Rachel Talley

Man is a Facade

I find it interesting how our expectations of life and the way it should be are always changing. I have found that even if I create the expectation I am desiring, it tends to come in a different form than my mind had configured. I am talking about just daily choices we make. My husband "planned" on going to a sweat lodge ceremony today and then changed his plans and decided not to go. He had planned it all week and so I had planned my day around his plans. But then, his plans changed so mine did also. Now, this isn't always the case but I often wonder about the importance of acceptance of the present moment.

We live in a world where we selfishly think we are the end all and be all of everything around us. I believe most of us have yet to spiritually and emotionally grow past the age of 2. We came here, put on the cloak called "ego", and are still spinning our wheels to receive what we really want from life. Until we decide to see each other as the spiritual beings we truly are, it is VERY hard to move past our own pride and reach the higher ground we might be searching for.

I am inspired by this quote I found in one of my favorite books, "Autobiography of a Yogi." Pramahansa Yogananda is actually quoting Emerson from his writing in "The Over-Soul." Here is what he has to say:

"A man is a facade of a temple wherein all wisdom and all good abide. What we commonly call man, the eating, drinking, planting, counting man, does not, as we know him, represent himself, but misrepresents himself. Him we do not respect; but the soul, whose organ he is, would he let it appear through his actions, would make our knees bend....We lie open on one side to the deeps of spiritual nature, to all the attributes of God."

What an AMAZING quote! I feel the TRUTH in his words. If we put together the idea that we are to live in the present moment and accept the outcome of all things, together with the fact that the physical man is a facade, we can then listen to our own heart beating with the recognition that each and every moment is a spiritual learning ground. The learning is ONLY our own and is ONLY for our conscious self to identify the God or Goddess that is who we are! There are those such as gurus, shaman, spiritual leaders of all kinds, who have found this fact to be true sooner than the rest of us slow pokes. Each day we live life with our Soul longing for the realization of who and what we really are. I am and you are PURE and EVERLASTING love! Just like we carry genes from one generation to the next, we are beings of Light who inherently, inside us all, know this to be a known FACT but our ego has let us choose to disbelieve that it could ever be so. Just some thoughts that have been stewing in my brain and I have been wanting to get down.

Here is what I ate yesterday and today.

Friday, June 1st:

lots of watermelon

2 quarts of banana/berry smoothie

1 mango

handful of cherries

1 quart of green soup

more watermelon

Saturday, June 2nd:

lots of watermelon

1 quart of banana/berry smoothie

2 cups of cherries eaten with 4 Nori sheets

I am trying to decide if I want green soup or just mangos for dinner. I have kinda lost my appetite as of right now. I will fill you in.

I found myself getting upset this morning that Chris decided to not go to the sweat ceremony. Here I am trying to learn to accept and love others in whatever space they are in. But with my spouse, I find that most days this feels like an IMPOSSIBLE feat. As I extend my understanding and insights, I am aware at the place where I am at and only focusing, once again, on his "stuff" instead of my own. That once I chose to remove fear and look at me, his choices and reactions to life will no longer affect me in anyway. I can LOVE and appreciate him, HOWEVER he decides to live.

Another friend of mine that I was waiting to go into labor, finally had her baby. She has an AWESOME story that pertains to all I have discussed here. I am waiting for pictures. As soon as I get those, I will share her story. Things did not turn out how she had hoped but she quickly accepted the outcome by recognizing God's support and charity through it all.

Until next time.

Abundant peace to all,

Rachel

by Rachel Talley

The Birth of Daniel Noble

I will go ahead and talk about the food thing to get it out of the way.

Today, May 31st:

Lots of watermelon

1 quart + 2 cups of banana/berry smoothies

2 pieces of durian

1 quart + 1 cup green soup The same one I have been making over the past couple of days.

1/2 of a medium honeydew

I have been LOVING durian lately. My son Dean has been all raw, by his choice, for about 8 months now. I remember when he first went raw he tried some durian and he didn't really like it that much. Well, yesterday Dean saw me eating one and wanted to tried it. He LOVED it and like me, couldn't get enough. Today we were both shedding tears over eating our last piece. We are sad to think we have to wait til tomorrow to be able to go and pick up more at The Asian Market. I will be there FIRST thing in the morning!

