(90-Day Detox) Day 63 Today is Earth Day! What Can You Do?

Written by Tera on April 22, 2009 – -

Generally I believe in putting my attention on the things that make the world a better place to be. You won’t likely catch me engaged in a conversation about conspiracy theories, because I’d rather just get busy planting more flowers or sorting out my recycling.

Today is Earth Day. There are times and situations that call for more extreme measures.

On my Facebook account I’ve been leaving a few links to videos that I suggest people watch. And I can leave a link or two here, in case you’re curious, but don’t spend your day reeling in the negative information about how the state of things on our planet is beyond repair. Don’t spend as much time investigating the problems we have created for ourselves as you do msking choices that address these problems.
There’s no shortage of things you can do to take the next step toward a sustainable lifestyle and while it’s easy to point the finger at the bacon and egg eaters of the world, you could just as easily point it at yourself and ask,

“What more can I do to take responsibility for the health of our environment and humankind?”

Frreeeeakin’ big question, isn’t it! And I admit that not all people are up for the challenge of asking themselves, nevermind answering it.

Supreme Master TV has a pretty neat idea. They recognize that the planet is in crisis, and rather than disperse into a whole bunch of different ideas, concerns, etc., they have simply ONE mission: Convert people to a vegetarian diet because THIS ALONE would handle 80% of our toxic burden on the planet.

THIS IS WORTH WATCHING. It really lays out some statistics at the end. It gets to the point. I’m sure there are more graphic versions and some with less subtitles, but I figured this would do the trick, and on the same page are dozens of links to similar resources, too.

If you’re having trouble finding reasons not  to choke back another piece of pizza, then google some John Robbins videos.

They say that even after people have stopped trying to help themselves, they still can be motivated to help another person. Interesting idea! Let’s use it to our advantage and inspire the world to take Responsibility for our health and the sustainability of life on Earth.

I know I do A LOT to be more environmentally conscious, but there are little things I let slip here and there; a light on, the heat too high, etc.  In honor of Earth Day I wanted to point my finger at my own nose and ask what I can do…

Happy Earth Day, Everyone!

What are you going to do to make a difference? Personally, I’m going to spend the day reflecting on that question very seriously, and then I’ll get back to you.
Green is the color of my Love,

Tera

Tags: 90-Day Detox, Earth Day, Tera Warner, the raw divas
Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

Water…More profound than even RAW FOOD!

Written by admin on April 22, 2009 – -

WATER- MORE PROFOUND EVEN THAN OUR RAW FOOD!

Daniel Vitalis is a raw foodist, Martial Artist/warrior who has a sacred and evolved understanding and relationship with water and shares with us some of his amazing insights.  I especially love the way he talks about our basic desire as moms to foster excellence in our children!  And also how he gives primal insight into what would actually motivate a man to change his dietary ways.  ONLY another man could really know…!  Thanks Daniel!  Also, he is NOT on the ‘vegan bandwagon’ and asks Moms to stay in our feminine wisdom and reclaim our sovereign right to learn and do what our ancestors have done as far as preparing for Birth, or feeding our children.  I appreciate Daniel’s appreciation of women, Nature and the basic intelligence of children who are raised with Nature…everything he said makes perfect sense and is extraordinary in his distinctions.  My children have enjoyed his fascinating youtube videos where he vortexes water into mini tornados.  I actually purchased a 2 inch cuplar from the hardware store to do my own water too, but have so far been unable to locate where to purchase 4L GLASS water bottles.  My husband is very interested in locating for us a Natural spring where we can gather our own water, and I know this will happen soon.  I encourage all moms to read this interview and begin thinking about WATER at least as much as we do about our children’s FOOD…

Daniel, I find your work to be enthralling and profound.  Also, your style of delivery is wonderfully clear, understandable and inspiring.  Can you give a brief background so our readers here at rawmom get a sense about you if they are not already familiar with your work.

Yes, and Thank You!

I have had the unique experience of having become involved with this level of nutritional awareness at a fairly young age, half my life ago, when I was 15 years old.  I spent many years exploring every aspect of nutrition that I could uncover, and experimented on myself  (with what now feels like reckless abandon!) for many years before I began to bring my personal philosophies to the forefront as a teacher.

Much of my work in this area was influenced by the chefs and teachers I met in my travels, and more than anything it has been nature that has informed my worldview.  Primarily it was the revelation that the “Elements” of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire are not just poetic and arcane principles of our ancestors, but very real and living energies that permeate our experience of reality.  My work in the raw community as a teacher began with my bringing awareness to a more complete and whole relationship to the Element of Water, and how we can, by interacting with it in a more sacred and alchemical way, increase our experience of vibrant living and environmental integration.

Being a rawfoodist makes it obvious after a while that the ‘food’ part of raw foodist is only the beginning and once the awareness kicks-in, it opens up passions and insights into seemingly unending pathways.

The chemical pollution affecting our land, air and water not to mention food chain, the mass extinction of species happening rapidly on the planet today, the climate crisis, corporate greed and psychotic-ness, the breakdown of every system from the family, marriages, education, personal responsibility, true health care, being in-tune with the Earth and its wisdom, the rape of Mother Nature, ALL this and more seems to be a SYMPTOM of a CRISIS OF CONSCIOUSNESS.  And as we know could be positively impacted by going raw…You have become the VOICE FOR WATER in our community.  Please tell us why WATER is your mission.

We interact, by accident or intention, with each of the Elements every day.  This is by design.  To me food, and particularly the kind of food we are talking about, is one way that we interact with the Element of Earth.  This is how we feed ourselves.  The quality of our food determines the quality of our relationship to Earth, or to the Earth.

Similarly, each day we interact with Water, and this is how we hydrate ourselves, or replace our solvent.  We are solvent based organisms (we are a liquid based design).

Just in the same way that our relationship to food reflects our relationship to the Earth, our daily Water intake determines to how we relate to Water in general.  Not just to the Water we drink, but also to the Water that covers 2/3rds of the globe.

This is significant when we look at the current water crisis facing our population.  It is really a reflection of our own personal water crisis.

You are wise to note that food is just the beginning.  We are waking up to the reality that we have been very much industrialized and domesticated. Our water comes from a tap or bottle, much in the way our cats and dogs get their water from a dish or tray.

This is really an issue of personal sovereignty, and a matter of waking up to our true power, right, and majesty as living beings and children of this eco-sphere.

Reclaiming our water is reclaiming our consciousness.  It is about recognizing where the source is.  In French the word for spring is “source”.  Our “Crisis Of Consciousness” as you called it stems from our own personal disconnection from the Source.  Reclamation of that connection is reclamation of personal power, dignity, and right to exist free and Sovereign!

Your blood is made directly from the water you drink.  When you drink doled out domesticated and chemically treated water, this is what your blood is made from.  This is what you are. When you drink well structured, healthy, living water from the source, this becomes your blood, the blood of the earth.  You become an ambassador of water.  You speak from the Source.

What do you want moms who are going raw raising their families to know about water.

