April 2006
April Started out in Atlanta, Georgia. It was only my second time
traveling alone and my very first time staying in a hotel by
myself. The two ladies at the front desk made me feel at home
though..
Since there was no refrigerator in my room they let me use the
kitchen refrigerator to store my food. The second day I got there
I took a shuttle and two buses to get to the Whole Foods in an
area of Atlanta called Buckhead. This was the most amazing Whole
Foods I've been to in my life! It was about 2 times as big as the
Whole Foods in my area. I was really impressed. They had
prepared raw foods in the refrigerator section, green coconuts
(like the ones in Florida and Hawaii), a juice bar, an amazing
salad bar and a wide selection of unpasturized juices. Anyways, I
stocked up on food and as I was eating an avocado Nori wrap at the
John of God event I wondered to myself if there were any other
rawfoodists at the event. At the end of the day I ended up meeting
another rawfoodist who overheard me talking to someone as we were
waiting at the shuttle stop. She was there with another raw friend
and she is actually doing a work exchange at the Optimum Health
Institute in Texas
http://www.optimumhealth.org/ It was so cute she had her
little bag of flax crackers and tomatoes. Anyways I can't think of
anything more healing than raw foods and the healing power of God.
I wish her the best on her healing journey. At the John of God
event there was about 2000+ people there a day. It was great
because we were all wearing white because the spirits that John of
God work with can see your energy field better if you're wearing
white. It was a sight to be seen. All the people I met were
genuinely caring and open. At the event they were selling some
stuff from Brazil. I ended up buying a crystal, blessed water, and
a prayer triangle. Then my lovely roommate, who I had just met,
bought me another crystal and a rosary made out of rose quartz.
All of them had been blessed by John of God and the Spirits he
heals with. I get such good energy from them so I made a little
alter with them at my bedside.
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My Birthday Soup!
This soup was so simple yet so good.
It's a secret recipe:)
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When I got home from Georgia it was
the day of my birthday! Can you believe it I'm 29 years young!
Nine is my favorite number so I'm very happy indeed. Anyways my
partner
was waiting for me with a 4 course dinner and he had invited
over our two good friends. It was really sweet and
so nice to have a raw meal prepared for me. Especially when it's
by my partner; I prefer what he makes to any raw food restaurant on the
planet. And not just because it's made with love but because when we
make food we don't make it with all the salt, oil, Nama Shoyu that
they usually use at the raw food restaurants. So not only does it
taste good but you actually feel good after eating it! For more
pictures of my birthday food and other things check them out in my
personal photo gallery.
It was nice to have our good
friends over because they are moving to Puerto Rico for good
in about a month and a half! To help run the Puerto Rico Ann Wigmore Institute
http://www.annwigmore.org/ I'm going to miss them so much I
don't even know what I'm going to do. My partner lessened the blow
of them leaving by telling me that his new phone service will be
able to call Puerto Rico for free. Which is good because talking on the phone is
something I'm really good at!
The chocolate apricot pie using raw cacao nibs. |
Anyways they decided
to have a going away party. It was a raw potluck kinda deal and my
partner and I were instructed to bring the pies. I made a
banana walnut pie and a chocolate apricot pie using raw cacao. I
don't recommend eating cacao everyday but it was a special
occasion so I thought, why not? My partner made a carob banana pie. I
had never worked with the raw cacao before so it was kinda an
experiment. People liked it but it wasn't up to my standards. It
sure looked pretty though. I liked the banana walnut pie though,
reminded me of banana bread. With raw food everything is an
experiment sometimes you win sometimes you don't and you learn
from your mistakes.
I already have
planned what kind of pie I'm going to make next at our next
potluck. I brought the camera to the last potluck but I forgot to
take pictures! Too busy eating! About 20 people showed up. We meet
in Santa Rosa, California every 2nd Wednesday of the month
www.beraw.com.
I'll try to take pictures next time. The food is always
fabulous, simple yet really good, just how I like it. Oh but
anyways back to the party I got distracted. After most everyone
had left my friend and his father played the guitar and then
we danced and sang to a music called Kiitran. What you do is step
from side to side with your arms in the air while singing Baba
Nam Keva Lam which means, "All There is is Love" in Sanskrit.
It is a really beautiful and freeing experience. His dad
said that people get really high from singing this and are known
to even faint in ecstasy! I really liked it. I didn't faint though
don't worry. Kiitran is an ancient Yogic tradition. My friend told
us that yoga has been around from anywhere between 7,000 and
10,000 years. Wow, I guess if it's been around that long it has to
be good right?
The month is still young so I'm sure I'll be around again soon.
Until then, raw pie dreams to you.
C
April 2006 continued . . .
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My Garden
The only Kale variety that has not
gone to seed yet. |
Today I worked on my garden for about 3 hours. I have a small plot
in the community garden in our neighborhood. I started it in
September of last year and it has been very good to me. I had a
wonderful winter bounty of kale, collards, kohlrabi, lettuce,
mache, chard, and broccoli. But now that spring has sprung my
beloved greens are going to seed. I'm going to let the kale go to
seed and see what happens. I'm curious to see what will pop up on
it's own. I also planted some seeds today (mostly cucumber and
fennel) and did a lot of weeding! The neat thing about pulling
weeds was that when you uncovered the roots of the weed there were
worms living there. Some were pink and some were red and some even
looked white. I also found a lot of other little critters in the
dirt. It reminded me that the universe is helping my garden grow,
the worms, the millions of beneficial organisms, the earth, the
sun, and sky. It also reminded me that there are many forces,
people, and angels at work helping me in my life everyday just
like in my garden.
