Fear-Hate-Kill

I am fascinated with the psychology of the mind and human behavior and our complexities of emotions. The basis of the work I do with clients is to help remove the layers of emotional baggage we humans feel the need to carry around like pack mules. Inevitably in the unraveling, we reach a layer filled with fear that has a direct correlation to the struggles they are facing.

I am always curious about the origins of one’s fears. How do so many fears get implanted in our psyche? So many of our actions and decisions are based in fear and we are not even aware of it because it is programmed in the subconscious mind as a belief.

If we listen closely to the words we choose, it becomes very apparent when we have a belief that is based in fear. Hate is one of those words. Fear is the basis for hate. If fear is allowed to rule in our life, it leads to much negative and violent behavior. Things like racism and war are fueled by fear. Fear keeps us separate; invoking the ‘us against them’ mentality and fueling our hatred. Hate keeps us in the lowest vibration, furthest from the vibration of Love. 

Let’s start the unraveling of fear by dissecting the use of the word hate – verb; to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest. When I hear people exclaim how they hate this or that and how random their hatred seems to be, I like to invite them to shift their awareness to the use of the word hate because of the energy that particular word carries. Often when I question someone about the use of the word, they are not even aware how often they use it, or why hate has become their default verb. 

Consequently, the opposite of hate is love. This means if we are in the energy of hate we are the furthest distance from the energy of love. So every time you use the word hate you are absent of love. Your intended use of the word hate has no bearing on the energy associated with it. You can say the word hate while listening to Mahlers Symphony No. 8 and it won’t change the energetic vibration of the word hate.

If you don’t understand the significance and power behind words I recommend you read the research done by Dr. Masaru Emoto. Words are so powerful they can support life or destroy life, yet most people are not conscious to the words they choose to use. We claim to hate many random things and if we actually think about what we profess to hate versus love, in most cases it doesn’t appear very logical. 

Because I love and respect nature, I most recently have been very attuned to how many things people claim to hate within nature. How one reacts to their environment is a simplistic way to help demonstrate the inner workings of hatred and how so many of our fears are programmed beliefs from our unconscious mind. A person can hate dandelions but love marigolds, hate pine trees but love lilac trees, hate spiders but love grasshoppers, hate wasps but love bumble bees, hate centipedes but love caterpillars (make them fuzzy and they are loved even more). So what is the belief that created such a strong hate of so many things around us? 

I love opening dialogue of discovery with clients, friends and family. This blog was inspired by a june bug. Someone stated they hated june bugs. When I questioned why, there was no real answer – they are creepy and they make a creepy noise as they bang up against the window screen at night.

People don’t think twice about killing something in nature they find annoying or, in this case, creepy. When opening the dialogue about the basis of this hatred toward specific species, there was no rational explanation for it. This is someone who grew up in the country where, as a child, all plants, animals and insects were explored and appreciated for their simplicity and beauty. Somewhere along the line a fear developed into a hatred that led to a killing. When sharing this topic with a friend, she agreed that june bugs are creepy and hates them. Further discussion revealed a fear of them buzzing on the window screen when she was a child. Fear-Hate-Kill.

Emotions are triggered by particular beliefs. Fear is based on a belief that one's life is in danger. When you see a spider your subconscious says fear-hate-kill and you smack it without a second thought. Now, unless it is a poisonous spider (which would be considered a rational fear if it was about to attack you), what is the thought that triggered the fear that makes you reflexively take its life without hesitation? What are you thinking when the fear arises in a non-life threatening situation? Emotions are automatic responses and thus fallible, so they should be compared to reasoned thoughts. If a conflict occurs, you can attempt to resolve why the conflict exists by understanding why the emotion is being triggered and whether it is correct. This will provide you with the opportunity to change a belief based on subconscious programming based in fear.

