*2013: Rapid Evolution in Review*

To begin I must recall December 21, 2012. The sun was rising, breaking and bursting through the clouds. I cried in silent gratitude, as I had an overwhelming feeling that 2012 had been the best year it could have EVER been and beyond, and could not even imagine what 2013 might bring. I was in South Adelaide Australia and had been traveling along the east coast, decided it was time to sit in my first Vipassana, and had been in silence for nine days when the 21st came. It was during this silence, this time of deep viewing and introspection, that I realized that all of the circumstances in my life are direct creations of individual, cumulative and compiled thoughts and/or actions. When I began to train my mind not to react to ANY thought (not good or bad) I became relieved in my body, mind and spirit of so much mental and emotional debris. I had no idea how bright the sunrise on Solstice could be, until I peeled away the filter from my Inner Eye. So now, one year later, as I reflect on the last year, I remember fondly of the moment, I knew that life was not only going to be OK, but become a continuum of miraculous and magical moments...

I stayed in Australia until February 4th. I was blessed to perform with Nahko Bear & Medicine for the People along the East Coast in cities like Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Melbourne and at the amazingly epic Rainbow Serpent Festival. These performances were certainly some of the highlighted moments of my role and self-created career of being a Sacred Hoop Dancer. Being able to dance to the tunes that inspire my life on a daily basis in BIG ways was an answer to prayer and beyond! This is how I know Great Spirit is listening. I ask for something, and then it shows up in packaging to a perfection that I could not have imagined myself. Thank you, sweet Creator! As luck and magic would have it, Nahko's birthday was Feb. 3rd and I was blessed to be able to sit by a campfire with him and listen to him strum songs of his story. It was a special time, one that will be cherished always.
There were so many adventures from the beginning of 2013 until I left in February. Throwing my sleeping bag out on expansive beaches of white sand and mango trees, being on the road with perfect strangers who became great friends, professional performances, festivals, fire-spinning, rain foresting, full moon howling and Aboriginal connections. The essence of this experience set the tone for the most beautiful year to date! I welcomed 2013 with open arms, an open heart and a creative & imaginative mind...

I arrived on the mainland and spent a lovely three days with my good brother David. It was a releif to see my dear friend and have a safe space to land and decompress. Not for long, though! By February 8th I was back on a plane to spend a month in Maui. Ah...sweet Maui! Her blue oceans and red sands, coconuts and avocados, House of The Rising Sun and bamboo forests, and Hana...my Beloved Hana...where the waterfalls run and rain runs the show. I had a short and seriously playful episode with my very dearest friends doing all sorts of things from: random photo shoots, lots of hiking, drum circles, teaching workshops with Tara of Roots Hoops, performances with The Ultra-Violets Black Light Burlesque Troupe, having a muddy fun fest at Source (Maui's Regional -and very wet- Burning Man!), and so much more! I explored more of Maui in that one month than I did during the longer periods of living there. Thank you, Maui. You were the perfect remedy for coming back to America after being overseas. I am forever grateful for your Mana....Mahalo.

After Maui, the Mainland adventures began! I hit the ground running, as always!
So much touring this year! I love my life.
I enjoyed traveling with my Qi Revolution family, being the representative for DevaProject's healing music, pendants, oils and clothing; and, of course, participating in the epic four day workshop that includes Qi Gong, Food Based Healing and Disease Reversal, Super Empowered Breathing Practices, Reflexology and very informative lectures on Sacred Geometry, the Universe, Miracles, etc.
My dear brother Jeff Primack created this event over 7 years ago and I have been traveling with them working and sharing the healing magic since 2010. This year I toured with them to Orlando, Greenville, Houston, Vegas, San Diego, Santa Fe, Portland, Chattanooga, and Philly! I think that covers it :) I have so very much loved this time in my life of being with all of these sweet people, meeting all kinds of new friends and helping people understand how to heal themselves. Truly, it has been such a beloved honor and duty! Thanks to Jami of DevaProject, Jeff Primack and the Qi Rev family. Humble Bow. I hope ya'll rock 2014!

The tour continues with the amazing Hoop Dance Gatherings and Arts & Music Festivals that captured my heart throughout the year.
The fun began at a new and super progressive gathering called FLOWSTORM in Austin, TX.
I gave a few massages here, but really my shining moment was my SpinLightenment class. I am being so for real when I tell you that when I played Aloha Ke Akua for a spin session clouds formed around the sun that were in the shape of a star tetrahedron (MerKaBa) and a FULL CIRCLE rainbow around that! We ALL saw it, and I knew this was my blessings from Creator to teach this material to as many that will receive it! I loved this gathering so very much. Thank you to Thom Thumb for being such a wonderful and cutie pie organizer!!! Looking forward to creating more with you in this future :)

I was so blessed to be the Massage Therapist for the fourth year running at Hoop Camp (Santa Cruz Redwood Forests) and was also lucky to be selected as a teacher & performer for the first time at HC this year! I massaged so many thankful bodies, taught an epic workshop on SpinLightenment, performed for the first time in the showcase to Manifesto 2 by Nahko, emceed the Fashion Show as well as co-hosted the Renegade Show with the infamous Anah Hoopalicous (love you girl)! Hoop Camp was the BEST YET. Thanks to Heather Troy and Nessia Star. I LOVED every role I was able to play this year at Hoop Camp. You all keep making it even more amazing each year...thank you!!!!!
Looking forward to HoopsGiving 2014 in the Redwoods!

I was also blessed and feeling fortunate to be the Massage Therapist at Hoop Convergence and Hoop Path as well! I love these gatherings in the grassy woods of North Carolina. This is my Home Tribe. These are the people I know from my beginning days as a hoop dancer, which was the most transformational and self-realzing time of my life. I was honored to perform for the first time in the HoopCon showcase to Manifesto I by Nahko Bear, massage dozens of fellow hoopers, and revel in morning flute songs by the lake. I am always grateful to Julia Hartsell and Scott Crews for creating the Hoop Convergence gathering to be about so much more than hoops and circus arts. Hoop Convergence is about family, forging new bonds, exposing epic talent and taking time to soak in the slow, sweet, Southern Vibe. True roots!
Hoop Path's Seventh Annual Carrboro Retreat was also sweet as tea and lovely as could be! Reconnecting with Tribe, deepening my own spiritual connection and practice with my hoop, and being a resident healer/massage therapist for my most cherished community is SO SPECIAL! I am so grateful for the HP Community; Jonathan Baxter, Ann Humphreys, Beth Lavinder and SO MANY MORE, but you three are super core. I appreciate all that you did and all the people that came together to keep this tradition going. It made 2013 so complete! I celebrated my FIFTH Hoopiversary in NC this year during the Summer Solstice. What a way to honor my Sacred Hoop :) As of June 22, 2014 I will have been hoop dancing six years! I couldn't be more thankful for my hoop. It has taken me all 'around'...literally!

There was  a new gathering on the calendar this year; Sacred Circularities Sedona. Jaguar Mary X of Sacred Circularities Bali created this event and it was one of the best experiences of 2013 for sure! To be immersed in the Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ, while teaching Qi Gong and Breath Work, meeting new friends and having my own personal revelations was SURREAL! I relished in teaching and taking classes daily for seven days. I played the flute for the full moon by the water pond, giving thanks to Nesa, the moon goddess. I healed the Divine Feminine within me, as well as outside of myself in the hearts of my sisters. We hiked Cathedral Rock, we dined together on delicious food, we danced in devotion/cleansing/passion/freedom, we learned, we loved, we let go, we did it all together!  :) It was a time of deep connections and new territories explored. My heart expanded and I am already looking forward to next year! Thank you JM, you're so loved and appreciated by this ever evolving hoop dance community.

WOW! After all of the Qi Revolutions and Hoop Gatherings, what other righteous experiences could I pack into this already vibrant 2013!??! Four more festivals, that's what!
On the mainland, I attended Bhakti Fest, Prana Fest, Lucidity and Beloved.
Lucidity was in Santa Barbara in April. What a beautiful gathering! Thank you to Tammy FireFly for inviting me to your home before hand, the road trip down, and all of the love once we arrived. I also appreciate Metatron for organizing such a sacred Healing Temple. Lucidity's musical line up was super dope! I was also stoked to be there as a stage performer with my own stage slot. Life is good. As always, I used  a Nahko Bear song. I love spreading this musical medicine far and wide. I even got to catch a show in Santa Barbara just before the festival! Lucky me. It was wonderful to reconnect with my mainland friends, especially my very best friend in the whole Universe, Omni Love. Love you sweet lady! Can't wait to hug you soon :)

I performed at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree National Park in September. It was such a blissful blast in the desert!!! I was blessed and honored to be performing Sacred Hoop Dance on stage with so many well known Kirtan Artists; Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, C.C. White, Dave Stringer, The Kirtanyas, DJ Drez and Deepak & The Breath of Life Tribe. more. This year in 2014 I will be teaching and performing again at Bhakti and Shakti fest! I love this gathering so much. Breathwork, Tantra, Yoga, Hooping Free! Good food, great family, singing, chanting, dancing, loving. A true gift to the western world! Thank you to Sridar and Mukti for all of your hard work, and all of the 1000's of others who make these gatherings possible and so well put together. Looking forward to another year of Bhakti Bliss!

On the Kirtan note, I also really enjoyed a much smaller festival in late September in Ashland, Oregon called PranaFest. What a sweet little intimate gathering at the well springs! More yoga, more kirtan, more music, movement and hoopdance performance! It was a blessing to be in the spotlight again with Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda as well as Deepak & The Breath of Life Tribe. I really love dancing my prayers. It is truly my greatest joy on this earth plane. Dancing and Loving <3 p="">
There was a random trip to Mount Shasta somewhere in all this. So beautiful and inspiring! I love that mountain, in all it's purple majestic royalty! Thanks for a good nights sleep under the starry skies on a cold mountain. There was also time spent in the ever lovely Nevada City and Grass Valley areas. I love retreated here during the fall season. The Fix, The Yuba, the alpacas, the solitude, the rejuvalac healing concoctions, the cleanings, the clearings, the abundance...the stars. I love you, California.

I was also blessed to spend lots of time in Austin, TX and the tiny town of Wimberly, TX. I love these towns and look forward to more time here amongst the springs, live music shows, renaissance festivals, and family time. I love you Texas fam! Stay True.

