Raw in Glastonbury :)

OoOOoOooooo I am having FUN in the south-west of England :)
I arrived here on Monday evening and have been staying with my lovely hosts Lisa and John in North Devon. Lisa runs RawLisa.com, sharing raw classes, gatherings and info in this area. Yesterday we went on a wonderful day trip to Glastonbury where Lisa organised a speaking event for me in the evening and we had major fun all day connecting with the sites and people of Glastonbury :)
As I wrote before, I'd never been to Glastonbury previously and it was wonderful to climb the 'Tor' where the Michael and Mary leylines conjoin, taking in the lovely views for miles all around. Then we visited the peaceful oasis of Shekinashram, where it turned out an old friend was now living and he showed us around :) This ashram used to be a raw food community and is now vegan with a lot of raw options. They have accommodation, courses, workshops and so on. Lovely atmosphere and a great-looking sauna too ;)
Then we went to lunch with the delicious Andrew and Angela of TheRawFoodSchool.com - YUMMMMMM :) What a treat. This gorgeous couple definitely know how to serve up the good raw eats. MASSES of fresh raw greens, simple, delicious and full of LOVE :) They run raw food prep courses both here and in London - see their site HERE for more info. They are also creating an edible forest garden around their home - love it :)
A walk through Glastonbury high street led us to, through and in to a myriad of amazing little shops abundant with crystals, eco-friendly goods, handmade clothes and crafts and so on...I suspect I could have happily lost myself into these little lanes for at least a week to explore all the shiny things ;O We pressed on to Mr. Free Love's Hemp Shop though, where we were lovingly greeted with more greeeeeeeeeeeeeeen liquid love and eye-fuls of hemp goodies...
Old friends seemed to pop up all over the place - pretty amusing in a town I'd never been to... Well, it's a small raw world... ;)
Thanks to everyone who came along to the talk last night too - it was lovely to share. I also speak tomorrow night (thursday 26th) in Barnstaple - details HERE. Hope to see you there if you're in this area... ;)

on February the 22^nd I had:

1 quart water

big mug of fresh ginger/lemon tea

3 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, local greeeens, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime

30 chlorella ‘nuts’

2 tbsp bee pollen

2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, local greeeens, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime

2 apples

2 cups water

1 tbsp bee pollen

2 tbsp Sproutein

2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, local greeeens, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime

big mug of ginger/lemon/goji tea

Great news for all you budding raw athletes out there - HealthBookSummaries.com recently released their summary of Brendan Brazier's raw book 'The Thrive Diet'. If you're not familiar with Brendan's work, he is a professional Ironman triathelete, creator of the 'Vega' range of raw nutritional products and eats 100% plant-based foods. You can see masses more about him HERE and you can access the FREE summary of his wonderful book from HealthBookSummaries HERE.

He has masses of great info to share...ENJOY :)

on February the 23^rd I had:

1 quart water

big mug of ginger/lemon tea

2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, local greeeens, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime

30 chlorella ‘nuts’

3 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, local greeeens, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime

2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini on the side

cup of spicy tea

2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, local greeeens, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime mixed with 1 cup rejuvelac

tub of fresh pineapple with a few gojis

2 tbsp bee pollen

2 cups water

on February the 24^th I had:

1 quart water

cup of ginger/lemon tea

2 cups green smoothie - orange, parsley, broccoli

3 yummy little apples

30 chlorella 'nuts', little handful of goji berries

AMAZING raw lunch with Andrew and Angela from TheRawFoodSchool.com (thanks, lovelies ;) - a gorgeous spread of lashings of green juice, homegrown kale/avo salad on a bed of fresh arugula, with crackers and outrageously delicious 'cheese' spread, followed by a slice of marvellously moist carrot cake. MmMmmMmmm :)

2 cups water

2 cups green/hemp juice from the magical Mr. Free Love's Hemp Shop ;)

mug of rooibus tea with more carrot cake and a chunk of handmade raw carob bar

1 quart water

MmMMmm, I started watching a WONDERFUL series of four videos on Permaculture before I left on this trip. They feature Bill Mollison - the 'father' of Permaculture - and they are all about using permaculture in urban settings. It was really fascinating to me to see the contrasts between a Western 'civilised' city like New York where tiny patches of food production had been eeked out here and there, compared to a city in Nigeria, where food grows abundantly all over the place and there are local markets all around the city.

Later in the vids, Bill visits the REMARKABLE looking 'Village Homes' eco-settlement in the city of Davis, N. California. WOW - what absolute blisssssful living they seem to have set up in this community. It seems long established now and listening to some of the residents discuss how amazing it has been for them to raise children there is just beautiful. The children have the run of the land, have grown up with food all around them, have many more people looking out for them than their parents alone, are healthy, strong, active, engaged with nature...just wonderful and so inspiring...

