wikipedia, but the Drama Triangle is constructed of the following:

• The person who plays the role of a victim, martyr or vulnerable being
• The person or villain who bullies, pressures, coerces, oppresses or persecutes the "victim"
• The rescuer, hero, or enabler who intervenes, seemingly out of a desire to help the situation or the underdog.

Keep in mind these roles fluctuate in each person in varying circumstances although many people have a natural tendency toward one role. Do you see yourself in one of these? In other visual depictions of the triangle people rightly cite the central element of the Drama Triangle as denial. People who play out this dysfunctional communication pattern are often emotionally or egotistically vested in their roles and do not see the drama they are creating. Here is a short example of the process.

As I envision my legacy I would like it to be one without drama. Don't get me wrong, I love performing arts and I'm not excluding literature from my life--but I am stopping drama by refusing to play this dysfunctional game. The key ingredient in this game is the victim. If there are no victims, there is no drama. This can be a bitter pill for some to swallow. So be it. For me I reflect on the larger, spiritual perspective. Perhaps the person playing the "victim" is evening out karma or is here to learn a lesson these circumstances can provide. I can feel compassion for them and want to help, but I will not do so if it perpetuates drama.

Not All Products are Equal (Pt 3: Best Skin Ever - Seabuckthorn)

Credit: Botticelli Venus

I haven't spent a lifetime looking for the best facial care, rather in the last few years (when I've merely scratched the surface of what is possible for health and beauty) I've experimented with several increasingly natural organic facial products.  I quite like Tonya Zavasta's green clay mask and moisturizing cream.  I used these products exclusively on my first Juice Feast. All things considered, my facial skin was beautiful. I especially like that she adds in the techniques of dry skin brushing before the mask and using a separate brush to remove the mask--this makes a huge difference.

I am still using up some of her products. I have also been using up some highly fragrant, chemical-free, beautiful moisturizing creams from Mountain Rose Herbs. The Cucumber Skin Cream had an amazingly calm effect on my skin. I liked to use it at night for an extra oomph. Mountain Rose Herbs offer a variety of different creams to target different needs. These are organic, pure and unbelievably low priced.

For roughly the last two months I've used Nadine Artemis's Best Skin Ever --Seabuckthorn as a moisturizer as well a cleanser. My skin has become soft, the tone has evened out and I have been (nearly) blemish free. Since I've started using it I no longer want to wear even minimal amounts of mineral makeup (I still wear a dusting to work but as it makes me look worse! I suspect I will stop altogether in the near future). On the weekend I never wear makeup up and may apply two or three additional squirts of the oil throughout the day and rub gently in my face while reciting my mantra.

As I prepare for a Spring cleanse next week I thought to brush up on Annie Padden Jubb and David Jubbs' suggestions for a blended fast in their awesome book  LifeFood Recipe Book: Living on Life Force. What struck me as interesting was how they talk about a "dead oil test". The test consists of pouring some oil from the grocery store on your finger. Then rinse your finger in water. Finally try and wash it off with soap. How long does the oil stay on your skin?

I saw similar advice in David Wolfe's  book Eating for Beauty. He invokes the image of a used bottle of saturated oil. Try and wipe off the drippings that have over spilled and sat on the outside of the bottle.  He articulates the use of dead oil on skin and its consequences.  The results of organic, cold-pressed oils are regenerative and healing.

Not only do I do my very best to consume only organic, living oils in my diet but now I demand the same for external benefits to my skin.

The Business of Fast Breaking

Credit: Maxfield Parrish

After a 3 Day Green Juice Feast I broke my fast on a medium cucumber sliced in thin chips and sprinkled with a pinch of dulse flakes. I allowed my body to digest that then warmed a quart of water and blended that with a spoonful of miso.  A couple of hours later I felt hungry and I sliced another cucumber and topped it with a bit more dulse. Finally after two more hours I wrapped up my eating extravaganza with a medium salad, no dressing. I added many water-containing vegetables (a tablespoon each of beets and carrots for flavor) and nutritional yeast. This is the best fast-breaking I've done in awhile.

Unbelievably for breakfast this morning I had kale salad (kale, garlic, sesame seeds, lemons, miso, nutritional yeast and a pinch of Celtic sea salt). I took it to work for lunch and it became breakfast. I ate another helping for dinner and I decided I am going to go with greens for breakfast for awhile and see where that takes me. I don't know if I have a crush on greens right now or if it's truly the breakfast of champions.

I am always delighted by fasting because of the surprises it brings.  This green juice cleanse took away a lot of cravings for things I've been trying hard to give up. If a bowl of kale salad satisfies me more than sugary snacks well then for better or worse it looks like I'll help myself to a big bowl of kale salad in the AM. I amused myself tonight as I made my salad and I thought back to the things I ate as a kid for breakfast (pancakes, sausage, eggs, cheese, coffee) and all too often I was admonished for not eating enough. I wondered and called my mom to ask her what she would have done if I'd asked for kale salad for breakfast. She laughed--neither one of us knew what kale was until green smoothies!