More than anything else, I think Moms want to know how to create and foster the excellence that is inherent in their children.  Unfortunately this is not the prerogative of those who create legislature determining our municipal “Water Treatment”.  Much of the water coming from our taps, bottled beverages, restaurant foods and drinks, and now even bottled waters contain Sodium Fluoride.  This is not, as may of us were led to believe, good for our teeth, and in fact is very damaging.  Many experts have determined that Sodium Fluoride can reduce the IQ of a child by up to 20%! Lets put this in perspective.  If your child had an IQ of 100, exposure to tap water could reduce your child’s IQ to 80!

Also, in addition to the Fluoration of teeth and bones (which shows up as discolored patches on teeth, which you all have seen), Fluoride also targets the pineal gland, and more than any other tissue in the body!  Yes, this gland which is responsible for the production of melatonin, serotonin and a other important neurotransmitters, is the same organ that the Yogis refer to as the “Third Eye”.  The pineal gland literally becomes encrusted with Sodium Fluoride, hardening it and reducing its function.

And that is just the Fluoride, I will spare you the equally stunning information on Chlorine.

Many people have switched over to bottled water, which also presents a host of issues that could and probably should be addressed.  Most notably (assuming that the bottled water is really “spring” water and not just filtered tap water, which it often is) is the bottle itself.

Plastics as a whole tend to exhibit endocrine system disrupting molecular arrangements that we have come to call “zeno-estrogen’s”.  These estrogen mimics are coming more and more into the public awareness, though the media has done its job to downplay the seriousness of the effects.

You see, water is also known as the universal solvent.  This is because water has such strong solvent capabilities.  In other words, it dissolves things.  We use this to our advantage when we make a tea, dissolving the herbs we are using into the water.  The same thing happens with plastics, dissolving these zeno-estrogen plastic molecules into the water within the bottle, resulting in a “plastic tea”.  This is why you can taste plastic in the plastic bottled water.

This is leading to an epidemic in our environment and in our own bodies that has been deemed “estrogen pollution”, an endocrine system issue in nature that has lead to the loss of secondary male sex characteristics, female endocrine cancers (breast, uterine, ovarian, fibroid tumor, etc) as well as many of the associated emotional states that we have lumped under “Pre Menstrual Syndrome”, a fancy way of describing the psychological and emotive states that correspond to hormonal imbalance for woman.

Men are being equally effected, with sperm counts at an all time low, male bodies that are thin and feminine or big bellied with breast tissue.  It also effects the prostate and testicular tissues, leading to increases in cancers of these organs as well.

These are not easy topics to address, as they are not “politically correct” to discuss openly.  I think that we can all look around and see the obvious though, no matter how much our pop culture would like to remain in denial.

This is all rooted in our misuse, and misunderstanding of water, of our relationship to that water, and our embededness within a global if not galactic matrix of interconnected water molecules.  This may sound strange as we have not really been taught to see it this way, however this is in fact the obvious conclusion for anyone who has studied the science of water, and especially those who have been bold enough to couple this thinking with the more right brained understanding of water that was held by our ancestors.

My personal practice, which has eliminated my concerns about the health and safety of the water I drink, as well as reconnecting me to the sacred and ancient connection to the Water of the Earth, has been to gather my own Water from springs.

I have recently launched a project called www.findaspring.com which is dedicated to mapping springs all over North America.  It is a vision that I hold strongly to see all of those who are interested in this idea to be able to easily locate a spring in their area.  Please take a second to visit the site, which is still in its early stages, to find a spring near you, and to contribute a spring to the database if you know of one.

Dr Masuro Emoto did some ground-breaking work in Japan and wrote about it in MESSAGES IN WATER and his other books.  His message became popular through the movie WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW. Have you thought of being in touch with Dr Masuro to collaborate on a project together?

I feel a deep gratitude for the work he has done, and the influence it has had on me and so many others.  At this point we are both ambassadors of Water, and are sharing our message in different though complimentary arenas.  Perhaps there will come a day where the overlap brings he and I together.  This would be magick.

What can the average person who is living in a city in an apartment building or sub-division do to ensure the safety of their water that won’t seem to extreme as first steps (which could eventually lead to much bolder steps later on)?

Before I answer this, allow me a moment to set the stage.  You see, it is easy for us to get into a mindset that says “I am what I eat”.  There is truth in this, though it is minimal in relation to the statement “I am what I drink”.  Why?  Well we are optimally around 65-75% Water.  The “what we eat” part is relatively small in relationship to the “what we drink” part.  We are far less like a car, which is a solid object that runs on “fuel”, and much more like a fish tank, which is a Water based ecology.  We are very far behind, especially in our Western world, with regard to how we see our selves.

We are like an aquarium, an ecosystem that depends largely on Water.  Yes food is required, much like the food or “fish flakes” are required in an aquarium, though far more important to the health of the aquatic ecosystem is the health and quality of the Water.  Even the best food is useless if the fish are suspended in poor quality Water.

These “fish” are your cells and the microorganisms that dwell all over you (4 times more of them than you have cells!).  They thrive in high quality, well structured Water.

So, the first step would be to take an honest assessment.  To ask some real questions and be ready to honestly answer them.  Questions like “why am I putting so much time into what I eat, and not into what I am using as the basic solvent, or liquid that I run my “fish tank” on.

What is your Personal Water Strategy?  Is it to filter?  To buy bottled Water?

If you are filtering with a Carbon Block system, like a Pur or Britta filter it may be time time to get real with yourself.  Does this filter really remove Chlorine, or just the taste of Chlorine.  What about Fluoride?

Perhaps you are using something more serious like a Reverse Osmosis filter or a Distiller.  Ask yourself “does this Water really hydrate me, or does it taste lifeless and/or burned?

“Is there really a plastic counter top filtration unit that I can buy that can recreate what the Earths hydrological cycle is designed to do?”  ”Just what do I believe about human technology and its ability to replicate the functions of a living Earth?”

If you are choosing at this time to avoid accessing Water that you can source from within the Earth it may be time to look at why.  It may also be time to have a look at ideas around “Water restructuring” and using some kind of vortex, whether you make it yourself (see my youtube videos for more on this) or you purchase a commercial unit that does this for you (like the Vitalizer Plus).  Ultimately I feel that there is little in this world as gratifying as sourcing real, living spring Water.

If you have been using bottled Water it may be time to consider and research the effects of plastic on yourself and your children.  And due to the holographic and self similar patterning of reality, how the effects on us are similarly affecting the environment itself.  Bottled Water hurts us and hurts the Earth.  This option is less and less attractive to people everywhere.

There are a few exceptions, and while I am very much a proponent of Water gathered from springs, I have seen many great waters bottled in glass.  This can be a more sustainable and viable option for many people, especially those in the urban centers.

It does not ultimately solve the issues at hand, though it is a great movement towards better choices.  www.mountainvalleyspring.com is a great resource, and they deliver 5 gallon glass bottles of fresh spring Water to much of the country.  Check them out!  Find something similar!

What is most exciting is that any shift towards a better strategy will be accompanied by an increased sense of vitality and conscious awareness!

On a more personal note, talk to me about SLEEP- how much do you get, when, and how (mattress, floor, indoors or out, etc).

One of the things that I hear from so many people who choose to walk this road is “Since I began eating this way I only sleep 4 hours a night!”…

I have never really had that experience, except when fasting.  I enjoy sleeping, and feel that we would be best served by doing lots of it.  We are a stimulant loving culture, whether on a conventional diet or alternative, and most of us use artificial lighting after the sun goes down. We are losing touch with our natural circadian rhythm, and most peoples work schedules prevent them from getting to full recovery.

