Happy Holy Day Contemplations! Plus, Inspiring Interviews With Seasoned Vibrant Vegan Directors, Dr. Brian Clement of Hippocrates and Cherie Soria of Living Light!
Dec 20Happy Holy Days and Nights To You!
Every December, the darkest, coldest hours of the Holy-Day season are gifts to everyone of us to dream ~ to consciously dream up our new world for the next year. What (kind of world) would you most love to create? Welcome to this mystical, joyous season for creating New Year’s Resolutions. Now is the time to dive deeply within, perhaps the original pre-religious form of prayer ~ being in touch with one’s highest self ~ to re-affirm 
old outstanding values and establish anew our visions, aspirations and daily heavenly habits to come. Every year, sometime in late December, your Happy friend sits alone for several hours in meditative, contemplative, open-hearted prayerfulness, to write down what i would love to create, offer, attract and experience for the coming year, in as much delicious detail as can be mustered. You likely know of the power of writing, of casting a positive spell on oneself by writing down one’s highest dreams. I attribute my acceptionally pleasantly-adventurous, satisfyingly-dreamy lifestyle to the happy habit of proceeding from the dream outward.
An essential area that I had somewhat overlooked until recently is: With whom do you wish to associate and surround yourself as your closest friends? Asking this question made a tremendous difference in 2012. Surprisingly it meant simplifying by letting go of the concept of (most appreciated) staff and house mates for the first time in years to enjoy ever deeper, more diverse, highly-selective, cherished friendships with the most inspirational, intelligent, self-directed, kind-hearted, playful, generous, considerate, focused, determined, ethical, successful, hilarious, happening and honest humans who i am blessed to continue to discover, befriend and dive deeper with on the planet. Thank You ALL (!) for expanding my heart~mind.
Which values give you most joy? Introspecting which experiences evoke the purest joy, in this increasingly complex world, streams of awe-inspiring moments spring to mind when the above-mentioned virtues dance in an innocent blend of simplicity and freedom.
For us, 2013 will continue to be based in sunshine and exquisite, natural, elegantly-simple, sacred places, plus backpacking both overseas and, also while in the USA, in our cozy-humble-fearless-wild little rv creational vehicle lit by candles, fueled by dreams, warmed by snuggles, featuring the howling of coyotes and hooing of owls for music, the dark night skies filled with millions of stars, waterfalls and hotsprings for showers and baths, and breakfasts to forage for.
What would you love to experience in 2013? How can each one of us be even healthier, more creative, more loving and peace-exuding, thus ever more effectual in our offerings to humanity and the planet?
Meanwhile, you likely know someone who surmises that the end of the world is coming soon to a planet near you. I have forever quietly preferred my new friend, musician David Wilcox’s approach, that, as his song goes, “It’s The End Of The World Again” with the emphasis on again. David just finished his timely
“End Of The World Again” Tour here in Sedona. Meanwhile, I’m glad to be offering up a Playshop For Blissologists to kick it off on Dec 22, to celebrate the day after the world is over. We share a common perspective that should seal a friendship for a longtime to come, regardless of the state of the world/no world. Why have I not thought that the world would end because of the discovery of some Mayan tablets & stellar alignments? It’s too simple. Possibly a copout? Yes, the planet is rather a mess.
Could it be that we first have to clean up the stage before we exit this theatre called Life On Earth?
Here’s a joyous reason to cast your vote to delay the end of the world: Blissology University hasn’t even opened yet! Would it not be a better and more compassionate plan to bliss forth into cosmic dissolution after godzillions of us are already Blissologists? For those of you staying around, upcoming Bliss U News shall explore how to enhance even more contentment, joy, peace, bliss, lovingkindness and harmony into our ecstaticeveryday lives (yes, rather than a typo, that is indeed a new mantra).
Stay Tuned For Bliss U News, BlissTubes & Audio Innerviews That Await You January 5th, 2013 and Blissfully Beyond: Spontaneous Contagious Deep Giggling with Happy & Larisa Stow, Marci Shimoff Gets Serious About Happiness, Consciousness Argonaut Dr. Jacob Lieberman Guides Us Into Depth of Presence, Conversation with Meditation Guru Sara Mclean, & Dr. Gabriel Cousens Reveals Sustainable Personal Peace Tips.
