Juice Fast - Healing your body & Changing Your Life

I am still fasting….today is day 23 of my plan for doing 30 days this time around. It feels so good to be back to fasting – I’ve done so many shorter fasts of 2 or 4 days over this past year or so, however, my body feels like it is working at creating greater change whenever I undertake these longer fasts.

Besides all of the mental, spiritual and emotional benefits, there is no end to the physical benefits a body experiences as you fast your way to better well-being. The sheer physical changes that a person goes through each day as we detox are astounding.

Not only is my body detoxing, it is also rapidly changing out old cells, building up bacterial colonies, letting go of debris and revamping vitamin, mineral and nutrient stores. I can feel my stomach and intestines regenerating.

Because this is a juice fast, I am taking in ‘food’, but it is liquid and full of flavour. I think a true juice fast is a bit like an IV infusion….your stomach and intestines are completely empty and cleaned out. You take in liquid juice which absorbs directly into your system through that empty, unclogged stomach….

All of those vitamins and nutrients are being directed into the healing, detoxing and cleansing work that needs to be done each day of the fast. What an awesome thing to experience! I am making my own concoction of a combined fresh juice with fermented juices....truly life changing. 

Yesterday I realized I was craving meat. Of course I thought this was very strange as I have done many fasts and never, ever craved meat before. I always crave apples, grapes, onions, garlic or some other fruit and vegetables, besides, I eat very little meat and never crave it. Then I realized I was getting all of those things into me with the juice, so my mind was craving other types of foods and perhaps protein will be first on my agenda when I am done with my fast….

I am also far more aware of my skin this time around, which is exactly what I wanted….our skin contains the roots of our Energy Field, an often overlooked but extremely vital and important part of our overall health. When we nourish all of these elements of our beings we can truly enter a state of optimum health.

Looking forward to enjoying these last few days on my fast  to see what this next detox cycle brings and then on to much more,

April

Life is a bowl of fruit salad......

Lacking Energy - Nothing in Reserve….

For so many of us our bodies have been running on empty and we don’t even know it. We never seem to really connect with the simple fact that just like any other instrument, we need to be tuned up, cleaned up and not taken for granted.

So….I have always wondered about this myself….if for instance I am eating right, exercising, resting when I need to, working at what I love doing and otherwise in a few (not all!) healthy and good for me relationships in general – why am I drained or tired or why doesn’t there ever seem to be enough to go around?

And I mean; enough of me, enough time, enough money, enough goodness, enough space and so forth. There just doesn’t appear to be ‘enough’ in me, around me or out there or anywhere else. And what is this ‘enough’ - is it only a perception or is it something else altogether?

However, it’s not like this all the time, only some of the time, like when I am noticing. LOL

How on earth could this even be possible? I mean from an energy perspective, it should be energy in, therefore energy out. Or, in a properly functioning body we should be able to generate enough energy or whatever it is that we need to sustain us and keep us going.

What I have discovered is that there is often not enough life or living organisms in and around us and therefore we are left juggling or pulling on sparse strands of energy scattered around our bodies. In order to have, create and generate functional energy resources, we must have enough life ‘taking place’ in us, to sustain us. 

For the most part, this lack of life is the fundamental struggle we are facing on the planet today. We have taken enough antibiotics to eradicate every living, useful and necessary organism that once would have ensured the health, well-bing and survival of our species and blasted them into nothingness.

So, where does that leave us? With barely there thyroids, poor adrenal function and not much of an immune system, tired, unwell and never enough to go around. 

Or, for many of us, we find ourselves with absolutely nothing in reserve. As well, an entire food group, of fermented and living foods has been eliminated and we continue to sanitize, sterilize and annihilate anything that looks back at us.

Having a life is about far more than each of the things that take place throughout our days….it’s equally about an inner matrix of organisms working with us, in us and around us. 

If you find yourself feeling as if you have no energy, no reserves and questionable health….perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at your ‘life’. 

