Love, Warmth, Light.. and more Love

If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,

love everyone.

whether in their presence or absence,

see only their good.

if you want to be as clear and refreshing as

the breath of the morning breeze,

like the sun have nothing but warmth and light

for everyone.

~Shaikh Abu-Said Abil-Khair

The important thing is not to think much,

but to love much;

and so, do that which best stirs you to love.

~Saint Teresa of Avila

7 Spectacular Wonders of the Natural World

1 - Sailing Stones
The mysterious moving stones of the packed-mud desert of Death Valley have been a center of scientific controversy for decades. Rocks weighing up to hundreds of pounds have been known to move up to hundreds of yards at a time. Some scientists have proposed that a combination of strong winds and surface ice account for these movements. However, this theory does not explain evidence of different rocks starting side by side and moving at different rates and in disparate directions. Moreover, the physics calculations do not fully support this theory as wind speeds of hundreds of miles per hour would be needed to move some of the stones.

2 - Columnar Basalt

When a thick lava flow cools it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity - in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man. One of the most famous such examples is the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above) though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil's Tower in Wyoming . Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.

3 - Blue Holes

Blue holes are giant and sudden drops in underwater elevation that get their name from the dark and foreboding blue tone they exhibit when viewed from above in relationship to surrounding waters. They can be hundreds of feet deep and while divers are able to explore some of them they are largely devoid of oxygen that would support sea life due to poor water circulation - leaving them eerily empty. Some blue holes, however, contain ancient fossil remains that have been discovered, preserved in their depths..

4 - Red Tides

Red tides are also known as algal blooms - sudden influxes of massive amounts of colored single-cell algae that can convert entire areas of an ocean or beach into a blood red color. While some of these can be relatively harmless, others can be harbingers of deadly toxins that cause the deaths of fish, birds and marine mammals. In some cases, even humans have been harmed by red tides though no human exposure are known to have been fatal. While they can be fatal, the constituent phytoplankton in ride tides are not harmful in small numbers.

5 - Ice Circles

While many see these apparently perfect ice circles as worthy of conspiracy theorizing, scientists generally accept that they are formed by eddies in the water that spin a sizable piece of ice in a circular motion. As a result of this rotation, other pieces of ice and flotsam wear relatively evenly at the edges of the ice until it slowly forms into an essentially ideal circle. Ice circles have been seen with diameters of over 500 feet and can also at times be found in clusters and groups at different sizes as shown above.

6 - Mammatus Clouds

True to their ominous appearance, mammatus clouds are often harbingers of a coming storm or other extreme weather system. Typically composed primarily of ice, they can extend for hundreds of miles in each direction and individual formations can remain visibly static for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. While they may appear foreboding they are merely the messengers - appearing around, before or even after severe weather.

7 - Fire Rainbows

A circumhorizontal fire rainbow arc occurs at a rare confluence of right time and right place for the sun and certain clouds. Crystals within the clouds refract light into the various visible waves of the spectrum but only if they are arrayed correctly relative to the ground below. Due to the rarity with which all of these events happen in conjunction with one another, there are relatively few remarkable photos of this phenomena.

Global Psychic Awareness, Mental Mastery, Awakening Avatars, Great Treks and Creature Comforts

JUst TREKking home.. been a long day, journeying around..

Day dreaming thoughts on The Awakening of Global Psychic Awareness and Mental Mastery - Creating Abundance and Happiness: Have Confidence, Believe in Yourself, Set Goals and Clear Limitations and Disempowering beliefs.

Remembering the Avatar within through the Chiron myth.. The Avatar Awakens

Chiron - said to be the last centaur was a highly revered teacher.
Centaurs, like satyrs, are notorious for being overly indulgent drinkers and carousers & uncultured delinquents, but Chiron, by contrast, was intelligent, civilized and kind. He was known for his knowledge and skill with medicine and was a great healer, herbalist, astrologer, and respected oracle.
As centaur, Chiron represents the bridge between the animal intuitive self, and the human intellectual self.
The Chiron myth is similar to the Christ myth where suffering must be transmutated into the higher realm of one's service to the planet.
Chiron, my great friend, was immortalized into Sagittarius in the sky.

Note on Creature Comfort from Jinjee:
"What about a change of perspective. Re-framing, they call it. Instead of thinking that I like to eat because I like my creature comforts, let's really get in to our comfort, our well-being, and realize how uncomfortable it is to be too full, let ourselves wake up to how uncomfortable it is to carry too much weight. Get comfortable. Make your comfort your priority. Enjoy your life again!"