Meanwhile here’s what Dr. Brian Clement,
exemplary citizen, and Director of Palm Beach Florida’s Hippocrates Health Institute, has to say:
Special Thanks To Hippocrates Health Institute
for Being A Raw Spirit News Sponsor for 2013!
A Few Hints of What’s Ahead: It Would Be A Sweet Treat To Meet At These Expos & Retreats!
- Fri – Sun, Dec 20 – 22, 2012. Join us tomorrow at Chitzen Itza Pyramid, Mexico @ Synthesis 2012 / WorldUnity2012
- Fri – Sun, Dec 20 – 22, 2012 at New Beginnings Work Shop in Sedona with Inca High Priest “Wachan” & Columbian Keeper of Harmony “Martika” at Sedona Meditation Center. Hosted by Haejung.
- Sat Dec 29 – Tues. Jan 1, 2013. Love Coach New Year Retreat at Harbin in CA with Scott Catamas
- Sun, Jan 6, 2013, 10 am The Temple of Peace, Haiku, Maui, Guest Performers
- Sat Jan 12, 2013. 1 – 4 pm, Certified Blissologist Course with Happy Oasis, musician Johnny Light and Yogini Angel Meenakshi at a gorgeous oceanview estate. Haiku, Maui.
- Sun Jan 13, 2013. Tedx Maui at The MAAC.
- Tues Jan 29 – Feb 3, Mystic Maui Gathering, Kihei, Maui.
- Sat Feb 9 Noon – 2 pm Conscious Life Expo, LAX Hilton, LA, CA. Noon – 2 pm. Moderator-Panelist @ Raw Vegan Panel.
- Sun Feb 10 2 pm, Conscious Life Expo. Hilton LAX. Bliss Conscious Communication
- Thu Feb 14th Sedona, AZ. Unity of Sedona. 7 – 9 pm. A Very Special Valentines Evening for all. Compassionate Communication with Bliss. Scott Catamas, Happy Oasis, Music, Chocolate & Friends
- Sat Feb 23 Sedona, AZ. Succulent Strategies for Supernatural Health @ Raw Living Expo.
- Feb 27 – March 3, Costa Rica, Envision Festival, 🙂 Music & Bliss Consciousness Succulence.
- March 15 – 20. Retreat In Paradise, Oceanfront Jungle on the most luscious Caribbean Coast.
- May 24 – 26, 2013. Havasu Falls, Arizona. Helicopter, Hike, Swim, Yoga, Vibrant Vegan Adventure Quest. Explore a little-seen paradise inside a remote wing of the Grand Canyon as we travel through the Havasupai Reservation to spectacular Havasu Falls and deep down into the surreal wilderness beyond.
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Chef Cherie Soria, Co-Founder & Manager of Living Light Culinary Institute, Pioneer in the Raw Vegan Culinary Arts, Raw Spirit Festival Presenter, Raw Author and Celebrated Demo Chef as well as author of the upcoming Raw Food For Dummies. Raw Spirit Festival has sent many students Cherie’s way to learn from the experts at her Living Light Culinary Institute.
Happy: I so admire your strength and persistence, Cherie. What’s inspiring you these days? What’s your joy of being?
Cherie: I receive great joy knowing that we’re inspiring our students who have come to Living Light from over 50 countries (!) to study raw culinary arts and nutritional science with us. They travel from all over to our small coastal town of Fort Bragg, California and fall in love with the lifestyle we immerse them in here. All of our staff feel honored and humbled by the fact that they chose us and we are dedicated to helping them take this cuisine back to the citizens of their countries.
In 1997, when I began Living Light Culinary Institute, my goal was to take the cuisine mainstream and twenty years later, as I travel the world, I see that it that goal has reached fruition! There are raw food restaurants everywhere we go: Bali, Japan, Australia, Peru, Costa Rica, Europe, Canada, Turkey – all over the globe. And, the excitement I feel when students walk through our doors is the same today as it was when I started the school, when there were only a few people who knew what it meant to eat raw food. My joy is in the realization of my vision and the difference it is making in the world.