You can see these 4 videos HERE in a long playlist of Permaculture titles - these ones start at number 10 in the list - they're called 'Urban Permaculture Strategies' - ENJOY :)

All love and abundantly juicy flow,

Miss Stokes. xxx

Angela and The Raw Chocolate Factory... ;)

Aaaaaahahhaahahaaaaaaaaa, did you see my adventures with the oompah–loompahs in the raw chocolate factory this week on The Raw Food World TV show? Check it out HERE if not ;)
This was so much FUN to put together ;) ...and The Raw Chocolate Company is offering all our readers 12% off any order until the end of April – nice :)
Just enter the code ‘mcraw09’ at the checkout and your goodies will be discounted accordingly. You can order their yummy treats at www.TheRawChocolateCompany.com (To avoid confusion, customers in N. America please use the ‘international’ shipping option ;)
ENJOY :)
on February the 19th I had:

1 quart water
mug of fresh lemon/ginger tea
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, cucumber, zucchini, kale, spinach, fennel, endive, Jerusalem artichoke, lemon
20 chlorella ‘nuts’
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, cucumber, zucchini, kale, spinach, fennel, endive, Jerusalem artichoke, lemon
20 chlorella ‘nuts’
mug of fresh lemon/ginger tea
2 cups water
2 cups veggie juice: cucumber, red bell peppers, garlic, fennel, endive, kale, lime
cup of spicy tea
2 cups water

This morning I did what I believe will be my last read–through of my book ‘Raw Emotions’ before it goes to the printer – :O – YES, I am VERRRRYYYYYY very excited to see that process through :) This will be my first ‘real’ printed book and I will be so thrilled to see it appear in the physical :) In the meantime, here is a passage from the book that jumped out to me today as smthg that might be fun to share here – hope you enjoy ;)

Is it ‘You’, ‘I’ or ‘Them’…?
I recommend taking ‘ownership’ for your own feelings and experiences, particularly as you speak. When many people speak, they generalise the topic away from themselves by saying something like ‘You feel rejected when someone doesn’t like your ideas’, when the real meaning is ‘I feel rejected when someone doesn’t like my ideas’.
If we regularly use this kind of ‘distancing’ with language, it is less easy for us to be aware and present with our emotions and experiences, because we’re always ‘projecting’ them away from ourselves. Create clarity in your expression and ‘own’ your feelings as you speak. If you mean ‘I feel/I want/I am’, then say ‘I’ rather than ‘you’.
A similar pattern occurs when people speak vaguely about ‘they/them’, referring to some undefined group of people, often inferred to be opposed to ‘us’. Examples might be ‘They keep raising the cost of living’, ‘How can they let someone get away with that?’ or even ‘They say Italy is beautiful in spring’. This lack of clarity leaves questions hanging in curious minds: who are ‘they’? How did ‘they’ become something different from ‘us’? Where do the opinions and actions of this invisible ‘they’ come from?
This kind of expression reinforces an outdated, separatist model of ‘them vs. us’, often with some sense of victimisation and oppression, rather than an understanding that we are all connected. I usually sense these speech patterns as disempowering and unclear. Speaking with integrity and clarity of expression, rather than in vague, generalised terms, will assist your alignment with truth; it can help you feel more secure in your self and more aware of what you perceive. Be clear about what you think and feel and who ‘they’ really are.

;) You can get the E–book version of Raw Emotions HERE and all being well, the printed version will be with us sometime in March or April I would think, once the printers have worked their papery magic ;) yeeeeeeeeeeeeee–HAH :)

on February the 20th I had:

1 quart water
cup of dandelion tea
30 chlorella ‘nuts’
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, cucumber, zucchini, kale, spinach, fennel, endive, Jerusalem artichoke, lemon
2 cups energy soup with tahini and flax crackers
mug of spicy tea
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 tbsp Sproutein
2 cups water


on February the 21st I had:

1 quart water
cup of dandelion tea
2 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups energy soup with tahini and flax crackers
3 cups water
2 apples
3 cups greeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, kale, spinach, fennel, endive, lemon
big mug of lemon/ginger/goji berry tea – yummmmmmmm ;)
2 cups water

LOVED this ‘Big Idea’ sent out today from Brian Johnson at the PhilosophersNotes.com site, in his free daily email:

“Tony Robbins : Rearview Mirrors

Got this one from a great Tony Robbins seminar:

My hunch is you're a pretty good driver.
Question for you: When you're driving, do you spend all your time staring in the rearview mirror? Right. So why do we spend so much time staring in the rearview mirror of life?!?

Rearview mirrors have a purpose. A very limited one. Let's look back to learn the valuable lessons our experience has to teach us. And spend the rest of the time enjoying the moment and looking at the future!”

So great :) Thanks for sharing all the amazing pointers, Brian :) If you, dear reader, have not yet signed up for your FREE account at PhilosophersNotes.com to access 25 of the self–development book summaries for free, then doooooooooo hop on over to HERE to get in on the yummy mojo action ;) Mr. Johnson’s giving away 1,000,000 free accounts, dontchaknow ;)
We. ARE. sooo. blesssssssed.

All love and jingle–jangles,
Stokes. xxx

Learning to Grow our Own Foods :)

OoOooo, fun things going on in Dr. Cousens' world: the Tree of Life centre has a wonderful-looking course coming up on how to grow your own food called 'Conscious Gardening'. It's being offered 4 times this year: March, May, August, October. I am so happy to see these skills being shared - mmmmmmm, I'd LOVE to be there for one of these courses... Wow, how wonderful - learning about organic/vegan/conscious gardening from a RAW/living food perspective - love it :) You can read ALL about the course HERE.
Dr. Cousens is also going to be sharing some good juicy juju in LA soon, at a week-long 'Juice Fast for Peace' in conjunction with the super-shiny Michael Beckwith and Agape. FUN :) That event starts on March the 1st and you can tap into all that info HERE.
BTW, remember too that those other fabulous-looking 'Anastasia'-based courses are coming up soon all over N. America as well...sharing info on how to set up your own 'kins' domain', grow food, co-create a family strongly rooted in nature and communication with the Universe and so on...I still strongly hope to make it to one of these workshops toooooooooo...you can see all about these HERE.
I am nearing the end of reading the 9th book in the 'Anastasia' series at the moment and the stories I was reading today of single women who are going out into the countryside in Russia to begin their kins' domains with their bare hands moved me to tears - the power, the passion, the vision, the love...it's all so beautiful...and it's just going to keep on expanding as more and more of us (re)connect to the land and grow our own foooooooooooooooooooooood...