Every year, no matter where I am in the world, I migrate back to South Carolina to take a trip with my Divine Feminine Blood Tribe (My mother, cousin, aunt and grandmother) to Edisto Island. I have been surrendering my soul to this spot since I was two years old. I am now 29. That's 27 years of devotion to this amazingly undeveloped and pristine marshland and oceanic ecosystem. Wild dolphins, deep healing, family bonding, sun baths, thunder storms, moon rises, sun sets, canasta, low-country cookin', fried green tomatoes, sweet tea, coffee and honey, thousands of sea-shells, inner reflections, journaling, reading three novels, doing nothing, loving everything. This is why I return each year. I am sure you can appreciate what brings you these moments in your own life, and I am so grateful to have this special tradition in my life. It is more important to me than any holiday. Thanks Mom, Whitney, Solid Blue, and Nonnie (and this year little Sawyer!) for the most joyous expression of relaxation one could co-create. MAHALO! Looking forward to our 28th year of celebration this 2014. Love to you all forever and always ~ aloha nui <3 br="" nbsp=""> I was also able to return to Orangeburg, SC where I was the 8th generation born to celebrate thanksgiving this year. I love my mom, dad, Nonnie and cats so much! Going to church and traditional dinner. A Southern Giving of Thanks for sure <3 nbsp="" p="">
During all of this, I made some drastic and very beneficial adjustments in my love life. After what feels like a life-time of searching I am now in a relationship that is the sweetest, deepest, most loving, spacious, sacred and sexually charged experience of my life! Kellen and I became lovers and partners in early April and have been in a respectful, reviving, thriving, creative, compassionate expression of relationship since. I love his beautiful children as if they were my own and it is my hope and prayer that they can come live with us here on the Big Island much sooner than later! I am learning the ropes of motherhood through these little angels, and what a beautiful gift it has been. I just sent off a package for them for the holidays, and hope it puts smiles on their faces and joy in their sweet hearts. I am feeling inspired as a new aspect of my personality and purpose arises in my life. Motherhood! I wonder how this face of the Goddess will continue to represent herself in my life? :) I am excited to continue to explore this in 2014. Thank you, Kellen, for being a devoted and loving father to your babes! I cherish this aspect of your Divine Masculine so very much. Mahalo.

Australia, Maui, Mainland Festivals, Hoop Gatherings, Edisto Family Time, road tripping and so many other experiences that I can't even list it all properly...this was my 2013. And now, where I am as of December 24th, 2013? I am sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Hilo Hawaii. I am loving living on the Big Island! Kellen and I are care-taking the most amazing property in Hakalau. Hakalau is on the Hamakua Historic Coast, and quite the spot for endless waterfalls, dramatic mountain & cliff sides, jungle jungle JUNGLE and rivers flowers fauna flora and fairies galore!
I am so grateful to LIVE HERE, and have unpacked ALL of my bags. I'm stayin' for a while.....
Hilo is ready for Sacred Hoop Dance, and I am simply putting the final preparations in place to continue to live the life of my dreams! Teaching, performing, gardening, sprouting, fermenting, WRITING, becoming a best selling author, being the inspirational personality and light being that I am destined to be, epic lover to my Beloved, joyful friend/mom to all kids, hoop master and magic maker :) There are infinite expressions the White Light can offer. I am tapping into the most potent ones. This land is fertile for my planting. Roots to fruits. That's my motto for 2014! 

I am beyond thankful and fully immersed in all feelings of gratitude for the amazing and wonderful year that 2013 shaped up to be! Thanks to all of you who were with me, thanks to those who followed via social media, and thank you to my parents and my family for being the most supportive tree in my forest. I am grateful to God/dess for all of the beauty and profound perfection that exists effortlessly in your Being. I am humbled by your majesty and divine radiance obvious in all things! My prayer is to continue to see that beauty in all things, all ways, always for all of my days and into the beyond. May all beings be truly happy, truly peaceful and truly free in their minds, hearts bodies and spirits. May all animals live in harmony with humans and may the barriers be broken and bridges be built! Let us reconnect to our magical animal and plant families with ease and grace. As for me, I am going to spend the Christmas and New Year's HolyDays in quiet contemplation and a simple neighborhood gathering. Perhaps I will bust out my fire hoops, and give the silent town of Hakalau a little extra something to celebrate ;) Until our next connection...Aloha nui Loa!

  Mahalo ke Akua <3 br="" nbsp=""> Love ~ Hoops ~ Hugs
-Shellie White Light-
         12-24-13

An Essay on Equal Conscious Partnership

An Essay on Equal Conscious Partnership

July 19, 2013 at 12:20am

I had a very good day today, and it was a day different than many other good days I have encountered. Many of my previous good days have included activities like scampering through tropical paradises and dancing my face off at music festivals surrounded by people experiencing substance induced heart expansion. Today my good day included spinning a four year old around the pool and learning how to properly cut a pepper for dicing in the kitchen with my Beloved. My good day today was highlighted with an amazing farm-to-fork dinner cooked by my sweet man and enjoyed with family. This was topped off with an amazing after dinner spontaneous dance party with the four year old and two year old, dressed to impress, to Micheal Franti's jam 'I Love You'. If it couldn't get any cuter, this dance party ended in a big cuddle puddle group hug and shared kisses all around. I also discovered on this very good day that in the time it takes for Daddy to give his girls a bath, I can clean the kitchen/wash dishes post dinner explosion, rotate the laundry AND sweep the floor. Boom.
Conscious Partnership.
Now, the Beloved and I sit here while I type feeding each other bits of dark chocolate and tangy mango.
That's what I call teamwork.

I realize this is the root. Allowing the two to act as individuals moving as one unit in the same direction. One puts kids in bath, other cleans kitchen, work is done, both can relax and move on to time together and/or creative outlet.

There is a different kind of partnership in the world today. This is the Equal Conscious Partnership.
I am writing this essay in real time.
In this moment I am reading a message from the mother of my Beloved's children.
She says she loves me, honors me, and accepts me. She is grateful for who I am choosing to be.
This is the greatest aspect of Equal Conscious Partnership...being equal conscious partners with the Beloveds previous partners, or new partners, or perhaps even multiple partners. Recognizing that there is no ownership or possession, but only the desire to create a resonate field with all. There is no separation.

If one is taken care of, all are taken care of. If all are taken care of, then each has the strength to continue to take care.

In the past I have witnessed in many relationships, including my own, the tendency to become co-dependent. This means blaming the other person for anything ever. This means losing yourself in the blur of others needs. This means angry outbursts due to lack of communication. This means holding someone else responsible for your own emotions. This means heavy lessons learned in pain. This is the opposite of an Inter-Dependent Equal Conscious Partnership.

In present moment I have witnessed in many relationships, including my own, the tendency to be continually experiencing and moving in the direction of Inter-Dependency. This means having a conversation that is civil with an open heart and an open mind about anything that may be of concern to anyone involved. This means being responsible for your own emotions and thoughts, and dealing with them outside of the others space when emotionally charged. This means creating time in your own day to feel purposeful and on point, as to disassemble any resentment building over lack of personal development time. This means Equality. This means Conscious. This is the new paradigm on which lovers, partners, parents, neighbors, co-workers and friends are operating from. For this, I am incredibly grateful.

Non-violent communication is key. Being able to identify needs through feelings and determine if I can solve it myself or if it needs to be a simple conversation has been a great tool. Listening.
Speaking in a respectful tone. Listening.
Being silent even if there is no reason to be just to listen a little harder. To wait if they have just one more word about it. Listening.
The other key to Equal Conscious Partnership.
Each one has a chance to speak, each one has the responsibility of listening. Two ears...One mouth <3 p="">
Self Love. I love myself so much. I don't need a man and I don't really 'want' one because if I was without I would be alone. I am in acceptance of the beauty and surprise God brings my way, and more often that not, my curiosity leads me into the rabbit role of romantic partnership. I AM a Scorpio after all. A monogamous one, at that. So this means I like to have my relationship on lock. When I am in one I am fully, wholly and kindheartedly loyally IN ONE. So, my task is to walk that fine line of being the independent free dancing wild spirit that I am, while maintaining Equality in my Conscious Partnership. I love myself enough to know when I need to make requests for personal space, allowing room in my schedule for the freedom to travel, while respecting the needs of my Beloved. These conversations are always pleasant and I never feel pushed or obligated to be anything other than what I am. This is important because in the past I felt addicted to love and thought I could change the parts of myself that did not fit the others mold. This leads to the co-dependent dance that oozes the slime of resentment and remorse. Remorse no more! Today was also a good day because not only did I accomplish supporting family life, I also made time to write this essay, hoop dance, work on my tan, swim a few laps and make love <3 heart.="" in="" is="" joy="" my="" only="" p="" present="">
This unlocks the third key I have realized create the key ring of Equal Conscious Partnership. Joy.
FOLLOW THE JOY!
Of course there are moments when the joy can be neutralized through a counter balancing experience, but as long as one never lets any moment rob them of their overall joy, one is able to sustain Love.
Once one can sustain Love, one feels equal. One feels conscious.
Follow the joy.
Never the pain.
Let the pain be an indicator. A joy barometer. Ask yourself, is your heart feeling open to love?
Or is there a smallness present, a tightness with lack of space?
The heart is full of empty chambers and secret compartments.
Allowing fear to nudge up against the doors to those rooms reminds you that they are there...
and invitation to Open. Open. Open.
Fear moves and motivates.                     Run Free!

Equal Conscious Partnership is fun. It is empowering. It is SEXY.
There is always the ability to practice being an Equal Conscious Partner with every interaction you have with anyone in your life. Everyone is the Beloved....especially those closest to you.
Love God inside yourself, Love God inside another.

The perspective is what matters most.
Love yourself and an Equal. Love the 'Other' as an Equal.
Then, you will soon see the Truth.
There is no other, the other is another You <3 p="">In Lakesh. Al akine.
I am another You.

From this perspective, we are in perfect unison as we learn and grow together....
My, what a beautiful garden <3 p="">
Until next time....
Be the Love.