Happy: What is the greatest focus of your enthusiasm with Loving Light Culinary Institute?
Cherie: I love making foods that are so delicious ~ they blow people’s minds! People can not believe that foods this tasty can be healthy! I’ve been promoting healthy living for over four decades and still wake up everyday excited to work on projects that can reach more people interested in achieving optimal health. As you know, the raw vegan lifestyle helps people, animals and the planet.
As more and more people awaken to planet-friendly living, the more excited I get about being a part of that awakening. I don’t get discouraged that it isn’t happening overnight; I don’t expect instant gratification. Perseverance and discipline are two of my best qualities. I move forward with increasing hope for a cruelty-free world and I envision a day when we’ll achieve that.
Happy: From my observation over the years, I can attest that perservance and discipline are indeed two of your virtues. How is the spectrum of your reality continuing to expand?
Cherie: Twenty years ago, when I first made it my goal to develop this cuisine and take it mainstream I had no idea that in only 20 years I would be able travel the world and find raw food restaurants. I can’t tell you the joy and excitement I feel every time I see that a raw restaurant or café has sprouted up ~ even more so when I know they’re owned by Living Light graduates, which is often the case. When I am invited to do talks around the country I feel such warmth and appreciation as I am welcomed in community after community – it is sometimes overwhelming.
Happy: Cherie, you work with such focused diligence yet delight. What are your health & happiness-giving habits?
Cherie: I won my first cooking contest at age 12 and have been pleasing people with delicious foods ever since. I love feeding people food that makes them feel good and helps empower them. People feel trapped in their body when it is unhealthy and they feel liberated when they are healthy and fit.
One of the most empowering topics I speak about is longevity, or staying young longer. So much money and time is spent on the appearance of youth – from make-up to surgery. I want to teach people that they can become more beautiful inside and out through diet and lifestyle choices. The food I make empowers people to maximize their potential and to feel great no matter what their chronological age may be. And empowering others empowers me – it’s a happiness-giving habit that perpetuates itself.
Happy: What do you perceive as a challenge facing many Americans in transition today, and which advice would you offer as a solution(s)?
Cherie: Obesity is the #1 issue facing America today. 35.7% of adults and 17% of children in the U.S. are now obese and this is the cause of many of our most dreaded diseases. People would like to lose weight and be healthier, but are hesitant to change their diet, for fear of having to give up their favorite foods or going hungry on calorie restrictive diets. The fact is, people would rather die than give up the flavor and satisfaction of the foods they love. That is why our goal at Living Light is to make food taste as a good or better than the comfort foods we have all become accustomed to.
The solution for most Americans is to educate themselves about healthier foods and then find delicious, satisfying ways to incorporate them into their diets. My advice is that we look at what it is that will heal our bodies as well as our souls and work together to make that a realistic possibility.
Happy: What’s next with Cherie Soria? And Living Light?
Cherie: My husband Dan Ladermann and I are coming out with a new book, Raw Food For Dummies, set for release on 12/12. This is the culmination of my 20 years of experience as a developer of gourmet raw vegan cuisine and Dan’s experience as a Hippocrates Health Educator. Raw Food For Dummies is designed to take the raw food lifestyle mainstream, making it easy and accessible to anyone who wants to make delicious healthy meals for themselves and their families.
This project, like no other I’ve worked on before, really feels like I’m getting my message to John Q. Public. The “Dummies” series is wildly popular and specifically targets a busy but attentive audience. These people want to learn as much as they can about a subject in as short and succinct amount of time as possible. These are the people I may never have reached with my school, my previous books or any number of speaking engagements. This is a huge step for the movement.
Happy: That’s wonderful. Hooray for the coup: your book, Raw Food For Dummies! What are your wildest habits?
