Yes, something is brewing... Can you feel it?

Dearest friends and community:

Yes, something is brewing!... can you feel it?

Sure thing, here in Canada the sun in shinning, it is -30something outside!- yet something is brewing... the heart fire within me has sparked, calibrated and is ready to ignite...

First and foremost I want to thank you for being a witness to this wild ride of mine. Your have allowed me, stood by me, and supported me to discover and explore this Brave New World.

So I invite you now to come along for the ride, to stay curious, to discover, uncover, tap into, and dive within your own very hearts!

rawllygood is stepping into it's next evolution! a space dedicated to sharing tools for the self-transformation that is the process of alignment of body, mind and soul.

rawllygood.com is soon to come, oh so soon! to you.

In the meantime, you can sign up for rawllygoodness to come to you directly right here:

http://eepurl.com/baVjt5

Please know that this blogspot will still live, but soon enough the posts and the rawllygoodness will be coming directly from rawllygood.com!

So subscribe! and live what you love, cause it's all good, rawllygood!

May this year bring Grace, Peace & Hope into your lives and may you re calibrate your heart compass with Love.

All in rawllygood times,

Your hope activist,

Naty Howard

quote of the week

"Let your heart be your compass, your mind your map, your soul your guide... and you will never get lost."- Unknown.

Note to Self. 40 spins around the sun have taught me this.....

Suddenly it all makes sense.

On the Eve of my 40 cycles around the earth, i felt blessed. I felt tremendous gratitude for my soul to have knocked on my door, and for my inner voice to have answered. I was at the Shivananda Ashram in the Bahamas, at awe, in the realization that my first introduction to Yoga came through the Shivananda Centre in Toronto in 1996, so long ago, and though I have travelled many paths through Yoga, it is here that I was on the eve of my 40th birthday.

As I celebrated 40 spins around the sun, and suddenly it all made sense.  Suddenly, there is a different depth of trust in life's grace and I no longer need to know all the details, of why and how, but rather I feel more at peace with where I am and I feel a more mature level of commitment for my spiritual practice that carries me through, day in and day out.  

Suddenly the voice that struggled for so long to find its path, has quietly found it.  Suddenly the weight of my broken heart has lifted and the veiled of the illusion of separateness has come together to show me that neither time nor space are real boundaries for the heart, and that I am here to experience and learn about love, unconditional love.

Separation found its way to my heart on the summer of 1991, when we immigrated to Canada.  We, my mother, myself and brother, left Venezuela 23 years ago in the midst of very corrupt governments  lack of social conscience, violence, attacks on our personal safety and personal freedoms. We became immigrants in what I thought at the time was a strange country, with a language I did not speak, a culture I couldn't relate to, a winter that chilled my bones, and a one way trip that broke my soul.  Tears rolled down my cheek for 365 days in a row, and every now and then, they still find their way out of the deep layers of my teenage heart onto the face of my 40 year old body.  I guess my scar hasn't fully healed, I guess home is always our first love, and a place no other place can ever replace.  But through these 23 years as an immigrant I began to heal my heart, I began to make it my home, I began to understand and feel the greatness of being where I am, being free to speak my truth, having my rights as a human, as a woman, as a mother, as a daughter, respected and valued. I began to appreciate in my body, the peace that exists around me.  I began to appreciate and become conscious of my freedom.  I began to understand the reasons of why we left, I began to understand that growing up in a beautiful yet violent city, had left a deep imprint of fear, anxiety, and worry within me, but it has also given me one of my most precious gifts: a social conscience. 

This social conscience that feels and sees too much, has led me to interact with the world through the lens of my camera, documenting all sort of stories about the human condition, the journey of social justice and human rights is one close to my heart.  Photographing stories of the human heart, stories of spiritual transformation, stories in places far away and close to home, opened new doors of perspective and awareness onto my journey and allowed me to have exposure to the spiritual ways of different cultures and traditions that otherwise I may not have had the opportunity to bare witness. 

This social conscience is the seed of my dharma, and though the way in which I am engaging with the world is changing, the seed is still the same.

I am and will always be a hope activist at heart. 

Through my healing journey over the last 5 years, I discovered that the road is never straight.  That it's full of wonderful twists and turns, detours, and doorways into the greater brave new worlds.  That it's full of serendipitous meetings that always leave an imprint in our souls.  The more we are able to connect within ourselves with our own sacrednesss we are able to also see the Universe- The Macrocosm symbolically at work within us and through us.