Sleep is a time to rebuild, and to dream travel.  Both are very important.

I have been careful to craft a lifestyle that rarely has need of an “ALARM” clock

When we miss sleep we build up a “sleep deficit”.  This is like a bill that we owe, and it will catch up to us eventually.  Beauty, muscle tone, and Chi are developed while sleeping.  There may be more advanced techniques for those who choose meditative and monastic lives, however that is not most of us.

Where I sleep has been described as “a prison camp bed”.  I like to sleep on a firm surface. My bed is about 8 inches tall and is a simple zen-style wooden platform.  The mattress is an unbleached Shiatsu futon that is about 1.5 inches thick.  This arrangement has served me for some time.

I am not a fan of traditional Western style sheets and pillows.  My pillow is buckwheat hull filled, and I have a simple, unfitted sheet atop the futon. Still, I like the simplicity and minimalism of my current sleep space.

How did you come to being raw and who was the biggest influence?

I first encountered “raw” at the age of 15 when a friend of mine intuited it. He began to eat this way by simple revelation.  Later that year my tattoo artist turned me on to a book called “The Grape Cure” which was a raw grape cleanse.  This was in the early days of the internet, before information and networking were so highly developed.  At that time rawfoods was dominated by the thinking of the Natural Hygienists.  So much has changed since then.

My early rawfood experiences were very dogmatic, and I lived for several years as a fruitarian, and for 10 years as a vegan.  Today I see both of these approaches as great ways to cleanse, both physically and Karmicly, though I would say (after 15 years of experience) that both approaches are dangerous long term.

We have seen many changes, and the introduction of so called “SuperFoods” is just one of these. The ideology has shifted significantly, both for better and for worse.  It is exciting to see so many folks making such wonderful strides towards better eating.  It is unfortunate to see it so dominated by eating disorders, confusion, empty utopian philosophies, and pseudo experts.

Rawfoodists would benefit from taking a step back from the frenzy and hype, and getting real about a few things.  Simply eating food that is not cooked will not bestow immortality, heal all ills, and produce spiritual enlightenment.  It is, in its modern form, not even a complete or well formed diet as of yet.

What is great about it is the way it gets us to look at food and ourselves, the opportunity to detoxify many of the Water soluble and fat soluble toxins that we have ingested and encountered, as well as taking us back to the basics so that we can restructure a diet that makes sense.

My sincere hope is to see this community shed the dogma and religiosity that has been dominating it.  Especially its unfounded and poorly thought through obsession with veganism and breatharianism.  I think these ideas are hurting us.  Again, I say this having met many of the “leading minds” in this “movement”, as well as the two most prominent ”breatharians”.

What do you feel moms need to be aware of when trying to transition their young families?

Great question.  This one is delicate, and as a man I appreciate the opportunity to share.  Everything I offer is from my heart, and I in no way can know what it is like to be a pregnant or developing mother, or to raise a family.

Here goes…Moms have a unique responsibility, in that they are not just experimenting with themselves, but also with their children and their families.  I would suggest, rather than looking to those whose dietary self experimentation comes from having read a few books and having a website, looking to our ancestors whose wisdom about sustainable reproduction was tested by thousands of years of tribal experimentation.

For instance, many tribal and indigenous peoples would prepare a mother-to-be nutritionally for at least a year or two before conception.  This was done to ensure that she could provide all she would need to for her developing child in addition to coming through healthfully on the other side. There was also a taboo on having a second child without a similar re-feeding process.

Mothers today are most often nutritionally bankrupted before and definitely after birth.  There are very essential nutrients that are passed from mother to child, and if these are missing in the diet (and usually are, raw or not) will be stripped off of the mothers nervous system.  This leads to emotional and physical issues after the birth.  We have names and diagnosis for this, though we seem as a culture to be unaware of how to address it.  Our ancestors understood this well, and took measures to compensate.  We would be wise to study their indigenous ways rather than trusting the newest theories or “superfoods” that hit the market or literature, alternative or conventional.

Moms, be sure to get enough long chain omega 3′s.  By this I am talking about DHA and EPA. Also know that circumcision is an ancient ritual marking and very traumatic and unnecessary.  It is an affront on male sexuality, and is no different to what we call “female circumcision” in some Muslim cultures.Also, there is no substitute for your breast milk.  Period.  Many wonderful mothers have come to find this out after the fact.  And this is ok.  Forgive yourself, and begin to take measures to feed your young one in ways to compensate.

Keep your children from the doctors and dentists.  If there is Mercury in any of your family members do the research and get it out.  Avoid pharmaceutical drugs and surgeries like the plague!  They are useless and harmful except in the rarest of emergencies.  This may seem extreme in the beginning but is the obvious conclusion over time and from experience.

There is so much to say here, but I think that we can draw conclusions by looking to our ancestors and to nature.

In transitioning your families and children it is key to remember that good food tastes better and is more satisfying.  Be careful not to set up a confrontational situation for yourself.  Go slow, and appreciate others rights to choose.

Know that schools will seem to work against you.  Be realistic.  And ask yourself, why are my kids in a school to begin with.  Maybe it is time to begin educating them at home!

Be well informed before trying to push children into veganism, and be sure that what you are feeding them has been time tested.  Become informed about what foods are most hazardous to their endocrine systems, including soy, flax, and many other seeds.  These phytoestrogens are just beginning to be recognized by our community and are reeking more havoc on children than adults.

Encourage relationships to nature for your children, and take them to springs and farms.  Children love to forage, so sign up for herb walks or get them out into the woods.

Are you trying to indoctrinate your children into a cult of diet, or are you looking to develop their communion with the natural world of health and healing.  This is an important distinction to make!

As a guy, do you have any tips for ladies trying to win-over their partners whom may not be all ‘raw, raw, raw’ over the idea of giving up their meat and potatoes?

Yes!  I think that there are a few things that can really help.  It is important to understand the underlying motivations of this archetypical “meat and potatoes” man you describe.

First, lets be honest, this man does not see the “new ideal” of the metro-sexual yogi vegetarian male as much to strive for.  Trying to push or persuade them with weight loss, cancer, anti-aging, etc are not very effective.

What is most important to this kind of man is his perceived masculinity and feelings of being an able provider.  It is his performance.

As I have been mentioning throughout this interview, veganism is not likely to be very attractive to this kind of male.  It might be wise to drop this from your approach and instead to guide by implanting ideas that lead towards an increased sense of maleness.

For instance…  If the average man understood that the hormone altering affects of many of the foods in his diet were leading him into premature andropause (ie, soy or vegetable oil, found in almost all processed foods) and therefore a loss of his precious sexuality and performance, he would likely begin to see things differently.

Also, what about the hops in beer?  They turn out to be one of, if not the most, estrogenic food substances consumed by humans…  This is why they create a physique that looks more like those ancient goddess statuettes than a chiseled Greek god!

That the hormone altering affects of plastics or the pharmaceuticals that are showing up in the municipal tap water are leading to a diminished production of androgens (male sex hormones) and causing them to lose their “edge”, their vigor, and their well…  Things get a bit flaccid if you know what I mean.

