Earth’s Tonic: Turmeric Milk

For the past few weeks I have been battling a blended attack on my immune system.  I am sure it started off as a sinus infection, evolved into a cold, then invited a stomach virus, and then my allergies started kicking in from the vog (volcanic ash + fog from Hawaii’s big island volcano).  My body has taken a thorough beaten and I have myself to blame.  From a pity party I have been throwing for myself since early December, paired with my general lack of keeping up with self care I got sick.  It is only natural for the physical body to break down once the mental body has taken a hit.  Long story short I decided yesterday to take my health back physically with a pretty strong natural tonic from Mother Earth herself: Turmeric Milk.

The ingredients for the delicious herbal (or spice) drink are ground turmeric, raw organic honey (or raw cane sugar), organic whole milk, black pepper (or cayenne pepper), and fresh ginger root.

Turmeric is a spice used in curry and is from the ginger root family.  It has a very distinct golden yellow color.  Turmeric is anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, promotes reproductive health, cures headaches, and helps detoxifies the liver.  Turmeric is also an anti-depressant!  Honey has antioxidants, is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, a probiotic (good bacteria) and reduces coughing. Whole milk has good fatty acids (and calcium of course).  Black pepper is good for your digestion.  Cayenne pepper helps flush out the bad bacteria from your body (like the stuff that makes you sick).  Ginger root helps soothe nausea, is anti-inflammatory, and also helps treat colds.

Turmeric Milk was very easy to make and you can add/subtract what you find necessary for your sickness.  At the time that I took this (two days in a row) I had nausea, headache, gas, coughing, sneezing, post-nasal drip, congestion, and body aches.  For two days in a row I took it once a day, about 16-20oz each time.  I will say for a fact after the first day I noticed a strong decrease in the amount of coughing I had and my body felt better. My headache was soothed (but I did receive another one the following morning from poor sleeping posture). I rested immediately after.  Day 2 of the tonic and my coughing is at a minimum, my headache is gone, and the pressure from my congestion is gone. I feel a lot better.  Anyways, here are the ingredients and directions on how to make you own Golden Tonic that you can take to help cure you of your sicknesses.

TURMERIC MILK

• 2-3 cups of organic whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and/or cayenne pepper
• 1-2 tbsp of ground turmeric
• honey or sugar to taste
• about an inch cut of ginger root

1. Put a pan/pot over medium heat.  Peel the thick brown skin off your ginger root and then slice into bite sized pieces while it warms up.

2. Place the ginger root into the pan. It will slightly sizzle when warm enough.  Pour in your milk.  Add in your dry ingredients (the spices and sugar if used).  Add honey last.

3. Stir over medium heat until well mixed the the milk is hot.

4. Pour into a glass.  It is best when hot. Enjoy.

Some days…

Some days I just like going outside and sunbathing. On these days I charge up my iPad and phone, snab my journal and pen and just go outside and sit directly under the sun. I really like watching nature and taking in the sunergy. Outside I like to freewrite nonstop, get my mind moving at an incredible speed while attempting to write it all down. I flood my mind with positive and “petty” thoughts. I’m like a sponge for positive energy; I literally try to soak up all the good vibes I can.

I listen to nature, the sounds of birds and the wind against the leaves. At some point I just be still…be still in thought and and motion and inhale the purity of nature. Just forget and let be. Let be. I forget who I was and remember who I am in these moments. I remember that I am a byproduct of nature and my home resides in the cradle of Earth. Enjoy the heat on your skin. It is only hot when you say it is. Make a nice glass of water, and opt for the glass, not water bottle or plastic cup. Let your water get baked by the sun…add slices of lemon, lime or orange. Let your water get sun charged.

If you are struggling with finding peace, being still or finding the centre of your being…go outside. Leave your technology in the house…meditation music included. Just bring a journal and pen and a glass of water. Write until you’re tired and stare out at nature. She will settle you, correct you and rest you. Nature will ground you when you have lost your bearing.

Going outside for me is a treat. I am so grateful that I have had the luxury of living in the green South and presently in Hawaii. I’ve seen hummingbirds, deer, foxes…all types of wildlife thankhs to the locations I have been in life.

A bigger luxury is nighttime moonbathing! If you have a screened in porch or an area that has little to no mosquitos this is for you. Luna gives off the cooler, creamy rays. I love the night because I can see my Universe. I love fires are night, dancing and talking to friends under Luna…I adore her presence.

Enough of me fantasizing about nature…you should be outside!

What Works For You?

Trust in your ability to figure out what works for you.

