Raw Food Blog - Raw Family, Raw Mom, Raw Kids
The Quantum Case For the Raw Vegan Diet - Blogdate 12/18/10
If indeed our thoughts create our reality, if indeed our world is shaped by our collective agreements, if indeed molecules respond to our expectations, if indeed energy can be shifted through our attention, if indeed we are co-creators of the culture on our planet as quantum physics suggests --- Then would not a raw vegan world, a garden planet, be the most beautiful, idyllic, reality to co-create together?
If we can believe that we can best thrive on an organic living foods diet, if enough of us can believe this together, and start seeing it happen on a small scale, then we can overcome the thoughts in our world that are in fear of this - and we can help create a garden planet! - A paradise on earth in which the whole planet is filled with gardens and food forests, there is food for all, there is no disease, no addiction, no chemicals being used for growing food, no pollution caused by junk food packaging being burned, no run-off of chemically laden excrement from feed-lots into our growing fields causing ecoli and salmonella outbreaks, where cattle raised for slaughter do not take up the most beautiful land, where people are free of pain and suffering, are clear-headed, conscious, emotionally balanced, harmonious, where we do not need to kill animals, where organic farms flourish in abundance and all children learn to grow food, where the megatropolis cities disband and form healthier sized cities, villages, and communities, where green-house gasses and methane are offset by not farming animals for food, where there is enough healthy food for all human beings to eat delicious organic fruits of the the land and flourish! ...Where these clear-minded individuals would quickly solve all the remaining problems of the world....
....Then creativity and imagination would bloom, peace and love would grow, goodness, truth, and beauty would abound! Fear would dissipate, greed would be unnecessary, war would be a thing of the past. "Overpopulation" would no longer be an issue.
There is no country on earth that can not grow food. Hunger would be over.
I believe that everything I need to thrive abundantly is available to me in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These foods alone God has given me. As well as His loving presence, His guidance, through the Spirit of Truth, His Indwelling Spirit, and His presence in every thing and every one and in the infinite and eternal vastness we can access through our minds. His energy is enough to support our souls for eternity. His energy in His foods, enough to support our bodies for a good healthy long life on this world.
Quantum Physics gives us these two possible choices - for instance - in the matter of diet:
1. We can believe together that junk foods will not hurt us, that cooked foods' toxins will not cause disease in us, that eating meat is a fine thing, that we can overeat and be idle and still be thin and fit, and perhaps we can make these thoughts in to realities. But our collective beliefs would have to be stronger than the truths staring us in the face.
Or...
2. We can believe that foods in their natural state, the way God or Nature made them, is the optimum fuel for humankind and that we can thrive on these foods and create a garden paradise on earth.
The question is, is Quantum Physics here to teach us how to change the laws of the universe, or to teach us how to change our hearts and minds and thereby live in harmony with these natural laws?
...Just a little raw organic food for thought!
In Joy!
Jinjee
This year, bring the light inside!
The 2-week OJ Diet fast starts on this Monday, December 20th!
Registration is open until midnight Sunday!
Click here for more information!
Further Adventures in Positivity - Blogdate 12/11/10
Some notes from my first wild days of complete dedication to being a postiive person!
As I wrote about in my last blog post my new goal is not to know what I want, but to be a positive person! What a relief!
Wow! What I've been missing out on!!! "Postive Thinking" is amazing!!! The first few days have been really easy, and I have been having so much fun with this! More and more positive thoughts are now flooding in, like the flood-gates have opened. Just trying to stay cool at this point! :) …And that's a good feeling….Allowing. "Not going manic and spoiling it all by becoming too excited in any crazy way". But that's not a positive thought. (this is how I'm thinking now)..So (just went back and put quotes on the "negative thought")…instead let's think "I feel very balanced and grounded about all the new energy I have from staying positive every moment"…..So, that's pretty much how it goes if a negative thought or mood comes up. I only had one negative mood try to overtake me. I wrote about it last night so I'll add that in here….