I want to share some of my insights into Christa's birth. She was AMAZING during her pregnancy and birth. She ate an ALL RAW diet throughout her WHOLE pregnancy. That makes her WONDER WOMAN, in and of itself. Aside from an all raw diet, she took TOTAL and COMPLETE responsibility of her pregnancy and birth by educating herself on all topics that pertain to emotional, physical and spiritual well being. Also, she spent HOURS working herself through emotional issues of all kinds. She came to group every week and REALLY did her STUFF!

For those of you who don't know, Christa's due date was May 14th and she didn't deliver until May 27. That made her 13 days overdue. As you can imagine, as soon as her due date hit, all the calls from family members and friends proceeded to pour in wondering if she had delivered or not. Christa had a hard time with this in the beginning but then turned to her own inner knowing and her Higher Power and found the needed faith to stay strong in her belief that her baby and body knew EXACTLY when her he was ready to come.

Oh, I also must mention that Christa felt VERY inspired to participate in a sweat lodge ceremony later in her pregnancy. She released and felt replenished emotionally and physically after. While in the lodge, there are 4 rounds. Before entering the lodge, she was not sure what sex her baby was. During the ceremony, she had some VERY strong inspiration that it was a boy. Her inspiration was SO strong that she proceeded to go ahead and make boy birth announcements. Talk about listening and holding faith in our personal inspiration. She was SURE she was having a boy at that point and she was right.

The day before she went into labor, we decided it would be a good idea if she came over to my house and just hung out. She asked if I would do energy work on Daniel (her baby) to see if there was any reason he wasn't born yet. I LOVE doing energy work on babies. They are SO sweet and full of light and LOVE!! I could tell that he was a bit scared and I just sent him lots of peace and comfort that all would go well. She felt great after the work and felt it would help him feel safe enough to come into the world.

After the energy work, we decided that she should go home and draw a picture of her birth. Then when she was done, she would write in detail EXACTLY what she wanted for her birth. I dropped her home about 9 pm. Soon thereafter, she drew her picture and wrote her letter and decided to go to bed. Within minutes of finishing, she started contracting. She called me at 2 am to let me know her contractions were every ten minutes. She then called again at 4:30 am to tell me she wanted me there.

I arrived at 4:45 am to see her contracting BEAUTIFULLY! Once again, she was handing her pain SO well that I couldn't tell how far along she might be. She was worried about me checking her for fear she wouldn't be very far along. I decided to check her so we would know what to do about filling up the birth tub. When I checked she was 9 1/2 centimeters with a bulging bag. We hurried and filled up her bathtub and she delivered a GORGEOUS baby boy at 5:32 am. She was in SHOCK at how fast it all went. We all were.

Christa's whole experience with this birth in comparison with her first son Evan were like night and day. Hopefully, she will write something up about it so I can post it for you all. She felt SO empowered as a woman and now feels she can do ANYTHING!! I am, as always, in AWE of her personal strength, power and overall conviction throughout the whole process. Thank you Christa for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow from you. I am blessed by the LOVE you send my way and to all about you! More soon!

Abundant peace to all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

What to teach?

Okay you guys, I am starting to forget what I have been eating so I decided that even though I don't have time tonight to post all my thoughts and insights, I better post my food. So...

by Rachel Talley

Party with Kim

The last couple of days have been ALOT of FUN!! I am so EXCITED because I started carrying around my camera with me so I could take pictures to post. My good friend Christa finally delivered after being 1 and 1/2 weeks over due. Her baby boy was born this morning at 5:32 am. She had an AMAZING birth. She was strong and applied faith throughout the whole process. She should be emailing me some pics soon. When she does, I will post them and give you some of the low down about the birth.

My sister came decided to come and visit me this weekend. I LOVE it when she comes. She is one of my very BEST friends. She inspires me to be a better person. We have been VERY close since we were young. We grew up sharing a room and singing songs together before finally falling asleep. Such FOND memories of our growing up years.

by Rachel Talley

Our Core Element

I am really excited to say that a few people have contacted me to tell me they enjoy reading my blog!! And then, there was an email sent to my Yahoo Group by Karen who stated that she had been inspired BY MY BLOG to make some needed dietary changes!! YOO!! HOO!!! You guys, I want to shout for joy that people are making needed transitions and KNOW they CAN do it!! WAY TO GO, everyone! And THANK YOU so much for taking the time to let me know how you feel about it!! It means the world to me to be able to connect with others and help in anyway I can. I know if I can help only ONE person, I am helping to change MILLIONS!! What a MIRACLE to us all!!