God, Creator, Great Spirit lives within all things, within every plant, insect, animal, tree, and in every one of us. How can we justify loving this but not that? Is that not the basis of prejudice? Fear creates separateness and judgment of life we view different and somehow less significant to the planet than our own. You honor Spirit by honoring all living things, as all living things are from the same source. When we love we love ourselves so when we hate, don't we also hate ourselves? By expressing love  we are then in our highest vibration.

Changing our programmed beliefs is not an overnight event, but it begins with awareness. When we become aware of our words, we start to see what our programmed beliefs are and this is a direct correlation to our present reality. When we remain conscious – a state we can only obtain by being fully present in the moment – we can rewrite the words we use. This is something I personally work on all the time. I am grateful to have amazing friends, family and clients that remain open to the work I do, and allow me to be who I am and to share all my thoughts and ideas openly. When you see peace and love, you become peace and love. When you respect all of nature, it respects you back. Love something in nature you have only known to hate. Shift from hate to love and see how much love you get in return. I leave you with this excerpt from a book a very dear friend recommended because she thought of me while she was reading it. It has become one of my favorites – thank you!

You cannot remain conscious motivated by fear. You will experience sorrow, suffering and death. It is only your ego that makes you fear. Your ego is here to look after your physical body, to make sure it gets enough to eat, to make sure it does not walk over the edge of a cliff or damage itself unknowingly. Your ego is the steward and potential master of all material –plane fears, an important and necessary component of your identity. However, your ego was never meant to provide you with your primary sense of self. In a healthy state, the ego is a secondary component of identity. In a healthy state, the Being behind all being, the self behind every self, the Great Spirit behind all of creation is experienced as your primary sense of self. Your ego does not have to be repressed or transcended for this to happen. It does not have to die. It simply has to assume an appropriate relationship with the spirit that in truth you are, the spirit that wants to incarnate and take up residence in your body/mind/heart system. Your ego is by nature a reflection. It can either be a good, sharp, clear reflection, or it can try to be an independent reflection. Your ego may create such an illusion, but if you believe in it, you will be troubled and unfulfilled. When your ego stops trying to do everything all by itself, and invites eternal spirit into your consciousness, your historical illusion evaporates like mist on a sunny morning. A polarity reversal takes place in the charge of your human envelope. The field of consciousness around you changes. Instead of your ego dominating your sense of identity and blocking your awareness of the Great Spirit, an eternal sense of self awakens within you. You remember and everything is seen differently. The world is perceived anew through the eyes of a universal awareness. Your ego becomes your working partner, and you commence the conscious creation of a new human reality.

When you simply destroy that which you cannot understand, it will come back to you again and again, each new form worse than the previous. But if once you can understand what motivates your enemy, you can often help him discover superior ways of accomplishing his deeper purpose.

Return of the Bird Tribes – Ken Carey

Mourning

I love nature; it keeps me present, real and grounded. Nowhere am I more at home or more observant then when I am in nature. Spring, my favorite time of year, is bursting with creative energy and full of new life, gifts and messages.

Outside my dining room window I have observed the joys and perils of two mourning doves building their nest and starting a family. They started building at the end of March – haphazardly collecting twigs (they are not the best architects in the bird world). I remember thinking what a great job they did in securing some prime real estate – tucked in the corner of the eves in the rain gutter with a little roof over their head providing protection from the weather and blocking the vision of any predator flying overhead. It wasn’t long and they were taking turns sitting day and night, a sure sign they had eggs (almost always 2). Mourning doves, a symbol of peace, are devoted parents. Rarely do they leave their nest unattended, both male and female take turns incubating the eggs.

