“Gardening is not a democracy. We are ruled by nature and there isn’t much we can do about that. This “tough love” dictatorship teaches us the valued lessons of patience and perseverance. One hard lesson learned is that we aren’t in control and can’t vote to change the outcome.” When I first caught sight of  the Dervaes family urban farm on Dateline, I was astonished, not

Jules Dervaes sold his 10 acres in rural Florida and purchased this "fixer-upper" home in the mid-1980s at a reasonable price by California standards.

only did they defy the norm of suburban living, they proved to be sustainable at the back end of Bushes failing American economy and inflated oil prices. I was particularly intrigued that this kind of organic farming  on a small Pasadena, California, 8,712 sq.ft. lot in the middle of suburbia could be so successful and rewarding on so many levels. As I watched the gorgeous array of luscious vegetables and ripe fruit harvested from the neatly lined rows.  I was impressed and figured this would be my ultimate goal in America: self-sufficiency, independence and most importantly organic living. In my own suburban town home community most of my diverse neighbors had already begun the process of self-sufficiency and provided me with tips on building box gardens that I could easily transport. Only their backyards sported cherry and peach trees, greens, fruits, veggies, Lowes purchased portable ovens, and secret moonshine while their tiny front yards perfectly cut lawns stayed within the tightly monitored guidelines of the  Home Owners Association.

The Dervaes family demystified and revolutionized urban gardening with over twenty years experience in natural living. What started as an idea in 1969 has flourished into a resource for urban and suburban communities all over the country.

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More about Urban Homestead from the Path to Freedom Website:

About the Urban Homestead

UrbanHomestead Harvest. Photo courtesy of Steve Dabrowski.

In the mid-1980s, our family set out to do the seemingly impossible: To create what we dubbed an urban homestead and live a self-sufficient, low-impact life in the heart of the city. For years we worked steadily to transform our ordinary urban lot in Pasadena, California, into an organic permaculture garden that supplies us with food year-round.

Having found food security in our own backyard, we were emboldened to take further steps. We began powering our home with alternative energies and fueling our car with home-brewed bio-diesel. Along with new technologies, we also embraced the simple living of past generations. We kept farm animals for egg production and manure, used secondhand goods to decrease our consumption of earth’s nonrenewable resources, and taught ourselves a variety of back-to-basics skills. Through much hard work, and no small amount of blessing, our “urban homestead” now enjoys a dramatic degree of independence, with ever-decreasing environmental impact.

Urban Homestead Clay Pot Water Irrigation

The journey is ongoing—and we are by no means finished—but we are grateful to have come this far. In 2001, we named our homegrown venture “Path to Freedom” and created this website —the first ever devoted to urban homesteading. We hoped that by documenting our personal experiences we could offer encouragement to those striving to live a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle. Eight years later, PathtoFreedom.com is now the largest and most comprehensive urban homesteading website, with more than five million hits per month. We believe that our family’s real-life experience is what makes the site unique: We aren”t just writing about the latest eco-practices and products; for more than two decades, we have been living the revolution. At our daily blog, “Little Homestead in the City,” you can witness first-hand our struggles and joys, defeats and successes on this pioneering journey.

We now run a family of websites which offer goods and interactivity for others on “the path.” For our expanded online outreach, non-profit organization, and progressive online stores, visit this link.

Urban Homestead Seedlings. Photo courtesy of Brian Beiry.

Please note that Path to Freedom is a noncommercial, family-operated venture. We devote countless hours to this site, and, despite the opportunity for profit, we remain committed to keeping it an advertisement-free forum. We do this because we believe in giving freely to others, a value upon which strong, healthy communities are built. We hope you will take this principle to heart, and will view this site not just as a place to “take” (answers, ideas, inspiration), but as an opportunity to “give” as well. Whatever you may gain by reading about our journey, please remember to “pay it forward” to others in some fashion. Together, we can ignite a revolution of spirit that will truly change our world for the better!

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The 10 Elements of Our Urban Homestead

Urban Homestead Homemade Biofuel

You will not find movie stars on this set, but we do have our own cast of characters and enough daily dramas here on our urban homestead to be more than interesting. And it’s a REAL reality show, not Hollywood manufactured and scripted. The urban homestead is on a completely opposite spectrum to the hustle and insanity that surrounds us.

Thousands of people zoom by on the freeway in their own little automobile cocoons. A few blocks away, people stroll Old Towne in their latest designer threads, buying things they probably don’t need. We’re a whole different world; our triumphs and struggles are so far different from what the majority of Angelinos experience. It may surprise you but we live under a constant dictatorship! Gardening is not a democracy. We are ruled by nature and there isn’t much we can do about that. This “tough love” dictatorship teaches us the valued lessons of patience and perseverance. One hard lesson learned is that we aren’t in control and can’t vote to change the outcome.

Urban Homestead Biofuel

Over the years, we have documented our progress in our journey towards becoming self-sufficient in a densely urban setting with charts, diagrams and stats. Our homestead is a continually evolving work in progress and these records have helped us to compare our successes and failures. They also serve as an aid in planning future plantings and projects.

In no way are our accomplishments “one size fits all.” In viewing the aerial shots of our Urban Homestead , it’s hard for even us to even to imagine that such a small space could produce so much. But these aerial shots offer even more — zooming out farther from this isolated view, one sees America. Zooming even farther shows the entire world. We know that in that great big blue marble earth, there are fellow travelers and homesteaders, each scattered about on their isolated oasis, yet all connected in a common effort and spirit. We realize circumstances and situations have allowed us to take these steps. We do not intend to compare or endorse our progress as being possible for everyone.