WE. ARE. SOOOOOOOOOO. BLESSED :)

on February the 15th I had:

1 quart water
mug of dandelion tea
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, kale, endive, fennel, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with tahini and okra on the side
little mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
little bowl of sweet yum: hemp butter, carob powder, lucuma, maca, vanilla, cinnamon, water, with pieces of Grawnola stirred in :)
3 cups water


on February the 16th I had:

1 quart water
cup of dandelion tea
30 chlorella ‘nuts’
2 cups water
bowl of chia pudding with fresh cherries, chunk of Lemon Goji bar from LoveForce = YUMMM :)
3 cups water
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, zucchini, kale, endive, fennel, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini on the side
little mug of dandelion tea
1 cup water

A little reminder: I’ll be giving two talks over in the south–west of England next week. I’ll be giving a ‘Raw Food Transformation’ talk next Tuesday, the 24th in Glastonbury and then on Thursday the 26th in Barnstaple. You can check out all the details HERE and reserve your place by calling the lovely Lisa on 01769 550408, or sending her some love to: lisasture (at) toucansurf (dot) com.
Maybe see you there ;)
(As ever, if you’re looking for raw events in YOUR area, you can always check the wonderful events calendar on GiveItToMeRaw.com, HERE ;)



on February the 17th I had:

1 quart water
cup of dandelion tea
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, zucchini, kale, endive, fennel, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini on the side
little mug of dandelion tea
3 cups water
bowl of chia pudding with a chunk of Lemon Goji bar from LoveForce = YUMMM :)
cup of spicy tea
2 cups water


on February the 18th I had:

1 quart water
mug of dandelion tea
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, zucchini, kale, endive, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini on the side
little mug of dandelion tea
3 cups water
2 cups greeeen juice: celery, zucchini, kale, endive, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
little bowl of chia pudding with fresh raspberries, diced apple and goji berry powder
big mug of fresh lemon/ginger tea
2 cups water

My musical muse has wandered backwards down the path a bit at present to the early 70s and has fallen rapturously in love with the late Minnie Riperton. WOW. What a BEAUTIFUL being. I have been listening to her music almost non–stop the last few days on YouTube ;) (Yes, I even have my own Minnie playlist now, HERE ;)
This new fascination expanded after that cheeky madam Ms. Kate Magic sent her latest ‘Love Mix’ over...(as you may or may not know, the talented Ms. Magic is a super–fine DJ as well as chef, mother, light–being, speaker, author, business owner, photographer, artist and myriad other creative outlets I’m sure ;) Part of this latest musical compilation was the 70s song ‘Les Fleurs’ by Minnie Riperton.
Now, I’ve heard this song a few times before – Ms. Magic says it’s one of her all–time top 5 toooons – I’d never paid that much attention to it though. This time I was listening with headphones and WOH...my whole body became covered in goose–bumps...what a VOICE, what a message, wow...I was captivated and have poked around all over YouTube unearthing old Minnie songs since then...sadly she died at the age of 31 from breast cancer in 1979 – she left behind some truly outstanding music though...she seemed to sing and express with her whole being and so much LOVE, smiles, passion, vibrancy and delight. TRULY someone on her brightest path in the short time she was here in the physical...and so very humble and sweet at the same time, aside from remarkably talented as a singer.
Minnie’s voice apparently covered a range of five and a half octaves and she could sing in the ‘whistle range’ – a rare talent for adult humans – she could easily hit those notes waaaayyyyyyy above high–C that others might struggle a lifetime to try to reach ;) She sounds almost like a DOLPHIN or something similar in many recordings – it’s really quite unearthly at times and just phenomenal to hear.
One of her best known recordings is the well–loved 1975 hit ‘Lovin' You’ (“...is easy ‘cos you’re beautiful and every day of my life is filled with loving you…” etc ;) – she hits the incredibly high notes in that song flawlessly and with ease...amazing...and I am blown away that I am only really accessing this woman’s work at this point in my life...
Mariah Carey, another singer whose work I love, has cited Minnie as the greatest influence on her singing style, which makes sense to me now, as Mariah has a range over five octaves and can sing in the whistle range too...
While reading about Minnie, I also came across the music of the Brazilian/Italian singer Georgia Brown who has been recognised as singing the highest notes recorded by a human. This woman apparently has a vocal range over 8 OCTAVES and can easily slide into the whistle range too – HERE is a truly ‘unearthly’ performance by her, singing a whole 2-minute song in the whistle range. She seems to have a very different energy to Minnie, yet I still find her talents remarkable... ;O
My heart swells as I listen to the legacy Minnie left behind – what a beautiful, inspiring woman...thank you SO much Minnie for the gifts you shared... :) Listen to my playlist of Minnie’s music HERE if you like – and wear headphones for optional extra spine chills ;)

