today is the day - i made the best smoothie so far
i even surprised myself:
fresh durian, of course, frozen cherries, frozen blueberries,
maca powder, cacao superfood blend by amazing grass and almond milk
i remember why i am alive, i thank the world for being so kind and generous and sweet...

this soup rocked my world:

variety of mushrooms (shiitake, trumpet, oyster)
arame seaweed
raw unpasteurized shoyu sauce 
(there is a new product that is made out of coconuts, not soy, can't remember the name, totally raw)
zucchinis
cherry tomatoes
ginger juice
onion
lemon
olive oil
raw sesame tahini
cayenne pepper
parsley
water (little almond milk)

blend all in blender until very smooth




it's absolutely healing for me to prepare food without looking at the exact amounts of ingredients
one thing that my virgo moon always wants to do- to be precise .. oh well, this is one reason
why i call this fast a FREEDOM FAST

today walker and I started our 40 day fast/cleanse
this is the formula we'll be following:

WEEK ONE: blended raw nutritious soups and smoothies with superfoods and aged puerhcha tea 
(http://zenandtea.com/store.html) this tea is absolutely miraculous
WEEK TWO: green juice (celery, cucumber, kale, parsley, turmeric root, ginger), herbal tea
WEEK THREE: water, some sea salt, marine phytoplankton for some powerful sea minerals)
WEEK FOUR: green juice
WEEK FIVE + 5 days: blended raw nutritious soups and smoothies, slow integration to solid veggies and fruit

we had been planning this since last spring, yet the decision to start now came quite unexpected
while planning our camping trip to yuba river we decided to do just lemon water and some fruit
just to make the shopping part easier... 

on the road walker looked at me and said, what if we started the 40-day fast now?

what if?

if not now, when?

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand”. -The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I invite you to recall a time when you were completely at peace with yourself and the world around you. It may have lasted only for a few short moments, maybe an hour or perhaps one full day. Your breath was flowing with ease, your chest felt full and warm and your whole being was absorbing the stillness within. Remember that? You were radiating light from your Source, your personal genius. This light is in alignment with your body and your Spirit, and All that is. And you can access it, anytime. How cool is that!?

Creating our lives from this kind of place takes less effort. No need for will power or discipline. How can we cultivate this peace, this sense of "all is well"? We all have our favorite ways, and I'd like to share here some of mine. 

We can not really be available for others unless we take care of ourselves and our own space. In the airplane they ask you to put the gas mask on yourself before assisting others. Same applies to our lives. I invite you to return to yourself. Daily. Even for a moment.  

With love, passion and gratitude
Riikka

1) ALONETIME - A Basic Need



I understand it's not always possible to take time off from work and family life. Here are some suggestions and minor changes anybody can do, and as a result feel more available, clear and more grounded in oneself. Filling your own cup, being in your own energy also increases the polarity between two beings and keeps the relationship alive and balanced.

a.   once a week, sleep in a separate bed/room, by yourself
b.   for one FULL day per week turn off all your phones
c.   do the same with your computer
d.   on your way to or from work, stop at a park close by and take a short walk or just sit on the bench.. in other words take your time getting to places and leave enough room- even just extra 15 min- to give you a sense of "slowing down"
e.   1-2 times a month, take yourself out for a date (dinner, movie, museum, watch the       waves, fishing... what ever YOU want to do)
f.   once a year, take a private retreat for 2-10 days 
(if you are married and have kids, arrange and schedule this early enough, and make sure you switch!) This time is just for you and the Great Mystery (traveling for work does not count ;)). It may be few days in silence in nature, camping or in your own home. What ever the case, make sure you have no distractions around and no need to talk to anyone. Except yourself. And the Divine. 

2) CHILDHOOD FOOD


Let's not underestimate the power of food! And by childhood food, I don't mean Twinkies! Our lineage, the blue print of our ancestors, is deeply imprinted within us, whether we like it or not! Depending which part of the world your grand grand parents come from, your body will recognize and respond to certain foods better than to others. 

Last night I made a simple dinner by boiling some fresh baby German Butterball potatoes. At the store I listened to my body what it needed. Sometimes if I can't decide what I want to eat, I just stand there in the middle of the aisle, listening. You might have seen me there!! So, potatoes. I ate them with fresh dill, butter (very important part of the meal!), grav lax and smoked herrings. My body responds to this food and receives comfort and healing. It is also food that Finnish people eat this time of the year, summer solstice. After the meal I felt grounded and nurtured physically and emotionally.


3) "MORNING PAGES"


An author Julia Cameron introduced many of us to "Morning Pages": "The basic concept is to write three longhand, stream of consciousness pages every day, first thing in the morning, no matter what. Just write three pages, regardless of the size of your paper. Even if you only write, “I don’t know what to write,” over and over again, do it anyway. Cameron recommends that you not read your previous days’ pages for at least several weeks."

I usually do this after my daily meditation. It can be any time of the day, morning works for me. I take blank piece of paper and a pen and I start writing. It can be messy. No need to think about the spelling here. The importance is not so much what you are writingabout, but the energy that gets released through this process. We all walk through our days a lot of withholds in our energetic space, whether from an unresolved argument with a boss week earlier, a rude interaction with a fellow driver on the street, or it could be something from years ago that our conscious mind has forgotten. I continue writing until I feel empty and peaceful. And in the end I burn the paper. This is a very powerful discharge tool and when done daily or even weekly can really make us feel lighter and more connected to ourselves. Think of it like this: it is much easier to live, find things and stay organized in a house that is less cluttered and kept clean. Same with our energetic and mental space.  

this massive cosmic egg
fell from the sky this morning
right on time for easter

king of all fruits, durian evokes blissful laughter and surrender and awakens my dormant baby buddha
the high amount of sugar, vitamin c, potassium and serotonergic amino acid tryptophan 
probably has something to do with it - walker and I found this beauty in the asian market in san rafael




often the softest things in nature are covered and protected by hard, spiky shells
the true awakening takes place when we realize it is safe to be who we are in this world- 
our core exposed fearlessly, our true essence shining through every cell of our being

with no holding back, with no fear of being hurt

the moment when all the pain has been faced and the walls around us have collapsed
is a great gift with no giver, a possibility of experiencing oneness in its most innocent form

who would know this is what you find inside this harsh unfriendly looking creature?
chambers filled with golden, silky custard from heavens!
while digging my fingers into the secret corners 
i can not help but wonder why this wasn't a part of my sunday school curriculum?
as a seven years old i thought the only way to god is to learn the bible by heart
thank god he came and corrected me on this easter sunday!



a total transformation
durian with brazil nut milk, mango, banana, raw cacao powder and maca powder
this was all happening while walker was doing his taxes
here is the result after offering him this miracle:



yes, it turned him into a bunny

i love you all
riikka