Q&A: Being In The Flow and Allowing Love In

Question:

Hi Cassie love!

I know I don't really know you yet but I really like and admire your energy; you seem to be very grounded and in alignment with what you want :).

I am true believer in the Law of Attraction and have really been applying it to my life over the past 2-3 years, especially in the last 6 months or so. I'm wondering, what are some of your techniques to stay in alignment with source? Esther & Jerry Hicks call it being 'in the Vortex' - I was a competitive athlete for years and so liken it to being 'in the Zone' where everything just falls into place without effort. You are so tapped into source that everything feels easy. They give the analogy of being on a raft and floating downstream with the current (this would be in alignment, things just flow and feel easy) vs. paddling upstream against the current (not in alignment, things are exhausting and difficult).

I think with my relationship, I sometimes flow upstream because I feel scared to open and give my heart to someone. But how to do that?!? I know I react to experiences from past relationships and put a guard up but I actually really want to be more open and feel like this phase I'm going through is really to learn and practice that lesson.

Anyway, that's a lot of info but I would love to hear your thoughts! :)

Response:

Thank you for your lovely compliments. Wow, really warmed my heart. I'm happy to get to know you. So glad you reached out :).

Ah, yes. I am very familiar with The Law of Attraction, as well as Esther and Jerry Hicks. Love your analogy of being in "The Zone" to being in the flow. That's awesome.

For me, being in the flow is about being my authentic self, being love, thinking love, speaking love, and staying connected to my higher purpose for being here. That's when I feel magical :), and my life feels effortless and joyful. Some tools I use to help me cultivate that vibration are meditation, other magical workings that connect me to my higher self, raw foods, reiki, being in nature, dancing, laughter and cuddling/playing with my husband and animal companions.

I try to use meditation as a daily tool for keeping myself heart centered (not head/ego/mind centered). I usually do visualizations and clear my chakras, use the time to send reiki, and be open to what wants to come through for me. Eating a raw food centered diet is also a daily habit, that obviously you know, helps so much in allowing us to hold a higher vibration (*Note-This person eats a raw, vegan diet*).

The other tools I use are really expressions of my true self. I am a very "magical" person, lol. I don't subscribe to any religion, but energy work, and metaphysics is just who I am. This could be anything from working with the tarot, to crystal workings, to writing poetry, to connecting with nature. I love hugging trees and I'm not afraid to say that, lol! Their energy is so wise, powerful and healing. Co-creating with the earth is another. My hubby and I have been creating our own little eden with tons of fruit trees, berries and a faery forest :).

If I find that I am struggling with keeping my vibration high, or I have a rough day or whatnot, that's when the other things come into play. I put on music I love to dance to and before I know it I'm dancing around cleaning my house :), feeling so much better. Or if I am in a really tough spot, I find taking a warm shower (a bath would work too) and imagining any negative energy being washed off me is very helpful. I envision gray light getting swept away from my body and aura by the cleansing water. Spending time with my pets really helps too. They are just so unconditionally loving. They don't judge us for our anger, or sadness; our imperfections. They just radiate pure love and joy and before I know it, I can't help but mirror that back to them :).

That's beautiful that you want to be more open and grow :). I too went through a struggle with allowing myself to be loved unconditionally. It took a lot of self work, love, and healing, but a turing point for me was finally understanding that any fears I had about not being loved, left, hurt, ect., was a reflection of parts of myself I was not loving. That I was doing the rejecting of myself. And when I learned to love all of me...every last piece, that was mirrored back to me in the most loving, beautiful and supportive relationship I could ever ask for. I learned that any problems we have with relationships in our lives, are a reflection of what is going on inside of us. When we do the inner work, we see our outer world reflect those changes. :) The universe always guides us to what we need at any given time, wether that be a book, a friend :), or a mentor. What we need to move forward on our paths will be drawn to us. As long as we are open to do the work, heal the wounds and move forward, so much love and light are possible.

Soooo wonderful connecting with you.

Lots of love and hugs,
Cassie

Clear Skin

Bravery at its best! Me, right out of the shower :)!

I have learned a lot about skin care over the years. When I was a young teen, about thirteen, I began to suffer from mild acne. Thus began my escapade with every acne medication known to man :). I can see in hind sight that all the medications only complicated my situation. My acne went from mild to moderate, and I began to get cystic acne on my chin. Two rounds of Accutane could only keep my spots at bay for a short time, so my love/hate affair with topical medication continued into my early twenties. To read more about my history with acne you can read my first blog post.

