_ Before I begin, let me say that my intent here is not to judge, but to offer some logical considerations.  Everyone has a moment when they realize that they have to make changes for themselves because what they’ve been doing is not manifesting what they want for themselves and their life.  They then realize that the next step is to find someone that can help them.  Often, it is at this junction that some people feel that they can’t afford to get help, when in actuality, they can.

Let’s look at how money can be most often spent:

-       Daily coffee at their favorite coffee shop, maybe even a treat to go with it.
-       Going to the movies, or renting movies.
-       Eating out for lunch and/or dinner (? times each week)
-       Going out to a bar to have a so called good time.
-       Going out to a casino or nightclub to have a good time.
-       Any other miscellaneous expenditure for entertainment purposes.

Now, do any of these get you closer to your intent/goal?  Will they manifest a healthy, vital, and purposeful life?  How important is it to you to accomplish your intent/goal?  Really consider what would get you to where you really want to go; then make a choice.  If nothing else, I would encourage you to get receipts for everything that you do that is listed above and then add it all up at the end of the month.  Really.  If nothing else, it’ll give you an idea of the percentage of your income that is going towards expenses that are not necessary.

And so, I’d like to propose a challenge for anyone who feels they can’t afford to work with someone (it doesn’t have to be me) that can help them become healthier, more purposeful, and/or to manifest their intent/goal. 

1.  Get a #10 envelope and write the month on it. 
2.  Then be sure to get receipts for everything you do, even that one coffee you bought, and put those receipts in that envelope. 
3.  After a month, add it all up. 

When you have a total, then consider what your life could be like if you spent the same amount of money by investing in you.  An investment that not only benefits you, but everyone around you as well.  When we make positive changes within ourselves, we also positively affect others.

Having said all this, this is not intended for those who don’t have the financial means to do most of the above.  It is meant for those who do and then feel that they can’t afford to invest in themselves.

I sincerely hope you’ll take me up on this challenge.  If nothing else, it’ll give you an idea of what you spend each month in this area of your life. 

Just added to February's schedule!  Join me for this 5 part series where we will focus solely on dreams and dreaming and how we can cause transformation at deeper levels of awareness, from a unique tradition of shamanic knowledge.  Click here for details:

Dreams and Dreaming - Techniques of the Shamanic Journey

It really doesn't surprise me that there are more documentaries available today that demonstrate why a plant based eating lifestyle is so beneficial to one's health and vitality.  With all the research that supports this now, and is being made public, I feel it's really about how we are conditioned by the media to accept things as true. 

You could also argue that these documentaries are just another way to condition us.  All I can say to this is that if your health and energy level is not what it could be, or if you are taking medications, you owe it to yourself to consider supporting your bodies ability to correct itself by changing your eating patterns. 

When I first began my training in Shamanic Energy Work, I was told plain and simply........the sick cannot heal the sick.  If you want to do healing work, you first must heal yourself so you can become a healing presence for others.  And so, I was encouraged to change my meat and potatoes eating to a plant based eating pattern to begin with. 

As a person already sensitive to energy, I had to be taught that how we feel and what we feel can have different origins.  It could be that I'm experiencing something from the environment, something from another body, or it could also be my own body, because I'm not eating well.

And so, changing my eating patterns was presented to me in this way, with the following points:

1.  When you compare the physiology of a carnivore and an herbivore, there are two marked differences.  First, the carnivore, like a dog, has a short colon.  A herbivore has a long colon.  Humans have long colons.  Second, carnivores have sharp teeth so they can rip into the meat they eat.  Herbivores have flatter teeth in order to chew their food.  Human teeth more closely resemble the teeth of a herbivore.  Fiver years later, I would come upon a wonderful book called, The Holy Science, that was written by Sri Swami Yukteswar (the guru of Paramhansa Yogananda) just before the turn of the 19th century.  This book was written due to a request from the timeless master Babaji.  In his book, he poses the exact same arguments as to why humans should be herbivores.

2.  All matter, from the quanta level up, is intelligent and has conscious awareness.  In the same way that our own body's hold the memory of all our experiences, so do that of animals.  So, when a person is ingesting animal meat and products, they are also ingesting not only the animal consciousness, but all the memories of that animal, including the horrific conditions it was raised and slaughtered in.  When we consume the animal, we also consume it's trauma and consciousness.

3.  Alkalinity.  I realize that the question of alkalinity is also controversial.  However, there is also research that demonstrates that when a body is more alkaline, it creates an environment that does not support the presence of sickness and disease. 

4.  Sugar.  At the time I was told about sugar, I would say this was my biggest challenge.  A condition I'm sure was not helped by the patterns in my own family growing up.  But I was told that sugar has a chemical effect on the brain similar to drugs.  It was information that I had no documented proof of, but I was also willing to change.  I'll be honest, sugar was my biggest struggles 9 years ago, but I got back on the no sugar wagon no matter what, and eventually completely stopped craving it or even thinking about it. 
Years ago, I was speaking to a young man about eating sugar, and he too was challenged by this.  Or, should I say, he was really challenged by his mom's homemade cookies.  I asked him to abstain from sugar for one month.  Just one month.  And then, if he wanted to eat mom's cookies to go ahead and eat them.  Well, he took me up on my challenge, and one month later had a bunch of mom's homemade cookies.  He told me that he was really surprised at what happened to him.  He stated that his head felt so dull and he immediately got so tired that he vowed to not do that again, or any sugar.  He got his own proof.