Urban Homestead Edible Flowers

However, we hope that by providing this information and making our records public we can prove that YOU can make a difference. Perhaps you may get inspired to make your own changes by the examples provided here. After all, no matter how small the change, you too, can take a step in the right direction.

And then, who knows where the path will take you? Let’s walk!

“This project evolved from our commitment and conviction to live a simple, self-sufficient and holistic lifestyle. Our hope is that by documenting our personal experiences, we can offer encouragement to those who are on the same journey towards a simple, self-sufficient lifestyle, whether they are in the city or country.“

–Jules Dervaes

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Resources from the Urban Homestead, Path to Freedom:

Organic Gardening

Peddler’s Wagon

Biodiesel Fuel

Biodiesel Homebrew Guide

Seeds

Freedom Seeds

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Donate:

If you find this site useful, or if we have helped you in any way, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Dervaes Institute. Only the earth stewardship outreach activities of Path to Freedom receive these contributions.

You may send a contribution by three ways.

• Donate via PayPal
• Send a check payable to “Dervaes Institute” to:Dervaes Institute631 Cypress AvePasadena, CA 91103USA
• Add a donation to the shopping cart in Peddler’’s Wagon and charge it to your credit card or PayPal account.

“Life is mirrored back to us through our perspective; disease is not real; everything can heal.”

— Jaime Tanna, July 9, 2009, Energy Therapy: Developing Body-Mind-Spirit Consciousness

Ancient Philosophies, Biblical References  to Word-Thought Forms and Being

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a few Words…

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Our freedoms are chained to our past or transformed and freed by our consciousness! Our prosperity is held by our thoughts! Our health is contained in the memories of our bodies! The power of Forgiveness liberates the heart to enter into a new dimension of being. It frees us up to take on new creativity, embrace new people and relationships, and experience love on a much higher frequency. This understanding transmits intracellular energy in the form of neurotransmitters from the brain to our nerves, cells, hormones,  to the organs, and ultimately our emotions and actions.

Forgiveness is evolutionary and one of the most vital empowerment tools for transformation! When one let goes of the old, she makes way for the new….

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How I Discovered the Hawaiian Words of Healing, the Mind (+ Body +Spirit)

When my instructor uttered the words “Ho’oponopono” I laughed thinking to myself ‘what could this be about,’ he went on to explain that in Hawaii, Dr. Hew Len, a clinical psychiatrist  healed an entire mental ward using this indigenous shamanistic technique simply by examining his patients chart, then speaking a few words. What was even more unbelievable was that Dr. Len defied years of European conventional mental and professional academic protocols . This pre-European Hawaiian practice, cured every mental patient’s behavior abnormalities and eventually closed down the hospital. I was stunned!  Ho’oponopono meaning to “make right” is a practice of releasing. As the instructor called the words and the class responded,  the last phrases leaped off my lips, and I broke into a rush of tears and deep emotion. I remember, I cried like a baby. It was as if what was held within me had found its way outward leaving my body and mind silent, peaceful and neutral. I thought to myself, ‘how can these simple phrases work this way?’ It was so immediate for me and so necessary in my space of emotional healing that I quickly applied this technique to almost everything; every situation, past experience, social karma that was in need of revitalized healing. In my mind, I’d return to the event, stand in front of an old friend, lover, ex husband, sister, parent and visualize speaking, “I love you. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. Thank you.” For weeks this was in my heart, mind and speech as I moved on my journey in my healing circle our whole class had embraced this Forgiveness principle understanding that our individual liberation depending on correcting this relationship energy we experienced outside from within.

Later that June, I remember calling my ex husband and greeting him with, “Ho’oponopono Nico! I love You. Forgive me. I’m Sorry. Thank You!” His reaction was laughter and astonishment.” Ho’opo-what? Yes D I love you too, Nuk pu.” Just last week, after some thirty years, he reconnected with his mother calling me to share his emotional reunion and healing. ” Praise God, I’m happy for you,” I agreed, “forgiveness is so necessary man. Good for you, be who you need to be.”

Change was explained to me by an elder friend to be something  of a Yin-Yang metaphor.  As drastic and  immediate, change is slow and quiet moved in subtle forms sometimes unnoticeable to the naked eye. “For you to look so young,” he said didn’t happen over night, “that wasn’t instant.” Like a school-aged child I interrupted, “No I’ve been practicing natural health, vegetarianism, vegan nutrition, yoga for over 18 years.” I stared off as if a light had just come on in my mind. Like most disciplines practiced over time, change and transformation on any level, in any form is constant, ever flowing, and flexible.The result can be quick or slow to the eye. The transformation of mind, body and spirit is no different and follows the same natural laws of the Universe that we see in nature.

—the SoulFlyHoney Diva, Ria Takharu
CEO OrganicSoul22
Author of Uprising Underground, Sketches of an Urban Venus in Scorpio, (Coming December 2009)

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A DEEPER LOOK:: WHAT IS HO’OPONOPONO?

Ho’oponopono
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ho’oponopono (ho-o-po-no-po-no) is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness practiced by kahuna lapa’au (healing priests) to heal sickness. Similar practices were performed throughout the South Pacific. Traditional ho’oponopono practiced today is conducted by elders with family groups. Morrnah Simeona, who was regarded as a kahuna in the late 20th century, developed a streamlined version that is performed by an individual alone. Her former student, Hew Len, Ph.D., popularized his interpretation of Simeona’s process in a 2007 book.