Yesterday was a relaxing day for me. I got to read some of "The Righteous Branch", a book I am enjoying IMMENSELY right now. It speaks of so many STUNNING truths. For the last 3 to 4 years, Chris and I have been drawn to many of the Native American ideas of life and living. When we first started on the path of learning of their ways, we instantly felt the spirituality that resides with bounteous teaching they hold. Because of our lack of understanding, our pride and ego, we tore them from their lands and their traditions. I have a friend who believes that woman and men both have 1 core element inside of them, that when taken away leaves them lost within their own minds and hearts. For woman, it is childbirth and for men, it is culture or tradition. I believe this is DECIDEDLY true!! I have seen what it can do to a woman to think she cannot bring child into this world. It can devestate them to no end! I see men, in our current society, and they seem obscured to the world around them and what spirituality and connection with God really means. The connection to Source, Mother Earth, angels, goddess, and so on seems hidden to so many.

When we found this path, I watched in wonderment as my husband started to find himself. There was this hidden side of him which I had NEVER seen before. His previous disconnect to all things spiritual revived and awakened. I cannot deny the need for men to live within a culture where their place and path is cemented in their longing to stand as a WARRIOR and LEADER!! This does in no way connotate that men are above woman in anyway. On the Red Path, men and woman move together striving to understand and support each other a in their sexuality as human beings. That through childbirth for woman, and culture and tradition for men, we can face the world of fears and uncertainty while cleaving to each other and the Creator for support and strength. This is just how I see it. If I cannot even stand in union with my spouse and love him in his movement toward understanding himself, I will NEVER fully understand me and my personal path. As we both look to each other to aid in our understanding of who we really are, we can then look upward at a God and Elder Brother, hand in hand, knowing that the answers will come. So... there ya have my insights for today. I am grateful for them. The more I appreciate, honor, and accept him and vice versa, the closer we become to each other, along with hearing and heeding the voices that teach us the truths that bring each of us peace. And WOW!! I figure if I can do that with my spouse, I would hope and pray that I could do it with ALL species that are present with me on this Earth. Am I going on to much about peace? Maybe I should find a new topic. I am just LOVING the learning right now and hope others find this interesing too!!

Ok, let's move on to the physical stuff now. I must say, I have been feeling GREAT since making these diet changes. I have noticed I have been sleeping longer than normal, oh about, 8-9 hours a night. I can tell I am doing some thyroid cleansing which I am OVERJOYED about!! I have bouts where I feel really cold and tired for a few hours and then it instantly stops and I feel great again. And even the cold and tired thing isn't as bad as it was years ago when I was actually on medication and overweight. It doesn't even compare to the physical reactions I was having then. When I am feeling cold and tired, I LOVED how I am learning more and more to listen to my body. I lay down or sun bath and let my eyes and body rest. Yesterday, I felt a bit tired and I layed down and closed my eyes for only 10 minutes but I was AMAZED how refreshed and energetic I felt right after it. I think I may incorporate this into my daily regime. I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

I am LOVING my soups right now too!! I have eaten green soups off and on while on this raw path but lately they have been tasting SO GOOD!! I LOVE the seaweeds I put into them. I purchase my seaweed from the Maine Coast Sea Vegetables. They have THE BEST seaweeds I have ever tasted. They go to great lengths to offer the healthiest, best tasting, and HIGHEST quality seaweeds I have found yet. My favorite is the Applewood Smoked Dulse. It is still consider a raw food since it is smoked at very low temperatures. I also LOVE the Sea Lettuce Leaf and just the plain Dulse. I buy them all in bulk because they are a daily addition in my diet. For awhile, I was eating TONS of dulse on everyday. I could tell my body was REALLY wanting all the minerals it provides. It is rich in B vitamins and other needed trace minerals. Read all abou it HERE!

I still have eaten no fat or salt. It is kinda funny though because I did notice a stange reation twice now since doing this. My son had made himself some peas and without realizing he had put salt on them, I ate maybe a 1/4 of a cup. I sensed within, oh about a 1/2 an hour, my hands felt dry and kinda puffy. It's like the way you feel when you have been in the heat too long and haven't had enough to drink. Isn't that strange? I have done it twice now and have had the same reaction. I don't like the feeling ONE BIT!! I have really craved salt but if I do, then I will just remember this reaction.

