Monday, July 26, 2010

What is in your dreams....


Ever since I went to see the movie Inception I have been so much more aware of my dreams. So I thought I would post a few interesting facts about what is going on when the lights go out and the mind shuts down and the subconscious kicks in and the dreams begin.

We dream about 5 to 7 times a night. According to research you dream every night whether you remember your dreams or not. If you have had a stressful worrisome day or you have been involved in an intense  learning situation or something traumatic has happened you will dream more.

If you are like me it is hard to remember most of the time what you dreamed. So if I wake up in the middle of the night, or when I wake up first thing in the morning, I now lay in bed for an extra few minutes trying to make myself remember what I dreamed before I jump out of bed, because once I am up and going I can't seem to remember them.

Here are a few hints for dream interpretation....
Our dreams use vocabulary of symbols and allegory to convey their message.
Your dreams are messages sent from your subconscious to you, trying to show you something about yourself.
If you pay attention you will see that dreams are always about you and your circumstances-where you are stuck, or what you are missing, or what you are avoiding, ignoring or where you are needing to go.
Through dream study they have found out that 95% of the time the characters,  creatures, monsters, or strangers are representing you. Dream interpreters say that you should assume that all the people in your dreams are representative of you unless you recognize them as your spouse, children, parents, co-workers, etc.
Also, don't try to translate your dreams too literally. If you dream you are driving fast in a sports car along dangerous curves and lose control and die, don't presume that that is literal. It's far more probable that your dream is telling you something much less literal about yourself. Possibly, you need to get control of a certain part of your life, or the path you are taking is putting you in danger. Or you need to slow down the fast pace that your life is on. Death usually means the end of one part of your life and the beginning of another, or transition and change, or that change is coming very quickly-Intuitively you will know, because you are the dreamer and it is coming from your subconscious.

Nightmares are usually your subconscious trying to shock you into taking a look at some aspect of your life.
Dreams that repeat themselves are usually messages from your subconscious trying to get through to you.

I am definitely making more of an effort to remember my dreams. I believe that dream interpretation is a dialogue between me and my subconscious, which lets me know that I am connected to something powerful and infinite.

Just a little food for thought before you lay your head down on the pillow again!

Until next time,


Jan

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Mind Power


Okay, so I went to see the movie Inception yesterday starring Leonardo DiCaprio!!  All I can say is WOW!
A must see...
It takes about 30-40 minutes to figure out what is going on, but after you do, you are sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next, and by the end of the movie you realize that you have been sucked into the whole plot of the movie and the dream sequence and you didn't even see it coming!! It's all about the power of the subconscious and our dream state!! My daughter in law Megan will love it!!
This movie has prompted me to talk about a book that I am reading called,
"Mind Power Into The 21st Century" by John Kehoe
Techniques to harness the powers of thought



The book presents a remarkable and specific guide to harness the powers of your Subconscious mind
Tap into your creativity
Improve your self image
Develop a prosperity consciousness
Interpret your dreams along with so many other things.
The book aligns itself with a quote  that I live by,
"Your thoughts are a preview of your life's coming attractions"
Getting down to the nitty gritty of life we can truly see that our outer world is just a reflection of our inner world, which is our thoughts.
Everything that happens in our life begins with a thought.  
Our thoughts are the power behind what is being created in our lives, which then becomes our reality. Nothing in our lives happens without the power of thought!
I think that it is probably fair to say that we could all use a dose of more positive thoughts in our lives.
I have personally discovered that if I don't like the way things are going in my life, the first place that I check is my thought process that has been going on in my head for the past 24 to 48 hrs. I call it " the stories I tell myself." Sure enough I realize that I have been thinking thoughts that have put me in that state of mind or bad mood. So what do I do, I begin to shift the way I think, and that changes the way I act and feel. Negative thoughts produce negative feelings and emotions.  Positive thoughts produce positive happy feelings and emotions.
Changing our lives through the power of thought is a process and it doesn't happen overnight. But if you want to learn more about how your thoughts and your subconscious can be the tools to create the life that you want for yourself, pick up this book and give it a read.

A verse from the Bible says"Whatever things ye pray for and ask for believing that ye have received, ye shall receive them. Notice that it says that you must believe you have received them-not that you will receive them, but that you have received them. This is more than just hoping or wishing, this is claiming what you want in the inner world, the world of thought and creative energy, a very powerful process."