This year in particular I have surrendered to my heart, to the consciousness and the fire that burns within, and the reclaiming of the sacredness that resides deeper beyond the fire in my heart, deeper in the place where silence resides, where I feel most complete, most open, most vulnerable, most peaceful.  That space where I am truly myself, where I feel supported, nurtured and nourished by Spirit. 

Along the process I have tapped into the Ashram within,  the sacred space that has always been with us.  I have choosen to answer, to surrender, to melt away into the wings of consciousness.  In me, it took a healing crisis to take the leap of faith.  In me, it took the realignment of where my body, my heart and my soul needed to go vs where my mind thought it needed to go.  In me, it took the acceptance, that I can choose, not just cope, not just have to, not just carry on, but actually CHOOSE how I deal with what happens and the shifts that ripple out of my choice to align myself ever more deeply with my true self, with my soul and with Spirit.  It's given me great strength, awareness, and a deepening of my purpose.  It has sparked the REVOLUTION WITHIN and defined that what I used to call my creative dragon is the hope activist whithin.  For that I am grateful and I know in my bones that I am exactly where I need to be and where I prayed so long ago that I would be- home within.  

So as I sit on this last day of 2014, I think of all that came to pass, the twists and turns of my healing journey, and I bow into my heart with a big smile on my face and resonating with a big YES!!! and a big THANK YOU!! on my chest for heavy metals are officially OUT! and a new phase begins and the extention of the Revolution Within continues.  I'd like to think of it as a new phase of deeper integration.  And rather than make or think of my 2015 goals as resolutions, I rather think of them as a process of deeper alignment.  What and how do I choose to walk my line? What do I envision to create this year? What are the feelings, the everyday state of being that I wish to live from?  Gratitude, Love and Deep Trust are the first ones to come to mind.  How can I be of service and really, really make a difference in my community, in the world, in my life and yours? 

How can we inspire each other to bring about the best in us, and live, in trust that you will be there for me and that I will be there for you.  How can we create safer communities for our children and how can we teach them to walk their line ethically, carrying honesty and a deep love and respect for the world and the people of the world?

What are you thinking for this next year to come?  Allthough every day is a new opportunity to create shift and change within us and spark our own Revolution Within as we awaken the hope activist that resides in our hearts,  this time of the year gifts us the opportunity to synch into ourselves a little deeper and begin to write a new chapter in our lives.  Time, well, she goes.  We keep spining around the sun.  What have your spins taught you?  What are the dreams you dream as we spin?  When will you start living your dreams, living what you love and in the process spark your own Revolution Within and tap into your own hope activist?

I don't have your answers.  They are only yours to be found, to be lived, to be surrendered to, to be choosen by you and only you.  You know yourself best, and most importantly it's your life.  It's your journey back to you.

On these 40 spins around the sun, and on this last day of 2014, I feel blessed, grateful, hopeful and inspired to dive deeper into the realms of alignment of body, heart, mind and soul.  I feel my compass has been set.  It is driven by my heart and the hope activist within, and it knows only one way forward. So what do you say, are you ready to roll up your sleeves and dive deeper within?

Quote of the day:

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."  Say not, "I have found the path of the soul."  Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."  For the soul walks upon all paths.  The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.  The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.  ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

Have you been Permacultured yet? well, if you haven't get Permacultured now! The H.O.P.E Permaculture Tour is HERE!

Have you?, no really, have you?  Been permacultured lately??

I can tell you I have, it has stolen my heart, taken my dreams, and tucked them away at the end of the rainbow for me to journey on, quietly walking barefooted on the land, quietly listening to my breath, witnessing what is inside of me and outside.  It has grabbed me by the hand, and shown me a vision of what is possible, a beautiful sustainable future, where individual expression is embedded with social conscience, where compassion is at the core of our hearts, and grace, love and respect for Life rather than fear guide our journeys and our choices.  

Permaculture is a system and a philosophy of creating permanent cultures using ecological design, modelled through the observation of nature, creating long term sustainable eco-systems that can be restorative, rejuvenate and take care of themselves for the most part.  "Permaculture is defined as consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for the provision of local needs.... more precisely I see Permaculture as the use of systems thinking and design principles that provide the organizing framework for implementing the above vision"- David Holmgren 'Pathways to Sustainability'.