Shellie White Light  ~ 7/18/13

Roots

'At one time in Italy, those born in the villages lived and died there, without ever going far away. After Italy had become a nation, many, for reasons of marriage or work, left their birthplaces; but later in life, these often suffered from a peculiar illness: pallor, depression, weakness, anemia. Many cures were tried, and as a last resort, the doctor would advise the sufferer to go back and take the air of his native place. And nearly always, this advice had the best results; the patience regained their color and health. People used to say that a mans own air was the best cure, even if the climate he went to was far worse than the one he left. But what these sufferers really needed was the peace offered to their subconscious minds by the simple places where they had lived as children'.
- Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

As I pack my bags for the trillionth time to leave the place I was born, I give thanks in every corner of my vast existence. I am so grateful to sit at the desk my father, granfather and great-grandfather have sat, as I type these words. I am so grateful to be able to visit my mother and grandmother in the same town that I was born, they were born, and my great, great-great, and great-great-great grandmothers were all born. These roots run Deep. So deep. Deep as the black of night. Deep as the bright sun light. Deep enough to pull me back every year. I am so grateful for this family that loved and birthed me forth. I am so grateful for the Christian roots and the Cherokee roots and the Irish roots and the German roots and the roots that run as deep as the core of the Earth itself. My roots run strong too the center of this planet to which my body will return, as it was hers to begin with. My roots run up to the sky to high all the way to my father of all fathers, the Central Sun where all are one and our roots are all mingled into one that is single. I am. I am so grateful. I am so grateful for these roots of mine, so divine, may this human experience intertwine the angels songs and all who belong in the heart of God to FEEL it! We are free. And these roots don't bind us they only help find us...in moments when we can't find ourselves. So trace your roots down to the bottom and give so much thanks that you've even got 'em, no matter where you came from or what your story know that these roots are thick with glory! You are light, so never loose sight of the reason you have sprouted here NOW!

www.thehealthyhooper.com

Organic Farming in Oz

My Friends at Fossil Farm Organics

It is a very big task to work on a ten-acre organic farm. This is the first lesson I learned being a work/trade guest for the Galvin Family, owners of Fossil Farm Organics. I have been supportive of organic gardening since I was a child in my grandfathers garden. I helped him till the soil, pull carrots, and pick squash and vine-ripened tomatoes. I have loved the land since I was young, knowing I would go back to it someday.  I am grateful to my Grandaddy for instilling these priceless values into my formidable young mind.

Working on the farm with the Galvin’s was an experience that opened my eyes, showed me what hard work really looks like, and an experiment that I loved VERY much. Our days were filled with weeding, picking, planting, mulching, composting, watering, bed preparation, seed saving, packing produce, taking/packing/delivering orders and so much more. There are too many jobs on a farm to even list! It is a major task to make sure thousands of plants and seeds are well fed, hydrated, shaded, exposed to sun, etc. The soil has to be perfect. The ground has to be ready. The weather has to be of the season. It is a very exact science!

I took on various tasks during my stay. One of my jobs that I really enjoyed doing was chicken feeding and egg collecting. It wasn’t always pleasant dealing with chicky poo, but the reward of offering farmer’s market customers free-range, organic, unfertilized, unpasteurized eggs feels SOOO good! I also developed a sweet relationship with the fifty hens I was feeding daily. I was happy to be the ‘Chicken Lady’ for my short stay.

Some other jobs that I found very meditative and pleasurable were watering, bean harvesting, preparation for market and the Byron Farmer’s Market itself. Watering was nice because I would sing to the plants as I watered them, knowing that the love from my voice would be delivered through the water, and the hydrated plant would feel it and deliver it into the soul of the person who eats it! I enjoyed bean picking because it was like a little scavenger hunt. It was so fun to hunt through all of the spiraling leaves and vines to find a bunch of beautiful string beans! They were so crispy and juicy. I ate a ‘few’ while working my way down the patch ;)

Market preparation consisted of preparing loads and loads of boxes of fresh veggies for the market customers. My favorite part about this was the teamwork. It was awesome to have a few of us on harvesting and a few of us on packaging. It seems so easy when there is a group of people working towards the same goal, smiling and laughing all the while. I really do feel that our energy goes into the vibration of the food, and is transferred into the lives of others. It was important for me to see the power of positivity and the power of negativity and how it affected the plants, animals, and other member of the team. One weak link can really impact the Big Picture of something like this. I learned so many valuable lessons about dynamics, teamwork and how to enjoy your self through days of hard labor.

The Byron Bay Farmers Market was such a joy to be a part of. Everyone was so friendly and happy to see all of the amazing produce grown just for them. The Galvin’s even take special orders and prepare them the night before for people, and they can just stop by the stall and come scoop it right up! The Galvin Family has put so much love into this farm and it shows. The customers can see that and they come back every single week to buy this fresh, organic, yummy and super nutritious produce. I am grateful to Leah, Lisa, Dennis and Marion Galvin for taking me into their lovely home and showing me the ins-and-outs of organic gardening. From roots to fruits I saw the process unfold. I am very appreciative that there are folks out there, like the Galvins, who are willing to put in the countless hours and selfless time spent growing and harvesting healthy food for their local community. It is people like this that are making a HUGE difference in the world. Leah is the sweet soul who brought me in and she learned how to farm in Thailand. She is passing that knowledge on to work/trade guests who come stay and help. Dennis and Marion (Mom & Dad) were former Sydney residents who chose to leave city life behind to support the world of organic farming. Researching ahead and learning as they go along, they have so much to share! I was happy to have them as teachers. Lisa, Leah’s sister, still lives in Sydney but comes periodically to visit and lend a hand. She is so creative and practical and makes very delicious food with the harvest from the garden. I enjoyed getting to know her.  They are an inspiring family unit!

One point I want to make before ending is that the price of organic food is always fair no matter how ‘expensive’ one might consider it. There is an insurmountable amount of work that goes into being a Grade A Certified Organic Farm complete with Free-Range Hens. This is not a task for the weak minded or faint hearted. This effort means getting dirty, sweaty, and hot. It means bending and standing and pulling and pushing and being strong. It means you do work ALL DAY LONG and by the end of it the profit margins are good but not anything extravagant. It is a simple life and I am so grateful that there are families and farmers out there willing to work this hard to put good food on our plates. It may seem cheaper and easier to buy genetically modified foods from the corporate grocery store, but that is feeding a beast that does not have the well-being of the people in mind. Organic Family Owned Farms are the ones to support! Find your local farmers market or source of local produce and do your best to put your money towards these people. Your body, planet and palate will thank you! Here’s to the Galvin’s and good old fashioned farmed food from Fossil Farm Organics.

Reflection on Vipassana: A Ten Day Silent Meditation Seminar

      During the auspicious dates of December 12th through December 23 I participated in a seminar that is focused on teaching the ancient meditation technique of Vipassana. For ten full days, I sat in silent observation of my breath, and the ever-changing sensations occurring in my body. To observe the breath and sensations in the body while remaining non-reactive in thought or action is the simple, yet powerful, practice of Vipassana.  
      
Gautama Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree and had a strong determination to sit there in observation of his breath and the sensations in his body until he reached the ultimate truth: what is the root of all suffering/misery? And that is exactly what he discovered there, under that tree, in perfect stillness without words. He found that the root of suffering comes from three aspects: craving, aversion and ignorance. Craving is the yearning for something that you do not have in present moment; wishing it were a way that it is not. Aversion is the yearning to be rid of something that you DO have with you in the present moment; wishing it were a way that it is not. Ignorance is unawareness. Reacting because you are not aware of what you are doing. A master once said in his final hour ‘Forgive them, for they know not what they do’. 
       
This is a powerful state of mind that only a master can achieve. We all have the ability within us to tame the mind and achieve samhadi: mastery of mind. Aversion. Craving. Ignorance. These are the root causes of suffering according to Gautama who sat beneath the tree in his laboratory of self observation and observation of others. Repeatedly he found the same causes and effects. Whether we are wishing for something that isn't there or trying to push away something that is obviously there, we are unaware, therefore, we are ignorant. Gautama connected that these cravings and aversions come up on the body as sensations. It is our mind that creates the craving or the aversion (attachment-story-drama). "I don't like this" = aversion. "I wish it were this way instead of the way it is"- craving. Both of these 'sankaras' (Pali for "generators of misery") are equally addictive and harmful to our true happiness, peace and harmony. So then… How to eradicate suffering? 

 The man who was once called Siddhartha sat beneath the tree until he sorted that out. In this process, he became a Buddha. I specifically say "a Buddha" because Gautama made the following statement himself. He said, "I am one of countless before me and countless after". We all have a sleeping Buddha within. We all have the seed present to be The Master. 2500 years later, these words still resonate. Vipassana is the Art of Living the internal Buddha nature that exists within us all, at the deepest roots and core of our beings. Vipassana dissects your mind all the way down. Down further. Further than that. Even further. Keep going! It may take lifetimes. This ride is actually so fun/addictive/repetitive/ingrained that it is all you know how to do! 

Vipassana is sitting there and doing nothing more than listening to your breath and feeling the sensations in your body and having NO reactive thought to whatever you are experiencing. Your mind will wander. It will wander so far into the past and future that you will forget who and where you are. Good. Then come back. "Oh yeah, I'm breathing." Then you start scanning your body to feel whatever is there to feel. No creation of sensation. Let go of trying to develop any energy or light. It is already there. Feel it. Sharpen your mind enough to feel the air going in and out of your nostrils. That is step one... 

Like I said, Vipassana goes deep. I wondered “How the heck you can go this deep without actually ‘doing’ anything?” Then I realized that my mind was doing it all for me all the time. 
 For me and against me. 
For me, against me, with me. 
All of it all the time. 
This continual ‘doing’ is actually our undoing. The more we ‘crave’, the deeper our suffering goes. The more we ‘avert’ the deeper our suffering takes roots. I was sitting perfectly still able to focus on my breath and STILL my subconscious mind was running. Running fast, hard and at full steam ahead. 

