Opulent Living

Opulent Living: BLESSED ARE THE CRACKED

2012-01-13T10:58:00.000-06:00

Opulent Living: BLESSED ARE THE CRACKED: THE ALCHEMY OF CHANGE can you feel it? it's time we change this planet for good and it starts with one that is you now is your time to cre...

BLESSED ARE THE CRACKED

2012-01-13T10:54:00.002-06:00

THE ALCHEMY OF CHANGE

can you feel it?

it's time we change this planet for good

and it starts with one

that is you

now is your time to create your own alchemy within the entire recipe of you

begin your own magical process of transforming your operation
from ordinary to extra-ordinary

become x-cellent, a highly functioning organism

how to begin?

through the magical power, the process, the alchemy of becoming self aware

how well do you know your self?

when you know every part of yourself you have the power in
your structures to discern the best path for you

can you cease the need to look for answers, direction and validation from others?

this is power

power to feel

power to listen

power to discern

the power to know....is this right for me?
should I take this chance? do I need to take this?

holding this power, this frequency is strong

it sets you at ease and others can sense it

you are magnetic, glowing, attractive, beautiful

becoming self aware is required for change

it involves tuning in and becoming aware of every part of you.

how do you fuel your body?

how do you listen to your inner guidance?

do you attend to the clean up of your inner biology and cleanse?

do you move your body?

are you aware and discerning of your emotions or are you a puppet to reaction?

what are your dependencies?

can you let go?

can you be open?

can you try something new?

can you trust?

find a practice to refine your self awareness

it is body building for your senses

crack your code

empower yourself
for blessed are the cracked

they will change the world!

-Susie

ALCHEMY:

concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting

or finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life.

Any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance,

into a substance of great value.

LAUNCH YOUR CHANGE

2012-01-05T16:52:00.000-06:00

TIME FOR A CHANGE

With the turn of another calendar year, once again its time to take stock

in what is running you and your life

where are your actions and intentions taking you

what are your patterns

where are you stuck

what do you want to keep

what is ready for an upgrade

where are you in your self awareness

how discerning are you of your intentions, actions and relationships

that are guiding you along a certain path

are they the best for you

how sharp is your ability to sense the options nature is showing you

for your highest life path

do you seek your answers in others

how aware are you

how still can you be to hear the intelligence in every particle of nature around you that is guiding your every action and decision

are you living your life to what is expected or deemed normal to those around you

are you choosing according to your desires and passions which is your happiness

how well do you know yourself?

do you know nature

do you have a sense of the divine in your daily life, or do you take it for granted

are you tethered to your soul

do you know what your spirit is

are you open to all possibilities in nature, or do you need to read it in a book

are you stubborn

do you conform

do you need to be told

can you feel

can you sense

are you open to the un-imaginable and the magical

or do you need it to be scientifically proven in order to be true

how open are you

how flexible are you

how willing are you

how free are you

do you move your body

do you look after the cause of your discomforts or do you treat the symptoms

are you productive

are you creative

are you flourishing in your life work or is it time for a change

does your nutrition regime consist of whole, pure and colorful foods full of vitality and life which serves as the paint brush creating a natural beauty and glow

or do you consume a vast amount of packaged, processed and preservative packed food

what you eat becomes your physiology, the art work on your face

are you bright as the sun or stiff as a board

are you clear and healthy or clogged and inflammed

do you spend time in contemplation of yourself

do you make time for love, giving and compassion

do you take time to be still, quiet and alone

do you smile

do you laugh

do you cry

do you love

do you give thanks

do you share

do you give

do you serve

do you try

how well do you know yourself

choose to make this year your special year to release yourself from all you think you need to be. have the intention and take the steps to invest in your senses of self awareness and discernment. try something new each day. make efforts to upgrade your nutrition, start a new workout regime, make time for love, make time for contemplation, look for answers in yourself, take a risk, try something new.

be open

be free

launch a change

amen

WHAT DO YOU LEAVE IN YOUR WAKE?

2011-11-04T16:48:00.001-05:00

what trail to you leave through your journey?

what do you leave people with every day, every minute,

what do you leave people with?

what do you leave in your wake?

do you leave people better then they were?

do you leave a battle with nature?

if someone is not conforming to your plans, or requirements,

or needs, do you fight the natural flow of nature in someone else?

do you reject nature when it is convient to you?

how do you deal with oneness in your daily life?

do you reject nature when someone didn’t turn up on time?

do you reject nature when someone let you down on something?

does it work out later on and you think, what was i worried about?

what was i upset about, its worked out.

do you have the realization to know,

to sense the order of nature in your life?

are you manifesting the correct things?

are you vibrating in the right way to make your path most effective?

what do you leave in your wake?

-Master John Douglas

www.spirit-repair.com

First Snow Fall in Central Park, New York City

2011-10-29T13:51:00.001-05:00

Full Moon October 11-12, 2011

2011-10-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

This Full moon is surely marking the final phase of the Mayan calendar which is signifying our openness as a collective to other ways of "being" or consciousness. I was stopped by Stephanie's comment on the subatomic particles to realize everything is in motion and changing.

In my work with John Douglas, through is visual cortex and highly advanced and evolved hidden structures, John is able to measure the frequency of all matter down to, and even smaller then the subatomic particle level of which science is studying to postulate the questions on the nature of our existence.

John Douglas is doing this via his advanced hidden faculties and his access to nature. He is finding things both in the body and the soul that can be rearranged through his access to nature transmitting a frequency to change and in some cases dissolve matter at the subatomic level. The result? Healing in the body that is beyond our current medical practice. Lovely. Visit www.spirit-repair.com on the NEWS page to learn more.

Tuesday/Wednesday is the full moon. Stephanie Austin has an insightful teaching here on the nature of this full moon to reflect the nature of our existence right down to the subatomic level. This full moon is marking the end of a Mayan year and is opening a new awareness to the nature of our existence and a shift to the universal consciousness. Enjoy capturing this message in the text below.

From Stephanie Austin and research on Subatomic Physics,

Everything is connected. This Full Moon in Aries-Libra reminds us that we are always in relationship, that nothing and no one is truly separate. On the surface, reality seems to be composed of discrete subjects and events.

When we probe beyond appearances, into the realms of mysticism and subatomic physics, we see that everything is in constant motion, communication, and connection.

In this century, subatomic physics will change our understanding of the world and help establish our place in the cosmos.

Subatomic Physics pose the questions, What are things made of, how are they held together, how do they work and where to they come from?

Subatomic physics is the study of the simplest building blocks of our universe. Today we have a detailed, but still incomplete, understanding of matter down to a scale of about one one-thousandth of the size of an atomic nucleus, and back to a fraction of a second after the Big Bang, about 13 billion years ago.

HOW DOES SUBATOMIC PHYSICS IMPACT OUR LIVES?

The science-driven demands of subatomic physics lead to innovations that benefit society as a whole. For example, accelerator technology that was originally developed for basic subatomic physics is now widely used for such diverse applications as cancer therapy, studying the structure of viruses, designing new drugs and the World Wide Web was originally developed by subatomic physicists as a means of sharing data

It has never been easier to realize quantum and galactic truths. The period of October 11-28 marks the final phase of the Mayan Calendar

Since March 9, 2011, we have been in the 9th and final Underworld, the Universal, representing the closing days of duality and the transition to unity consciousness. Just as December 31 marks the end of one year, the end of the Mayan Calendar does not signify the end of the world, but rather the completion of one great cycle and the beginning of another - in this case, the full flowering of one round of Creation and a dimensional shift into universal consciousness

A Full Moon in Aries-Libra coinciding with the final phase of the Mayan Calendar emphasizes that the gateway to universal consciousness is the unification of all opposites and the recognition of our equality and interdependence with all life.

In the final days of duality, we are settling our karmic debts at warp speed-hence the magnitude of inner and outer changes appearing in our lives and the world

We are cosmic pioneers, expanding the frontiers of a new generation, "going where no human has gone before."

2011-09-29T21:55:00.001-05:00

"If ever the world sees a time when women shall come together purely and simply for the benefit of humankind, it shall be a power such as the world has never known."

~ Matthew Arnold, 19th Century Philosopher

2011-09-03T19:13:00.002-05:00

2011-08-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

"No man ever manages a legitimate business in this life

without doing directly far more for other men

than he is trying to do for himself."

- Henry Ward Beecher

What if?

2011-08-15T16:37:00.001-05:00

What if you could relinquish grand plans and schemes in favor of an intuitive approach to being, living, loving and trusting? Could you feel your way from event to event or decision to decision relinquishing attempts to control the world and instead learn to trust a discerning surrender?

Are you a goal setter, planner, and overachiever? Or can you let go and be guided by your intuitive or inner compass and live not according to the world as you see it, or the structures of our society that tell us "this is how it is" or "this is how it is to be done"?

Can you reflect on your state of being or your actions and reactions to events or people in your life where you reacted negatively?

These are advanced ideas of spiritual and or personal growth. Concepts or characteristics of self awareness, discernment, knowingness, allowing, innocence, and letting go that help a person to gain power and grow to move forward to higher and more prosperous ways of being and living.

Easy? No.

A paradox at times? Yes.

One has challenging days where we seem to over react, feel sour or just can't shake it. It just is. The growth comes from the awareness of knowing you are not in a place of clarity or love and should, if possible, be cautious with your words and deeds. Having an awareness that something is not right and perhaps keeping your comments to yourself until you can change your state of being or frequency, is better for those around you and the karma you create.

If you are feeling challenged, the loved one closest to you may get the short end of your stick. But is it them with the problem or is your perception out of focus? Are you reacting from the lower emotions festering in your solar plexus chakra?

Before you react, can you stop your negative words and allow them to rise up into your throat chakra and sail up to your third eye chakra between your eyes, and then to your crown chakra to be transmuted into a higher frequency of love? If you can you will settle down and not be left with the anguish of an upset solar plexus.

Is this possible? Sure with practice. With practice comes awareness. With awareness comes growth. With growth comes power. Power in yourself and your structures so you are able to be a more powerful vessel for one and for all.

Much of the time growth comes by working backward. What do I mean? We have a funky day, everyone bugs us and we feel awful. Perhaps this is onset by a hormonal imbalance for the day, loss of love, feeling stuck, heavy metals blocking up your brain chemicals from the fish you ate last night (even though it was good) or the like. Regardless, we react negatively and look back on it the next day and spend time in contemplation of ourselves as to why we reacted. That is growth. Not reflecting on what the other person did wrong or what is wrong with them. No. We all have our own mess so clean yours up first and allow everyone to learn their own lessons for their greater good. They may not need your help or interference.

Power, self awareness, growth comes from discerning your nature as to why you reacted to the situation(s). Power lies in non-reaction, flexibility and love. These are the challenging characteristics to be in harmony with, but the most powerful.

Not reacting, being flexible is an institution of power.

I write this not as if I know it all, hardly. I am sharing the discerning and reflections from my own lessons.

Yesterday I had a day of mystic funk. I reacted to an event with my lower emotions and responded with my words. In self awareness, I knew I was off. The "song" my body frequency was singing was of a four year old that missed 52 naps. In this knowingness, I knew I needed to do my best to keep my mouth closed for lack of better words and not take my "mood" for the day seriously. This too shall pass. It is not normal for me to feel quite so off and sour so private time was in order.

What was true was that I was tired, missed loved ones that I knew I was no longer within close access to having just moved to New York and life was going to be different. That reality was now on my doorstep. In moving from Chicago I willingly let go of all that defined who I was and the community and network I "constructed" knowing that it was time. My husband had a great opportunity for more then we can see now and the lesson and challenge on deck for me was to jump off the cliff off all I knew, all attachments and everything I "thought" I should be doing for my life at this time.

I have decided after so many years of planning and meticulous goal setting I am now on a path mapped out by nature, destination unknown. Not an air fairy, rebel without a cause, or lost soul, approach. Hardly. But this "feels" like an approach much more powerful open and backed up by nature if I have the "guts" and personal practice to be still and powerful so I can hear the guidance I am getting from nature around me for my highest path for you, me and the good of all.

Actually now, the big picture I have in my heart, the "goal" and clear passionate mission for my life is paved with an openness to the details of the "how and when" it unfolds, to a knowingness and trust in my heart I can discern each step if I stay open, aware and in tune as much as possible to the path nature is showing me each moment. A rather amusing and challenging "game" if I say so myself. This one has no rules or cliff notes for dummies. It comes from my personal book of knowledge that nature has for me and I am learning to read.

I do "know or feel" I am to be in New York with my husband and my opportunity is to grow in my ability to discern, build awareness, innocence and trust in nature that my service and work is unfolding to help the greater good and not just me, and then more of me, and then me again.

I seem to be "fed" or feel or see the best when in nature, in central park, in solitude amidst nature and the noise of the city.

Going off subject here, shocker!

I wanted to give back a little of the process I am stretching with as I grow and move into my bigger picture of what I am journeying to at this time. Perhaps nuggets of this will serve you.

And lastly, maybe visualize or feel this too to stretch your awareness and openness. Imagine if that for every star you see is actually a sun that is surrounded by planets, just as we have other planets that surround our sun. wink, wink :)

Here is a direct quote from someone I respect and seek a higher insight of "truth" then I can see at this time, Master John Douglas www.Spirit-Repair.com

"This is a journey of this time. A journey to find that center of innocence where your soul is influencing what you believe to be true. This will not come to you from any book, pictures or other constructs. It will come from nature and you must work very hard to not get in the way. You can read 10,000 books and learn nothing, but can you teach yourself by letting go and allowing nature to penetrate you. That is the center of innocence where you don’t interfere and you allow yourself to gleen the intelligence in the particles of nature that contains the entire design. Only you can listen to it, and only you will understand it as it is different for everyone."

Intuitive Impulses?

2011-08-05T15:13:00.000-05:00

I am not sure I know what you mean by "intuitive impulses" or hearing guidance can you expand? Sure. So from a personal recollection if I think back some years and I would hear someone suggest I "listen" for guidance or follow your intuition etc etc. The idea of that would sparkle and flicker in me, but I was not sure how to access that guidance or reach it. Would I hear a voice or something like the biblical television production of the 10 commandments that we would watch without fail every Easter in my Catholic household. I can remember seeing Noah or Moses all of the sudden get LOAD voice from the heavens calling their name :) Is this what would happen for me when I would hear the guidance....although in a soft "Susie" and not a shrilling scream...though the louder the better to get my attention.

Anyway, moving on here, over time from my own personal growth efforts and most importantly actually and truly learning about the faculties that each human has of "clairvoyance" and after finding that awareness from John Douglas of Australia www.spirit-repair.com and using his lessons and tools to more or less, "power up" or super charge those faculties or what John refers to as "pilates of the spirit", I am growing these structures and becoming almost like a powerful radio tuner. I can "feel" the guidance I need to get to make the next choice in my life. I personally don't "hear" voices but rather all of the sudden see a picture in my mind of me doing something, like a daydream, and I recognize that as guidance by how it "feels" in my heart. Typically it is like, "Oh yeah, of course, that is what I should do" or thoughts come through that stop and make a certain kind of impression on me that I know that was not just a "susie thought", but rather one coming in from "the frequencies of nature" or the "unbounded intelligence in nature" that is ultimately God no matter which way you slice it, dice it, label it, paint it...period end it is God.

That is what I refer to as an "Intuitive Impulse" pretty cool. How, when or where does this come. Well, firstly it is without me trying, seeking, asking or looking. I use John's CD. Psychological Repair to state or ask a question I am seeking guidance for in my life. On the CD there is a point that you are prompted to "ask" and I do. Then I let it go and in faith I know I will get a daydream image, or someone will come and ask me or tell me something and my heart will flutter so I know that is the answer I was requesting. John's CDs are from my truth, the pinnacle of spiritual technology we have on the planet today to access the highest frequencies of nature to attend to the consciously growing human. Check them out at www.spirit-repair.com or please email me and I can give you the skinny on them. I have known John for almost 5 years and work with him and have seen so many things happen for others around the globe, I cannot help but trust nature and the process that is going on before my eyes, and directly with me.

I had to share this today as every morning I walk and hike through the trails here in Central Park in New York City with my pals Lilly and Bella. It is when I am romping through nature by myself, repeating silently in my head a three word mantra John gave to me, I am almost like, if you can imagine whiskers or wings out from my body receiving, and feeling the same air that the trees are breathing and the oxygen they are feeding me. I look up into the sky and feel the hot sun on my face, smell the dirt, hear the birds or the water from the water fall...then even better I will just look up and take in the entire majesty of a tree in front of me and take a deep breath. Now, do you remember Star Trek and how when they said, "beam me up scotty" they would disintegrate into a million pieces and disappear? Well this is what I imagine me doing....totally blending all of my perceived particles of my human body into the air with the trees...it is so darn cool....i encourage you to try it. However, best to do by yourself or with your pet as sometimes it is hard to dismantle your mind if you have a human companion with you.

