Raw in ICELAND...??? ;)

I’m in Iceland :) I arrived yesterday and am very glad to be back :) As some of you who read this know, I used to live here, on and off, over a period of 3.5 years. I actually went raw here, way back in 2002. I haven’t visited for at least 2 years and it’s wonderful to be here again :)
Some of the things I LOVE about being here:

*I find the AIR and WATER quality off-the-scale amazing. The air is so clean it’s like you can get high just breathing here ;) Nowhere else in the world that I’ve been would I drink the tap water, except here – the water is just phenomenal – so clean and ‘pure’ tasting. It’s so odd to me to drink from the same tap I’ve just been washing dishes from... ;)

*The light...ohhhhhhh, yessssss, the light, the light, the endless light. It’s days away from summer solstice and the daylight here already pretty much doesn’t end...more-or-less 24 hour daylight is one of those magical things about Iceland in the summer :) Last night it was around 11pm when I went to bed – however, from looking out the window, it could have been 4 in the afternoon...I love it...midnight hikes anyone...? ;)

*Small population of humans – this is definitely key for me – there are around 300,000 humans in this whole country (smthg like the size of Ireland). That’s not many folk. I like that ;) While the human population worldwide apparently DOUBLED from around 1950 to 2000, the population here still feels reassuringly petite. I really appreciate the sweet ‘humanity’ this seems to foster between people – crime rates are very low, the general atmosphere seems relaxed and easy-going and it just feels like there’s so much more ‘head-space’ here than in other places – more room to think than in a space crammed with other humans ;)

*Stunning scenery – yep...Iceland is a natural wonderland – geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, horses, lava fields, rolling countryside, dramatic beachscapes – it’s got the lot...even Reykjavik, the capital city, feels spacious and ‘green’ compared to any other city I’ve encountered...

*It’s lovely to hear so much Icelandic again and flex the language nodes in my brain ;) I used to speak Icelandic pretty well when I lived here...in the interim, a fair amount seems to have fallen out of my brain, or at least fallen asleep, as I rarely use the language elsewhere (though I do enjoy passing a few choice words onto Mr. Monarch at times ;). It feels good to be immersed in Icelandic again and soaking it up...

Today was incidentally the ‘National Day’ of Iceland, wherein the majority of the population can be found wandering the streets in Reykjavik, enjoying outdoor entertainment and celebrating their independence :) It was fun to go downtown today and join the thronging masses...happy national day, Iceland :)

on June the 14th I had:

1 quart water
mug pau d’arco tea
2 cups juice: celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley
2 cups smoothie: brazil nut butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
3 cups water
1.5 cups juice: celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley
handful of bee pollen/hemp seed and a morsel of raw chocolate (sans intense sugars)
3 cups water
3 nori rolls stuffed with baby spinach, alfalfa, broccoli and mung bean sprouts & jalepeno/cilantro hummus. 2 tsps goji powder
1 quart water

on June the 15th I had:

1 quart water
mug of rooibus tea
2 cups celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley/endive/fennel juice
3 nori rolls stuffed with baby spinach, alfalfa, broccoli and mung bean sprouts & jalepeno/cilantro hummus. Little ball of lucuma/maca/yacon powder/carob/water
1 quart water
pack of curry nori powerstix
2 cups celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley/endive/fennel juice
2 cups smoothie: pumpkin seeds, macadamia butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
mug of pau d’arco tea
1 cup water

Hmmmmmm, something a little unfortunate happened. I accidentally left half of the capsules for the parasite cleanse I’ve been doing, in England...hmmmm...so, for today at least, my parasite elimination programme has been temporarily suspended – well, the herbal part of it anyway – I’ve continued to eat the same way today and intend to try to find an alternative source of the appropriate herbs here asap, so that I can continue...I’ll keep you updated how that goes ;) So far I haven’t noticed any HUGE changes since taking the herbs – it’s only been a week though and it’s intended to be a 3 week cleanse, so...we’ll see how it unfolds from here ;)

on June the 16th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups celery/cucumber/spinach/parsley/endive/fennel juice
salad of spinach leaves, mixed sprouts and dulse with flax crackers and brazil nut butter
1 quart water
a delicious orange bell pepper
2 cups water
2 tsp green powder
2 cups smoothie: sunflower seed butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
3 cups water


on June the 17th I had:

1 quart water
2 cups green juice: cucumber, watercress, cilantro, spinach, fennel, ginger – yummmmmy :)
3 nori rolls stuffed with spinach, alfalfa, mixed sprouts and a mixture of jalepeno hummus with pistachio butter
mug of spice tea
1 quart water
handful of trail mix: almonds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries
2 cups water
2 cups smoothie: sunflower seed butter, yacon powder, carob powder, green powder, water
2 cups water

In April 2007, I facilitated a womens’ Juice Feasting retreat at Ronora Lodge in Michigan. It was a spectacular success, with many participants saying at the end of it that it was one of the highlights of their lives. Now Ronora has expanded its raw food facilities into the beautiful new ‘Raw Food Villa’ and will be offering Living Health Retreats this summer and beyond. I think this is a VERY exciting opportunity for anyone who is interested to go on an affordable 3-10 day retreat, get immersed in raw yumminess and connect with others on the same path. The current scheduled retreat dates are:

July 17-27
August 14-24
August 29-Sept 3 with Victoria Boutenko :)
September 18-28
October 16-26

You can see more details on their site: http://livinghealthretreats.com or you can also call them on 1-877-RAW-RAW8 (1-877-729-7298).
If you’ve never been to Ronora or heard about it, the land there is stunning – the caretakers keep most of it as a wildlife reserve and also buy up surrounding properties when possible, to add to this protected space. The property is 400+ lovely, quiet acres for you to explore and enjoy; it has a secluded private lake, acres of woods, wildlife, pristine pastures and miles of nature trails. There is a LOT of love at Ronora, plus space, fresh air, tranquility and now amazing raw food facilities too :) I’m excited to get back there when I can, to hold another retreat at some point...in the meantime, I strongly recommend you check out their schedule if you’re looking for a raw-friendly getaway ;)

ENJOY :)
All love,
Angela. xxx

Goddess Gaia Rising...

WOW, what a yummy first couple of days of life-out-in-the-world ‘Raw Emotions’ has enjoyed :) Thank you all SO much for all the beautiful comments that have been coming in – I’m finally getting somewhat caught back up with email again now ;)
Here’s a moving comment left anonymously by a dear soul, on this blog:

“I've started reading raw emotions, and it is truly a blessing. Reading it gave me new insight into my situation, and the courage to think about leaving an emotionally toxic relationship I have in my life (one with a person) and an equally abusive relationship that I have by punishing myself with food. Thanks Angela! Although the focus of your book isn't toxic people, the healthy, loving ideas in it give readers the tools and the confidence to reclaim their lives from toxic people, abusers, and addictions.”

Wow, thanks for the feedback and all blessings to you as your own healing unfolds...
Here is another sweet little review a reader in Alaska recently posted to her blog - http://rawfoodcoldclimate.blogspot.com/ :

“I purchased Angela Stokes Raw Emotions today, and it will be my trusted companion for the rest of this journey. I know this is my key to moving forward in the face of an amazing upwell of emotional detox. This book inspired me to break out my highlighter by page 10, the back of page 18 has a poem that I will keep to myself written on it, and by page 21 I was truly connecting to the heart of where I am right now.”

Thanks Kristi – I hope you continue to enjoy the book :) If you haven’t delved into Raw Emotions yet, you can see an excerpt HERE. Enjoy :)

On March the 9th I had:

1.5 quarts water
½ watermelon
16oz celery/lettuce/cucumber/parsley/carrot/ginger juice
bowl of grated cucumber mixed with avocado pieces, mixed sprouts, karengo seaweed and finely chopped cilantro, served in lettuce wraps and nori sheets
1.5 quarts water
16oz celery/lettuce/cucumber/parsley/carrot/ginger juice
bowl of ‘gingerbread’ yum: soaked goji berries blended with pine nuts, served with fresh raspberries and banana pieces – YUMMM :)
1.5 quarts water

On another subject entirely, Terri wrote in to say:

“I have another question for you....Where do you get your clothing? What is it made of?
Terri in Texas”

Thanks for the Q Terri. I love beautiful clothing and was often frustrated in my obese days with the limited range of clothes on offer in stores for ‘plus sizes’. Since losing the weight and changing about 10 clothing sizes in the process, I’m now MUCH happier with the clothing choices available ;)
When I first started to fit into smaller clothing sizes, however, I felt quite overwhelmed by all the choices available. I found it hard to focus – it seemed like there was suddenly just so much choice. I also felt uncomfortable still in stores with smaller sizes. As a teenager, I had many unpleasant experiences in clothing stores, feeling awkward and out-of-place while I waited for others to try things on – I always felt shame and avoided the shop assistants, who I feared were disgusted by me. I’ve since slowly softened into the idea though that it is actually ok for me to be in those stores and my awareness of what I really want in life has slowly refined too - so, these days I am delighted to make very specific choices about the clothes I purchase.
I choose almost only organic cotton, bamboo or hemp clothes and aim to buy from small retailers, whom I preferably meet in person. I want to adorn my body with clothes that have been made with love and consciousness, rather than in a sweat-shop by someone who is unlikely living their passion. I am completely willing to pay more for a few beautiful pieces of well-made, loved clothing, than get many cheaper, ‘empty-feeling’ pieces. Life is all about choices and we vote with our ‘dollar’ every single time we buy things. I want to feel great about the choices I make and the businesses I support, so that’s why I aim for eco clothing companies. The mainstream cotton industry is one of THE most polluting industries in the world, with shocking rates of cancer among workers. So, even if I see GORGEOUS clothes made with 100% cotton and it’s not ORGANIC cotton, I’m not really interested these days... My ‘wardrobe’ (read: 'backpack ';) is still in transition though, as my older garments are phased out and all new eco-purchases are added in, as I find garments I really resonate with. As for second-hand clothes, or those made from RECYCLED materials – I’m definitely open to those options too...
Here are ten of my favourite eco-clothing makers and suppliers to check out, in no particular order:

Mountains of the Moon - hemp, organic cotton and more
Organic Avenue - FABULOUS eco-outlet in New York
Sweetgrass - long-lasting, durable hemp clothes
Texture - 2 sweet girls in the Pacific NW making 'clothing with a conscience'
Under the Canopy - eco-underwear - oooooo lala ;)
Spellwear - magical hemp clothes made from the UK
Ecolution - more yummy hemp creations
Rawganique - HUGE warehouse of eco-clothes, based in BC, Canada.
Not Just Pretty - absolutely FABULOUS site also in BC, PACKED with eco-clothes
The Natural Store - UK based with lots of great UK eco-labels like Ciel, Enamore, Gossypium.


March the 10th was my second day of Juice Feasting once a week, as part of the Global Juice Feast currently in process :) Great day - I had 5.5 quarts of juice :

1.5 quarts water
1.5 cups wild berry tea
1 quart watermelon juice
1 quart celery/cucumber/zucchini/beetroot/lettuce/carrot/ginger juice
1.5 tbsp superpower paste :) YUMM – mixed together spirulina powder, maca powder, spot of raw honey, bee pollen and vanilla powder – yeeeeeeee-HAH :)
1 quart watermelon/orange juice
1 pint water
1 quart apple/cucumber/celery/dandelion/parsley/romaine juice
1.5 quarts watermelon/orange juice
3 cups water

OOoooooOooooo…ladies, are you ready to gather with your raw sisters and delve into a nurturing, vibrant, luscious celebration of the Goddess within ALL of us…??? Then get on over to Ojai, California in April for a 5-day ladies-only raw retreat… If I was in the US at the moment, I would be at this retreat in a heartbeat to share with all the luscious Goddess energies arising in this raw movement…as it happens, for the time being, I find myself elsewhere – NEXT year though, I’m THERE ;)
The retreat is from April 2nd-6th this year, in Ojai, California (where we used to live – beautiful town ;). There’s a gorgeous line-up of Goddesses heading up the games this year, including Annie Jubb, Happy Oasis, Kerrie Dancing Butterfly and Elaina Love…
There’s going to be all kinds of nurturing, delicious activities on offer like energy healing, journey dancing, Goddess card readings, drum circle, yoga, massage, music, nutritional counselling, sweat lodge, raw food meals. Get ready to relax, share, explore, awaken, co-create and THRIVE, all out in the beautiful natural, pristine surroundings of Ojai :)
The investment in your health for this retreat is $995 and there’s limited space, so do contact them soon if you’re interested. For questions you can contact Joy on 949.294.2966 or journeysforthesoul@hotmail.com