So....here is the list of foods I ate yesterday and so far today.

Yesterday, May 23rd:

1 quart +2 cups grapefruit juice with green powder

1 quart green smoothie which was spinach/bananas/strawberries

2 quarts smoothie which was bananas/strawberries

1 quart +2 cups green soup of mixed baby greens/celery/red bell pepper/dulse & sea lettuce/peas/grapefruit juice

3 whole grapefruits

Today May 24th what I have eaten so far which isn't much:

I have had a busier day today but I will probably end up eating similar to yesterday.

4 cups chopped watermelon

1 quart grapefruit juice with green powder

2 bananas

I know I haven't felt as hungry today. I think it is the thyroid thing kicking in!! Which I am SO excited about. I have been cold and a bit fatiqued! But I must say, that this is the first week in a VERY long time that I haven't worked out everyday. This is probably adding to my "issues." I am not surprised I don't feel as hungry as the body is cleansing. I am listening and will let you know if I even eat anything else today. I have been VERY thirsty though and I am drinking more water than I normally do. I drink, AT LEAST, a half a gallon a day. I can tell I will probably get a gallon in today. Another cleansing reactions has been sweating off and on more than normal. I am glad to see my sweat glands are working well when I am releasing!! I LOVE my body and how MAGNIFICENT it is !!

Oh, one last thought. The other sensations I have been recieving while doing this is ever so slight kidney discomfort. My kidneys have ALOT to release and so again I am EXCITED about that!! Until next time!!

Peace and health to all,

Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Holding our Inner Child

This will be a shorter post. I have found that if I wait too long to post what I ate, I forget it. Like with the last post, I forgot to post that I had some durian. Just one piece but I wanted to make sure I got in everything I had been eating. My diet is still pretty boring though, if I say so myself. If you start seeing a patteren here, sorry!! Here is what I ate yesterday and today.

Here is a quote from the book that I felt is so BEAUTIFUL! It speaks for themselves. Here's the first one."Once at a Zen Center picnic in Golden Gate Park, I saw Suzuki do what I felt was a silent teaching on the nature of Enlightenment. When he arrived at the gathering he saw a baby blanket on the ground and he lay there a while in his black robes, rolled up in a lacy pink baby blanket." ~Stephan Gaskin

by Rachel Talley

Happy Anniversary!

OH my GOODNESS! Yesterday was my 12th wedding anniversary. It was quite an interesting day. On Saturday evening, we were invited to a FUN evening with our other Medicine Man named James. We met some really AMAZING people! I was glad to be there and share in the connection with others.

by Rachel Talley

Rebirth and Renewal

I am HAPPY to be alive! I had a really cool day yesterday. At last minute, we decided to hold another sweat lodge ceremony. I LOVE sweating! I love the preparation. I love the process. I most of all LOVE watching others get clear and open by letting the love of the whole universe into their hearts. This is my favorite part. I am extremely honored when people feel safe enough to enter my home and my lodge to begin a deep and ever changing healing experience. WOW~

I must say how grateful I am for the dietary changes I have been making recently. As you all know, I have been striving to hydrate, cleanse, rebuild and alkalize in my own little way. Normally during and after a lodge, because of the emotional and physical releasing that is taking place, you can have ALL kinds of "cleansing reactions" as you might call them. Whether that be headaches, nausea, crying, or fear and so on and so forth. I have had all of these feelings at some time or another during or after the ceremony. It always amazes me what we hold onto that is no longer serving us. The sweat aids in the process of releasing and letting go any of that baggage.

But the sweat lodge is not just about releasing. It is MOSTLY about rebirth and renewal. The love we feel for ourselves and each other is truly a blessing from heaven. It helps us to unburden as we become reconnected with our Source and others. It helps us to understand ourselves and our loved ones a bit better each time we enter and exit a lodge. We gain the opportunity to refresh our presence in the world and how each choice we made changes the WHOLE world, in one way or another. I am telling you, it is a GLORIOUS experience each and every time.

