Message In err... On The Bottle

Or moreover....

Message In the Water


Heard about the work of Japanese Scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto and his mind blowing studies into the messages of water? No? Well Check it out! 
Plus how to etch your own bottles.

One thing I really love about Cafe Gratitude is the water, or maybe more accurately, the water bottles. From my first visit I wanted ones just like them.

Why? You ask.

They have etched on the bottles words such as Love, Gratitude, Abundance, Familia.

Okay, so what? you say. What’s the big deal about words on a bottle?

It’s not just words on the bottle but what happens to the water when there are words on the bottle.

Hang on now! Stay with me!

If you have read or better yet seen the photos from the work by Dr. Masaru Emoto from his book, Messages From Water, you will never look at water the same way again. It will completely mesmerize you. You will never think about music, saying grace or more importantly words and their intentions the same way again either. 

What Dr. Emoto discovered is that music, words, beautiful pictures, prayers and intentions affect the molecules of water and that water has memory. When you realize that we as humans are made up of over 70% water, not to mention the percentage of all living things on our planet, including our planet, the ramifications of this are truly mind blowing.

His research in a nutshell:

Dr. Emoto did a study where he took water from a polluted lake and froze samples for a few hours and then studied them under a dark field microscope. He then studied the results again after a blessing had been done to the water. What he found was a markable difference in crystiline structure. 

Polluted Lake Water Before Prayer                                                                     After Prayer              

He then examined distilled water, again frozen, before and then again after it was exposed to music, different types of music. (By the way, the tap water never produced any crystaline structures, only pure water from remote lakes and rivers and distilled...hmmm....)

Again, amazing results.

He then went on to label bottles of distilled water with words for 24 hrs and then examine the same water again. This is what truly boggles the mind.

"You Make Me Sick"                                                                      "Love and Appreciation"

If words can do this to water, what do our words and intentions everyday do to us and our world around us? Think about it!


For more photos of Dr. Emoto's Crystals check this out:





Love this:


 If words and thoughts can do this to water, what are your words and thoughts doing to you?

If given the choice, wouldn’t you want to drink water that looked like this?

Love and Thanks

Me too!

So I set out to make my own water bottles.




Read on for.........

How To Etch Your Own Glass Water Bottle

Supplies

Bottles!

You are going to need glass bottles.

I got these from Ikea and Cost Plus/ World Market

Make sure they are clean and free from detergent or any residue that would keep tape from sticking.

I had used a sticker remover on one bottle and had to work to get that residue removed completely.

(These are dry on the inside.)








 You will also need:

Thick masking tape with full strength hold. (I don't recommend blue painters tape.)

Glass etching cream

A little paint brush

A small swivel Exacto knife

Pencil
Pen is optional
Small scissors

Gloves, glasses or whatever etching cream recommends

Decide what words you would like on your bottle.

Either sketch up what you want it to look like or use a computer font to print out the size and look you want.
Or even just to get ideas.

Keep in mind the thinner the lettering the harder it is to cut out.



Get ready for transfer

Cut a piece of masking tape and place on a surface you can cut on.

If you are worried about the tape sticking to that surface, cut a double thickness of tape so you can still remove the top layer.

One the reverse side of your word, transfer some pencil carbon to act as carbon paper.

Position the word over your tape and secure.

You want to make sure you have enough of a margin to keep etch cream for getting outside the stencil.

Then with your pencil, trace around the letters

Press hard to get a good transfer

You should have a very visible transfer.

If you would like to make it clearer, trace again with the pen.

Now with the exacto knife,
cut out the lettering, carefully.
Trim with small scissors if needed.

I found it easier to cut out bigger letters and do a reverse stencil by framing in a border on the bottle.

Taping/ Etching


Place your words/stencil where you like.


Make sure the tape is very secure. 
I used the bottom of the foam brush to rub over the tape to secure to bottle.


Follow instructions on etching cream.


Mine said to be very careful about not touching or breathing in the cream so I used gloves. Also be near water.


Apply cream heavily over area and wait 5 mins and rinse well and remove tape.

Wa-lah!
Printer Friendly Instructions


Have you seen Dr. Emoto's photos before?
What do YOU think about it?

My Reiki Experience

Another Kind of Life Force Energy

What is Reiki?
(pronounced Ray- Key)

 Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. 

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."  from Reiki.org

First of all, I must thank all those responders to my last post, Me Getting Raw. Besides receiving lovely comments, personal emails came flowing in with email addresses, and phone numbers, offering personal support and kindness- really blew me away. Thank you! Your out pouring of compassion and tenderness really means so much! Such a generous bunch of readers I have!

If you did read my last blog post, you will be surprised by what was revealed to me yesterday and detailed in this post. I know I was! So read on.