Your partner may get excited about herbalism when he discovers effective natural “viagra” like substances.  Yohimbe comes to mind.  Believe me, this one is effective.  Not just some claim like we hear about foods like maca… This one gets you there…  Like a rock.

It may pique his interest to know that herbs, like Ginseng allowed the Taoist sages to live long lives, beyond what modern man believes possible, and to have active sex lives even into their very late years!  Herbs like maca and nettle root can prevent prostate enlargement and keep serum testosterone from becoming estrogens!

Herbs like Pine Pollen actually contain Testosterone, and can be used much like a natural steroid!

He might want to know that de-mineralization will cause his hair to go grey early.

This is how you motivate a man.  Not by badgering, scolding, or trying to convince him to auto-emasculate through the consumption of flax crackers!  Men can sense this a mile away, and will run in the other direction…

Raw meats and eggs (look at ideas like the “primal-diet” or “instinctive eating”) can be just the thing that get him motivated and keep him vital.  It is likely that he is not seeing many role models within the rawfood world that are displaying what he would like to have!

And then there is the effect on the taste of his…………..

Like myself, I know you are into Martial arts.  Tell me a little about your discipline. What else do you do for exercise, say, outdoors?

Great question!

First let me say that what we are talking about here is making a serious and clear commitment to Survival.  No matter what.  Always.  That is the point of martial training.  It is the art of staying alive, of having what it takes to confront your moment of truth.

But, we throw around terms like “martial arts” pretty lightly in our culture.  Lets have a closer look. Martial comes from the word Mars, and Mars is the god of war and warfare.  Therefore “martial arts” are martian or war arts.  There are very few of these left, and most are sport versions of the arts that they stem from.  This is wonderful and timely.

It is not very good table conversation today, and especially in our subculture, to discuss war and its strategic application.  What I will say is that the martial studies exist in perfect balance to the study of healing.  My personal philosophy is that the study of war, which is destructive or disassembling in nature, better informs ones ability to understanding healing, which is constructive and assembling in nature.

The study of both, and the mastery of both is a worthy, albeit uncommon pursuit.  One issue that I think many of us perceive in modern exercise methods is that they are physical expenditures of energy that seem to have no purpose other than the tonifying of our bodies and burning away the food we have just spent our money and labor on.  Martial arts are fantastic forms of physical culture and purposeful learning.  They are functional, and do not (assuming one finds a valuable art) produce the mediocrity that treadmill types of exercise encourage.

I will keep my “art” personal and allow you to take a guess.  I will offer this…  Any true warrior art includes every aspect of physicality.  Therefore all experiences in nature feed back into the Way of the Warrior, whether walking through the forest or climbing a sheer cliff.  Swimming in the ocean or cartwheeling through a park…  All physical endeavors and experiences of nature are part of my training.  They are also part of my healing…  How perfect.  Remember that it is about training for Survival under any circumstance.

What kinds of training would you do if you were literally training to be prepared to Survive anything?  How much Fun would/could you have with this?

Also, a good friend and fellow Warrior/Healer once said to me “one who knows how to break a bone should also know how to heal one”…This is the way of the Warrior.  The Evolution of the Warrior Path is the Warrior~Mystic….  The Warrior~Mystic does more than simply Survive…  They SurThrive.  They know that they are the creators of the reality they experience, and therefore can Thrive no matter what the circumstance.  To me this duel path, the martial arts coupled with the healing arts, breeds the Warrior~Mystic…

How do you keep yourself motivated?  What is your spiritual practice?

The secret for me has been to understand what the source of motivation truly is.  It is Pleasure and Pain.  If we perceive something to be more pleasurable than painful we will continue forward with it.  If the pain becomes greater than the Pleasure we will discontinue.  We are really that simple.

I have learned (to some extent) to manipulate my behavior with this principle.  Lets imagine that you wanted to begin a new exercise regimen.  Likely the thing that has kept you from it was the perception that it would be painful..  Either boring, laborious, tiring, time-consuming, etc… The perceived pleasure is dulled by the perceived pain.

What if you could amplify the pleasure that you believed it would offer.  A better looking and feeling physique, a pain free body, looking better in and out of your clothes, self confidence and the feeling of more time in the day.  What if you amplified the perceived pain of not beginning this regimen?  The pain and discomfort you presently feel in your body, the little aches and pains.  The tiredness that comes from sedentary living.  Feeling the lack of tone and metabolic fire that comes from avoiding exercise.  The Fear of weight gain and its associated dis-eases.

The real secret to this is to feel the pain and pleasure.  Simply thinking of them will not work.  This must be felt and experienced.It works very well when attempting to eliminate a food that we may have had an addictive pattern with.

Who in the raw community is exciting to you and personally inspiring?

I am inspired by the integrity and wisdom of the new generation.  Those who have not yet picked up the mantle of teaching.  The generation before mine paved the way for me, and I and my generation are clearing the way for those to come.  They are far more real and integral than I can yet conceive.  They are the evolution of our ideas and response to the stimulus of our modern environment.  These are your children Moms!  The improved models!!!

Are you in a relationship?  Is she raw?  Would you ever be with someone who wasn’t raw?  Does she have to be as raw as you?  Any thoughts to how you will raise your children one day?

Hahaha.  Single White Male, Enjoys the Elements, Consciousness and Cacao Beans.

There are so many wonderful women, and I do not measure them by percentages of “rawness”. Any woman who would occupy that sacred space with me would have to have incredibly high standards about what she chooses to be built from.  Not just because I would want her to, but because to function with me at the level that I choose to, she would have to.

What type of woman interests and excites you?  What qualities do you look for?

What most entices and enthralls me are women who have tread a similar path.  Those who embrace their femininity and mastered their own bodies.  Those who understand their moon cycle and the magick of their intuitive ability.

I am not very attracted to mere mortals.  I appreciate goddesses, women who can embrace their full potential and independence.  I am most attracted to women who have learned to differentiate reality and possibility from the story book “find your value through your prince charming” fantasy stories of their childhoods.

I am not attracted to Barbie dolls and high heels.  I like natural Elven Princesses and Queens.  Those who know the herbs and animals and the power of their dreams.

What is your idea of a ‘perfect day for Daniel’?

Every day contains the possibility of enlightenment!  The days that I enjoy most are the result of remaining in the flow of creative energy and anabolic expression.  Perfect days are the result of loving myself and embracing the possibility of all I am capable of.  When days are less than perfect I know I am letting fear, futility, and contraction rule me.

It is less about “good days” and “bad days” and more about mastery of cycles.  Everything is cyclical.  The natural result of a high is a low, every  wave crest is followed by its trough.  The full moon is followed by the new, and the Summer Solstice is the balance of that of Winter.

What is more valuable than trying to stay “high” and avoid “lows” is to know the place, purpose, and usefulness of all things.  The pursuit of this kind of mastery is meta-fulfilling and, I feel, a very noble and worthy pursuit.

What does a ‘typical’ day look like for you in terms of your diet?

This is a loaded question…  So, I am excited to answer it!