Traditional practice

“Ho’oponopono” is defined in the Hawaiian Dictionary[1] as “mental cleansing: family conferences in which relationships were set right through prayer, discussion, confession, repentance, and mutual restitution and forgiveness.” Literally, ho’o means “to,” pono is defined as “goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper procedure, excellence, well-being, prosperity, welfare, benefit, true condition or nature, duty; moral, fitting, proper, righteous, right, upright, just, virtuous, fair, beneficial, successful, in perfect order, accurate, correct, eased, relieved; should, ought, must, necessary,” and ponopono is defined as “to put to rights; to put in order or shape, correct, revise, adjust, amend, regulate, arrange, rectify, tidy up, make orderly or neat.”

Preeminent Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui wrote that it was a practice in Ancient Hawaii[2] and this is confirmed by oral histories from contemporary Hawaiian elders.[3] Pukui first recorded her experiences and observations from her childhood (born 1895) in her 1958 book.[4]

Although the word “ho’oponopono” was not used, early Hawaiian historians documented a belief that illness was caused by breaking kapu, or spiritual laws, and that the illness could not be cured until the sufferer atoned for this transgression, often with the assistance of a kahuna pule (praying priest) or kahuna la’au lapa’au (healing priest). Forgiveness was sought from the gods[5] [6] or from the person with whom there was a dispute.[7]

Pukui described it as a practice of extended family members meeting to “make right” broken family relations. Some families met daily or weekly, to prevent problems from erupting.[8] Others met when a person became ill, believing that illness was caused by the stress of anger, guilt, recriminations and lack of forgiveness.[9][10]

Ho’oponopono corrects, restores and maintains good relationships among family members and with their gods or God by getting to the causes and sources of trouble. Usually the most senior member of the family conducts it. He or she gathers the family together. If the family is unable to work through a problem, they turn to a respected outsider.

The process begins with prayer. A statement of the problem is made, and the transgression discussed. Family members are expected to work problems through and cooperate, not “hold fast to the fault.” One or more periods of silence may be taken for reflection on the entanglement of emotions and injuries. Everyone’s feelings are acknowledged. Then confession, repentance and forgiveness take place. Everyone releases (kala) each other, letting go. They ‘oki or cut off the past, and together they close the event with a ceremonial feast, called pani.[11]

“Aunty” Malia Craver, who worked with the Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Centers for more than 30 years, taught courses in traditional ho’oponopono. On August 30, 2000, she spoke about it to the United Nations.[12]

In the late 20th century, courts in Hawai’i began to order juvenile and adult offenders to work with an elder who would conduct ho’oponopono for their families, and some native practitioners provide ho’oponopono to clients who otherwise might seek family counseling.[13]

South Pacific antecedents

Many Polynesian cultures believe that a person’s errors (called hara or hala) cause illness. Some believe error angers the gods, others that it attracts malevolent gods, and still other cultures believe the guilt caused by error makes us sick. “In most cases, however, specific ‘untie-error’ rites could be performed to atone for such errors and thereby diminish one’s accumulation of them.”[14]

Among the islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, people believe that illness usually is caused by sexual misconduct or anger. “If you are angry for two or three days, sickness will come,” said one local man.[15] The therapy that counters this sickness is confession. The patient, or a family member, may confess. If no one confesses an error, the patient may die. The Vanuatu people believe that secrecy is what gives power to the illness. When the error is confessed, it no longer has power over the person.[16]

Like many other islanders, including Hawaiians, the people of Tikopia in the Solomon Islands, and on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, believe that the sins of the father will fall upon the children. If a child is sick, the parents are suspected of quarreling or misconduct. In addition to sickness, social disorder could cause sterility of land or other disasters.[17] Harmony could be restored only by confession and apology.

In Pukapuka, it was customary to hold sort of a confessional over patients to determine an appropriate course of action in order to heal them.[18]

Similar traditions are found in Samoa,[19] Tahiti, [20] and among the Maori of New Zealand.[21][22][23]

Morrnah Simeona
Morrnah Simeona (1913-1992), regarded as a kahuna lapa’au, in 1978 adapted and modified ho’oponopono to the realities of the modern day, making it a self-help rather than group process. Her version was influenced by her Christian (Protestant and Catholic) education and her philosophical studies about India, China and Edgar Cayce.

Simeona’s ho’oponopono is a psycho-spiritual problem solving process, mainly based on the principle that problems are caused by wrong doings in this Reincarnation or in past ones and is memorized in every entity and object which was present when the cause happened. Its purpose is “to release an unhappy, negative experience in past lives, and to resolve and remove trauma from the ‘memory bank’ without creating stress. The Law of Cause and Effect predominates in all of life and lifetimes”.[24] These memory banks act on the physical life of Man in a way that she called negative Karma. By using mainly a 14-step process (not a mantra) showing repentance and mutual forgiveness, and with the help of Higher Forces including the Divine Creator, the painful part of the memory of the wrong actions will be erased. She wrote that “daily karmic cleansing is a Must. If one feels that the need for it is unnecessary, he’s mistaken because these are requisites for the expansion of awareness.”[25] Through this erasing or transmutation in the mind the problems will lose their energy for physical effects, and healing or balancing is begun.