It is now January of 2013. My ten-day silent course ended weeks ago and it has taken me until now, and I am not fully there yet, to integrate all of my emotions and time/space reference points. Actually, in all honesty it wasn't until I consulted with my two hoops and some brand new music on my lil' green iPod that I felt the relief that everyone deserves to feel after sitting on a wooden meditation stool for ten solid days, barley moving and doing all possible to wrangle the monkey mind. SO MUCH INSPIRATION came to me through my hoop that I started audio recording own voice. The most amazing flow poured through me, and half the time my body was not even in my hoop, and I was mostly dancing freely. That was the most liberating aspect of the experience; music flowing through me, prana pulsing through my veins, and the inspiration of how to take my whole life/the entire world to the next level of existence. I finally 'felt' The Shift. 

On the morning of December 21st 2012 I was in the throws of Vipasanna immersion. Day Nine of Ten. Big things happening inside that day for me. I woke up with the morning gong at 4:00am, took a quick hot shower and went straight to meditate. The same creature printed shawl draped across my body as the last nine days. I mounted my same wooden stool and sat perfectly straight with my spine in perfect position. Over the duration of the course I became VERY aware of my pain. Yet, remained objective. Goenka, the main teacher whom taught the course via audio recordings, said the following equation would lead to total mental purity. EQUANIMITY + AWARENESS = PURITY. These are the two keys to actually practicing Vipassana. The intellectual acknowledgement of equanimity paired with awareness is the only way to actually be practicing this very specific and simple technique. Example: I felt these 'dense sensations' in my shoulder and back. I thought to myself, wow, I'm stoked about getting a massage. I actually planned it out in my head. I'll book a massage with so and so at this time. Now, not that there is anything wrong with this thought process, however, it is completely a perfect example of aversion (not wanting the pain there) and craving (desiring a feel good outcome). So, me having these thoughts took me out of my actual practice of BEING AWARE OF THE SENSATIONS WITHOUT HAVING ANY REACTIVE THOUGHT OR ACTION. To continue my example.. Once I realized that day-dreaming about a massage was not going to make me feel any better in the moment, I came back to my breath and replaced that thought with this new thought. "I feel the dense, solid, apparent sensations in these areas of my body. This too shall pass." I continued to focus on my breath and scan all of the other areas of my body, feeling the OTHER sensations that were all over my body everywhere and not give all of my energy to the more obvious sensations of 'pain' in my back, neck and shoulders). There were moments when the pain dissolved and I did in fact has blissful sensations running all throughout. That also passed, and the pains came back. New pain, but in the same places. This is the technique that Gautama Buddha states will eradicate all suffering from the very root of the depth of your mind. Working the surface won't help in the long run. You gotta grab the weed by the roots, not just whack it with a machine, if you really want it out of your garden. 

The theory states that as you give no reaction to the sensation, which represents a craving or aversion, you develop a Jedi keen sense of equanimity and awareness. Following the law of nature, this non-attachment also eradicates all sufferings of PREVIOUS attachments, ultimately ridding the roots of the weeds that are causing the garden of your mind to be overrun. If you react to the sensations, then you generate more misery. If you do not react to the sensation, you do not create NEW misery for your self, therefore by the law of nature the beast of your mind will devour a former nugget of misery, ridding you of one. Now, that is pretty impressive. I understand the science.

 Here was the example Goenka gave that enabled me to understand what he was saying... If you are fasting, you lose weight because you are not giving your body new food. It does not need food everyday because you have eaten enough in previous days to actually keep your body alive for over 40 days without food. Perhaps even longer. There is much to feed off of even if you don't feed it every day. So, to apply this to your own mental misery...if you don't react to every little sensation/drama/word/comment/rejection then you won't create misery in the moment and you 'loose' some mental baggage as well...making you a lighter, centered, balanced human being. When you choose to remain in mental equanimity (not having an averted or yearning thought), you free yourself from the prison of your own mind. This is the basic concept of Vipassana. 

On the morning of December 21st I took some time to watch the amazing sunrise. I gave thanks for all beings and sent out massive love and gratitude to all in my life. The pinks, purples and gold hues told me that we would all be just fine, that the world was not ending, and that everything was being balanced into a perfection we can not even fathom. I knew this to be true, because for one within me, I realized that I was whole. I was not craving. I was not in aversion. I was in pure acceptance of all in my life, and truly grateful to be in such a state. I knew that if this was the state that I was in, then it must be true for others in the world. We are a magical creation that can magically create! We are creating each second with our thoughts and words. Let us take some time for silence, and allow our creations to evolve as the Divine would intend. Let us take a break and meditate, relieving us of the need to think and control. We deserve this! It is important in our development as kind & compassionate humans. I invite you to take on a Ten Day Vipassana course if you are in an appropriate mental state and can dedicate the time. There are many centers all over the world, no matter where you are located. Check out www.dhamma.org to find the closest meditation center to you, apply for the best-suited dates, and go for it! You will have your moments of doubt and fear, but this too shall pass. In the end, you will have changed your self on a level that will reveal itself as the tests and trials come your way. I have found myself very calm and non-reactive in situations where I normally might ENJOY chewing someone out! It is impressive what happens when you put in the work to tame and discipline the mind. Let your mind be a sharp tool that is fully present for you, not a dull gullible monkey that swings erratically from branch to branch looking for the next banana. Don’t wait….meditate! ☺ And most importantly, accept things the way they are and find the gratitude present in every moment. ‘May all beings find true happiness, true peace and true harmony.’ With Love… Shellie White Light www.thehealthyhooper.com

The Healthy Hooper Goes Global

Aloha! I am so excited and nervous as I pack and prep for my first big journey across the world...Australia! I'm goin' Down Unda', Mates! What a wild ride it has been simply allowing myself to accept that I will be in another country, on another continent for three months (or more)! I feel incredibly blessed. I have been 'practicing' backpacking for the last three years, so that I could be ready for this exact moment. I have been learning how to eat healthy on the road, stay rested, hydrate, honed my people skills, learned how to talk to ANYONE about a hoola hoop, given away or stored almost all of my belongings, and here I am today. Nothin' but a backpack, hoola hoops, fire props, and MANA/PRANA/LIFE FORCE pumping through my veins. I am going to Australia and beginning my Walkabout in Cairns, where I am teaching/performing at a once in a lifetime festival called ECLIPSE 2012, which begins on my birthday and a total solar eclipse occurs four days later on Nov. 14th. I am turning 28. Saturn returning. I am returning, to my roots, to my tribe I have never known, to my self, to my deepest truths. I am here to dance the world awake! I will do just that from whatever stage or setting the Great Spirit provides me. I feel honored to be called to this place during such a dramatic and drastic Shift in Humanity. Thank you for being supportive of my journey and my process, as it has been very out-loud and frankly, never-ending :) I am so happy to be doing THIS work for THIS world NOW! Aloha Ke Akua! Mahalo Nui Loa! God is Love, All of my Gratitude. -Shellie White Light wwww.thehealthyhooper.com

Chocolate & Chia As Fuel For Hot Yogi(ni)'s

Last February I participated in a 200 hour Hot Yoga Teacher training with Maui Hot Yoga. My teachers, Mary Grace and James Onnikan, are so wonderful. They lovingly kicked my ass on many levels and I became a much more refined version of myself. Omni Love (my best friend and soul seastear) stopped by the other day to get our certificates from the training and visited with our teachers for a while. The August teacher training was only days away and they offered us an opportunity to fill the fridge in the studio with healthy treats such as raw chocolates and chia seed protein bowls. We were delighted! Immediately we gathered ingredients to create two amazing raw food, yummy delights for the upcoming hot yoga students. Here is what we created: Pure InJoyMint Chocolates *2 cups raw organic coconut oil *2 cups raw organic cacao *7 drops doTerra peppermint oil (or to taste) *half cup raw organic coconut sugar *1 tablespoon organic vanilla *teaspoon of sea salt (or to taste) *2 tablespoons Lucuma; a Peruvian super-food sweetener and beta-carotene source! Liquify coco oil through double boiling. Stir in slowly the cacao, sugar, lucuma, vanilla, sea salt and oil. Re-flavor to your taste. Pour into molds. Pop into fridge for half hour. Put the chocolate into your mouth and experience pure inJoyMint :) Makes large serving of chocolates! Total Chia Yum Sauce *1 Cup soaked Chia Seeds *1 Can Thai Organic Coconut Milk *Frozen Organic Raspberries *1/2 cup Hemp Seeds *Fresh Strawberries *Fresh Blueberries *Fresh Mango ***Special NOTE: Soak chia seeds overnight. Stir chia seeds into water until you reach a slightly thick gelatinous consistency. 1.Create Coconut/Hemp Milk: Blend hemp seeds into the coconut milk. 2. Blend frozen raspberries into soaked chia. 3. Pour chia raspberry blend into bowl. Top with the coconut hemp milk. 4. Cut up berries and mango and put on top of the chia/raspberry/coconut/hemp yumminess! Makes 2-4 servings, depending on how much you can eat :) ***Special NOTE: The Chia ingredients can all be blended together with a little water, ice and vegan protein powder for an awesome SMOOTHIE :)!!! The yogi(nis) all loved our creations. We were so happy to share! Thank you all, Mahalo, for following this blog and creating a wealth of health in your world. You a bright light and deserve to shine super bright! Keep your body temple healthy with delicious super foods that keep your body running on light and love. www.thehealthyhooper.com