First, let me be clear, there is no place that we ever “get to” with regards to what we eat.  This is, like so many other pursuits, an ever evolving and changing quest.  I remember attending a lecture, when I had been 16 times around the sun, with a prominent rawfoods educator.  He mentioned that he had been on his diet path for 14 years, and then proceeded to explain what he was “working on” with his nutrition approach.  I remember thinking “after 14 years you don’t have it nailed down yet???!!!

Today, after a decade and a half of intense nutritional education and experience, I am still always developing and shifting my approach.

I no longer subscribe to any one idea, so things like Veganism, Rawfoods, Superfoods, and the like no longer hold the powerful sway they once did.  I have come to understand that all approaches contain seeds of value, though each on has its inherent limitations, and can only take you so far.
Lao Tzu said that if you lean on any one idea too long it collapses.  I have found this to be consistently true (and I am sure it is true for this saying as well!).

My diet goes through cycles and changes.  Last year a typical day looked like fresh spring water in the morning, an Elixir in the early day, and a raw vegetable meal in the evening with seeds and nuts, and sea vegetables.  At that time I was eating a lot of my daily calories from sugars in the form of honey and agave. This winter my diet contained more steamed vegetables, quinoa, and raw, grass fed dairy products.  I also began a fairly intensive exploration of raw meats, and this allowed me to significantly reduce my sugar intake.

Right now I find a rhythm with spring water early in the morning, sometimes with MSM, shilajit, and other “supplements”.  I like to have some calories by noon, and this is almost always in the form of an Elixir.  This will often contain things like fresh teas made form herbs, medicinal mushrooms, barks, or flowers.  Added to it are things like coconut butter, chia seeds, cashews, spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, etc…

I have been sweetening with powdered stevia leaf (not the extracted kinds) lately, and really reducing my consumption of mono- and di- saccharides.  I also like mesquite, different salts, cacao butter, chlorella, etc…Lots of berries (of all types), and of course cacao!  Nibs are my favorite for drinks, though powdered cacao is also on the menu.

These drinks are often half of my daily food intake.  I like to balance them with an evening meal of raw or steamed vegetables, with olive oil, salt, and lemon or vinegar, as well as herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, oregano, etc…  Often my evening meal will be raw meats, bone marrow, or other animal foods, either as is, or with a bit of spice, like salts, cayenne, peppercorn (a berry), chipotle, coriander, etc…  I tend not to mix animal and vegetable foods too often.

I also enjoy fermented condiments with my evening foods, often sour krauts, kim-chee, or kombucha…  These aid in digestion, lower stomach pH, and feed us abundantly with vital organisms that we call probiotics.  As I mentioned, this is ever changing, shifting, and evolving, just like me.  I hope that your approach does too!  Eating the same foods for too long leads to at best boredom and at worst allergy and malnourishment!  For many of those reading this, our diets have become a sort of “Hero’s Quest”.  This means that the pursuit of refinement is a purpose unto itself.  As it should be.

Anything else you would love to add, dear?

Just some closing words.  You are an expression of the infinite divine.  Both darkness and light emanate from the same source.  Embrace all that is, and know that you are projecting the reality you are experiencing.  If there are things you would like to change in your life, look within.  The source is there.  If you struggle to change the outside world you will be forever lost in illusion.

Change is the nature of all things.  This situation that we face today on Earth feels frightening and confusing.  It is a cycle of change so vast that we can barely conceive it.  Be patient and remember that you are here for self-mastery.  Even the ability to love and relate is born of self mastery.  Use this experience, this lifetime for all it is worth.  And embrace the change.  It is inevitable!  Thank you, Shannon.

Posted in Success Stories | 25 Comments »

Blueberry Smash (Green Smoothie with Spinach, Bananas, Blueberries, Honey and Vanilla)

Written by admin on April 21, 2009 – -

Blueberries are just so delicious and tantalizing, that I couldn’t resist making myself an extra indulgent smoothie with them. Then there is the added bonus of the many nutrients they contain.

Blueberry Smash Recipe

• 100g baby English spinach
• 3 small bananas
• 300g blueberries
• raw honey
• splash vanilla extract

I put the spinach in first with a cup of water and blend, then add the other ingredients as I don’t have my Blendtec just yet.

This is a VERY thick smoothie, so you can add some more water to thin it out if you desire to do so.

Blueberry blessings,
Veronica

Tags: blueberries, by Veronica, green smoothie, Green Smoothie Recipes, spinach
Posted in Green Smoothies | 1 Comment »

Special Guest #11: Roe Gallo: The Age-Defying Diva

Written by Tera on April 21, 2009 – -

If you don’t know Dr. Roe Gallo, you’re in for a treat!

Roe is the author of  Overcoming the Myths of Aging and Perfect Body: Beyond the Illusion. She’s a role model for health and vibrant living, but she also knows her way around a tube of lipstick and high heels! Sensually speaking, Roe’s PhD in Human Sexuality means we’re dealing with a spicy Chica and I just know you’re going to looooove this interview with Roe.

She’s a stellar example of the principles she teaches. At 50 something, she’s there to show the world that wrinkles, cellulite and a saggy butt are NOT inevitable signs of aging!

I invite you to check out her resources and personal story on her website, www.RoeGallo.com, but in the meantime, here’s a peek at some of the questions I’ll be putting to the grill tomorrow afternoon!

CLICK HERE to access your IMPORTANT TELESEMINAR CALL INFORMATION!

She keeps it real, simple and fun, so I hope you’ll join us on Wednesday afternoon when I ask Roe a few questions about:

• What are the biggest myths of aging and how can we can overcome them?
• Can you talk to us about the importance of sexuality as part of our overall health formula?
• Give us a quick summary on how you inspire people to approach a natural diet and lifestyle?
• Do you ever slip up or stumble? If so, what gets you back on track?
• One of the subjects you’re passionate about is osteoporosis. Can you give us a bit of a teaser on this subject and some of the most important things you’ve learned recently?
• And, as usual, an organic, playfully stimulating conversation awaits you when you join us on Wednesday. Sometimes the moment dictates the subject best! Either way, you’re going to LOVE this chance to get up close and personal with Roe!
  

Hope to speak to you soon!

CLICK HERE to get the call information!

Love and hugs,

Tera

Tags: 90-Day Detox, Empowerment, natural diet, raw food diet, Roe Gallo, Sexuality, Tera Warner, the raw divas
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

Expect a Miracle

Written by Stacey on April 20, 2009 – -

Just like you, I’m a mother who tries to live her best life, knowing that this is the very best example I can give to my children.

Evie, Bella and I talk constantly about good choices, about listening to your heart, and about being kind to others.

So I was thrilled recently, when I came across this wonderful idea. An Australian man has created a PDF that you can download, and the PDF can be printed out on card and cut down into little cards.

The cards simply say “Expect a Miracle”.

Isn’t that beautiful? So simple – yet those very words could change the life of a person who reads them at just the right time.

I told my girls about these cards, and we printed off a sheet and they helped cut them into individual cards. I then tucked the cards into a small, zip-lockable bag, and popped it into my handbag.

We thought of all sorts of places we could use the cards, including at our local shopping centre (mall). Whenever we visit the mall toilets (restrooms), we come across rather sad advertising that’s directed at people with depression, ads that give such people a website and phone number for them to receive help. I don’t really like my girls seeing these ads and having the concept of depression imprinted on them at such a young age, but the ads are unavoidable, given that they’re usually in each cubicle.