April

Fermented Vegetables - an easy & tasty way to get probiotics into your diet 

3 Point Turn…..Life Changes

I can’t always say in what order my life has changed. Over the years so many things – incidents, situations, even a spoken word, has had occasion to rock my world. 

Often to the core.

But, there are those very few times in life, when I made a decision or found myself in a particular predicament, where I had no choice but to discover for myself exactly what I am made of.

And I have done that, time and again.

Looking back as I often do at this time of year, I can remember times when I have not felt as strong in myself as I do right now. Or times when I really doubted I could see something through to the very end.

These were the situations that held onto me and kept me back. 

I had a tendency to be surrounded by people who left me feeling fearful and doubtful and for years I would blame myself for a lack of will power, an inability to stay the course or self-sabotage. 

Yet, when I distanced myself from these groups of people and the mind-set that went along with them, well I found my own mind and the rest quickly became history. Because, I finally had the energy, the courage and the fortitude to make the necessary changes to my life. 

In my reflections at this time, I see strong patterns of change throughout this past decade in particular where I have made significant shifts in my thinking or mindset around certain expectations (placed on my by society, others, myself?)- which resulted in profound change in the path I am on.

Perhaps it’s as simple as making the choice, seeing it through – sticking with that new energy and then forging ahead on this new-found road. 

One of the most significant decisions I (we) made as a family was to move away from modern chemical methods of treating and dealing with sickness and health. In its’ place I committed to completely adhering to all natural means of creating and maintaining health and healing.

Since the premise of any life altering, world changing shift is the fact that you don’t go back – you keep moving forward no matter what happens…..this decision pushed all of my buttons and of course I had to deal with everything that came my way, naturally.

Working my way through the fear and ill health of cancer with only my intuition to guide my healing process gave me hope, courage and a profound new respect for the powerhouse of healing stored deep within my body cells.

Another monumental shift occurred when in keeping with my no drug or chemical intervention framework a few years later, I knew I would be having my baby at home in a free birth. You can read the story for yourself here– but even 7 years on from that time, I have to say it changed me forever.

I gave birth to some part of me that day, an elemental force that had not existed on this planet in nearly forever. Perhaps not since my first incarnation before the shock of life’s hardships in this physical dimension took a toll and seared their way onto my soul.

Taking the birth of my child into my own hands – thus avoiding another surgery and MRSA infection, potential harm to myself and my baby, not to mention the indignity of it all – taught me one more thing about myself; life has a force all of it’s own and when we allow it, the living of it takes over.

Lastly, we took the decision to go it on our own without seeking, searching for or believing we needed money or jobs from sources other then what we created ourselves. Cutting ties that bound us to this just over broke endlessness, which left us feeling useless and in despair most of the time. 

It was hard to feel motivated on emptiness…..so a truer sense of sustainable living was what we were after - we had to sustain ourselves with no outside help.

After all, we have education, training, many skills and brains that work (LOL), so why not find it in ourselves to make our own way in this world and stop the forced slavery of following someone else’s dream or worse, losing your dreams to nothingness. 

Should be easy, right? Not! Besides, at the end of the day, we didn’t feel we had a choice….backed into a corner by the recession sorts out the reality on the ground in short order. 

Come out fighting or die trying!

Not one part of any of these changes, was an easy decision or a comfortable situation to find oneself in with a family in tow – at least not in the beginning. However, like all the other intuitive, life altering leanings in my life, it is working out, we are moving forward and I am happier then before.

Perhaps, I am happier then I have ever been because I have taken back some measure of control – finally steering my own ship. Here’s hoping for smooth sailing and warm seas….

April

Sailing Camp - Glandore 

Getting On With Living….

Today I am fasting again….however, it was nice to eat loads (read way too much!) over the Christmas holidays and equally nice to be experimenting, cooking and tasting the rich seasonal foods on offer. Life really does revolve around food and eating in this house!

But, that's all behind us now, so, getting back to today. I felt is was time to get this month started for me on yet another footing (self care is paramount) and I am doing a bit of a fast. At the moment, I am not sure how long I will fast this time around. Perhaps a week or two – or maybe longer, I like to take these things one day at a time whenever I can.