So back to my walk, while pumping up the steep hill, mind totally blank thinking of nothing I got an image of me wearing a t shirt with my soon to be released new website name, "Urban Opulence". Thought not a thing of it, but OK...cool idea i guess that let it go. Next Someone introduced themself to me at the water fountain at the park on the east side which is a big meeting place for everyone and the water is cold and comes out FAST in this heat. My heart was so joyful she stopped and engaged in conversation as usually I am the one to do that :) New to New York, she was curious who the "new chic" was in the park everyday as you do see familiar faces and greet each other with a smile. So I am sure she will reach out at some point, bright woman she was, but the moral is that "image" I just got 20 minutes before romping through the north woods in the park came back and this time I connected the dots.

Thank you God, Master Angels, Nature....so I should make a few t shirts with Urban Opulence on it to have people see in the park and perhaps go goggle when they get home. The site will just be a tool for our planet to build community on consciously minded things so we can all work smart and not hard and share the things we find on our path to open a few windows to accelerated growth. The site will not be one of a constricted mind locked in structure of "this is how it is" no, but "hey try this" knowing the path is different for everyone and it is our duty to discern, stay innocent, be flexible, question, be aware, senseful and do our best to become self aware and open to become to healthiest, evolved and powerful human we can become know we are more then just what we see in the mirror, but rather a full hologram of inconceivable layers of energetic pathways and faculties that all harmonize together that when we open our mouth, the symphony of it all is in the sound of our voice. That was a mouthful I know.....but just take it in.

OK, finally before I diffuse my writing today, I picked up a book that lured me off the street the other day as an answer to a question that was given to me by a friend....another fun story for another day that is a direct result of an answer received, but the book is called, "Have You Been to Delphi" which is in Greece. I frankly knew not a thing about Delphi but my girlfriend asked me how the idea of it "felt" to me because she was about to board a plane for Greece and was discerning her routes of travel. So a few hours later, this book lures me to it and so there was her answer, perhaps? The book is about Delphi an old ancient city in Greece that was a rather prophetic place where oracles were given to women called the "Pythia" they say one was "Unfolded into the light (or wisdom from God) by a woman. Just before I started writing this to you regarding "intuitive impulses" , I looked at the book and opened it up to this,

"When the prophetic faculty (or person, specifically the higher faculties of a person) is in the proper state to attune itself to the spirit, enthousiasmos (enthusiasm) is bound to come. But when conditions are unfavorable, it is bound not to come."

So to discern that a couple things. One. If you yearn for receiving guidance for your path from nature, to know, to feel the clear telephone line, I suggest you do what you need to do to settle yourself down and clear your mind. If that means go move, sit down and close your eyes, or even better get out in nature....it is just easier to dismount from your life to hear a different song, see or feel images etc etc. Do all of this without your design that, OK I am going on a walk and am going to get an answer for this. Sorry, it does not work that way. Just put yourself in line with nature on a frequent basis and allow things to come.

Now if you would like to understand and begin to plow open and power up these pathways that you have that may be dormant (or like a wet noodle of a muscle), I would go to John's website at www.spirit-repair.com. Go to the NEWS page and listen into a few of his audios about the nature of what he has to share with you about your nature. You certainly can connect to me and I will get you rolling on some pretty knock down powerful tools and insights that are like the apple of spiritual technology for our time.

***When I write, I do not go back and re read, pay attention to grammer or run on sentences....not my style here so if your are bothered by that, innocently try to look past in and feel your way through it! Warmly with a smile to your today, Susie

Sense

2011-08-03T22:40:00.001-05:00

feel

can you, on a walk in the morning after a rain,

feel the dew on your cheek

the dampness in the air in your lungs on your inhale

look at the trees and if they had a voice, what would the tone of their song be for you

is the tree you gaze upon a male or female

is it breathing

regardless of the severity of the weather

it remains faithfully strong

no reaction to the cold

nor the heavy weight of humidity

or the heat of the sun's power

there is a lot to feel on a walk through a park without music in your ear

or conversation with another

just walking, hiking, feeling and sensing

almost like magic

how aware can one be

how sharply can you tune in and feel

i wonder what the trees say to each other when you leave their kingdom

probably nothing

only love

and an invitation to come back again

go deeply into nature

isolate yourself from noise

from structures of the world

listen to nature

i encourage

the suspension of judgement

i encourage

listening

to feel the intelligence

in the frequencies of nature around you

Innocence

2011-08-02T22:40:00.000-05:00

This is a journey of this time.

A journey to find that center of innocence

where your soul is influencing what you believe to be true.

This will not come to you from any book, pictures or other constructs.

It will come from nature,

and you must work very hard to not get in the way.

-Master John Douglas

www.Spirit-Repair.com

Because Of You

2011-07-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful

Because of your love, you make life an ongoing embrace

Because of your light, you draw me to you

Because of your laugh, you fill me with giggles

Because of your walk, you urge me to follow

Because of your strength, you encourage others

Because of your beauty, you radiate the world

Because of your power, you magnetize others to you

Because of your gentleness, you touch me deeply

Because of you, our world is better

Finding Your Truth

2011-07-24T17:58:00.000-05:00

With a recent move to New York City with my husband after having lived in Chicago for 19 years and growing up in Iowa, I released myself of 65 percent of my possessions and left my perceived "self" behind. Feels terrific, though the process was not without discomfort and some resistance of letting go of routines, identities, lifestyles, work, family and dear friends...real gems of the world.

Joyful to be on this side of it all, I am now adapting a new home and the energy of New York and all of its thrilling and unending resources. Even though some things remain foundational of course, on many levels known and unknown to me, I am resetting the recipe of who I am. New professional and friend relationships, new community, new neighborhood, new home, new routines, new identities.

In this process I turned to my greatest resource, teacher, healing practitioner and alliance Master John Douglas of Australia for a bit of direction and a floatation device in my new sea of resources called New York.

In listening to one of his recent teleseminars, I heard and received the guidance, reminder, or clarification I needed to remind me to operate on my level of truth versus what I feel and see out there to be "true" to harmonize too.

We all know it is "normal" or maybe its "unconscious" to discern a likeness, or seek a direction to take for your life from what you see, feel, absorb and ask from others around you. But in knowingness of who I am always beating to a different drum and looking out of a different window from my life experiences, in John's words below he reminded me to act, discern and choose according to my own current level of evolution and truth.

Perhaps what he has to say here is just what you needed today.

"Many of us are conditioned to be told truth from a book, professor, friend, or family.

The challenge is falling into this innocence with the work you are doing and applying the spirit repair tools to cultivate yourself. The challenge is to discern or to know, and that knowingness can only be felt.

That is what you should yearn for first, to feel the clear telephone line of truth. Yearn to feel it yourself, not to read it or to hear it, but to feel it yourself and to investigate it further and test and come up with the impulses of positive discernment within you so you can have the right frequency of truth for you, because truth will change. Don't fool yourself, truth changes. The higher up in frequency we go and the deeper in faith you go, that equals worthiness. And with increased worthiness the paradox plot thickens.

Truth is different as it applies to you and to your view of nature. There is no end point we can see, it is a continual process of perfection. This is the process we must understand. Every resource, person, doctor, book, expert, astrologist, weekend workshops, psychics are there for you to discern for yourself.

Truth will change according to what you are worth to nature at any given time, that is one of the hardest concepts for us to understand.

Truth will change. Our realities will change, causes will change, factors will change and multiply and you can never get your head around it, it only comes with knowing. The quieter you are, the more powerful you are, how much power are you running, how bright is your light, how much are you interfering, what is the state of your physiology, what are you putting in your mouth.

The answer is to get to that point of discernment. Many things are possible."

-Master John Douglas Teleseminar Spring 2011

Master John's mission and work around the world is to relieve suffering and build the picture of the nature of our reality to understand the paradox of our reality and the flows of energy and matter that make this world we live in. He is our modern day agent of change to accelerate our learning, healing and well-being for the good of all.

For more insight go to www.Spirit-Repair.com.

Under the NEWS page you will find several audio clips to hear John's insights and perspectives on the nature of our existence and modern day holistic healing and personal growth tools and techniques. In my opinion it is the pinnacle of spiritual technology for healing and advancing the mind, body, spirit and soul today.

Chicago to New York

2011-07-13T13:43:00.000-05:00

The morning of July 29, 2011 Eric and I along with our lassies Lilly and Bella departed from Chicago to make our home in New York. Though departing a city of family, friends, resources and memories, change is good.

Now settled in New York on Manhattans upper west side, its time to carve out new opportunities, relationships and a good life serving and becoming more then we were yesterday. With central park across the street to romp around in nature with Lilly and Bella and a perfect apartment we love its onward and up from here. Thank you Nature!

CELESTIAL OUTLOOK FOR 2011

2011-01-20T18:21:00.000-06:00

NEPTUNE ENTERS PISCES

" This year the planet attributed to spiritual bounty, Neptune, enters Pisces. This will test our faith and our spiritual outlook on life. It will establish a new perspective on drugs, alcohol, natural resources, and institutions. It will be useful to observe the signs of the times, indicating what the next fourteen years will bring in the realm of spiritual evolution." -Annie Bones Celestial Forecaster.

Isabelle and Bingo the Caterpillar! BFF

2010-10-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

David Wolfe on SuperFoods

2010-10-06T01:04:00.000-05:00

Everyday Super Foods

2010-09-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

10 of the most nutrient dense everyday SUPER FOODS

available in most grocery and or healthy oriented food stores.

Wallace Bishop C.N.C. www.webnd.com

The Allium Family

Garlic, onions, leeks and chives contain flavonoids that stimulate the production of glutathione, one of the body’s most powerful antioxidants. Glutathione enhances elimination of toxins and carcinogens, putting the Allium family of vegetables at the top of the list for foods that can help prevent cancer. For maximum nutritional value mash, mince or chop them and let sit for 5 minutes before consuming. This allows air to activate some of the healthy compounds they contain.

Here are just a few benefits from members of this family. Lowers total cholesterol (but raises HDL—”good”—cholesterol), lessens the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of blood clots (cause of the majority of strokes and heart attacks), destroys infection-causing viruses and bacteria, reduces the risk of certain cancers, in particular, stomach cancers, produces more “natural killer” cells in the blood to fight tumors and infections, helps fight against neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and enhances detoxification by reducing toxins.

Sprouts

Sprouts are edible seeds that are germinated. Most seeds, nuts, pulses, beans and grains can be sprouted. Sprouted alfalfa, broccoli, chickpeas, kidney beans, fenugreek seeds, wheat and barley are popular for their medicinal and nutritional properties. The many health benefits of sprouts result from the process of sprouting and the composition of sprouts. Sprouts can add a nutty and earthy flavor and a crunchy texture to salads and sandwiches.

Sprouts are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E and are a good source of selenium. They also contain calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate and vitamin B. They are low in sodium but high in potassium. Sprouted legumes like peanuts, soy beans and peanuts have complete proteins. They are a good source of fiber and are rich in life promoting enzymes, oxygen and chlorophyll. Do not underestimate the health promoting properties of these wonderful, raw life giving foods.

For optimal health there are many very healthy commonly available foods you should make a part of your diet. Variety is the key. Be adventuresome with the foods you select. Try something new! There are hundreds of healthy vegetables, fruits , beans, grains and nuts and seeds to enjoy. Eat healthy, eat a variety and enjoy them with friends.

Avocado

Although avocados are very creamy due to its abundance of heart healthy monounsaturated fats, it is also a very rich source of fiber, vitamin k, potassium, folate, vitamin b6, vitamin c and cooper. It is also very rich in antioxidants. Avocados may offer a delicious dietary strategy for the prevention of oral cancer. Phytonutrients in Hass avocados, the most readily available of the more than 500 varieties of avocados grown worldwide, target multiple signaling pathways, increasing the amount of free radicals (reactive oxygen species) within pre-cancerous and cancerous human oral cell lines, that leads to their death, but cause no harm to normal cells. ? Semin Cancer Biol. 2007 May 17. Earlier research by UCLA scientists also indicates that Hass avocados may inhibit the growth of prostate cancer as well. When analyzed, Hass avocados were found to contain the highest content of lutein among commonly eaten fruits as well as measurable amounts of related carotenoids (zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene). Lutein accounted for 70% of the measured carotenoids, and the avocado also contained significant quantities of vitamin E. J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Jan;16(1):23-30. Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is one of the richest sources of flavonoids and has one of the highest antioxidant ratings of any foods. Dark chocolate also contains another compound, epicatechin, which research shows to be a powerful cellular stimulator of protective compounds which may be prompting the cells to defend themselves. It is richer in antioxidant power than green tea and red wine. Dark chocolate provides brain protection, heart protection, lowers blood pressure, improves skin health and bone health and is anti-inflammatory. Dark chocolate and or raw cacao has much less caffeine than coffee or tea. With all the protection of dark chocolate you still need to be aware of the calories. Also the chocolate found in candies, ice cream and other food preparations may not offer the same health benefits. Chocolate with added sugars is unhealthy. Look for 100% organic dark chocolate or raw cacao.

Do not consume milk when eating chocolate; it may interfere with nutrient absorption. The fat in chocolate comes from cocoa butter and is made up of equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic and palmitic acids are forms of saturated fat. You may know that saturated fats are linked to increases in LDL-cholesterol and the risk for heart disease. But, research shows that stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on cholesterol, neither raising nor lowering it. Although palmitic acid does affect cholesterol levels, it only makes up one-third of the fat calories in chocolate. Read David Wolf’s book “Naked Chocolate”.

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is very rich in a broad spectrum of nutrients. Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares a similar taste profile: it has the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavor of spinach leaves. Chard is truly a nutritional superstar. It can be used just like spinach. Use the tender smaller leafs raw in salads. You can wilt, steam or boil the larger leafs so they are tender. On the larger leafs remove the stalk center, it can be a little tougher. Learn more about Swiss chards many health benefits.

Butter Nut Squash (winter squashes)

If you have never tried this vegetable you have really missed out on a very nutrient rich and very tasty vegetable. Although there are many different types of winter squash such as spaghetti, delicata, hubbard, sweet dumpling, acorn and butter cup, the butter nut is one of my favorites. It tastes very much like a sweet potato however it has much less sugar content. For those that need to watch their blood sugar it is an excellent choice. Winter squash is as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese. In addition, winter squash emerged as a good source of folate, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin B6, niacin-vitamin B3 and pantothenic acid. Winter squashes offer many health benefits and are very easy to store. Learn more here.

Spinach

Researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents. (Many of these substances fall into a technical class of flavonoids known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides.) Glucuronides are a very important part of our detoxing pathways. The anticancer properties of these spinach flavonoids have been sufficiently impressive to prompt researchers to create specialized spinach extracts that could be used in controlled studies. These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas), and in studies on laboratory animals, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas). A study on adult women living in New England in the late 1980s also showed intake of spinach to be inversely related to incidence of breast cancer. Click here for more data about spinach

Broccoli (cruciferous family)

Broccoli is a great addition to our diets. It can bet enjoyed raw or cooked. Broccoli is a powerful anti-inflammatory and detoxing food. Most vegetables are not considered to be good sources of omega 3 fatty acids however broccoli has enough of them that it can give you the many health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. Broccoli contains compounds that are necessary for our body’s detoxing pathways. In addition it is rich in many vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. Many studies have shown broccoli to give protection against cancers and it can help in the metabolism of vitamin d due to its high content of vitamin k. Learn more about broccoli here.

Strawberries

Strawberries are the most popular fruit in the world and it’s not just due to its wonderful unique flavor. Strawberries are rich in many nutrients and phytonutrients including vitamin c, manganese, fiber, iodine, potassium, folate, vitamin b2, vitamin b6, vitamin b5 and are source of omega 3 fatty acids. Strawberries’ unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one. Learn more about strawberries here.

Nuts & Seeds

Nuts and seeds improve brain health, heart health, reduce high cholesterol, and are anti-inflammatory, can be high in antioxidant value and provide detoxing power. Nuts and seeds are very rich in fiber, minerals, phytonutrients, and heart healthy oils and can be a rich source of antioxidant power. Nuts and seeds can be used and eaten in a variety of ways, such as a snack or in salads and turned into nut butters. You will find them raw and roasted. Raw is better if you are looking for optimal nutritional intake. Many people soak their nuts before eating to remove the external protein coating that can make digestion a little more difficult for our bodies. Nuts and seeds are very satiating and help curb hunger. In fact many studies have shown that people who regularly consume 1 to 2 ounces of nuts and seeds per day seem to lose weight and keep it off.

Nuts and seeds contain mostly monounsaturated oils and smaller amounts of polyunsaturated oils. Walnuts and flax seeds (must be ground before eating) contain a large percentage of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. Sunflower seeds are a rich source of many vitamins and minerals. Brazil nuts contain several times the DRI of selenium, a very powerful antioxidant mineral with anti-cancer properties. Pumpkin seeds are an equally healthful choice with ¼-cup of kernels boasting more than twice the omega-3 of a four-ounce serving of salmon while being an excellent source of magnesium. Chia seed is now being recognized for its high nutrient content, in particular an excellent source of omega 3’s. Almonds are a wonderful source of copper, magnesium and phosphorous and 6 grams of protein per one-ounce serving. The June 2004 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reported that pecans contain the highest antioxidant capacity of all nuts.