"Was feeling a downward emotional pull… But declined to beat myself up about whatever was bothering me…I had eaten some borderline raw foods that I know I don't do well with (Larabars, nutritional yeast, and yerba mate tea) -- And even though I had indulged in eating behaviors (overeating, too) that I usually believe cause my house (physical and spritual) to become chaos, I distinctly chose not to buy into that belief, and voila, my house is fairly orderly! Of course, I had the energy to clean it up, which I wouldn't have had with the defeated attitude choice I would usually have taken on in this situation. Oh, and I started cleaning, even though it seemed hopeless because I was very tired from my eating behaviors, but I started picking up one little thing at a time en route to taking Yarrow to the bathroom for instance, then set an easy goal to clean up the bathroom while she was busy there. I told myself "Jesus was never in a hurry" and ended up cleaning up the whole house effortlessly in good time. Dag fell asleep on the big stuffed tiger - saving me lots of time putting him to bed… Oh, but Yarrow woke up from a long late nap. Usually I would have despaired - but chose to be cheerful. It is all paying off so well".
….Basically was able to magically stave it off.. (the negative mood)….That was "Day 2" I believe. And today, "Day 3" of "Positive Thinking", was wonderful… So many moments where I said "Ah, this is what I've been missing"…I'm still very much catching myself with negative thoughts and turning them around, but I can also see how the positivity is already turning in to a habit! Patting myself on the back more often, enjoying the moments more often, the little victories, the simple pleasures, and becoming more actively and feelingly (vs. just in words) grateful for my environment, the people in my life, the things I have to do, the things I get to do, who I am,…..And I am happy with my relationship with food today! …..And feeling more spiritual….spent more time in prayer….Feeling really un-worried about the spiritual issues that had been plaguing me (worrying whether my life is on a good spiritual path or not)….Balancing my activities - work, kids, house, exercise….Had my first really good workout in weeks! Aerobic, Strength, and stretching! Just a bit of each, but intense…..And even my singing lesson yesterday has been a great part of this path….the balloon lift visual gave lift to my voice and today to my life also….Helping to make me spiritually lighter and my face younger, less dragged down by time and tide.
I tried telling Raven about some of this as she was a bit down today. I said "I'm not sure if it is possible to do as a teenager. I wasn't able to, and I think I tried, but I don't think the words 'Positive Thinking' were in the popular vocabulary back then! So I wasn't even exposed to the concept"!
Just being able to be more attentive to the task in the moment, whatever that is, be it dishes or talking with a child.....And the creativity that comes in to these situations; from problem solving, to taking the opportunity to teach or to love, to knowing just what someone needs to hear. It is like going raw, but for the mind. Suddenly free of the toxins of negativity, the mind is clear and healthy!
Have been studying positive thining (Just thought I'd leave in that interesting typo…. positive thinking and positive thinning are probably totally interlaced!) for years, but this is a new level, a new layer, born of a clear decision. Born also of years of practice, years of lessons and failures in this department, the passion and desire and angst all caused from this battle, becoming a whirlwind, resolving in to a momentous yet gentle shift that I am so filled with gratitude for, that I shall never forget, never let go. Such happiness. Never again will a negative thought take root and grow to overshadow all joy and goodness of life.
--- Like finding raw foods, I feel I've found a magical doorway into a very special place... And I must treasure - and honor - the invitation!
Positivity is a big part of our Go Raw Programs, the 21 Day Cleanse and The 28 Day Transition-to-Raw Program, starting up again January 3rd...And my writings on Positivity for these programs is, I believe, a major part of what has helped me to move forward in my own journey on this path!
In Joy!
Jinjee
The Positive Choice - Blogdate 12/8/10
If you are confused, a lost and wandering soul, as we can all be from time to time, right this minute, instead of turning everything over and over and over again in our confused heads, we should choose right now to go forth in to our day and our life just being a positive person. Let's make that our new goal. You can't afford the luxury of a negative thought. Not even one! They are way too destructive, and you are way too valuable of a person. Your thoughts count for so much, they are so creative, and you really need to keep each one tilted towards the light.
If a thought comes up that feels negative, put a positive spin on it, look at the bright side of it, or let it go. When positive thoughts start coming up, and they soon do, give those lots of energy! Start off every day with this intention and you'll go a long way towards being able to solve all the confusion in your life! You'll feel an instant sense of relief when you make the choice to be positive! When you really master this, even your relationship with food completely changes, with no effort.