Already today I had my first little detox challenge…..I started feeling achy and sinusy as if I was coming down with a cold (like the one the kids had 2 weeks ago!). And my first thought was to just go back to bed….but alas, that isn’t really an option.

I just followed my instincts (or a very strong intuition in my case) and mixed up some of my Apple Cider Vinegar into my fermented Rebel Juice and sipped on that for the rest of the morning. By the time I realized I was feeling back to myself, the juice was gone and I had been busy with all my chores around the place.

It works so quickly!

And now here I am with quite a few things done including 2 mini workouts and still marveling that I am feeling much better – and glad I never went back to bed. The moral of the story here seems to be – to never underestimate the healing power of your body when given the right ingredients.

In this case it was my own apple cider vinegar and fermented beetroot juice – it packs a powerful anti-oxidant punch as well as provides nourishing probiotics for the gut. Because our immune system is gut mediated (if your tummy isn’t working, your immune system is compromised) all we need to do is boost ourselves from the inside with beneficial organisms….

Then they do the work for us. 

When I think back to how I used to treat myself when I felt low, poorly or even completely under the weather – well, needless to say, it was a world apart from where I am today. I would often just ignore symptoms or worse, just push them down with a pain reliever and carry on.

If I have learned anything about health, healing and detox over these many years living this close to nature and in tune with my body, it’s this; when you are gentle with your body and provide natural, equally gentle means of healing, you only have to walk down this road once. 

Pushing something down or aside, simply means it will pop back up to be dealt with on another day and perhaps be far worse then what you started with.  Best to face up to whateveritis that’s around us on the day and provide our body with what it needs (nutrients, herbs, probiotics, exercise, quiet time, laughter, detox) to move forward – then we can get on with living our lives. 

And that’s what we are doing here, right?

April

Day 16 of my Fast - It's All in the Mind!

Day 16

We are now on day 16 and deep into a detox cycle – which means a full day or two of feeling all over the place, toxic and generally tired or yukky. But, in reality, I have plenty of those days when not detoxing – so, go figure!

So far, we are feeling and doing fairly well. This fast is moving along pretty quickly – it always helps to be very busy of course. However, even if we were just sitting around staring off into space – it’s not so very difficult to fast when your mind is made up.

Which leads me to the centre of things here – our minds are such a useful tool when it comes to doing, well, nearly everything. In the past few years I can look back and see a clear pattern of the times when my mind was not fully engaged in what I needed to accomplish – and therefore it (my plans, hopes, wishes) never turned out the way I wanted it to.

Fasting has changed all of that for me. My mind is on-board with all things physical and spiritual – making it entirely possible to move forward in a fully integrated manner. There is no sense in part of us moving forward - we require ALL of us to be on the same page here. 

So, how would we know when our mind is not connecting in to our dreams or where this plays a part of a larger energy block? – well, for me it was when I spent most of my time feeling frustrated and not seeing the movement I would have liked to have.

In many ways our minds are the most extensive part of us because a mind is made up of and inter-connected to every dimension and layer of our beings. The physical component alone involves every cell in our bodies. 

One of the most important changes I have noticed so far with this particular cleanse is how my thinking is influenced by the presence of toxins. Once another layer lifts off, my entire world shifts into higher gear and it seems possible to get moving again.

Speaking of moving – I am off to get in some exercise – this is especially important in our lives when walking the spiritual path, not the least of which is to remove toxins, but also for proper alignment and energy flow in our body.

No matter what is happening with you – or how far you feel you have to go – each step takes you closer to that goal. You can’t get there if you don’t get going….and there’s no time like right now. 

April

Life & Consciousness In A Glass of Water......

Today I have been feeling out of sorts….well, perhaps having just spent 3 days back to back doing markets might be one reason. So I am tired after having been on my feet and running around.

But that’s still not enough of a reason to feel out of sorts…..