Researches revealed that people who regularly consume nuts have lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The Iowa Women’s Healthy Study found that women who include nuts at least 4 times a week on their daily diet are 40% less likely reduce the risk of heart attack. A study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health and Loma Linda University yielded very similar results. Naturally, the health benefits are not only exclusive to women, in a 2002 research in Physician’s Health Study of male participants, the findings showed that men who consumed nuts regularly 2 or more times per week had reduced the risks of heart attack.

The results of the 14-year Nurses’ Health Study—which involved more than 86,000 women—indicate that women who consume more than five ounces of nuts weekly will cut their risk of CHD by 35 percent, compared with those who eat less than one ounce per month. And, the 17-year Physicians’ Health Study involving more than 21,000 men found that those who consumed nuts at least twice a week cut their risk of sudden cardiac death by 53 percent, compared with those who rarely ate nuts.

Just remember nuts and seeds are high in calories due to the abundance of heart healthy oils, be careful to not over consume them. Because of their wide array of nutrients it is better to include a variety of them in your dietary routine.

So Hum

2010-09-22T20:42:00.000-05:00

Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed.”

~ Indra Devi

Labor Day & Pumpkin Pie

2010-09-06T12:42:00.000-05:00

Labor Day 2010.

Growing up to me Labor Day marked the beginning of school, the New Vienna, Iowa Labor Day picnic, small town America at its best! The New Vienna annual picnic was complete with candy wheels, bingo with dried corn as bingo-chips, "chances" on the most beautiful hand made quilts, beer tents, "supper" served of roast beef, ham, corn, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, coffee, milk and a massive assortment of fresh homemade desserts from all the local families, and finally the day's entertainment was provided by the local "traditional" German bands honking away just as if you were in Germany for Octoberfest.

Everyone knew everyone as families consisted of 6-9 kids and somewhere along the line I swear we were all related. It seems like the annual small towns church picnics were a way we marked the passing of time. Each year kids showed up a little taller with deeper voices, new marriages, new babes, a few more gray hairs, upcoming 50 year marriage anniversaries, and of course the shared memories of locals that passed on...simply due to age or some earlier unfortunate loss.

At any rate, with cooler temps here in Chicago the last few days, and to honor my memories of Labor Days past growing up in small town Iowa, I had to crack out my own pumpkin pie recipe and warm up the house the its nourishing smell and power packed nutrition for my husband and I.

The recipe here is a bit different then the one I grew up with. Still made with fresh pumpkin of course, but in place of condensed cream, refined white sugar and a crust of lard and white flour (smiles), you will see a rather healthy option using coconut products, dairy free with options to make it wheat, gluten and egg free. Either way, the bottom line is food made from whole organic foods with your hands and infused with love is the best nourishment on earth. ENJOY.

Hip Goddess Pumpkin Pie
Dairy, Wheat and Gluten Free Options

2 cups solid-pack organic home cooked pumpkin *
½ cup light coconut milk

2 organic eggs plus one white
3/4 c. palm sugar (or 1/2 cup agave, or stevia extract)

1 t. celtic sea salt
1 T. coconut flour*

3 T. coconut oil*
1 t. vanilla

3 t. pumpkin pie spice

½ t. cinnamon

_________________________________________

*Cut a small organic baking pumpkin in half. Scoop out seeds and add a bit of water to each half of pumpkin. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. What you do not use for your pie, store in freezer or just double the batch and make 2 pies. Everyone LOVES pumpkin pie.

*Run coconut oil under hot water to liquify. Coconut flour is available at whole foods or on line. Coconut flour is very high in fiber, a good source of protein, low in digestible carbohydrates and gluten free.

*Coconuts are one of the greatest gifts on this planet. The young coconut flesh, water, cream, oil and milk can literally save your life.

Blend all ingredients together in a vitamix or high speed blender, adding pumpkin in gradually at the end.

Pour the filling into the pastry and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool before serving.

Crust Options:

* 1 9" frozen unbaked gluten free or spelt pastry crust

* Susie Sondag homemade crusts:

Wheat and Gluten Free: 1.5-2 cups shredded coconut, 1/2 cup coconut flour, 1/4 cup agave, 3 T. liquid coconut oil, 1/2 t sea salt, 1/2 t cinnamon. Combine all ingredients in food processor until the texture is chunky like a crumble. Coat a glass pie dish with coconut oil and press crust into pan. Pour pumpkin pie into crust and bake.
Oatmeal Crust: 2 cups steel cut oats, 1/4 cup agave, 3 T. liquid coconut oil, 1/2 t sea salt, 1/2 t cinnamon. Combine all ingredients in food processor until chunky like a crumble. Coat a glass pie dish with coconut oil and press crust into pan. Pour pumpkin pie into crust and bake.

Substituting Flax Seed Meal or Lecithin for Eggs:

FLAX for one egg: Substitute one tablespoon of fresh ground golden flax seed mixed with three tablespoons of water and let it sit for two minutes in a cup or bowl until it forms a gel. Add this mixture to any recipe that calls for eggs, multiply as needed per number of eggs needed. Whole ground flaxseed meal is rich in fiber, lingans, and omega 3 fatty acids. Flax seed meal has a nutty flavor. You can grind flax seeds in an inexpensive coffee grinder to get a meal consistency, or use a blender that grinds grain into meal, such as the dry grinding blade attachment of a Vita-Mix

LECITHIN for one egg: Use 2 tablespoons of Non-GMO lecithin powder for one egg. Lecithin supports fat burning, healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels, cardiovascular health, liver, nerve and brain function. It has a smooth creamy like texture and is also terrific to use in smoothies. I prefer lecithin from www.healthforce.com and is also found at Karyn’s on Halsted in Chicago.

Fitness Model Takes Up Raw Food Diet

2010-08-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

I wanted to pass this clip along that was in my "inbox" this morning. The model from New Zealand is now a vegan, eating eggs with a 60 percent raw diet. Interesting clip here to take in....everyone has an angle. I teach raw food and detoxification as many know and from my research technically they say a diet of 52% raw foods sets the body up for healing/regeneration/anti-aging.

Life becomes unbalanced and constricted if you become too left brain about it, but generally it seems that a diet of organic and pure WHOLE foods, not pre-packed, frozen, jarred or boxed is a good way to live. Everything has a rate of vibration or life force that can be measured. Organic and uncooked food dials up the highest vibration which you WANT in your body... if that is what you want to feel, vibbin high with energy and joy. Processed, cooked food with chemicals, toxins, GMO, pesticides and bacteria is draggin along in vibration and will take you down with it :)

Incorporating grass fed meat or wild caught fish into your diet a couple times a week has shown to be good for the body, though not when cleansing. "Meat" is a very controversial subject but something to "feel" your way through. Buffalo or "bison" and wild caught alaskan salmon are good choices. Pork has a very dark and dirty low energy anatomy that is not beneficial to the body. Shellfish of shrimp, scallops, oysters, lobster, clams, and crab really are packed with the toxins and metals of the sea ie the bottom feeders. You probably know these creatures were originally tossed out from the net, but over time they began to keep and sell the critters and now with good marketing we love them! Generally like everything else, what the animal consumes, you consume :)

Lastly raw living foods are terrific, and just like everything else, need to be prepared minding the bacteria world. Soaking is best in the fridge versus on the counter at room temperature which allows for bacteria to grow. Lastly generally if I don't consume something I prepared that day, I will save it for one day and after that, so long! Of course that is different if is goes in the freezer or if it is a raw nut cheese.

Enjoy!

http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/lifestyle/39318.html

Full Moon Floating "Thoughts"

2010-07-25T22:52:00.000-05:00

Full Moon Photo by Chris Hartnett

Sunday July 25th Aquarius Full Moon "All hands on deck and prepare for warp drive, this full moon is highlighting both our soul desires and what is holding us back!" -Astrologer Stephanie Austin

"Here's to the crazy ones,the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the squareholes ... the ones who see things differently...they push the human race forward ... because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones that do." (Jack Kerouac)

Tonight it is a beautiful summer night and the full moon just peaked at 8:36pm central time. I don't know about you, but I sure have been observing the tides come in of my thoughts, emotions and feelings the last couple days as the full moon has been approaching. The quote above bring a smile to my face as those who know me well can attest, I certainly beat to the beat of a different drum...always questioning, seeking and feeling the nature of our existence...it is like living life in color versus black and white.

I was born and raised Catholic and loved to fall asleep watching my grandmother peacefully fall away into her nights rest with her rosary in hand and her lips silently reciting her prayers..."Hail Mary full of grace..." and others I will never know. But what I do know is the repetition of those words put her into a calming blissful meditative state to quiet her mind and guide her to sleep. As nature would have it, if I cannot sleep I would find myself reciting the Hail Mary versus counting sheep :) However, as of late I have fallen into another form of mantra and meditation with listening to my teachers meditation "Karmic Repair" and then flowing into the chant "So Hum" The space I am entering is like being conscious during your sleep. I have taken the mantra with me into the pool as I swim out my laps. I am "getting my mermaid on" and blissing out with the swing of each arm "Sooooo" and then on the breath "Hummmmmm" The power and velocity I feel ooze out of every one of my particles is terrific and the past, present and future come to one point and "time" is lost.

So I encourage you to find a mantra or prayer and chant away in whatever form that works for you...as you fall asleep, gaze at the flame of a candle, go for a run, do yoga, follow your breath, paint, take a walk, cycle or "get you mermaid on" in the pool. It is lovely.

Finally, this entire passage tonight began as a desire to pass the knowledge or frequency of love on to others from an entry I just read in another's blog rooted in the Vedic traditions of India about "Knowledge" and the nature of the BIG mind versus the SMALL mind.

Here is the entry followed by the link should you wish to read more.

http://guruvaani.wordpress.com/

"Let noble thoughts come to us from every side" – Rig Veda

Knowledge is a universal equipment of a human being. It does not belong to any person, and therefore it does not belong to the East or the West, or to the North or the South. It is necessary to shed every kind of prejudice when we aspire for knowledge. It can come from any side and in any manner, and it can take any form.

BIG MIND

You know there is a Big Mind and a small mind. Sometimes the Big Mind wins over the small mind and sometimes it is the other way around. When the small mind wins over, it is misery and when the Big Mind wins, it is joy. Small mind promises joy and leaves your hand empty. Big Mind may bring resistance in the beginning but fills you with joy.

Jai Guru Dev is victory to the Big Mind in you that is both dignified and playful. That is what Jai Guru Dev means: “Victory to the Greatness in you.”

Jai Guru Dev!

Susie

MAKE A WISH

2010-07-13T00:19:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things to do is to travel and hike with my hubby, Eric Sondag. Loosing site of time and getting lost in the mountains just going up...up....up...until your legs say STOP....is bliss. No words needed, just the company of Eric and the nature divas around us is enough for me.

Along the way on the breath stopping vistas, we pick up rocks, tap em together, make our wishes and chuck em over the edge...it is freeing! So "wonder twin powers, and activate" your wishes over the edge, or into a pond, stream, river, ocean, or just in the silence of your heart.

The photo here is of our recent trip to Deer Valley, Utah. Such glory that we had to return via car for more photos....and cast a few more wishes and blessings too :)

SERIOUS MERMAID FOOD!

2010-07-11T20:05:00.014-05:00

Lately I have been craving one of my favorite sea vegetables, Arame. Not sure why, but when I feel healthy food cravings, I follow its lead. So as I sat down with my yummy preparation here (A vitamix blended soup of sunflower sprouts, bunch of parsley, spinach, cucumber, garlic, onion, sea salt, kelp seasoning, shot of lemon juice and a dash of stevia....poured over a bowl full of chopped celery, olives, zucchini, daikon radish, cherry tomatoes and ONE CUP OF SOAKED ARAME and finally topped with hemp seeds and a drizzle of flax oil....I am out of my mind excited to give thanks and enjoy! Anyway....I am inclined to google the benefits of arame and thought I would share.

Arame certainly doesn't look appealing, but neither does pasta :) Don't let the color scare you. All you do is soak it in pure water for 15 minutes, drain and add it to your favorite dish. You can use it as you would sprouts on a salad or in a wrap/maki roll. Great in soups and some people even sautee it. Arame does not have much of a taste so it will take on the attributes of your prepared dish.

There are many varieties of sea vegetables to choose from. I would suggest choosing organic. Below is information regarding arame from www.potentsea.com. Also, I have a link below for information on all varieties of sea vegetables.

Hopefully you will give them a try and add some serious mineral nutrition to your diet. Your body will sing to you! You can find sea vegetables in the oriental section of most grocery stores!

Organic arame is perhaps one of the most nutritious foods that nature can provide. The benefits of arame and organic arame are wide ranging. Arame comes mainly from the cold waters off the coast of South Korea, though sub species can be found in Alaska and California. The Koreans have been using organic arame in their diets for many years.

Arame is a brown marine algae rich in many types of marine minerals, including: iodine, zinc, manganese, vitamin K and folate. Normally, organic arame is sun dried for several days before packaging. Arame is harvested in the spring when ocean nutrient levels are at an annual maximum.

Benefits of arame range from wellness support, to a stronger immune system, to better hair, skin, and nails. Many of those who make organic arame part of their every diet also feel that it boosts libido for both men and women. Arame is also a good source of Lignans, which help fight cancer. Due to the many health benefits of Arame, it has been the focus of several anti-cancer and cancer prevention studies. Also, organic arame is one of the most expensive sea vegetables available.

CONSUMERS GUIDE TO SEA VEGETABLES

http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/PDFs/seaveggies.pdf

Is Your Shampoo Safe?

2010-07-08T09:29:00.005-05:00

Are you a hair product junkie? Do you have a stash of suggested products from your stylist that are supposed to give you the hair of your dreams? I sure do! However, since my health wake up call in 1999, I do read labels and look at ingredients...what we put on our skin and scalp actually penetrates our body up to 70% faster then what you put in your mouth.

The last week I have been in Deer Valley, Utah and swimming at the local beautiful outdoor lap pool. Oh God, BLISS! I brought my shower gear, but the facility had their own spa shampoo/conditioner/soap... so like a kid in a candy store, I pumped away and had a blast in the lather and scent "sations". I was feeling, this probably isn't the best idea in the world...who knows what is in these products, but I am having fun and one candy shop shower is not going to kill me!

So in my "inbox" this morning was the conscious reminder from Dr Mercola's newsletter on minding the safety of your personal products. Good timing. So I am passing his article on to you. The point is not for you to buy his products, but to simply be mindful of the world we live in that as you know as well as I do, is a rather toxic one. So mind your right to educate yourself, make your own choices and read on!

Here is your link:

http://products.mercola.com/shampoo-conditioner/?source=nl

Food Matters

2010-07-05T23:13:00.005-05:00

After my last post raising the flag on the food additive MSG, I wanted to share a DVD I appreciate called "Food Matters". This documentary is a grand resource for those who are looking to step up their diet and lifestyle perhaps to find relief from a health concern or for longevity.

Food Matters is a documentary film informing you on the best choices you can make for you and your family's health. In a collection of interviews with leading Nutritionists, Naturopaths, Scientists, M.D.'s and Medical Journalists you will discover...
How to use food as medicine
Who needs vitamins?
Is organic better?
How safe is our food?
Natural treatments for lowering Cholesterol
Foods that fight Anxiety and Depression
Natural therapies for Cancer
Which drugs might do more harm than good?
The best ways to detox, lose weight and keep it off!

Here is your link for more information!

http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_270121/Food_Matters

MSG update "Taste #5"

2010-07-05T22:52:00.002-05:00

MSG....most people are aware MSG is not good for your health and go the extra mile to read labels to avoid it in your families diet. Many have learned to look for some of the labels food manufacturers use to conceal added glutamate or MSG, including autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, protein isolate and soy extracts.

Now a food writer has developed a new way to add glutamate to foods, with a new flavoring product dubbed "Taste No. 5." Made from ingredients including pulped anchovy and porcini mushrooms, tubes of the product will soon be on sale across the United Kingdom.

You can read more about this to educate yourself in a article from www.naturalnews.com

Here is your link to the complete article:

http://www.naturalnews.com/029134_umami_MSG.html

What We Can Do Now

2010-06-29T10:26:00.003-05:00

It feels as if we are all becoming more aware of the health consequences in our nations over use of chemicals, toxins, pesticides etc. They fill the air we breath and food we eat. The good news is people are beginning to read labels, reduce their consumption of packaged foods, eating organically, upgrading their water sources and minding the chemicals they use in their own homes. Living on a golf course around all the fertilizers and pesticides to keep the grass “perfect” now may not be the pristine place to live and breath, that is if you are choosing health and longevity:)

At any rate, the report link here is long to say the least, but I thought I would participate in the sharing of the link to spread the awareness. “What We Can do Now, Reducing Environmental Disease Risk” is a report from the President’s Cancer Panel which was originally commissioned by President Bush.

What makes this report remarkable is that it comes from the heart of our government, and not from environmental groups. It states: “We have grossly underestimated the extent that environmental chemicals play in cancer.” And they implore President Obama “to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

The report specifically looks at the environmental factors from our exposures in agriculture, manufacturing, what’s in our homes, medical sources, the military, and from natural sources. Then they make specific recommendations. It’s available at:

http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf

Report out of Australia yielding caution to vaccines.