Traditionally Permaculture is used in creating permanent sustainable gardens and farms that nourish us with delicious goodness.  Permaculture goes to great lengths into evaluating and using the relationships already present in the eco-system to their maximum potential for the benefit and sustainability of all. 

But to me, Permaculture is everywhere! As much as it's principles apply to our outer landscape, they can also be used within.  As Ayurveda says, as within so is without, what exists in the Macrocosm, also exists in the Microcosm.  As much as these principles are tools for creating healthy ecosystems, they are also a means to discover and more so recover our deep ecology and our ancestral connection to the spirit of the earth.  True radiant health can only exist within once we begin to choose to create radiant health through our actions and our lives in our immediate and not so immediate environments.

So if you haven't been permacultuted yet, perhaps you will you will consider joining me and 5 others homesteaders who on Saturday October 18 & Sunday October 19th, will be co-hosting the first annual H.O.P.E. Permaculture Tour in the York-Durham Region, Ontario, Canada.  Come out & learn about permaculture design to create your own sustainable oasis!  2 days, 6 stops. 

Over the past few months myself and 5 other Homesteaders in the York- Durham Regions have gotten together recognizing the need to share our experiences, as well as, inspire and provide others with the tools needed to take self responsibility over our health, the food we eat, the importance of our relationship to the earth and our deep ecology, as well as, the importance of increasing our awareness of being local in our choices.  Out of this desire to be of service the Homesteading Organically to Produce Eco-systems (H.O.P.E.) Permaculture Tour was born. 

During this 2-day tour, we will be visiting 6 different homestead properties that have used permaculture principles in their design and the designers of these properties will be travelling around with the participants to answer questions throughout the weekend. A tour of each site and a workshop at each site will take place at all 6 locations. A bus and shuttle services will be provided throughout the tour.  Camping will be available at Foggy River Farm and there are also B&B's available in the area.  Light snacks and handout materials will be provided, but meals are not included. The bus will be stopping for lunch and additional shopping on both days.

For more info and registration see here: http://permaculturetour.eventbrite.com


I encourage you to check it out, come out, join us.  Spread the word, share the event!.  If you live far away, gather with your fellow homesteaders and start a H.O.P.E. Permaculture Tour of your own! It's not just a tour, it's a movement!

Yours Truly,
Your HOPE Activist,
Naty Howard.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Permaculture is the art of the possible."- Graham Bell 'The Permaculture Garden'.

Something Old with a New twist.... Sacred Prayer Bundles meet the elements...

Sacred Prayer Bundles hold within themselves the sacred energy of who makes them and the prayers we hold dear to our hearts.  They are the manifestation of our sacred intention and can carry our sacred words of healing, of re-connecting, of our sacred prayers, our heart's desire for peace and harmony to the Great Spirit.  Words have power.  Words hold onto their vibration, which resonates within us and the world around us.  Becoming more and more conscious about our choice of words can bring one too many revelations about our patterns of thought and behaviour.  Tuning into our words and impregnating them with sacred intention, gives the Prayer Bundles sacred powers.


Different traditions guide us in different ways to make the Prayer Bundles.  They are all sacred in their own ways, and most importantly, they are sacred to you in your own unique way.  Anything goes, as long as what you are making/manifesting resonates with you, as long as you take the time to make it sacred and with sacred intentions, as long as you to make it 'yours', and open up your heart, anything goes.

I like combining the elemental tradition of Ayurveda with the Sacred Prayer Bundles.  The 5 elements that make everything that exists in the Universe are: Ether (space/ vibration), Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.  Including them within the Sacred Prayer Bundles, for me, makes them that much more powerful.  It connects the Bundle with the rest of the Universe, it connects them to the ancient science of healing: Ayurveda and one of the key concepts, 'our microcosm is a representation of our macrocosm and viceversa', and 'everything affects everything else'.  Because everything is interconnected and because as we are within so are we in the Universe at large, including the elements reminds me, and perhaps you, of the power of our choices, the power of the Universe, the power of Spirit, and the power of our intentions.

How to make a Sacred Prayer Bundle you say?