Toronto's May Raw Pot Luck

Last night was the May Raw Pot Luck. It has been temporarily held for the past few months at 680 Queen's Quay, but a search is underway for a new location for it.
I worked at Rawlicious all day and just got off in time to get there..so the night before I prepared food to bring. I made 3 Mango Pies.. they were experiments. Thats one thing I love about these pot lucks is taking time to experiment on different dishes.

The mango pies had a macadamia and coconut crust, easy, just processed together with a bit of agave and lemon juice.. and a creamy filling, mostly made of mangoes.. I just bought a box, the most beautiful creamy fragrant ataulfo mangoes are in the height of their season and I am buying them by the case lately and eating several daily. So, the filling was made with lots of mango blended with some young coconut meat and soaked cashews, pineapple and lemon juice & agave.. and then a topping which was just mango and agave, a dash of lemon juice and a bit of psylium, just enough to make it a thick but still pourable consistency.

& I made an oyster mushroom ceviche.. which was inspired by Matthew Kenneys new book Entertaining in the Raw.. it had tomatoes,seeded and just the outer part diced, avocado, red onion and cilantro, with an orange and lime juice dressing with some Indian channa masala spices.. living in little India influence on me I'm sure.

But the best part of pot lucks is trying lots of new dishes and meeting lots of friends, old and new.. there is a beautiful community that develops from sharing food! & lots of Love ..a few pics of the food, although taken quickly as people were starting and I didn't get pics of everything..

Exploring Asian Vegetables 2

Bitter Melon.. I am seeing these everywhere here in Little India, and around here it is often stewed in curry dishes. It is more challenging to eat raw as it is very bitter, but also exceptionally cool because of the quinine in it. It is said to purify the blood and boost the immune system. These are found usually in Asian markets. Look for small to medium sized ones which are plump and firm. The yellowish to lighter green ones are less bitter. Its often paired with sharp strong flavours such as chilis, curries and fermented foods

The Chayote is native to Mexico and Central America but is embraced by Asians. Inside it has a white flesh similar to an apple, with a refreshing mild taste which is close to a cucumber. It has a slippery quality when first peeled and although usually eaten cooked, is nice to eat raw. The chayote is like a blank slate which can be paired with almost anything.

The Luffa Squash, aka Chinese okra, silk squash or sponge gourd, is more spongy than most squahes or gourds. It should be peeled as the skin is bitter. The pale green flesh inside can be eaten raw.

Look for luffa squashes that are relatively small and are firm and unshriveled. As it is literaly a sponge it soaks up other flavors easily.

A smooth variety is more uncommon to find but can also eaten (and in its mature stage is dried to use as a scrub for the bath, hence the name!)

The Eggplant is native to India but has been cultivated in Asia since prehistory. They are found in many shapes and sizes and ranging in color from green to white to purple. There are too many varieties to name them all. The common Chinese and Japanese eggplants are both long and slim; the Chinese ones have a pale lavender skin and the Japanese are darker purple. The Thai green and white striped small hard golf ball sized eggplants are commonly used in curries. Thais also love bitter pea egglants, which grow in clusters and are eaten raw.

Galangal Root is a member of the ginger family (as is turmeric), but is stockier and more fiery, almost bitter, in taste compared to ginger. It has a unique combination of bitter, spicy and sour and has a cedar and lemon smell to it that ginger doesn’t. In the Middle Ages Europeans used it an aphrodisiac and it’s still used to treat stomach aches and nausea in much the same way as ginger is. Different varieties of galangal have different taste profiles and smells. The two main varieties are lesser galangal and greater galangal. Lesser galangal is smaller, sweeter and hotter with a reddish brown flesh. It is more difficult to find. Greater galangal has yellow-toned flesh and is a bit more common. Young galangal can look a lot like ginger, but it’s paler and more expensive. Most chefs favor young galangal over older and darker galangal, but some of the more old-school Thai chefs enjoy the more mature, full flavor and aroma of older galangal. At the oriental grocer, you’ll find galangal in three basic forms: fresh, dried and powdered.

There is no need to peel galangal, but look for smaller pieces which slice easier. It should be used in small doses. Galangal is crucial to many Thai dishes.

Lemongrass has a bright citrusy flavor without the sourness of lemon. The flavorful stalks are the part usually sold, but in many supermarkets it's often emanciated and dry.. However, in Asian markets, where there is a good turnover, there are often many fat fresh stalks. Lemongrass can be used all the way up to where the leaves grow but the most flavorful part is the last 4 inches or so of the stalk, from the root end. Trim off the bottom and the outer, more fibrous layers of the stalk. This inner part can be sliced lengthwise and then minced and added to recipes and salads. It's delicious in fresh lemonade!