I've been mulling over my life's direction, and the whole process has had a lot of ups and downs as things become more and more clear. Seeking the true desire of my soul, the greatest good of my family, the best direction for this heartsong business, how to integrate it with my creative ideas for books and music....Can I do all these things...do I need to let some of it go and really focus...why doesn't one of my ideas really stand out and passionately demand my attention....what kind of a person am I really...what do I want....what is the best thing to do financially....or should I be asking myself what is it I'm most passionate about....but could I even do that with my big family....If I dedicate myself to my art passionately will I be ignoring my children....and how do I even keep track of all these questions....And after thinking and working and trying and ....I wish I could say praying....but I know I haven't been doing enough of this!....obviously!! .....
....Well, wandering around literally, in a field by the playground with my 3 year old sweetie this morning, I just decided to stop this endless search for a life's goal, and just try to be a positive person. You know the minute I thought this, my entire being just gave a sigh of relief, and my whole world changed. You just never know when a breakthrough is coming your way! And I just knew that was all I needed to do, was to think positively. Storm and I talked about it and he agreed with me how true it is that even one negative thought, if you give it energy, can breed and multiply and take over your whole being, like a cancer, perhaps even manifesting as a physical cancer. It is so important not to indulge in negative thinking just because it feels easy or entertaining or dramatic or cool....Better to feel emptiness, humility, peace, openness, receptivity....and let the equally exciting positive thoughts grow from this place.
People think you have to think about negative things or you aren't dealing with reality. You can think positively about negative things. But believing you have to think negatively is like holding on to a cooked food diet after you've felt the incredible vitality of eating raw!
Make the Positive Choice now!
In Joy!
Jinjee
Well-Being Exercises on the 21 Day Cleanse
The Golden Rule - No Beating Ourselves Up!
Keeping the Seal On
Time Out For Thinking
Accepting the Shadow
List of Pleasures
Living Lovingly
De-Stressing
Lightening Up Your Thoughts
Positive Writing
A New Take on Discipline
Accepting Pain
...and much much more!
My Favorite Green Juice - Blogdate 12/4/10
This is the yummiest green juice recipe I know, and contains several powerful "TrueSuperFoods" including celery, kale, cucumber, lemon, and apples! In fact, those are all the ingredients and each one is an incredible superfood in its own right. Celery, the great balancer, able to liquify unwanted stones and deposits that may be causing stiffness, repair nerve cells, create a perfect pH balance, and balance out sodium levels, helping your body assimilate and function at its best. Kale, the most nutrient dense food in the world, with untold number of vitamins, high in minerals, full of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Cucumber, one of the most hydrating foods, rich in electrolytes, a known beautifier. Lemon, one of the most powerful cleansers known to man. And apples, the perfect food. Here is the recipe....
1 bunch celery
1 bunch kale
3 cucumbers, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
4 apples, quartered
Juice up in your vegetable juicer and enjoy right away!
(serves 2-4)
In Joy!
Jinjee
What to expect on The Garden Diet 21 Day Cleanse....
Delicious raw recipes
Increased energy
Increased mental clarity
Changing body shape
Releasing weight
Fun and new friends online
Phone support
Email support
Daily Motivation
Daily Workouts
Daily Instructions
Daily Well-being Journaling Exercises
For more information click here!
Opposition to Raw / Kids and Protein / Does Everyone Thrive on a Raw Diet? - Blogdate 10/28/10
Shale and Adagio set up a raw sandwich stand....
There is a lot of opposition to raw food out there! Spouses can be a major source of this, as you are threatening their style of life, and totally changing their relationship to you in a way, since food is such a big part of life. I had a friend who did really well on raw food but gave it up as it was alienating her family. In her case, I think she made a valid choice. In fact, this seems to be the number one reason people go off the diet.
And yes, this happens a lot where kids are concerned, because although the medical industry has validated the raw vegan diet, they still say it may not be safe for pregnant women or children.