Basic materials:
* 4x4" square pieces of fabric.  They can be bought, or made.  Using colour to enhance their beauty if you are going to place them somewhere where you will see them is worth the extra thought.
* twine
* scissors
* paper and pen (blue if to be used symbolically for water)
* an open heart

Elements materials:
* Ether- symbolically write down the word OM. Or symbolically listen to drumming music as you are making them or better yet gather in community to make your sacred prayer bundles and create a drumming circle ceremony as part of the making of them.
* Air- symbolically breath deeply into your bundle.  Symbolically included when hanging the prayer bundles from a tree. Use the colour white as one of you fabrics.
* Fire- symbolically anything red, or a small picture of fire, or ashes from a sacred fire. Symbolically this element is included when burning the prayer bundles.
*Water- symbolically anything blue, or a small picture of water.  Symbolically this element is included when throwing the prayer bundle into a river or moving water.
*Earth- symbolically soil, a small stick, a tobacco leaf/ or tobacco (traditionally used in native ceremonies).  Symbolically this element is included when burring the prayer bundle.  Sacred Herbs, corn, sand from a sand mandala, sacred ash that come from the Earth.

First, I like to be very clear with my offering, with my intention and let that sit in my heart. When I am ready to clear the space around me, both physically and energetically, I use smudging.  Smudging consists of burning incense to clear the energetic or physical imprint left upon our bodies, and /or our space.  Traditionally it is done by burning dried sage, or sweet grass.  I like using sage.

Once you feel that you have arrived together with your body, meditate upon your offering and your prayers.  Sit quietly if you can for 5 minutes of more, and bring forth your intention and your prayer.  If you are able to be in nature, gather the 5 elements, Ether (symbolically write down the word OM.  OM is believed to be the original vibration that set the Universe into being), Air (symbolically anything white), Fire (symbolically anything red), Water (symbolically anything blue- blue ink, a small image of water), Earth (symbolically soil, sand, sage, corn, tobacco or a small stick).

Reconnect with your prayer, or your sacred intention for the bundle.  Write it down if you wish, or hold the intention in your mind as you assemble the bundle.  Place the tobacco, sand, sacred ash and/or sage if you have any inside your square piece of fabric.  Continue to place each of the symbolic representations of the 5 elements inside the square piece of fabric. Place your written intention inside the sacred prayer bundle, and fold all four corners of the fabric towards the middle, tie up the top with twine.

You can make one prayer bundle, or you can make a thousand of them. It is believed that if we make more than one, our prayers will be carried that much faster by the winds to the Great Spirit.  Kind of like snail mail vs. instant email request.  I like making a row of them, a row that I can hang on the tree and let the winds of change, of peace, of health and harmony whisper them away (air).

Before I let them be whispered by the winds to the Great Spirit, I smudge one more time.  I smudge over the sacred prayer bundles, over the space that allowed me to create them, over my body, and energetically seal the moment and the commitment my soul has given.

Sacred Rituals are something that most of us have forgotten, or perhaps don't participate in as much as our hearts desire them.  Creating new or reconnecting with old sacred rituals is extremely important as we are multidimensional beings seeking a human experience.  We often forget, assume, we are human being seeking a soul experience.  Either way, connecting with the Sacred allows us to transform, to move energy, to connect to the light of our being, to journey on while connecting with the ancient in our bones.

Upcoming Events

Sunday September 21st, 2014: Rawllygood Potluck Fall Equinox @ The Realign Ranch. 4-7pm.

It's time to gather and share the bounty of the season!
For this very special gathering we will be doing a ceremony in the Mandala Garden, we will be planting our Tree of Life in the middle of the Herb Spiral, which is at the core of the Garden.  We will be doing a short ceremony that I am calling Planting the Soul Dream.  Please take 10 minutes out of your busy lives and come prepare for it.  Find a quiet space and time, sit in meditation and connect deeply with your inner self.  What is it that your soul dreams of manifesting? what is it that your soul's desire? What is your purpose and how do you see it coming forth at this time?  write it all down.  Bring your Soul Dream with you, as we will be planting them underneath the Tree of Life, to nourish, heal and continue to transform the tree and the Mandala Garden.  As I mentioned before the Tree and the Soul Dreams will be planted at the core and energetic centre of the Garden.

If you can not make it to the potluck, but do wish to have your Soul Dream planted, well, send (email) it my way and onto the earth it will go.  If you wish to keep your Soul Dream private, than mail it my way as well, but make sure to do so sooner than later.  Our mailing address is : The Realign Ranch, 8641 Concession 2, Mt Albert, ON, L0G1M0.  Make sure you write Soul Dream on the envelope so that your privacy is respected!

