Interview with a Diva: Happy Oasis

Ahhhhhh, Happy Oasis…..I met her when I was in Hollywood for the premiere of my documentary RAISING CHILDREN RAISES US at the RAW LIFESTYLE FILM FESTIVAL (now called the green lifestyle film festie I believe).

It was an amazing weekend where I was meeting alot of the raw people you always here about in the community like MATT MONARCH, ANGELA STOKES, PATRICIA BRAGG, STORM AND JINJEE TALERIFO (who are raising 6 all-raw kids) SERGEI BOUTENKO etc.

I also met other filmakers from around the world and people who were there to see and purchase my film.  There were so many wonderful films and wonderful people.  But someone really stood out in my mind, and that was Happy!  Whenever I would see her, there was always a happy buzz around her, a flurry of excited people.

During one of the films being screened, I noticed a lithe petite blonde at the back quietly doing YOGA stretches!  I thought, ‘Wow, she’s got the right idea- It’s tiring sitting in a chair for hours on end at a film festie…I think I will join her’ so I did!  She smiled at me, and we quietly did our thang.  I just got a great vibe from her although we didn’t talk, we did definitely connect.   

I have since connected with her through emails because she has asked me to participate in the children’s program at RAW SPIRIT FESTIVAL, her HUGE raw festie that takes place every year and gathers thousands of people from all over the planet. she is incredibly positive and spirited!  when she talks it sounds like singing her voice and words are melodic.  And her stories…she lives OUTSIDE much of the year and has worked in isolated places for long stretches of time, or with tribes.  She has written books that are unlike anything you will find anywhere- you must check out her website when you get a chance!

She is completely non-materialistic.  And a very sassy Diva whom I am so excited to share with you all.  I know you will enjoy her most delicious words:

What was your first experience with raw?  Who inspired you, how raw are you, and how do you maintain it?

Every day I feel thankful. It is a miracle that I am still alive. If it had not been for the discovery of raw organic vegan foods nearly 15 years ago, I would likely be in another (body-free) dimension. I was often ill during youth and into my thirties with a hernia operation at 6 months old, tonsilitis, impetigo, measles, bronchitis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, glandular fever, mild psoriasis, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, environmental sensitivity, and an unreasonable amount of influenza,  I took years of antibiotics and, of course, these conditions cumulated in severe chronic fatigue.  ALL were overcome via adopting a healthy raw vegan diet.

High up in the HImalayas, I was inspired while dying of pneumonia, between bouts of unconsciousness, to experiment with Kunjal Kriya as advised in ‘Yogic Cures To Common Diseases’ as a way to overcome pneumonia. Kunjal kriya entails drinking approximately 2 quarts of warm salt water, body-size depending, then bending over and “drinking it backwards”, or so I prefer to describe the process. Bending over so that with the force of gravity the water gently goes back through the esophagus and out the mouth, mucous in the system thereby exits with it. By doing this twice per day and for sustenance, as the yogic author recommended, drinking only fresh vegetable juice and water – consuming nothing else – my health not only returned with lightning speed but also, to my surprise, exceeded any state of health I’d ever previously experienced. I felt clearer and more poignantly brilliant than ever, the colors seemed brighter, and both nostrils opened simultaneously for the first time.

I like to say I am 99% raw. My only rule is no rules, yet it is a very strong preference and has been a heavenly daily habit to be organic raw vegan for many years.

What are a couple of your favorite recipes?

My favorite recipes are sunshine, laughter, loving-kindness, homeostasis, and consciously simple, natural living. When in the tropics, fresh coconut, fresh papaya, feral fruits and greens. Anywhere greens are growing, I love to pick the salad. I profoundly enjoy the serenity of eating without using electric appliances, though do use them for variety and expediency sometimes. I love to eat out of a wooden bowl, while sitting on the floor or grass or sand with a beautiful view which in for the occasional evening meal usually includes candle glow.

Do you have any tips for moms trying to get their kids to eat more raw foods?

I helped raise a friend’s two year old for a year off the grid on a remote New Zealand island. She was crazy for olives so I’d remove the pits and she would feast. To offer her daily greens I’d sometimes mash bananas with avocado and mix in a little green juice and/or spirulina. She would gleefully gobble it down. We would also go swimming in the ocean every day which would improve her health and mood and likely supply her with minerals from the water and essentials from the sun and wind and sand too.

Any advice for women trying to entice their men to go raw?

Be a shining cheerful example of an energized, balanced, grateful happening rawmarkable celestial terrestrial angelic dynamic woman and offer your beloved the most delicious nutritious foods imaginable and only tell him about your diet when he asks or when he is suffering and you can gently suggest simple straightforward solutions. Be prepared to accept differences in diet and this will ease unnecessary stress. Furthermore, when your raw-friendly partner makes other than raw vegan foods, depending on where you are at, it can be enticing sometimes, so let him know that if you eat foods that are not organic raw vegan, it will adversely affect your mood, health, energy and libido. If he is smart and caring, he will then be on your side and will encourage you to continue to be on your diet and will not let you go off of it!