Mana from Hana

I will keep this short and sweet even though it wasn't. It wasn't sweet. It was earthy. It wasn't short, it was timeless. I have been in Hana for a solid five months, eating 98% from the land under my feet. I ate salad, herbs and roots from seeds I planted. Wolf did most of the work, but I helped plant the seeds. I watered the garden. I danced in its dirt. If it didn't come from my garden, it came from the community farm down the street. I pulled it or plucked it. I weeded. I raked and mulched. It fed me and I virtually had no grocery bill for this food. My grocer was my local farmer...oh, wait... I was that local farmer :) If it didn't come from me or the community farm down the road, Mehele, then it came from ANOTHER farmer on our road, perhaps my friend Nathan's dad who grows exceptional produce and has a sweet little farm stand. If it didn't come from me, Mehele, Nate's Dad, then it may have come from Randy and Susie who have a sweet potato farm down our road and to the right. If it didn't come from our garden, the community garden, Nate's Dad's garden, or Randy & Susie's garden, then I bought it from Mana Foods in Paia town, 50 miles from where I live in Hana, and it was GROWN SOMEWHERE ON THE ISLAND. So, now I hope you see what I mean by I ate from the land under my feet. Not avocados imported from California. I ate avocados that I picked up from the ground, gave thanks to for falling at my feet, and made super yummy guacamole from said avos! I ate the mana, it became my prana, my life force, my fuel, my Breath. I vow to take this sustainable/local/organic attitude with me for the REST of my LIFE in all ways shapes and forms. I have gotten used to NEVER using a grocery bag from the store, I always bring my own. They charge you 10 cents to use a bag here. It's a small island, not that much room for trash. Do you know where your trash goes? If you keep following it's trail it goes into the ocean, or to China to become the next plastic product you buy. Again, I VOW to take this sustainable/Local/ORGANIC attitude, lifestyle and WAY to GOD everywhere that I go. It is not only what I preach, but what I have just learned to TRULY practice. This is not an easy life, it is one of integrity and ethics, morals and values. I will not eat animals that have suffered. I will not eat seeds that are genetically modified. I only take the purest love and light into my body! I eat the purest forms of sun kissed food that I can find, which isn't hard to find, if it is always right under my feet <3 MAHALO HANA, MAUI HAWAII for showing me what it means to be a responsible human when it comes to the food, the land and the lasting effect it has on all of our relations. Aho! To 'da sacred aina! Mahalo ke akua! (Blessings, to the land, Thank you Great Creator!) To all who are reading, I pray you are inspired to eat as locally, sustainably and organically as possible. You have the power to bring peace to this world by what you choose to put in your mouth, and especially by the wods chosen to come out of your mouth. In the tongue lies the power of life and death, this is true in even the taste buds. Be life affirming with your food! It is more than just your fuel, it is the nectar of the Earth, made for you. Treat it with respect, love, and kindness. We love you Earth Mother! <3

Four Years and Two Hands

It is the Summer Solstice! A new season is upon us. It is a time for burning, cleansing, weeding, and creating a bountiful harvest. Four years ago on the day marking Summer Solstice 2008 (it was 6/22) I witnessed the artistic expression of Hoop Dancing for the first time. So, every Summer Solstice marks my Hoopiversary, you could say. I am celebrating FOUR YEARS inside the hoop! Wow :) When I had only been hoop dancing one year, I remember watching two women hoop who were so fluid, graceful, and confidant in their flow that I had to ask how long they had been practicing the art. Four Years, they both said. I was amazed, and remembered thinking, I will be amazing when I am at the four year mark as well. To be constructively critical of myself, I must say I have come a LONG way since the hoop found me and subsequently saved me from a directionless, monetarily driven path. The hoop, oh sweet circle, how I love and appreciate thee! It has been you that has guided me through the joys and trials of the last four years, and to you alone I bow. The circle brings me to my center, purpose, and most passionate point in existence. I am fully devoted and feel nothing but joy when sharing this amazing movement based form of artistic athletics. Many people stop me in the middle of my dance to ask me, 'What are you doing? You are amazing. I had to ask." I tell them I am playing, praying, working out, dancing, creatively expressing and being of service all at once, and then encourage them to try. At first, people seem shy, but once you simply demand they just give one hoola hoop one little push around, they submit. Everyone wants to do it, for one reason or another. For me, it's God. God is The Circle. I come from a line of southern baptist ministers, so sharing God is natural for me. I share the hoop, and it shares abundant joy, smiles and laughter! God is Good. All day today I had my hands in the community garden, Mahele Farms. I weeded and harvested an amazing kale bed, snacked on fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes and spring onions. We planted some black eyed peas as a ground cover in a sugar cane bed. For three hours of work, they allowed us to take a share of vegetables, and fresh harvest. We came home with a bountiful feast of chard, kale, Okinawan spinach, beets, carrots, papaya, onion, tomatoes, eggplant, tarot root, and more! We created the most amazing meal I have ever tasted. About two years ago, I created The Healthy Hooper with a promise to myself that I would do whatever it took to become self-reliant, sustainable, organic, local and GMO free. The dirt in my nails while I type this sentence is the proof. I DID IT! I set out on a mission from the east coast of the United States to live on Maui amongst the locals, learning from the land, living in a simple agreement with the land around me. After being almost 100% local and organic on the island of Maui, I feel that I am moving into a place where I can even be totally local in terms of produce, and eat only Hana fresh. There is such an abundance of produce here in Hana! It is fun to forage for avocados, papayas, lilikois, mountain apples, mangoes, noni, ulu, tarot, guavas, star apples, star fruits, COCONUTS, lychees, mushrooms, bananas and so much more!!! There are sweet potatoes in the ditches. This place is bursting with edible life. So, The Healthy Hooper made it to Hawaii and is work-trading for a tent spot, access to a garden and plots, a growing community and a town who is eager to put some hoop to their hula. I am off the grid, sustainable, learning about the time it takes to study permaculture and experimenting with no cell phone or land line (there is no service in the remote location I reside). I usually only leave the land to go to a hoop jam that I host on Saturdays, pizza night for some jam time on Fridays and Saturdays, and I hop over to the Mainland for the occasional Qi Revolution or Hoop Gathering. Hoop Gatherings and the Qi Revolution are a totally separate chapter in the story of my Hoop Dance four year sage. I have been a neuromuscular Massage Therapist for six years and have been making a good living at massage gatherings doing massage. The three gatherings specifically are The Hoop Path Retreat, Hoop Camp and Hoop Convergence. Hoop Path is Jonathan Baxter's company and he is one of my first and most influential teachers. I thank him and Ann very much for being who they are in my hoop universe. Carrboro, North Carolina is home of Hoop Path retreat, as well as Hoop Convergence, which is hosted by Julia and Scott Crews of Hoop Drum. Super beautiful people. I love you all so much!!! And of course, Hoop Camp is the most epically beautiful gathering in the redwood forest of Santa Cruz, California. hosted by Heather Troy. This will be my third year there and being the therapist! I set up my table in the middle of a fairy redwood circle. Gah, it is so wonderful! I love this life. I am sooo blessed to also be teaching this year at Hoop Camp with the amazing Groovin' Megz! I am simply honored to be teaching, massaging, performing, and being one with all that the hoop has to offer me during this forth year of devotion. These four years and these two hands have led me on many adventures, in and out of magical portals, loop holes and crop circles, poppin' across dimensions and leaning on the edge of existence, I have danced. I have danced across the horizon of the New Earth, the New Heaven and a New Truth. I love you all. Happy YOU DAY! <3 WAY TO BE THE SUPER YOU THAT YOU'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF!!!!! Aloha Nui Loa~ www.thehealthyhooper.com

The Journey to 100 Push Ups: Days 1-6

Today I did 66 push ups (over a series of 3 sets) on my knees. This is Day 6 of practicing with dedication, and Day 1 of documenting and deciding to actually do this. I will not stop documenting until I get to 100. Then, it will more like a celebration than a documentation. It's 2012 and I want a Healthy Challenge that I can master, but takes serious work (and of course, some play!) I want to inspire women around the world that we ARE strong in our feminine radiance! Soft AND strong. Strong hearts, strong bodies, strong connections and strong LOVE. As for straight legged push ups, I can bust out ten solid straight legged push ups, take a short break, and then do 5 more, take a short break, and then do 5 more. So, I can do 20 straight legged push ups (not bad for a girl;) in sets. My short term goal is 20 straight legged push ups without stopping by June 20th. My long term goal is 100 push ups on my knees by September 20th without stopping, and 100 straight legged push ups before the 'end of the Mayan Calender' December 21 2012. I am entering my first fitness competition this December in Hawaii, and I am training with Yoga, Qi Gong, Hoop, Dance and mostly raw foods. I am sure I will need some weight lifting closer to the time I am due to compete. This is my biggest leap yet for my own personal health and creating a platform for inspiration world wide. The journey of a 100 push ups begins with the first step... Stay tuned and thank you for actually reading this and being inspired by it. It is for me, but equally for you, too. I love you all. Aloha Nui Loa! www.thehealthyhooper.com