All joy,
Miss A. Stokes. xxx

Love, love, LOVE :)

Hello lovelies, I trust you are all enjoying a delicious Love Day weekend so far... ;) As a mini–love celebration, I thought I’d share with you today about three people I love :)
Let’s start, of course, with that incorrigible Mr. Monarch who has been causing controversy and giggles over at The Raw Food World TV show this week – see his latest shows HERE to check in with his antics ;)
Although we are still not able to be together yet in person, this time of year holds many special memories for me in terms of our relationship. When we first were getting to know each other, Valentines Day 2006 came along and the house I was staying in became FILLED with incredible bouquets of flowers and balloons sent by the romantic Monarch ;). My housemates and I were really overawed by it all – me especially so, as I think these were the first valentine gifts I had EVER received ;) Here’s a picture of me with two of those bouquets...
Thank you Mr. Monarch, for sharing all the love – I love you :)

on February the 12th I had:

1 quart water
mug of nettle tea
40 chlorella ‘nuts’
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini
2 apples with a bar of freshly made vanoffe from The Raw Chocolate Company
2 cups water
mug of ‘choco’ tea
smidgen of leftover energy soup with okra, tahini and some spicy dehydrated sunflower seeds
2 cups rejuvelac
2 cups water

HERE is a VERY cool little video Mr. M just sent me with another being who swells my heart chakra, even if I’ve only just connected with his work – Roger Doiron started the ‘Eat the View!’ campaign, to convert part of the White House lawn into an edible landscape (along with lawns ALL over the place preferably, of course, with the White House setting a wonderful example ;)
In this 4 minute video, Roger ‘becomes the change he wants to see in the world’, showing a sweet, informative little time lapse video of transforming his own garden into an edible yummmm–hub...LOVE it :))) THANK YOU, Roger, for sharing this simple, POWERFUL message so clearly...all blessings to your campaign...

on February the 13th I had:

1 quart water
cup of dandelion tea
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, kale, celeriac, zucchini, ginger, lime
2 cups water
package of fresh jack fruit
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini
cups of dandelion tea
3 cups water
2 ‘Snackaroons’ from laughing giraffe and a sample of their Grawnola – WOW ;O
1 tbsp Sproutein powder
3 cups water


on February the 14th I had:

1 quart water
cup of dandelion tea
40 chlorella ‘nuts’, 1 tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water
package of fresh cherries
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini
cups of dandelion tea
3 cups water
mug of ‘Wild Power’ tea
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, kale, celeriac, zucchini, ginger, lime
2 cups water

Finally, I’d love to tell you about one of my all–time heroes :)
Satish Kumar is the editor of Resurgence Magazine, founder of Schumacher College for ecological studies in Devon, founder of the ‘Small School’ movement in the UK, a remarkable pilgrim who has walked a huge area of the surface of this planet and a septuagenarian of exquisite spirit and grace. I love this man.
I had the fortune to pass some time with him a few years back in Devon and was very pleased to recently come across a BBC documentary of Satish, posted on YouTube. The documentary, called 'Earth Pilgrim', follows Satish as he walks the stunning wild landscapes of Dartmoor, the area I’m going to visit down in Devon next week – NICE :)
If you’re not familiar with Satish’s story, he was born in the desert of Rajasthan in India and after his father died while Satish was still a child, he left his family at the age of nine, to become a Jain monk. He was a monk until the age of 18, absorbing principles of gentle living, compassion and respect for all life along the way. At 18 Satish walked away from monk-hood, fell in love with Gandhi’s message of peace and just kept on walking ;) He set out on a peace pilgrimage walk to all the nuclear Capital cities of the world – a journey that took him from the grave of Gandhi in Delhi to the grave of JF Kennedy in Washington DC – by FOOT. Satish walked more than 8000 miles around this planet, with no money, no food, just faith in his heart and a vision of peace to guide him. Again, I love this man ;)
Later he moved to the UK and got involved in all kinds of fascinating work around ecology and sustainable lifestyles. At the age of 50, when many people in our societies struggle to walk around the park, this incredibly healthy, beautiful soul set off on a new 2000-mile pilgrimage, around the UK, to many of the sacred sites of this land. Did I mention that I love this man...? ;)
You can read Satish’s wonderful autobiography ‘No Destination’ to delve further into his fascinating stories – I really enjoyed this book. Satish truly walks the talk and is a living embodiment of the concept that we’re here to enjoy the journey, rather than arriving at some certain destination. You can order his book HERE.
If you’d love to check out the hour–long documentary with Satish on YouTube, you can see that as a playlist HERE. (Please just note that parts 5 and 6 are back to front in the playing order ;) I adore what he shares in this video about our relationships with trees, water and animals...ENJOY :)

love, love, LOOOOVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE,
Miss Stokes and the love elves. xxx

Heart Fuel :)