And no, not everyone thrives on a raw diet. Usually there are ways to fine-tune it to work for most people, but some people just don't do well with it. I have a friend who says we all need to eat differently according to the level we need to vibrate on to do our work in the world.
Yarrow, 3 year old Raw-vegan-since-birth
I'm not going to say it is easy to raise raw kids. But in some ways it is easier... No trips to the emergency room with eye, ear, nose and throat infections from dairy which most mothers experience many times....None of my five kids is overweight or on any meds or have any health issues or learning disabilities.
However, they do get skinny sometimes when they go through growth spurts. And that is a bit harrowing as a Mom, although I get them checked out and the doctor says they are healthy, which of course I can tell by their energy level and intelligence and happiness. If any of those things were not in place I would be really worried, and I would not be dogmatic about being raw in the face of any of these issues. I can live with the skinniness, because I've learned they do fill out after a bit.
My 16 year old daughter is in no way skinny, and has an adult body - not at all overweight either, but perfect, muscular with an ideal figure. She has been raw vegan most of her life though has also had vegan food, and recently this summer visited a friend and ate cooked vegetarian food with no trouble. She eats like a bird, and there is no reason she should even be alive by any standards out there, but she is very alive, intelligent, and gorgeous. I think she metabolizes her food so well that she just doesn't need much. Sometimes I wonder if she gets her energy from sunlight or prana like the Breatharians talk about.
Raw teens - Jome, 13 and Raven, 16
My 6 year old was asking me about where food goes in our body, and I had to think it through... OK, so the food goes in to our stomach, and then is broken down and goes in to our small intestines, where the nutrients are absorbed in to the blood stream and taken to every cell in the body. Then the rest of the food, the fiber, is eliminated... It is kind of like your vegetable juicer. It extracts the nutrients and water and spits out the pulp...So, most of the food you're not even using.
You really need very little food once you are grown. And you don't need as much bulk eating raw because raw food is so nutrient dense. Every bit of it is just packed with nutrients. You don't need to grow, you just need to run the body. And yes, our cells do get replaced every seven years. But I think some of us eat enough food (in bulk) to replace every cell in our body in a week, and that's just too much. So, I am starting to think that our need for eating three times a day or even every day is a myth, or a cultural tradition, a social norm.
Now, for kids, they are still growing. They need to make new cells, not just run the body and regenerate cells. So the need for protein is higher. Now, contrary to popular opinion, all fruits and vegetables have complete proteins, all the amino acids needed by our bodies. You can look at the charts in The Nutrition Almanac, which shows all the nutrients in all the different foods, and see that it is really only fruits and vegetables that actually contain all the amino acids needed for building proteins. And although they say nuts and seeds are the best plant sources of proteins, the most digestible and assimilable ones are in dark leafy greens. If you think about it, that's what all the big vegetarian animals eat - grass. - Elephants, cows, horses...
Yarrow at Juliano's Planet Raw Restaurant, Santa Monica, California
Victoria Boutenko's book "Green For Life" goes in to scientific explanation of protein chains and how they are built in our bodies, and how easily plant amino acids are broken down and made in to protein in our bodies, whereas the amino acids in beef is already formed in to protein chains appropriate for cows, and it is impossible for our body to break these apart and re-form them in to human-appropriate proteins without much damage to the proteins (generating free radicals)...When we eat plant-protein, we are getting the energy straight from the sun, through the chlorophyll (green stuff) in the plant. When we eat meat-protein, the animal got this from the plant, and now we have to recycle that protein in our system. We are adding an extra step, borrowing protein from an animal that we were supposed to make ourselves. It makes a lot of sense in her book, and adding that up with what I learned about photosynthesis in my 5th grade biology class, it just becomes really clear that dark leafy greens are the way to go for protein. That's why people lose so much weight doing green juice - it is like the Raw Food version of the Atkins Diet (low carbs, high protein).