One day I found an egg shell on the ground below the nest. I wanted to believe it was from an egg hatch, but I knew it was too soon, which could only mean one thing - the nest was raided. I felt sad, but a few days later I happened to catch the two mourning birds mating just below the dining room window, and once again they were incubating. This time, I thought to myself, I will be more observant of any threats to the nest. I became somewhat obsessed, always checking on the status of the nest. A couple times I was successful in scaring off a crow – the likely culprit of the previous nest raid. Crows are smart birds, and this one now knew where he could get his next meal. As we got closer to two weeks, I grew impatient waiting for the first sign of a successful hatch and finally several days ago I noticed more activity in the nest – we have squabs! It will be 11-15 days before they are fledglings (the stage where they have their feathers and their wing muscles are strong enough to take flight).

This morning as I sat down to enjoy my morning smoothie, I heard a ruckus outside and as I looked up I saw a crow fly and the mourning doves hot on its tail. I knew instantly what happened. The crow landed on the ground only a few feet from the nest. I knew even if I ran after it, it wasn’t about to give up its meal, yet my reflex action was to throw open the front door and run outside. Once it saw me burst out the door it flew off with its breakfast. I will never forget how helpless I felt as I watched the crow fly off with that baby bird as mom and dad sat nearby. I stood and watched the mourning doves as they tried their best to save their squab. Their cooing seemed desperate and intense. My heart sank, my eyes filled with tears. The song of the mourning dove has never spoken so deeply to me.

I looked up at the nest, now lifeless and empty. It was a good twenty minutes later when one returned to the nest and began to coo. I stepped outside to take a peek and my heart filled with joy at the sight of the second squab - still alive. Soon the other dove returned also, landing on the ground below the nest - cooing non-stop for the last hour or so as I write. What are they saying to each other? Can they feel a sense of loss? I believe so.

As much time as I have spent in and observing nature, this is something I have witnessed many times. There is always a sadness I feel when I am witness to what seems like such harshness in nature. But it is nature - the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization. The crow’s survival is no more or less significant than that baby dove. The crow didn’t have a personal vendetta against the mourning dove. The crow needed to eat, and most likely has its own family to feed.

The voice of the dove is the rain song. Out of its mourning, it invokes new waters of life. Its song should remind us that no matter what our life conditions, new waters and new life are still possible. The song of the mourning dove tells us to mourn what has passed, but awaken to the promise of the future. The doves may mourn their loss, but will not lose sight of the fact that there is still new life in that nest that needs their attention.

Nature is always our best teacher

Feather to Fire ~ Fire to Blood ~ Blood to Bone ~  Bone to Marrow
Marrow to Ashes ~ Ashes to Snow

A Journey to Remember

One of the most important things I've learned working with clients is that you can’t want things to change more than they want it for themselves. Change is a difficult thing for most people, even when faced with a life threatening illness. The reality of that first hit home when my brother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (which actually turned out to be undiagnosed Lyme’s disease). In just 3 months his symptoms were reversing by aggressively treating the Lyme’s disease with alternative therapies. The protocol was intense; it required many lifestyle changes including a complete nutritional overhaul. We would soon realize that mentally my brother was locked into the diagnosis given to him by the MS doctor and it wasn't his reality that he could get better. Having to let go and allow him to walk the path he was choosing was a difficult but enlightening process.

Eight years ago my father was given a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. I was hopeful for a chance to have a different outcome than that of my brothers. We started down the path of alternative therapies but gradually that path was washed away by allopathic medicine.

After a phone conversation with my mother in August of 2014, and hearing how overwhelmed she was with everything, I began to have visions of assisting them on a journey of transformation. I started seeing them healthy, active, enjoying their retirement like they had planned to. I began writing thoughts and ideas down as they would come to me. I knew how intense and difficult the process would be for them and I was also reminded that it isn't something I can want more than they do.

During a two week visit with my parents in October, 2014 I personally noticed a significant change in my father since I last saw him 6 months earlier. The drugs on the market for Alzheimer’s are experimental at best. These drugs don’t change the underlying disease process, are effective for some but not all people, and may help only for a limited time. Like so many pharmaceuticals, they come with a long list of dangerous side effects. Ironically these side effects can mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as depression, mood changes, confusion and hallucinations. I scrolled down the list of medications asking why he was prescribed each one. Most of them were for “known symptoms that people with Alzheimer’s get” but yet he wasn't exhibiting any of those symptoms at the time they were prescribed. And of course there were the usual MD favorites, cholesterol, blood pressure and ulcer medications. To top it off, his latest checkup revealed borderline diabetes, bringing the total number of medications to eight.

