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Today, The World Suddenly Got Alot Smaller

Monday, March 8th, 2010 by admin

To all the multi-tasking mamas who are the peacemakers, the boo-boo kissers, the tear wipers, the lull-a-bye singers, the grocery shoppers and menu makers, the domestic engineers and working Wonderwomen, the visionaries who see the best in our children and work tirelessly, invisibly…the list of our titles and duties goes on and on…

TODAY is International Woman’s Day! And I invite you to join with me and about 10,000 other women around the world, in a celebration of our womanhood! We are gathering like women have done since time immemorial to tell our stories, share our collective wisdom and concerns, offer support and solutions, and have communion- united communication in the spirit of building community.

Tera and I have been excitedly working together to produce the biggest, most world-class event of its kind to celebrate Women’s Day. It’s called WISH Women’s International Summit for Health.

If you enjoyed the raw Mom Summit you are going to love this!

We have included over 40 of the world’s most sought after speakers for this, in and outside of the raw community including Marianne Williamson, Dr Mercola, David Wolfe, Janet Attwood, Tonya Zavasta, Marci Shimoff, Victoria Boutenko, and many, many more!

We discuss all the things on the minds of modern women today: Finances, Health, Beauty, Relationships, Self-Worth, Parenting, Sustainability, Spirituality etc etc and yes, it is available for FREE over the next 10 days.

WISH Women’s International Summit for Health

They say it takes a village to raise a child, well, the global village just got smaller because we are bringing a stellar line up of world speakers right to you. With this online banquet of delicious topics and speakers, all made with love for you to be lavished with and enjoy, my hope is that you feel as I do, that the world is getting smaller and that women are getting closer. Our connection regardless of our physical proximity is enhanced when we can come together in the spirit of celebration and empowerment, and that is what WISH is all about.

christine_aruylo These people I interviewed and their contributions just opened my world to so many things, it is truly a gift that will keep on giving as I continue to assimilate everything I learned. For example, I’ll leave you with this teaser which came from one of the calls that just blew me away that will be made available as a BONUS~

One of the key distinctions I became aware of just this week which has actually CHANGED MY LIFE came as I interviewed Christine Arylo who wrote the book Choosing Me Before We- It is that Self-Esteem is NOT the same thing as Self-Love…Do YOU know the difference? Overwhelm and exhaustion are sure signs you may not…Please post your answers below.

Happy Women’s Day!

xoShakaya

Tags: Food for Thought, organization, Shannon Leone
Posted in Shannon's Thoughts, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Real N’Raw David Wolfe Hits Melbourne!

Friday, March 5th, 2010 by admin

Wow – last weekend was fabulous for raw foodists here in Melbournetown.

On the hot, hot, hot Saturday afternoon, the Melbourne Raw Food Meet-up Group got together to feast on scrumptious raw creations, and to view the recently released Real N’ Raw movie. Have you heard about this movie?

r-r_pack-1 It follows the story of Matthew Wilson, a young man who cured himself of serious illness, and it features interviews with inspirational people who’ve healed themselves, and many raw-food leaders and health professionals, including Don Tolman, David Wolfe, Dr Laura Lyons, Mike Adams, Rainbeau Mars, Viktoras Kulvinskas, Matt Amsden, Victoria and Sergei Boutenko, Janette MurrayWakelin and many others.

I love that wise quotes are peppered throughout the film, including this gem:

“It is easier to change a man’s religion than it is to change his diet.”

Hmmm, how very true.

It really is a compelling film, and I love that half (that’s right, half!) of the sales of the DVD are being donated to Fruit for Our Children Charitable Trust, which is committed to growing fruit trees in New Zealand, for future generations to benefit from. If you’d like to know more about the trust, head to http://fruitforourchildren.com/.

The film is available now on DVD, at http://realnraw.co.nz/, and it features a bonus soundtrack of 17 reggae songs. Groovy, mon!

david-wolfe The other highlight of our weekend was a visit from David Wolfe, as part of his whirlwind Australian tour. A packed auditorium (and boy, do I mean packed – like, people sitting on the steps) hosted the event, and we were entertained and informed for well over three hours.

With medical practitioners as parents, it’s any wonder David ventured into the health field. It’s obvious his knowledge is incredible (and having a masters degree in nutrition and a background in science and mechanical engineering proves he’s one smart raw cookie) – but three hours was barely enough time to scratch the surface of his amazing databank.

He showed us photos of unusual superfood plants, and played videos of beautiful fresh-water springs from around the world (just hearing the sound of the water gushing was exhilarating!). He’s even convinced me to go barefoot more often, and to find out about a little electronic device that he wears on plane to help keep him grounded. However, although he did put forward a compelling argument for including raw chocolate regularly in our diets, I’m still sceptical that it’s the best superfood, given its high caffeine content – a view that’s backed up by Dr Jameth Sheridan in an interview I listened to recently on the Raw Food World Radio Show (that show is still available for free download at http://riverbender.com/rawspirit/, until the end of March). But I still feel good about including it occasionally in my children’s diet.

The event was beautifully orchestrated, with David’s books available for sale, including The Sunfood Diet Success System, Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the World’s Greatest Food, Eating For Beauty, and Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future. There were also raw food vendors serving up luscious cheezecakes and green smoothies, and plenty of superfoods were also available for purchase. Raw heaven.