Oh, the coolest part about the lodge is that my 7 year old daughter came in with us for the 1st round. She said she really liked it but felt inspired to leave after that. I was happy to know she was already learning how to listen to her own intuition. I was SO proud of her strength and courage. I felt so blessed that she was my daughter and wanted to be there to help herself and others. She has been blessed with MANY gifts. When some of the people were struggling after the lodge, she was willing and ready to help them through by using those gifts. I am hoping to put together a very easy and mild sweat for children. Those of you who might be interested in something like that, let me know. I will make sure it happens.

Another special experience came through my good friend of mine named Sarah. She has been doing dietary changes also. Like me, she has decided to cut out fat and salt for awhile and has been drinking LOTS of water, along with eating greens and fruits. In this place, her body reached a higher vibration of vitality to be able to really dig deep into her desired intentions for the sweat. It is because of this vitality and excess of strength, that she was able to release so much. She had prepared herself both physically and spiritually for that to take place. I read a GREAT saying a friend made up on one of the groups I am on. I LOVED it and think it is appropriate for here. it's called the 6 P's. PLENTIFUL PERSONAL PREPARATION PROMOTES PERFECT PERFORMANCE! This is definitely what Sarah did. I must say, I was in AWE as I watched her release LARGE amounts of anger and resentment that she had been holding onto for years. I truly believe that because she was willing to make the inspired physical changes she made, her spirit was ready to open and really dig in deep the way she had been wanting for months!! SO AWESOME!

I was really grateful to be able to assist at the lodge. This is my favorite part. When I am able to deal with my own stuff well, I find that I can be of some help to others especially those who have chosen to really get clear. This is the FUNNEST part for me. This makes all the work and preparation for what I do TOTALLY worth it. To watch people become one with others and their Creator, helps you to understand in your own heart, your worth along with theirs. If they are loved, then you know you must be too! Thanks to all who shared this experience with me yesterday. I will be taking pictures of my lodge today and posting those for all of you.

So...the food thing is still going strong. Chris and I got invited to a friends how tonight for a get together. It sounds so FUN and I am excited. He was anxious to make me food that I would eat. He was going to marinate some veggies for grilling and said he would marinate some for me without grilling them. At the time, I said ok because I was feeling really bad about not eating what he was going to make. I think it is almost worse sometimes when people go to the effort to make something you would eat and you still can't or won't eat it. LAME!!! I have been pondering and praying over eating it and finally decided to call him this morning to tell him I am eating a funky diet right now and that I am choosing to stick with that. I am working on some issues of feeling really bad, like I am letting him down. But I feel inspired to stay the course with what I am doing right now and know he is the type of man who will DEFINITELY understand my situation. I am, of course, bringing food as always. This will make it easier to eat while there without eating what is being made. I always recommend taking food to any function you attend where food will be present. This is the easiest way to get around making sure you are eating with others.

Here is what I ate yesterday. I was preparing for the sweat ceremony so all I had was:
1/2 a watermelon
1 quart grapefruit juice with green powder
LOTS and LOTS of water to stay well hydrated

Then after the ceremony:
Lots more watermelon
handful of grapes
I waited about 20 minutes for those to digest so I wouldn't be food combining. Then I ate my green soup which consisted of spinach/celery/cucumber/red bell pepper/grapefruit juice/sea lettuce. It was again DELICIOUS!!

There it all is! Until tomorrow!
Love to all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Changing Children

Today has been a VERY good day! I was awakened this morning about 6 by a friend who thought she might be in labor but wasn't sure. This is her first experience with a homebirth and I think she is a bit nervous. Her previous experience was a induced hospital birth. She is not sure what to expect. I don't blame her. She has yet to call me to let me know she is in labor so I will keep you posted!

I must say that the spiritual changes that have taken place within me, I find are helping my children move through their "stuff." My oldest son Dean seems not happy with his life, as of late. Yesterday he cut his foot on a piece of glass. This morning, in a round about sort of way, he stated that he was sad that I hadn't really taken care of his foot. He ened up feeling that he had to ask Papa to do it. The really cool part about that was that I noticed he was taking responsibility for his feelings and feeling safe enough to express them to me. Something in the past that hasn't frequently taken place. We already had a candle lit and so we proceeded to say a prayer and let go of some REALLY deep stuff he had been carrying. He is an AMAZING healer and doesn't quite recognize it yet. He loves EVERYTHING so much that he walks around being willing to "take on" everyone else's crap. He will carry their pain for them. Of course, in return, he just feels pain and sorrow and then has a hard time really letting it go. I was SO PROUD of him this morning. He felt TONS better when we were done. He was grateful for the experience and LOVE abounded between us both. Isn't CHARITY such an AWESOME gift? WOW!!