Kale Salad (Breakfast of Champions?)

3 Day Green Juice Feast

Credit: Maxfield Parrish

I picked up my second set of juices from New Family Naturals on Friday. On the first full day I questioned myself over and over: Why am I fasting? I had persistent thoughts to eat. It's always a bit funny to track my irrationalities; shortly after the last fast I wanted to fast again and now that I'm doing it, my thoughts say they want to eat.

After not fasting for a period I decided I wanted to prepare myself better for my upcoming Juice Feast and do several short fasts to gain more experience in breaking the fast properly (my biggest challenge) and I realize that short fasts, while they provide this opportunity, are more difficult for me because of the constant adjustments to false hunger pangs that rise in the few initial days before going away completely until it's time to break the fast. For this reason oftentimes it's simply easier on me to do longer fasts.

All in all, this is a unique fast for me in that it is a strictly green Juice Feast. I simply couldn't stand the idea of drinking anymore carrot or beet juice so I called Toya and upgraded my package to the low glycemic green juices. The juices were made with: cucumber, celery, kale, zucchini, parsley, lemon, lime, spinach, spring mix and cabbage. They are tasty and satisfying.

I opened my fast by lighting soy Evergreen candles and reciting Gabrielle Alizay's Self-Healing Flame and another candle to recite her Home Purification Flame ritual. My day goes a bit like this: the first thing I do is take a quart of warmed water with lemon juice and MSM. Actually I put the powder MSM in my mouth and swallow it with the first drink. For me, it seems to ruin a good glass of lemon water when it's mixed in with it. While sipping on this I soak my feet in an ionic footbath. During which I also drank a quart of herbal tea. While soaking I read Bernardo LaPallo's (111 years of age and still going) book Age Less, Live More. I appreciate his practical approach to living a good life. After the footbath I do a coffee enema. While doing the coffee enema I oil swish with coconut oil and a few drops of tea tree oil and read some more.

I've been taking two digestive enzymes before each juice and taking probiotics occasionally. I'm also taking 1 TBL bee pollen,  1 TBL hemp oil and wearing a B-12 patch. I have also been using the rebounder for 15 minutes daily and the FAR infrared sauna for an hour (at lower temperatures which cause me to sweat nicely but not wear me out). I've been doing light housework and school work and I feel great. My goal for this short Juice  Feast is to appreciate my environment and clear any blockages in my home.

My evening consists of dry skin brushing, an enema and oiling my skin before scrubbing it off in a cool lukewarm shower. Finally I enjoy some down time and put on my magnetic sleep mask and take a melatonin nugget. As I am vegan I am mindful to take melatonin which states it's suitable for vegetarians. This melatonin is synthetic however other forms of melatonin are made of animal products.

So far, so good.

Reversing Gray Hair

Source

I love inspiring stories. A few of the beautiful healers I continue to be inspired from are: Ann Wigmore, Tonya Zavasta and Donna Gates. What do these three ladies have in common? Even in their 50's and onward they all continued to retain their natural color--sans gray hair. As I wind down from graduate school I am getting more serious about reversing my gray hair.

What causes gray hair?

There are many beliefs on the causes. Some common beliefs included heredity, toxins, stress, poor nutrition and a natural part of aging. For me I notice when the gray hairs come in it is usually because I am not taking the best care of myself. I have to tell you, at the moment I've never had so much gray hair!

Source

My plan of action starts with More Precise Hair Care and continues with daily Scalp Tonic. I also finger massage my scalp with some therapeutic pressure when I wash and also when I use scalp tonic. One key ingredient in stimulating new hair is mustard oil. If you try mustard oil be sure to dilute it with another oil first.

I am adding in more scalp stimulation with the Rolling Bed of Pins (also good to help rid the body of cellulite when rolled on the thighs) and occasionally I run the Tei Spa Oxyderm over my scalp. Sometimes this seems like a lot of things to do! When I think that I also recognize I am willing to do more. I heard a Donna Gates interview in which she talks about implanting minerals at night before bedtime to reverse freshly sprouted gray hairs.

I tried it last night and I began to think I might be getting either a little crazy or I've just become more driven to have even better health. I once tried Ann Wigmore's secret to maintaining her natural color into her 80's: wheatgrass implants, but I found wheatgrass too strong for me at the time. Perhaps my quest for no gray hair will lead me back to wheatgrass. Only time will tell. One thing for sure, in my instance I believe my gray hair is reversible. In fact gray hair coming and going is a good indication of how I am treating myself and the current state of my health.