Simeona’s teachings include: there is a Divine Creator who takes care of altruistic pleas of Men; “when the phrase ‘And it is done’ is used after a prayer, it means Man’s work ends and God’s begins.”[26] Problems are the result of the karmic principle that you have to experience by yourself what you have done to others; in consequence you are the creator of your life circumstances. Egoistic prayers only reach the astral plane (home of the mind of desires and longings) because of their low vibrations; from that plane of consciousness personal materialistic wishes would come true. “Altruistic prayers, where you also pray for the release of other entities and objects, reach the Divine plane or Cosmos because of their high vibrations; from that plane would come the Divine energy or Divine mana,”[27] which dissolves the negative memories of a given problem in all participants, on whatever plane they are existing; “all are set free.”[28] In this sense Simeona’s mana as a healing or balancing energy is not the same as the traditional Polynesian understanding of mana.

Hew Len

After Simeona’s passing, her former student Hew Len, Ph.D., co-authored a book[29] claiming to teach Simeona’s ho’oponopono. Contrary to Simeona’s teachings, the book says that the main objective of ho’oponopono is getting to “the state of Zero, where we have zero limits. No memories. No identity.”[30] To reach this state one has to repeat constantly the mantra, “I love you. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. Thank you.”[31] Len teaches the principles of total responsibility, taking responsibility for everyone’s actions. He writes that if one would take complete responsibility for one’s life, then everything one would see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is one’s responsibility because it is in one’s life. Total Responsibility advocates that everything exists as a projection from inside the human being. The problem isn’t with our external reality, it is with ourselves. To change our reality, we have to change ourselves.

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Resources, and Helpful Links:

• Jaime Tanna, Energy Therapy: Developing Body-Mind-Spirit Consciousness.

• http://bible.cc/john/1-1.htm

• Wikipedia, Sat (Sanskrit). <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sat_(Sanskrit)>.

• Legends of the Egyptian Gods, Hieroglyphic Texts and Translations. Ernest Aflred Wallis Budge.
  1912 (1994). Dover.

• Wikipedia, Ho’oponopono.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho%27oponopono>.

• Hub Pages, Fran Horvath. http://hubpages.com/hub/hooponopono

• Tips and Techniques: How To Cleanse, https://prosperitywhisperer.com/How_To_Release.html

• Zero Limits Audio Book – Instant Download
  “Zero Limits.” Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. http://www.zerolimits.info/?hop=flowcoach

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Simple Ways to Practice Ho’oponopono

This LOVEolutionaries program was designed by co-founders, Justin Carboneau and Aaron Mangal of “The LOVEolution” to provide humanity with an ascension tool to activate the euphoric love feeling as a daily habit.

“We wrote the Love Activation to open your heart and mind to living a life of unconditional Love. We do this by provoking thought, action and belief in Love in all areas of your life. The Love Experience was designed to offer solutions for creating and integrating love in your own life. To prompt new thinking and perspectives, we distilled the essence of Love into simple easy-to-implement concepts. The challenges facing humanity are numerous. To address them we seek to practice and live unconditional Love in motion. It’s time to be alive! We’re going to need valiant
LOVEolutionaries like YOU to drive this change forward.”

The 75-page eBook, “Love Activation”, illustrates misconceptions, definitions, religious philosophies, cultural ideologies that effect the mind, neuro-physiology in the body, and spirituality. Titles include, “Experience the State of Love—a Pleasant Physical Vibration”, “Why Does Love Seem to Elude Us?”, and “2 Easy Practical Ways to Generate a Feeling of Love Now” .

The “Love Experience”, 21-day interactive guide provides an array of love experts  such as Dr. Nick Good, founder of Success Ultra Now, Allen Silberhartz, host of the Bridging Heaven and Earth show, Cynthia Larson, author and intuitive, founder of RealityShifters.com, Harold Becker, author and founder of The Love Foundation, and others providing interviews, resources, videos, guided meditations by Michael Mackintosh of Success Ultra Now,  Ho’o pono pono Hawaiian Healing technique by Dr. Ihaleakala Len and more.

To order or for more information: (the love experience org)

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The Five Tibetan Rites: From YogaToday!
(The Love Experience Resource)

Sarah Kline takes a minute to share with us the five Tibetan rites. Filmed in beautiful Jackson Hole Wyoming, she is joined by professional athletes Tara Dakides and Taylor knox. Enjoy!

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Hope you Enjoy the program! I’m so excited to find new products, programs, daily practices that promote change and transformation in our World during these often troubling times. I’m starting this program myself and will keep you posted. Let me know how you’re doing! ONE LOVE!

Ria Takharu
organicsoul22.com

Saxophonist Plunky Branch is an experienced
performer, songwriter and music and film producer,
and he is president of N.A.M.E. Brand Records,
through which he has released 21 albums. At one
time Plunky was a studio musician for television’s
top-rated sitcom, “The Cosby Show. His song
“Every Way But Loose” was a top-ten soul music
chart hit in London.

with Special Guests
Sheri Maree***Ras D***Andaiye

Concert starts 8 PM / Doors open 7:30
Tickets $15 in advance / $20 at the door
$5 for UDC students, faculty & staff
$10 for all other students with ID
UDC Auditorium Bldg. 46
4200 Connecticut Ave. NW / Washington DC 20008
For tickets go to http://dcartistpeace.eventbrite.com or contact
ombassa@trailofdreamsworldpeacewalk.com  & 770-310-0191