My daugter had a similar experience where when Chris and I need to leave, she has felt very saddened by this. I feel that because she sees us taking our pain and sorrow to the Lord, she knew that she could do the same and find comfort and peace. We quickly grabbed the candle and she led the way to letting the love of the Savior in and accepting his healing for her. Again, an eye opening lesson for me. I have found I shouldn't worry myself, to the extent that I do, about my children and their emotional and spiritual well being. As I work on myself and getting me to a space of healing and health, they tend to follow suit and see the fruits of my and their labors.

by Rachel Talley

Pondering

I have been pondering and praying since starting this process of "drinking my food." Part of the reason for starting it was the whole jaw/teeth loss issue. Another reason was that I knew I had some strong emotional and spiritual issues I need to work through. I understand my body well enough to know that when I chose to lessen the work load physically, my whole being then decides the lessen the work load in all regards. I am grateful I know of this technique of healing. I feel it has helped my several times since starting this lifestyle change.

I have HUGE AMOUNTS of anger! And of course, every negative emotion known to man. Anger has been a big one for me lately. Just like the rest of us, I have had some WONDERFUL old thought patterns that are now ready to arise and be released. They are no longer serving me and my current vibration which I am ESTATIC about. It has been hard for me to release these thought patterns. They are like the comfortable, soft, lovely blanket that I carried as a child to help me feel safe. I find it interesting that when we release and let go of old baggage, our initial feeling is one of fear of the unknown. It has become such a part of us that letting it go can feel sad to even downright painful. All of these feelings have been coursing through me since deciding to "drink my food" two days ago.

This morning I had an AMAZING bawling session. It felt horrible while processing it but as soon as I lit my candle and talked to my Savior and God, I let go and felt the LOVE and PEACE of the God and angels surrounding me. I felt honored, yet again, to find that I am loved no matter what choices I make. That God's love isn't conditional based upon my "worthiness." I feel increasingly inspired as I relearn to apply this universal principle into my life.

The other side of the coin is letting others accept me in this saddened state that I see myself in. When I am in the place of feeling "pathetic and weak", I refuse to let others love me for fear that I will be rejected. My husband showed me today that, even while working out his own internal issues, he could and would accept and love me while hoping the same for himself. Isn't this really what we all want? To be accepted and loved in any space that we chose to live in. What a world we could live in if this were the case. I believe that this acceptance and love truly is CHARITY! The LOVE of God, the Savior, angels and even the universe coursing through us to be extented to all who we come in contact with. The fact that my husband helped and led the way, it made it easier for me to love and accept him in his saddened space. This, as we relearn how to truly apply it, then extends to all species that we come in contact with here on the earth. Well....there it is. This is my learning for today. I am extremely grateful to God for it. I find it interesting since starting this juice fast that I haven't really had any physical "cleansing" reactions. As you can see, they have been emotional which makes it apparent that the body heals as a whole. We can chose to raise our vibration emotionally, physically or spiritually and then sit back and let the LOVE in. Cleansing, rebuilding, alkalizing and hydrating are all WAYS of loving ourselves. The outcome is the love we are wanting to recieve.

Now...I have had a few thoughts about sticking with only juice and/or moving to smoothies and soups. During other juice fasts that I and others have performed, I have found that supplements like cascara sagrada and/or psyllium husks have been taken to help the bowel eliminate. During the process of juice fasting, the body is releasing quite a bit of toxic material. Without the bowel pushing it out, we then turn to supplements to "force" it out. This is not always the case but sometimes severe cleansing reactions can be felt without the elmination process. I am in a quandary regarding if this is really healthy for my body at this point in time. I have spent years previous taking both of those supplements and have found that I wish to be a bit more gentle with myself, at this point in time.