Curry Leaves are used in Sri Lankan and Malaysian cooking and are an integral part of South Indian cuisine. They are not always available fresh so enjoy them while they are. Dried leaves are always available but can't measure up to the fresh. Fresh leaves can be frozen in a zip-lock bag and kept for a few months. The leaves can be chopped and added to recipes or ground with coconut, tamarind and chilies into a chutney.

Exploring Asian Vegetables 1

There are two kinds of Amaranth found in the market: red and green. Both have a mild taste, similar to spinach. They are sold with young stems and tender leaves wich should be used right away and more mature with wide oval leaves which come to a point and are a bit crinkly and with a sharper flavor. These grow all over the world. In Indian cuisine they are often called Thotakura pappu or Mulai Keerai.. despite all the names, they.. or at least the red leaf amaranth is very easy to spot.

Pea shoots are the leaves of the pea plant which are bright green and succulent, with accompanying tendrils that curl up and have a subtle sugary flavor that is delicious raw. It is from a snow pea plnt variet that is cultivated specifically for its shoots. Like peas, pea shoots have a sweet crispness that goes beautifully with just about anything and a pleasant sweet pea flavor. These are an extravagance and are seasonal, arriving in markets in early spring.

Lotus Root (actually a rhizome) is usually sold in buff colored sausagelike links, typically sold in 2's or 3's. Sometimes it's sold cleaned and sometimes it's sold still covered in mud. ..and is fairly ugly ..until it is cut open to reveal it's paper snowflake-like pattern inside. The flavor and crisp texture is smething like jicama but slightly more astringent.

Ong Choy, also called Water Spinach is sold in tall leafy bundles with long flat arrow shaped leaves and thin hollow stems. You can split the pale green leaves lenthwise and soak them in water which makes them curl into little corkscrews for decoration. Buy young tender leaves and stems.

Mizuna is found in most baby green mixes and is also found mature in Japanese grocery stores where it is sold in a clump, much like frisee. Look for dark green leaves.

Tatsoi is often found in Spring mix or Mesclun mix. This brassica grows in a rosette, sometimes flat against the ground and has crinkled dark green leaves and often a white stem much like that of Bok Choy, to whom it is related.

Choy Sum aka Yau Choy, or Yow Choy Sum or other similar variations, also sometimes just called Chinese greens, although there are so many of them, it can get confusing. This one has broad oval green leaves with little yellow flowers and pale green stems, no bigger than your pinkie. They are slightly mustardy in flavor, only slightly ..and much milder. They are tender and sweet, kind of like a cross between spinach and broccoli. This is one of the most popular vegetables in China.

Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) is similar to "common" broccoli; it is a green plant with small white flowers. It has a longer stalk and a more delicate taste. Gai lan is crunchy when raw.

much of this info is from Asian Vegetables by Sara Deseran.
to be continued..

The New Adventures of RawketGirl: Mega-Green, Kouchakoff, Illumination, Celebration, Courage and Naad

Just received this note from my super-image-artist-poet-hero-friend-collaborator-in-life who occasionally writes me sequels of the Life of RawketGrrrl:

New Adventures of Rawket Grrrl .... AKA Keiko Ti

Rawket is very good at fighting evil, despite having absolutely no combat skills, and so she has a strong positive influence, but sometimes ends up getting knocked out or kidnapped by the bad guys when she goes on citizen patrol in kitchens or the Blogosphere.

I've decided to improve on her crime fighting statistics by giving her a super hero outfit, based on the logic that criminals are a cowardly stressed and superstitious bunch who will surrender at the sight of someone grounded and dressed in a super costume.

Hopefully, the crime, evil and transfat consumption rate in the neighbourhood will drop to zero once Rawket starts wearing the superhero outfit on her patrols, because the bad guys who spend all their time chloroforming her into submission with guilt and insensitivity will have to deal with their own secret identities and change their inner outfits as well.

I gave Rawket a bow and arrows of love, thinking perhaps it can help her fight the bad guys better, but she must practise ready aim fire and beware of innocent bystanders who might fall in love by accident.

This is my dinner, from Fresh.. large All-Green juice and Mega life salad with House dressing.. it's my little indulgence. Wow, amazing that this is considered an indulgence.. I am told it's not organic, but I love their dressing, and the salad has steamed spinach on it.. so not 100% raw, but close! ..and according to Kouchakoff research on leucocytosis, this is not such a bad thing.

I have read the research more fully, but from The Raw Foods Bible section on digestive leucocytosis..
"At the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne, Switzerland, Paul Kouchakoff did extensive research on digestive leucocytosis. Digestive leucocytosis is a phenomenon in which, simply put, white blood cells (leucocytes) rush to the intestines as cooked food enters.

Before Kouchakoff's work, digestive leucocytosis was thought to be perfectly normal. But Kouchakoff found that when food is eaten raw, digestive leucocytosis does not occur. In fact, he found that if something raw is eaten before something cooked, this phenomenon does not occur."