So I was just sitting here, Closing Energy Leaks(c) and pondering my energy field in order to get to the bottom of why I was feeling like this and what I should do about it…and the first thing my body mentioned was water.

Of course, my mind immediately went to the fact that when I am busy in the markets and doing all that I do each day – I tend to not drink enough water. Usually on my ‘recovery’ (doing markets is full on!! LOL) days I get a chance to catch up on everything including my sleep.

But, the most important healing remedy that enables me to get back to myself faster is that glass of water. A few of them, so far today has done more for me then any thing else I might have been able to come up with.

As far as being and staying grounded, you can’t do that in a dehydrated body. As a matter of fact you also can’t do much of anything – the state of dehydration is fairly far reaching – in fact we are thirsty much of the time, even when we appear to drink plenty.

Of course, what I am referring to here is the state of the water we are taking into our bodies. If it is full of chlorine, fluoride and perhaps a hundred other chemical compounds, we are slowly being poisoned and not replenishing our need for 'life' giving water.

It is not only our bodies that are crying out for water, but our souls as well – water is the conduit for higher consciousness to travel from cell to cell being carried deep within our tissues bringing light and life.

Dead chemical treated water will not bring much of anything worthwhile and will certainly not carry a consciousness I would choose to have as part of my cellular matrix. Only living water (untreated from a ground source) carries the higher frequencies (like sparks of electricity) we crave on this spiritual path.

And only pure consciousness can bring the light that fills a dark space……

April

My new Body Butter made with pure shea butter and luscious oils.....

Energy Aligned in One Place.....Connecting with Destiny

 Today is a food day (a good day! LOL)…..and I have been thinking about the term – ‘the good life’. All along of course, I have wondered about this elusive state of being and have lived many years in hope that one day I might be able to stake a claim to some piece of that attitude myself.

Perhaps some part of me is there with the rest of my being moving steadily along the proverbial path towards having, living and enjoying life. And hopefully for the most part, it will always be good.

However, for many people life is anything but good. In fact, no matter what, how much or how little someone has around them – in terms of relationships, stress, material things and so forth….

When they are not ‘living’ on the inside, nothing is completely good or satisfying on the outside. Life is far more then what you might be able to make of it….life involves taking steps to ensure you remain alive and conscious.

So many of us walk through each day thinking (or not) that this is all there is. And they are right – if you think that way, you will see things that way and ultimately be that way.

It’s a narrow unfulfilled dull existence. But, that’s just my opinion. After all, I was one of those people who would think that there has to be far more to living and life then just getting up and going to work for someone else each day.

There had to be something more to life…..

I knew in my heart that there was something better, a higher road (even if more difficult) and if I took every step possible I just might be able to find that path. What I have found out about this road back to life is that it is real, it does exist and it is worth making the effort to connect with it.

This good life is not entirely about things, people, or even having a special purpose….so far it appears to be all about having enough of yourself awake, present and alive – energy aligned in the one place and connecting with destiny. 

April

Life is a path....

Everything Looks Different....In A New Light

Another sunny day here…it’s just endless!! And we couldn’t be happier about it. The entire world just seems to be a much better place with all of this sunlight and warmth…

It’s actually quite amazing how much we get from the sun…all of life requires light to grow (in some manner) and with that comes energy. This sunshine, that we had nearly forgotten about is bringing with it the energy of hope.

Over these last few years of darkness, we have had time to contemplate all that we are and where we need to be going…at least some of us have!! In between the whining and moaning about the terrible weather that is…

But, we might have actually learned a few things about ourselves – that only a recession could teach us.

One thing that stands out to me in particular is the amazing strength of the human spirit – people with nothing left to lose take risks and chances others might pass by.

Will power, perseverance, persistence and determination will eventually pay off – as long as you don’t give up. Place your trust within, align with forces of nature and see where it takes you.

When you get used to jumping and leaping forward without a safety net – you learn to trust that higher power in a new and different way. Besides, you also learn to fall gently and get back up quickly!