For more information, photos and to register online visit:

http://www.journeysforthesoul.com/celebrate_the_goddess_within_april_2008.htm

…and let us all know how it flowed if you get to go and play in the goddess paradise ;)

All love,
Angelalalalalaaaaaaa. xxx

Saturn and Cracao Controversies...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK....Saturn moved out of Leo and into Virgo today…and so begin-eth my personal Saturn Return...hooooold on... ;)
Saturn moves into a new sign about every two and a half years and starts to turn its spotlight onto a different part of our being…so, we’re heading now from a focus on ‘personal’/leadership/creative issues to ‘transpersonal’/service/healing…
Master Astrologer Julian Venables says about Saturn:
“It’s the planet that shows us where through effort, hard work and responsibility we gain personal or worldly success. Saturn’s central function is that of making us adults (whatever actual age you are) by assigning us with emotional responsibilities that bring about maturation. Virgo is the sign of analysis and perfection, as well as being linked to health, work and service.”
He makes this exciting prediction for the coming years:
“Alternative and holistic health may be given more form and structure. Personal health issues will also feature big with further critical research into the quality of food products available to consumers. The concept behind ‘dieting’ fads may start to be replaced with learning about nutrition and balanced diets.”
To read more about how Saturn is likely to affect YOUR path, see HERE...

On September the 1st I had:

1.5 litres water
600ml warm water with lemon
400ml orange/grapefruit juice
500ml green juice
slice of watermelon
little bowl of avocado blended with banana, swirled with sprouts, maca and pumpkin seeds
500ml water
water of a young coconut
300ml hemp/mango/peach smoothie
plate of marvellous Raw Greek creations
slice of exquisite lemon/cinnamon cheesecake
cracao bliss balls from Conscious Chocolate
1 litre water

I spoke yesterday at the wonderful Festival of Life in London – FUN :) WOW…it feels like a huge family gathering to me – reconnecting with many of the magical light workers here in the UK…people selling yummy treats and beautiful clothes and amazing, loved-up, handmade products…mmmmmmm…I spoke to a packed little room of yummies – thanks to all of you who came along for it and apologies to those who were turned away due to lack of space – I didn’t realise – I’m sure we could’ve squeezed you in somewhere ;) ahhh, well…next year perhaps…or sometime sooner – we had quite a lot of requests to hold a retreat here in the UK in the near future, which sounds fun…so…keep your eyes open for news of that, or if you have a venue you’d love to suggest/offer for such an event, do please let us know – angela@rawreform.com ;)

on September the 2nd I had:

1.5 litres water
500ml rooibos tea
juice of one Satsuma
double shot of barleygrass
500ml spinach/celery/parsely/carrot juice
1 little cube of raw halvah
1.5 durians
2 litres water

OOOooooo, Mr Brian Self just published a VERY interesting article all about the effects of cacoa/raw chocolate – yeeeeeeeee-HAH ;) He draws on Native American tradition and writes about how this powerful food is a ‘medicine’ rather than a staple ‘food’. He explores the emotional and alchemical aspects of the brown stuff – the stimulating action, the alkaloids, the effect on the adrenals, the impact it can have on mood swings/balance and more…he quotes a Native American friend of his as saying “When we eat chocolate it is always after a meal or ceremony, it is not the meal and is used with great honor and respect." I’d highly recommend taking a look through this article HERE – I find it very well-written and balanced – so much of this ‘rarely mentioned’ info resonates for me…I love having some ‘cracao’ every now and then – for me it’s definitely like a stimulant/’party’ food though - not a daily staple… Thanks for sharing Brian ;)

One love,
Angela. xxx