2010-05-12T13:57:00.004-05:00

News reports out of Australia reveal that vaccines are sending children into convulsions. And yet the vaccines aren't even contaminated, they all pass inspection. I wanted to share a feature story from Natural News that discusses risks and realities about the neurological dangers of children's' vaccines. I feel it is important to educate yourself about such topics. I respect my western medical providers, however I do not align with their view on the 100% safety of such things as vaccines and mammograms.

Here is the article below for you to take a peek if you choose.

http://www.naturalnews.com/028773_vaccines_convulsions.html

Opulent Living's Tips to Regeneration

2010-04-27T22:35:00.003-05:00

Opulent Living’s

TIPS TO REGENERATION

DIET

Eat Whole Foods. Do your best to eliminate packaged goods with chemicals and preservatives. Our body is 70% water. Organic whole unheated foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and organic water full of energy from the sun that our body needs to stay clean and juicy.

Eat Organic. Set your body free from filtering and storing pesticides and chemicals that WILL catch up to you at some point under the title of headaches, colitis, sore joints, bloating, cholesterol imbalances, or some sort of diagnosed disease.

Enzymes. Our bodies have a variety of functional units, such as a digestive system, an immune system, a cardiovascular system, and a circulatory system, just to name a few. Each system requires energy in order to perform optimally. It just so happens that enzymes provide this much needed energy for the successful completion of each biological function.

What exactly are enzymes? They are proteins that are responsible for every chemical reaction that goes on in your body; governing all functions related to your tissues, muscles, bones, organs, and cells. Every second of our lives, over 3,000 different enzymes are constantly renewing and changing, often at unbelievable speeds. Enzymes are responsible for everyday bodily processes.

Enzymes have been studied since the early 1900s. Even though there is over a century's worth of information regarding their use, we still have much to learn about them. Although, one thing is for certain; life as we know it, would not exist without them.

Over the last decade, science has uncovered numerous roles for enzymes than ever thought possible, as they literally initiate millions of reactions within your body. In fact, many health care professionals are now advocating the use of enzymes for various conditions and post-operative healing.

When referring to enzymatic supplements, it's important to distinguish between those used for digestion and those used systemically.

Digestive enzymes are taken orally with food in order to help break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins for improved digestive function and nutrient absorption.
Systemic enzyme are taken orally in between meals on an empty stomach. This way they can be absorbed by the intestines into the bloodstream where the body can utilize them for countless bodily processes.

Systemic Enzymes: Enzymes are one of the fundamental building materials that are required in all metabolic processes. When your body becomes deficient in systemic enzymes… you start to age faster, you heal slower, your body starts to physically slow down, aches and pains increase, you become much more susceptible to illness and diseases, and an accelerated degeneration and aging process happens as a result.

Some health care professionals believe that our natural production of enzymes starts to decrease after the age of 27. It is not too long after this that many of us begin to notice symptoms of low enzyme production, which can include:

Slow wound healing
Increased scarring
Poor digestion
Fibrosis conditions

Internal inflammation

Acid/Alkaline PH balance. It has been proven, cancer and disease thrives in an acidic environment. Your blood must be alkaline. Sugar, meat, dairy, alcohol, soda, coffee, most grain based foods, and negative based thoughts create an acidic ph balance in your blood. Fruits, vegetables, joy, forgiveness and gratitude are alkaline. Turning your diet to one of a heavy fruit/vegetable based meal will add water and oxygen to create an alkaline state in your blood.The ideal balance is 80% alkaline and 20% acid. This will neutralize the blood and decalcify the body. The result will be vitality, healing and regeneration. For complete protein or the raw goods of amino acids so your body can create the “protein” it needs, consume soaked raw nuts and seeds, avocado, coconut meat and all green leafy vegetables. "When you are green inside, you are clean inside."

DETOXING

House clean your body temple with the change of every season. You will deep clean your house, open windows and scrub away. Honor your body in the same fashion allowing your organs to shake like a wet doggie, breath and shed the layers of stored mucous and undigested matter that is flowing in your blood from consumed preservatives, additives and chemicals. Our body is 70 percent water. Cooked foods are void of water and most Americans do not drink enough water to give your body and internal shower. There are MANY detox methods available, choose wisely. Consult or seek guidance from a trusted source who glows with health. It can be as simple as fasting for 2 to 3 days consuming nothing but vegetable and fruit juices and consider colon therapy. If you are not comfortable fasting, simply give your body a break from meat, fish, chicken and dairy for a few days, drink plenty of water and get some exercise.

HYGIENE

In addition to diet hygiene is of utmost importance! Our skin is our largest organ and everything we put on our skin enters our body 60 times faster then what we put in our mouth. Read labels and use botanically based, paraben and mineral oil free cosmetics, soaps and lotions that contain MINIMAL preservatives. Consider salt bathing, dry body brushing and using a sauna to give your cells an opportunity to clean out and breath!

EXERCISE

GET MOVING! Your lymphatic system needs to be moved and given the opportunity to clean out. Living a sedentary lifestyle creates stagnation at the cellular level. Any debris and toxins that are in your body are just nestling in for a permanent residence if you don’t get your lymph flowing and moving out like a well run machine. Rebounding is a proven simple exercise that moves the lymphatic system. Be sure to stay well hydrated. Drink clean, filtered and “blessed” or charged water. Observe your bodies many cries for water.

MEDITATION

Develop a meditation resolve that suites you to free and quiet your mind and deepen your breath. Learn to budget your energy and find balance. At Opulent Living, our number one suggested resource for developing a meditation practice is under the guidance and use of the tools and workshops of Master John Douglas www.spirit-repair.com.

Master John Douglas is a qualified Thought Spiritual Healer & Energetic Healing Practitioner operating from Sydney traveling to America 3 times a year to host workshops and teleseminars.

Trauma, emotional and mental stress, false belief systems and blocks to our personal growth can be stored in the energy fields of our bodies, impacting our ability to function at our full potential. These blocks obstruct the vital flow of energy through our body and systems that is necessary for our health and well being. Over time this leads to illness and depleted mental and emotional reserves. Energetic healing can restore these vital flows.

The tools of Master John Douglas are comprehensive synthesis of energetic, spiritual and physical healing techniques using the highest level of natural law and life force in various ways to effect change on all levels. Please visit www.spirit-repair.com for more information.

To Mammogram or Not Mammogram?

2010-01-29T20:05:00.008-06:00

So that is the question, and a good question! Every way you spin it, the answer needs to come from you. Having been through the "breast cancer life" many years ago with mammograms, surgery, chemo, radiation, pharm. treatments, and emotional turmoil....knowing what I know today now that I am "spit out" at the other end of our western standard treatments, my personal choice is no mammogram.

WHAT? How irresponsible of me? Perhaps from the opinion of most. However, I choose to stay away from the heavy doses of radiation. Here is an idea for you as an alternative, thermography. Take a look at the link to learn more and find a provider in your area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermography

The bottom line is you need to do your own research, stand up straight and make the educated decision for yourself. Not from a point of fear or the pressured opinions of the "collective".

I received a newsletter from Dr Ben Kim regarding mammograms which prompted me to jump on line and provide the link to my "peeps" so you can educate yourself. I am on board with Dr Kim's opinion, here is a link to his article. http://drbenkim.com/articles-mammograms.html

Here is a segment from the article regarding one woman's choice to pass chemo treatments...this segment will anchor what I am about to add:

Perhaps you'll learn to experience the power and freedom that come with forgetting about many of the screening measures out there and instead, using your time and energy to prepare more nutritious meals, get more rest, work on worthwhile projects, and spend meaningful and fun times with family and friends.
Getting back to our family friend with breast cancer, she spent an entire year following her surgery eating a nutrient-dense, mainly raw, plant-based diet. She made and drank fresh vegetable juices every day. She took a high quality probiotic on a daily basis. I did acupuncture treatments for her on a regular basis to strengthen her immune system. About six months following her surgery, she added raw, organic eggs to her diet three times a week. One year following her surgery, she added wild fish and cod liver oil to her diet. She made sure that she got plenty of fresh air and sunshine whenever she could. She took time off of work and spent time every day praying and reading inspirational books. Through it all, we continuously worked at making sure that her tissues were not faced with excess estrogen and estrogen-like compounds.
It has been three years now since her initial diagnosis of breast cancer, and I'm grateful to report that even her medical doctor declares her to be free of cancer.

I choose to do chemotherapy, radiation and drug therapy. Today, now that I understand there are many factors to the cause of cancer, and as I practice and teach natural law and wellness, I would choose a very different path.

Yes causes of cancer can be genetics, but environmental toxins, toxins in your diet, emotional constriction, a diet of dead processed foods in a box, genetically modified foods and the list goes on...can the cause of cancer really be such a mystery? Perhaps consider slowly cleaning up your lifestyle. Eat whole organic plant based foods and if you eat meat, choose bison, grass fed, wild caught atlantic salmon. Start to juice, eat RAW organic foods that are full of enzymes and life! Detox a few times a year, do a parasite cleanse, a heavy metal cleanse and get some herbal assistance. Oh wow, now we are talking taking action here!

For some of you who are open and really want to dig in and move past the physical body and into your energetic anatomy, visit http://www.spirit-repair.com/ and open up your world! Just as complex as our physical body is, so too is your energetic body. This is where it all begins. It is fascinating so go ahead and take a peak. John Douglas who is "Spirit Repair' is from Australia. He travels to the states 3 times a year doing workshops all over the country. He will introduce you to a "you' perhaps you didn't even know existed!

Lastly, I would love to give you a resource for help in healing cancer according to natural law, or if you just want to step up your lifestyle according to Mother Nature, check out the Gerson Institute in southern California. They have DVD's, books, newsletters etc etc http://www.gerson.org/

The Gerson Therapy is a safe, natural treatment developed by Dr. Max Gerson in the 1920’s that uses organic foods, juicing, coffee enemas, detoxification and natural supplements to activate the body’s ability to heal itself. Over the past 60 years, thousands of people have used the Gerson Therapy to recover from so-called “incurable” diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

10 Foods for Women's Health

2010-01-21T10:02:00.008-06:00

MOTHER NATURE

Perhaps you already know my passion is to add a drop to the ocean of efforts advocating a pure and natural lifestyle according to Mother Nature. Everyone has an angle to what is considered healthy. There are many nutritional regimes to follow; raw, vegan, macrobiotic and the list goes on. However, one thing I think we all can agree upon is that in the end, we need a variety of foods in our diet to be healthy. Somewhere in the silence of your heart, there is a truth in knowing there will be a price to pay for putting things in or on your body that you cannot pronouce, even if the FDA or an individual with many certifications and letters after their name says it is "safe".

Mother Nature knows best, not a man, woman or scientist. The most magnificient machine you will ever own is your body. Pure whole organic foods, free of pesticides, growth hormones, additives, preservatives, food colorings, genetically modified ingredients are simply the best raw materials for our bodies. Fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, grass fed meats, wild caught salmon are terrific. Buy it whole. Preparing your meals at home with your children, with your love is powerful.

95% of what we find in the grocery store that is packaged contains some form of corn that has been genetically modified, which in the long run will genetically modify you.

Below is an article of a list of 10 foods that are targeted for women's health. I added another at the end. This is certainly not a complete list, but none the less, a good list to observe and see if your guidance prompts you to consider it.

1) Raw Cacao or Chocolate• Improves mood by increasing serotonin and other positive brain chemicals.• Contains magnesium -- good for heart health, insomnia, bone density, hormonal balance.• High in Vitamin C and electrolytes.• High in antioxidants -- slower aging, disease prevention.

2) Maca• Incredible hormone regulation from the top down -- works from pituitary gland.• Adrenal support for strong, steady energy.• Thyroid support for healthy metabolism.• Reproductive support -- Balances hormones and reduces hot flashes.• Libido support.• Rich in B Vitamins.

3) Flax Seed• Excellent raw materials for creation of health reproductive hormones.• Anti-inflammatory.• Good for healthy colon.• Lignans improve hormonal balance.• High "electron" food -- gives you energy and optimal cellular health.• Possible anti-cancer properties written about by Johanna Budwig.

4) Sprouts• Very nutrient dense.• High protein.• Good source of trace minerals.• Broccoli sprouts have anti-cancer properties.• Alkalinizing -- improves metabolism.• Satisfies nutritional needs -- reduces appetite.

5) Kombucha• Supports excellent digestive health.• Improves healthy gut bacteria that helps with production of serotonin, good mood hormone.• Rich in enzymes -- helps energize the entire body, all organs, hormones and neurotransmitters.• Rich in vitamin B-Complex.• Alkalinizing -- improves metabolism.• Has been used by some women as a part of a breast cancer treatment plan.

6) Goji Berries• Very high in antioxidants.• High in Vitamin C.• Complete protein containing all essential amino acids.• Contains factors for human growth hormone.• Rich in polysaccharide sugars for healthy immune system.

7) Coconut• Anti-bacterial.• Anti-fungal.• Anti-viral.• Healthy source of saturated fats.• Rich in electrolytes.• Alkalinizing -- improves metabolism.• Increases energy.

8) Marine Phytoplankton• Rich in chlorophyll.• Alkalinizing -- improves metabolism.• Cleansing.• Vegan source of EPA and DHA.• Many different carotenoids means strong antioxidant support.• Virtually all trace minerals in marine phytoplankton.• Great for balancing blood sugar.• Energy improvement.

I must chime in here...Green super foods are very important to our nutritional needs. WHY? These days our food sources are very depleted of minerals, not to mention the standard American diet is loaded with processed foods….we just don’t prepare our meals at home from fresh whole foods. That said, supplementing your diet with nutrient dense nutrition in green super foods is nothing but a bonus. In addition to Marine Phytoplankton, Crystal Manna, Spirulina, Berry Green from New Chapter or JUVO are all good choices. Just get some into your beautiful body!

9) Hemp Seed• Complete protein.• Omega 3 and Omega 6 present in healthy ratio.• Anti-inflammatory.• Raw materials for healthy hormones!• Contain chlorophyll for nourishment and cleansing.

10) Sea Vegetables• Thyroid health.• Breast health.• Weight loss.• Cancer protection.• High mineral content good for blood sugar, focus and creativity.

This article is from Sunfood.com by Dr Ariel Policano who is a leading naturopathic physician with a special focus on women's health, promoted through her Women Go Raw Health Tours. With over 15 years of experience using raw foods and superfoods to treat conditions that range from fatigue and menopause to cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

My additional two cents:

Balanced Omega Oils: I would also add the importance of a balanced omega oils for your skin and hormonal balancing. Natural salmon oil contains a balance of vital Omega 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9’s, often referred to as “good fats.” These good fats, which include two essential fatty acids the human body cannot produce on its own, serve to nourish brain, heart, eye, and kidney tissues. They have been shown to benefit cardiovascular, immune system, brain, and digestive health.

WHOLEMEGA from New Chapter is a pure and outstanding suggestion. Here is a link for more product information: http://www.newchapter.com/products/wholemega

2010-01-17T22:59:00.009-06:00

LOVE

PRAY

DREAM

DANCE

LAUGH

LET GO

CHANGE

FORGIVE

BE STILL

HAVE FAITH

BE FEARLESS

SERVE OTHERS

LIVE WITH PASSION

THIS IS LIFE

JUST TRY

BREATH

LOVE

YOU

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEW DECADE

2010-01-09T10:41:00.000-06:00

2010

I don't know about you, but on some level that I am at a loss for words, I welcome in the new decade with open arms. Each new year brings in a fresh start, but this year we have an added bonus of beginning a new decade. Now that we are just a couple years from 2012, we have an opportunity ahead of us to welcome change.

2012 is not an "end" in a destructive way, but rather a turning point to a time we all will gradually open to things our left brain cannot "prove" to be true, yet in our hearts we know it to be so. This is refreshing and it is happening to all of us now on some level. Think about it...things such as a belief in acupuncture, herbs, massage, energy work and even astrology are more widely accepted now compared to 10 years ago. We can only choose to be open to all possibilities, or be left standing in the dust as the world moves forward to "the impossible". I have come to learn being stubborn will hold you back :)

If you would like to consider doing something good for your body to kick off the new decade, I have a few suggestions for you that require minimal effort on your part, but could provide a grand pay off.

One: Drink tea
Two: Give your liver some love
Three: Try a little Slippery Elm Bark for a few weeks

TEA: When drinking tea, use 2 tea bags and steep for at least 10 minutes. Green tea is very powerful!!!! Studies show the rates of lung cancer in Asian countries are very low despite their bad smoking habits. The compounds in green tea clean the lungs...so drink up! Scroll down for more details, use the link below for more encouraging information, and of course buy organic tea when possible. Why drink pesticides when you are trying to do something good for yourself? http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm

LIVER: Give your liver a break and shower it with milk thistle or a good liver cleansing tonic. Your liver is like your body's "General" it directs all the energy or chi flowing through your body. If your liver is stagnate, blocked and toxic your life force energy will become stagnated or stuck. If this is the case you probably are experiencing such things as skin issues, allergies, fatigue, head aches etc. Your doctor most likely will NOT suggest you try a cleanse or take an herbal remedy for your liver. He/she will probably give you a drug of some sort to calm your symptoms after running a series of tests. Yep, we need western medicine when it cures. Your body is the most magnificent machine you will ever own. It will run smoothly and heal itself if you give it the raw materials it needs according to mother nature. It is a self healing machine. However, if you do not house clean at the very least once a year or mind what you put in it, your day will come when you have to take drastic measures to restore your health.