People around you are more than willing to give you advice on what is best for you.  So much so that we become absorbed in what people will think of us based upon a decision we have to make for our lives.  No matter the choice you make, those people (peers, loved ones, mentors…) will still be living their own lives without being affected by your choice (for the most part).  In the end, this all has everything to do with trusting your ability to decide what is best for you life.

As someone who has made very hard choices in the past few months (from a divorce to certain types of medical care), I am no stranger to listening to what people think is best for me.  Usually my self confidence wavered in the face of others who I felt made better life choices than me.  So I would ask them and mull over their advice to the point that I felt like I was going crazy and simply incapable of making the proper decision unless someone specifically told me what to do.  In doing so I became co-dependent with a fractured sense of self and made decisions that benefited not me, but those around me.

Now this is not to say that the people around do not have your best interest in mind.  Yet, let’s be honest here, who really knows what’s best for you?

Every decision has a consequence that may or may not be the outcome you were looking for.  However, when we let others guide our complete decisions in life we end up blaming them, ourselves, and lose confidence in our ability to decide for ourselves.  We start using irrelevant factors like, “what will they think of me?” or “what if something bad happens” we are immediately overcome with guilt and fear.

Essentially, long story short, a simple decision escalates into a mountain of fear, what ifs, and judgement in which no matter the outcome we failed because we couldn’t trust ourselves in making a choice.

So simply ask yourself: what works for you?  The selfish you.  The happy you.  The peaceful you.  The comfortable you.  What works for you?  It is okay to have a back up plan.  It is okay to ask for advice but don’t treat it as something better than what your mind is able to come up with.  Consider the advice.  Do not treat the advice as superior to your own.  Being able to make difficult decisions without beating yourself up over them no matter the consequences is a step closer to having peace with Self.  Having peace with the fact you cannot control everything, BUT you can control yourself and always find available choices in a situation.

The Resistance

Nothing exists as a problem until you resist it.

I repeat, nothing exists as a problem until you resist it.

Once you recognize this to be true things will start to change in your life. Sometimes we live present life passively, meaning we choose to merely allow “life” to happen to us. It is a form of defeat from trying to RESIST life. This may seem to be an oxymoron but really think on it. Resisting life creates problems and in turn a lot of us become angry, depressed and just believe life HAPPENS. Life does happen, as a result of your interaction towards the nature of life. Are you living as one with nature or one against nature? Are you resisting the fact you are organic? Are you resisting the law of attraction? Are you resisting your divinity? Are you resisting your mind? Are you resisting your flow of emotions?

During this spiritual journey I’ve observed how as humans we see ourselves as something separate from life itself. We simply react and refuse to create…that is the resistance to align ourselves with life. It is resistance against taking responsibility for ourselves. Resisting closes doors.

Sit down and meditate, but meditate on just being. Live in that exact moment. Accept your resistance and then breathe it out. Just accept your existence in life and realize you can control your future. Realize problems exist as resistance.

While this is a brief post, it is an extremely important thought.

My Indulgence #2.

Once again I commissioned some artwork earlier this year from @makeyaman_hala on Twitter of myself. I believe the art was only like $20-25 but I loved it. 

Seeing artists’ interpretations of myself is so priceless to me honestly. I really enjoy what they create and am rarely disappointed. Not only did she send me the art via email, she mailed the actual piece to me on my base. 

Once again indulge in affordable ways that aren’t harmful to you in the short or long run (running up credit cards, over exerting yourself, etc.). It’s okay to treat yourself. Indulge in your own happiness.

How to Share Your Knowledge

We can all agree that during our apotheosis and/or path to peace we run across gems of information. These gems of information are so tantalizing, inspiring, and shocking that we feel the need to share them and teach them to others. Between my life experience and the knowledge I have collected I almost always am ready to give everyone advice. However our peers are not always as excited to hear what we learned even if we are trying to help them. Here are some tips on sharing knowledge and actually getting people to listen.

o1. Avoid generalizations. The best way to turn people away is to generalize. If your information cannot be proved as applying to everyone and everything then avoid saying so. Sometimes we generalize based off our own experience which is not fair.
o2. Is your advice/information productive to your audience or your ego? Are you trying to look smart or be helpful? If you are genuinely interested in helping someone it will show and they will be more susceptible to listening to your point. If you are just trying to brag and show off new knowledge it will probably be best to keep it to yourself.
o3. Never tell, suggest. Sometimes we get stuck in the trap of telling someone what to do. Speak to the person from the position of love. Try to show them how this information can be helpful for their growth.
o4. Actually know what you are talking about. Do your research! It can be embarrassing when you don’t know what you are talking about. Sharing information with minimum research can be dangerous for your audience. I always try to do a lot of research on a subject so that I am giving correct information and to ensure no one can refute me, haha.
o5. Be about what you speak about. Don’t be a hypocrite. People are always watching so be sure you are promoting what you are speaking about. It is rather difficult to persuade someone to eat healthy when you eat Honey Buns and gas station hot dogs all day…or even on occasion. It proves to your audience that even you don’t believe what you are saying.
o6. The second someone resists your knowledge step back. This is how arguments start. Resisting doesn’t mean questioning or comparison to their knowledge. Resisting is when the person becomes uptight and extremely critical. When they build a wall against your information just stop talking. It is not a loss. It is a loss when you keep pressing. When you keep pressing it will almost always end in an argument.
o7. Be open minded. This can be tough for some of us with strong egos (like myself). Sometimes you may not want to be taught anything when you are trying to teach someone else. However the best teacher must be willing to learn. Be greedy for new information and be willing to take the seat as the student. If you cannot do this then you should keep your knowledge to yourself.