I remember having the most neurotic thoughts about my skin, like when the bird flu craze was all over the media I thought to myself, "If I can't leave my home, I won't be able to get my prescription acne medications." What in the world was I thinking?!?!..... What about food? Who was I worried was going to see me with some pimples in the middle of this supposed crisis, and why did I think they would care about my skin?! I was a crazy woman about my skin.

I can honestly say some of that anxious emotion was tied to certain foods I was eating at the time, but some of it was also me feeling out of control in my life. I wanted so badly to feel in control with my skin and my body. I was confused, slightly depressed and lost. Focusing on my appearance allowed me to not focus on the real problem. The real problem was I didn't truly know myself and I wasn't on path, meaning I wasn't fulfilling my souls deepest yearnings. I was trying to do what I thought I was "supposed to do", what society and often family and friends expect us to accomplish, but it wasn't feeding my soul so I lacked enthusiasm and drive. I fixated on other things to avoid the uncomfortable nagging of my soul.

It wasn't until I began to change my diet that I began to get very clear mentally. I began to tune into my true self (or some might call this my "higher self") and it was then that every aspect of my life began to rapidly change, including my skin. In the past, I had always been afraid to go off my acne medications. Now that I had a new awareness, I decided I didn't care any more what the consequences were for my skin. My decision was about my health, not vanity. I knew for the health of my entire being it was the best choice to stop putting toxic chemicals onto my skin and in my body.

I remember that week so clearly. I stopped all my medications at once. I was using two topical medications, one in the morning and one at night. I was also taking birth control pills which I was convinced was also keeping my skin clear. I stopped those too. I decided I was done with all over the counter medications also. I swapped Tylenol and Claritin for homeopathic herbs from my acupuncturist. I kept waiting for the horrific acne to present, but it really wasn't that bad. I wondered if the medications were unnecessary the whole time, but then I would slip and eat some pizza and wow! Sore pimples and greasy skin.

I have been on this raw food journey long enough now that I have a very consistent diet and I can't remember the last time I had pizza :). I have learned what works best for my body and I no longer have crazy cravings unless I haven't gotten in enough greens :). I have experimented enough though to share that for me, dairy and refined sugar are sure enough to bring on breakouts. Grains tend to make me very puffy, like I can't recognize myself in the morning. Cooked oils make me oily :), and on a different note make my throat really sore. Too much salt, raw or processed, causes me to break out. Salt is my Achilles heel, but I get better with that vice every day and my body seems to be guiding me in the right direction.

With skin, less is always more. This goes for your diet, what you do to take care of your skin, as well as what you put on it. These days I try to keep everything as simple as possible. I'm not perfect, and I still get small breakouts from time to time, but practice, attention to my diet, listening to my body and continuing to work on self growth has proved to be a great formula for healthy skin. Oh and how could I forget love :). Loving others and loving yourself. Practice emanating love as much as possible and not only will you feel more beautiful, but you may find little things that used to bother you about your appearance slowly fade from your thoughts and are replaced with thoughts of gratitude.

I keep it really simple and don't put products on my skin I would be afraid to eat. I wash my face with a mild soap (like Dr. Bronners or Terressentials) only if I am wearing makeup. Otherwise, water or a flower water toner do the trick. I do exfoliate by dry brushing my skin and sometimes use a gentle, natural scrub. That's about it! Occasionally I'll do a clay mask, but it's not a consistent part of my skin care routine. I rarely need moisturizer. But sometimes I will spritz with some essential oils because it smells really nice :). If I am in a super dry climate or it's a really dry winter, a tiny amount of shea butter does the job.

Diet has made the largest impact on my skin. I can't stress enough that the health of our skin starts from within. Not only will a raw foods diet with lots of greens improve acne, but you will see health in the sparkle of your eyes, the color in your cheeks and the rosy tint of your lips. I used to hate how pale my lips were without lip gloss. I really don't need it now unless it's for fun. My lips take on a healthy pink color because I flood my body with oxygen.

For more details on skin care and my beauty musings you can check out my interview with Laura Bruno about natural beauty here.

Just Paying it Forward

Mmmmmm, life is good people! I have been completely absent for some time now (I told you all I wasn't sure if this blogging thing is for me)! Life has been busy and transformative :), but what's new? That's how the last couple years have flowed for me. Last Sunday I was certified as a Reiki Master. It was such a beautiful experience and everything I hoped it would be. Getting my Reiki Master certification allows me to teach Reiki to others. I definitely plan on teaching, but probably not for a bit, as I have some spiritual and personal work do before I feel ready to take on the teaching.