The Resurrection of Raw Chocolate

Something did die for me this Easter... the eating of 'Traditional Easter Candy'. RIP Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs! Adios, Tweets! I just can't do it! First of all, it tastes gross. These types of candy are simply combination of poisonous chemicals disguised as preservatives, cancer causing artificial sweeteners, and other crazy ingredients. I actually like being blunt, so here it goes. Most of the candy that kids/adults eat on Easter is full of refined (stripped) white sugar, flours, varied colors with numbers, unpronounceable ingredients and a guaranteed sugar high followed by crash, stomach ache, grumpy mood and, eventually cavities and dis-eases like diabetes and obesity. I read an article today on CNN saying that most of the 'corporate' chocolate that is not organic or fair trade, is most likely coming from West Africa and being produced in factories run by child labor slaves. Hmmmm...so, who was having the Happy Easter in all of this? Oh yeah, an overprivalaged and perhaps ungrateful child in America at the expense of a hard-working/underpaid servant child in Africa. It does not add up and it isn't fair to turn a blind eye. Get over your 'convenience' issues and see the bigger picture!!! Let us be a part of the SOLUTION, not the problem :) To be a part of this 'solution', you could buy organic, raw, fair trade chocolate from the store. This is one solution. No more Cadbury Eggs or Whoppers. Now, we are searching, instead for names like 'Endangered Species' or 'Dagoba'. This is an enjoyable alternative to Butterfinger's, Snicker's, and Twix. These Organic Chocolates come already made, wrapped and ready to eat in exchange for dollars. Super Easy! :) I, however, really do not like store purchased chocolate bars ever since I have been making my own raw chocolates! My Beloved has shown me many secrets to chocolate making. He is an expert and can make it anywhere at anytime and he does it quite quickly, actually. I take my time when I make chocolate because I am a woman, like to fluidly experiment, and like to taste test quite frequently...just to make sure it's perfect :) I am grateful for my lover and his fast chocolate making! He is so sweet. Just the other day he knew I was about to begin my 'Womens Moon Cycle', so he handmade me chocolates and some yummy homemade ice-cream! We watched a funny movie and it was pure bliss! I am feeling very blessed! I want to share our recipe with you, so that you can make your hunny, your kids, or YOURSELF some delicious-organic-fair-trade-raw-chocolate! It is really special to make chocolate WITH the ones you love. It can be very romantic when shared with your love, some sulfate-free organic red wine, and a little sensuality ;) Or, it can be the most fun you and the kids have had all week! Get your kids in the kitchen to help stir, taste, and lick the bowls clean. We all deserve it in many different ways. From our taste buds to our children in Africa, this is the most healthy AND ecologically responsible way to go when it comes to consuming chocolate. I love you all and I hope you participate in this ceremony with joy, love and gratitude in your hearts! Remember, The Secret ingredient to ANY treat, dish or delight is LOVE and PRAYER! Bless your food just as you have been blessed with the option to create and eat it :) We are one in The Circle. Aho! THE HEALTHY HOOPER'S RAW SUPER-FOOD CHOCOLATES Ingredients: Raw Cacao Powder (1c.) - raw cacao powder contains nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea. Coconut Oil (4-6 oz) – great for healthy skin and elevated mood Maca Root Powder (1 heaping Tbsp.) - Maca contains two of the three essential fatty acids. It is also packed with fiber, having four times more fiber than the average potato. The root also contains 18 amino acids. Mesquite (1 heaping Tbsp.) – balances/regulates blood sugar Goji Berries (small handful) – Himalayan superfood, high in antioxidants Raw Shredded Coconut (1/2 cup) – delicious! Raw Crushed Cashews (1/4 – 1/2 cup) – boosts energy and good for heart, muscles and bones Cinnamon (sprinkle to taste) - warms the qi and stimulates the blood Vanilla extract optional (1tsp. or to taste) – yummy! Superfood green powder (1 heaping Tbsp.) – all daily trace minerals for healthy mind and body are in here Raw Chocolate Coconut Butter (5-6 Tbsp) – we used Cacao Bliss, a premade butter you can find at your local health food store Sea salt (1/2 teaspoon) Bee Pollen (1 heaping Tbsp.) - Immune booster and happy mood maker! Raw (never roasted) Hemp/Sunflower/Sesame Seeds - Simply sprinkle to your liking! All seeds have nutritional benefits :) Optional- Agave or honey, sweeten to your liking HOW TO PREPARE SUPER-FOOD RAW CHOCOLATES Bring water to a roiling boil and allow coconut oil to melt in into saucepan while stirring. Put ingredients in one by one and continue to stir with your whisk. Your partner can help you put the ingredients in as you stir. If the chocolate is not quite thick enough add more cacao or maca root powder. If it is too thick, melt extra oil or butter on the side and add in gradually. Lick chocolate sauce with finger or spoon until your desired flavor is reached. Place chocolate sauce into ice cube or tart trays. There are so many amazing chocolate molds to create with! Place chocolate on flat surface in freezer and wait an hour until hardened. THEN....ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY and SHARE SHARE SHARE SHARE!!!! www.thehealthyhooper.com

Homesteading in Hana

Shellie White comin' atcha with the Shanti Sustainability Flow download from Hana, Hawaii! I am seriously living and loving my life in a way that most people would deem 'primitive' or 'simple'. I prefer 'off the grid'. I have been in Hana for three weeks now with no car and no cell phone (BY CHOICE) and little money. Yet... TONS of seeds to plant, cane grass to cut back, chickens to coupe, worms to collect to feed the future garden, an epic composting toilet outhouse to paint, and a solar shower to shanti up! I have been work-trading to live out here for 'free'. Six to twelve hours a week in exchange for rent. I love it! With no cell phone and no car, I got plenty of time to work, though it took a little getting used to. Being out here with such a small community has its pros and cons. Pro, everyone knows you. Con, everyone knows you! Haha! Just kidding. I am very honored to get to know the local farm crews, Hawaiian elders and families, and the few others that live here in the Heart of Hawaii. I am very much enjoying looking for the eggs the hens leave behind, taking my morning to have tea and talk with my Beloved, using a toilet that creates soil from human waste, and finding ways to occupy my time that are of The Light, and The Earth, for the community and not simply for my own enjoyment (although that is certainly allowed). When you're in the middle of the jungle with nothing but time to think, you start re-thinking how much you are actually 'thinking'. Think less, create more, is my motto for the Now! When I'm not transplanting seeds or raking, I am wire-wrapping, making magic wands, creating third-eye leather head pieces and writing blogs such as this one :) Life in the jungle is simple, yet complex. Many lost much of what they owned during the largest storm to ever hit Maui, which was just days after we arrived. There was so much hail and so much rain that it actually carved a new river bed! You could see that this 'new river bed' was actually the path the lava must have taken when the Haleakala Crater erupted. Also, since we have been out here we have been doing out best to support the friends of a local WOOF'er (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) named Zack who lost the life of his body after slipping from a cliff at Sweetheart Rock. I am noticing how intense situations like these can become on a small community, so I am honored to be here to support this community during this time. Life is so sweet and apparently can be very short. So, please, take the time to DO what you WANT TO DO during this life! I am thoroughly enjoying my time giving back to Gaia, though it is only a fraction, of what Gaia has given to me. She has granted us life. It is Life that I shall return back to her in the form of Organic Seeds, nutrient rich soil, and lots and lots of gratitude and love. I hope this little blurb inspires you to do something for yourself or another that brings you much joy and peace. Aloha nui loa! Shellie White

Ch-Ch-Ch Chia!

Do you know about Chia Seeds? No, it's not just a sprouting pet. There is much more to Chia Seeds than cats and rabbits made of green grasses. I'm gonna tell you all about them, why you want to eat them, and how to make them taste yummy and delicious! First off, this little seed from the plant salvia hispanica (a member of the mint family) and was grown by the Aztec Indians. It was one of the major crops, as they used it as food, medicine, in ceremony and fed it to the animals. Interesting stuff!

The main point? I love making Chia pudding with coconut milk, fresh fruits, raw honey, and vanilla !!! I want you to love it as much as I do :)

Chia is a SUPERFOOD. Period. You can add it into your baking, smoothies, cereals, oatmeal, raw puddings, and all sorts of other things to receive the million benefits. It's a great source of protein and every amino acid there is, so there is no excuse to avoid this food. No one is allergic to it and because it is so neutral, you can create a healthy tasty dish at any time. Keep reading for info and recipes.

Benefits of Chia:

* Chia is an evidence-based registered variety of Salvia hispanica L. and is nutritionally superior to flax and soy. Chia is the richest non-marine whole food source of Omega-3 and dietary fiber currently known to man.
* Promotes Cardiovascular Health: According to the American Heart Association, Omega-3 fatty acids (see below for more in Omega-3) can normalize blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, while helping promote healthy heart and blood vessels.
* Assists Joint Function & Mobility: With six times more calcium than milk, and with greater amounts of high-quality protein than the one found in soy, Chia also helps strengthen muscles and bones.
* Improves Digestion & Natural Detoxification : Chia can absorb a whopping 12+ times its weight in water – flax seed only absorbs 6-8 times its weight. Chia´s insoluble fiber reduces digestive transit time and removes toxins as it passes through the digestive tract.
* Supports Healthy Weight Loss: Chia´s high fiber content and its ability to reduce blood sugar levels after meals inhibits the appetite, thus making it the perfect food for healthy, effective weight loss. Thanks to its neutral flavor and color, Chia integrates seamlessly into any healthy recipe.

Random Chia Fact:

Because it is a seed with special powers, it can be stored at room temperature for up to five years.

To sum it up...

* Chia is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, boron, niacin.
* Contains all essential amino acids.
* Vitamins B, D & E.
* 20% protein by weight
* More digestible protein than beans, soy or peas.
* 8.7 times the omega-3 in wild Atlantic salmon.
* 5.4 times the calcium in 2% milk.
* 2.7 times more iron than raw spinach.
* More antioxidants than blueberries.
* Mucin - reduces inflammation in digestive tract.

Ok, so you get the medicinal benefits of chia! Great. You know it's good for you. But, how do you eat it? How do you incorporate Chia into your life? Here is how. You just do it :) And these are my suggestions.

Go to the health food store on online and find organic chia seeds. They are very small and black or gray. Ask someone to help you find them if they are hiding.


Chia Pudding:

Chia pudding can be used to make the following recipe or anything you wish to make up! This gel is also good for vegan baking. Keep reading for more on vegan baking with Chia.



To make a gel-like pudding you begin by soaking them.

-Add ı/3 cup of seeds to 1 cup water and 1 cup of coconut milk, 1/2 tablespoon raw honey, & 1Teaspoon Vanilla; stir gently with a wire whisk off and on for 5 minutes to prevent clumping, and store in a sealed container in the fridge.

After it is gelatinous (half hour or so) add in some diced fruits and berries!

I personally like nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, kiwis and MANGO is my favorite.

-Add the chia gelatin to any smoothie!

-Sprinkle dry seeds in salads!

For vegan baking, 1/4 cup of chia gel acts as an egg replacement.

Chia is wonderful for gluten free baking, because it is an excellent binder and thickener. It can be used in many recipes that call for ground flax seed, but it’s a good idea to use ½-2/3 as much because it is a more powerful binder. The amount needed may depend on the recipe, and might take a little trial and error. A small amount of chia can also replace xantham or guar gum. For most recipes, ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground chia can serve as a binder.

Rather than using the standard flax “goop” of ground flax seeds and water, replace it with ½ of the amount of ground chia seeds. The seeds should be added to the liquid ingredients, like water, milk, juice, etc. and allowed to sit until it forms a gel, which takes about 20 minutes. Extra chia gel can be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for a week or more.

Chia seeds can also be used to bind burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, etc. instead of egg and breadcrumbs. To replace an egg, use ¼ cup of water with 1 teaspoon ground chia, or 1.5 teaspoons whole chia seeds.

I hope you are stoked about chia. Once I learned how easy it was to make it and how freakin' delicious it is to eat my amazing concoctions, I just had to share! I hope to be carrying chia seeds on my website soon. Stay posted! Aloha amazing family. Hugs and kisses from California


-Shellie

www.thehealthyhooper.com

PS- There is a bit for info on Omega 3's below, as it is a lengthy subject. Plus, the websites I used to glean information about Chia. Enjoy!