Storm, 61, and kids peeling almonds for almond milk
Another thing, I was trying to put weight on two of my children who had just shot up in height, and were looking suddenly too thin! I fed them almond butter, nutmilks, avocados, coconuts, durian, nuts, seeds, hempseeds, etc... Everything with fat in it! (which of course we know now doesn't make people fat). After no success with this, I began to pray for guidance, and got the word "celery". Celery was so far from anything i would have thought of, - this was before Victoria's book - that I decided to try it. I would chop up a whole bunch of celery in to bite size pieces and put them in a bowl, and put it in front of the kids when they were watching a video, and they would eat it like popcorn. After doing this a few times in one week, I was surprised to see they had filled out! I've used celery ever since, to keep their weight on, and it still does the job!
It is hard to get kids to eat dark leafy greens. Shale will eat a whole bunch of parsley on its own! Most of the kids like the tabouli. The babies like green juice, until they learn from the older kids not to like it. They all like kale salad. Most will eat a regular salad from time to time, when in the mood, especially if allowed to be involved in making it, and/or if we do it buffet style and they can choose what veggies to put in it... And if they can actually help to grow some food - wow! That is the all-time best way to get them to love veggies!
Shale, 9, raw-since-birth at Juliano's Planet Raw Restaurant, Santa Monica, California
Kids naturally gravitate to fruits, which have 2.4% protein, the same as Mother's milk. Infants triple their body weight within a year on nothing but Mother's milk, so this amount of protein may just be perfect for children to build strong and healthy bodies.
As children get older and need to build even more cells they need lots of fruit, as well as more nuts, nut-milks, nut-cheeses, nut-sauces, nut-based ice-creams, sprouted legumes, seeds, veggies, seaweed, sprouts, and greens.
Jome, 13
I'm not going to say it is easy to raise raw children. We live in southern California specifically to be able to get an abundance of fresh foods year-round, as freshly harvested foods are the most nutrient-dense. We shop at the farmer's market twice a week, and go to a farm twice a month to get crates of oranges and other in-season fruits. We drink orange juice like other people eat bread. The grower knows just how we like them picked, super-ripe, and hand-picks them himself. Food is our second-biggest bill after housing (we're a large family!)
We've seen a lot of horror stories with raw children though. We've seen families where the parents would sneak meat but feed the kids all-raw, and not enough variety. In fact some were severely restricting the amount of food the children would be allowed to eat due to fear of obesity. Some parents would restrict the children from fruit, or have them eat only fruit. Some won't feed their kids any fats. You get a lot of people in this movement with serious food-issues, inflicting these on to their kids. You have a lot of people with financial issues who can't afford either the time or money it takes to properly feed their children on a raw diet. In fact, the reason we feed kids all this junk food in this culture is because it is cheap and fast, and keeps them fat, to hide their malnutrition. And that might be preferable to a poor version of the raw diet where the kids get alarmingly thin and end up being taken away by the state. I know, the obese kids don't get taken away. It isn't fair, but that's the way it is.
This is one reason we have chosen to share what has worked for us. Our eBook Raising Raw Children goes in to more depth on these and other issues related to the subject...(It comes with the 21 Day Raw Cleanse)
In Joy!
Jinjee
Winter "Go Raw" Sessions Start January 3rd!
Chasing My Demons - Blogdate 10/24/10
We all have so many little tricks we play on ourselves to knock ourselves off our chosen path. You'll learn all your little tricks after a while! -- ---Well, maybe after a lifetime! -- I'm still learning some of mine!.......... I had an experience today-- a weird craving for cheese -- definitely going through some emotional stuff right now and I'm sure it is related to that -- And I was walking to the store which is thankfully 2 miles away so I had lots of time to think while walking and I actually talked myself out of the cheese, and turned around and came home and had a great evening, and got a great walk in too! :)
But I was thinking about sharing my "conversation with myself" somehow, so I will here.... It was very intense!!!
I'd had a rough couple of days work-wise, financially, things not going as planned, out of steam, and I think that played a part in my decision…on a whim….to go and indulge a cooked craving….something I hadn't done for at least 6 months until a couple of times recently…
As I was walking, I noticed I really wasn't feeling good about myself...Something actually triggered it on the walk, as I started out walking "to the store" with this intention of "cheating".....I can't remember what it was... a thought perhaps...that suddenly called into question my integrity......And I realized of course I was out of integrity with my own "agreements" with myself in life, my agreements with the universe; I am supposed to be 100% raw, I choose to be 100% raw, I am working in the raw field, and I have no business cheating. I remembered what I told someone recently "If you don't absolutely have to cheat, don't!"