David then spent the evening entertaining and dining with raw peeps at Le Cru, Melbourne’s only raw-food restaurant. I couldn’t go, but I heard it was a hoot!

If you’re interested in David’s teachings, I’d advise checking out his books and visiting his subscription website – www.thebestdayever.com – where you’ll find years’ worth of archived interviews, articles and audio downloads.

It’s wonderful to have a full weekend immersed in gaining knowledge, and being with a community that inspires and supports each other. I get the feeling that we’re going to have to organise more of these events, as more and more people awaken and come to realise that their health really is in their own hands.

Have a wonderful week, everybody, and hug your babies.

Love Jo

Tags: Raw food
Posted in Joanne's Thoughts, Uncategorized | No Comments »

YOU ARE A DREAM… A WISHED FOR DREAM.

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 by Shannon

terainbluebells My mom used to whisper sweet things in our ear when we were young, and I love to do this too whenever my boys are falling asleep or heading out the door…One day I must share with you our night time ritual which is just so special…Even though my boys are getting bigger at 10 and 12, they still ask for it and says it helps them fall asleep.

In the meantime, let’s talk about wishes…Cinderella says a wish is a dream you have kept in your heart. Every mother has a dream in her heart for her children. These dreams are our guiding light to give us strength when we need it, to brighten our lives when we lose hope, and to sweeten our steps of this overwhelmingly intense journey we find ourselves on.

shakaya-spring-water-2010 Have you ever written out what you wish for? What you dream of? Have you given any loving attention to your rich inner world? Women have the power to birth life and build communities; we are naturally imbued with a sacred heart. If we do not take time to center ourselves there, the inheritance of our ancestors cannot prevent that power from being leaked and drained away from us.

I recently had the honour of interviewing Marianne Williamson for WISH which I’d like to share about. WISH is a world-wide empowerment party for women and you are all invited! Tera had a dream in her heart to build community and empower women for many years and has actively been engaging herself in that mission.

Women have always come together to share their stories. Women embody an emotional connection that men stand in awe of and secretly revere. Tera gets that about women and she has invited me to help bring to life a program for women that is beautiful and inspiring and world-class called W.I.S.H. Women’s International Summit for Health.

We have gathered together some of the most activated beings on the planet to support and inspire you on your mission: Marianne Williamson, Marci Shimoff, Janet Attwood, Victoria Boutenko, Rainbeau Mars, Barbara De Angelis, and nearly 40 other luminous minds and hearts! Please join with thousands who have already signed up and tell all the women in your life to join you! www.wishsummit.com.

Marianne Williamson talks a lot about the power of women. She tells the story of how every wild animal in Nature ferociously takes care of their young, and cites the example of Hyenas, noting how they do not eat until their young are fed, and yet, we Western Women who have so much, are not stepping into our power enough. She says:

“A common anthropological characteristic of every advanced mammalian species that survives and thrives is the fierce behaviour of the adult female when she senses a threat to her cubs. Our relative complacency while 17,000 children on our planet starve to death every day — one every five seconds — indicates a lack of positive intention, on the part of our species, literally to survive. The power we hold as American women is unmatched anywhere in the world, and our failure to use that power as effectively as we might on behalf of those who need us the most is a situation now ripe for change.”

This is the kind of activation that is possible. We are women! We are mothers! We are sisters, we are daughters, we are friends, we are lovers! We are powerful and we are needed. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are a wished for dream.

Tags: Shannon Leone, Tera Warner, thoughts
Posted in Food for Thought, Shannon's Thoughts, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Raw Movement

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 by Shannon

Judgement is like an eclipse of the sun…It blocks the light. ~ Marianne Williamson

shakaya-feb-2010 Have you noticed there seems to be a movement sweeping through the raw community..? Many people are discussing it, many are doing it, and some are advocating it. I’m talking about the idea of widening our conception of what in fact is the healthiest diet. Let me ask you something, do YOU know what the optimal diet is? Most of us here would say a raw diet. Buuuuut, what exactly is a raw diet? How raw are you supposed to be to be considered raw? Is it all or nothing, or how important is the percentages of raw to cooked ratio for health? Does being raw mean being vegan? How healthy is the struggle of striving for a particular ideal, only to fail time and time again? How about when you desire certain goals, but the stress of striving for them outweigh the results? What about if there is judgement from other people or YOURSELF? Are there issues that lie underneath that aren’t being addressed through diet alone? Is focusing solely on diet as the means of obtaining health balanced? Or can it become toxic? What about the kids?? What does all the hyper-focus on the food mean to them? Is being raw a rawligion? What does it really mean to YOU?

There are truly amazing people in the raw movement who seem to be quite adept in their ability to trust their instincts and do due diligence with their research- using both hemispheres of the brain to ascertain what is right for them on their health journey- and we have learned much from them and been so inspired. However, it was always what worked for THEM that they did and eventually espoused. Of course, when anyone has the clarity and passionate beliefs and acts upon them with conviction, the innate strength and rightness of being which one is imbued with naturally shines a light outwards- not only guiding them onwards, but also attracting others.