I love LIVER RESCUE from Health Force Nutritionals available on line or at Karyn's on Halsted. Take the therapeutic dosage for a week or so and then just use daily. Also at Karyn's is a line called Herbs of Light that has special tinctures to treat the liver and so much more. Straight up milk thistle is a good thing too. In Australia they sell milk thistle in 15,000 mg tablets....here in the US it is generally sold in 200mg tablets so don't be shy!

SLIPPERY ELM: Do you have stomach/intestinal issues? Consider drinking chamomile tea daily along with one heaping teaspoon of slippery elm bark dissolved in a little bit of water daily for 3 weeks. Slippery elm will coat, heal, and seal the stomach and intestinal track. This is KEY for those suffering from leaky gut, colitis, ulcers, irritable bowl, allergies etc etc!

Slippery Elm should be taken on an empty stomach. You can find it in the bulk section of whole foods in powder form. So simple and will benefit everyone! For more information on slippery
elm click here http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/benefits-of-slippery-elm.html

OK....hope this gives you something to nibble on to start off the new decade with something new! Add some tea to your daily routine....check out a liver tonic and do a regime of slippery elm bark for a few weeks!

Here is the skinny on tea!

TEA is the 2nd most consumed beverage in the world next to water. The four main types of teas are: green, black, oolong, and white. Flowers, fruits, and herbs can also be added into the tea. In Women's Health magazine it had a section on tea, claiming that "a recent study found that people who drink tea are biologically younger than their actual age by about 5 years." How does it do this? Antioxidants. One of the reasons we age is because of oxidation and free radicals.

A free radical is a “bully” atom to all the other atoms. It steals electrons from your healthy cells so it can become stable. This results in DNA damage or dysfunctional proteins. Antioxidants come to the rescue and give up their own elections to the free radicals. The antioxidants found in tea are called phenols. Four cups of tea provide:

129 mg potassium (important in the regulation of fluid balance as well as for the proper functioning of cells, including nerves and muscle)

1.1 mg manganese (essential for the development of enzymes, as well as being an important component for bone and cartilage)

76 mcg riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2; required to release energy from protein, carbohydrate and fat)

0.76 mg niacin (involved in the release of energy in tissues and cells)

Green tea
Studies have been done to show green tea may help with weight loss and prevent or slow:
Cancer (LUNG, bladder, colon, esophageal, stomach, and pancreas)
Heart disease
Arthritis
Liver disease
Tooth decay

Herbal tea
An infusion of anything from dried leaves, pieces of ripe fruit, flowers, grasses, nuts, barks, seeds or other botanicals that give the tea its flavor or health benefit. Examples:
Hibiscus - reduces high blood pressure and helps with menstrual cramps
Peppermint - calming and aids stomach and digestive problems
Chamomile - calming, anti-inflammatory and heals the stomach

Black tea
Naturally high in flavonoids which can
Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
Lower cholesterol
Reduce inflammations
Improve blood flow
Maintains sugar levels

Oolong tea
Contains more polyphenols than black and green tea (which help protect against health conditions and diseases)
Revs metabolism to promote weight loss
Improves skin appearance
A cup contains half the caffeine of a cup of coffee

White tea
Studies have shown that white tea may:
Boost immune systems
Prevent dental plaque buildup
Protect skin cell damage

Rooibos tea
Herbal red tea that has no caffeine
Many natural minerals and antioxidants
Contains aspalathin, a flavonoid, that protects against heart disease
Anti-inflammatory and calming properties
Aids in digestive problems, nausea, stomach cramps, and constipation

The Secret Bath

2009-12-16T23:09:00.001-06:00

My teacher and inspiration, John Douglas www.spirit-repair.com has a remedy that will calm any nerve, clear any "bug", sooth any over stressed muscle and just about anything else under the sun. It is as simple as it gets. All you need to do is fill a tub, give yourself 30 minutes to 2 hours, light a candle, get a good book or calming music, or even better just gaze and turn off your "mind" and enjoy.

Here is what you need for one bath:
2 pounds of sea salt
1pound of baking soda
1 pound of epsom salt

Fill the tub with hot water, no soap, add all the "potions" as they quickly dissolve....then just relax in bliss for 30 minutes minimum to 2 hours. Get out of the tub, rinse off in a clean shower, wrap yourself up in love!

Enjoy and please share the love!

Looking Great at 93!

2009-08-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Many may have heard of Jack LaLanne a man ahead of his times and a testimony of how exercise an optimal nutrition can help reserve you. He said, “Exercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you’ve got a kingdom.”

Dr Mercola has put together a great article regarding Jack and 10 steps to optimal health that I found interesting and wanted to continue to spread the inspiration far and wide.

Here is your link to Mercola's article for your daily dose of guidance or inspiration!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/11/Do-You-Want-to-Look-Like-This--Great-Reasons-to-Exercise-and-Eat-Right.aspx

Grocery Store Bar Codes

2009-08-09T21:32:00.001-05:00

Another reminder when grocery shopping...if the produce sticker has a code that begins with a 4 then it was grown conventionally, if it begins with a 9 then it was grown organically, and if it begins with an 8 then it is a GMO (genetically modified).

Hidden Messages in Water

2009-07-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

Here is a compilation of thoughts from the "Hidden Messages in Water" Masaru Emoto. Check it our for yourself and spread the idea far and wide.

"The most beautiful and delicate crystal that I had seen was formed by water being exposed to the words, "love and gratitude". It was as if the water had rejoiced and celebrated by creating a flower in bloom. It was so beautiful that it actually changed my life from that moment on. Water had taught me the delicacy of the human soul, and the impact that "love and gratitude" can have on the world. We all know that words have an enormous influence on the way we think and feel. Words are an expression of the soul.

The earth is searching. It wants to be beautiful. It wants to be the most beautiful it can be. We define the human being as water. I am quite certain that the water in the people who look at the photographs of crystals undergoes some form of change. I have found the most beautiful crystal of all. The one created by "love and gratitude" This is supposedly what all the world's religions are founded on. Water reaches from every individual cell to encompass the entire cosmos. The individual and society make up one enormous ocean. By adding our individual drops to this ocean, we participate in the formation of society."

In Love and Gratitude!

What Is Krill Oil and Why Is It Beneficial?

2009-07-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

Many of you may be subscribers to Dr Mercola’s newsletter at http://www.mercola.com/ . If not, consider it an invitation as Dr Mercola is a good source to educate yourself on many topics when it comes to health.

I was asked yesterday if I take fish oil and why not. Generally knowing many of our water sources are contaminated with environmental pollutions which means our fish are literally “toxic”, I typically choose to clear fish off my personal menu. What I do supplement with instead is krill oil for a bountiful supply of omega 3.

I have pulled some information from Dr Mercola’s website here to give you the “ quick and dirty” on what exactly krill is and it benefits. Knowledge is power so here is his angle and education on krill.

Krill oil is made from krill, a small, shrimp-like crustacean that inhabits the cold ocean areas of the world. Despite their small size, krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet. There are approximately 500 million tons of krill roaming around in northern seas.

Krill oil, like fish oil, contains omega-3 fats such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). However, in fish oil, these omega-3 fats are found in the triglyceride form. In krill oil, they are found in a double chain phospholipid structure. The fats in human cell walls are in the phospholipid form. The phospholipid structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable.

Krill oil also contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is a potent anti-oxidant. The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is, in terms of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorptance Capacity) values, 48 times more potent than fish oil. The astaxanthin found in krill oil provides also excellent protection against ultraviolet light and UV-induced skin damage.

Dr Mercola is not a major fan of too many supplements as he believes your best source for optimal nutrition is through whole foods and I AGREE! Krill oil, however, is one of his exceptions as most Americans consume far too few omega-3 fats, and way too many omega-6s.
Your ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is 1:1. Today, however, most people’s ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 averages from 20:1 to a staggering 50:1. Those kinds of ratios spell serious danger to your health. So serious, in fact, that even the mainstream health media now reports that lack of omega-3 is one of the most serious health issues plaguing contemporary society.

As far as supplements are concerned, two of the best yet simple ways to improve your overall health include:

1.Increasing your intake of antioxidants
2.Increasing your intake of omega-3 oils

And krill oil accomplishes both of those missions. Dr Mercola used to recommend that you take fish oil to enhance your intake of omega-3 fats. And high-quality fish oils are certainly great products with many important health benefits. However, fish oil is weak in antioxidant content, whereas krill oil contains potent antioxidants. In a perfect world, you would be able to get all the omega-3s you need by eating fish. Unfortunately, the vast majority of our fish supply is now so heavily contaminated with industrial pollutants and toxins like mercury, PCBs, heavy metals and radioactive poisons that I just can’t recommend it any longer. Even the slow-to-react FDA and EPA have put out health advisories warning against certain fish and shellfish consumption for young children, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and nursing mothers.

Dr Mercola believes krill oil is the perfect substitute for fish consumption as krill is not plagued with the problem of heavy contamination. Being on the bottom of the food chain, krill simply do not have enough time to accumulate dangerous levels of toxins like other marine sources.

Krill has been shown to be beneficial for a really wide range of health issues, including:

Support for concentration, memory and learning
Blood sugar health
Healthy joints, with an increase in joint comfort
Fighting signs of aging
Protection for cell membranes
Cholesterol and other blood lipid health
Healthy liver function
Relief of normal PMS symptoms
Bolstering your immune system
Healthy mood support
Optimal skin health

Krill Oil is a Potent Treatment for Inflammation and Arthritis Symptoms. Several studies have been published on the remarkable effectiveness of krill oil, including a 2007 study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition which evaluated the effect of Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) on patients with chronic inflammation and arthritis. After just 7 days of treatment, krill oil reduced inflammation by more than 19 percent, while the placebo group had an increase of inflammatory C-reactive protein of nearly 16 percent! It also significantly reduced pain scores, reduced stiffness and reduced functional impairment. After 14 days of treatment, krill oil further decreased inflammation by almost 30 percent, while the inflammation levels of the placebo group increased more than 32 percent.

The study concluded that krill oil at a daily dose of 300 mg significantly inhibits inflammation and reduces arthritic symptoms in as little as 7 to 14 days!

YOU CAN ORDER KRILL OIL AT www.mercola.com

MSG?

2009-07-20T10:45:00.001-05:00

One more hot topic...MSG. This is a big one and a rather highly debated topic. First MSG, or Monosodium Glutamate is a salt of the amino acid - Glutamic Acid (glutamate).

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that is "generally recognized as safe," the use of MSG remains controversial. MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. But subsequent research found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and the symptoms that some people described after eating food containing MSG. As a result, MSG is still added to some foods.

A comprehensive review of all available scientific data on glutamate safety sponsored by the FDA in 1995 reaffirmed the safety of MSG when consumed at levels typically used in cooking and food manufacturing. The report found no evidence to suggest that MSG contributes to any long-term health problems, such as Alzheimer's disease. But it did acknowledge that some people may have short-term reactions to MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — may include:

Headache, sometimes called MSG headache
Flushing
Sweating
Sense of facial pressure or tightness
Numbness, tingling or burning in or around the mouth
Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Weakness
Symptoms are usually mild and don't require treatment. However, some people report more severe reactions. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG. When MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that "monosodium glutamate" be listed on the label — or on the menu, in restaurants.

**The above information is from www.mayoclinic.com

Some of the ingredients that are really MSG: natural flavors, natural flavoring, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, and more!

Logic questions, do you really want any of these "possible" reactions? For more information see: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

Agave or Yacon?

2009-07-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

Agave seems to becoming a main stream sugar source as it is showing up on the shelves of most health food stores including Whole Foods. Now we are hearing more and more about Yacon Syrup. In my raw food prep classes I have been getting a lot of questions about what exactly is agave and yacon and which is better? So briefly I will define each, then give basic information regarding each sugar. Then as I always say, you deduct the information for yourself and make the best decision for you and your family as to what "sweetener" is works for you.

As a side note, I prefer to use stevia extract, raw honey, dates and yacon syrup for my personal use. However, if I am preparing foods for others I will use half yacon and stevia and may complete the recipe with raw honey or agave. Each have their unique taste. Yacon is generally the safe glycemic choice, raw honey is VERY healing, agave is simply a sweetener, stevia an innocent herb and a date...well perfectly terrific as is!

Before we move on with the "details" a reminder to choose RAW sources as in the heating of processed versions much of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients are destroyed. NOTE: Yacon and Agave are heated in processing so some raw foodist will argue they are truly not RAW and are "processed" unlike dates and raw honey!

I hope the following gathered research is helpful for you. We should always question processed and concentrated foods that are not found in nature, even if “raw”.

Here is your information.

YACON syrup is derived from the yacon plant, a tuber found in the Andean region of South America. The roots contain potassium and the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E.

Though packed with sweetness, the sugar in yacon is mainly in the form of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which cannot be absorbed by the body. This means yacon is both naturally low-calorie and low in mono and disaccharides (less than 1 gram per serving of the sugars that rapidly elevate blood sugar levels). Yacon root syrup has little influence on the glucose tolerance curve and is dramatically less glycemic than honey, agave, or maple syrup.

Yacon syrup has the following properties and benefits:

Regulates friendly intestinal flora, especially improves the growth of bifidobacterium
Reduces constipation
Helps to reduce the risk of developing colon cancer
Improves calcium and magnesium absorption, helping to strengthen the bones
Improves vitamin absorption
Helps manage cholesterol, triglycerides, and fat metabolism in general
Boosts the immune system in a similar way to aloe vera
Contain glyconutrients
Ideal for low-calorie and weight-loss diets
Ideal for low-sugar diets
Ideal for cancer-fighting diets
Non-cariogenic (does not cause cavities)
Contains superfood-level antioxidants
Standardized to 30% FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides)
Rich in antioxidants
Helps reduce symptoms of blood sugar disorders (hypoglycemia, diabetes type 2, etc.)

AGAVE is best recognized as the plant from which tequila is made, it has also been used for thousands of years as an ingredient in food. Agave nectar (sometimes called agave syrup) is most often produced from the Blue Agaves that thrive in the volcanic soils of Southern Mexico. Agaves are large, spikey plants that resemble cactus or yuccas in both form and habitat, but they are actually succulents similar to the familiar Aloe Vera.

To make the agave nectar, sap is extracted from the pina, filtered, and heated at a low temperature, which breaks down the carbohydrates into sugars. Lighter and darker varieties of agave nectar are made from the same plants. Because of the low temperatures used in processing many varieties (under 118°F) raw foods enthusiasts generally regard agave nectar as a raw food. The lighter syrups undergo less heating and a more thorough filtration to produce a more mildly flavored product that is neutral enough to be used in many culinary applications. The darker syrups are filtered less, and the solids left in the syrup make for a stronger nectar with a flavor sometimes compared to maple syrup.

Here is the "question" people are raising about agave: Agave Syrup is advertised as “low glycemic” and marketed towards diabetics. It is true, that agave itself is low glycemic. We have to consider why agave syrup is “low glycemic.” It is due to the unusually high concentration of fructose (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose (10%). Nowhere in nature does this ratio of fructose to glucose occur naturally. Long-time raw foodist and Medical Doctor, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. says that agave nectar raises blood sugar just like any other sugar. Dr. Cousens wrote a book, "There Is a Cure for Diabetes".

Other “concentrated sweeteners” that are often seen in raw food recipes include:

1) Maple Syrup which is not raw and heat processed. If it is not organic, it may also contain formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.
2) Sucanat or evaporated cane juice is pure dried sugar cane juice. Unfortunately this is processed at a temperature above 118 degrees and therefore can’t be considered raw.
3) Yacon Syrup is once again, a concentrated sweetener processed at a temperature of up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

MILK..Does it really do the body good?

2009-07-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

I get so many questions regarding Milk and what to do about calcium if we choose to not consume dairy. Below is an article from Dr Mercola for you to review and draw your own conclusions. I grew up around a HUGE family of dairy farmers so you can imagine how my questioning dairy was met with huge opposition.

After my cancer experience and cleaning up my diet to one that works for me of a whole foods plant based, dairy/soy free, and enzyme raw rich foods, I have learned marketing is EVERYTHING! Fact is cancer thrives on mucous. All milk contains casein which is the number one ingredient in glue. Human breast milk is very low in casein for the needs of a human baby. A baby cow weighs about 100 pounds and drinks the milk from its mama to grow quickly to 800 to 1300 pounds. The casein in cows milk obviously is great big huge! Something to think about. If you are minding your health perhaps give the article a wee bit of time.

We eat food for the minerals…calcium is a mineral. Even the bible says we are dust of the earth. Take a look at this website and consider Blue Ocean Minerals….it is food….no contraindications….just benefits…I even put drops in my doggies water! http://www.spiritrepair.com/ or http://www.blueoceanminerals.com/

SOY? Well almost all soy/tofu these days in genetically modified and generates non beneficial elevated estrogen levels. For daily milk alternative, consider almond or rice milk. Yogurt? You can now find dairy/soy free coconut milk yogurt at whole foods.

