Eco-Fashion Favourites... :)

I've suddenly had a lot of messages again lately from people asking where I get my clothes and jewellry... ;) Well...I have written some blogs about eco-clothing before, so if you haven't seen those already, you may enjoy checking those out HERE and HERE.
Lately, one of the places I've been most enjoying checking out eco-friendly clothes is *Etsy.com* :) Have you played around on Etsy before? It's a site where independent artists, designers and so on can set up their own little 'store-front' and sell their goodies online...tres cool...here are three Etsy eco-friendly clothing designers I've been impressed with lately:

*PineapplePop - WOW - check out this woman's *AMAZING* Patchwork Dresses and other items - I absolutely LOVE these unique, handmade patchwork dresses and will be ordering one sooooon methinks, to dally around in, down in Ecuador ;) Get your pineapplepop patchwork princess apparel HERE ;)

*Texture - I've mentioned Texture's phenomenal clothes before, in this post HERE - yummy Theresa's hemp flares are simply par excellence ;) She makes many other fantastic items too though and often does discounted sales on her Etsy store - find an eco-friendly bargain HERE... (Main Texture online store is HERE ;)

*Gaia Conceptions - I haven't ordered anything from this lovely looking collection yet - I am certainly enamoured of it though - gorgeous designs, eco-fabrics and clearly lots of love in the process...check out the yummies HERE.


On Jan the 26th I enjoyed:

1 quart water
2.5 cups greeeeeeeen juice
bowl of curious pea soup...blended together sugar snap peas, apple, dulse, sprouts, lemon, tahini, ate with sheet of nori on the side...hmmmmmmmm ;)
1 quart water
1 cup greeeeeeeen juice
2 hachiya persimmons, 4 tbsp acai powder
3 cups water

Now, as for my jewellry...hmmmm, that's a trickier one to explain...most of it was given to me or is quite old...e.g. the NZ jade around my neck has been there for over 10 years... (I have a general policy of wearing jewellry until it falls off... ;)

Two of my rings are from Mr. M (engagement ring made by his friend, wedding ring from SoulConscious.com) my other ring was handmade in Iceland at the Viking Festival and has my name carved into it in runes... (one of my previous realities within this lifetime involved carving runes on various objects - candles, woodwork, stones etc - I love runes...)

I wear a 'Whiffer' necklace from our store, HERE (I smell of lavender today ;)...I also wear one of the Quantum Balance Necklaces, which we sell too, HERE. The other necklace I wear is a piece of cedar, as described by Anastasia...
My wrists are currently quite inundated with bracelet gifts ;) lol...I seem to attract bracelet energy...there are all kinds of things wrapped around each other on my forearms right now...a string of Native American beads, a turquoise and wooden amulet given to me on our wedding day, a string of wooden beads with my name on, made by some children at a talk we gave a few months back, a piece of silver fabric given to me at a friend's wedding years ago, a friendship bracelet handmade by one of dearest friends from the Uk and so on... ;) As you can see, my jewellry collection is a bit of a mosaic masterpiece at the moment...

One yummy jewellry resource I could point you towards though is the website of one on of our very own RawReform blog readers, Sarah, who runs JewelryArtDesigns.com and recently sent me an example of her work - a *gorgeous* delicate lavender pendant on a silver chain - she has lots of pretty pieces you can check out on her site HERE...earrings, necklaces, rings and more...

So those are my current 'fashion' sharings for you... ;) What about *you* guys and gals? Do you have any Etsy stores to recommend? Or favourite eco-clothing providers? Other yummy jewellry makers to connect us to? Feel free to post your recommendations in the COMMENTS down below if you'd love to share anything... ;)

on January the 27th I loved:

1 quart water
2.5 cups greeeeeeen juice
2 cups green smoothie: persimmon, sunflower greens, spinach, chia flour, water, vanilla powder
2 cups green smoothie: persimmon, sunflower greens, spinach, chia flour, water, vanilla powder
3 cups water
3 cups greeeeeeeeen juice
4 tbsp acai powder, handful of mini-persimmons (persimmon paradise here at the moment ;)
3 cups water


on January the 28th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice
2 cups green smoothie: persimmon, cilantro/celery microgreens, spinach, chia flour, water
2 cups green smoothie: persimmon, cilantro/celery microgreens, spinach, chia flour, water, with 3 tbsp acai powder
3 cups water
2 cups greeeeeen juice
2 cups green smoothie: persimmon, spinach, sunflower greens, chia flour, water, with 4 tbsp acai powder
3 cups water