View Original Article

I HAVE A SWEET TOOTH..AND LIKE TO MUNCH ON CASHEWS, SEEDS, GOJIS. RIGHT NOW IM DOGGING ORGANIC BANANAS LIKE CRAZY..MAYBE MY BODY NEEDS THAT POTASSIUM AND TRYPOTOPHAN “RELAXIN” BRAIN POWER!! AS MY BODY SLOWLY TRANSITIONS FROM A COOKED FOOD TO A MORE RAW FOOD RATIO TO AVOID A SERIOUS HEALING CRISIS I’M AWARE THAT I MUST CONSICOUSLY ADD RAW RECIPES TO MY MENU. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND EXPANDING MY AWARENESS IN THE KITCHEN IS KEY TO MY EVOLUTION ON THIS PLANET. heehee! ENJOY THESE RECIPES I FOUND I’LL INDICATE WHICH I HAVE ALREADY MADE…LOVE U FAMILY!—RIA

4:38PM:: JUST TRIED THE RAW ENERGY ORBS!! OMG! THEY’RE SOOOO AWESOME..REALLY SWEET THO’ SO CHOCOLATY [NATURAL RAW CHOCOLATE]! IM LUVN IT! –PEACE ON THE PLANET! RIA

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RAW FOOD::DESSERTS

Lemon Cookies

from The FREE Raw-Pleasure.com.au Community Raw Food eBook

2 cups cashews (not soaked)
2 cups mature coconut, shredded (or dried coconut or a combination)
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lemon zest
1/4 cup agave syrup
blend ingredients.
form into cookie shape
dehydrate

Raw Carob Energy Orbs ** OH SO GOOD!

3/4 cup nut butter (try almond or cashew, but not peanut butter)
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup sweetener (raw agave, dates, or raw honey)(i use REALLY RAW HONEY, local from Maryland!)
1 cup sunflower seeds or sesame seeds
1/4 cup of raw carob powder or cacao powder
1/2 – 3/4 cup of shredded coconut (luv coconuts, must be an island ‘ting!!) I also added 1 organic banana..couldnt help myself!!

Raw Mango Pudding

by Trish

2 Mangos
1/4 Lime (Optional)
Shredded Coconut & Chopped Pecans, to taste

Use a vegetable peeler to peel mangos. Then place a knife flush to one of the flat sides of the mango pit and cut the mango away from the pit. Add 1/4 lime and blend until perfectly smooth.

To complete the dessert, pour into dessert cups/dishes and add shredded coconut and chopped pecans to taste.
This also tastes good with just the pureed mango

SALAD ENTREE DISHES:

AS I WAS SEARCHING FOR A DESSERT RECIPE OF ANI’S THAT I TRIED A YEAR AGO I FOUND THESE 2 RECIPES THAT PREPARE TODAY FOR DINNER!! LOL! SINCE I HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS IN MY KITCHEN, WHY NOT?

FOR MORE RECIPES ON ANI PHO’S WEBSITE CLICK HERE!

MARINATED BAJA RED BEET SLAW
2 servings

SLAW
6 beet top leaves, sliced
1 green cabbage leaf, sliced
1 Tablespoon scallions, chopped
1/2 garlic clove, chopped
1 lemon
1 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 red beet, peeled and sliced

DRESSING
1 avocado, seeded and diced
2 Tablespoons flax oil
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For Slaw, place kale, scallions, garlic in mixing bowl. Marinate in lemon and Braggs. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Slice and set beets aside in separate bowl.

For Dressing, add avocado and oils to marinated Slaw and toss.

To serve, top with sliced beets and serve.

RED CABBAGE SLAW IN CARROT GINGER DRESSING
2 servings

SLAW
2 cups red cabbage, sliced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
2 Tablespoons white onion, chopped

DRESSING
2 teaspoons ginger
1 clove garlic
1 small carrot
1 teaspoon mellow white miso, unpasturized
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon flax oil
2 segments of lemon

To make Slaw, place all ingredients into a mixing bowl.

To make Dressing, place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

To serve, place Slaw into 2 salad bowls. Top with Dressing and serve.

MORE DESSERTS:

THIS WAS SOO GOOD THEY LASTED LESS THAN AN HOUR IN MY HOME..I DOGGED THEM!! LOL! –RIA

RESOURCES:

============================================

“ Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water-balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, there by reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.”

THISISBYUS.COM
Aaah… the Healing Power of Bananas
Ever wanted to quit smoking? Needed more energy? Suffered from heartburn? Been hungover?

by theshanika

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RAW FOOD SOCIETY OF BC
by Tara Bianca Tiller
Nourishing Raw and Living Foods Recipes

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Ani Phyo Eco Raw Food Chef Author
Ani Phyo, Recipes

Can you believe my body was craving cabbage–raw cabbage? Doesn’t sound very tasty, not even to me, but I guess my body knows on a molecular level just what it needs. It’s been about a year since I had dropped my strictly vegetarian diet for a ‘just-about-anything “sad” diet (Standard American Diet).

Food choice, like anything is a ritual and a conscious discipline. I can’t tell you why I stopped eating at my optimum health choice, maybe it was the over 18 years of strict fasting and herbal regime that richocheted my choice for another palette and transformed my body into a volumptuous size. I loved my new look but hated the fact that I was habitually fatigued. Not only that, I felt my ‘light’ was so dimmed it showed in the color of my eyes, my dryer skin and hair and just that overall feeling of power that I seemed to have lost. I wanted to have that ‘raw’ feeling I had when I downed superfood shakes, Bikrams 95 degree yoga sessions, and just the ecstasy of being in that euphoric state of bliss I’d capture. Food not only changed my physical glow but calmed my mind into a whole new set of characteristics, thoughts and action. Now I find myself craving that lifestyle and all the profane mysteries it awards its practitioner. I now want it back, so much so that when my boyfriend and I split I decided that I’d return to a more ‘balanced’ food menu. I found myself after a year from Whole Foods spending all kinds of benjamins to gain what I felt I had lost. But it wasn’t as easy as I had hoped it would be. I had quickly become a typical suburbanite with fast food dining habits. I rarely cooked or created familiar raw food dishes blaming it on time constraints, fatigue and mere convenience.