When I first became ill, one word would pop up every now and then, Reiki. People kept suggesting maybe I should look into Reiki. I had not a clue what it was and would half heartedly look into it often ending up at a dead end then just plain forget. Either the people that I found had moved from the area or the places I came across no longer had someone offering it. So like I said, I would just forget about it.

I was a little wary of Reiki, as it seemed a little new agey and I had never known anyone who had received it. Then I came to learn that Dr. Oz's wife, Lisa is a Reiki Master. I have to say this gave it some real credibility with me. I had even seen him speak of it's merits for promoting healing on his show. So I looked into it again and saw that it's use in medical settings was really catching on.

A Reiki Treatment
( although usually you are fully dressed!)

I learned that Reiki is about opening up your energy channels, your chi or ki and your body's meridian points. Eastern medicine is based on the belief that an unseen life force energy runs through the body and these meridian points and that it is what keeps us alive. If your energy flow is weak, you are more apt to experience illness or dis- ease. The stronger it is the happier and healthier your life. Having had first hand experience with the benefit of opening up this flow through acupuncture and coming to see CFIDS and Fibromyalgia as an energy crisis, I had a new interest in Reiki.


When I was learning about Raw food, the turning point for me was the understanding of uncooked fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds still retaining their life force energy and if consumed this way, transferring that force into our bodies. Thanks to Natalia Rose's book- Raw Food, Life Force Energy for this awakening.
 
This just made so much sense to me. So this idea of Reiki really clicked.


A while back, someone popped onto my radar screen- don't ask me how and low and behold she taught Reiki. They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Her name is Anne Reith, a trained psychologist and she is in Orange County, CA some 2 hrs away from me. I read many reviews around the net and came to learn that this is the teacher you want for Reiki training so when her Reiki 1 Attunement class popped onto her schedule, without warning I signed up.

Yesterday I excitedly and nervously hopped into the car and headed off to The Sanctuary for my class.

As the class began and we were going around the room introducing ourselves, one women burst into tears explaining that she did not know what was happening but she felt very sick and strange and emotionally unbalanced and didn't know whether she should leave the room.


(Remember my last post?!) 

Anne, immediately explained that this was normal and asked if anyone else had experienced this recently. We were all surprised to see most hands go up. (There were 15 people in my class!) The woman was instantly pulled aside and kindly given a Reiki treatment by another Reiki Master in the class and was calm within minutes. Anne explained that in preparation for a Reiki Attunnement it is not unusual for an "energy clearing" to happen before hand and even afterwards. The degree of intensity of this "cleanse" is in direct proportion to how much clearing you need.

Sort of like the "healing crisis" that goes on when cleansing with raw food or a juice fast.

Don't ask me how this happens, before hand. I don't really understand the science of this but I know for sure I experienced it. This news was both a relief to me and a mystery. A relief because that whole melt down of mine this week was very unusual and scary. At least I was not the only one and there is a pseudo explanation for it.

What is a Reiki Attunement?


Reiki is a simple technique using the hands (either on or off the body) as a conduit for life force or God source energy that can be taught to and used by anyone. The first step is to learn about it and its use and to receive the ability, which is passed on by a Reiki Master through a Level One Attunement. This one time transfer allows the student to tap into this "life force energy" and to be able to benefit from and share the healing energy with others.

Sounds great doesn't it? But c'mon. Really?

What I learned today is that you don't need to believe in Reiki to experience it. 




Why did I go for an Attunement over just a treatment?


My understanding is that once you open up this channel with an Attunement, it is like a widening of your meridian pathways and the more your easily chi flows. Also the more you give this energy to others, the more flows through you. Reiki is said to go to where it is needed and if you as the giver are in need, you benefit as well. So it is more like a treatment that you can give to yourself at any time and the more you share with others, the more you receive in return. I like that idea.

What does an Attunement feel like?


I can only explain my experience. We did a meditation before hand to calm the mind (and nerves I suppose.) Then two Reiki Masters came around the room and did our Attunements one by one as we sat in chairs with our eyes closed and waited our turn.  I knew when she was behind me and started mine, as I felt the top of my head start to tingle and then a wave of heat flow down through my body with a strong Woosh! Like someone pouring hot water down the inside core of my body. A second wave this time of emotion over took me and it was all I could do not to bawl out loud. I instead simpered as tears ran down my cheeks and tried to keep myself under control. It was not a frightening feeling but instead an overwhelming senses of joy and love.

(I know- weird huh?)  Anne later called it "a release."

As the second master came around and did mine again, I felt my head again tingle and then my arms get extremely heavy, like I was holding heavy heavy lead balls in my hands that pinned them to the tops of my legs.  When others later expressed the same feeling, Anne explained that this was the flow of energy backed up and not yet released through the hands. She said later if you feel this, open it up and practice letting the energy flow.