After the ceremony we will gather and feast with a Rawllygood Potluck.  For details of what to bring please check http://rawllygood.blogspot.ca/p/details-of-rawllygood-potluck_7368.html

Saturday October 18th & Sunday October 19th- H.O.P.E. Permaculture Tour!

Welcome to the first Homesteading Organically to Produce Eco-systems Permaculture Tour!

“Learn and be inspired by how we’re doing it!”

Times: 9:00 to 5:00 each day

Location: York & Durham Regions (Lake Simcoe Watershed)

Registration Fee:  Early Bird Special of $125.00 if you register by September 12^th

After September 12^th  $150.00

2014 Tour Sites:

John’s Garden, Uxbridge

Foggy River Farm South, Uxbridge

Foggy River Farm North, Uxbridge

Tycoed Restorative Farm, Uxbridge

Mandala Gardens at The Realign Ranch, Mt Albert/Uxbridge

Cavallieiro Farm, Schomberg

We HOPE this tour will inspire you to consider how you are living now and what changes you could potentially make to help create a better ecosystem for the Earth and all living creatures. We will demonstrate and give you experiences of the way this community of homesteaders are using permaculture principles to make changes. At the conclusion of the weekend, you will have discovered unique ways of applying permaculture principles in your immediate environment, from backyard to an operating farm!  Little changes, big changes…all make a difference in your own life and the life of your community.

A shuttle bus will be available for the tour with pick-up at the Uxbridge Train Station (GO Terminus at Railway St. & Spruce St.). If you wish to stay in the area, camping will be available at Foggy River Farm North and there are also Bed and Breakfast places available. Lunch on both days will be available for purchase or you can bring your own.

To register please visit  http://permaculturetour.eventbrite.com/?aff=ReAlignRanch

Please join us!!!

Quote of the day

"You are one thing only.  You are a Divine Being.  An all-powerful Creator.  You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was."- Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide to Your True Destiny.

I invite you to BACKUP & RESTORE!

When was the last time you unplugged, took your shoes off and walked barefooted along a forest path?  yeah, exactly! today's world has a way of spinning faster than before and because we have gotten soo good at multitasking we are usually doing 10 things at once and expecting to get 20 done. Right? Sounds too familiar... we get so busy even backing up our electronic systems and restoring them.. but when was the last time you backed yourself up and restored?

Taking time to back up, to restore, to reconnect is crucial for optimal health.  It is crucial to nurture ourselves and give our selves time to unwind, time to nourish ourselves, and time to connect with what is really important to us, realigning our intentions and the choices we are making towards building and manifesting our meaningful lives.  I am not talking about time to disconnect from it all!, I am talking about time for you away from it all to connect ever so deeply.

I get it, it is easy to get caught up in the midst of the storm, but we must stand tall, feet deeply rooted and breath.

Creating a Spiritual Practice, dedicated to just that, reconnecting with our selves, with our intentions, with our choices brings mindfulness to our days and to our being.  Daily practice is most beneficial as it builds and deepens our trust in our selves and creates that magical space, where our bodies know at a cellular level we are safe, we are connected, we can let go and recalibrate our nervous system, we can be still and seek peace.

A Spiritual Practice is as unique as you are.  There are many tools out there to be used as a spiritual practice, from meditation to yoga, to breath work, to journaling, to sacred dance, to communing with nature, and so on.  Whatever re calibrates your nervous system and allows you to de stress, re connect and realign has the potential to become your spiritual practice.

As you establish your practice, knowing that we have to face our lovely egos and go beyond to where the soul resides will give you the inspiration to carry on and the commitment for long term success.

What does your Spiritual Practice look like?

What would you like it to look like?

Here are some tools or ideas for you to be inspired by, set a few minutes a day, and build on that time,  know that just as the seasons change so will your practice.  Sometimes we need different things in that time, but making sure we leave rejuvenated, grounded and inspired is very important.  On more traditional practices, the movement of the body in encouraged prior to sitting in meditation, it allows us to bring oxygen into our bodies, move the lymph, move the mind, wake up if you will, dance the cosmic dance, in order to settle down for the practice of meditation.