Don't forget that this month, you can win a FREE copy of the book that has inspired me more than ANY other in recent years: "Anastasia" by Vladimir Megre :) At the end of February, Mr. M and I are intending to return to our land in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, to start our own 'kins' domain', inspired hugely by this book...I am SOOOOO excited to get back down to Ecuador and connected to the land again...we have started reading "Anastasia" again in preparation for this trip and now I'd love to share a copy of this epic book with one of YOU who may not have accessed its awe-inspiring message yet...I often say that if there was only ONE gift I could give any person, it would be this book - it seems to be truly life-shifting for almost everyone who reads it :)

SO, to get your hands on a shiny new FREE copy of this amazing piece of literature, send in your answer to the following question, to angela@rawreform.com angela@rawreform.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it :

"Which THREE intentions for 2010
are YOU most excited about?"

We look forward to enjoying your glowing answers :) The winner will be picked at random and with glee on February the 1st, so get your entries in to angela@rawreform.com before then...thanks :)

All love,
Angela. xxx

The Biggest Flares in the Business ;)

OooOooooo, I'm so happy, I found a GREAT new (to me), free online inspiring resource to tune into while I'm doing 'mindless' work on the 'puter – it's called the Conscious Media Network and they have a BIG archive of old interviews going back to 2005, with all kinds of people on all kinds of intriguing topics, from spirituality and 2012, to love and relationships, energy healing, alternative therapies, astrology, prophecies, reincarnation and much more...I even found an old interview with David Wolfe on there, from January 2008 ;) You can visit their archive HERE and enjoy... ;)

on November the 5th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, ginger, lemon
bowl of energy soup with fermented seed cheese flax crackers & mixed prepared raw veggie dishes from GreenLife in Asheville (WOW ;), followed by a few raw cookie samples
1 quart fresh spring water
2 apples cut into chunks with some raw cereal scattered on top
mug of spicy tea
3 cups water

OMGODDESS, I am absolutely LOVING my new hemp flares from Texture Clothing. I first bought a hemp 'market' skirt from Texture a few years back at a Green Fest show and have probably worn it about half the time ever since then ;) Recently they brought out a new line of BEAUTIFUL hemp/organic cotton flared trousers with the tag line 'Good Luck Finding This Kind of Flare Elsewhere…' ;)
Now, I am an eco–flares aficionado and I will confirm these are indeed the yummiest hemp trousers I've met in a long time – these gals just make clothes that fit GREAT :) Love them...you can check out the Texture collection at www.textureclothing.com and I hope you enjoy their wonderful creations as much as I do :)

on November the 6th I loved:

1 quart water
2 goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton and Merlin's Elixir
2 cups greeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, lemon, ginger
2 Tbsp bee pollen, 3 tsbp spirulina crunchies
1 quart water
raw dinner party/potluck meal: creamy soup followed by zucchini pasta and salad, rounded off with a plate of amazing dessert samples, including raw chocolates – eeeeeeeeeeeeek ;)
mug of peppermint sun–tea
3 cups water


on November the 7th I appreciated:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, lemon, ginger
plate of party leftovers: salad/pasta/sauce, followed by some apple–flax dessert
1 quart water
25 chlorella tablets
rest of leftover apple–flax meal with a fresh apple
3 cups water

Upcoming FUN Anastasia–inspired events in Europe:

Mmmmm, if you're tuned into the Anastasia/Ringing Cedars of Russia books already, you'll hopefully feel them as a huge inspiration in your life, just as I do :)
On November the 17th, Dr. Leonid Sharashkin, the translator of the books from Russian into English, is giving a talk in Brighton, England on this amazing series of books that are inspiring such shifts in consciousness and action, all over the world... Dr. Leo will be speaking for ONE NIGHT ONLY, at the Friend's Meeting House...this event is very likely to sell out fast, so if you'd love to be there, you can secure your ticket online HERE: www.ringingcedars.co.uk/workshops
They have also just announced a second two–day workshop in London with Dr. Leo, on Nov 19th–20th, as the first workshop sold out – see that same site for more info ;)