Calendula, Radicchio and Endive. |
This garden has been a labor of love. It started out as a plot
with a bunch of dried grasses, branches, and other plant debris on
top of it. Not only did I have to clear the debris but I had to
buy and install a wire fence around the plot. Then I made two
raised beds out of organic compost and fertilized the compost with
rock dust, worm compost, and organic fertilizer! I wanted my
greens to be the most mineral rich greens on the planet! I even
put crystals in the earth to help my plants grow. For those of you
who haven't had freshly grown greens you are missing out. The
greens in my garden aren't bitter like the ones you buy in the
store and because I know what it's in the soil I know that they
are probably more nutrient dense than anything you could buy. I
think it's important to try and grow some of your own food. The
vibrancy of a freshly picked fruit or vegetable gets transferred
to you! If you don't have space to grow things buying food at the
farmer's market is second best. Sprouting is also another way to
get more life force into your diet.
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My little cucumber mounds surrounded
by yummy smelling cocoa mulch |
So anyways I ended up planting some
cucumber and fennel seeds. I baptized them with worm compost and
wished them the best. I promised to take care of them everyday and
I can't wait to see their little heads pop out of the soil.
Good Bye For Now,
C
April 2006 continued . . .
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My Kombucha Experiment
It looks as if the mother is
separating form the new or "baby" culture. |
I hadn't even heard about Kombucha
until a few months ago and now it seems to be all the rage. At
least in California and Colorado. I even found it in the Whole
Foods in Atlanta. I'm sure there are other cities/states have
caught on as well. Anyways, what caught my eye is that on the
bottle it said it was raw, and it also said that it contained
beneficial bacteria. After trying Kombucha once, I was hooked! For
me it's much better than soda, it's not often I drink fizzy drinks
so Kombucha became a real treat. (Kombucha is naturally
fermented). After further investigation I found out that Kombucha
is an ancient Chinese elixir that is made by fermenting tea
(usually black tea) and sugar. I didn't like the fact that there
was sugar in the drink but I found out that the beneficial
organisms eat most of the sugar and caffeine leaving only
trace amounts. However, if you are super sensitive to sugar or
caffeine it might not be for you. I usually buy the Kombucha in
the store that has the least amount of sugar, about 2 grams per 8
ounce serving. I have never felt any caffeine effects from the
Kombucha and usually feel pretty good after drinking it, though I
don't recommend over doing it. Anyways after buying it at the
store I realized that it was getting too expensive so I tried
making my own. I bought a Kombucha "mother"
which is a symbiotic culture of good
bacteria & yeast ( Not a fungus or a mushroom even though
sometimes people call it a mushroom).
However, you might be able to find someone locally who would give
you one for free. I also found out that a if you buy a Kombucha
bottle in the store and pour it into the tea/sugar mixture it will
also eventually form a "mother".
I find that if I brew a really strong black tea and let it ferment
for about 2-3 weeks it turns out pretty good. Unfortunately it's
nothing like the Kombucha I buy in the store. I have no ideal what
their "secret" is. Anyways it has made a fun science project for
me and I thought all you do it yourselfers out there would
appreciate my efforts! I don't consider myself an expert though,
if you want to start your own it might be good to talk to someone
whose has been doing it for years. I'm only on my third batch!
Kombucha mother floated to top of jar. |
Changing gears, last night I went to the most beautiful church
service. It was a different than any other church service I've
been to. It was at a United Methodist Church but evidently the
congregation is very progressive. Anyways the service included
silent meditation, singing, prayer, sound healing, laying of the
hands energy healing, and anointing with holy oil. I got that same
feeling there that I felt at the John of God event. I felt God's
presence and I felt like I was breathing God into my soul. It was
so beautiful and peaceful. Both the pastor's were women and I went
up to them after and I told them that I liked the service because
it allowed me to experience or feel god in my soul as opposed to
just knowing God exists on an intellectual level. She said that
that was the exact goal of the service. If church was always like
that I think I would go everyday! This special service is offered
only once a month on the third Wednesday in San Rafael, CA at the
United Methodist church on the Miracle Mile. (Great name for a
street huh?) I highly recommend it if you live in the area.
At the end of the service we gathered in a circle around a picture
of a lady who is suffering from a degenerative spinal disease. She
spends most of her time bed ridden and this has allowed her to
explore her artistic side. She has developed a talent for
manipulating photographs on the computer and the picture we were
gathered around was a picture of herself in child's pose and it
looked as if her body was glowing. It was a very powerful picture.
As we gathered around her picture we prayed for her and I asked
God why he/she would put someone through so much suffering and I
got the most beautiful answer,
"Sometimes one has to get really sick to remember their spirit"
A light bulb when off in my head. Sometimes one has to get
really sick to finally remember their spirit. I think that's what
healing is, remembering your spirit. Remembering who you
really are. I pray that each of us in our busy lives with the
pressures of modern living take the time to remember our spirits,
to nurture them and to feel and truly know who we really are.
In remembrance of spirit,
C
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