The small head of organic cabbage sat in my fridge for a few weeks. It wasn’t until I couldn’t find the usual organic fresh baby greens at my local Bloom stores that I remembered what I had in my reserve. Raw broccoli and organic cabbage. So I purchased fresh mushrooms which always seems to excite my eccentric taste buds.

My ex had prepared some spaghetti for me the day before as my appetite wained in place of a 10 hour work day. So I heated up the spaghetti and cut the tiny head of cabbage into thin slices, threw it into a bowl and topped them with balsamic vinegar and the raw mushrooms.

I couldnt beleieve how I dogged the raw food over the cooked spaghetti. It was as if i couldnt get enough. I shocked even myself and figured “Wow, my body must REALLY need these nutrients” and thought maybe my taste buds adjusted just because the need was so great. Then I did what I always do; think, then find the answer to my ‘why’ by researching. This is what I found:

Healing Properties of Cabbage

Nutritive Values of Cabbage : Per 100 gm.

• Vitamin A : 80 I.U.
• Vitamin c : 50 mg.
• Calcium : 46 mg.
• Phosphorus : 31 mg.
• Potassium : 140 mg.
• Carbohydrates : 5.3 gm.
• Protein : 1.4 gm.
• Calories : 24
• Also: Vitamin U, Vitamin P and Beta Carotene

Other Benefits:

• Fiber roughage for digestive system
• Reduces skin and ulcer problems (strengthens blood vessels)
  
• Cabbage contain Sulforaphane, a substance that can increase the production of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes. Sulforaphane works by stimulating the production of glutathione, the body’s most important internally produced antioxidant which plays a role in liver detoxification.
• Cabbage is rich in iron and sulfur.
• The juice of fresh raw cabbage has been proven to heal stomach ulcer.
• Cabbage is a muscle builder, blood cleanser and eye strengthener.
• Cabbage contain phytonutrients, works to protect the body from free radicals that can damage the cell membranes. Phytonutrients also signal our genes to increase its production of enzymes involved in detoxification.

Healing Properties of Mushrooms

• Phosphorus
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Riboflavin, a B-vitamin
  
• Niacin, another B vitamin found in mushrooms
  
• Pantothenic acid
  
• Mushrooms are an important source of potassium
  
• Selenium
• Copper

Aids the digestive, nervous system, production of hormones, skin and vision and more…

Can you say Immune Booster? These fungi are rich in nutrients, amino acids, tumor and cancer fighting antioxidants, lowers blood pressure and cancer and HIV cell formation. They not only heal but ‘calm’ the body.

All mushrooms contain compounds called polysaccharides, which have both anti-tumoral and immune-stimulating properties. Medicinal mushrooms also contain compounds called terpenes and steroids, some of which also promote anti-tumour activity. Three of the most widely recognized and used medicinal mushrooms today are shiitake, maitake and reishi.

According to David Wolfe, renowned raw food activist and healer, mushrooms have the ‘ormis’ from the universe balancing the male dominated energy within the body and within the earthly realms. He believes they are from another planet. (smile) However, these quiet yet powerful fungi came into existance they remain one of my favorite choices for raw salads and seem to always decorate my plate no matter what I eat.

Now I know why my body craves the raw delicacies to naturally balance my mind via the body!

“Feeling” Mushrooms: Rebuilding the Body from Sugar/Candida & Toxins….Enjoy!

Recipe: Ani Pho’s SuperFood Hemp Shake

Superfood Shake
Makes 1 serving

1 banana
2 Tblspoons hemp protein powder
2 Tblspoons hemp nut
1 Tblspoon hemp oil
1 Tblspoon coconut oil
1 1/3 cup filtered water

Place all ingredients in your Personal Blender, blend smooth and enjoy! As always, my raw food recipe is free of sugar, gluten, wheat, dairy, and guilt. Good for your body, soul, and taste buds! (see Ani’s SuperFood Hemp Shake Video)

Here’s the smoothie I wrote about in my Huffington Post article on raw foods. It’s packed with antioxidants and vitamins to keep us looking and feeling great. Plus soaked chia keeps us super hydrated, and keeps our skin supple and moist.

Antioxidant Superfood Smoothie
Makes 1 to 2 servings

1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds, soak overnight in 1/2 cup filtered water, to make chia gel
1 teaspoon Maca powder
2 Tablespoons Tropical Blend from Navitas Naturals (blueberry, acai, mangosteen)
2 Tablespoons sprouted flax powder, from Navitas Naturals
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup filtered water

Place all ingredients into your blender, and blend until smooth.

Oh thank goodness!

Bon Apetit!

Daria “RIA” Takharu

When we get into the cycle of the human being, the highest and greatest powers that we have will be released to us. And so he gave each of us a responsibility and we call that the Guardianship. – Excerpts from the Hopi Prophecy

Everything is of a spiritual nature holding therein a message. “Now is the time for change”.