Affirmation Tips

Affirming something is declaring it to be true. Declaring something to be true changes your perspective and the energy you give off to the Universe while practicing the Law of Attraction. With enough practice and positive energy you will be able to believe your affirmations to be true and transform your reality. Below are some tips and habits I have picked up in to have consistent and more successful affirmations.

Pick Your Affirmation Wisely
Be careful what you wish for is something to keep in mind as you affirm your reality. Be very picky and broad with what you want to declare as true to you life. It will become very monotonous repeating and recalling your declaration and you don’t want to have trouble remembering the detailed sentence you created. So opt for “I am happy” over “I am happy with my present life, my friends and family, and myself.” You can envision all of those things while you are affirming. Plus the simpler the chant the easier it is for you to fall into a meditative state while saying it.

Ink is Law
Write down your affirmations. You can list them all on a single page or write one affirmation repeatively. The trick with this is making sure to focus in the image this affirmation creates in your mind as you write it. You will also need to write them daily in order to refresh the energy which surrounds your thought.

Be Vocal and Confident
Always try to say your affirmations outloud. Hearing your voice will assist in you believing what you are saying is true. Say you affirmations when you walking outside, driving your car, showering and when staring in the mirror. Saturate your tongue with your affirmative thoughts. Use your loud and confident voice when you speak. If you are looking in the mirror, look straight ahead, chin up and with a good posture. Same if you are walking or showering. Sometimes you have to fake it to make it, so even if you don’t feel sure about what you are saying eventually you will. Happiness will always follow a smile (seriously).

Take Advantage of Your Happiest Moments
Be greedy for happiness and extending your happiness. Anytime you are in moments of extreme delight, first accept the moment for what it is and soak up all of the joy you receive. After you accept what is, immediately start envisioning one of your affirmations, preferably the most important one. Literally piggyback your affirmation off that moment of joy. It will give you a little boost with the positive energy and actually sometimes increase your happiness.

Recording the Affirmations
Crack out that 90s cassettes recorder or download a recording app. Say all of your affirmations in a clear, relaxed voice. If your recorder doesn’t repeat then you may need to sit down for a while and just repeat them (at least for 10 minutes, no worries it’ll be a good affirmation activity for you too). Play this recording right before you go to sleep or while you are sleeping. Hearing your own voice affirm something confidently while in an altered conscious state is priceless.

Subliminal Videos
Go to YouTube and explore the wonderful world of subliminal affirmation videos. These videos usually consist of related affirmations being repeated multiple times while paired with quick visuals. You will literally be watching positive subliminal programming. There are so many to pick from and play while you awake or asleep. These videos range from three to thirty minutes long. You can pick topics from wealth to love subliminals and if you are feeling a bit adventurous look into the binaural videos. (A lot of these videos have a lot of flashing colors, if you have epilepsy please be aware of this.)

Reword Negative Affirmations
Every chance you get reword any negative affirmations you have a tendency to say in your head or outloud. Reprogram yourself to recognize negative declarations are unacceptable and have the same power as positive ones in relation to the law of attraction.Try to catch yourself when you criticize yourself.  Being honest with yourself is one thing, but being super critical is another thing. Your voice is the most important voice in your life, be careful how you speak to yourself.

Detach.

Detaching is a very painful thing to do, but with it comes so much freedom.

When I say detach I mean from the people, things, or activities you leach off of and that leach off of you. The act of detaching isn’t the hard part, it’s the aftermath where you have to decide if you want to break down and run back.

Sometimes it is involuntary, not a decision you make on your own but one that someone or something makes for you. You can fret but overstand that is a sign from the Universe or God that you need a break whether it be temporary or permanent in order to refresh and renew.