Until next time,

Jan







Monday, July 12, 2010

Eating for Beauty!

In August I will doing another weekend workshop in Memphis on Eating for Beauty. So I thought I would use my blog to give everyone a little preview of what's to come.

An amazing fruit that I just personally discovered today was the "papaya"!!




I sent my husband to the grocery store to buy me my first papaya! Yes my first!  I was stunned at the beauty of this gorgeous fruit!

I cut into the papaya and was smitten at the site of this succulent, sexy velvet looking, orange juicy, yummy fruit full of seeds that are actually unbelieveably healthy for you!
So, why am I so sprung on this papaya?
For soooo many reasons, but here are just a few.
To start off with I decided to use the fruit for a facial!! 
Papaya is known for it's extensive skin care therapy. When applied it feeds and nourishes the skin and reduces wrinkles.The vitamin A accelerates the formation of new skin cells and exfoliates the old skin cells. It is also loaded with vitamin C, an antioxidant, and with the beta-carotene which protects the skin and promotes skin elasticity. Try out this recipe for an amazing facial that loosens dead skin cells, which improves the elasticity and also helps stimulate collagen production.

1 cup of fresh pineapple
Half a cup of fresh papaya
1 tbl of honey
Puree fruit together. Add honey and mix into a paste. Leave on as a mask for 15-20 min. Then rinse completely.

So I tried out this facial today and walked around with fruit all over my face for 20 min! I felt and smelled pretty delicious!! When I rinsed my face I was so happy with what I saw. My skin was tighter and firmer and my husband kept going on about how radiant and glowing I was!! The proof is in the pudding!!
So after my facial I cut up the other side of the papaya into cubes and set and ate it up. It has somewhat of a honeydew melon taste ( which I am not really fond of) but I could see how I could aquire a taste for this, especially because of all the wonderful things that it does for you.

When you eat the wonderful fruit it cleanses and soothes your digestive tract. It is very good for indigestion.
David Wolfe says "After eating 2 medium sized papayas each day for a week, one will feel remarkably cleansed from the inside out. Papaya greatly enhances skin beauty, nail strength and hair luster."

If your insides are clear and clean it will show in your skin.

Papayas also have anti cancer properties. The enzymes eat the protein-laden material surrounding certain cancerous tumors. They have been know to be perscribed to women with breast cancer.

So treat yourself to an at home facial, and then eat the remains to protect your skin against wrinkles and eliviate skin damage!!


Until next time,
Jan

















 


Monday, July 5, 2010

Pesto with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts

 I have had a lot of requests for the recipe of the pesto spaghetti that was served at the workshop my daughter and I hosted last weekend in Memphis. This would have to be one of my favorite raw dishes, and can be made in less than 10 minutes. In order for you to make the raw zucchini pasta you will need to purchase a spaghetti spiraler.

I purchased mine through Amazon for around $29.00. (Also kids love to watch and help spiral fruits and vegetables)
I spiral one zucchini for every person.
Pesto
2 cups of fresh organic basil (stems removed tightly packed)
1/4 cup of  olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of organic pine nuts

Place all ingredients in food processor except nuts and pulse till completely processed.
Soak pine nuts for about 10-15 min and rinse before adding to food processor.
Add soaked and rinsed nuts to basil mix and pulse till done.

Mix pesto with 2 large zucchini spiraled and add sun dried tomatoes and cut up artichoke hearts and toss. (the amount of sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts is totally up to the individual.)

Top with cracked pepper /Serves 2-4 people

For those who want Parmesan, grate raw cheese on top.




If you are not a big pesto fan, you can could make a marinara sauce instead.

In a blender or food processor with an S blade add:

1 organic red pepper
1 organic tomato
1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes(soak for 15-20 min before adding)
1-2 cloves of garlic chopped up
1/3 cup of dry basil (or to taste, more or less)
oregano to taste
salt
pepper

I throw all of this into my blender and blend into a liquid. Then put over spiraled pasta.

Raw zucchini is a rich source of antioxidants, fiber, calcium and beta carotene.
The pine nuts are an excellent source of  iron and vitamin D.

If you don't have a spiraler or you aren't ready to buy one, try grating your zucchini with a cheese grater. You won't get the true spaghetti noodle but you can will get the same taste.

Let me know what you think.
Until next time,

Jan