Three new pilgrimages to the sacred Dolmen sites of Russia have also just been announced, for 2010. The three tours will be in April, May and September 2010 and all the details are HERE: http://www.spaceoflove.com/dolm_tour.htm.
...and if somehow you are not tuned–in yet to the amazing Anastasia books and you're wondering what this is all about, you can see the books HERE – nothing has inspired me more in recent years than these books ;)

ENJOY :)

All love,
Angela Stokes–Monaaaaaaaarch. xxx

Three Russian Heroines... :)

Today I'd like to give some little updates on Three Russian Heroines in my life: Victoria Boutenko, Elena Tonetti and Anastasia :) I'm not quite sure yet why my karma seems to be so tied up with strong Russian female energies...yet these three women, between them, have had and continue to have a HUGE impact and influence on my life in the last years...(interestingly, apparently part of Mr. Monarch's pre–USA family history also traces back to Russia…hmmmmmmm...)

So, let's start with Victoria, as she was the first to come to my awareness, when my dear friend in Iceland lent me the Boutenko's 'Raw Family' book back in May 2002, which led to my 160lb weight release and dramatic life shift... next month, Victoria is going to be our special guest on The Raw Food World Radio Show :) YAY :) Mr. M is going to be interviewing her on the evening of November the 27th, from 6pm Pacific time, 9pm Eastern time. The call is LIVE and FREE and you can sign up for it HERE. Be aware that there is only room on the call for 1000 people, so get in there quick if you want to be on the call live ;)

ENJOY...

on October the 24th it was mi madre's b-day and I loved:

1 quart water
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium products
cupful of pomegrante/chia pudding with a few bites of apple
2 cups goji juice with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium products
bowl of energy soup with spicy sunflower seeds and a little pine nut butter on the side, followed by more pomegranate/chia pudding – YUMMMM :)
2 cups water
2 cups green juice: celery, cucumber, spinach, zucchini, parsley, fresh garden greens, ginger, lemon
2 cups water

Next up is the lovely Elena from Birth Into Being, who we first met at the Raw Food Film Festival, back in 2007, where we were BLOWN AWAY by her amazing film 'Birth As We Know It' – the most perspective–altering documentary I have ever seen, all about conscious parenting.

Elena has a full schedule of workshops, film showings and more on her site HERE and I was very excited to see recently that someone called Jeanice from the Ringing Cedars/Anastasia Ning Community announced they will be doing a free radio call with Elena on November the 11th. Jeanice is starting up a new BlogTalkRadio channel dedicated to discussing natural pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and so on and Elena will be the first guest. The primary intention for the show is to share this valuable information with teenagers, yet all are welcome to join in – you can connect to the call HERE.


on October the 25th my dog would have 25 years old if he was still alive and I was adoring:

1 quart water
3 cups goji juice blended with camu powder
bowl of energy soup with spicy sunflower seeds & sauerkraut on the side, followed by a little hand–mixed shared yumpot bowl of: lucuma, mesquite, cinnamon, vanilla powders with pine nut butter and water
3 cups water
2 Tbsp spirulina crunchies, 2 Tbsp bee pollen
2 cups water


on October the 26th I was blissed with:

1 quart water
2 cups goji juice blended with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium products
bowl of energy soup with olives and flax crackers on the side, followed by a little yumpot of chia–pomegranate pudding :)
1 quart water
2 cups goji juice shaken up with Marine Phytoplankton, Merlin's Elixir and Etherium products
3 Tbsp bee pollen, a couple of chunks of Rawnola and a little handful of dried yacon slices
3 cups water

...and on the subject of the Ringing Cedars, our final Russian role model of the day, yet certainly not the least impactful in my life, is dear si*star* Anastasia, out in the forest in Siberia. If you've hear me speak recently, most likely you'll have heard me sharing how much these books have influenced me – I started reading the series of nine books a couple of years ago and they have deeeeeply impacted my whole life perspective – in fact, if there was only ONE book I could recommend for anyone to read, it would be 'Anastasia' – these books are literally changing the face of the planet, without any advertising, it's all spread by word of mouth and deep, heart–felt passion to reconnect to the Earth – LOVE it :)

Recently, someone sent us the links to a little 50 minute documentary online, all about people who are taking ACTION on implementing the 'Anastasia' lifestyle, getting to the land, setting up their kins' domains, growing food, connecting to nature. It is available to watch on YouTube as a series of 5 videos, which you can see in the playlist HERE – enjoy ;)

I hope these lovely maidens help inspire YOU in some way along your journey too – they have definitely been powerful role models in my life :)