So, we decided that sometimes we would randomly tuck these cards around the ads. We spoke of how someone who is feeling very sad might see the cards, and suddenly expect a miracle in their lives, and that their lives might just change right on the spot, just because they saw the cards! This idea was so exciting to the girls, and their beautiful little faces just lit up whenever we talked about how the cards could help somebody.

They then thought that we could sometimes tuck the cards under the windscreen wipers of cars in the carpark, and that we could drive by houses on the way home and just pick out a random house, popping a card into their letterbox if we felt that someone at that house might need this card to brighten their day.

If you’d like to download the cards (they’re free!), head to the Expect a Miracle website. If you have a spare 10 minutes, take a look around the site – it’s filled with heartwarming stories of miracles, and of people making positive change in the world.

I love the idea that I’ve been able to sow another seed in the fertile ground of my children’s consciousness, and can only imagine the impact that these powerful little cards could have on millions of people around the world.

Isn’t life just miraculous?

Posted in Success Stories | 1 Comment »

(90-Day Detox) Day 62: Stepping It Up a Notch

Written by Tera on April 20, 2009 – -

Well, well, well…

Look at me in the middle of the afternoon blogging. I can hardly believe it!

*grin*

That’s a refreshing change.

Things are slowing down a bit more and it feels good to get my feet on the ground. (Doubt I’ll keep  ‘em there for long, though!) I wanted to give you an idea of what I’ll be doing for myself in the weeks to come–at least as far as following the 90-day detox is concerned.

It’s incredible to think of how quickly time flies. We’re already two thirds of the way through this program. Then what? I ask myself a lot and haven’t quite answered that one yet. There are a lot of programs coming down the pipes, but my hope is that this blog can stay as somewhat of a pulse, a heartbeat for our community here. It’s felt good being on the blog every day. Sounds like many of you have drawn upon that support to help you through this process as well.

As I mentioned, it’s time to step up the volume a bit and if you’ve not been feeling very successful until now in your efforts to follow a cleaner dietary regime, then here’s what I’d like to suggest:

• Don’t focus on what you’re going to avoid. Focus on what you’re going to INCLUDE in your diet.

What we resist, persists. Remember that one.

• If you’re struggling to be disciplined when it comes to what kind of food to eat, then control some of the other variables in the equation. (Quantity, time of day, etc.)

I’ve known people to eat a standard meat and potato diet, but because they don’t overeat or eat late at night, they look and feel amazing. So it’s not just WHAT you eat that counts. Find some element that you CAN easily confront or change and start there.That’s the famous “Take it on a gradient” approach that we like to follow around here.

I’ve been at this raw food thing for about 6 years now. I need to pick what will challenge me according to where I’m at. So, I’m going to be focusing on a few things for the next 30 days of the program. Since I started today, I guess that means I’ll officially finish on the 92nd day, but that’s a lucky number, so what the heck.

• Making juices, especially GREEN juices.

Juice feasting isn’t working out very easily for me. I think it’s in large part because my juicer is the pits. I just can’t spent a couple hours messing with the whole system. I might get there eventually, but right now, I’m not there. At least a juice a day should do the trick to help me, I think.

• Increasing my discipline to go to yoga DAILY for the next 30 days.

I took up a 30 day challenge and I love that the commitment forces me to restructure a bit and get this as my priority. I can hardly believe that 6 week ago I was taking my first class. It had been over 3 years since I’d taken a yoga class! Now I’m going EVERY DAY!

*pat myself on the back*

• Getting sufficient sleep.

This is a bit one for me and seems to be creeping back in as a small problem. I started out this detox on the couch and I’m back there again. I think the key is going to find the man of my dreams and then there will be some incentive for going to bed. Otherwise, the couch serves me just fine.

• Keeping my house in order.

I’m not looking to get anything near what my mother and her mother have, but just want to feel more on top of the dust and laundry around here. Aaaaaaand, here’s a big one:

• Doing my best to focus on one thing at a time. Or, in other words, finishing what I start.

I notice that my productivity is seriously compromised by the number of distractions that fall on my plate. So this week my challenge is to be as disciplined as I can at finishing one thing before I start another. I think what that means is that I will have only specific times of the day that I open my mail account to answer messages. If I divide my day into different responsibilities and areas of focus, and design my week to have a bit of a rhythm, then I think good things could come of this.

Just like everything else, I’m taking this on a gradient. I notice I’m getting better at little things that I used to just leave. I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better. That counts for something.

One of the things that drains people immensely is UNFINISHED PROJECTS, or incomplete cycles of action. You have NO idea how much energy this takes up in people. There’s actually a science behind it–a discussion of flows of energy and exchange, etc. that can really get quite interesting. The telephone calls that distract, the emails that come in, the thoughts that wander, the fridge door that opens.

*Sheesh*

What do you know?! Looks like it’s time for this body of mine to boot it to yoga class. Only a one hour class today. But, I’ve got a few aches to iron out, so should be good.

Love and snuggles,

Tera

P.S.

Your turn! What are you going to do to step it up a few notches over the next 30 days?

Tags: 90-Day Detox, Add new tag, Raw Food, raw food diet, Tera Warner, the raw divas
Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

(90-Day Detox) Day 61: Another week whips by…

Written by Tera on April 20, 2009 – -

Maaaaaaaan!

Another day whips by me and here I am, minutes before midnight, finally getting to my blog post. How does it happen? How do the lists of things to do and distractions all pile up high enough and fast enough that a week whips by in a wink?

Ah well…

Onward.

It’s Sunday. It’s time to prepare to renew your commitments. There’s sure a part of me that is looking forward to this final phase of detox. I want to step things up for myself. I’m actually going to physically remove any foods I don’t want to be tempted to eat OUT OF MY HOUSE. I had some great teleseminars last night. If you’re in the high support version of the 90-day detox, I strongly encourage you to check that out. We covered some very good things.

***Fast Forward***

It’s 4:00am. Seems I wasn’t able to keep my eyelids peeled long enough to get this out before midnight afterall. Yesterday was our Raw in Montreal potluck, had two teleseminars at night, yoga in the day and two muffins to love in the morning. (One who had a fever.) Anyway, not the MOST productive day foinr Divaland, but certainly busy enough to have me conked on the couch earlier than I expected.

I’ll save the commitment review for “Monday’s” post.

Given the hustle and bustle that’s been going on because of the release of the 6-Week detox, there have been A LOT of emails coming in. I’m certainly doing my best to keep up.

Here’s one that moved me. Wanted to share the exchange of thoughts because I thought you might find it moving.

Hello Tera:  My name is Charles Premoe and I just wanted to express to you and Dr. Rita
how much I appreciate people such as yourselves and the truly inspirational work that you both are doing.  I am left near speechless as I try to envision the tremendous impact that you must have on the countless lives of those whom you influence by your gentle healing touch as you progress in your tireless efforts to restore the hope that sometimes begins to fade from our grasp as we are exposed to so many toxic influences.

Somehow a simple thank you just is not sufficient.