Tools for creating a Spiritual Practice:
*Recognize your needs, write a list down of where you are at, and where you would like to be.  Search for ways to get you there.
*Prioritize your needs and your practice.
*Start small, once you are committed to that and it becomes your routine, expand on it. 5 minutes a day can go a long way!  5 mindful minutes of only meditation consistently will do more of your well being than two hours of it, every two weeks.
*Create a sacred space.  A space you go to for your practice, it can be as simple as a corner in a room, or a room to itself.  Your entire body will soon recognize this place and thank you for showing up to yourself.
*Same place, same time, everyday.  If our practice is something that we do every day, we will reap a whole lot more of its benefits than if it is something that is done occasionally.  Occasionally understanding that you are human, and that your practice may shift for a day or two is ok.
*Being gentle and compassionate with ourselves, remember its a 'practice', perfection lays in its imperfections.
*Express your intention and your offering for the practice and close your practice with gratitude.
*Read inspirational words to start your day
*Journal.  Express yourself!
*Connect with Nature. Get outside. Walk barefooted and ground.

So take those 5 minutes a day, and build on it, back yourself up and restore :)

If you are looking for a day to reconnect with nature, learn about edible gardens, learn about Raw food Nutrition than come on by, Sunday June 8th, 9am-5pm. It will be a jam packed Rawllygood beautiful kind of day!

Events coming up

Sunday June 8th, 9am-5pm, Homesteading for Raw Nutrition-
Presented by Phill Collins owner of Foggy River Farms and co-founder of Fresh City Farms, and myself.

Location: The Realign Ranch. 8641 Concession 2. Mt Albert, On (conveniently located 15 minutes East of Newmarket, or 12 minutes west of Uxbridge).
Investment: individual- $125.00 per person, groups of 2 or more- $110.00 per person.

Join us for this full day combination seminar and hands-on workshop. Learn about the benefits of raw nutrition while Natalie demonstrates how easy it is to create simple nutritious meals for you and your family. Natalie will be demonstrating and talking about the benefits and healing aspects of juicing, smoothies, fermenting, dehydrating, super foods, sprouting and more! Phil will talk about many of the nutritionally dense foods that anyone can grow in their own landscape, tree planting and garden bed preparation, permaculture design elements and principles used to design the Mandala Gardens at the Realign Ranch. Hands on activities include meal preparation, tree planting and garden bed preparation.

We will end the day with a walking meditation.

Included in the workshop are raw breakfast and raw lunch.
Each participant will receive up to 10 select seedlings to start their own garden.
For more information and to register for the full day workshop, please visit http://restorativefarming.com/workshops/may-3rd-raw-nutrition-home-gardening-workshop

Shared by you

Quote of the Day

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller.

The best gift ever!!!! on the road less travelled & Happy Valentines Day!

As a mother of 3, I sing my song and dance my dance, in hopes that my journey may inspire and have an effect on my children and the choices they will make in their lives.  But truth is we just don't know.  We, or should I say, I don't know what really trickles down.  I know some things do. I know it in how I  see them making their choices, and the questions they ask me, particularly with foods, health, honouring your truth, and walking lightly on this planet yet leaving an imprint of your soul along the way.  But with the world moving ever so fast, with the constant pull between community and friends, and home lifestyles, or just simple being 10, 8, and 4 and almost 40. There is a difference in how we see the world.  There is a difference in how we engage with the world.  Yet there can also be a lot of similarities, a lot of support and companionship along the road less travelled.


A few days ago I received the best gift ever!, I was joyfully asked for a favourite green juice! my specialty of course!

I must admit, I felt such honour, warmth in my heart and  joy when my middle son Theo, after finishing his homework, asked me: mom! can you make me my favourite juice? to what I replied, which one? my favourite GREEN juice, of course!  well well…. yaaaaaaa

Of course I can! and then more voices echoed in the back .. me toooo!….. me toooo!

I am often making them, often offering them…. sometimes my fresh juices are greeted with joy, sometimes with ahhh!, sometimes with not now.. sometimes with no way!… so it was such a gift to receive the asking of what I think is one of the most important tools for health and longevity in today's world….. green juice!

Sometimes the road less travelled is a lonely road, an awkward road, a different road.. but as the world becomes one, as we open our doors of perception, and the doors to our hearts, we see there are many walking beside us, quietly gathered, moving towards an awakening in consciousness.

Our generation is opening the door to higher levels of health and awareness of spirit.. frankly we got tired of feeling sick and reached out for other possibilities where life is radiant, where life bursts our hearts open into the magnitude and alchemy of this universe.  It is our job, more so our duty, to raise our kids with the empowered awareness that health is our innate state of being, that what we put in equals the state of our health - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, that we are here to grow, to nourish, to be of service, to be in alignment with our own dharma, and our own purpose.  It is our duty to kindle the light within and allow them to shine bright.