All love,
Ms. Stokes–Monarch. xxx

Earth Day, Ecuador, Eco-Tours and Eyeball Treats... ;)

Happy Earth Day Everyone :)
We love you Mama Earth <3

On the subject of connecting more directly with our beloved Earth, SO many people have been writing in recently requesting more details abt the community and lifestyle that is arising in Vilcabamba, Ecuador (our future home) and I’m delighted to say that the marvellous Mr. Mike Adams over at NaturalNews.com has a few wonderful new resources to share on this subject.
He will be holding a Vilcabamba real estate tour in June, preceded by an 'Ancient Cities of the Sun' adventure tour. He will also soon be posting "The Immigration & Traveler's Guide to Southern Ecuador" - yeeeeeee-HAH, that's definitely going to make my life easier :) I'll aim to let y'all know when that's ready, if you're not already subscribed to his site ;)
Another member of the Vilcabamba community, Patrick, has made a lovely little 'Valley of Longevity' website with lots of info about the area, longevity, health and resources. You can check that out HERE (apparently Patrick is 80-years-old - WOW ;O...).
We hope to see you all there in Vilcabamba, in May 2010 for the Raw Food World Conference ;)

on April the 20th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups greeeeens/carrot juice
3 tbsp bee pollen with hemp seeds, an ‘I am Strong’ bar
2 cups water
romaine wraps stuffed with avocado, dulse, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, with red bell pepper and pumpkin seed butter on the side, followed by a little handful of Celestial Cina–Pecan nutz – yummmmm :)
1 quart water
little tub of fresh pineapple slices, an apple, a mango
2 cups water

If you’re located more to right of the Atlantic and would love a fun adventure trip to go and explore, I am SUPER–excited to announce that our dear friends Matt and Lara from Space of Love in the UK are starting to run ‘Anastasia’–inspired eco–tours to Russia this summer :) WOW :) I am actually really sad that I won’t be in Europe to take part – I’ve wanted to go on a trip like this since I first started reading the Anastasia books...I’ve always felt a bit edgy about the idea of going to Russia though, without a single word of Russian lodged in my brain cells ;) Fortunately, Space of Love Matt is FLUENT in Russian, as well as being one of the main distributors of the Anastasia books in Europe and a wonderful permaculturist :) YUMMY :) Click HERE to see all the details and join up (space limited – book soon ;) (P.S. If you’re one of the fortunate yumsters who goes on this tour, please do write and let us know how it goes – I would LOVE to hear/see pics... :)

on April the 21st I had:

1 quart water
water of a young coconut
40 chlorella ‘nuts’, a Fuji apple
array of samples at the Living Tree Community HQ – WOW ;)
3 cups water
gourmet feast at Café Gratitude in Berkeley – 2 cups greeeeen juice followed by shared meal of pesto pizza, enchiladas, coconut crème pie, lemon/poppy seed cake, plus samples of Roxanne’s vanilla squares and Blessing’s ‘Thumbalina’ thumbprint cookie – phew ;)
3 cups water

Here for your eyeball delectation are some of my recent travel pics...

The beautiful blossoms of Portland :)

Many trees in Portland seem to have adapted to powerlines in their paths by growing out to each side - I've never seen this anywhere else before...interesting... ;)

This is what your footprints look like if you wear Vibram FiveFingers Shoes :) Love it ;)

Mr. Monarch bouncing and speaking at our event in Reno.

Tee-heeeeeee - funny sign we saw in Reno ;)

All love,
Angela. xxx

Sly Smiles...

Oooooo, I’m feeling all aglow and excitable right now...in the latest newsletter from ‘The Ringing Cedars of Russia’ (the people who publish the ‘Anastasia’ books), they included my weight loss story, a link to the CNN piece I did earlier this year, plus another article on raw food too – FUN :) I had a huge grin at being featured in ‘Anastasia’s newspaper’ - or 'The Earth' as it's known - as she’s definitely my biggest current source of si*star* inspiration...You can see their latest newsletter HERE – it is huuuuuuuuuuuuuge, packed with amazing articles on ecovillages, permaculture, growing food and now...RAW food lifestyles too :) YAY :) You can sign up to receive their free newsletters HERE and if you haven’t yet read the AMAZING Anastasia books, you can see them HERE...

on December the 7th I had:

1 quart water
water of one young coconut
1.5 cups energy soup with mineral–rich flax crackers and kale chips, followed by a little raw ice cream with coconut yumballs
1 quart water
1 quart veggie juice: cucumber, spinach, romaine, red bell pepper, carrot, fennel
1 tsp yummmmy bee pollen
handful of AMAZING strawberries :)))
1.5 cups energy soup with kale chips and AMAZING fresh chubby okra, followed by samples of new bars – almond, chai, goji (goji = my favourite ;)
3 cups water

I watched a great raw food lecture by Paul Nison on YouTube yesterday. It’s in 6 parts and is called ‘Formula for Health’. I love that Paul shares about the importance of many other factors for our optimal health than just FOOD – he talks about the role of television in the ‘numbing’ game, some really interesting historical info about how people used to usually eat twice a day and why they started to eat more and more, the perils of eating late at night, the major causes of disease, the role of exercise and so on. Paul throws lots of humour into the mix of his lectures – it’s a fun watch, methinks – you can check out the first part HERE and click on through all 6 parts from there if you’re drawn – I recommend it...ENJOY :)
(BTW – Paul’s going to be a daddy for the first time very soon – his lovely wife Andrea is expecting their daughter in the first few weeks of the new year – EXCITING – send them loooooovvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeee :)


on December the 8th I had:

1 quart water
1 quart veggie juice: cucumber, spinach, romaine, red bell pepper, carrot, fennel
couple of spoonfuls of AMAZING Mexican papaya
2 cups energy soup with okra and kale chips on the side, followed by a crunchy goji bar
3 cups water
water of 2 young coconuts with 1 tbsp greener grasses powder
3 cups energy soup with okra and kale chips on the side, followed by some raw coconut ice cream freshly–made by the Monarch – WOW :)
3 cups water


on December the 9th I had:

1 quart water
3 cups veggie juice: cucumber, spinach, romaine, carrot, red bell pepper, fennel
½ tbsp bee pollen
big bowl of fruit salad with chia gel: papaya, strawberries, raspberries, banana
2 tbsp sproutein powder
2 cups water
2 cups greeeeeeen juice: celery, cucumber, parsley, dandelion, spinach, lime
2 cups energy soup with okra and kale chips, followed by a little Monarch–made raw ice cream and pieces of goji bar
2 cups water

Mmmmm, I read another passage in ‘Raw Emotions’ today that I’d love to share here...I hope you enjoy any note of resonance it might strike for you ;)

----------------
A Secret Smile…
Sometimes our body language can reveal interesting things about our patterns. For example, have you noticed that some people actually smile as they talk about perceived ‘difficulties’ in their lives? Sometimes of course, this appears as the gentle smile of someone who is aware that ultimately, all is well, whatever appears to be happening on the surface. More frequently, though, this pattern seems to arise in those who tend to focus on ‘issues/problems’ in life - e.g. ‘Did I tell you, Uncle Billy’s going in for a knee operation again?’; ‘The service at that restaurant was awful - the waitress was so rude’; or ‘I told them that would happen - they never listen to me’ and so on. Although the topic is something that might usually be thought of as unfortunate/unpleasant, the speaker is smiling. There is a sense that they actually enjoy focusing on these aspects of life or even delight in it in some way. They might dwell on details and repeat such stories often. What might be behind that smile? My feeling is that usually, focusing on ‘the negative’ is a life-long pattern for such speakers and it is what feels comfortable to them. In contrast, speaking about inspiring, uplifting, exciting, expansive ideas and projects might seem alien and perhaps even scary to someone whose reality until now has been mainly shaped by ‘negative’ imprinting.
Be aware of your own facial expressions in the coming days as you speak. Do you notice yourself smiling if you speak about ‘difficulties’? Does this seem peculiar to you? What do you think might underlie this pattern?
I recognised this pattern in myself only when it was pointed out to me one day by a friend. I was relaying a story I’d told many times before of how challenging my relationship had been with an ex-partner. My friend listened as I told this ‘tale of woe’ then asked me why I’d had a slight smile on my face the whole time I spoke. What was ‘in it’ for me to keep repeating this story? How was this serving me? This was a real moment of clarity for me and helped me to move on and let go of that pattern.
This is not to suggest, however, that we all ought to look morose, tearful or distraught whenever we relay other-than-fabulous information. It is simply a pattern that can be observed and might reveal some interesting insights, if we are willing to explore...
----------------

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... ;)
All love,
Angelalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. xxx