Many people noticed this light in these particular individuals, and started to investigate this idea of becoming Raw for themselves. And for a decade now, many of us have been raw. The effects of changing our diet, our personal standards about not only food and nutrition, but also the ethos and ethics of our choices, and the consequences socially- for many of us have been profound. Some have found their purpose. Some have regained their health. Some have been released of the burden of excess weight or addictions. Some have reversed disease. The list goes on and on of the benefits of eating a raw diet!

shannon-leone_food_bounty I have always wondered…just because it worked for some, does that mean it will work for you and me? These people found what worked for them. THAT sounds like the real message to me. I don’t think anyone can say for sure what the perfect diet is for everyone, at every stage of their life.

For me, life is a process, and so is my awareness of what makes up real health; and it isn’t all about diet, though diet is a cornerstone. Many of you listened to speakers of the Raw Mom Summit and so you know that there ARE many models of the raw food diet. And every one of them attracts people that claim it is working for them even though it contradicts another version of raw foodism.

We have seen Dr. Graham passionately refute anything other than a 100% high-fruit, low fat diet, with lots of facts and stats to back it up. And we have seen David Wolfe suggest that certain people with particular metabolisms do well on a high fat all-raw diet. Dr. Brian Clement eats 70% raw and cooked grains. Many people say all grains, whether gluten-free or not, cooked or raw, are unhealthy. Victoria Boutenko consumes mostly green smoothies and soups but has recently added some steamed veggies occasionally. Shazzie was concerned about her daughter lacking in certain nutrients so added some eggs. Kate Magic raises her kids on a high superfoods diet. Sally Falon a widely respected author/researcher recommends raw dairy. Dr Weston Price who so many of us health-seekers have studied found that primitive people’s who lived the farthest from modern dentistry but ate a non-processed omnivourous diet (both plant and animal) had perfect jaws and teeth- and how many raw foodists can say that? Daniel Vitalis says raw veganism is a great cleanse, but not sustainable or even healthy for most people long-term. Aujanous Vonderplanitz cured himself from cancer by eating raw meat and now consults with thousands who do the same.

(Btw, I wouldn’t have thought this could possibly be good for anyone to do until I met a girl who was so robust looking, with perfect skin and clear eyes and beautiful teeth- an absolute natural beauty- who was the ‘healthiest’ looking person I have ever met. So I asked her about her diet. She said she ate all raw. My heart leapt for joy! Until she added ‘Meat. Raw meat’. I couldn’t even imagine it. But she vibrated such calm and yet powerful energy- kind of like a wild animal that is focused and peaceful yet totally alert and full of energy. I asked her how she came upon this way of eating and she told me about this man and his book called We Want To Live, and so I read it. Not for me, yet I could never discount it if it helps others.)

That was 8 years ago. The strange thing is that although I didn’t believe anyone could heal from this type of diet, I have to admit I have met very few raw vegans, if any, before or since who radiated the strength and beauty and physical health of this girl. My quest has always been for health, and I would love to look like she did, but being a raw vegan seems infinitely ‘superior’ to any other diet, and so it has been the path that I have chosen. Well, I no longer believe diets are superior or inferior…And neither am I 100% raw or vegan. The judgement that comes with those kind of concepts don’t seem ultimately very health giving, so I just hold that some diets are more nutritious.

Susun Weed who isn’t a raw foodist firmly believes that women and children need nourishment that plants alone cannot give. As a woman in my mid-forties, I want to ensure I do whatever my hormones may need for my later years, and so I hear that. Plus, any dogma which leaves no room for the emotional healing and is so confining is lacking in spiritual sustenance. My children are growing up and I constantly keep alert to ensure they are getting everything they need to meet their rapid growth spurts. I go in and out of being all raw, down to being about 90%, my kids a little less than that. And I used to beat myself up over it, now I just accept it and honour myself and my body and my mothering of theirs. Like I said, it’s a process, for all of us.

electrc-woman I most care about creating a safe haven for mothers on their journey. If I can do anything, it would be to support and encourage, offering some inspiration perhaps. But never to tell anyone what to do. I will always share what I do or what I would do in your situation if you ask me. And I would love to see other raw moms here with a variety of approaches so people can gravitate to what they resonate with. This will become a living community with a diverse and vibrant approach reflecting the evolution of sacred parenting at every stage. I’m not an authority. I’m no guru. Gosh, I’m so bored of gurus, aren’t you? I’m just like you- a mom- who loves my children dearly and wants to give them the best foundation I can in life.

Where are YOU in your raw health journey? Are you vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore?

I’d love to know, and I am sure others would too. We are going to set up a forum that is so user friendly and beautiful that we are all going to love going there to check out everybody’s profile and see what is happening with everyone. In the meantime, remember this, no matter what you eat, or what you don’t, it doesn’t define who you ARE, or the gifts that you came here to bring. Our diet is vitally important to our health, and natural raw foods are wonderful to include in a big way- but it isn’t the only aspect of health. My biggest hope is to get and keep our kids and ourselves off of junk food, to have people eating real nourishment, and even more importantly, is to address the underlying causes there, dietary, and emotionally. May we all be nourished. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude, and be able to enjoy however we choose to nourish ourselves. And may we find love and support here on the journey.