Remember, a cow eats GRASS (greens) to make milk. GREENS are a powerful nutrient packed source of all minerals and calcium.

Here is your article:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/18/The-Milk-Myth-What-Your-Body-Really-Needs.aspx

Recpies For Natural Cleaning Products

2009-06-09T09:03:00.000-05:00

After cleaning my house this weekend, after 3 hours I quickly began to notice I wasn't feeling the greatest and I just wanted to step outside and take long deep breaths to clear my head and lungs. I was even using environmentally "safe" products, wore gloves and minded my breath so I did not fill my lungs with the fumes. After I completed my work, I took a good walk outside for an hour, did some deep breathing, and began to feel better.

Then yesterday in a conversation with my Mom, her friend Janet and my sister Vicky, we stumbled upon the topic of cleaning products and health issues. Janet had spent over 10 years cleaning for a nursing home using heavy duty commercial cleaning products. We laughed as she said if you spilled it on your finger, it may just fry it off! However, what was a wee bit alarming was how one by one she began to see her colleagues fall prey to degenerative diseases while Janet herself is now suffering from fibromiligia. Our liver and kidneys can filter and clean our blood, but dose them with heavy toxic agents over a long period of time and they too get tired. Do you think there is a link to the consistent exposure to heavy duty toxic fumes? My answer is a firm YES!

As a result of the conversation, my sister shared with me in the following link some recipes from Clean Air Counts— http://www.cleanaircounts.org/, a nonprofit program sponsored by the City of Chicago and the EPA. Thanks Vic!

Also, in a handout from the organization last year, they offered some additional tips that you might find helpful and interesting too.

Reducing Smell of Vinegar (used in many of the attached recipes)
- Use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar
- Add lemon juice or tea tree oil (which smells like mint)

Mold Inhibitor:
- Make a thick paste of Borax and water. Smear it on the moldy area.
- Let it dry overnight or longer. Sweep up the powder and rinse off the rest

Getting Rid of Poison Ivy
- Spray straight distilled vinegar on it.

Products you can buy in the store that have little or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
- Soft Scrub (WITHOUT bleach)
- Seventh Generation
- Murphy’s Oil Soap
- Earth Friendly Products
- Method (Target carries their products)
- Bon Ami
- Bio Keen

Read Labels and Avoid Products Made With:
- VOC-based solvents
- Benzene
- Toluene
- Xylene
- Trichloroethane
- Petroleum Distillates and Surfactants such as Nonylphenol Ethoxylate, Phenolic Compounds, Glycol Ethers (Ethylene Glycol & Butoxy Ethanol)
- Isopropyl Alcohol (although not as toxic)
- Chlorine Bleach or Sodium Hypochlorite: preferable substitute is sodium percarbonate
- Phosphates: no more than 0.5%
- EDTA and NTA: acids used to soften water and increase cleaning power

The Power of Love & Gratitude

2009-04-23T12:24:00.000-05:00

Here is a compilation of thoughts from the "Hidden Messages in Water" Masaru Emoto. I recommend you take a look at this book and view the photos of crystals formed in water when exposed to words of love and then words of negativity. Everything in the world vibrates and we are composed of 70 percent water. The simple act of placing a "love and gratitude" label on your drinking container, or saying the words "love and gratitude" out loud or as a silent intention as you drink, or even eat your food, changes the make up and vibration of your nourishment and serves as an instrument of healing. The proof is in Emoto's book and photographs. Check it our for yourself and spread the idea far and wide.

"The most beautiful and delicate crystal that I had seen was formed by water being exposed to the words, "love and gratitude". It was as if the water had rejoiced and celebrated by creating a flower in bloom. It was so beautiful that it actually changed my life from that moment on. Water had taught me the delicacy of the human soul, and the impact that "love and gratitude" can have on the world. We all know that words have an enormous influence on the way we think and feel. Words are an expression of the soul.

The earth is searching. It wants to be beautiful. It wants to be the most beautiful it can be. We define the human being as water. I am quite certain that the water in the people who look at the photographs of crystals undergoes some form of change. I have found the most beautiful crystal of all. The one created by "love and gratitude" This is supposedly what all the world's religions are founded on. Water reaches from every individual cell to encompass the entire cosmos. The individual and society make up one enormous ocean. By adding our individual drops to this ocean, we participate in the formation of society."

Beautiful right? So if you would like to participate in a positive way to the shift of love in our world, begin with yourself. Your one drop of love in the waters of the collective consciousness will have a ripple effect.

In Love and Gratitude, Susie Sondag

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?

2009-03-26T08:36:00.000-05:00

If you don't eat organically, or do not see a real reason "why" it is so important, let me present it to you this way. Think of the power of a tiny pill compared to your body weight and the impact that has on your physiology. I hate to use this example but let's use the birth control pill for an example. Tiny right? And the power in that pill to manipulate your hormones and female organs is pretty incredible.

Now the amount of pesticides used to keep the bugs under control is enough to wipe out the tiny micro organisms. So small it will not impact a humans, so they say. However, consuming conventional or non organic foods that are full of pesticides daily will build up in your body and take residence in your tissues and result in toxemia and a weakened immune system. A

The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development an early childhood. Scientist now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

Here is a list of what they call the "Dirty Dozen" from the Environmental Working Group. Be sure to buy these organic at the very least. Check out http://www.foodnews.org/ for more information.

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes
11. Carrot
12. Pear

The Dissolved Mystery

2008-10-21T08:12:00.000-05:00

I am reading an old classic by Professor Arnold Ehret "The Mucusless Diet Healing System" a scientific method of eating your way to health published in 1953. It is a book I recommed every lay person to read regardless of the "diet dogma" you subscribe to. Professor Ehret comments, in the course of forty years you consume 42,000 meals. Is it not possible that they may have some effect on the human organism? Diet is the basis of blood formation and the quality of blood is the river of life for your cells. Professor Ehret taught through his common sense reasoning the importance of diet in the cause of disease, its prevention and treatment in a standard far higher than believed today in traditional health medical science.

Ask yourself, what is the quality of goods you are putting in your stomach that filters into your blood to bath your cells. Do you read the labels of the food you eat or what you feed your children. If you cannot pronounce it do you think your cells want it? How are the food colorings, preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavorings, etc serving your body? Where do they go? Why use your body as a filter and inevitably store it in the tissues and fat in your body. Such inorganic waste does not serve you and its accumulation can be dangerous. We get into auto pilot when grocery shopping grabbing the boxes and packages of processed food stuff because it is quick and easy and believe it must be safe or it would not be on the shelf.

The reality is we have an outstanding epidemic of disease in our world today. Sure people are living longer, and we have early detection to diagnoses disease. However, our medical society treats symptomatically versus addressing the root cause of the imbalance in the body. I am not against western medicine when it can cure. We need our emergency rooms and I have gratitude for our medical community. However, Mother Nature in all her simplicity and majesty can bring the body back to balance when you fuel our body with her organic whole and unprocessed foods. It may not be as quick as a pill, it takes time, but it does work.

Through personal experience, I went through chemo, radiation and heavy drug therapy. At the time it felt like the right path for me. I would choose differently now knowing what I know. Post treatments, I detoxed my body and truly felt awful for several years after removing the drug residue and "ick" out of my body. It was a roller coaster ride and much ofthe time I felt worse then how I felt going through treatments. However, I stuck to it and today experience a sense of vitality and energy beyond what I felt in college.

When people choose to shift their diet to one of whole organic foods free from heavy meat and dairy, they feel great for some time. Then the body hits a layer of mucus and waste and releases it into the blood stream to usher it out of the body and we feel AWFUL. Many at this point draw the conclusion that their new "diet" is not working because they feel worse. This is unfortunate because the new "diet" or way of eating is loosening up the old stored waste in the body which is what we want, it just isn't a good time while it is on its way out and we may feel like we have the flu with headaches and respiratory issues. When you go back to your standard diet or take a pill, you suddenly feel better again only because you have halted the internal cleansing. If you stick it out, you will feel better soon. Remember you have spent a lifetime of eating unbeneficial foods, so it will take sometime to work it out. You don't house clean or clean once a year, it is an ongoing job.

I would like to wrap this "food for thought" message with a segment from the Mucusless Diet System subtitled "A Dissolved Mystery" to encourage all those out there that are moving towards a clean diet and are not feeling the greatest at the moment.

"The reason doctors in general, as well as the layman, do not believe in a mucusless diet, is simply this: Whoever experiments without experience with this diet of healing, whether sick or well, loses his faith immediately, as soon as he has a crisis, becomes what he believes to be "seriously ill", that is to say, a day(s) on which a great amount of dissolved waste, debris, mucus and other poisons are taken back into the circulation, a period of great elimination. This produces at the same time a strong, almost irresistible craving for wrong foods and , strange as this may seem, the patient most strongly craves for the wrong food, which was once his favorite. This is explained by the fact that Nature is eliminating thru the circulation the waste of these foods, and it is when they are in the circulation the craving and desire is naturally produced. This then is why it is of extreme importance that every meal of a diet of healing and cleansing must leave the body as soon as possible."

So as they say, things need to get worse before they get better. Stick to your guns when things get rough on the healing path. I encourage you to pick up this tiny $4.95 book and see what Professor Ehret has to say. He is highly opinionated and passionate but the information he has for us is intriguing. Here is a link to purchase the book on line. http://www.arnoldehret.org/healthclub/fasting_aol.html

Nutrition Tips!

2008-09-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

You probably already know that at Hip Goddess, our desire is to deliver, “Pure and natural foods in a simple way every day”. We're spreading our wings and now you can catch us around the Chicago land area teaching Hip people how to create simple, nutrient dense and scrumptious treats and meals that are alive and kicking! Our desire is to rejuvenate, energize and beautify your body all according to Mom Nature. We don’t expect you to go all raw with us, but do join one of our many classes forming around the Chicago area and learn just how simple, quick and delicious raw/living food can be.

Join us on line at www.hipgoddess.com under “The Club” or “Events” for upcoming “cooking” class dates, to join the “Hip Goddess Club”, get recipes, and to sign up for our monthly informative newsletter. Also, coming soon, our sassy mini living foods cookbook, “The Goddess in the Kitchen”.

Here is nutritional information for some of the ingredients we use in many of our Hip Goddess desserts! You can find amazing recipes on our website under "The Club" section. Be careful....they are too good to be true and will get your energy flowing!

In Joy!

1. RAW CHOCOLATE: Called Cacao pronounced “ca-cow”
-Magnesium: Cacao seems to be the #1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium is one of the great alkaline minerals. It helps to support the heart, brain, and digestive system (it fights constipation). Magnesium is also important for building strong bones...
-Antioxidants: Cacao contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world. These antioxidants include polyphenols, catechins, and epicatechins. By weight, Cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai, pomegranates, goji

2. HEMP SEEDS
-Today, research is being done that will prove that hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious foods in the world. Hemp seeds are packed with omega-6, omega-3, and vitamin E oils and are rich in Iron and chlorophyll as well.
-Hemp seeds are made up of 65 percent of the protein Edestin and are very easily digested and absorbed. Hemp seed is a perfect alternative source of protein for vegetarians because it contains all 20 amino acids (including the 8 essential aminos that adult bodies cannot produce). A great alternative

3. GOJI BERRIES
-Chinese herbalists have prescribed Goji Berries to restore energy and strength, increase stamina and longevity, boost sexual libido and enhance fertility (explaining its name – matrimony vine), strengthen the immune system, treat insomnia, improve eyesight (it's the world's richest food source of carotenoids), and aid in digestion. The polysaccharides in Goji Berries have been found to stimulate anti-inflammatory responses in the body and induce immune system...

4. AGAVE NECTAR
-Our Agave Nectar is extracted from the Blue Agave Tequilana Weber variety. This particular plant has the highest concentrations of minerals as well as a high content of Inulin. Inulin in known to increase calcium absorption and possibly magnesium absorption, while encouraging beneficial probiotic flora.

5. COCONUT FLOUR
-Coconut flour is fiber from the coconut meat after most of the oil has been extracted to make Virgin Coconut Oil.. Coconut flour is high in dietary fiber and protein, gluten free.

Read your label!

2008-09-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

Here is some guidance for you when reading your labels in the grocery store. Just putting this out there as it is new education for some! It is a good idea to check the round stickers on your produce. There will be a 4 or 5 digit PLU number on it - when it's 5 digits and begins with the number 9, it's organic. Four digits means it's conventionally grown, and 5 digits beginning with the number 8 means it's been genetically modified! Let's NOT genetically modify ourselves! YIKES!

Seedless Fruit, Seedless Person!

2008-09-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

I just have to reflect with you as a result of a conversation I had yesterday in the produce section. I squealed with joy upon seeing organic globe grapes WITH SEEDS! A woman heard me and obviously saw my joy and asked, "Why do you want the grapes WITH the seeds? Isn't it a pain and too much work to spit them out?" Her question sort of stopped the clock for me and I realized how far away from Mother Nature the general consumer has gone or is going.

My question to her was, "Do you want to be a seedless person?" A human without seeds is infertile right? Do you really want that? When our kitchens become filled with genetically altered and hybridized fruits and vegetables, then we too become genetically altered, seedless and infertile. Let's think about the advice of the saying we all know, "You are what you eat". It is my belief we are only as healthy and vibrant as the food we fuel our body. How about you?

Ponder this. If you stuck a seedless grape or any seedless fruit or vegetable in the ground, would it grow? NOPE! The best food we can eat is food that is whole, alive, full of enzymes, and with SEEDS! It is the original God given food that grows freely according to Mom Nature.

I can remember as a little girl eating grapes and hearing my Mom and Grandmother tell me, "Susie you should chew the seeds, they are good for you!" So I did and little did I know how good they really were for me. Grape seeds are known as a powerful antioxidant and full of bioflavonoids. Antioxidants help protect the body from premature aging, decay and disease. Antioxidants are needed to neutralize free radicals. Bioflavonoids have the remarkable ability to strengthen blood vessel walls. I don't know about you, but couldn't we all use some of that? Think about how much people pay for grape seed extract for their anti aging properties in top shelf skin care! And we are spitting the seeds out, or buying the seedless grapes. Hmmmmm...

So, take a peak a roo in your kitchen and take inventory. Do you see packaged and processed foods that are full of preservatives and chemicals. Ooops if that is the case, but no worries here! Just begin to replace your previous choices with whole foods that are organic when possible, not genetically modified or SEEDLESS! Let's not use our body as a filter or our beautiful rejuvenating cells as the pantry to store the toxins that the body cannot shake off and send on its way. If this is happening in your body, it probably feels like things such as migraine headaches, fatigue, bloated feelings, cholesterol issues, constipation. or finally a diagnosis of some sort of imbalance.

Our goal at Hip Goddess is to teach people how to use pure and natural foods in a simple way, everyday. Add in one new thing a day or each week, and delete something that is simply not the best ever and you'll be on your way!

Wanna learn some quick and easy food prep ideas using whole foods in their raw state? Then join us on Thursday November 6th from 7 -9pm at the Whole Foods on Ashland Avenue in Chicago! To register call 773-244-4200. The class is $20 and please, come hungry!

Also, we'll be at LuLuLemon on Halsted in Chicago this Saturday September 27th from noon to 2pm mixing up and sampling our over the top decadent RAW Goddess Brownies! Come see us and give your taste buds a serious treat while you benefit from some serious nutrition, IN A BROWNIE! Oh stop!

Four Tips to REGENERATION

2008-09-23T11:21:00.000-05:00

These days, many are asking me for what I have learned over the years in my quest to regenerate and heal my body from cancer. There is much to be said about the mind body connection to proactively taking care of your health and for healing. One thing I did learn is we must BE OUR OWN LIGHT. Question everything and make it your own. Nobody knows your body better then you. One can get lost in all the opinions, protocols, strategies, and "proven" ways to heal. Everyone has an angle. Just educate yourself and make a decision that feels good to you, not because someone tells you it is the right way.

If you do choose to follow nature, have patience and trust. It may have taken you years to put yourself in a state of dis-ease and imbalance, so it may take you some time to get back into balance. Sure a pill can make it all better at the moment. However, there are usually other consequences that will be knocking at your door in the future as a result of the imbalances that are created from taking that pill. Just planting a seed of thought!

I generally offer guidance to focus on 4 simple things to keep yourself healthy and for regenerating your body temple. You asked so here they are!

4 TIPS TO REGENERATION

DIET

1. Eat Whole Foods. Do your best to eliminate packaged goods with chemicals and preservatives. Our body is 70% water. Organic whole unheated foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and organic water full of energy from the sun that our body needs to stay clean and juicy.
2. Eat Organic. Set your body free from filtering and storing pesticides and chemicals that WILL catch up to you at some point under the title of headaches, colitis, sore joints, bloating, cholesterol imbalances, or some sort of diagnosed disease.
3. Enzymes Enzymes are the catalyst of life-force in your body. They digest your food and are responsible for every metabolic activity in your body. Enzymes are the spark of life! You find them in raw foods and foods not heated above 118 degrees. You certainly can benefit from PLANT based enzyme supplementation taken before a cooked meal to help absorb nutrients and to give your body a break from doing all the work of digesting foods that have lost their enzymes in the cooking process.
4. Acid/Alkaline PH balance. It has been proven, cancer and disease thrives in an acidic environment. Your blood must be alkaline. Sugar, meat, dairy, alcohol, soda, coffee, most grain based foods, and negative based thoughts create an acidic ph balance in your blood. Fruits, vegetables, joy, forgiveness and gratitude are alkaline. Turning your diet to one of a heavy fruit/vegetable based meal will add water and oxygen to create an alkaline state in your blood. The result will be vitality, healing and regeneration. For complete protein or the raw goods of amino acids so your body can create the “protein” it needs, consume soaked raw nuts and seeds, avocado, coconut meat and all green leafy vegetables. Think of all the large and STRONG animals that eats nothing but grass and greens which are loaded with minerals and protein. As the saying goes, "When you are green inside, you are clean inside."