When I looked at the list of medications he was on, I felt angry, disappointed, sad, then ultimately became inspired and determined. Before I left to return to Miami I had lunch with my mother. I put it all on the table. I was willing to come and help improve the quality of their life, but she had to want it more than me.

Fear; a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. Fear is an interesting emotion. If you suddenly found yourself in the jaws of an alligator, that would represent a threat that is real and trigger your fight, flight or freeze response, which would serve you well in that situation. If you experience fear in an imagined way (your thoughts) you also trigger the same fight, flight or freeze response because the body doesn't know the difference between a real life threat and an imagined threat. This can create the feeling of being ‘stuck’ in your life – freeze response.

Two months after the conversation with my mother, she called me to say she was ready. So far my personal journey of self-discovery has been incredibly empowering, but my life is not absent of fear or doubt. I can easily create the freeze response by over thinking the fact that I am quitting my job, moving to another state (again), attempting to reverse the symptoms of a disease western medicine hasn't been able (or willing?) to, and a host of other thoughts that came up the minute my mother said yes. But I know by stepping into the shadow of fear, some amazing pathways have opened up in my life. I always trust and move forward, rather than fear and freeze.

This journey is bigger than me, bigger than the fear that arises from risking everything for an unknown outcome. This is a journey to remembering. Remembering family, remembering love, remembering happiness, and remembering our vulnerabilities because it will be raw and painful but on the other side of that awaits an entire lifetime of memories.

To follow our journey, you can follow my blog.

Our Life Is Like A River

Rivers are flowing bodies of water. Rivers generally start at a source, like a snow melt or a natural spring. At the source of a river, the water is relatively pure.

Our body is up to 75% water. Our soul originated directly from source or the creator of all that is. The soul is a divine spark of source energy that is pure.

As a river continues along its course (which is always changing), the surrounding terrain flattens out and the river expands. As the water flows downstream, it picks up silt and minerals from the soil and rock in the river bed. Rivers often meander and follow a winding path along their middle course. Tributaries flow into the river, increasing the river's volume. Sometimes a bend forms in the river because the land becomes more resistant to the flow, like when it hits rock, and this sends the river into a different direction. There is also a natural vibration to water flow that will cause banks to erode and form new bends.

As we flow through our life we pick up valuable information. Our soul expands through tributaries of knowledge obtained through experience as we meander on a winding path along our middle course. Our surrounding terrain (which is always changing) affects the way our natural vibration allows us to flow. When we come up against resistance, we continue to flow around it while slowly eroding any obstacles from our path.

The course of a river changes over time as erosion caused by the flowing water and sediment sculpts the landscape around the river which is then carried downstream towards the sea or lake it flows into. This kind of erosion can even form canyons, waterfalls, and other formations.

The course of our life changes over time when we allow flowing energy to erode our programmed beliefs and sculpt the landscape of our thoughts. This kind of erosion allows our soul to experience an increased flow of life force energies from its spiritual self, which is connected to the creator of all that is.

Starving our rivers. The damming of a river alters the pattern of disturbances on which the plants and animals of a flowing river depend. The life of organisms downstream depends on the constant feeding of the river with debris. This debris includes leaves, twigs, branches, and whole trees, as well as the organic remains of dead animals. Debris not only provides food, it provides hiding places for all sizes of animals and surfaces for phytoplankton and microorganisms to grow. Without flooding and without a healthy riparian zone, this debris will be scarce.