I just ask that untold blessing be yours in accordance with the level of your desires to share the knowledge that you have with others.  For if there is one thing I do know, it is this, that the universe is very reciprocative. Meaning that, as some people have put it “what goes around, comes around.”  In other words, the more you give, the more abundantly you will be given unto.

At the risk of sounding religious “in blessing we are blessed, and in multiplying, we are multiplied.” Genesis chap.22 verses21&22 also Hebrews chap.6 verses 13-15.  While writting this letter, I must admit that tears of joy fill my eyes as I think of the two of you, and what it is that you are doing. It goes without saying how vitally important this is to people.

I listened to the call last night and was amazed at the wealth of info that was given out in such a short amount of time. Then I went to your site and listened to the call several more times, it was truly wonderful. And you, Tera, bless your heart, I know how difficult it must have been for you to do what you did at the end of the teleseminar, but I truly believe that great hidden treasures are laid up in store for the both of you, (not to mention your families) for doing this.  It may not appear so at first, but given time you will soon reap the harvest of your plantings.  I assure you that this is so!  For it is only after the trial, that the blessings (AKA, rewards) come.

I owned a bakery some 14 years ago, and being somewhat of an extremist that I am, I worked very hard especially around the holidays I sometimes would work 4 & 5 days in a row with no sleep what so ever just to make the business succeed.  I usually didn’t have time to stop for a nutritious meal, so I often ate what I was fixing at the moment, and believe me it wasn’t the best that one could place in their body.  I didn’t drink coffee but in order to stay awake I would often consume high caffine sodas.  Needles to say, things began to take their toll on me and toward the end I suffered a stroke that forced me to give up the one thing that I loved to do. I had no choice but to let go of my business and lost my ability to provide a living for my family.  Let me just say this; for a man, that hit me right square in the bulls eye of my male pride.  For the next week I lay unconscious and paralyzed on my left side.  When I finally came conscious it was sometime before I began to realize just what had happened to me.

To make a long story short, I made a very slow recovery, until now I have just begun to take a new and exciting direction in my journey upon life’s pathway, that being raw and living foods.  My ultimate goal is to eventually overcome the challenge of current health issues, to the point that others can actually begin to see what a difference this lifestyle can make in a person. i.e. Just the other day I had a friend comment on how much younger I looked.  That was a testimony to me that what I was doing was beginning to make a difference.  My main concern now is congestive heart failure along with the 9 medications that I am currently on and the mirad of side effects that are beginning to show up which means more meds to take care of the side effects which can cause other side effects.

I believe that as long as there is a spark of life left that their still is a glimmer of hope.

I eventually would like to acquire enough knowledge to some day teach others what I have learned.  I believe that nothing can bring a person more of a sense of fulfillment than to restore hope into the lives of other people and literally see the light of that hope shinning forth from their countenances. What a marvelous experiences that truly is.  And that dear Tera is my request for you; that you will begin to see the fruits of your labours.  And you will be richly blessed, both temporally and spiritually for all your efforts.  Once again thank you both from the depths of my heart.

Rawspectfully Yours;
Charles Premoe

P.S.  Please drop a line just to let me know that you received this letter.  Its important to me as I am not very computer literate, but I am learning.

As you can imagine, it’s quite something to receive messages like this. If I look back at the glory moments of what I’ve done in my life (with work) they are most certainly related to letters like this one that express such an extraordinary amount of emotion between strangers. They open their secret gardens for me to see without so much as questioning whether or not I am able, willing or interested in knowing these things. They KNOW I am because I’ve imbued a clear sense of who I am in everything I do.

Yesterday an AMAZING character, Jacques Landry, in our potluck group came up to me saying that he’d read the sales page for the 90-day detox and had never read any letter that had as much looooove in it. He said he felt like it came straight from the heart.

It did.

It all does.

You don’t always realize the impact your choices have on other people, but the world is watching. BE the change. You don’t always see the results of what you give or how you love coming back to benefit you immediately, but persist in the face of opposition and believe, in spite of all reason not to believe or persist, and you’ll see soon enough that you’re on the right path.

Watch for the karmic flags that pop up and affirm you’re doing the right thing. The bus that pulls up just as you arrive at the stop. The friend that calls you up only a moment after you had this person on your mind. These are the winks from the universe that YOU are on the right path.

*ping*

That was my laundry reminding me I’m on the right path to getting this house cleaned today.

I’m decluttering. Decluttering my thoughts, my house, my intestinal tract, my cupboards and my social life.

Out with the old!

In with the new!

I’m ready for the final stretch of this 90-day journey and in my next post I’ll tell you what I’ve got planned and what my new commitments are for this week.

Shoulders back! Chest up! Tummy tight!

Dance to the rhythm of your beautiful day–of your beautiful LIFE!

Kisses and karmic flags,
Tera

Tags: 90-Day Detox, raw food diet, Tera Warner, the raw divas
Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

(90-Day Detox) Day 60: The Final Stretch

Written by Tera on April 18, 2009 – -

Oooooooohkaaaaay, folks!

While there are still an absurd number of unanswered messages in my inbox, I MUST BLOG! The last few days have been busy ones as signups are coming in for our 6-Week Deep Tissue Detox. Exciting stuff, I tell ya! Thank you sooooo much to everyone who supported us by coming to the call and sending in your letters of appreciation. I got an interesting one that I’ll attach below.

First, let’s chat a bit.;-)

It’s Day 60.

CONGRATULATIONS for making it this far! Tomorrow we kick off the 3rd stage of this adventure and while this message may not come to you in time, there are some things I’d like to propose we do for the final stretch of this adventure.

I’d like to follow up on the proposition that we have some cleansing days in our week. I’ll be following along the deep tissue detox myself, but want to propose that weekends, or whenever it suits you best, that we include a day of juice feasting ONCE a week. Twice a week if you can. If you don’t have a blender or juicer… then you could consider having 2 days of no fat or even one day of no fat to help give your body and system a bit of a rest.

I would start this cleansing day tomorrow if I could, but we have a potluck dinner with our Raw in Montreal friends. I’m quite excited about seeing some new faces and connecting with everyone there. This week is special because everyone will be getting an invitation to join us next Sunday for another potluck dinner, but this time, we’ll have a film crew with us doing another segment on Raw Food for Radio Canada.

Interesting to realize that in two months there have been two tv interviews with local media. That’s pretty neat and a sure sign that raw food is on the rise in Montreal! That’s why it’s important that YOU be a pioneer out there in the world.

I wrote and spoke a lot about this on the teleseminar and Spring Fever page that I put together, but we really are the trail blazers in this movement and the opportunities are RIPE for building a business inspiring and assisting other people to turn their health and their lives around.

And so how ’bout your health and your life?

Are you ready to step it up a few notches around here? How have things been going?

I want to say more, but I have a little guy running a fever (another reason this comes later than expected). I gotta run, but Sunday morning you’ll be all mine!

More juicy news from me after a good night’s sleep.

Love you,

Tera

Tags: 90-Day Detox, Empowerment, Raw Food, raw food diet, Tera Warner, the raw divas
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

(90-Day Detox) Day 59 & 60: I miss you!

Written by Tera on April 18, 2009 – -

Just letting you know I’m buried under emails because of the detox program but will dig myself out after a session of hot yoga to unwind.