DETOXING

House clean your body temple with the change of every season. You will deep clean your house, open windows and scrub away. Honor your body in the same fashion allowing your organs to shake like a wet doggie, breath and shed the layers of stored mucous and undigested matter that is flowing in your blood from consumed preservatives, additives and chemicals. Our body is 70 percent water. Cooked foods are void of water and most Americans do not drink enough water to give your body and internal shower. There are MANY detox methods available, choose wisely. Consult or seek guidance from a trusted source who glows with health. It can be as simple as fasting for 2 to 3 days consuming nothing but vegetable and fruit juices and consider colon therapy. If you are not comfortable fasting, simply give your body a break from meat, fish, chicken and dairy for a few days, drink plenty of water and get some exercise!!

.

HYGIENE

In addition to diet hygiene is of utmost importance!

Our skin is our largest organ and everything we put on our skin enters our body 60 times faster then what we put in our mouth. Read labels and use botanically based, paraben and mineral oil free cosmetics, soaps and lotions that contain MINIMAL preservatives. Consider salt bathing, dry body brushing and using a sauna to give your cells an opportunity to clean out and breath!

EXERCISE

GET MOVING please! Your lymphatic system needs to be moved and given the opportunity to clean out! Living a sedentary lifestyle creates stagnation at the cellular level. Any debris and toxins that are in your body are just nestling in for a permanent residence if you don’t get your lymph flowing and moving out like a well run machine.

Consider this….we put gas in our car, change the oil, rotate the tires, get it washed and drive around with the windows down on a warm sunny day. Do the same for your body! Remember, you cannot trade this one in!

Do you feel what I feel?

2008-08-01T20:17:00.000-05:00

Feeling a bit off or sensitive lately? Well, this morning was a total solar eclipse so perhaps you are/were feeling its energies. I took time this morning to read a bit about it and would like to share it with you for your own personal insight.

“This solar eclipse is encouraging our moods to acquire a new outlook on our personal image...some of you may be strongly touched by the need to get a new lease on life. If low self esteem sets you back on the ecliptic new moon, remember that you aren't inherently a failure-that's just an old pattern of behavior. A new pattern of positive self image and dignity can be created and the old beastly pattern will have to be tempered and corrected. Take time to apply self worth, self respect and discipline!”

I am not sure about you, but now that I pay attention to what the planets are doing, I observe my mood and emotions to see what is coming up for me. When I take the time to read things just seem to make sense and I can move with much more grace and ease. I have become respectful of the benefits of taking time to tap my inner resources to make the most of my life and the experiences I am having. What do I mean by that? Well, sometimes things don’t turn out the way we planned, or we find ourselves in a pickle and need to evaluate what our next move will be. Often times we look for others for guidance or see a doctor to tell us what is “wrong” with us without first checking in with the one who knows best. YOU. But in our crazy fast paced world, who really is taking time in solitude to let what ever needs to come up, come up. To really listen and respond to that inner suggestion that keeps coming up. Things such as call this person…go here…don’t eat that, you know you’ll feel like crap. Or man I really do not want to spend time with this person because when I do I feel so drained.

There is so much primal wisdom within each of us, but generally as a society we seem to be so disconnected. I grew up in Iowa where we worked hard, but rested too. It was quiet, the sky was big, the air was fresh, the nights were quiet and the relationships were our free time when not at work. A social event was not going out to dinner, but having a potluck with one of my 5200 relatives….a few families getting together which meant about 21 children having a ball. Parents played cards and we ran around the farm swinging off the ropes into bails of hay or playing ghost in the grave yard which was always a LONG game considering it took forever to find someone on a farm! So simple…so lovely.

I can remember my grandmother just sitting outside rocking in her chair and we would pick an apple up from under her tree and watch the cows walk home over the field back to my Uncle Jim’s for the night. We would watch the sun set and Grandma would stick her finger up in the air and say, we have to close the windows tonight….it is going to rain. For the love of God….how did she know that. SOLITUDE. Being quiet in nature…breathing…relaxing and just knowing.

So that said, today I found myself in an ever deep appreciation of my Iowa heritage and family. The Farmers Almanac is set according to the celestial movement and my lineage lived their life accordingly. Paying attention to the planets and my emotions today, I also observed the nutso people run around hooking horns and not managing their elevated emotions because the planets are funky. Then I came home and the advertisement on TV of course was about a pill that could make it all go away, it would help you deal with your nutso life. But the price is you’ll never be able to poop normal again and you may have ongoing headaches or heart complications as a result. Sign me up for that please Doc! Perhaps if we would just stop and take some time to listen to what our body, mind and the quiet voice of our beautiful eternal soul is trying to tell us, the world would be a kinder place.

That said, I do believe there is a shift taking place…I can see it and feel it. There is a quiet vibration under all the noise of a bustling urban city. People are beginning to turn to the wonders of solitude. More and more are taking up yoga and meditation. They are seeing the beauty and explosive taste of fresh organic produce on their tongue and following it up with a smile. They are turning to the like of Deepak Chopra and lending an ear to his message. Even Oprah is calling her audience to stretch themselves and read Ekhart Tolle and reflect on thoughts that perhaps are bigger then what their conscious mind can really understand…but their heart is fully embracing. I have faith, and I believe a shift is happening.

I hope you have the opportunity to join one of our Hip Goddess monthly events if you are in the Chicago area. Every part of me is so delighted to host the event to help build a community where we have an awareness or perhaps desire to spend a couple of hours out of our month to connect with new people and learn about a few holistic things that could encourage us to take another step in the direction of doing something for ourselves according to mother nature.

On a final note….when I blog…I am truly “blogging” I turn off all worries of making this grammatically correct….I am stepping out of my own way and just writing my peaceful thoughts as they comes up and share them with you. Tomorrow I will share with you a list of ways you can embrace your God/Goddess stature! Sleep well! Or like my Mother and Grandma Tillie says, “Nighty Night”

Wisdom

2008-06-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

I read this quote today from Christine Northrup which eloquently speaks to my personal mission in life...to take what I have learned along my personal path of self improvement and understanding of the universal priciples that govern life and pass it along. I have deep gratitude for every author, practitioner, and friend who has exposed me to the many things that have taken me one step higher...one step closer to my dreams along the path I am walking. I do listen to what everyone has to say, and if it feels right to me, I go forward. I am my own authority.

My heart is on fire at every Hip Goddess Club as each time new faces are walking through my door. I know they are present to deliver a message to someone, or to receive a piece of wisdom from something I or one of our guests are teaching. Either way, the community is becoming more and more powerful. I hope you will join us soon! Check out www.hipgoddess.com and go to "The Club" section of the site to see when our next monthly Goddess Club is meeting.

Here is the quote from Christine.

"Every woman who heals herself helps heal all the women who came before her, and all the women who come after her." -Christine Northrup, M.D.

By the authority vested in me!

2008-06-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Great words right! You betcha! I am reading a terrific book at the moment that I just must share to remind you, as it did me, that we are our own best doctor, teacher, leader, mentor and parent.

So often when things go amiss in our life we turn to someone with a white coat, a couch to unload our "problems" to, or perhaps some sort of a pill to stop us from feeling or to take the pain away. The word "doctor" means "teacher". In the best of all worlds the task of these helpers is to teach you to read your symptoms, to help you understand the workings of the remedies they offer, and to show you how to collaborate with the intelligence of your body so it can heal and rejuvenate. Really. their task is to encourage self trust. But let's be honest, in most situations, this is not the case. It is, "Here take this pill and you'll be fine".

My challenge is to quiet myself, listen to what my body is really wanting, and bow to the silent invisible teacher within me and follow that guidance. I find that when I do that, the less I suffer. Trusting the intangible knowingness inside of us is certainly not an easy thing. Lots of doubt comes into play, not to mention the opinions of others. When I hear, "By the power vested in me!" it gives me such a powerful and charged feeling that YES, I am my own authority....I can do it.

Next time you are walking the tight rope, stop in your tracks, put your hand on your heart, and ask yourself what would be the wisest choice or path for me at this moment. Then be still and listen. Perhaps the answer will not show up in a new york minute, but just trust, have faith, and stand by. Allow the authority that has been with you since the day you were born to propel you forward beyond your wildest of dreams!

AMEN!

2008-05-19T23:40:00.000-05:00

"In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy."

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel Laureate in Medicine

May 5th Taurus New Moon

2008-05-05T08:23:00.000-05:00

There are twelve two-week (new moon to full moon) cycles every year you can use to auspiciously develop intentions and initiate successful actions. We plant our seeds of intention on the new moon and "reap" them on the full moon. Here is your cosmic cycle tip for the month of May from Opulent Living's Astrologer Barbara Schermer. www.astrologyalive.com

New Moon in Earth Signs: Taurus. Use this auspicious 2 week period following today, Monday May 5th to focus on your physical life and health. Recommendations: Begin new health regimes (strengthen your body, start diets, and add nutritional support), organize and determine strategies, make systems more efficient, initiate your new business or start your new job. Perhaps this may be a good day to plant your Spring flowers. Plant your new moon intentions right into fertile mother earth!

Happy manifesting! May you reap your desires on the full moon May 19th!

What is your main purpose of life?

2008-04-28T18:38:00.000-05:00

Good question...certainly not something you think about everyday, but it is something we all contemplate at some point in life. Personally speaking, after being confronted with my mortality and the unanswered question of just how much longer did I have to walk this planet....I certainly have contemplated this many times over.

I thought about things such as what did I want to accomplish in life....how do I want to be remembered? Should I be just living and loving the moment I had in front of me and have joy for the inhale and exhale I was able to take. Or should I be the crazy typical American and be focused on the future to improve my life, because it HAS to be better then this. Man... I should be setting goals complete with anal actions plans. UGH...should should should.

What did I do? Well for the first year post treatments I traveled and lived in the moment....I loved my family and friends..did a dance for my newly sprouted hair and did "I LOVE MYSELF" self talk in the mirror and reshaped my thoughts of fear of my body failing to thoughts such as, "For the love of God Susie, you are healed and perfect! Keep up the good work body! I trust you and thanks for the life force you are pumping through my veins"

Sure, I still do that kind of thing today, but I must admit that I do slip from celebrating the moment, to fixating on just where am I going and what do I want to accomplish. (...as I am writing I am having a flash back of a sweet and wise old Italian man advising me when I was traveling solo through Italy, "You crazy Americans...all you do is work/worry and you don't relax and enjoy." God was he right.)

OK...so I get back to the opening question of what is YOUR main purpose of life? Sure for each of us the doing will be different but the reason for the doing is all the same and that is why we have a life...it is our purpose. I am going to give you Eckhart Tolle's words directly if you can take this in.

"Discover that the main purpose in life is to bring the light of consciousness (love) into this world and so use whatever you do as a vehicle for consciousness."

In my laymans terms this translates to: Allow the main purpose of your life to bring the light of love into this world. What ever you are doing (your life work at the moment....raising a family...advancing in your career...being a student...volunteering...) may it be done for the purpose of bringing love into the world. To transmute the energy of life...the same energy that makes the flowers grow. It is hard to describe that energetic feeling, but you know it is there....you can feel it...it is real. You feel it in your heart, even if for a moment. It is that warm energy buzzing through your veins when something or someone takes your breath away. Perhaps like when you see your child being born. You cannot put words to it...but it is SOLID in your heart. IT IS REAL.

If we could all stop for a moment and ask ourselves, "Is what I am doing everyday doing something for the benefit of the whole? How do I feel when I am doing it?" Feel how that activity enriches or deepens not only your life, but that of countless others. Feel yourself being an opening through which energy flows through you for the benefit of all.

How about that for a purpose of life! Sounds...or should I say...feels good!

-peace

A lesson from the ancient redwoods

2008-04-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

Yet another good message from Mother Nature herself....The ancient redwood trees of Northern California, huge as they are, have a very shallow root system, yet they cannot be blown over by the strongest wind. The secret of their stability is the interweaving of each tree's roots with those that stand by it. Thus, a vast network of support is formed just beneath the surface. In the wildest of storms, these trees hold each other up.

CORNY? I WISH!

2008-04-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

This is blunt:

Live stock now consumes 80% of antibiotics in our nation. Why? Because they are now living on a corn fed diet versus grazing on grass. Eating a diet of corn and grains causes a state of acidosis. If left untreated, in this state of acidosis the animal will die. To counter act the state of acidosis, animals are fed continual low doses of antibiotics.

Why grain fed versus grass fed. It is cheaper to feed the animals a corn grain diet and they gain weight faster. Often times they suffer from ulcers brought on by over eating of grains and an acidic state.

Now then, the same is true for us. It all boils down to acid blood or alkaline blood to your health. Lots of meat and carbs means an acidic state. Then eat the meat of an acidic animal and double whammy yourself. It is basic science of acid versus alkaline. Choose wisely….eat your greens…if you choose to eat animals, then when possible look for grass fed. Whole Foods is starting to carry it and wild oats market carries it. Yes it is more expensive, but at some point we all pay for it right!

Now about the corn itself. Most of it is genetically modified now. It used to be high in nutrition…full of protein. Now genetically modified, corn can grow faster and resists the sprays we use on our crops. Nutritionally it is depleted. Most of the corn is going to produce high fructose corn syrup used in cheap foods such as sweetened soda and packaged goods. All this is contributes to the rising cases of diabetes and obesity.

Yikes….grow a garden…read your labels for non GMO…check your boxes for high fructose corn syrup….if you eat animals, eat grass fed when possible. Do something little everyday in a new direction and it will add up or down.

Check the link out below for more information!

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/

Toxic Overload! HELP!

2008-04-11T07:53:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! So it has been almost 2 months for Gods sake since I have checked in and blogged away. Wondering where I have been? Me too for that matter. The last 3 months have been a whirl wind of listing our home on the market, living in rubber gloves cleaning for every showing, making all final decisions on the new construction of our new home...you know the drill paint, furniture etc....then actually moving in March. Three months that are a bleep in time.

All I can say is I had no idea what I had ahead of me when we started this journey. I have a entirely new respect for Realtors who deal with the buyers and sellers during this stressful time of their life, for the women out there who prepare their home, become full time maids, work AND handle a family! That is from my shoes and God knows Eric would have things to add here to. So in all this mess, something had to give...so bloggin went out the window fast!

The good news is we sold our place and moved into our new home in 3 and a half months! That's good stuff in this market. Our new home is brand spankin new. I love it with all my heart. However, as it is with life I am learning a HUGE lesson at this moment in time and would like to briefly share it with you.

Environmental toxins are so real! As I mentioned our new home is brand new. We are in a new housing development here in the city where all homes are brand new, and NOTHING is "GREEN" or environmentally friendly. That's right... toxic overload of dust and gases all over town around here!

Over the last 5 years I have done a significant amount of detoxing and my diet is rather pure living foods diet. That said, any little toxic bugger out there is detected and escorted out. Now that I am breathing in toxic fumes and dust daily, my lungs, liver and spleen are shouting, "What gives sister?". They are working overtime and as a result I am experiencing lots of flu like symptoms, headaches and loss of energy.

Why? Perhaps think about it this way, in a clean house you notice the dust bunny zoom across the floor and you snag it. 100 dust bunnies all at once may just put you over the edge! Now, if it is time for the housekeeper to come, that new dust bunny just joins the fun with the others and goes unnoticed, but the day will come when you need to clean house! It is usually called spring cleaning...translate that to the body and jump on the detox wagon! If not, then you may entertain some sort of a physical malfunction or disease later in life. It just all adds up at some point in life right!

I mention this for 2 reasons.

One, as I just described it is so important to detox your body at least once a year to stay ahead of the game and keep health issues at bay. I would suggest everyone consider taking something to support your liver on a daily basis. I will be carrying a product called "Liver Rescue" on my website http://www.hipgoddess.com/ beginning in May. That would be a terrific starting point!

Second, perhaps you may think twice about making "green" choices if you are building a new home or updating an existing one. Consider low VOC paints and Google green builders in your area if you are hiring a builder. Add lots of plants to your home to help purify and oxygenate the air.

Now, if you are in a new home and have children and pets.....PLEASE open your windows and invest in an air purifier to help move the toxins out of your home for their sweet immune systems, and YOURS! You may not feel anything, but trust me your liver is working over time!

A Gentle Reminder

2008-02-19T00:17:00.000-06:00

You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us.
It is not in some of us, it is in everyone.
-Author unknown

Does anything really need to be said in follow up to that? Have gratitude for the lovely perfection that you are! Peace!