Also, I agree with Victoria Boutenko in regards to fiber helping to bind toxic material as it moves through the bowel and then going on the eliminate it. It seems to me that when juice fasting we are still forcing the bowel to move even though there is not enough bulk for the bowel to move on it's own. Understand me, that in no way am I stating that we shouldn't juice fast. I feel that if we are all learning how to listen to our bodies then we will apply whatever lessons we need to in order to gain the desired health we are seeking. But...for my situation at this point in time, I am wondering if I can see the same, if not even better results, if I incorporate smoothies and soups in with my juices. These are just some of the thoughts I have had for today. I would love to get others feedback. I feel I can get great results because I am not going to be eating any fat or salt during this time, along with trying to eat as simply as possible. I am still pondering and praying about what to do. As of right now, I am still juicing. I will fill you in more tomorrow.

Here is what I had to drink yesterday and today:

1 quart prune water

1 cup grapefruit juice mixed with powdered greens

1 quart + 2 cups carrot/celery/apple/comfrey/ginger juice

1 quart + 1 cup grapefruit juice

1 quart carrot/celery/apple/comfrey/ginger juice

Today:

2 quarts watermelon juice

And who knows, maybe I will eat some soup tonight. Stay tuned to know the rest of the "drinking" saga.

God bless you all,

Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Only Juice Today

Today I decided to drink only juice. This isn't foreign for me since I love it and I have done several juice fasts in the past. The longest juice fast I have ever accomplished was a week long orange juice fast. I LOVED it and felt great when I was done. Here is what I drank today:

1 quart of prune water which is the water from soaked prunes
1 1/4 quarts spinach/celery/apple/lemon juice
1 cup grapefruit juice with green powder
1 quart grapefruit juice
1 1/2 quart mixed greens/celery/cucumber/strawberry juice
1 1/2 quarts grapefruit juice with green powder

So...let's see. That is about a gallon and a half. Right? WOW! It seemed like I drank much more than that. Today wasn't too hard until this evening when I had to make food for my family. It still wasn't too bad at that point, it just was the first time I had any desire to really eat before then.

I feel really good and had energy most of the day. I did feel a bit tired in the late afternoon but just relaxed for a few minutes and then I felt better. I am now VERY tired though. I am ready to go to bed. I found I was emotionally stable for the day. I enjoyed this side effect immensely. Physically, I spent a good amount of time in the bathroom which I LOVE! I really enjoy the light feeling you get when you are "cleaning house", so to speak.

The interesting thing about today is about a year ago I swore off all supplements for awhile just to see how I felt while trying to transition to a less fat, no salt diet. There is a green powder I used to drink. I don't see it as a supplement but today I decided to pull it out and start taking it again. I took it for several years when I first went raw. I was consistent with taking it up until last year. I enjoyed taking it again and will probably incorporate while I am doing my little drinking stint.

I am still vacillating on how long to stay on the juice and when to start incorporating smoothies and such. I really agree with Victoria Boutenko's info in her "Green for Life" book. I like what Doug Graham has to say in his new "80/10/10 Diet" book. I do believe in a whole foods diet. With my bowel the way it has been in the past and the bowel being a muscle that I believe gets stronger with use, I am wondering about how long to juice fast. Of course, I do agree that the more we ease digestion, the efficiency of healing and health is quickened. Chris is somewhat concerned about how long I should stay on just juice but I will listen to my inner knowing. Who knows? Maybe I will do juice in the mornings and then smoothies and soups the rest of the day. That sounds like SO MUCH fun to me too! But either way, I hope others are interested enough that I will post everyday what I eat. I am wondering if it might get boring because I do eat alot of the same things over and over. If I do incorporate the smoothies, then my plan is to definitely do this until the day I finally get my teeth in. So...I figure that will somewhere between 6 to 8 months.

I was talking to a friend tonight and mentioned the dietary changes I am making. I was telling her that I was hoping others would want to do some cleansing and rebuilding along with me. She stated that she didn't think she could do it as long as I was. I want to clarify that when I ask for anyone else to jump in, I mean just plan a cleanse similar to mine and decide what you can handle and then go from there. Even if someone ends up doing only a couple day juice fast or a week of green smoothies or whatever, they will want to be a part of it with me and feel better as a result. So...until tomorrow.

Peace and love to you all,
Rachel

by Rachel Talley

Um...Drinking all my Food?