Memories of Breath in the Tennessee Mountains
Driving through the Shenandoah to the Smoky Mountains last week enlivened me. I recently found myself in the Tennessee Mountains eating peaches off the trees of my boyfriend’s uncle’s farm in Ashland. Kaya immediately handed me what looked to be a large bird feather that was rumored to be a hawk or eagle. I tucked it away and later found other and elders offering me gorgeous Oshun peacock feathers for my collection. It was my first time in this lifetime, riding a horse and I was drawn to it without fear. The big-eyed show horse seemed to speak to me as it turned toward me, bowing its head and placing its hoof upon the dirt path behind the irongate making a kind of gesture followed by a kind of horse talk to come closer. Mounting was nothing I imagined but I could hear the echoes of those before me steadfast in posture. They held me upright in balance remembered what it was to sway up in the sky and breath. So powerful were the mountains, I even dreamed I left the city in search of a small town university to pursue my education. The mountains seem to speak to me. I see formations that have voice. I see everything in the mountains; no matter where they are they hold magnificent peace within my soul. This is all I can seem to write about at this very moment. No political rhetoric, obsessive material desires, no worries about money — nothing else, but the experience and spiritual impression the land of this earth offered to me in blessings. I am thankful to have bent low to the dusty earth fertile in her offerings of green beans and watermelon on the hot days we gathered laughing and drinking home made spirits. I was offered a window to a world I had long forgotten but remains coiled in my DNA. I remember what happiness is and what offers the breath we take for granted. I am giddy, sensual and playfully at peace in these parts of land. From the Mesas of Arizona where the Anasazi and Sinagua people dwelled to the Shenandoah, Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains and beyond, I am a mineral red earth child through karmic lesson, healing path, and spiritual alignment. Realizing I have many descendants from many corners of this globe, from royalty to sharecroppers to blacksmiths, masons, military veterans to artists, teachers and healers we share the same blood line. High and low, humbly we are ONE in spirit.

–daria nefertiye giraud takharu, july 10 2008

Invitation for Change-American Indian transcontinental Spiritual March: “Second Longest Walk” “The One Nation”, D.C. area

Starting in 1978, the Longest Walk is arriving in Washington, DC tomorrow with its four-corner descendants of each race as an active prayer to heal, clean, and realign Mother Earth. Descending on the National Mall will the voices of reason such as Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Harry Belafonte, indigenous peoples from Australia and Tibet, and natives of America and abroad with one common message to send throughout the world; that message is One Nation.

“We come from all corners of America and some from around the world,” Banks said. “We are converging on Washington, D.C., starting on July 11th to deliver a message to the U.S. Congress and the world about the fate of the United States, all our relations and Mother Earth.” Founder Dennis Banks, of the American Indian Movement, has walked with hundreds of others over 8,000 miles of American country from San Francisco to Washington, DC.

Come out this weekend and participate, connect and remember the ways of our Ancestors and our need to re-align, re-define, and re-create our future world, Mother Earth! See you there!

Links:

The Longest Walk

ONE VISION NATION

Indianz.com

YouTube:

The Longest Walk 2::Urgent Message

The Longest Walk II: Asheville, Part 2

]]> http://organicsoul.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/52/feed/ 0 organicsoul22 http://organicsoul.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/lush-green-in-new-york-city/ http://organicsoul.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/lush-green-in-new-york-city/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:27:57 +0000 ria takharu http://organicsoul.wordpress.com/?p=48 ]]>

[pictured below Happy Hippy- shower gel. NYC photo by daria nefertiye takharu June 2008]

“So luckily for us, LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics offers a selection of nutrient-rich moisturizers and face masks filled with cocktails of the finest essential oils and fruit juices to help transform every type of skin from its winter lull into a radiant glow!” Where else can you find organic food for your face and body that’s not only fresh but a rejuvenating nutritive slice of sustainable conscious living? LUSH!

I first wandered into Lush on an impromptu trip to New York City on business. Like many of my New York trips visiting friends and family, I enter a shock-ridden atmosphere of illusion that clash beautifully with my years of yoga disillusion. It is this surreal paradox that seems to brim an eclectic excitement within me that can’t be shaken from its roots. Just as any ancient mountainous oceanic oasis brings me to complete peace and surrender, the frantic eye-candy enigma clothing the streets of the fashion district equally besets serenity within my soul. I am a New Yorker to my sweet soul!

Having lived in New York in most of the 90s, I found many natural food, organic, and vegan spots to quench my passion for my natural lifestyle. But in 2008? I was again a “green newbie” combing the streets of New York for the next new innovative funky chic spot, boy was I was tickled to discover Lush, the international store of hand-made vegan soaps and products. With only thirty minutes before my departure from the big apple, I scurried between wholesale jewelry stores and whatever caught my senses. Lush pulled me into a sensual sprinkle of variety displayed an array of must-haves soaps, body bars and butters, cosmetics that smelled good enough to eat.

Founded by Mark Constantine in 1994, a veteran from the 70s who worked for The Body Shop (another favorite eco friendly store), after failing in his first venture Cosmetics to Go (1988), Lush with its flagship store in England’s Pool coastal region boasts an impressive 500 stores in the United States and abroad. Lush has maintained its values by promoting “organic” “fresh” ingredients not tested on animals. “We believe in making our own fresh* products by hand, printing our own labels and making our own fragrances.” Skin care products like masks, scrubs and moisturizers made with natural, fresh ingredients contain many beneficial and nutritious vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The fresher the ingredients, the more potent they are.” Lush also promotes green healing using essential oils (aromatherapy), and herbals that soothe, induce and excite the body and senses; seaweed, kiwi, green grapes, ginger, avocado, blueberries, coconut, and honey straight from the garden to your candlelit bathtub. Lush teaches the meaning of eco friendly “Fresh”!