Starving our soul. When an obstacle in our life cuts off our ability to flow we become lifeless. We cut off our connection to the universal flow that feeds us. The terrain around us becomes stagnant and void of the nutrients our organisms rely on to thrive.

Rivers often have increased volume and water speed in the spring, as snow at the river's source melts.

Spring is a time to engage in uplifting and creative activities that expand our energy and consciousness. It is a time to push through our self-imposed boundaries, seeking personal growth and expansion. Everything is full of life and new growth in spring, it is a time we should engage in activities that put our determination, creativity and innate intelligence into motion.

Most rivers end when they flow into a large body of water. The end of the river is called the mouth. At the mouth, there is usually a river delta, a large silty area where the river splits into many different slow-flowing channels that have muddy banks. New fertile land is created at river deltas.

When we allow emotions to flow out of our mouth, (throat chakra) the silt can flow freely into channels of creativity allowing us to use our energy constructively and not destructively. Eventually the soul will clear out enough distortions within its energy flow and raise its vibration to such a point that it will be able to merge with its spiritual self and have the experience of oneness with all living things. That is when we return to our original state of unconditional love, compassion, and oneness.

How A Loon Helped Me Connect

Today as I sat down on my living room floor for a morning meditation I closed my eyes and took in the smell of burning sage. I thought I heard my name whispered and when I opened my eyes they fixed upon this wood carved loon. In 2012 I sold everything, keeping only what would fit in my car. This loon was one of the few ‘non-essential’ items I kept. It has been with me since July 10, 1999 when it was given to me by my grandfather. So why this morning, after all this time, did the loon call to me? Why did it seem like that red eye, usually not so noticeable, was glowing with great intensity? Why did it lock its gaze on me preventing me from looking away as if I were staring into a swirling spiral of red magnetic energy?

I started thinking about that day in July when I received it, what a magical day it already was only to be topped off with such a powerful gift. My grandfather made many but shared few of his carvings. Then childhood memories started rushing out of that swirling red eye. I started thinking about all the years my father purchased only the finest wood carving blocks as Christmas gifts to my grandfather. I actually laughed out loud as I thought about all the corny jokes he would tell. I started thinking about the time my grandfather and I were picking wild raspberries and we came across a beautiful white tail deer and my grandfather pulled out a white handkerchief and started flicking it to communicate with the deer. I remembered how the look on the deer’s face changed from caution to curiosity as he started moving towards us rather than away from us and I actually felt in my physical body now, the same excitement I felt then. And I remembered the day I received a phone call saying I might want to go say goodbye to my grandfather, he was being put into hospice care.

It was about a 3 hour drive to see him. He was in and out of alertness due to the morphine drip. He shared some beautiful stories and corny jokes and said what a wonderful fulfilling life he had. I remember looking in his eyes and feeling an incredible amount of peace. I can only compare it to looking into the eyes of an angel. On the drive home I couldn’t stop crying and I didn’t know why. If he was so at peace with dying why was I so sad. It was then that I realized that my tears were those of regret. The older I got the fewer visits I made to see my grandparents. I was thinking about all the time that passed and how few times I visited; shouldn’t I have made more effort to spend time with him over the years? Is it right to let your life be so busy that you don’t take the time to travel and visit more often? I was actually feeling guilty. And then I realized that all this sadness was about me – how did that happen? It changed everything I believed about grief around dying. Death is certain; we all know it is coming. Of course there is sadness when we lose someone; it is one of our human experiences to feel sadness and grief from the loss of physical companionship. But the extent of my sadness was clouded by my own guilt and regret, creating an illusion of what the loss really was. Having learned many things from my grandfather, this last lesson was the most profound.

Well, here it is many years later, and I am experiencing my grandfather in the exact same way as all those years ago by reliving the memories. So it gets me to thinking, just how long ago was it that he passed? Checking the funeral notecard, it was August 28, 2004. His service was held September 1, 2004. Holy shit, my goosebumps just got goosebumps.