Interesting to Learn

In a Reiki 1 Attunement, you receive only 20 % of this energy opening, the second 80% comes in Reiki 2. It has something to do with raising your vibration slowly. Given the cleanse I went through before hand and the experience of the Reiki 1 Attunement, I can only imagine that this is a good thing not to receive it all at once.

Afterwards we practiced turning on and off this energy and took turns giving each other a Reiki treatment. To my surprise, the person I treated said she could feel heat emanating from my hands. Even though I was rushed and had no clue what I was doing I definitely felt heat coming from her body under my hands, more in some areas, less in others.

What Can I say? I was amazed!

As skeptical as I was about this whole thing, I have to say that now that I have experienced it, I am a believer. 

A word about my teacher Anne Reith. She is a kind, patient and thorough teacher. She takes this passing of knowledge very seriously and makes sure you come away with all your questions answered, even the ones you don't even know yet. She's very conscientious and generous with her time.  Others in the class, who had experienced other teachers as well, also confirmed this. I feel so blessed to have stumbled across her and can't wait to learn more from her.

Can't wait for Reiki II!

I have to add this: 

If you saw my recent post on Facebook about my new fascination with Labyrinths and wanting to make one, seeing this symbol associated with Reiki yesterday was kind of wild!

All in all this was a really trippy day! 

In a Really Good Way!

For more information on Reiki check out:

The International Center for Reiki Training

Follow Up:

When I woke up today (after sleeping an unbelievable sound sleep too I might add) out of curiosity I did the symbol to turn on the Reiki. Immediately I felt heat coming from my hands. Not having read yet how to apply it to myself, I called over Lili, my dog and placed my hands on either side of her head. 

Her eyes got really BIG and she slowly pulled back while watching me and then she came back forward and placed her head back between my hands and after a few minutes laid down. I continued keeping my hands around her until she went to sleep. I had to laugh as I remembered how Anne warned us that animals can easily become Reiki addicts!

I have a feeling that she won't be the only one.

Have you experienced Reiki? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Full Disclosure- Me Getting Raw

Warning: This is a little different from my normal blogs about raw food.

 This is me getting raw instead.

When I originally picked the title Getting Raw for my blog, it was really planned to be about me- getting raw, as in stripping away the old lifestyle habits and getting real and authentic with what it takes to recover from poor health. At the center of this transformation was what it takes to make a lasting transition to a real and raw food lifestyle but it also was supposed to be about all the revelations, lessons and changes that go along with it.

But then I chickened out.

I have been sharing in a private setting, on Raw Food Rehab for a couple of years now and encouraged by others there, decided to expand the scope and make a more complete journal type of blog. It takes a lot of courage to be transparent on the internet and I backed off. I haven't felt that I have set out to do what I really wanted. I've been holding back.

I have been hiding a serious health issue and haven't been ready to share about it. There is not much hopeful information on the internet about what I have. With recent developments and a new treatment program, I decided that maybe others might benefit from reading my full story as it unfolds, even better if I can make the recovery I am hoping for.

But don't worry if you have been here for the recipes. 
I will keep sharing those too.


So here I am... Getting Real and Getting Raw:

Here I lie, sick to my stomach. It’s been a whole day of this now and it has taken over my thoughts. I feel terrible! My stomach is gurgling. I feel faint, clammy and nauseous. My stomach starts to wretch again and I try to throw up, desperate for relief but nothing. Instead I just slump to the floor into tears. No relief. The room and my head are both spinning and all I want to do is cry for some uncontrollable reason. It seems crying is all I can do at this moment to relieve the stress.

What have I done to get here? I know.

It has been a week since I started with this TMJ (actually called TMD) treatment. This is an attempt to relieve some of the debilitating symptoms of CFIDS/FMS, which my doctor and new dentist believe is linked to my advanced case of TMJ. They feel my life will dramatically change with this correction and since for five years I have been without other viable options, I have decided to give it a shot.

I wear two orthotic splints in my mouth both night and day. It is annoying and uncomfortable and besides making me drool at night and talk funny during the day, it is also wearing on my nerves. Despite the purpose of one of them in aiding my sleep, I have not been sleeping at night at all, sometimes awake for 24 hrs at a time. I know part of my emotional instability right now is from sleep deprivation. I can see why this is a great form of torture. Sleep deprivation and the food situation.

Ahhh yes- the food situation:

I was told to not chew- anything. A “no chew” diet. I thought I could handle this. Just drink smoothies, some juices and maybe have some soup. I can do that. I have wanted to do that for quite a while now. A raw food diet has been the only other way I have heard of people successfully recovering from CFIDS/FMS.

But it’s much easier said than done.

I started out okay having my smoothies, making a raw soup here and there and then I just got hungry- like really hungry! I hadn’t planned enough before hand and with limited calorie consumption ended up in desperation trying to chew instead. 

But guess what? I can’t!

