I’ve been “happily productive” (as Laurette Willis likes to say) this week getting Pear Magazine all ready for publishing today! My Raw Mom entry from last week — Mighty Warrior Women’s Workout — is in this issue as well as other articles that Jinjee Talifero says “revisit the strength of the feminine spirit.”
About the September 2008 issue of Pear, Jinjee has penned a detailed, thought-provoking account of the contents that I want to share here, because I truly think there’s something or the other in there for every woman to ponder in some shape, size or from. On Pear Magazine’s front page that highlights what’s in the current and past issues, Jinjee writes:
In the September issue of Pear Magazine Online, now ready for you to “pick up”! – we’ve got everything from Annalise Jones’ incredible all-natural home-birth story in the United States to Shemittah and what raw life looks like in Israel!
This issue brings you the voices of raw chefs and coaches from The Raw Vegan Network – Chana Mark, who sends “Fruits of the Land” from Israel and Nancy Telfer, sending “Rawsome Nutrition” from Ontario, Canada. When you read about the difficulty of obtaining many raw organic foods in Israel, you may be inspired by the opportunities afforded us in the US, the UK and much of Europe, and Australia. When others go to great lengths to eat right, it tends to make us take greater advantage of our blessings.Chana does report that “as raw foods become more popular, these items become more in demand and eventually will appear in greater numbers and, hopefully, prices will go down. As a Raw/Living Foods educator here in Israel, I have been receiving more and more e-mails, calls and contacts as people begin their journeys.”Canadian raw foods educator Nancy Telfer writes: “The moment you start to simultaneously increase the amount of living food and decrease the amount of cooked food, the living body immediately seizes upon that opportunity and starts to correct any imbalances that exist. Your body will function with no pain or disease if it has all the necessary nutrients. If you knew you could live out your life free of pain, ill health and disease and could experience consistent high energy and vitality, is there anything you would choose over that?”Brenda Cobb introduces us to “Finding the Genie in Your Genes” – an in depth process to identify your desires and eliminate your obstacles to them, through discovering your archetypal personality and ancestral patterns, complete with links to a complimentary guide and workbook!
Not crazy about yoga and its origins in Eastern religion? I am, but I also totally understand those who are not. So, although I’d like to edit out the stuff that is anti-yoga in our feature article, for my more sensitive readers, I guess I’m more into free speech and freedom of opinion, so I’m going to leave our interviewee Laurette Willis’s words intact.
One of the reasons I hired Penny Powell to be the Editor in Chief of Pear Magazine Online is because she, like me, seems to be a Christian who also enjoys spirituality, philosophy, and gems gleaned from the religions of the world. I wanted Pear to act as a bridge between religions, to honor and respect all religions, and to give voice to opinions and beliefs that were different than our own.
I honor the journey of Laurette Willis, developer of the PraiseMoves fitness DVDs who Penny interviews, is inspired by, and writes about in this issue. Not all of her views perfectly reflect mine, but then, what two people have the same views of everything? We (people) don’t talk about religion, money, sex, or politics much of the time, in our valiant efforts to maintain peace – because we are so different and so passionate about these subjects. But then we don’t learn to understand each other either, sadly. So, I think it is good we open up about these things, and learn to hear things we don’t agree with, even if they attack things we believe in. If we can stay open and listening, not judging, not defending, not fearing, just loving, then we will learn much.
Strangely, even though I am a Christian, I have an issue with some Christians because they seem to me to deny the validity of other religions. The paradox is that their branch of this religion tells them it is good to deny the validity of other religions. So if that is their religion, then by my own philosophy, I should accept and honor that. It is complicated, but that is why I am actually excited about publishing this article!
So, we interview the creator of PraiseMoves – who was given the inspiration from God to “Transform your workout into worship!” This is not a Christian Yoga but a Christian Alternative to Yoga. I loved reading about Laurette’s journey through addiction and despair to her awakening to her path – it certainly seems as though it was guided, and the perfectly right thing for her. And it is benefiting many people!I love her passion for sharing God’s greatness! Here’s just one of the exhortations Laurette offers in this article: “Doesn’t it make sense that the One who created you knows you completely? He knows how to fix what’s messed up, how to bring you to the place of greatest fulfillment in your life and make your life a shining example of what God can do with a person who dares to trust Him.”Penny conducted the very lively interview with Laurette, whose program was purchased by TBN, and also contributes her own article on PraiseMoves, ‘Mighty Warrior Women’s Workout’, in which she writes…. “I became interested in interviewing Laurette after trying out one of her PraiseMoves DVDs, ‘PraiseMoves Alphabetics.’ After positioning my body in postures that mirror the letters of the Hebrew alphabet — and meditating on Scripture verses in the process — I had quite a moving experience. I ‘traveled’ through Proverbs 31 in a way I had never done so before, and I just had to write about it.”More from Penny’s article.. “I not only feel my physical body strengthening as I hold the postures, but my mind and Spirit, too. ‘She girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms.’ And, ‘She extends her hand to the poor. Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy,’ are some of the Proverbs 31 verses that are heard throughout the workout.”Regular Pear Magazine contributor Annalise Jones writes about how she prepared her body, mind, and spirit, and how God guided her labor for a painless childbirth with her second baby, after almost dying in delivering her first! Congratulations Annalise! You are amazingly brave!Jinjee gives us an account of the first ever meeting of The Raw Vegan Village’s core group in Ojai earlier this month! – An inspiring update for all who want to keep up with developments of this exciting green utopia in the making!
I think this is a very empowering, deeply courageous, issue – with the recurring theme being the strength of the feminine spirit!
I know you will enjoy it, be inspired by it, and be blessed by it! ~ Jinjee Talifero