OoOoooooo, I want to share a BEAUTIFUL story with you today, from my dear friend Solla, the raw goddess in Iceland ;) Solla was voted one of the top raw chefs in the world in the 2008 ‘Best of Raw’ awards :) Those of you who are friends with her on Facebook will know that she posts amazing raw recipes there daily – she is so popular in fact on Facebook that she has reached the 5000 people limit to the friends she can have there ;)
WELL, this woman’s love and generosity flow with such beauty and today she sent me a message that I felt was SUCH a gorgeous illustration of love in action that I wanted to share it here.
Recently, Solla’s laptop unfortunately ‘died’. It seemed that ALL her work was lost and she had no back–up. She was very sad and concerned about this situation. She took the computer to be fixed and the engineer told her it was highly unlikely he’d be able to do anything to retrieve any of the lost data. Solla was very upset. Then a while later, she got a call from this repair–man telling her that somehow – and he had NO real idea how – he had managed to retrieve nearly everything that had disappeared. Solla grinned and affirmed that she is blessed ;)
The man reflected on this and began to tell her a story from his own life of feeling blessed. Apparently for many years he had worked as a cleaner on the night shift in one of the large supermarkets in Reykjavik. Every shift, he would find a plate of delicious food left there for him. He didn’t really know where the food came from, but he very much appreciated these ‘midnight snacks’ during his 11pm–5am ‘grave–yard’ shift.
Solla listened to his story and suddenly something clicked into place for her – she realised that SHE was the one who had left all those yummy meals for him ;O She used to do food demos and classes in the supermarket and was aware that someone must clean the place up at night, so she would leave a dish of whatever she’d made, for them to enjoy.
After they uncovered this curious trail of connection between them, the man happily handed back her computer with no charge ;) He was delighted to be able to ‘re–pay’ her for all the delicious meals over the years. :) WOW – the Universe truly works in some marvellous, fantastical loops of weaving wonder at times ;) LOVE it...

on Feb the 10th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, endive, kale, celeriac, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini
little cup of spicy tea and AMAZING ‘Celestial Cina–Pecan’ nuggets – WOW :))))
3 cups water
gorgeous little heart–shaped ‘burger’ from Manna, followed by lemon/mint cheesecake and many cups of berry tea ;)
3 cups water

Those of you following the RevitaLive Plan will know that Solla made all the recipes for that programme too...and we’ve been getting GLOWING feedback about the meals so far :) If you missed out on being friends with Solla on Facebook to access all her yummy recipes, you might like to know that she is going to keep on providing ongoing monthly raw/Intermediate meal plans in our ‘Inner Circle’ community. You can learn more about the community HERE.
We’ve been getting WONDERFUL feedback about the RevitaLive programme so far – here are a few recent comments:

“I joined three days ago and am loving the plan!! Love the menus!
I'm noticing more clarity in my life and I feel more vibrant. I've lost 5 lbs in three days. Thank you thank you for the plan and for your example.”
Traci

“Brilliant program. Love the videos...enjoying this immensely. Thank you!”
Lynn

“Thank you so much for this wonderful program. I’ve been eating raw for 5 days now and I already lost 10 pounds. Is that possible?! I cannot believe how fast it’s going and how good I feel. I feel like a new person!
This is coming from someone who has been a compulsive overeater all her life. I don't feel like I need to overeat anymore.”
Alexandra

You can see more about the RevitaLive Plan HERE.

on Feb the 11th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, endive, kale, celeriac, ginger, lime
2 cups water
2 delicious little persimmons and 2 apples
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini
cup of dandelion tea
little bowl of hand–blended yummmm: hemp butter, carob powder, lucuma powder, maca, vanilla, cinnamon, water
cup of dandelion tea
2 cups water

Mmmmm, I was recently sent a link by one reader – Natasha – to the music of a guy called ‘Brett Dennen’ on YouTube. WOW :) I am SOOOO loving his message, tunes, spirit, style. He really seems to sing, write and play with HEART – his lyrics are so direct, sincere and ‘socially conscious’, based around his observations of human interactions, environmental issues, the economy, sustainability, human rights and so on – yet he tackles these often ‘heavy’ subjects in a way that comes across as very accessible and light, rather than any anger–filled outbursts or dry, melancholy clichés. He helps open out issues that people may not necessarily tend to look at, with catchy tunes and lyrics that really touch the heart. He really seems to be on his path in life so beautifully. He seems to be expertly walking the tightrope of communicating edgy social commentary, while delivering these messages as catchy, heart-led music that appeals widely - WOW :) I’m loving his toooons so much that I made my own playlist of them on YouTube ;) You can watch that HERE. I think my favourite song so far overall is ‘Blessed’, for its gorgeous, positive message. I love the video too for ‘Make You Crazy’ – check them out at the link below and ENJOY :)

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2AEE52BB59046096

All love,
Miss A. Stokes. xxx

Would you rather be RIGHT or happy? ;)