Tags: children, conscious parenting, Food for Thought, parenthood, Raw food, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Family, Food for Thought, Health and Wellness, Shannon's Thoughts, Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

GODDESSES IN EVERY WOMAN

Monday, February 22nd, 2010 by admin

4332556145_09faf62b34_m Even though I have been running rawmom for quite a while behind the scenes already, now that I am officially the owner, it feels like a thrilling but daring adventure, and I feel excited and nervous! I do not consider myself a business woman. I identify with one role, my calling, being a mom. However, I’ve have heard that people born under my sign in both the Western and Chinese horoscopes make good leaders and can lead successful enterprises, and as my children are growing up, it’s the perfect time for me to gradually transition back out into the world…I’d like to believe I can learn what I need to, and attract people to help me. If am to grow to the corners of my potential as a fully realised woman, as well as facilitate my mission to make a difference, I must have courage. I feel alot of changes coming…it started with changing my name from Shannon to Shakaya, and even endowing myself with a second name, one of the elements, Breeze. I didn’t consciously choose these names, they seemed to just find me.

The archetypal images of the Goddess come to mind. When I interviewed Susun Weed for WISH, I asked her which Goddess archetype she most identified with and she said for a long time it was Artemis, autonomous Goddess of the Hunt, Nature, Birth, a protector plants and animals and a Super Sexy Virgin who never bowed to the rule of any man. Powerful! I have always been fascinated by Goddess archetypes since reading ‘Goddesses in Every Woman’ when I was in my 20’s and later work by Caroline Myss. Here are some of the archetypes as described by Myss whom I have identified with- perhaps you will see yourself in some of these- and some others whom I feel the desire to connect more deeply with so as to draw from their well for my growth and expansion that I feel is needed now:

HERA: The Companion

This stereotype is loyal, tenacious and unselfish in their service to a more authoritive figure. In this relationship she provides the emotional and practical support to enable her partner to concentrate on his mission. This was long considered the traditional role of the wife. Hera is the Goddess of marriage and birth.

Sacred Animals: Her beautiful big eyes led her to be linked with cows, and lions.

Sacred Birds: Peacocks, cuckoo’s and ducks.

Sacred Plants: Apples of immortality, Gaia gave her a garden of these golden fruit as a wedding present. The pomegranates which is a symbolism of marriage. Iris, oranges and willow are also linked to the Queen of the Greek Gods.

Strengths: Leadership and a loyal wife. Despite her husbands affairs she stays with him and rules by his side.

Weaknesses: Vindictiveness, vanity and jealousy.

She often misused her position and powers to punish the Zeus’s lovers. Her retribution was also extended to the women’s children. When Antigone boasted that her hair was more beautiful than Hera, the Goddess became so enraged that she transformed the long locks of hair into snakes.

DEMETER: The Mother

The Earth Goddess and Mother Archetype is a life-giver and the source of nurturing, devotion, patience and unconditional love. The ability to forgive and provide for her children and put them before herself is the essence of a good mother.

Sacred Animals: Pigs. Snakes were symbols of this Goddess as her chariot was pulled by two winged serpents.

Sacred Birds: The screech owl.

Sacred Plants: In addition to the grains wheat and barley the penny royal, a type of mint and the poppy were sacred to this Goddess. The mint was part of a drink consumed at her temple in Eleusis where her priestesses wore poppies as her emblem. The chaste tree, frankincense, myrrh and sunflowers are also linked to this Goddess.

Strengths: Loving mother, persistence and empathic.

Weaknesses: Depression, lived her life through her daughter.

ATHENA: The Warrior

This Archetype represents physical strength, and the ability to protect and fight for your rights and those of others. Natural Teacher.

Sacred animals: Snakes form part of her famous statue.

Sacred birds: The owl is linked with Athena the Greek Goddess as it represents wisdom and watchfulness.

Sacred plants: Mulberry, oak and olive trees.

Strengths: Rational, intelligent, a powerful defender and arbitrator.

Weaknesses: Too ruled by her head and out of touch with her emotions and femine side. Unapproachable and lacking in compassion.

HESTIA: The Nun

The Nun is characterized by her intense devotion and dedication to her path. Their work requires great focus and includes not only spiritual paths but artistic and business pursuits. HESTIA is the domestic Goddess of the hearth domesticity, hospitality and family life.

Never shown in human form, she was usually symbolized by a sacred flame or a circle which represented the hearth fire.

Sacred Animals: Cows

Strengths: Modesty, welcoming, pacifying and dedication to her job.

Weaknesses: Self-sacrificing and unsociable.

APHRODITE: The Lover

Represents passion and selfless devotion to another person. It also extends to the things that make our hearts sing, like music art or nature. The Greek Goddess Aphrodite was the Goddess of love and beauty.

Sacred Animals: Dolphins.

Sacred Birds: Doves.

Sacred Plants: Wood anemones, apples, myrrh, quince, roses and lime trees.

Strengths: The ability to make men fall in love with her.

Weaknesses: She was Vain, bad tempered, jealous and unfaithful.

PERSEPHONE: The Maiden

The Maiden is one of your Archetypes if you are life still in touch with your childhood intuition and fantasies and have used these to fulfill your dreams. Hence you can still have this archetype at any time of life. PERSEPHONE is the Goddess of the underworld and goddess of spring and rebirth. The Maiden reminds you to take care of the magical child that lies within us all.