-Extra Info on Omega 3-

Omega-3 Acids (Very Important! Keep reading even though there are big words:)

Chia seed has higher levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) than flax seed. ALA is an essential acid because it is not produced by the body. In fact, chia seeds have the highest known whole-food source levels of Omega-3 acids, as measured by percent of weight. These oils, unsaturated fatty acids, are the essential oils your body needs to help emulsify and absorb the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, & K. When there are rich amounts of linoleic acid sufficiently supplied to the body through diet, linoleic and arachidonic acids can be synthesized from linoleic acid.



Unsaturated fatty acids are essential for normal glandular activity, especially of the adrenal glands and the thyroid glad. They nourish the skin cells and are essential for healthy mucus membranes and nerves. The unsaturated fatty acids function in the body by cooperating with vitamin D in making calcium available to the tissues, assisting in the assimilation of phosphorus, and stimulating the conversion of carotene into vitamin A. Fatty acids are related to normal functioning of the reproductive system. Chia seeds contain beneficial long-chain triglycerides (LCT) in the right proportion to reduce cholesterol on arterial walls.



Thank you to the following websites for having such amazing and pinpointed info about chia:

http://www.purehealingfoods.com/chiaInfo.php

http://getchia.com/about-chia

http://www.harriswholehealth.com/links-and-files/baking-with-chia

The Story of Two Stones and Some Watermelon

I passed my first kidney stone when I was 22. At the time, I was working at a medical spa offering massage and mineral make-up consults. I drank tons of coffee, sat at a desk most of my work day, and was using the excuse of ‘I’m hungry’, ‘I deserve it’, or ‘I’m bored’, to nibble on the donuts, treats and Birthday blobs of gooey goodness provided by the nurses daily in the break room. I was also processing through some old emotional issues, as I was in spiritual counseling. I was dealing with old mommy and daddy stuff that I hadn’t quite ‘resolved’. I looked up kidney stones in Louise Hay’s book ‘You Can Heal Your Life’, and she says these pieces of calcium and uric acid in the form of a little stone are ‘bits of un-dissolved and unprocessed anger’. Hmmm…. Interesting information. This was, in fact, true for me at the time.
The painful experience of feeling a kidney stone building in your kidney, the infection of the kidney and urinary tract that comes with the stone, and the actual passing of the stone is one that no one would ever want to repeat. I wouldn’t wish this kind of pain on anyone, not even my worst enemy. This is how my story goes…
I was with my friend Karen, playing with her little boy, and all of a sudden my lower back started to ache. I had just treated and recovered from what I thought was a Urinary Tract Infection, and thought ‘Oh darn, my UTI is back’. But then, it burned SUPER bad to pee, worse than any sensation I felt while urinating with the UTI. It stung so bad it brought tears to my eyes. I went and sat down in a comfy chair, trying to get my back in some sort of comfortable position. No avail. It was futile. The level of pain was growing, rapidly, and I could feel it moving into my side. It felt like something with ripping me open. As the pain kept building and building I finally got to the point where I thought, ‘This is NOT a UTI. Maybe my appendix is rupturing.” I was in so much pain, a pain I had never felt before, that I was completely overtaken by a state of slight panic and fear. I, Miss All Natural, in a sobbing plea begged Karen to take me to the hospital. By this time I was hyperventilating the pain was so terrible. I contorted myself into a little ball in the passenger’s seat of Karen’s car, as we made the long trip to the closest hospital in the country hills of South Carolina. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. It hurt. It just hurt so, so, so, badly. I could feel my entire left side being stabbed and shredded from the inside out. Honestly, there were more than a few moments in which I was wishing for death. I remember Karen’s mom, doing her best to help me keep it light, said, “Honey, whatever your going through, it looks more painful than childbirth, so know that one day you’ll be grateful for this and having a baby will seem easy’. I smiled.
I arrived at the emergency room to be on a four-hour waiting list. I was literally writhing around on the floor in pain. I couldn’t control my breathing or my squirming. I suppose I put on quite a scene because the few people who had been waiting in the ER before me were happy to let me go first, before all of them. Most of them were there because they needed to see a doctor for some reason and they had no insurance. I had insurance. Well, correction; I had been PAYING for medical insurance, as they were taking it out of my monthly paycheck. Apparently, this does not actually guarantee that you are insured…
This is where the story gets really good. So, I’m flopping around in pain and having a very hard time catching my breath because the pain is incredibly excruciating, and they tell me I have to go through all of the insurance paperwork before anyone can see me. Basically, they don’t give a shit about actually treating me, they just want to make sure that they are going to get paid for whatever expensive procedure they will surely put me through. I’m shaking as I am signing papers, having to have my friend read me the words because I am feeling to horrible to make sense of anything. My logical mind was far-gone. After I handed her my insurance card, the receptionist tells me that my insurance does not actually kick in until 12 AM on October 1st. It is 4:50 PM on September 30th. A difference of 7 hours and 10 minutes. I begged the nurse to change the date. “Please’, I said. “Put October 1st as opposed to September 30th. Please, help me.” Her response, “Sorry ma’am”, she says without even looking up. “If I break policy that’s my job. You aren’t worth me loosing my job. We’ll treat you but you’re insurance isn’t valid until tomorrow., You can come back then if you like.” In that moment I was in so much pain and also feeling equally emotionally and financially devastated. As of that day, I had made one payment for my insurance and received my card and everything. Apparently I had to make two full payments for it to be effective. Some HEALTH insurance! (Aetna, for those who are curious. I have no shame.) What bullshit! Pardon my word choice, but seriously…it was pure, unrefined bullshit.
So, after ALL of that, I was able to see a doctor. He hardly looks at me and says, “Describe your pain.” I wanted to stab him. ”EXCRUTIATING!” I moan. ‘Please, just give me some morphine,” I ask. His response “On a scale from 1-10, what number would you rate your pain?” Growing delirious I scream “A TWELVE! PLEASE JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING TO NUMB THE PAIN!” I was going to vomit. I told him, and he handed me a tiny, little tray as big as my hand. I looked at it and said “You better point me to a bathroom or you’re gonna have a serious mess to clean up.” He just left the room. My friend Karen found a bathroom and I made it in time, but a really huge part of me wanted to throw up right on that man’s white, crispy and cliché doctors coat. He did not care about me at all. It was obvious. No one really cared, except Karen and the people who were already waiting in the ER and graciously allowed me to receive ‘treatment’ ahead of them.
They took me to get a CAT scan. I am throwing up all during the CAT scan, still begging the staff for something to kill the pain and nausea. I wanted anything to knock me out. I was literally in hell and at the mercy of these people who were all about the procedure, not the person.
After the CAT scan, they put me in a room that gleamed with metallic surroundings and smelled of Clorox. I threw up again. Throwing up is painful enough. Throwing up while passing a kidney stone is pretty much the worst pain I have ever experienced. These people were cold; cold like surgical instruments and dead bodies. No one touched me in a loving way; no one extended a hand or an ear, no one told me it would be ok, except for my friend Karen. She stayed by my side smiling, holding my hand. I was very, very, very grateful to not be alone.
I lied in the hospital bed with the little plastic band on my wrist, marking me as a patient, as they finally, after almost 3 hours, injected me with morphine and an anti-nausea medication. I am not usually for meds unless it is a situation like this. I am not going to pop an Advil for a headache, but I gratefully allowed an unknown dose of sedatives to seep into my system, alleviating the pain that was facilitating thoughts of death and holding me in state of complete and total fear. I stopped throwing up. The pain slowly but surely subsided. I fell into sleep, exhausted.
After about 2 hours, Karen woke me saying they had my CAT scan results back and were ready to discharge me. They came in and all they had to say was this “Well ma’am, it looks like you have a kidney stone. It should pass on it’s own. Here is a nephrology (kidney) specialist to contact when you leave here.” Seriously? That’s it? I was pissed. At this point they were stating the obvious. What about treatment? What about educating me on WHAT a kidney stone is and HOW they come about so I can PREVENT another one? I am only 22! This happens to older people, not young adults. They wanted to just schlep me off to the next guy who was going to take my money without facilitating any kind of healing in return. No way. No specialist could help me. I know what causes kidney stones; too much coffee, sugar, and negative thoughts. No doctor was going to be able to tell me anything more than that, if they even KNEW that. I was on my own at that point. All of my faith in allopathic medicine was gone after that experience. Guess how much my bill was?
$13,000. That’s right. $13,000 for a five-hour ER visit, a CAT scan, hospital room and bed, special treatments/injections/meds, and all sorts of other ‘procedures’ that I was totally unaware they were even doing. When I got that bill, I cried. I finally understood how people could go bankrupt from medical misfortune. It’s a very sad, sick (no pun intended) cycle. I was appalled! There was no way I was going to pay that amount of money, ESPECIALLY after the way I felt I was treated. There was no way I COULD pay that amount, anyway. It was just crazy. I called them up to tell them that I was simply not going to pay this outlandish cost, and they quickly rebutted with ‘Oh, well we have a No-Insurance-Discount for folks like yourself.” Oh, goodie. So, now my bill was only $6,050. Still, a stupid, insane, completely irrational amount to pay, but I made a series of payments, and paid it off within 14 months. I am actually kind of proud of myself for doing that, but wish I hadn’t needed to. That is the end of Stone Number One.
Onto Stone Two! I promise this portion of the tale is not anything like the previous. This is the inspiring part ☺
A few months ago I was having some back pain that seemed out of the ordinary. Sometimes my back would hurt from twisting and turning at too much of an extreme angle from hoop dancing or acrobatics. This was different. It felt familiar, however.
I was at my parent’s house in GA with my Beloved Sebastian and one day I was feeling very blue and tired. I went to sleep around 6:30 pm. I woke up around 11 pm in serious low back pain. It didn’t feel like it was my bones or muscles. I knew I had another stone. I was a little freaked, but now I had tools. I knew, from all of the Qi Revolution seminars that I have attended and worked, that kidney stones could be dissolved by consuming as much watermelon as possible in the form of a smoothie. I sat awake that night realizing that I had a stone in my kidney and it was going to come out one way or another. In all of my pain, Sebastian awoke, and sat up with me through most of the evening, chanting and praying over me, helping me breathe my way back to a relaxed and relatively pain-free state. He massaged me and held me. Again, so grateful to be in the company of someone who was who loved me.
The next day I went to the health food store and bought all of the organic watermelon they had and a bunch of immune and kidney support. I loaded up. I spent well over $100 that day, but that is nothing compared to a $13,000 ER bill. I vowed to watermelon/raw food fast until I felt the stone was gone. I made smoothies multiple times a day for Sebastian, my father and me. At the time, my Dad was in recovery from a stage four congestive heart failure diagnosis. I wanted to dissolve my kidney stone, of course, while at the same time showing my father the healing power of living foods. I began to see that this little stone in my vital organ was a true blessing.
I began to feel better. I was drinking TONS of water, totally gave up caffeine., and had an easy time sticking to the watermelon/raw food fast. It was time to leave my parents house and head to Chattanooga, TN for a Qi Revolution. Yay! I was excited to be around the healing energy of the Qi. I even coerced my father into coming!!! I was really excited about this particular Qi Revolution. I also had set up a couple of hoop dance workshops that promised good attendance. I was grateful to be feeling healthier and happier.
I arrived on the opening day of the Qi Revolution and was setting up my post behind the Music Table. My friend and colleague, Sheila, shows up and hands me a watermelon smoothie. How interesting! I said, “You know, I’ve been drinking these for weeks straight to build up my kidneys and dissolve a possible stone.” She said, “Wow, well I intuitively made you this smoothie this morning thinking that you could use it for some reason.” I was blown away and SUPER grateful for her spot-on intuition. I drank the smoothie and each morning she continued to bring one in for me to drink. By day three, right after we had a really wonderful and intense breath circle, something shifted. I got up from the breath circle and had to pee SO badly! I had never felt a pressure like that inside of my bladder. It was really intense. I ran to the bathroom and sat down and the most forceful stream of urine started blasting out of me. All of sudden, I felt something hot and sharp shoot out of my urethra at light speed! I heard it go ‘ping ping ping!’ against the porcelain of the toilet. I looked down and there it was; a kidney stone the size of my pinky nail. It took a moment for me to realize what was happening. I had just passed a kidney stone with out ANY pain! A pain free kidney stone?! I almost didn’t see how it was possible considering the only other experience I had ever had with a stone of the sort. I was amazed. I was so grateful for all of the watermelon, Qi Gong, Breath Healing and love from my family and friends. I now, from experience, knew the power of healing food. In my case, watermelon smoothies and raw foods prevented me from having a devastating experience. Now, I can recall the second (and last!) kidney stone experience of my life as enlightening, as opposed to frightening. When I tell this story to people, they are amazed as I was when I saw that little grey lumpy stone sitting in toilet. It really is a miracle. A miracle that I created! This is the real point of this story. You create your reality by learning material that is relevant and applying it to your daily life. I would have repeated painful history if I had ignored or numbed my back pain, continued with dehydrating habits, and disregarded healing food protocols that I have studied in depth. I USED the tools that I sought out. I created a reality for myself that was far more enjoyable and inspirational that a second emergency room saga.
You, too, can create healing miracles in your life. LISTEN to your body, DO the research, and continue to educate yourself with information that is appropriate for the healing of your body and the bodies of others. We have power in this world. We are not victims; we are creators; we have choices! Make the choice to live in health, not desperately seeking it when a system or organ is failing. This is my story of how food, love and a devotion to my body temple allowed me to live in harmony, happiness and healthiness. Gratitude for reading my words, and have a beautiful day ☺