OHHH...The Glorious Day of LOVE

2008-02-14T10:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day! These days I have my nose in Lester Levenson's book, "Happiness is Free...and it's easier than you think!" You may be thinking...oh yeah....just another one of those mamby pamby self help books. Perhaps, but none the less it is ranking up there as one of my favorites. Why? One word, Simple. That's right, the book is simple.

Basically the author, Lester lead a life of what most of us would classify as normal. He graduated from college in 1931 and went on with a successful career as an engineer for twenty-some years dabbling in various other business along the way. By 1952 he had been through constant illnesses...enlarged liver, kidney stones, spleen trouble, hyper acidity, ulcers and 10 years of migraine headaches. It was all topped off with a second coronary thrombosis and was told he might die anyday. So he went home and realized that all the knowledge he had accumulated over the forty-two years was of no avail. He had reached the end of the line without real happiness and without health and now he wanted it more then ever.

So he began asking himself what he really wanted out of life, now that his days were numbered. His answer was happiness. To dig a little deeper, he recalled the moments in his life that he had felt the happiest. What he discovered was, it was when he was LOVING that he was the happiest. That happiness equated to HIS capacity to LOVE rather than TO BEING loved.

Sweet...simple...and true. It does feel better to LOVE than to BE LOVED.

On this day of love, perhaps take a minute or two and recall a time in your life when you were in crazy love. Pull up and dissect high moments of loving in your life. Do you too get an inkling of a feeling that it was when you were loving someone that you had the highest feelings of love and happy bliss? What an appropriate and good exercise on Valentines Day.

My take away from all this is...what can I do today for the ones I love? We all have heard it is better to give than to receive. Lester is right on!

Five Simple Rules for Happiness
1. Free your heart from hatred
2. Free your mind from worries
3. Live Simply
4. Give More
5. Expect Less

Hang with me here a moment...

2008-02-11T21:30:00.001-06:00

Have you ever read or heard something and it didn't quite sink in? Sure, you could understand a portion of the message, but the rest just flew somewhere over your head! Quietly you choose to put it away for later, and when the later date arrives, for whatever reason, this time...IT ALL MAKES SENSE!

Well....I would like to share something similiar that just "illuminated" my heart. Some of you may be familiar with my spiritual teacher John Douglas. Everyday I listen to many of his meditations and each day they sink in deeper. Today, while taking myself for a walk around the indoor track of my health club...not a "work out" walk but rather an empty your mind kind of walk....sort of like a beach walk. Well, peaceful it was. It was like the top of my head opened up, I gave every part of my body permission to relax and swing free, and my thoughts were free to leave my daily to do list and playfully immerse themselves in all things possible. To just observe and not analyse. AAAhhhh...how delicious it was.

That said, I titled this blog, "Hang with me here for a moment..." because that is what you may need to do as I share me deep thoughts while riding on the words of my spiritual teacher on this snowy day following my bliss walk. My thoughts here may "reach you"... or not...just as mentioned above. If not, perhaps just come back to it...if you choose.

Here it goes...

"Emotional impressions in the molecules of your being are now letting go" -John Douglas

Deep inhale.....and exhale every last bit of air in your lungs...hhhmmmm....be free, loose, and open...how good it feels. Allow your crown chakra, the top of your head, to receive the divines thought forms as a download into your pineal gland...the center of your head. Do not judge what images or thoughts you receive, let them flow in and flow through you...listen. What do you see....what do you feel....what do you hear? Do not judge...your response is to just do the next thing in that very moment according to what you are receiving. Allow yourself to stay in motion with the thought form and go on to the next thing it is guiding you to do...and the next thing....staying in the flow.

Should you halt the thought form and park it while you analyze it, the thought form locks down and constricts the energetic flow which was keeping it in motion. This results in a physical block at the cellular level of your body. We label this physical block and constriction with an emotion or pain and it becomes ours....our identification...."I am in pain....I am depressed...I am stiff" Now you have to work to let it go...

Resist the compulsion to park and analyze your thoughts...let them flow in...respond to the ones that "illuminate" your heart and take a step in that direction staying in the flow of all things good.

Be open, loose and free. Do all you can to be the observer of your mind and life...not the operator working over time. Be still...calm down...allow all to be...just as the falling snow...tomorrow will be just perfect...just as it is this very moment....perfect.

peace

The Hip Goddess Club

2008-02-11T00:33:00.000-06:00

The Hip Goddess? What is that? OH PLEASE! Stand up right now ladies....walk over to the nearest mirror..and take a look at that BEAUTIFUL, STRONG and POWERFUL being looking back at you. Does she look familiar? That's right sister....the Hip Goddess is YOU!

Coming soon, Opulent Living, Inc presents, “The Hip Goddess Club”. A Monthly girls night out to learn, share and express yourself on topics related to being the powerful Goddess you are, living a wholistic lifestyle, and of course all things trendy and HIP!

Come join the Hip Goddess’s beginning in March to stay in touch with friends, meet new ones, learn something new & express yourself!

Check in with Opulent Living at http://www.susiesondag.com/ under “Events” to confirm our location and first date of Thursday March 27th!

And...we're not stopping there! Available on line soon at http://www.susiesondag.com/
Opulent Living’s "Hip Goddess" superfoods to rejuvenate your gorgeous body and materials to support your spiritual growth and power. We’ve tried them all and done our homework to bring you the purest and best products on the market to support your Inner Goddess!

BTW...don't worry guys....we'll share our powerful superfood goods with you too so check up on us soon and spread the word! Feeling good is contagious!

WHAT! More Snow?

2008-02-04T22:41:00.000-06:00

You are kidding right? Clearly the local weather man is not winning a popularity contest in my family room tonight as he breaks the news of yet another foot of snow to arrive in Chicago by 3pm tomorrow.

Oh help me Rhonda, help help me Rhonda! What's an Iowa girl to do when at the age of 7 she committed herself to the California sun upon her first glimpse of the Beach Boys album! And, oooohhh...when the needle hit the sweet spot and THE song was set free from the record to her ears, "A ba ba ba ba bab aran!"...this Iowa small town girl's heart would be forever committed to the sun and fun. A much better idea then snow forts and sleigh rides down candy cane hill on a silver "saucer"....that thing never did work.

So with this announcement I affirm the fact I would love to hop a plane out of here to feel the warm sunshine on my bare shoulders. But I guess I do, and do not have a choice. I don't have the option of stopping the snow...because it is coming! I do however, have a choice to accept it and love it up.

Well surfer girl, what's it gonna be? Fight it or surrender? Hhhmmm....

I choose to surrender and love the pretty white stuff that makes our city look so pure and quiets us all down. I will relish the fact that I couldn't get my car out of the alley if I tried! I will heed Mother Natures advice, and slow down a bit. Perhaps stop running here and there, as fast as I can. I will bundle up, take DEEP LONG breaths of the cold weather outside and take lessons from my dogs as they light up like firecrackers and play....just loving what is!

But even as the snow falls, I can still crank up "Barbara Ann" and dance around the room in full freedom knowing the sun and heat will come again.... and with it all things new!

5 Ways to Live and Work with a Wholistic Lifestyle

2008-02-02T22:59:00.000-06:00

First of all remember....“No matter where you are, it is OK….just LOVE yourself”

Below you will find few BASIC guidelines to help get you on the right track. I have to remind myself, I am not going for perfection. Do the next thing in the direction you choose to go and enjoy the process. We get better each day....thank GOD!

1. Attitude, Responsibility, Power
You have a divine being inside your physical entity. Take responsibility for your life and find a reason for living. What is your legacy? YOU are the powerful creator of your life.

2. Dietary Upgrade
Begin today by upgrading ONE thing in your diet. ADD IN vs. TAKE OUT. Set a goal to consume an organic whole plant based diet for cleansing and rejuvenation.

3. Exercise and Hydration
Develop a physical resolve that suites you to free your mind, deepen your breath, and pump your heart. Drink clean, filtered and “blessed” or charged water. Observe your bodies many cries for water.

4. Rest
Quiet the mind. Budget your energy. Balance your rest with your physical exertion. Animals in nature don’t sleep, they rest. We’re a “vertically” addicted society…animals lie down.

5. Environment
City living equals lots of airborne pollutants. Do you own a good air filter and water purifier? Understand the importance of cleansing your body just as you do your home.

Wholism is taking personal responsibility so your being can THRIVE. Have 100% commitment at all costs, believe in yourself, and no backing down. You ARE living your best life!

Think you're smarter then Mother Nature?

2008-01-24T10:05:00.000-06:00

I cannot get enough of research on topics that revolve around resetting our health back to good ol mother nature! After being a toxic waste dump of chemicals and radiation from cancer therapy...I learned the hard way! Trust me! Going through it all, my thoughts were, "There has to be a better way then this!" Clearly this is not the healing protocol Mother Nature had in mind!

Then again...we have gotten so far away from Mother Nature with our processed, preserved, boxed up stuff we call food! Even if we are eating whole live foods like our veggies and fruits, when we go to the store we see these non organic GIANT perhaps from outer space apples and pears! Looks terrific, right?! But how did they get so big?

We are a nation that wants things bigger, faster, better and super sized. We just toss in a few chemicals to genetically alter it and shazam! We have the BMW of produce ! Somewhere along the line we Americans have gotten so far away from keeping things simple. We think we can out smar Mother Nature. Let's just give her a boost...box her up and add to or "fortify" her to meet out needs.

So our grocery stores are shelved with processed, boxed up and HUGE genetically modified food...right along with rises in every disease known to man. And we wonder what is the reason for this epidemic? It is my opinion many of the diseases we are hunting to, "find a cure" would all settle down if we would get back to mother nature. Sure a drug or pill can destroy the diseased cells...but maybe an excess of such chemicals is what contributed to our cellular break down in the first place? Hmmmm...

What would happen if we allowed Mother Nature to heal us and reset our DNA back to normal? Sure it doesn't happen as fast as a drug or pill....but she can do it! If she can conceive a baby, spin the planets, and make the flowers grow...I am certain she can heal us too.

Our end of the healing contract with Mother Nature is to go back to her whole organic foods, clean water and give it time. Sounds simple right? Not in the least. It takes a good practioner to guide you along with your faith, belief and committment. I am telling you, YES YOU CAN!

Perhaps you may be thinking I am a radical unrealistic health wholistic health nut....but I have been on the end of fear and allopathic treatments only to swing the other direction to detox and rejuvenate by being back to balance with Mother Nature. Certainly, the path has not been what I would define as a good time! Far from it! And I am still a work in progress. What I can tell you is I do feel better today then I did when I was having a ball in college!

I wanted to blog on this topic this morning to just put the shot out and high five Mother Nature! ! Waking up I thought....I am less then thrilled about the sub zero temperatures today...but good Lord Mother Nature, how do you do it? You alter our weather from 90 steamy degrees to colder then my freezer! You are AMAZING! Many thanks to you to helping me restore my vitality with your pure, organic whole and living foods!!!

I hope I have given you something to think about! I job is to "toss it out there" and let you take it further if you are so inclined. For me one plus one did not equal two when I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer many years ago. I choose the allopathic route because it felt right to me at the time. Nobody knows your body better then you. All our answers are within us. Do don't take my word for it! Try it yourself!

Lastly, I am passionate about researching wholistic health....LOVE IT! Right now I am digging into the great Gabriel Cousens book, "Spiritual Nutrition". I would like to leave you with a blurb from his book as food for thought!

"We need to mimic Nature in our work, not think that we're smarter than Nature. Continued force-feeding of a few chemicals in high-concentration fertilizers upsets the balance of subtle nutrition. This is why the whole pesticide and herbicide approach doesn't work; it does not coincide with Nature. The natural law is: The more mineralized the soil, the healthier the plants are, and the more disease-resistant they are. The healthier individuals are those who eat the highly mineralized plants."

Peace...and go eat something organic, juicy and perhaps something green today!!

What is your legacy?

2008-01-16T22:31:00.000-06:00

Deep thoughts....I received an email yesterday letting me know Petter Morck, the founder of Arbonne International, a Swiss formulated wellness company based in California that I work with, had passed away. I was really tossed into "the moment" while reading his eulogy and I cannot help but share a portion of it with you. Perhaps reading just a bit of it will make you stop and think, "How am I living my life...what is the passionate pursuit of my life...am I continually seeking to"get" rather then "give".

During that moment I was brought back to the time I was knee deep in cancer treatments and was living for the day. Each day was appreciated simply because I didn't know how many of them I was going to have. At 29 I had so many plans for life, no different then anyone...travel, career success, marriage, family...etc etc.. However, that experience fueled a fire in me to really do something with the time I DID have. Some of my worries changed to how was I spending my day? Were the things I was doing for the benefit of me, or for others? It was a funny feeling. I really never thought about that before I was just doing and thinking about things that every other 29 year old was preoccupied with. Common things like career and getting married.

Sometimes I think it is a shame we live our lives for the next best thing. Getting married, a bigger home, salary, faster car, another child, more recognition, more new clothes, a bigger TV...MORE MORE MORE. We Americans are nutso! My Grandmother used to slap a few big words of reality on me from time to time, "Susie, don't save it for a rainy day because when life is over, you are not taking it with you!"

So I regress...reading Petter's eulogy brought me back to those days of cancer therapy and really thinking and living in the moment...did I forget? Not really. I am mindful of just how I am spending my time in my work and loving others. I try not to save too many things or the thoughts of my heart for just the right special moment. I smile at the homeless or an angry person who crosses my path...I sing every morning in thanks for the new day...stop in awe at the glory of a daily sunset....thank my sweet hubby Eric for all he does and remind him just how amazing he is...and more. However, like everyone I get stuck in the wanting of the next thing and not loving where my feet are right now! I can always improve on that!

So before you read about Petter remember this: We come into the world naked and alone, and we shall leave naked and alone. We take nothing with us but the love we have gained from the relationships we have had along the way. How will you be remembered?

God Bless You and BE HAPPY AND IN LOVE!

A man like Petter Mørck defies definition. Challenges convention. Is uniquely one-of-a-kind. And leaves the world a better place than he found it. These were all hallmarks of Petter’s life. He cared about people in a way that made everyone who knew him better for the experience. Whether you spent five minutes or five years in his sphere of influence, you knew you had been in the presence of a remarkable man.

Even now, Petter must be smiling and nodding knowingly, at his own, self-styled portrait. He never took himself too seriously and it was one of his greatest charms. From the signature red-rimmed glasses to his warm greetings and genuine love for people, he was a man full of life and humor, passion and compassion, with an infectious smile. Arbonne’s founder was, in a word, extraordinary.

Doing what you LOVE in 2008!

2008-01-08T09:16:00.000-06:00

So we find the new year upon us and once again we ask ourselves, "What will my new years resolution be this year?" Hmm, what shall I contract with myself that I am going to change in my life for the better?

This morning I woke up thinking why is it always something we want to change? Why not take a moment and think about the things we love...the things we are passionate about...the things we love to do in our free time...the things that are just so hard to pull ourselves away from to carry on with our day?

My friend and I were on the same vibe yesterday carrying Joseph Campbell's words in our heart, "When you follow your bliss...doors will open where you would not have thought there were doors....and the world will step in and help." He began quoting Joseph while at the same time I pulled the quote out of my planner to show him those words showed up in my life on the very same day....clearly words meant for us to hear...message received.

So this year I once again started the top of a blank page with 2008 and wrote down the things I am passionate about for direction as to what I will pursue or continue to go after this year...somewhere in there my treasure of prosperity and satisfaction are waiting...or will simple show up as a reminder and encouragement to continue on sister!

The page filled up quickly as I held nothing back...there were no limits and I quieted all self talk of, "Are you serious Susie....do you really think that is possible?" Cancel clear on that one subconscious...you betcha and I am going for it!

Certainly I won't bore you with my list, but I will share that first and foremost it was clear that I love and cannot get enough of researching, reading and experimenting with the health benefits of natural, whole and living foods for rejuvenation and optimal health and spiritual growth and power. After dealing with a body that was a mess and out of balance from chemotherapy, radiation and pharm. drugs in 1999, it has been an interesting adventure ride taking responsiblity for my life cleansing and doing the emotional/spiritual work so I could rejuvenate my being and contnue to walk the planet to evolve and give back!

So as I continue to dive in on such topics this year, I am committed to share with you what I learn! Your role is not to take my word for it, but to take it all in and make it your own. I have learned we are our own doctor. Never give your power away to anyone who says this is the "way". Listen to yourself and proceed with whatever feels right for you and go for it! That is why we have LIFE! To learn, love and share!

So cheers to you and a happy new year! Follow your inspirations and say yes to your aspirations! We must decide for ourselves what success is, what "making it" means, and go for it! Yes you can!!

Opulent Living's Blog

2007-11-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog spot!

I will be sharing my insights and tips on how to live a healthy, juicy and joyful life! I'll touch on topics such as the benefits of living foods, wholistic health care, tools for spiritual growth and development, and simple reflections or "Oh My's" of just how incredible it is to breath and love!

Be sure to check back often and don't forget to visit my websites at www.susiesondag.com and www.opulentliving.myarbonne.com for more inspiration and resources to living an OPULENT life! Cheers to you Beautiful One!

Feel free to comment and email me at susie.sondag@sbcglobal.net