Sacred Animal: Bats

Sacred Plants: Grain, lily of the valley, spring flowers and pomegranates.

Strengths: Able to compromise, adaptable.

Weaknesses: Not able to escape the influence of an over protective mother. Torn by her loyalties she tries to please everybody.

There are other goddesses besides the Greek ones listed here, as well as Celtic, Egyptian, Nordic and Roman goddesses, plus fertility goddesses, moon and sun goddesses, and seasonal goddesses.

It’s helpful to dive into the waters of our sub-conscious to see our patterns clearer and examine them so they aren’t controlling us. I think it was Anthony Robbins who said an unexamined life is not worth living and Byron Katie says that to engage in inquiry brings us emotional freedom.

I hope you enjoy seeing which goddess archetype you have identified with. And if you want to see some modern day Goddesses, women who are making a difference in the world today, and even be able to listen in to carefully sculpted interviews with them about the contemporary issues of us Raw Mama Goddesses and women around the world, sign up here www.wishsummit.com for your free admission to this inspiring event!

marianne_williamson_pic Tomorrow I have the honour of interviewing Marianne Williamson for WISH.This is kind of a miracle to me as through her work she is the one who has mentored me most throughout the years since I lost my mom at 16. Her words of wisdom have always brought meaning and solidness to my life. I’ll leave you now with a few of my favourites, In-Joy! Shakaya

TEARS CAN BRING TREMENDOUS GIFTS- THEY CAN MELT THE WALLS AROUND YOUR HEART

GOD’S PLAN WORKS. YOURS DOESN’T. (LOL)

WE MUST BE FREE TO HAVE A DISPUTE OR EVERYONE IS HIDING.

IF YOUR’RE DEPRESSED THEN ON SOME LEVEL YOU KNOW YOU AREN’T DOING WHAT YOU CAME HERE TO DO.

LOVE ISN’T LOVE UNTIL IT’S UNCONDITIONAL.

FAITH ISN’T BLIND- IT’S VISIONARY.

LEARN TO TRUST THE POWER THAT HOLDS THE GALAXIES TOGETHER.

OUR WALLS ARE OUR WOUNDS.

THE PAST IS MERELY THOUGHTS. ALL THAT IS REAL IS THE LOVE WE GIVE AND RECEIVE- ALL ELSE IS ILLUSSION.

WHEN YOU MEET ANYONE IT IS A HOLY ENCOUNTER- YOU WILL SEE THEM AS YOU SEE YOURSELF.

WHEN WE THINK IN TERMS OF COMPETITION, STRUGGLE, LIMITATIONS WE ARE THINKING UNNATRUALLY.

LOVE IS WHAT WE ARE BORN WITH – FEAR IS WHAT WE LEARNED HERE.

MEANING DOESN’T LIE IN THINGS- MEANING LIES IN US.

WE LOVE THINGS THAT CANNOT LOVE US BACK.

WHAT IS NOT LOVE IS A CALL FOR LOVE.

THINK OF THE NEWS AS HUMANITY’S PRAYER LIST.

HOW WE REACT TO SITUATIONS AFFECTS OUR POWER TO TRANSFORM THEM.

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DISAGREEMENT AND AN ARGUMENT.

FORGET THE IDEA THAT GOD HAS MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN THINK ABOUT YOU. YOU WILL KNOW THAT TO GOD YOU ARE EVERYTHING WHEN GOD IS EVERYTHING TO YOU.

EVEN IF SOMEONE DOESN’T LIKE YOU THEY LOVE YOU WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT.

WE ARE PLACED HERE ON EARTH TO LOVE EACH OTHER’S PAIN AWAY.

WE LIVE IN A HOLGRAPHIC UNIVERSE WHICH MEANS THAT CONTAINED IN EVERY PIECE IS THE WHOLE AND VICE VERSA THEREFORE A HEALING IN ANY ONE OF US HELPS TO HEAL US ALL.

Tags: Life, Shannon Leone
Posted in Food for Thought, Health and Wellness, Inspiring Families, Shannon's Thoughts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Wild Parenting

Monday, February 8th, 2010 by Lisa

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

I’m still working on unpacking, understanding, and integrating the information I received from Daniel Vitalis’ talk in October. One bit in particular really struck me: his concept of the origin of domestication and our responsibility to become feral beings. As an example of this, he spoke about the importance of incorporating more wild edibles into our diet. That resonated with me.
Jim and I have been doing a lot of research lately on foraging, especially for medicinal plants and edible mushrooms. The culmination of these activities is, ideally, the undoing of damage done by domestication.

Domestication is defined as “tameness; to overcome the wildness of.” Feral is defined as “is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state.” Most people understand these words in the context of animals, mainly pets, and Daniel expounded on this to include, among many others, our lawns, methods of Western food production, our system of government, and… each other. The idea of domestication was not new to me. I’d heard variances of it in my college philosophy courses – Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault. However, the idea of feral was new. And how these two come together in terms of parenting is profound.

I don’t remember Daniel mentioning parenting, per se; but I remember listening to him and feeling something unlock in my head. It was audible, a resounding click, a turning, a creak of a door opening.