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I had gotten my 2 back right molars removed. Well, life has been VERY hard for me since then. Because I waited 2 years to finally get up the guts to get those teeth pulled I have ABSOLUTELY killed my jaw. Now everytime I try to chew anything, I feel OVERWHELMING pain in the left side of my jaw enough so that I consider taking drugs but never do. It has become annoying as well as extremely bothersome to the extent that it is NOT worth trying to chew anymore. I can tell that my jaw is over taxed and not happy, to say the least. I believe in listening to our bodies and I feel my jaw is now telling me it needs to take a LONG break.

by Rachel Talley

Having FAITH in the Present Moment

So...I know I already discussed the faith topic but I wanted to talk about my intention at the last sweat lodge we had. Last Saturday, I was honored to participate in an all woman's Native American sweat lodge ceremony. It was, of course, AMAZING as it usually is. We had 13 woman. All of them strong, powerful, inspiring and uplifting woman. It was the very first time we had used our sweat lodge. We just got it up and running about a month ago. I was LOVING that the first sweat was an all woman's sweat.

Well, before each sweat you create an intention that you are sending out to God, the universe and your own heart, of something that you want help, understanding and guidance with. Since I have been on this faith kick over the last little while, I decided to take it one step further and really get conscious and aware in every moment of my life. I knew that creating this intention would help with that process. Instead of hoping that I can have faith in regards to many aspects of my life, I was praying that I could have faith that NO MATTER what was happening, I KNEW the present situation was what was meant to be taking place and all was well. I hope that makes sense.

We went on to have an AWESOME sweat where I gained so many insights. I just loved it! Then the next Monday we had our weekly group meeting. This is a really cool place where a group of us get together with an AMAZING medicine man named David (who happens to have a PH.D. in Psychology which is helpful when you are trying to help others emotionally) and we have the opportunity to dig deep into our "issues" and take responsibility for our lives every step of the way. We learn that we are creating or have created the present situations in our lives that we are dealing with or struggling with right now. Let me just say that I LOVE GROUP!! It can be hard at times and even emotionally painful but David's approach is very Christ centered and I have seen tons of people heal and get clear with his, God's and loved ones help. It's like watching GLORIOUS miracles, for many people, right before our eyes on a weekly basis. It has been a blessing for my family and everyone I know who has participated.

Anywho, last week at group I had lots and lots of "issues" come up and rear their ugly head. These were emotions and feelings that I knew had been festering but...it was quite hard and overwhelming to be honest, conscious and present at that moment when I felt hurt. You see, I have loads of pride that I try to hide from the rest of the world. I know, it is hard to believe because I am just so great! (Note the sarcasm in that last sentence) It is VERY hard in group to hold on to that pride because everyone else is seeing all your "stuff." This is a WONDERFUL blessing because you get to see, on a small scale, that we really are all the same and deal with so many of the same daily fears and phobias. We see that we are all really trying and doing our best with our present cirumstances that we chose to live in. I enjoy reconizing the "oneness" in us all. What is inside me, is also inside you! All the love, peace, joy and happiness right along with all the anger, resentment, sadness, fear and loss. We are all the same!

To make a long story way too long, I finally realized last night that I still couldn't have faith in the present moment. That all along the way I was fighting and fearing my present situations, instead of trusting and letting go of things about myself that were only making me sick. I do believe that over time, this process can be simple, easy and quick if we just learn the use the love of our Savior as a source for true healing. That even though we feel lost and alone in the space of that pain, that we are all connected and you are no different than anyone else. We are all striving to be loved and find that love for ourselves.

I am now forgiving myself, yet again, for choosing to not let go of something that was no longer serving me or anyone else in my circle of humanity. I know I can do this, I have done it before but this tends to be a bit scarier since I feel this is deep rooted stuff that I have carried since for way too long. As I am forgiving myself and repenting, I am truly grateful for the opportunity of loving my God when I have been in a space of anger toward him. I expected him to make the world a safer place for me and my family. I have blamed him for the choices I have made instead of seeing the love that already exists in our world and creating more of it within me. I am learning to release control and let life lead me. In this space of being led, I accept and hold strong to faith that I am LOVE and I am LOVED and this is all that really matters. What a happy thought. I think I will hold to this one for awhile. I hope you do it right along with me!! Hopefully, next time I will be writing about staying conscious in every moment of life. There is no past or future, the here and now is the only present reality we need be concerned with.

by Rachel Talley