Social networks are a web of danger when it comes to leading a positive, uninfluenced life. You get caught up in who got married, who just got aanother degree, or child, or check, or house…it becomes overwhelming. And if you aren’t caught up in other people’s lives you are caught up in comparing what you have accomplished in the same time period. No matter how much you accomplish you’re trapped in the thought of: “was it good enough? did I do enough?”

A good start to detaching to removing social networks from your life, temporarily or permanently. Doing so filters out all that white noise. Not including the impossible lifestyles to live up to that we do subconsciously especially if we are at a fragile and more tender part of our growth in life. Deactivate them temporarily or delete the apps from your phone just to quench the urge to “check”.

Detach from people. Not all people are bad. Not even the ones you detach from. I say this very lightly though. If you are at a point in your life where you fear yourself being alone do not cut yourself off from the world, for some people like myself, it is necessary for a reevaluation of self. At the most fragile parts of my life the people around me became like flies or wasps, either irritating and nagging or stinging and harmful. This was because I was at my worse and some of them were feeding off of that or merely fighting their own demons. I found clarity in purposeful isolation. Isolation that was productive to my health, work, and goals. Not isolation to feed negative emotions, please recognize the difference.

Some people detach dramatically, shutting off their phone, blocking numbers, avoiding people or more milder approaches. Choose what’s best for you, just be aware of the consequences of abrupt cut offs. The goal is to silence the outside just enough to listen to the inside, not cut bridges with every possible human haha.

I believe the most difficult things to detach from aren’t people or social networks but habits and activities. People can agree that outside forces influence and affect them but won’t take responsibility for the activities they partake in that affect them. Smoking, drinking, compulsive eating, negative comments, negative outlooks, drug abuse, obsessions and more. Detaching and healing from these things may be more than just putting down the bottle or negative attitude, it may be seeking mental health in the form of counseling or holistic health from a licensed practitioner. These activities feed what I call dead time, time when you could be alone with yourself but chose to instead do a harmful or addictive activity. They are the direct opposite of mindfulness which we aim to reach via detachment. We become more defensive over the harmful activities we participate in than the people we deal with, willing to detach quicker from a person than a coping mechanism.

In order to fill that dead time up meditate, crochet, write, draw, read an uplifting book, study something new, work out, or practice self care spa-style.

These are just some things to help with those of us needing to detach from the world and sync back in with ourselves, and/or God/Universe.

revival of self.

so i am reviving my blog and leaking my truths since I have no other outlet. 

things haven’t been going my way too much lately. what I was preaching so adamantly in 2013/2014 seemed to come to a halt once I joined the military in 2015. 

I’ve been at my command for about a year and in the Navy for almost a year and a half. I have missed 2 rank up exams due to the fact I am waiting for a clearance for my job. i have friends and a spouse who have been in the navy shorter than I already at their next command.

perhaps my isolation has made me isolate from them and push them away. they try to find similarities instead of just understanding and listening. I am a firm believer that you cannot define someone’s experience by your life solely. it is unwise. anyways…

in order to expedite my transfer from what I consider a hell hole, lol. i was introduced to the idea of opening a case I have kept closed since May 14, 2014. doing so gives me a voice that I lost, it gives me a chance to be mobile and stationed near my partner, and to inflict justice.

my case has been opened. 

and with so much on the line let’s see if I can get everything right again.

*2014* Bucket List Updated for 2015

My bucket list is subject to change. Anything completed will be crossed out. Remember I am a little hippy so some things may seem simple but I’ve always wanted to do them. I will look at this list weekly and update it monthly.
1 – Feed someone blueberries.

2 – Be vegan.

3 – Launch a restaurant review blog.

4 – Launch a _________ blog.

5 – Go to a Kid Cudi concert.

6 – Meet Kid Cudi.

7 – Model.

8 – Cook for a big group of people.

9 – Smoke on the beach.

10 – Host a cipher with tea and pastries.

11 – Take a nap outside during the day.

12 – Climb a tree.

13 – Pick strawberries.

14 – Make preserves as gifts.

15 – Visit New York/New Jersey.

16 – Get a tattoo.

17 – Nipple piercings.

18 – Visit another country.

19 – Go to LA.

20 – Wear my hair straightened.

21 – Go to the fair.

22 – Go fishing.

23 – Learn to sew.

24 – Be a young food critic.

25 – Get featured on someone’s site or blog.

26 – Go to a ballet.

27 – Go to another food truck rodeo with friends.

28 – Drive.

29 – Increase my income by 50%.

30 – Go running more often.

31 – Buy and read a new book.

32 – Visit Baltimore again.

33 – Do a wine tasting.

34 – Sun bathe nude.

35 – Cook a big breakfast.

36 – Go to a concert.

37 – Be endorsed.

38 – Go to AfroPunk.

39 – Be inspired every day.
That’s all for now.