***

“Mom, I’m going to take a walk in the forest. I’m bringing Edgrrr with me.”

My immediate thought: AGH! No! Don’t bring the damn dog! He’ll get all muddy and I’ll have to wash him and it’ll be a big damn deal! And don’t climb on anything! I don’t want you covered in leaves and crap!

What I said was: “Cool. Don’t wear those dress-up boots though. Wear your sneaks, please.”

As Mo was changing her shoes, our dog – a 13-pound miniature poodle – excitedly paced back and forth around her legs. His was wearing that dog smile, as we call it, and was looking up at her expectantly. Mo opened the door, and he busted through, leaping onto the porch. Mo ran out after him. I stood there staring at the door for a while, thinking about my reaction.

***

When I am parenting Mo, I am ideally trying to guide her on her path while not giving into my power-over desires. We chose to homeschool because it afforded something we knew she could never get in a public school setting: virtually unlimited exploration time. But I struggle with this. I struggle with the learned inclination of wanting to make another Good Citizen™. For example,
she’ll burst into a fit of giggles while working on her grammar and I’ll find myself getting irritated because it will seem she’s lost her focus. Or she’ll clean her room and do things at speeds that work for her and I’ll find myself questioning her productivity. Or she’ll work on a sewing project and I’ll find myself getting frustrated because she’s not completing the task in a way that I
would deem efficient.

As an informed, enlightened parent, my responsibility should be, I believe, to refrain from my pull toward domestication. Almost more importantly, I have to work on undoing all the domestication I’ve been subjected to. So, I am having to find my inner wildness, to find those parts of me that want to burst out laughing, to do things ass backwards, to play in the mud
without a thought to stain remover. This is challenging, to say the very least.

In my family, we’re all doing this work together, communicating openly about the pitfalls, struggles, and accomplishments. We bash up against each other, each on our own course, our own path, living in our own authentic state. But we remind each other that we are operating from a place of love and always with each other’s best intentions at heart.

I’m not sure where we’re going to end up, but a feral family is on the horizon. Clad we may be in animal skins and eating mushrooms, but at least we’ll be that much closer to the Divine.

Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt is a raw foods chef and teacher and owner of Rite Food and Company (www.ritefoodandcompany.com), which offers workshops on intentional and joyful eating. Lisa Marie and her homeschooled daughter, Mo, record a weekly podcast – called Sweet Peas Podcast – chronicling their raw foods journey together.

Tags: children, conscious parenting, mindset
Posted in Health and Wellness, Inspiring Families, Tips for Moms, Uncategorized, Wild Parenting | No Comments »

Probiotic Ketchup

Friday, February 5th, 2010 by admin

by Ruth Hofer

So last post I showed you how to make root beer into a health tonic, this time I am going to explain how easy it is to make RAW ketchup from scratch. Unlike other raw ketchup recipes this one keeps indefinitely! And it actually helps your body digest and assimilate what ever you eat it with…

I’ve adapted a recipe I found in Nourishing Traditions

probiotic-ketchup I make up a big batch at a time and usually make three different flavours at once, the regular ketchup version, a hare krisna cuisine style chutney and my take on BBQ sauce. I’m pretty lax on measurements in my kitchen so feel free to experiment with the quatities I have listed. Most of all, remember to have fun…

First up, you have to make whey. You could also just use vegan probiotic powder or kefir starter powder into and equal amount of water if you don’t have the time to make whey. The best, and easiest to follow directions for making whey can be found at Cheese Slave. (be careful not to get entirely sidetracked reading all the other posts on this blog, its super fascinating reading but focus on making the ketchup first!) It is entirely possible to make whey from nut or seed kefir too, so keep that in mind if you are keeping dairy products totally out of your diet.

How to:

Gather together a collection of nice looking glass bottles with decent seals and sterilize them.
Take about 2-3 kgs of fresh ripe tomatoes, and rinse them in a sink of hot water. Pulverize them, skin and all, in a high speed blender. You can strain this mix if you want, I never bother.
Add ½ cup whey (or equivalent of probiotics mixed in water), 1 cup maple syrup and 1-2 tablespoons of salt. I sometimes and more of less of these depending on my mood and tastebuds.
Divide mixture into three:
- First batch add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a bulb of minced garlic. Pour into bottles and label as ‘Ketchup’
- Second batch: add up to half a cup of freshly juiced ginger, pinch of asafetida, generous sprinkle (more like a handful) of garam masala and some mustard seeds. Bottle and label as ‘chutney’.
- Third batch: add lots of ground cumin and paprika, ¼ cup molasses, crushed garlic to taste, and either a couple of dashes of liquid smoke or some smoked chili powder. Bottle and label as ‘BBQ sauce’
Clean up the blender and mixing bowls, leave the bottles out on the bench for a few days without tightly sealing (I used airtight seals on time and ended up with ketchup that exploded out like champagne!) then once its nice and fermented stick the bottles in the fridge where they will keep for months.

How easy is that? Now you have awesome tomato sauce on hand whenever you need it. Its also great to take camping as it survives just fine out of the fridge. I some times use them as a base for raw soups. These sauces also make great gifts, especially for anyone who doesn’t share you enthusiasm for living food… one taste of your loving creation and they’re be intrigued… but the best bit: its fermented! Its full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes, it will help your body better assimilate and utilize the nutrition from whatever food you eat it with (even if that happens to be French fries!)