But what does this have to do with my morning meditation? I have to go back to the beginning, to the intention I set for my meditation this morning. I have been feeling a great absence of connection. I am far from family, my friends are scattered in cities all over, none of which is Miami. I am questioning my choices and feeling some guilt for making them. So I set a simple intention this morning to allow me to find that missing connection.

So on this 10 year anniversary of my grandfather’s death, he decides to connect with me through his wood carved loon. Seems as corny as the jokes he would tell. Yet his connection is a much needed reminder that we are never really alone and our thoughts and memories can create great happiness or great sorrow, we choose.

The One Thing You Can Do to Change Two Major Industries

This past week I saw a video of the way chickens are being raised at Prince Poultry, the second largest supplier of chicken. Being involved in animal rights back in the late 80’s, I was not surprised by this video. I am well aware of how factory farming operates so of course I did not hesitate to sign the petition urging the owners be brought up on charges of animal cruelty. I wasn't even surprised by the passionate chatter between vegetarians, vegans and carnivores that always comes up over the ethical issue of eating animals. What does surprise me is the lack of chatter about the fact that this is indeed a current food source.  Prince Poultry supplies chicken to Pilgrim’s Corp. who supplies it to Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Burger King, Publix and others. Where do you shop? Did you see the physical and physiological conditions of those chickens? Genetically modified for fast growth and large breasts to the extent they can’t walk and often die because their heart just bursts? Is that really what you want to ingest into your body? Is there any doubt about the link between the poor condition of our food and the poor condition of our health? Do you not feel the need to question that? Don’t you want to go check the brand of chicken in your freezer right now?

A few days ago I read an interview from who I believe to be the wife of Tim Prince - owner of Prince Poultry. It was before I saw the video, so I read it without having the visual. Her words really stuck with me and actually prompted this blog. What I remember of the interview was her saying that they put the chickens in the hole, away from the house and at night wild animals would come and feed on them. It would keep them from trying to get at the other chickens. They thought they were doing the right thing. She went on to say that the business has been in the family for 3 generations and it is all they have ever known. Now they don’t know what they will do if they don’t have this business. Interestingly I have not been able to find this article again to confirm that it was indeed this same incident.  And while you might find it shocking that it could actually be a different incident, it is indeed the reality of our current food industry. In 2012 Animalplace.org made the largest rescue in California history when 50,000 egg laying hens were abandoned by the owners of A&L Poultry. By the time authorities were notified 20,000 had starved to death, others drowned in giant manure pits under their cages (yes they were left in cages) and another 25,000 had to be euthanized. In the end only 4,460 were able to be saved. This is the condition of our food supply. And what is equally shocking to me is that most of you will agree that it is wrong, many of you will have an emotional reaction to it, yet only some of you will ask, like I did, what the hell are they doing with 50,000 chickens? We get lost in the emotion of these situations, end up feeling overwhelmed and after the media exposure goes away, we bury it somewhere and go about our lives as usual. That is why it is so hard to change the system. We (the consumer) are the biggest part of the problem.

But back to the reason I was inspired to write this blog. It goes back to the interview and the words ‘we thought we were doing the right thing”. Now that can push all kinds of different buttons for people. How could someone think that is the right thing? Where does that kind of thinking or belief come from? Judge all you want, but I happen to believe her when she said they thought they were doing the right thing. I am not saying it is right or I agree with it, I am just saying I believe she believed it was right. The key lies in the next statement she made, the business has been in our family for 3 generations and it is all we know.

How do we know what we know?