...Right now, I'm not addicted, so I can easily physically walk away from this. It isn't like I'm physically addicted to cheese any more. It is just some silly notion that came in to my head during a moment of stress and weakness, and I can easily say no....... But something in me was determined to walk to the store and have this cheese........ Having time to walk and think, I realized it was my "rebellious" side........ So I talked to myself about rebelliousness, and how it is something I've outgrown and something that I've come to believe is quite destructive in our human natures.....So, that just about had me turning around for home, but then I started to argue with myself again, saying that if I deprive myself, that is going to have a backlash......
But I could FEEL which part of myself was on the side of RIGHT and GOOD. I just knew I had to turn around......I remembered during my recent dental work, having to take anti-biotics, and praying for the strength to withstand any negative side-effects, feeling a rush of strength come in to me that actually changed my posture and breathing. It was very empowering. And so now I told myself, "I can either align with this new strength in me or I can align with the weakness. I can align with the part of me that chooses to succeed in all things through rallying the totality of my strengths, or I can align with the part of me that wants to fail, that is afraid of success, that would rather not have any responsibilities or power and that would just like to believe that I can't achieve anything and just eventually melt down in to a puddle of confusion, depression, and hopelessness"
……Yeah, I was being unusually hard on myself! And I even argued that point......"Whoa, I'm being way too hard on myself here.....Take it easy! This doesn't mean anything!!!"……But then a new idea for a book title suddenly appeared in my mind ....I often think in book titles! This one is really good too, I think…Check it out: "Everything Matters"......And I really believe that it does! Every little action has a reaction. Every cause has an effect. Every thought we have, every choice we make, every action we carry out --- all of these change our world, every moment, -- every one of us!.....And just as I was thinking this a guy drove past me in a truck full of building equipment....and he was overweight....And I thought "There's a really good person, who works hard, but doesn't have the knowledge I have about health....Most people don't have this knowledge, this belief system, that could allow them to be as healthy as they really deserve to be.....It is my responsibility, having this knowledge, to use it, fully, so that I can do my work in the world, - sharing this lifestyle with others.....and do my best at it"......And within a block, I was pretty much decided on heading back home…..thinking I would just walk to the store and back for the exercise……
.....But there was a smelly propane truck idling just ahead that I would have had to walk past…..And that was a gift I suppose, because I just got one whiff of it and turned around and started walking home......and I thought to myself.....I can always have the cheese tomorrow.....That's Storm's trick, to just put off and postpone his appointments with his demons, until they forget and go away....and it worked, because I'm so over it, and writing this down is helping to reinforce this amazing experience and see it for the amazing thing it was, and really value it! I can't even imagine eating that cheese now! I actually totally stopped thinking about it on the way home……
...Wow, what a classic Devil on the Left shoulder, Angel on the Right Shoulder Conversation!...........I know I won't win them all, but I do know I can win some!
Little victories build up our confidence and lead to bigger and bigger and more frequent victories.....more confidence....more victories.....another great cycle! I love cycles! :)
In Joy!
Jinjee
Loving Yourself: A roadmap - Blogdate 7/31/10
I am excited to share with you, with permission, an article by Gabriella Kortcsch, Ph.D. (pictured above). If you enjoy it, you can sign up for her newsletter and more below!
Loving Yourself: A Roadmap
by Gabriella Kortsch, Ph.D.
Loving yourself lies at the beginning of all roads that lead you to inner peace and freedom. The underpinnings for finding balance and harmony in your life rest on you being able to love yourself. If you do not love yourself, or at least begin the process of loving yourself, most of everything else you do in the arena of personal transformation will not bring you the desired results.
But – as so much else in the personal development field – it’s easier said than done. Loving yourself is so much more than indulging in some long denied desire, or lying in a bubble bath surrounded by scented candles while relaxing music soothes your jagged edges.