Organicsoul22 favorites:

Try Lush at a store near you:

Lush Stores – USA

Arizona

Scottsdale
Fashion Square Mall, 7014 E. Camelback Rd., Unit #1020
85251
(480) 946-5874

California

Beverly Hills
312 N. Beverly Drive
90210-4701
(310) 271-0880

Fashion Island
Bloomingdales 701 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach
92660
(949) 729-6600

Santa Monica
1404 Third Street Promenade
90401
(310) 255-0030

Union Square
240 Powell Street, San Francisco
94102-2206
(415) 693-9633

Universal City
1000 Universal Center Drive Unit 143
91608
(818) 487-9800

D.C.

Florida

Dadeland Mall
Macy’s, 7303 S.W. 88th Street, Miami
33156
(305) 668-1774

Aventura Mall
Suite 293a, 19501 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, 33180
(305) 935-7022

Orlando Airport
9345 Airport Blvd, Orlando
32827
(407) 825-3174

Georgia

Lenox Square Mall
3393 Peachtreet Road NE, Unit 3112B, Atlanta
30326
(404) 841-1223

Lenox Square Mall
Macy’s, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta
30326
(404) 841-0209

Cumberland Mall
Macy’s 1000 Cumberland Mall, Atlanta
30339

Louisiana

Namaste! I’ve been in love with yoga since 2003, when I took my first class with the late Dr. Prem Deben who studied Sivananda yoga with world renowned Swami Vishnu-Devananda in the 70s. Before that intense introduction to the world of yoga, I had taught myself to meditate at the inquisitive age of ten because I needed internal relaxation from my home life (but that’s a novel in the making).

I first took yoga as a tool to ease stress during my divorce not knowing I would embark upon an inward journey that not only connected me to my physical body, but to a universal body of wisdom which weaved spirit and dissolved illusion. Yoga was so much more than relaxing, chanting, and flexing into pretzel positions, it was a gateway into the dormant part of my self that I had learned to ignore. Today I start each gym session and evening relaxation with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) to charge and ease my body. Yoga makes me so happy that perhaps I can share that joy and passion with others by seeking yoga teacher training from a Yoga Alliance certified studio! Om Shanti! Peace, Peace, Peace! — daria nefertiye giraud takharu

yogaHistory____________________________________________________

Yoga is an ancient science that incorporates the body, mind and spirit practiced in ancient civilizations such as India and ancient Egypt. Although there are many paths of yoga such as Karma Yoga (yoga of action and selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (yoga of love and devotion), Raja Yoga (yoga of self-control), Jnana Yoga (yoga of knowledge) and even more styles of yoga such as sivananda, hatha, vinyasa, anasura, and others, yoga incorporates asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (breathing), dhyana (meditation), savasana (relaxation), and a proper diet usually of a vegetarian nature.

yogaDayUSA____________________________________________________

Try yoga! The 10th Annual Yoga Day US, a nationwide celebration of yoga designed to increase awareness of the benefits of yoga and help make yoga more accessible to everyone including all fitness levels, ages, and ethnicities! Created by Yoga Alliance, the leading non-profit organization for yoga teachers and schools, is dedicated to upholding the diversity and integrity of yoga. To learn more, visit www.yogaalliance.org.

Find out if your local yoga studio is participating:

Directory of Yoga Alliance Certified Schools and Teachers

http://www.yogaalliance.org/

yogaMagazines____________________________________________________

yoga journal — online Retreat for Yoga Poses, Classes, Meditation, and Life—On and Off the Mat

yoga+Joyful Living — delves deep into every aspect of conscious living

fit yoga — covers the modern world of yoga in an easy-to-read, informative, non-preachy manner, while exploring and revealing its ancient roots

yoga movement — online magazine

joy-the journal of yoga — investigating, the philosophy, science and spirituality of yoga

new connexion — pacific northwest’s journal of conscious living

yogaStudios____________________________________________________

DC

18th and Yoga — 1744 Columbia Road, NW #1, Washington, DC, 202-462-1800

Bikram’s Yoga College of India — 1635 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 202-332-8680

boundless yoga —1510 U Street, NW, Washington DC, 202-234-YOGA

Capitol Hill Yoga — 221 5 Street, NE, Washington DC, 202-544-0011

Circle Yoga — 5615 39th Street NW, Washington DC, 202-686-1104

Clear Cloud Tai Chi and Yoga — Van Ness Street, NW, Washington DC, 202-364-9496

Dcyoga — 1635 Connecticut Avenue, NW 5th floor, Washington DC, 202-232-2926

Down Dog Yoga — 1046 Potomac Street, NW, Washington DC, 202-965-9642

Excel Movement Studios — 3407 8th Street, NE, 2nd floor, Washington DC, 202-269-3020

Flow Yoga Center — 1450 P Street, Washington DC, 202-744-9697

Georgetown Yoga — 1053 31st Street, NW, 2nd floor, Washington DC, 202-342-7779

Great River Taoist Center — (offers Tai Chi), 1325 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 202 785 1767

Hot Yoga — 3408 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Suite 205, Washington DC, 202-468-9642

Joy of Motion — Dupont Circle, 1643 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington DC, 202-387-0911

St. Marks Yoga Center — Capitol Hill: Third & A Streets, SE, Behind the Library of Congress,202-546-4964

Tranquil Space — 2024 P Street, NW, Washington, DC, 202-223-YOGA

Yoga House Studio — 3634B Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 202-285-1316

comingNext!____________________________________________________

styles of yoga guide

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