Not even relatively soft foods. Even if I remove this device (which I’m not supposed to do) it’s like my teeth don’t work properly anymore. The jaw is already on the move. So I reverted back to the softest of soft foods- soft SAD (Standard American Diet) foods, thinking they would satisfy this hunger. 

I’ve eaten things like mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, ice cream, frozen yogurt and even pancakes. UGH! All I have done is upset my system and make myself miserable. All these processed carbs- no wonder my blood sugar is swinging from the chandeliers, leaving me with the shakes in a heap in the corner. My insulin must be on a roller coaster! Not to mention this strange feeling of being drugged. There is no question in my mind right now that processed carbs are a drug.

Bottom line- Yes- I have done this to myself. It has only been a week and this TMD treatment could last a year. It’s time to come up with a better plan of eating and coping with life in general.

Without a doubt, if I choose to do this right, this next year could be a life changer.

I have much to think about but from where I sit right now, it is clear that tomorrow is the start of a serious cleanse. Back to juices, smoothies and soups, an All liquid diet.  


I CAN do this!

Thriving instead of Surviving, an idea whose time has come.

Thai Carrot Soup

Delicious Raw Thai Carrot Soup

You can eat it cold, warm or even if you make it hot, you will enjoy the simplicity and taste of this lovely soup! It's carroty, and creamy with a little kick and very filling.

It's Time

I don't know about you all, but I can tell summer is coming to a close. We are still in the triple digits here in the California desert and will be for a while still so it's not like it's getting cooler yet but the day before Labor Day just felt a little different.  It was still hot and sunny but change was in the air. In the days following we had some rare showers and even a thunder storm. Although we didn't cool down much and it didn't last long, it was kind of fun to get wet and have a bit of relief from the ever present sunshine. I know you are thinking well, duh! A storm was coming, of course it felt different. But now the storm is gone and that feeling is still in the air and sky.

This signal of seasons makes me a little sad for the wonderful summer fruit and produce that will be left behind but at the same time, it brings new options and I can't wait to be able to actually spend more time outdoors. I know for many of you that sounds the opposite of your summer experience but we are just coming into our "season" here. People from all over will be heading our way to soak up our warm sunshine- warm as opposed to hot! and sunny skies. The desert becomes a playground again and I hope to be able to get out and play too this season.

Our local Organic Farmer's Market is just about to re-open- Woo-hoo! Can't wait! It closes from May until mid September and it always leaves a major void. So this is an exciting time! I love learning about where our food comes from, the people behind it and trying new things. This year I want to push my comfort zone even further and try as many new things as possible.

So in honor of the change in season, I thought one of my favorite soups was in order. When I was brand new to raw, and looking for what to try that was good, my friend Deborah Blank shared this recipe with me. It was instantly one of my favorites and still is today. I believe Penni Shelton, the director of RawFood Rehab.com is the originator of this version of the recipe.

Thai Carrot Soup

Raw Thai Carrot Soup

What I love about raw food preparation is lining up all the ingredients (can you tell?) and looking at all the fresh and colorful ingredients and knowing that I am not going to do anything to them to destroy their nutrients. I know exactly what is going into my food and that I will get the full benefit of health and wonderful fresh taste in a meal. Being easy, only a knife and blender required and no cooking time or major clean up is all just a bonus!

Thai Carrot Soup Ingredients

3 carrots, topped and tailed

1 orange bell pepper

2 cups spring water 

meat from one young/thai coconut

3/4 cup almond milk

1 Tbsp Nama Shoyu or Tamari

1 Tbsp agave

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2 jalepeno pepper

2 tsp sea salt

chives for garnish

Chop all vegetables except for the chives, into smallish pieces, 

Blend with other ingredients until smooth. 

Tip: the water is where you can control the temperature of your soup.

 Add room temperature water for room temp soup 

If you want it warm or even hot, heat your water before adding to the blender.

What to do with the coconut water? Drink it! Or make a smoothie with it as a base- so good!

Printer Friendly Recipe

Now if you are new to Young Coconuts, Don't Be Intimidated!  

When I was new to raw, I skipped over any recipes that included these coconuts and when I finally tried to open one I was surprised how easy it was. For more info and a really good video on how to open them check out my post Cuckoo for Coconuts.

The hard part is finding where to buy them, usually your health food stores or  asian markets but they are popping up more places. I was surprised to find them in my regular Vons grocery store. Just shake to make sure you can't hear the water. Most of these retailers don't know when they turn bad to pull them from the shelf.

Now, I would love to be able to share a substitute for young coconuts for those of you that don't have access to them but since this recipe already has almond milk in it, I am not sure what would work in it's place. Meat from mature brown coconuts does not work, I'm afraid.
If YOU have any ideas on a substitution, please share in the comments below.

Cilantro Head

What are you looking forward to with the change of season?