Loving yourself begins first and foremost with the recognition that if you are not in a place of well-being inside yourself, it’s up to you to do something about it. That should become your priority. Imagine you are the parent of a small child. Your child is upset, or sad, or angry or frightened, You, as loving parent of the child, would attempt to help the child move to a better place inside, in the way the child is feeling at that moment due to whatever it was that happened. You might embrace the child, talk about what is going on, or do any number of things designed to help the child view the situation with new eyes in order to find some measure of inner harmony and peace about whatever has transpired.
But in order for this to happen you would need to be closely connected to your child, you would need to have strong communication with your child, and you would need to be totally aware of your child’s feelings. Furthermore, you’d need to want to be there for your child.
By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m giving you an analogy about how you need to be dealing with yourself and why: in order to show yourself that you love yourself (because that’s how it starts), you must be aware of yourself and your feelings at all times and be conscious or aware enough to choose to do something about them at all times, in order to bring yourself to an inner state of well-being.
Does that mean that you would never allow yourself to feel pain or sorrow or worry or have any other type of negative feeling? Does it mean you would keep yourself in some iron grip of control so that you would not have those feelings? Absolutely not! But it does mean that you would be willing to choose to focus elsewhere as opposed to those feelings, in order to help yourself move to a better place inside.
What would you do if you find yourself worrying about your health or money or your relationship? You would recognize that worrying takes you absolutely nowhere, you would recognize that it is much more proactive to do your due diligence about whatever it is that is going on in your life (attempt to resolve it by allowing it a certain amount of time per day – but only that amount of time - in your life, brainstorming, consulting, researching about the situation), and you would then choose to focus on something else in order to help yourself move to a better place inside, because that is what you do for those that you love. And as you begin to do that for yourself, over and over again, you begin to realize that you do love yourself.
What would you do if someone has just made you incredibly angry? Or how would you deal with someone who is playing the role of energy vampire in your life, or being emotionally unavailable with you? Remember, that part of this process has to do with you becoming aware of yourself, and taking responsibility for yourself and how you react to situations and people.
So that means that if you are taking responsibility for yourself because you have become more aware of yourself, you will also have begun to accept that fact that you are ultimately responsible for everything you think, feel, say and do, as well as taking responsibility for how you react at all times, no matter what the outer circumstances. Hence, when at first glance it appears that someone else has made you angry, i.e., that it is their fault that you are angry, you begin to see that you have a choice about how you feel at that particular moment. You realize you can choose how you react. And if you consciously choose to continue to have a reasonably good day despite another person’s near effect on the state of your being, you are beginning to show yourself that you love yourself enough in order to do this.
At first glance it may appear that these suggestions are small and you may be asking if that’s all there’s to it. In effect, that is all there’s to it, but it is the continual practice of a lifetime to perfect this. If you start today, right now, this evening you will already feel better about how you are dealing with yourself. You’ll recognize that you’ve taken some steps to love yourself. And a part of you will feel just as loved as the child who has been enveloped in the loving arms of a caring and emotionally generous adult parent. This will bring you ever closer to inner peace and freedom, and this will bring you joy.
Gabriella Kortsch, Ph.D., CHT
www.advancedpersonaltherapy.com (sign up for the free newsletter)
Blog: http://psychologytransformationfreedompapers.blogspot.com
Weekly Radio Show since 2003 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/RewiringtheSoul
In Joy!
Jinjee
Vegetable Protein Percentage Chart - Blogdate 7/31/10
Amazing that vegetables have more protein than nuts, seeds, or grains!
Victoria Boutenko describes in her award-winning book "Green For Life" how and why dark leafy greens have the most digestible and assimilable proteins available to humankind. They are also the best source of minerals and calcium. And Kale is the most nutrient dense food measured by Agreggate Nutrient Density, or the most nutrients per calorie. Here are two great recipes to get your Greens for life!
Green Juice
Juice in vegetable juicer:
- 1 bunch kale
- 2 cucumbers
- 4 stalks (not bunches) celery
- 2 apples (including the peel and the core)
- 1 lemon (including the peel)
(Serves 1)
Green Smoothie
- 1 banana
- 1 peeled orange
- 1/2 bunch kale
- 1/2 bunch romaine lettuce
- 16 ounces orange juice
...Blend all in blender on high until totally liquefied.
(Serves 1)