Very interesting study!

So, beautiful sunny day & we went and spent time in Kensington Market this afternoon.. I bought some new superhero clothes .. Yay!! and lots of fruit and superfoods ..and Mom sent me inspiration in on my blackberry : )

"In school you get the lesson and then take the test ... In life you take the test and then get the lesson."-- Unknown Source

"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."-- Charles Beard

How is a problem in your life really an opportunity?

Problems invite us to go inside to recognize a bigger picture of ourselves and of life. This bigger picture brings meaning to what is unfolding. When you feel trapped in a problem, see if you can shift your perspective. Ask yourself, “What is my soul inviting me to learn from this situation?” The answer will always revolve around a quality or value, like gratitude, freedom, compassion, love, will, humour or acceptance. The answer will also always promote union rather than separation.As soon as we find the meaning in our challenge, our resistance to it melts away. Often, awareness of the lesson is all that is needed to resolve the problem. If not, the awareness brings us courage and ways to work through it.

Courage has been my theme of the day.

On friday eve I went with 4 wonderful friends to see Snatam Kaur, sacred chant artist, at her Celebrate Peace Concert.

"My Guru is the sacred Sound Current, or Naad," states Snatam. "The experience of recording an album or preparing to perform is for me tuning into the living and breathing consciousness of Sound Current, which for me is the Guru, or Divine Teacher."
Many songs on Snatams recordings are ancient chants sung in Gurumukhi, the sacred language of the Sikhs; others are in English.. she bridges a gap between the two.

Snatam believes peace already lives within each of us, it is a matter of us recognizing it and celebrating it. Celebration comes from a place of courage and inner strength.

Life, Staying Raw, Lessons and Karma

I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately.. maybe it's the Pre-Mercury Symptoms (PMS ; ) happening.. but in it all, I have realized some interesting things.. like.. that some of the things that I have been feeling lately - not quite the superhuman feeling I usually have.. more of a sad, what-is-going-on--why-am-I-feeling-this-way confused and disconnected kind of feeling ..well, I had previously been thinking more blame feelings about it, and it had been getting worse.. Now, I am thinking personal responsibility and I bring everything upon myself.. and I get it. (at least some of it) I was feeling a bit of resentment, higher expectations.. and I stopped giving as much. I said some negative things which (of course) I brought into reality.. and biggest one of all - I realized today that the sadness someone else was feeling, and that I could have helped, in the past.. well, now I was feeling the same way.. and I wish now I had realized and been more compassionate - & I watched karma at work.

Sooo.. lots of reflection It's been a crazy topsy-turvy kind of year or so. My almost 20 year marriage ended (Huge!) and teenagers, and leaving Toronto Sprouts andhelping open a raw cafe - which is wonderful!!! but a lot of work, and new relationship..and more, deaths, big spiritual adventures, awakenings, big thoughts and realizations.. well, I guess it stands to reason that there have been some mixed emotions and sadness and reflection thrown in there amidst it.

But I honestly think that even though this year has not been 110% superhuman-high all the time, it has been for the most part really, really good, and deep.. and I don't think I would have lived it all even remotely as deeply and fully if I hadn't remained raw. It let me see the light through it.. I think maybe it was the light in the food that let me see the light in the darker situations. ..and led me to the realization that I still have lessons to learn.. and to see those lessons.

So now, I am feeling so, so blessed at having found this incredible raw lifestyle.. realizing how powerful food is.. and how much it gives us.. and so much more than physically.

I was talking to my Mom today.. and telling her how it has been tough sometimes to stay raw. There have been times when I really, really wanted to go for the grounding cooked food. It didn't seem as hard for her.. and she has been through a lot also, prob more than me, from Judith's death - my sister in law, of breast cancer, to my Dad's death and taking care of him with Alzheimers, to now raising her 15 year old granddaughter.. she is always my rock, my source of strength, my spiritual guru and inspiration.. she has just sailed through all this raw and been there for all of us and everyone, bringing sick uncles and aunts meals..being there for everyone and always so happy, positive..

And I realized that it is her steadfast spiritual strength that has held her so strong and staying raw - no problem - through all of it. She always has what I usually have - an unwavering belief in the Universe and its benevolent abundant love and protection. And she has years of wisdom on me.

So, things are looking way up again. I just got a new gym membership.. a new Gym just opened May 1st-2 blocks away.. I have been green juicing -large quantities- daily.. onto the algae, wild mushrooms, maca.. all wonderful things. I have been confronting and looking closely at life and am back to embracing it wildly.. I am excited to see whats going to happen next!!
Lots of fun coming up very, very soon.. always always xoxo

Slow Loris Loves getting Tickled