Some of the work I do with clients is to help them to discover how much of their thinking comes from programmed beliefs. Our beliefs create our reality. Our beliefs are the lens through which we see the world. But our beliefs are most often not our own original thoughts. Roughly 5 years of our childhood (ages 2-7) our brain waves are in Theta (observing and recording). A child is not in consciousness until age 7. That is how we are able to learn the ‘rules of society’ and how to function so quickly. What we are observing and learning goes into the subconscious mind, which is pretty much like a tape recorder. While this seems pretty efficient considering the amount of information we need to learn at that age, it can be a disaster if we are growing up in an environment that isn’t exactly nurturing or encouraging us to be a free thinker. That recorder (subconscious mind) is picking up everything that is being said to us by our parents, teachers, society, and is being stored away for later use under the file called beliefs. Now how many people do you know that have had pretty rough childhoods? In my line of work, that would be quite a few who spent their childhood in basic survival mode and fear. These programmed beliefs hang out in the subconscious mind and affect every decision we make from our likes and dislikes, to the friends we choose, to the jobs we have, and even our diseases. 95% of behavior comes from our subconscious mind. Think about who did most of your programming. What was their state of consciousness? Programming can also be disguised as tradition or religion. So ask yourself, are they really your beliefs or are you following someone’s programming?

What are your beliefs?

So let’s tie this all together. The woman from Prince Poultry (or whatever poultry company she was from) grew up raising poultry. Everything she knew about raising poultry was taught to her at an early age (programming). More than 8 billion chickens are raised and killed in the US each year so I imagine she is pretty excited because business is good compared to when her family first started. She is feeling good because she is helping supply that demand, she is earning a living and there is no FDA or USDA agent knocking on her door. In her reality everything is right.

You stop at the big box grocery store on your way home from work to pick up some ground beef for the annual summer barbecue at Aunt Mary’s. Out of the corner of your eye you catch the big neon sale sticker on the plump, perfectly cut and wrapped chicken breasts and think it’s too good of a sale to pass up (mom taught you all about bargain shopping) so you throw a couple packs of chicken in the cart too. This barbecue has been happening every year for the last 3 generations and your mother always brought the grilling meat just like her mother did. They always pride themselves on clipping coupons and finding the least expensive selections and you are proud to carry on the tradition (programming).

In comes this undercover investigator to the poultry farm who tapes these horrific conditions and treatment of chickens, someone who has different programming about how chickens should be treated and raised. Two very different realities based on two completely sets of programming come crashing together. We can argue that Prince Poultry was out of control and irresponsible, and I agree. We can argue that the industry as a whole is irresponsible and out of control, and I agree. We can argue that the FDA and USDA are irresponsible and controlled by the very industry it is supposed to regulate, and I agree. But most of all, I will argue that what you demand is what they supply. Sound familiar? If you follow me on facebook you know I am always talking about making change by how you spend your money.

So you will go to the barbecue at Aunt Mary’s and grill your meats and get caught up on the latest family dramas. Everyone will share their new aches, pains, surgeries and new medications since meeting last year. Everyone will make fun of the one crazy uncle and it will be another successful year in the family tradition. As everyone chows down their plump juicy chicken breast, nobody will be talking about the video that was taken at Prince Poultry because it’s old news that came and went and the raw emotion and initial shock has long worn off. You are back in your regular programmed comfortable and predictable routine.

I know we mean well, we don’t want to support that kind of industry. We are so removed from making a conscious decision when it comes to food. As kids we were programmed by our parents and as adults we have become programmed by an industry that manufactures a food-like product in a lab and programs you to buy it and actually believe it is real food. We are so removed from our food that we actually believe velveeta is cheese. We don’t stop to think that a cappuccino potato chip isn’t going to be made with coffee, which means it is made in a lab, a chemical chip is more accurate. Dear Lay’s, do us a flavor and stop killing us with your toxic waste products. If that video from Prince Poultry played over the meat counter at the local grocery store nobody would be buying the chicken. The realty for most people is they don’t know what to do and the thought of it becomes overwhelming so they do nothing.