So as I give back gift to such honours… and because today is Valentines Day, along with a mighty green homemade juice… we are feeling the love of raw cacao in our hearts…. there are many good, and great ways to celebrate love, raw cacao chocolate is one of my favourites.

Raw Cacao comes from the Theobroma Cacao tree…. (something my Theo can't get over!)… It is referred to as 'food of the Gods'.  It is magic and alchemy.  It is a powerful way to get goodness into us.    It is healing medicine and can be used as a tool to get herbs, medicinal mushrooms, roots, & super foods into the best tasting way one can only offer the Gods that live within us!  So lets roll the drum and scroll down the benefits of this mighty nut:

• It is high in antioxidants, helping us deal with free-radicals and stress.
• It is high in magnesium, which supports the heart, increases brainpower, relaxes menstrual cramping and muscles, increases flexibility, helps build strong bones, and increases alkalinity. note- our bodies need magnesium in order to absorb calcium.
• Contains high levels of Iron, Chromium, Manganese, Zinc, copper, Vitamin C
• Raw Cacao contains essential Omega 6- Fatty Acids. (note- in cooked & processed Cacao these become rancid)
• And on and on…

So here is a easy basic recipe for Raw Cacao Theobroma Magic, I am giving you a basic recipe, where your inspiration can take into great goodness heights….

1 cup of Raw Cacao Butter,  cut into small chunks.
1 cup of Raw Cacao powder
1 tsp of Maca powder
2-4 TBPS of raw honey, maple syrup, or Xylotol
pinch of salt (what? - yes, salt makes sweet food taste sweeter.)


In a pot, on LOW heat, melt the Cacao Butter.  Once melted, take off the stove.  Add raw cacao powder, macs, sweetener of choice, salt.  Mix it up.

Have your chocolate moulds ready, pour chocolate into moulds, freeze for 30 min. and enjoy!

This chocolate is best kept in the freezer until serving, it literally melts in your mouth with goodness!

You can add any superfood to this recipe, substitute maca for spiruina, chlorella, etc.  Add bee pollen, add goji berries… your imagination is the limit.

Enjoy & Happy Valentines…
May you lead your life always in joy & love.

Naty
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"Where there is love there is life."- Mahatma Gandhi

Receiving the gifts of Alignment. What do Juice Fasting and Meditation have to do with each other?

As the door into new and magical sacred lands open up, I find myself spontaneously Juice Fasting to cleanse, to rebuild, to tap into my own sacredness, to stay deeply connected, to allow new insights into my consciousness and ground my feet deep beneath the Earth as I go along for the ride, to deeply nourish myself in times of transition and to tap into the essence of my nourishment. I am on day 6, but this time I am doing a Liquid fast, not just a Juice fast in that I am including smoothies, nut milks and raw soups into my fast. It just feels so right.  Fasting is a way to align ourselves with our true self.  It is a way to increase our Prana, our life-force.  It is a way to connect more deeply, to allow the silence within to become the humming vibration that guides my being.  I also mediate for longer when I fast.  They seem to go together, and they seem to enhance in synergy the positive effects they both have on the body, mind, emotions and spirit.  I am not sure how long this fast will last, I am deeply listening.

Fasting is considered a detoxification tool along our journey, but as we detoxify and let go of what we no longer need in many and all levels of our existence, we also create room for rebuilding our new selfs.  As we fast we allow our bodies to balance and realign themselves with our natural rhythms.  In the Science of Ayurveda these rhythms are of ultimate importance in our journey to balance and optimal health.  These rhythms govern every process in our bodies.  Think about it for a second, the beating of our hearts has its own rhythm, our breathing has its own rhythm.  From the rhythm of each and every cell process, to the patterns and rhythms of our days, rhythm is everywhere, inside and out!

In Ayurveda, the more we are in alignment with our own bodily rhythms and with the rhythms of the Macrocosm, the more we will experience radiant optimal health.  It reads so easy, doesn't it?, yet its a process to do, to stay in tune with your self and the rhythms that surround us as to stay open for the gifts of alignment to shine in.

As 2014 moves along, and we find ourselves, day in and day out, in our routines and daily habits, doing something like a Juice or Liquid Fast, breaks the rhythm of routines & habits, for better or for worse, it breaks down the wall of delusion, it allows our soul to shine a mirror to our ego, it allows us to think and question, allows us to quiet our self, our minds, our hearts, and our bodies so we can then establish new or re-establish old rhyhtms that serve us better.  Think of it as a breathing break in the midst of climbing to the summit.