Love you and miss you like crazy,

Tera

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

The Importance of the In-Arms Phase by Jean Leidloff

Written by Joanne on April 17, 2009 – -

The Importance of the In-Arms Phase

by Jean Leidloff

In the two and a half years during which I lived among Stone Age Indians in the South American jungle (not all at once, but on five separate expeditions with a lot of time between them for reflection), I came to see that our human nature is not what we have been brought up to believe it is. Babies of the Yequana tribe, far from needing peace and quiet to go to sleep, snoozed blissfully whenever they were tired, while the men, women, or children carrying them danced, ran, walked, shouted, or paddled canoes. Toddlers played together without fighting or arguing, and they obeyed their elders instantly and willingly.

The notion of punishing a child had apparently never occurred to these people, nor did their behavior show anything that could truly be called permissiveness. No child would have dreamed of inconveniencing, interrupting, or being waited on by an adult. And by the age of four, children were contributing more to the work force in their family than they were costing others.

Babes in arms almost never cried and, fascinatingly, did not wave their arms, kick, arch their backs, or flex their hands and feet. They sat quietly in their slings or slept on someone’s hip – exploding the myth that babies need to flex to “exercise.” They also did not throw up unless extremely ill and did not suffer from colic. When startled during the first months of crawling and walking, they did not expect anyone to go to them but rather went on their own to their mother or other caretakers for the measure of reassurance needed before resuming their explorations. Without supervision, even the smallest tots rarely hurt themselves.

Is their “human nature” different from ours? Some people actually imagine that it is, but there is, of course, only one human species. What can we learn from the Yequana tribe?

Our Innate Expectations

Primarily, we can try to grasp fully the formative power of what I call the in-arms phase. It begins at birth and ends with the commencement of creeping, when the infant can depart and return at will to the caretaker’s knee. It consists, simply, of the infant having 24-hour contact with an adult or older child.

At first, I merely observed that this in-arms experience had an impressively salutary effect on the babies and that they were no “trouble” to manage. Their bodies were soft and conformed to any position convenient to their bearers – some of whom even dangled their babies down their backs while holding them by the wrist. I do not mean to recommend this position, but the fact that it is possible demonstrates the scope of what constitutes comfort for a baby. In contrast to this is the desperate discomfort of infants laid carefully in a crib or carriage, tenderly tucked in, and left to go rigid with the desire for the living body that is by nature their rightful place – a body belonging to someone who will “believe” their cries and relieve their craving with welcoming arms.

Why the incompetence in our society? From childhood on, we are taught not to believe in our instinctive knowledge. We are told that parents and teachers know best and that when our feelings do not concur with their ideas, we must be wrong. Conditioned to mistrust or utterly disbelieve our feelings, we are easily convinced not to believe the baby whose cries say “You should hold me!” “I should be next to your body!” “Don’t leave me!” Instead, we overrule our natural response and follow the going fashion dictated by babycare “experts.” The loss of faith in our innate expertise leaves us turning from one book to another as each successive fad fails.

It is important to understand who the real experts are. The second greatest babycare expert is within us, just as surely as it resides in every surviving species that, by definition, must know how to care for its young. The greatest expert of all is, of course, the baby – programmed by millions of years of evolution to signal his or her own kind by sound and action when care is incorrect. Evolution is a refining process that has honed our innate behavior with magnificent precision. The signal from the baby, the understanding of the signal by his or her people, the impulse to obey it – all are part of our species’ character.

The presumptuous intellect has shown itself to be ill-equipped to guess at the authentic requirements of human babies. The question is often: Should I pick up the baby when he or she cries? Or should I first let the baby cry for a while? Or should I let the baby cry so that this child know who is boss and will not become a “tyrant”?

No baby would agree to any of these impositions. Unanimously, they let us know by the clearest signals that they should not be put down at all. As this option has not been widely advocated in contemporary Western civilization, the relationship between parent and child has remained steadfastly adversarial. The game has been about how to get the baby to sleep in the crib, whether or not to oppose the baby’s cries has not been considered. Although Tine Thevenin’s book, The Family Bed, and others have gone some way to open the subject up of having children sleep with parents, the important principle has not been clearly addressed: to act against our nature as a species is inevitably to lose well-being.

Once we have grasped and accepted the principle of respecting our innate expectations, we will be able to discover precisely what those expectations are – in other words, what evolution has accustomed us to experience.

The Formative Role of the In-Arms Phase

How did I come to see the in-arms phase as crucial to a person’s development? First, I saw the relaxed and happy people in the forests of South America lugging around their babies and never putting them down. Little by little, I was able to see a connection between that simple fact and the quality of their lives. Later still, I have come to certain conclusions about how and why being in constant contact with the active caretaker is essential to the initial postnatal stage of development.

For one thing, it appears that the person carrying the baby (usually the mother in the first months, then often a four- to 12-year-old child who brings the baby back to the mother for feeding) is laying the foundation for later experience. The baby passively participates in the bearers running, walking, laughing, talking, working, and playing. The particular activities, the pace, the inflections of the language, the variety of sights, night and day, the range of temperatures, wetness and dryness, and the sounds of community life form a basis for the active participation that will begin at six or eight months of age with creeping, crawling, and then walking. A baby who has spent this time lying in a quiet crib or looking at the inside of a carriage, or at the sky, will have missed most of this essential experience.

Because of the child’s need to participate, it is also important that caretakers not just sit and gaze at the baby or continually ask what the baby wants, but lead active lives themselves. Occasionally one cannot resist giving a baby a flurry of kisses; however, a baby who is programmed to watch you living your busy life is confused and frustrated when you spend your time watching him living his. A baby who is in the business of absorbing what life is like as lived by you is thrown into confusion if you ask him to direct it.

The second essential function of the in-arms experience appears to have escaped the notice of everyone (including me, until the mid-1960s). It is to provide babies with a means of discharging their excess energy until they are able to do so themselves. In the months before being able to get around under their own power, babies accumulate energy from the absorption of food and sunshine. A baby therefore needs constant contact with the energy field of an active person, who can discharge the unused excess for each of them. This explains why the Yequana babies were so strangely relaxed – why they did not stiffen, kick, arch, or flex to relieve themselves of an uncomfortable accumulation of energy.

To provide the optimum in-arms experience, we have to discharge our own energy efficiently. One can very quickly calm a fussing baby by running or jumping with the child, or by dancing or doing whatever eliminates one’s own energy excess. A mother or father who must suddenly go out to get something need not say, “Here, you hold the baby. I’m going to run down to the shop.” The one doing the running can take the baby along for the ride. The more action, the better!

Babies – and adults – experience tension when the circulation of energy in their muscles is impeded. A baby seething with undischarged energy is asking for action: a leaping gallop around the living room or a swing from the child’s hands or feet. The baby’s energy field will immediately take advantage of an adult’s discharging one. Babies are not the fragile things we have been handling with kid gloves. In fact, a baby treated as fragile at this formative stage can be persuaded that he or she is fragile.

As parents, you can readily attain the mastery that comes with comprehension of energy flow. In the process you will discover many ways to help your baby retain the soft muscle tone of ancestral well-being and give your baby some of the calm and comfort an infant needs to feel at home in the world.

Copyright ©1991 by Jean Liedloff

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