I have had some time to really reflect on my goals and what I want to focus on for the upcoming months. One priority is to start blogging more! I have so much information to share with all you lovelies out there. I feel like I just may burst!! :) It's my intention to light up at least a few lives, spread joy, health, and abundance. After all, I have so much to be grateful for it's time to pay it forward, know what I mean? Some things I want to focus on with this blog are raw foods (of course :), whole foods, spirituality, beauty, green living, holisitic living, and downright spreading love and joy! I'll probably update as well about what's going on in my life, on the physical level and beyond ;).

I have been enjoying food soooo much lately. Often I hear comments from people that they couldn't eat the way I do or eat a high or completely raw diet because they love food too much. Well let me tell you! I love food just as much as the next person!  I looooove to eat. For a while, it was my favorite thing to do! ;)

As I have moved along on this path, it has gotten easier and more joyous as I have found other passions in my life. Things that really fill me up with light, love and happiness, much in the same way great food always has. When you are being filled from other areas of your life, it is easier to approach food in a balanced manner. So what are some things that fill me up with joy besides what I eat? Meditation, spending time out in nature with my dogs and hubby, yoga (a new found joy in my life!), dancing, practicing spiritual pursuits ;), reading, writing poetry, photography, laughing till my insides hurt, stargazing, learning about ancient civilizations and connecting with other like minded souls. My list could go on and on, but what I am trying to point out is, it is easier to start making modifications to your diet when you are being filled up by other aspects of your life. 

If you feel that you are at a place where you can not possibly make changes to your diet, that's OK. Maybe focus first on balancing other aspects of your life, and when you feel ready, start out with baby steps, perhaps tackling one food habit you would like to nix. Maybe you want to give up soda, or coffee. Maybe you want to become a vegetarian or vegan. Perhaps you want to start to become educated about what actually goes into mainstream food and to start eating a more whole foods diet. Whatever your goal, you can do it at your own pace and in your own time. Eating raw, or any healthy lifestyle for that matter, is not a race. It's about self growth, conscious expansion and self responsibility. Awakening to truths and taking back our personal power.

So many people in the health movement, including the raw food movement, are focused on right and wrong, black and white, good and bad, when it comes to food choices. We, as a planet and collective consciousness, are moving out of that paradigm of polarity and into one of inclusiveness. It is not difficult to get caught up in the ego, trying to rationalize our opinions, observations and personal experience. When we do this, we are forgetting the most important detail. We have the power of god within us and we are within god, we are pure love and light, and all possibilities and realms are available to us. We have the power to choose and manifest whatever reality we want. When we choose from a space of love we are guided to an outcome that is beautiful for ourselves and the highest good of all life. Let us not separate, and judge each other. Let us not latch on to dogma and beliefs. Let us rejoice that there are so many ways to eat and nourish our bodies and let's celebrate each others freedom of choice. When we stop trying to figure it out with our heads, and choose with our hearts, we can't go wrong. Does the way you eat make you feel beautiful, happy, healthy and alive? Does the way you eat give you energy, peace and connection? If so, you are doing something right :). If not, perhaps it would be a good idea to look within and see where you are meeting some resistance. 

So what have I been eating lately? Really yummy food! :) I love the way I eat, and I wouldn't do it anymore if I didn't. When I first got on the raw path it was strictly about health, or more specifically, getting rid of some symptoms that were not fun and dangerous. I'm finally at a point where it's not about restriction any more, rather abundance! Do I eat 100% raw? No, I don't. I do eat a very high raw diet, some days eating only raw foods, but 100% raw is not my goal. 100% health and happiness is. I may become 100% raw at some point, but for right now eating a high raw diet is wonderful for me. Here are a couple pictures of foods I have made in the last couple weeks.

OK, I didn't make these, but I have been looooving cherries!

Yummy green salad with avocado, sprouts, olives and raisins

Carob Nut Shake

Marinated Veggies

Romaine Boats with cucumber, nut cheese and Lydia's Raw Crackers

Staples in my diet include green juice, green smoothies (lots of leafy greens), fruits, vegetables, nuts (often as nut mylks), seeds, avocados (a fruit :), and big salads. I also sometimes eat steamed veggies, legumes, and grains like quinoa or bhutanese rice. For those who are into percentages, I probably eat roughly 90%-100% raw depending on various factors, like the time of year, traveling, or what my body is asking of me. The percentage is so hard for me to estimate, as one week I may eat 100% raw and the next have steamed veggies for dinner 3 different nights..... I'm really not into percentages as it can give a false impression. I was going to write 75% - 100% then my hubby told me I eat "way more raw than that!" So it just goes to show you, percentage is a matter of opinion. What are we basing those percents on anyways? Try not to get hung up on it. I encourage everyone to find out what works for them and not blindly follow anyones individual truth, including my own :).

Love, light and happiness to everyone!

XO ~ Cassie