The 'UnPronounceables'

The Unpronounceables. What are they? Where did they come from? Who made them and what are they really? The Unpronounceable Ones are upon us, hiding on the back of food boxes everywhere! Beware, be AWARE and know an what an Unpronounceable IS, and which one you are dealing with. This way you can know how to avoid the harm it's potent toxins may cause, warn the others that you love about the harmful substance, and continue to enjoy your normal life of health, wealth and happiness. The Unpronouncales are those pesky multi-syllabic words found in the ingredients list of a large majority of food products on the market. The masses are totally in the dark when it comes to knowing what exactly is inside of the container of Smart Balance, the can of Coke Zero, or the bag of Double Stuff Oreos. It is seriously a life or death issue to know what the ingredients hiding in your food are, as they have therapeutic/healing benefits or disastrous/deathly consequences.
The choice is yours. Would you knowingly put substances in your body that had scientific proof backing the fact that it causes painful cancers, diseases, and conditions? Many people know the effects of cigarettes, and still choose to smoke them. Well, I am here to inform you as to what the effects of food preservatives, chemicals, and artificial sweeteners are, as the effects of these harmful substances are no different from the carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals in tobacco, car exhaust, or house-hold cleaners. There are master-minds at work, creating and inserting certain ingredients in food to preserve the way it looks, enhance the way it tastes, and create chemical reactions in your body to create addictions, illnesses and pains. This keeps the pharmaceutical companies RICH. The food you eat determines your quality of life. If you eat dead food that has been embalmed to keep it from going rancid because it has NO LIFE FORCE, then you walk around half dead and half alive...barley making it through each day, needing caffeine and sugar to give you energy or else you would be a zombie...sounds like a bad dream to me, not a life! Take control. Read the following paragraphs to inform yourself about your food. Eat food that has not been processed, refined, genetically modified or grown in labs. Eat food that was grown in sunlight, the ocean, your garden, your neighbors garden, the organic co-operative garden, or made in your own kitchen. Eat food that still has life to it, that actually was meant to be eaten. The more chemicals and fake man-made substances you ingest, the unhealthier you will be. This is Fact, not my 'personal opinion'. However, it is my personal experience, which is far more valid that any studies on rats and rabbits in cages. An old philosopher named Hippocrates once said 'Let thy food by thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food'. Thanks, Hippocrates. I certainly enjoy heeding this advice.

A List of UNPRONOUNCEABLES
(How to Pronouce Them, What They Really Are, & Symptoms Resulting from Ingestion and Prolonged Use)

(Dr. Mercola of www.mercola.com says...)

NO TRANS-FAT SCAM

Food labels, though perceived as fact, do not tell the whole story of what’s in your food. For instance:

* “Incidental additives” do not need to be listed on the label. Incidental additives include substances transferred to foods via packaging, and “ingredients of other ingredients” that are present at “insignificant levels.”

* Food manufacturers are allowed to round to zero for any ingredient that accounts for less than 0.5 grams per serving. So if you eat three servings of trans-fat-free chips, you could actually be getting up to 1.5 grams of trans fats.

* “Clean labels” are rampant. Food manufacturers know that certain ingredients are frowned upon. But instead of taking them out of their products, they may just attempt to hide them on the label using a name you won’t recognize.

* “Natural contaminants” are also allowed and present in your food. This includes things like insect parts, insect eggs, and rodent hairs.

* Many other things are also exempt from being labeled, or may be stated in a way that makes it hard to find. This includes genetically modified ingredients, irradiated ingredients, and ingredients from cloned animals.

(Another article from Mercola.com regarding MSG)

MSG: MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE

Here is just a sampling of ingredients that contain MSG (the link below has a full list):

* Gelatin
* Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
* Yeast Extract
* Malted Barley
* Rice Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup

Also, many restaurants add MSG to their menu items, so when eating out always be sure to tell your server that you don‘t want MSG added to your food.
MSG is an excitotoxin, a type of chemical transmitter that allows brain cells to communicate. The problem is that excitotoxins can literally excite your brain cells to death. Aside from harming your brain, MSG has also been linked to eye damage, headaches, fatigue, disorientation and depression.

Children are most at risk from MSG. The blood brain barrier, which keeps toxins in the blood from entering the brain, is not fully developed in children. MSG can also penetrate the placental barrier and affect unborn children as well. Nonetheless, most major brands of infant formula contain some processed free glutamic acid (a form of MSG).

SUCRALOSE & ASPARTAME
(www.mercola.com)

Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!

It’s hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people’s health for the past 30 years.

The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people – no matter how many times you rebrand it under fancy new names.

The Deceptive Marketing of Aspartame

Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel, and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto chose to rebrand it under the name AminoSweet, to “remind the industry that aspartame tastes just like sugar, and that it’s made from amino acids – the building blocks of protein that are abundant in our diet.”

This is deception at its finest: Begin with a shred of truth, and then spin it to fit your own agenda.

In this case, the agenda is to make you believe that aspartame is somehow a harmless, natural sweetener made with two amino acids that are essential for health and present in your diet already.

They want you to believe aspartame delivers all the benefits of sugar and none of its drawbacks. But nothing could be further from the truth.

How Aspartame Wreaks Havoc on Your Health

Did you know there have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined?

In fact, there are over 10,000 official complaints, but by the FDA’s own admission, less than 1 percent of those who experience a reaction to a product ever report it. So in all likelihood, the toxic effects of aspartame may have affected roughly a million people already.

While a variety of symptoms have been reported, almost two-thirds of them fall into the neurological and behavioral category consisting mostly of headaches, mood alterations, and hallucinations. The remaining third is mostly gastrointestinal symptoms.

Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well-known by doctors, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions, such as:

Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease Alzheimer's disease Fibromyalgia
Arthritis Multiple chemical sensitivity Chronic fatigue syndrome Attention deficit disorder Panic disorder Depression and other psychological disorders Lupus Diabetes and diabetic complications Birth defects Lymphoma Lyme disease Hypothyroidism...so much more.

WHAT WOULD AN IDEAL LABEL LOOK LIKE???

Well, you can read everything in it and you know exactly what it is. Food that comes with NO label is best, like an apple, broccoli, and anything from the earth. If you do eat something packaged, as it is bound to happen, be mindful. ACTUALLY LOOK! I like Larabar Raw Food Bars. The Coconut Chocolate Chew is one of my favorites. The Ingredients list looks something like this:
Dates, almonds, walnuts, raw cacao powder and unsweetened coconut.

AH, now THAT is simple and delicious!
Nothing confusing there. EVERYTHING is pronounceable. I feel safe :)

That is enough for now. It is a LOT to take in. Visit www.mercola.com to review the thousands of amazing and informative articles available at whim!

Of course, thank you thank you thank you for reading and giving your time. By informing yourself you are empowering yourself, AND others. Be the example! Shine bright, and don't let some fake sugar or hydrolyzed vegetable protein getcha dimmed down, dumbed down, or numbed out. Keep your awareness and consciousness HIGH by feeding your body and brain the light food it deserves. Aloha, Happiness, Health and Abundance to you all!

-Shellie White

www.thehealthyhooper.com