With this return of the sun in our lives, the return of life in our bodies should become evident very quickly. Life begets life in this instance…without the sun we were slowly withering while wandering around without clear direction.

Shed a little light on something – then stand back and watch your life transform.

It’s like magic 

April

Life Happens in it's Own Time

Taking stock of where we are at every now and then is something I do regularly… and lately it seems as if things are changing almost daily…so that’s a lot of pondering! LOL

I’ve spent a lot of time in my life planting, starting, beginning – and now I am in a place where things are finally growing. In the directions I want them to. And this is a very interesting process to be witnessing.

Re-growing your gut is a process that involves allowing lots of time and space for things to grow those deep anchoring roots. That’s one part of it…it also means stripping back to basics all the junk that went before.

And that is the difficult part for many people.

In my own experience, there is not one thing my body, mind and soul is incapable of doing. However, I have to want these changes and deep healing to take place bad enough, to see it through to the end.

Many times before I have watched people give up on themselves and I myself have walked away before things had run their natural course....but, if life has taught me anything - it is to wait it out. See what's around that next bend.

I have watched my body heal itself over the years from the top down and the inside out – and I am only just getting started. Even after all this time. Our body really does re-build and replenish completely during and 8 to 10 year lifecycle…

That for me, appears to be about right for healing and repair to take place right down to the DNA and cellular level. During this (and any) healing process it is vital to see things through to completion.

I don’t know about you – but I’ve got the rest of my life to live on this planet….so it’s been worth taking this past decade to create a healthy body, mind and spirit…because now I have even more time here living in good health. 

Life happens in it's own time.... Let your life be true to you

April

Standing in the Light

Today I am fasting again and it feels right – especially with this lovely weather we have been having. It’s still not overly warm, but there is a sun in the sky and it is wonderful to feel the light all around.

It’s also great to watch how quickly the earth responds to this abundance (there’s that word!) of light. And of course, we must also be responding on the inside as well as the outside to these wonderful rays.

Not only do I always think of ‘life-giving’ when I think of the sun….these days I can actually sense my body’s internal changes when there is light. I can see how important those words were in the bible….

“Let there be light”….we really can’t live (in any sense of the word) without this light. It is more then just about the heat (which is a side bonus) for me it has come to mean growing my internal spiritual garden as well.

Perhaps we take so much of the magnificence around us for granted….just for today I am pondering this light and really appreciating all that it means for my body, mind and spirit.

One thing I do notice is how the animals around us are all so much more relaxed…perhaps because we are? Or are they busy growing and appreciating the sunshine as well?

We are all tired of the rain, but don’t often think of how the little goats also love to be out in the fields and not slipping around in the mud. The ducks and geese on the other hand love the rain…but they are in their own world! LOL

Enjoy the sun Ireland, we deserve it! 

April

 

Life Always Finds a Way

Today has been an interesting day to say the least. We never know these days what is going to come our way – and we have learned to just go with it as much as possible, but to not be passive at the same time.

It is always best to be actively involved in creating your life as you live it - even if you feel it is not your own - on some level, you are in control - or are struggling to regain control. Making decisions, dreaming and wishing are the best way forward...even if it takes some time to see the results.

I am happy to get up on these warmer mornings, however (LOL) and sometimes the sun is even shining, which is an added bonus. I have been wondering how much longer the entire country can hold out on such low Vitamin D stores.

One of the basics of life is adequate sunshine, not only for the peace, warmth and contentment it brings but also for those all important vitamins we cannot do without for very long. This year we are getting a little more sunshine and are hopeful for lots more. 

Being spring there is so much on my mind at the moment (garden, cheese, goats, fresh eggs and milk, growing children) – all of earth is coming alive and I want to be in tune with that energy. Actually most of us crave and sense the earth’s energy – that’s why being out in nature is such a healing experience for us.

One of the first things to be realized about the nature that is around us – is it’s abundance. The earth is rich with life – and what is so wonderful about this life is that where there is life there is hope.

Life always finds a way.

April