Tags: Living Food, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw foods
Posted in Raw Food Recipes, Raw food, Ruth Hofer's Thoughts, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

“Coconut Kids” Smoothie & Keeping Cool

Monday, January 25th, 2010 by admin

by Joanne Newell

Delia & Lana Raizon

Hello everyone! A belated Happy New Year to you – has your 2010 started off well? Don’t you love the start of a fresh new year?

It’s been hot, hot, hot here in Melbourne. Well, some days it’s hot, some days it’s chilly – and it can be four season in one day in this lovely city!

To keep cool, we’ve been whipping up some ice-cold drinks, including a phenomenal smoothie created by an amazing Aussie mum called Delia Raizon. Delia writes recipe books with her sister, Lana (their latest book was published by The Five Mile Press, who also publishes my books in Australia), and Delia has posted a few high-raw recipe videos on the “Lana & Delia Raizon” website.

You’ve gotta check out the videos – SO cute, and inspiring. Delia’s at the start of a raw journey, and I just love that there’s another voice out there promoting the health benefits and taste of green smoothies and high-raw foods to Australian families.

You can see Delia’s “Coconut Kids” smoothie video here, but if you’d like to give it a go, here’s the recipe itself:

Coconut Kids Smoothie

Ingredients

1 young Thai drinking coconut
5 frozen bananas (if your blender isn’t powerful, you might need to chop the bananas before freezing)
3 or so pitted dates, soaked, with the soaking water
2 handfuls soaked almonds
extra water
ice cubes

Method

Tip the flesh and juice from the coconut into a blender.
Add the frozen bananas, pitted dates (and their soaking water) and almonds, and blend.
Add extra water and ice and blend to achieve your desired consistency.

This smoothie has become a favorite at our house!

In our continuing quest to keep cool on these dreamy, long summer holidays, the girls and I have also been whipping up a few treats from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts (by Ani Phyo), including “Chocolate-Covered Bananas” (choc-coated frozen bananas on skewers, found on page 77 of the book) and “Key Lime Kream Bars” (page 25).

Surprisingly, when making the banana ice lollies, the kitchen didn’t become covered in chocolate – most of it actually went on the bananas (or into little – and big – mouths). The girls weren’t quite so keen on the kream bars, but I adore them, and have been cutting off little wedges every now and then as a zesty, creamy snack.

I’ve yet to try out the enticing-sounding “Raspberry-Ganache Fudge Cake”, which Raw Mom Shannon tried when Ani’s book first came out. Can’t wait to sample that one. Thanks, Ani, for such a beautiful little book!

If you’re after some lively raw inspiration, I highly recommend Ani’s book, and popping over to Delia and Lana’s website.

Take care, everyone, and hug your babies!

Love Jo

Tags: children, children's recipe book, conscious parenting, Raw food, raw food recipe, raw food recipes for kids, raw foods, raw kids, raw mom, Shannon Leone
Posted in Family, Inspiring Families, Joanne's Thoughts, Raw Food Recipes, Raw food, Recipes, Recipes for Kids, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

It’s Hard To Be A Martyr

Saturday, January 16th, 2010 by Lisa

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

lisamarie-dgrrr

Does this ring a bell for you? You’re unloading your groceries onto the conveyor belt at your local grocery store. You’re throwing organic, grain-fed chicken (for your raw dog, of course) up there, some local apples, maybe a couple of boxes of shee-shee organic tea harvested specially from some little town in the Andes where the only source of income for the indigenous peoples are from the farming of this tea… As you’re piling up your well-thought-out purchases, you happen to glance at the customer’s cart behind you. You notice the Ho-Hos, the frozen Hungry Man dinners, the drums of Sunny D, and can after can of meat chili. Your eyes nonchalantly travel up to the customer himself. You see a man with someone you presume is his son. Both are heavy, looking disheveled, and generally conveying an air of grump. You mentally shake your head and start connecting the dots from their diet to their appearance. After you pay for your groceries, you walk out of the store praising yourself for having the intelligence to rise above the muck and mire of the SAD diet.

Or what about this one? You make a beautiful dinner for your family of baked delicata squash, brown rice with local, raw, organic butter, and a hearty kale salad. When it’s time to serve up everyone’s plate, you cram your plate with kale salad, taking only minuscule amounts of the rice and squash. You serve everyone else’s plate to their liking, making sure they’ve seen the portion ratio on your plate. Once their plates are clean, they head back up to the stove for a second helping… of rice and butter. You say, “There’s plenty of kale salad left, if you want some of that, too,” but they decline. You mentally shake your head and start connecting the dots from their diet to any malady they may currently be experiencing. As you’re cleaning up, you eye the rice and butter, wanting another serving. Of course, you can’t because that would send the wrong message to the other family members that look up to you for guidance on their health quest.

It’s hard to be the martyr. I know. I’ve been one for years. I think I am coming to the realization that others may not be perceiving me as a martyr though. This is shocking. I have invested a lot of time researching nutrition, a lot of money trying out different recipes, and a lot of energy being the example for others. How dare they not understand all I am doing to sacrifice myself for their health?!?! … OK. So, of course, I am saying all this tongue-in-cheek, but this is a real issue – for me and for other women I know. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this recently because I’ve found myself exhausted, exhausted from always having to be “on,” always having to make the “right” decision. I’ve been living my life for other people’s reactions. But in mulling this over, another thought came to the fore: Is judging wrong? And where does compassion fit into all this?