The best time to start a Juice or Liquid Fast is when your body is asking you for it! Either we will be in alignment and know that it is right, or we will be spinning out of control, emotionally, physically, spiritually and suddenly something happens that points us in the direction of taking time to restore.  A good idea when fasting is to also align ourselves with the rhyhtms and cycles found in Nature.  Many civilizations prior to us, practiced fasting in alignment with the Full & New Moons, as well as, at the time of Seasonal Change.  The energy is different at these times, and the veils between the physical and the sacred become more palpable.  Aligning ourselves with these energies or change in the energies,with the intention of Alignment of Self has magical synergistic effects on every aspect of our being.

The meditation practice is a great support tool when Fasting because it allows us to be a 'witness' to ourselves and find more compassion and self-love in our process of letting go.  Meditation also restores our nervous system, something that the process of fasting and what we 'release' can sometimes challenge.  It provides the space for Sacredness and for the unseen to become seen.
 
As tomorrow's Full Moon approaches I invite you to dust-off your juicer and juice it up! I invite you to sit in meditation just for 5 minutes at the beginning or at the end of your day or both if you can!!! I invite you to participate in the 7th Annual "Winter Feast for the Soul", a free 40 day commitment to the personal practice of stillness.

It's been two years since I did my fist 40 day Juice Fast and the 'Winter Feast for the Soul'.  Since then I have found new depths in my meditation practice and the stillness within, in my awareness, in my understanding of energetics, in my relationship with food, with life, with love and with Spirit.

Juice it up and bring it on! Align yourself with the forces of the Universe and keep your heart open to receive the gifts!

n.
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Juice it up and bring it on - check this recipe!

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"The real skill is to raise the sails and to catch the power of the wind as it passes by."- Thomas Berry

When one door closes, another one opens... wide open!

It's an old saying.. "When one door closes, another one opens".  But what happens if we are really attached to what we do, where we are at, our passions, dreams and desires?  What happens when the door closes, when we realize that if we want to have a different result, we are going to have to change what we are doing?  At first, fears happens.  Then a lot of questioning happens.  Perhaps some anger.  But then answers also start to happen.  Then a deeper sense of how much we have changed, and what the desires behind some of our dreams really are.  A different level of peace and trust enters into my heart and I surrender, I accept, I move, I breathe, I get onto my mat, I connect with the Wisdom of Spirit within me.  I surrender to the Magic of it all, because I feel it giving life to the beating of my heart.

As some of you know I used to work as a photographer.  I still do it, but not as much as before.  Then I got sick with large quantities of Heavy Metals in my blood that were causing all sorts of reactions.  Then I got tired of being sick and having no answers.  Then I started listening deep within and my life changed.  Everything is the same, yet EVERYTHING has changed.  There was a time in my life when all I breathed, ate and dreamed about was photography.  I couldn't imagine my life without it.  As I continued to heal, I went back to painting.  I need that creative outlet of artistic expression.  It has been my calling for so long.... but for the last couple of months... I started to react to the subtle and not so subtle scents and fumes of the acrylic paint.  Ahhhhh.  What? No! Again? Yes!

I have felt fear, I have felt anger that I can't do things that I love because of how they affect my body.  I have struggled with it.  But I have also sat with it.  I asked questions and received answers.  I surrendered to the powers above, and awoke to a magical world of synchronicity, love and spirit.  As I meditate with it, I realize that most of my work as a photographer and a painter where about the human connection and my own connection to Spirit. Photographically, they were documentary stories about our social conditions, a lot where about the rituals that keep our connection alive.  As a painter, I was fascinated with painting the feeling and energy of a landscape as a way to journey to Spirit.

As that door closes, it doesn't mean that I will stop, but the ways in which I can work both photographically and through painting have to change, a bigger door opens! The softening of the heart, the forgiveness to self, others and lives's circumstances is allowing me to trust in the ability of the Universe to guide me, to allow for personal transformation and a more intimate and deep connection to Spirit.  All sort of wonderful synchronicity, magical moments & people keep showing up in my life and I am most grateful for the awe I feel inside. So another door opens and it's all Rawllygood.  This brave new world has brought me into a different understanding and relationship with myself and with Spirit.  I accept.  I surrender. My heart is open.

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