A few weeks back I was listening to Abraham–Hicks quite a bit. One thread of what I received via that input seems to have stayed with me, slowly percolated through my consciousness and membranes and is now asking to be expressed. So, here we go... ;)
The idea was about how children in our societies so often seem to be raised to be in COMPETITION with each other, rather than co–operation and how we carry this energy with us into adulthood.
We are taught to compete in schools, compare ourselves to each other with grades and awards, shamed if we do not get things ‘right’ and so on. Children develop fears around making errors, being laughed at or being ‘wrong’. We might move from being content little 4 or 5 year olds before schooling to believing we are inherently flawed, unacceptable and ‘wrong’. We may turn on each other, laughing at a classmate who gets smthg ‘wrong’ for example, rather than offering support. No–one wants to be the one to make an error – we want to be accepted, we all want, of course, simply to be loved. We may learn to seek love through the marks we get in classes and favourable comments from teachers or we might rebel against the whole system instead and find ourselves deemed even more ‘unacceptable’.
The point Abraham–Hicks were making in the piece I heard was that now, as adults, any experiences that we had along these lines are now way behind us. That reality is not here anymore...and YET, so many people go through life still acting out based on things they learnt back then – comparing themselves to others, laughing at or shaming those they consider ‘wrong’, pointing out ‘errors’ in others’ behaviour rather than supporting them. It's like we still feel the pressure of those eyes watching and judging us, even though the source of that original tension is loooong gone. Many still exert that pressure on others too - collectively, we may keep this judgemental energy alive.
Where is the love here? Where is the co–operation and support? We are adults now and we also have free choices in every moment about our thoughts, words and actions...how about stepping away from any competitive, fierce, fear–based energy and reaching out to others with LOVE instead? As a ‘straight–A’ student throughout my schooling career, this all speaks deeply to me, as I can really identify with both the intense desire to ‘be right’ and get those grades, plus also the softening later in life as I step further and further away from that whole system, towards unconditional love.
I was an expert at working the school system – I knew inside–out how to get A grades and yet ultimately...it all felt very un-fulfilling and empty to me – my real soul was not being seen or nurtured – it was like I was just accurately jumping through hoops on command...
This also reminds me of another great little point I absorbed from Abraham–Hicks. A few times I have heard them mention ‘would you rather be right, or be happy?’ I absolutely LOVE that...love, love, LOVE it.
This speaks sooooooooooo deeply to me (especially to the very strong Virgo component of my being ;) Would you rather be RIGHT in a situation, or be happy? Is ‘getting your way’ and being seen to be ‘right’ your ultimate fulfillment, or sharing joy and an easy flow?
Abraham shared a wonderful anecdote about Esther Hicks to illustrate this: apparently sometimes Jerry, her husband, hooks up the trailer to the back of their vehicle when they’re in a tight car park space and she gets irritated by it, because she doesn’t like the extra effort it takes to get out that way. On one such occasion, as she was about to start trying to get the vehicle out of the space, she noticed herself thinking ‘I hope we don’t get out’ and she laughed out loud, as she realised she would rather be RIGHT about whether it’s a good idea to hook the trailer on now or not, than HAPPY and flowing along on their journey. ;) I imagine most of us can pick out similar examples in our own lives and relationships...and where can we trace these patterns back to...? (Please note that I am not seeking to 'blame' modern schooling systems here, nor trying to suggest that schools are the only arena in which children receive this kind of conditioning...)

Hmmmmm...well, maybe it’s time now to let go of any deeeeeeep old patterns like these and move into a lighter, brighter, more loving flow? Well, I think so and I MUST be right, because I just gave myself an ‘A’ in unconditional love flow, ok? ;)


on Feb the 8th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups home–made rejuvelac
bowl of yummmmmy broccoli/zucchini salad
little mug of spicy tea
1 quart water
20 chlorella ‘nuts’
2 little apples
bowl of grawnola with blend of almond milk/carob/maca/lucuma/yacon/cinnamon/vanilla powders
3 cups water

OOoOoOooo, it’s a full moon in LEO tonight, during the time of Aquarius – yeeeeeeeeeeeeeee–HAH :) love it...as you may know, the Stokes is a lioness and the Monarch is a water–bearing gent, so I was muchly pleased to read the following charming little write–up this evening about the merging of these energies, on Lisa Dale Miller’s AstroWisdom site:

“Some think that Leo and Aquarius are diametrically opposed to one another. But I find their synergistic and interdependent relationship unique among the signs. Aquarius demands radical change, which cannot be accomplished without Leo’s talents: unwavering self-belief in one’s personal vision and true leadership. Leo demands creativity and caring, which requires the Aquarian rejection of personal glorification in favor of global identification. When balanced, the Leo/Aquarius polarity works hand in hand to further the evolution of human civilization. Our new President Barack Obama is a Leo with a Aquarius rising, so he exemplifies successful integration of these two energies.”

YUMMY :) ...and I didn’t know that abt Obama – interesting...you can read the whole of her summary about this full moon HERE.
THANK YOU all SOOOOOOOOOOO much for all the beautiful birthday messages Mr. M received yesterday too – he was awash in a wave of raw love ;) May it all be multiplied back to you all manifold...


on Feb the 9th I had:

1 quart water
cup of Wild Power tea
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, endive, kale, Jerusalem artichoke, celeriac, ginger, lime
bowl of broccoli/zucchini salad
little mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, endive, kale, Jerusalem artichoke, celeriac, ginger, lime
bowl of chia soaked in blend of almond milk/lucuma/maca/carob/vanilla/cinnamon/yacon powders
little mug of spicy tea
3 cups water

I’ve been poking around for tooooons from my childhood a lot recently on YouTube, as I was making a special playlist for mmmmmmmmmmmmy sister, Nicola (whose birthday happens to be tomorrow, the 10th, which is also my 'half-birthday' – this is a definite power time in my connective field – she and Mr. M were born 2 days apart in the same year. Happy Birthday ;)
Well, you can listen to the whole playlist I made for her HERE if you’d like to get a sense of my childhood musical influences ;) LOL… I especially wanted to share one song below though – ‘You can call me Al’ by Paul Simon, filmed in concert in 1986 in Zimbabwe I think – so FUN :) Just try to watch this and NOT smile/wiggle/giggle/enjoy ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rN7R6r0T48

All love,
Miss Stokes. xxx

(pssssst) It's Mr. Monarch's Birthday... :)