What’s a raw beauty secret of yours?

When I am alone and throughout the day, my thoughts, during free moments, default into gratitude. I could spend all the rest of my days in praise of people and creation and there is a certain kind of internal beauty which, though we cannot see, this beauty grows slowly over many seasons in those who appreciate and radiate thanksgiving in all circumstances.

What is your typical sleep schedule?

Please do other than follow my example here. Due to extreme workload from being the founder and CEO/CVO of Raw Spirit, I sleep only about 4 hours per night. However it is my goal to sleep 8 hours which is optimal and essential for attaining and maintaining the most superb health.

How much water do you drink daily?

This depends on the climate. At home in Arizona, I drink two glasses of water upon waking, then several glasses throughout the day between vegetables juices, smoothies, and garden-fresh salad all year round. Sometimes soup too. I eat noticeably more fruit when it falls off of our trees and one may forage in the summer months than in the winter. During all seasons in Arizona, my diet is primarily liquid so as to focus on hydration. Here in Hawaii, in contrast, we use no electrical appliances. How peaceful.  I love to eat passion fruit and papaya fresh off the tree for breakfast. My diet here is so fresh, everything locally grown, most of it from the garden or foraged as we walk in the jungle and share and exchange with neighbours.

What does your typical meal schedule look like?

I often work from 3 am to 8 am, then stretch run or swim then enjoy breakfast prior to going back to work for the day often until late evening. Having abided at a Buddhist Jungle Monastery in Thailand on an off for more than a decade, we would rise by 4 am, breakfast at 7:30 and finish our lunch, as per the ancient Buddhist tradition, by noon. To this day, this body prefers to eat prior to dusk and enjoys eating when the sun is high unless the weather is quite hot.

How late in the evening do you feel it is okay to eat?

The earlier the better. However, if dining past dusk, eating by candlelight is essential for welcoming the subtle ecstasy which accompanies the evening air. The finest dinner is an appetizer of walking in nature, followed by a main course of playing music, sweetened with the dual dessert of yoga and meditation (with a touch of cuddling when possible).

Who inspires you most in the raw movement today?

You inspire me, Shannon. Virtually everyone I meet inspires me. I love hearing raw miracles of health and creative expressions such as poetry, lyrics, art, bird songs, symphonies, humour, inventions, reverence, beauty, appreciation and other enthusiastic outbursts which come plentifully in my direction. I give thanks.

What can you tell us about your spiritual practice?

I am of service to the raw vegan eco-peace community for about 12 hours per day. Also, rather than feeling separate from others, I feel the oneness of creation. My strongest virtues are unconditional forgiveness, empathy and cheerfulness. I am also dedicated to peaceful living. I love life! I openly treasure the beloved, family and friends, surrounding myself whenever possible with wonder-filled people and live in peaceful places of natural beauty. For this blessed lifestyle I am deeply grateful every day. This gratitude is the essence of a joyous spiritual life.

What projects or interests are currently inspiring you?

Expanding the Raw Spirit Festival to these THREE weekends in 2009 – California, East Coast and Southwest:

The Full Moon in June: Live Oak Park, Scenic Hwy 154, Santa Barbara, CA, June 5th- 7th

August in the East (Maryland/DC): Patuxent River Park, August 29th & 30th

Raw Spirit Arizona:  Gorgeous Granite Dells, Watson Lake Park, September 26th & 27th

Hosting the Raw Spirit Radio Show is a new love and a pleasure to share the vast knowledge, resources and mirth of so many talented friends.  Traveling virtually continuously this year, relating feral parables and the zaniest health secrets I learned while abiding with third world tribal families who adopted me. It’s a crazy-busy schedule these days and nights, speaking to increasingly larger groups at other festivals, etc, with more than 15 engagements most months in 2009. I am always open to speak at new locations, including at Raw Potluck Celebrations of considerable size.

I’m focused on improving the quality and affordability of the festival including this good news: Raw Spirit Festivals will be 50% less expensive than in 2008. Also, all three festivals are at new beautiful locations which delight and inspire. These specially-selected natural venues feature breath-making views, ample onsite parking, onsite camping, nearby hotels & rv camps (ask the Chamber of Commerce), good vibrations, easy airport access, weather-protective outbuildings, hiking trails, trees, lakes, ponds, meadows, rivers and/or streams… dynamic speakers, world-class music, rawmarkable restaurants, children’s program, … and fabulous friends!

Raw Spirit is expanding more than ever, Thanks Be To You!