This compassion thing is new to me. I was never taught this concept outright as a child. Therefore, my understanding of it has gotten all screwed up. My husband says compassion literally means “to suffer with.” What if you could break everything down to suffering – meaning, somehow or another our needs are not being met on some level? Could we be better equipped to relate to others? I believe we could because then the emotional baggage that we create around judging would be a moot point.

Many of us get mired in defining judging as something bad. But it is not the judging that is bad; it is what you do with this judging that defines the quality of the judgement. The literal definition of judgement is “the cognitive process of reaching a decision or drawing conclusions; the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations.” So, if we see someone in a grocery store with a buggy loaded down with processed food, we can make a judgement or draw a conclusion about that particular person. But, and herein lies the rub: listen to yourself as you are judging. What conclusions have you drawn? How are you characterizing that person? Are your conclusions helpful or compassionate? What is your investment in judging this person in a certain way? Does your judgement validate you in any way?

These are hard questions. It takes a heck of a person to be able to go through this process and respond honestly and, most importantly, to act compassionately. But the first place to start is with yourself: how are you judging yourself? And, more importantly, are you able to respond to that judgement compassionately? Can you respect the path you are on as a process?

That’s your homework assignment. Let me know how you do. As for myself, I think I’ve got a special place for that Martyr Award… in the closet.

Tags: conscious parenting, Lisa Marie's Thoughts, Raw food, raw mom
Posted in Food for Thought, Uncategorized, Wild Parenting | 4 Comments »

The Birthing Process

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 by Lisa

by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt

In the Pagan tradition, Yule is the birthing time. The Goddess is great with child and is in labor to bring forth the Sun. The Winter Solstice also being the longest night of the year symbolizes that deep doubt and darkness that we can sometimes feel as we are going through our own birthing processes. And so, instead of mourning the fear and moaning over the pain, the Goddess encourages us to have hope and to celebrate this new birth, to create a welcoming home for this new child.

Yeah. Right.

You know, when I put my family’s traditions in the context of this lovely story, it’s easy to feel like the world will just fall into place. Hey, I remember when I gave birth. I wasn’t thinking about celebrating and latch-hooking the welcome mat; I wanted this kid out! And I think that’s how most of us approach change. We don’t want to go through all the labor, all the pains, the gradual transitioning, the learning process. We don’t want to enjoy the sites along the way; we want to just Be There.

molm

The other day, Mo was relating a story to me about her views on spirituality. She ended it by saying, “I don’t want a religion; I want a relationship.” This was profound for me. She’s been frustrated lately by the idea of boxing her religion – and I would wager her beliefs in general – into the one category of Paganism. We have both been beginning to feel that our views, our ethics, our principles for life are more encompassing. I think that Paganism being an Earth-centric philosophy and religion (some would argue that Paganism isn’t a religion… but that’s another article) still works for me on a lot of levels. The stories are beautifully symbolic and keep me grounded in the Wheel of the Year and the happenings of my internal and external environments. But Mo’s point is well-taken: to be in relationship implies that the person has an intimate ongoing communication with whatever it is that person is calling Divine (or God or Goddess or whatever works best for you).

The idea of being in relationship with something means that you not only have to value the thing or person that you are in relationship with, but you also must value the process of that eternally-changing relationship. And let’s admit it: this sucks. OK. Maybe not with all things. But I am thinking specifically of my relationships with food and money. And, of course, let’s not forget about those relationships with people you can’t change, like my sometimes angst-filled daughter and my oftentimes pig-headed husband! I’m kidding about the relationship with them sucking, but you get my point: being in relationship means that you have to consider the other party’s opinions, input, influence. And this can be incredibly difficult – especially in relationships with inanimate objects like food or money.

So, where do we start with acknowledging relationship? How can we find peace with this sometimes painful process? Is it possible to recognize the path as a awe-inspiring, even a joy-riddled one?

The hard truth is that this whole process starts with you admitting that you have to stand where you are at all times. You have to start with saying, “OK. I am right here, right now. Now what is the best decision I can make? What does this relationship feel like right now? Where do I want it to go? How can I work with in order to get where I want?” And most importantly… you have to be willing to let go of outcome. This is the sucky part.

The part of the story that I like most about the Goddess giving birth to the Sun is this idea of faith: will the Sun return? Because the bottom line is that none of us really know for sure. The irony here is that most of us have more faith in the returning of the sun each day than we do in our relationships with people or finances. Can we put ourselves in a situation of unconditional trust in the Universe? Will we be taken care of? Will others reciprocate our love? Will we heal ourselves from our past? Will we make good choices around parenting our children? And will we be forgiven when we don’t?

We are in relationship with everything around us. How can we nurture those relationships defines the benefits we get. I don’t believe this is selfish. I believe this is a necessary part of thriving as a human being.

Posted in Food for Thought, Health and Wellness, Inspiring Families, Uncategorized, Wild Parenting | No Comments »