Cherie: People are surprised when they find out I am a martial artist. We are all multidimensional beings and my lifelong practice of martial arts, particularly karate, has allowed me to express a side of myself that might otherwise not be expressed or might surface in other, less positive, ways. Karate allows me to explore my male side and release stress in a way that yoga and dance does not. It takes a great amount of discipline and attention to detail, both of which have helped me immensely in my personal development. I credit this for my attention to the details of our curriculum and organization of Living Light International.
Over and over, I hear from my students how much they appreciate the level of organization at Living Light. This is a manifestation of what I learn from my physical and spiritual practice of martial arts. One may think a life of martial discipline may not sound very wild – but as a petite woman, I think my dedication to this art illustrates my wild side perfectly.
Happy: What makes you feel most fully alive?
Cherie: Walking on the beach at low tide with Dan and our canine kids, Rudy and Winkie. There is no place in the world like the beach here on the Mendocino coast, just a few blocks from the school. We watch the tide charts to make sure we don’t miss a low tide when we can walk in areas that are usually under water and out of sight –we love seeing colorful star fish, sea anemones, fish ponds, underwater gardens, shellfish and dozens of varieties of sea vegetables we can nibble on.
Making a connection with the world around me is such an incredible gift. My love of the seaside, my health, my husband, Living Light – all of it – is the intense and personal way that I benefit from the lifestyle I’ve chosen. And I haven’t just chosen this for myself – I’ve dedicated my life to spreading the message of harmonious, planet-friendly living. But what good is healthy life if you aren’t sharing it with loved ones? It’s these moments with Dan and the dogs on the beach where I most appreciate the fruits of my labor.
Happy: What would blow your mind about something important to you that you would love to see happen in the world?
Cherie: I would like people around the world to see animals as the sentient beings they are and not as a commodity for us to use for our own pleasure and profit. Animals have a right to enjoy their lives and nurture their young and not be tormented, tortured, killed without regard to their feelings, and eaten when it is not for the purpose of survival. The disrespect we have for animals is directly related to the anger in our hearts and the war we wage on each other. When we stop eating animals and taking their milk and eggs, which are designed as part of their procreation, we will find peace in our hearts and it will be reflected by peace in our lives. So, my desire would be to live in a peaceful world where we respect ourselves, other humans, the animals, and the earth.
Cherie concluded:
“I know if we could all truly realize how our behavior impacts the lives of animals and the rest of the world around us,
we could create a new, peaceful planet where people care about each other, about animals,
and about the future of life on earth.”
~ Cherie Soria, Living Light Culinary Institute
Let’s Bring In The New Year Together! “Manifesting Miracles of Love” is A Love Coach Academy Immersion Experience at Harbin Hotsprings, featuring Scott Catamas, hopefully me & several extraordinary high-frequency Musicians: Marya Sark, Zahira Soul and Lakshmi Devi. This is the West Coast’s Most Happening New Year’s Gathering. Dec 29 – Jan 1st.
February 8 – 10th at Los Angeles LAX’s Hilton. Happy is the Moderator & One of Six Panel Speakers, debuting This “Raw Panel of the Stars”! www.ConsciousLifeExpo.com
February 22 – 24 at the Hilton near Sedona, AZ. Many new raw-vegan friendly leaders are coming together for the next generation of what will likely be a rawmarkable gathering! www.RawLivingExpo.com
Kindly bliss forth this e-news or any Raw Spirit Community News back issues by clicking here to RawSpirit.com’s eNews page to Your Treasured Friends, inviting them celebrate as we together continue to uplift each other, thereby activating the miraculous.
Bliss Forth With Into Your New Year With Love,
Happy Oasis,
Raw Spirit & Bliss U News
928.308.2146
www.RawSpirit.com
Here’s Your Last Chance for 2012 To Express Your Heart. Thank You Sooo Much to the Dozens of Raw Kindred Spirit Friends who have already made a difference by saying YES via a donation to the Raw Spirit Fest, a 501c3 Non Profit dedicated to co-creating healthier, happier world through “education, inspiration and celebration”. Consequent to your great generosity of spirit, a not much remains to be paid before Raw Spirit Fest is free and clear of past debt, thus ready to commence conversations about where future Raw Spirit offerings may be!
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