OoOOOooooo, it’s my beloved’s birthday TOMORROW :) Yes, Sunday Feb 8th sees that free–flowing, glowing aquarian Mr. Monarch turn 34...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, beautiful man :)
I’m rather sad that I’m not able to be with him in person at this time to celebrate…we are of course always connected though... :)
Please join in the felicitations for the anniversary of his arrival here in the physical, by sending him a birthday message through any of the following internet portal love–beaming devices (if you haven't already ;) I'd love to surprise him with a wave of wonderful wishes from y'all... ;)
As it's the 8th, here are 8 places you can send your birthday greetings - you can use whichever works for you ;)

*Email the man
*Put a smile on his Facebook
*Give his space some love at MySpace
*Tweet your greetings at Twitter
*’Give It To Him Raw’ here ;)
*Beam birthday bliss to his Blog
*Send him into a swirl of glee in the Inner Circle
*Post a crackin' comment at his YouTube account

THANK YOU for sharing the birthday love wave :)

on February the 6th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, salad greens, fennel, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with tahini and okra
little mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, salad greens, fennel, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
bowl of chia soaked in yummy blend of pumpkin seed milk, carob powder, lucuma powder, vanilla, cinnamon = yummmmmmm
3 cups water

:) :) :) This put a HUUUUGE smile on my face today – Mr. M is back to posting daily videos for TheRawFoodWorld TV Show (YAY ;) ...and in his first new post, he gives a quick update on his health, as well as the dogs’ :) WOW – it was SO amazing for me to see the dogs again after nearly 6 weeks away from them all now – just take a look and see how HAPPY Sandy looks now :) :) :) Those of you who have been reading here for a while now may recall me mentioning what an amazing experience it was the very first time Sandy wagged her tail, a few weeks after Mr. M saved her in Mexico – well, now watch her go in this video :) My heart just swells to see this :) ...and just LOOK at the size of Panda the puppy now :O She has at least doubled in size since I last saw her I think...mmmmmmmm, so great to see them all looking brighter and healing...sending loooooooooove from this side of the ocean...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcje1FuJq4Q

on February the 7th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, salad greens, fennel, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with tahini and okra
little mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, salad greens, fennel, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, lime
bowl of chia soaked in yummy blend of almond milk, carob powder, lucuma powder, vanilla, cinnamon = yummmmmmm
3 cups water

I thought it would be fun to share a virtual dance party with Mr. M for his birthday, as we’re not in the same physical space...click below to see the result ;) lol – we’re both children of the ‘70s after all, so this seemed appropriate…
Hope you’ll join in the groooovin’ with us… :)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mr. Monarch :)

Gratitude and love to you all,
Miss. Stokes. xxx

Raw Events in England :)

OoOoOoooooo excitement abounds :) I'm very delighted to announce that I will be doing a couple of talks here in England soon, over in the beautiful 'west country' :) The delightful Lisa of RawLisa.com has set up a talk for me in Glastonbury on February the 24th and in Barnstaple on February the 26th...I'm excited to get out there and share, while I'm still here in the UK; as and when I finally have my fiancee visa in hand for the US, it may be a while before I'm back in Blighty again...plus I've somehow never yet been to Glastonbury - it will be fun to explore :)
Here are more details for these events:

*Glastonbury - Tuesday, 24th Feb, 7.45pm
Venue: The Glastonbury Experience, 2-4 High Street, Glastonbury BA6 9DU
Investment in your health: £6.50

*Barnstaple - Thursday, 26th Feb, 7.45pm
Venue: Barnstaple Library (Henry Williamson Room), Tuly Street, Barnstaple, N Devon EX31 1EL
Investment in your health: £6.50

For more info and to reserve your place call: 01769 550408, email lisasture (at) toucansurf.com, or see rawlisa.com.
See you there, perhaps...? ;)


on February the 3rd I had:

1 quart water
40 chlorella nuts
1tbsp bee pollen
masses of fresh okra with 2 cups energy soup and tahini on the side
little mug of spicy tea
3 cups water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, kale, fennel, ginger, lime
bowl of chia mixed with hemp milk, carob powder, yacon powder, cinnamon, vanilla, with a chunk of ‘tahini dream bar’ on the side – YUM :)
3 cups water

Many of you have been asking for Monarch updates, after his recent illness. Well, thankfully, as I said in my last blog post, he seems to still be getting better and feeling healthier by the day - YAY :) I am personally very very relieved...it was rather challenging to feel so far physically from my beloved when he was feeling so unwell...hmmmmmmm...thanks so much again to all of you for your love, kindness, messages, healing thoughts and more that have been sent in these last days - they are all thoroughly appreciated :)
While we're in the healing realm, I'd also love to report that it seems our Mexican rescue dogs are getting progressively better too :) Sandy and Panda are eating well, enjoying California and healing...apparently Sandy wags her tail much more often these days - especially every time she sees Mr. M ;) ...so sweet ;) He is the one who brought her in from the cold, surely saving her life in the process - she loves him :) She also apparently doesn't screeeeech anymore and make those shocking sounds she used to - Mr. M says she can bark now :) ...and her puppy Panda is just growing and growing, teething and gnawing and playing...it's such a delight to know that they are both thriving now... YAY :)


on February the 4th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, kale, fennel, ginger, lime
40 chlorella nuts
1tbsp bee pollen
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini on the side
little mug spicy tea
3 cups water
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, kale, fennel, ginger, lime
bowl of chia pudding – chia soaked in hemp milk blended with carob powder, lucuma, cinnamon, vanilla, with fresh cherry pieces and passion fruit swirled in – WOW :)
2 cups water


on February the 5th I had:

1 quart water
1 cup green juice: celery, zucchini, broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, kale, fennel, ginger, lime
2 cups water
little block of chia pudding – chia soaked in hemp milk blended with carob powder, lucuma, cinnamon, vanilla, with fresh cherry pieces and passion fruit swirled in, plus an apple
2 cups energy soup with okra and tahini on the side
little mug of spicy tea
2 cups green juice: celery, zucchini, broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, kale, fennel, ginger, lime
little bowl of blended yum: carob powder, lucuma, vanilla, cinnamon, water, with a little grawnola stirred in
2 cups water


OMGODDESS - here is a raw recipe video not to be missed. If you haven't checked out this clip of miniature raw goddess Zion making raw flax cookies, this is a must see ;) She seems SO incredibly articulate, tuned in and 'beyond-her-years' for a three year old - it's truly like she has her own TV show - absolutely amazing - LOVE it ;)
Thanks be to Maggie who sent this clip in. (Maggie has a lovely range of hand-made pottery pieces btw, many fruit/veggie inspired, which you can see HERE.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_gfdStODZM

Luscious love,
Angelalalalallaaaaaaaaaa. xxx

Seed Swap Excitement :)

Yesterday was SO FUN - I went to my first ever seed swap event :) 'Seedy Sunday' in Hove is apparently the UK's biggest seed swapping event and it certainly was a FEAST for my eyeballs when I walked in to see an entire hall of people with packets of hand-saved seeds, manuals for growing, compost bins, live plants and masses more...WOW, what a treasure trove - I felt like a giddy five year old... ;) You can see my little video about it on The Raw Food World TV Show HERE. I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo immeasurably, unutterably excited to get to our land and start planting... :) :) :)
I have this huge sense of awe about growing my own food (especially in SOIL rather than sprout bags ;) My mind chatters away: "...really, I really get to do that? that's legal? lol... where will I begin? how will I know what to do? what will happen?" etc etc - so much to learn and tap into and I trust it will all unfold with grace and beauty in its own time...'Anastasia' will be my primary guide for this journey - I tune into her energy every morning in meditation, send her gratitude for the vision she is holding for the world and I also send the energy of love to our land... EXCITING ;)
Google 'seed swaps' in YOUR area if you'd like to play this game too - I'd definitely recommend it :)
Oohhhh, yes, btw, many of you have been sending messages to say how much you LOVED watching the film 'The Green Beautiful' on YouTube, which I recommended in my last post - WELL, I'm delighted to say that I conveniently found a playlist for the whole film, so you can just click 'play all videos' and the whole film will run for you back-to-back in 9 sections - see HERE and enjoy - I loooved it too, especially the last 3 sections - WOW, it's so amazing to me to see some of the things we can do with these human bodies ;)

on Jan the 31st I had:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, cabbage, kale, local greens, alfalfa sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with flax crackers and tahini
1 quart water
cup of homemade rejuvelac
mug of spicy tea
shot of wheatgrass
2 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, cabbage, kale, local greens, alfalfa sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, lime
1 cup water

On the subject of seeeeeeeeeeeds, I have 10 bags of our yummy chia seeds here in the UK that can be sent to anyone in the UK/Europe area (or beyond, if desired ;). They are £10 per bag (1lb/454g), plus p&p. If you’d love some, just email angela@rawreform.com and I’ll get my postal elf hat out again ;)
If you've never heard of or tried chia, you can read alllllll about it in the article I wrote called 'The Chia Cheat Sheet', which you can see HERE - it even includes 10 raw chia recipes :) We also have printed chart versions of the Chia Cheat Sheet available HERE.

on Feb the 1st I had:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, cabbage, kale, local greens, alfalfa sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with flax crackers and tahini
1 quart water
40 chlorella ‘nuts’
2 outrageously ripe fuyu persimmons
bowl of chia pudding with hemp milk, lucuma, carob powder, cinnamon, vanilla, maca
2 cups water


on Feb the 2nd I had:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, cabbage, kale, local greens, alfalfa sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, lime
2 cups energy soup with flax crackers and tahini
little mug of spicy tea
1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, fennel, cabbage, kale, local greens, alfalfa sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, lime
bowl of chia pudding with hemp milk, lucuma, carob powder, cinnamon, vanilla, maca
2 cups water

THANK YOOUUUUUUUUU all for your lovely messages of love, health, support and vibrancy for Mr. M this last week – he definitely seems to be through the toughest part of this healing journey now – YAY :) Enormous gratitude to you all, for all the healing love that has aided his recovery.
While we’re on the subject of rehab with love, I came across this WONDERFUL little YouTube video on a completely revolutionary ‘eco–prison’ in Norway, where all the inmates work with farming/nature, live in houses (not cells), have minimal security, are treated with love and respect, are producing their own food, use solar panels for their power and are HEALING :) Absolutely LOVE it – so so soooo inspiring. These are not ‘petty thieves’ either – these are some of the ‘most notorious criminals’ in the country. THANK YOU so very much to Norway’s government for creating this space and thanks too for sharing this on YouTube :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSaoirOdZOQ

All love and joyous release,
Angela. xxx