Start here:

Stop buying food-like products.
Stop supporting an industry that sees nothing wrong with one farm having 50,000 chickens stuffed in cages. Stop supporting an industry that treats animals as a commodity and has nothing in place to prevent the cruelty of those animals. Stop spending your money at restaurants that don’t offer local farm-to-table options – Chipotle is proof that a chain restaurant can do it and succeed.
It will change the food industry and it will change the health care industry.
25-30% of disease is genetics. 70-75% is related to lifestyle. That means by cleaning up your diet you clean up the terrain your cells live in, thereby reducing the lifestyle induced disease epidemic.
Now there is food for thought J
Step out of your comfort zone, nothing grows there. Come with me on this marvelous journey my friend.

The One thing you can do that will change two major industries:

Start spending your money on real food - it really is that simple.

Educate yourself - this is your health.

http://www.change.org/p/burying-animals-alive-is-cruel-and-should-be-prosecuted?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=new_petition_recruit

http://aldf.org/cases-campaigns/features/lawsuit-in-largest-california-farmed-animal-rescue-in-history-moves-forward/

Why I Was Buried In Dirt

I am always grateful for the many opportunities I am given and amazed at my ability to say yes.  It is a daily practice to not give in to fearful thoughts as they spin around your mind like a broken record telling you it is safer to remain in your comfort zone.  I hear that voice; it whispers to me from the dark alley of my mind.  But I also have a voice that now speaks louder. This voice reminds me that when I say yes I am shining a light on the darkness of fear.

Today I said yes to being completely buried in dirt, only leaving my face exposed.  In a beautiful ceremony I was submerged into the soil, the womb of our Great Mother Earth.  As I waited for my turn, I had many thoughts that rambled through my mind.  They were the usual thoughts like bugs, not being able to breathe, panic attacks, dirt in the ears, eyes, nose and other orifices.  When it was my turn, I silently made an agreement with the creepy crawlers that I was only paying a visit, took a deep breath, stepped in, and laid down.  I remember how warm the earth felt, I had expected it to be cool.  I remember the smell, so fresh like after a gentle rain.  I remember the sound of the gentle wind flapping the palm trees around me like the wings of the Eagle.  I remember the sound of the ocean as the waves kissed gently against the shore.  As I was lovingly being covered in dirt, I reminded myself that I am not my body, I am everything and everything is me.  I remember how much lighter the dirt felt over my body than I imagined it would.  When a fearful thought came to me, I observed it in my body.  I felt where I was holding tension and I took a deep breath releasing that tension.  I remember the sounds of rattles, drums and beautiful singing in a language I did not know, but was somehow familiar.  I remember the beating of the earth just above my head that sounded like the heartbeat of Pachamama.  Most of all, I remembered that I said yes.  Repeating my mantra - I am not my body, I soon found myself soaring the heavens with a convocation of Eagles.  My body was weightless, my spirit was free and the beauty I witnessed could only be felt.  It didn't seem long before the excavation began, preparing me for my birth.  With some assistance, I emerged from the earth.  As I stood up on wobbly legs,  I couldn't help notice the darkness of my skin.  I saw a flash of my indigenous ancestors and suddenly felt a connection that was so familiar.  I walked to the hose where I was to rinse off and the chill of the water took my breath away.  As I used my hand to wash off the dirt I felt the intrinsic beauty of earth and water.  I knew I had to be submerged so before rejoining the group, I spent some time in the salt pool.

Following the Pachamama Ceremony we went into a sacred plant ceremony of Sairy and Mambe and ended the night with an amazing fire ceremony.

It was the Monday before this Saturday event that something was calling me to do a short juice cleanse so I made the decision that I would do it Wednesday-Saturday.  On Tuesday I received the invitation to attend this ceremony.  At first I was going to decline because I knew I would be coming off a juice cleanse (fear).  The next day I said YES to the ceremony without realizing it was actually a purging ceremony.  When I say yes, I am able to see the synchronicity in life that reads like a road map to my higher self.  When I say yes, I have growth.  When I say yes, I am free.

What will you say YES to?

~Marla  Saturday 8/2/2014