I'm not writing this to convince anyone of anything.  I simply wanted to present the consideration of have a plant based eating lifestyle in a different way, as it was presented to me, from the perception of energy and consciousness.  I have my own personal proof of the efficacy of living a vegan lifestyle, since all of the so-called chronic conditions I was told I would have to live with are no longer an issue for me, nor have they been for years.

What we eat is a choice, and what choices we make can support our body's natural ability to correct (heal) itself, or make it worse.  It's an individual choice and a choice that brings many changes with it as well, because it will mean that you will have to change your lifestyle.  The health benefits, however, are well worth it.  If you're still not sure, watch this documentary:

_If you decide you'd like to make changes, and are on medications, I recommend that you find a doctor who will be sympathetic to your cause, and work with him/her.  Then find someone who will help you create a plant based eating regime, that is created in a way to help you make the transition and help educate you in creating a lifestyle that provides you with all the nutrients your body needs.  Then become the healing presence you want to see in the world.

As I've begun implementing some group sessions to make these opportunities more financially available to people, I have always found the private sessions to be the most profound.  Private sessions really allows both me and the client to have full focus on one intent/goal.  Two energies directed towards one intent/goal is really powerful. 

Groups are a great opportunity to not only experience doing this work, but also makes it affordable.  Working privately, however, really takes it all to the next level.  When working in a group session there are multiple intents, as each person is focused on their own unique journey.  In a private session, the journey becomes singular with two people focused, giving it an added boost.

I am now offering all the group sessions, from the programs to the single sessions as private sessions; for those who really want to focus their intent/goal and have the added boost of twice the energy and intent focused on resolving, removing, releasing, reframing, or re-discovering.  This is why coaching is also such a boost to manifesting ones goals, as there are now two people putting energy and intent into the whole process.

I now offer the following as private sessions/programs:
7 Week Weight Management Program
3 Week Stress Reduction Program
4 Week Healer Heal Thyself Program
Past Life Regression: How you Manifest - the Archetype
Past Life Regression: Accessing the Akashic Records

"Judy treats each session she has with me with great caring. I feel she really wants to help me to get answers that will free me to live a more purposeful and fulfilled life. My questions are answered until I have a clear understanding of what I have experienced. This is all real. Each and everyone of us can access the answers to help us in this life but it's up to you to take the action necessary to make the changes.
Thank goodness for Judy and her innate knowledge to guide and direct us to make these discovery's and access these answers. Allow Judy to show you how you can live your life to the fullest."

Additionally, I'm working on projects that I hope to have completed soon and rolled out some time in February.  I hope you'll join me in a private session or program and experience for yourself how transformative these sessions/programs can be.  Just read all the testimonials!

Ok, so before I begin, let me just own up to the fact that I didn't hold to my own 31 day challenge from a previous post.  I've been going somewhat documentary crazy lately, and I'm glad I did.

Recently, I came across a new documentary called "Vegucated."  It's incredibly educational about the health benefits of becoming a Vegan.  However, it goes beyond this to really describe what a Vegan lifestyle is really all about.  That it's not just about the no animal product eating, it's also about not harming animals and being environmentally responsible as well.  One of the very interesting facts given during the mentioned documentary is the fact that cow, chicken, and pig farming produces more methane into our environment than the use of automobiles and their carbon emissions.....globally.  Wow, that was one fact I was not aware of.   Funny, but apparently true. 

I would really encourage you to view the documentary that can be found at the Coherently Creating Energy Store, under Recommended Viewing.  And if you decide you'd like to make changes, here are some suggestions for the newbie:

1.  Change takes time, so don't be rough on yourself.  Begin by replacing what you eat now, with vegan alternatives.  There are lots of simple recipes available online.  Visit the links page and go to VegWeb for lots of ideas.

2.  Be careful not to make the carbohydrate mistake.  This was my first lesson when I became a vegetarian 9 years ago, and have found others who made the same error.  Sometimes trying to figure out what to eat, and then just going with the easiest food is not the best choice, as this can have consequences, especially for women.  Be sure to do some pre-cooking, or pre-preparation,  when you have a chance to save you from those, "I want something quick" moments.  Eventually, you'll discover all kinds of alternatives.

3.  This one is important for your resolve.  Create a support system.  One of the biggest challenges to making changes to the way we eat means doing so in the midst of family and friends who have not made the same decision.  Do you have to change them?  No, but you do have to find other people who have made the same choice as you to support you on your journey.  Once you've established your own patterns, this all naturally falls into place as you find all kinds of ways to support your new lifestyle, including other vegans.

4.  Be aware of how you feel.  One of the number one comments I hear from students/clients who make the decision to finally transition into a vegan lifestyle are all amazed at how much more energy they have.  Including, not getting that drowsy feeling after eating.
     I would also include here to be aware of how you feel when preparing your own food, with your own energy and intent, versus how you feel when someone else prepares what your eat, or when eating out.

5.  Be patient with your palette.  When you first begin the transition, your palette looks to have things taste the same.  What you'll find happening is that the more you stick to your new lifestyle, your palette will naturally change too.  A lot of the foods you thought you could never live without.....simply won't interest you.  You'll find yourself thinking and feeling, "wow, I really would like some steamed Brussels sprouts," or "I really would like some kale with garlic."  Just be patient as you are not only re-training your body, you're also re-training your mind.

6.  Being Vegan isn't just about food.  It's also about what you wear and use on a daily basis, and deciding to forgo any and all animal products, including personal care items and clothing. Most Vegans, like myself, also won't wear silk or wool.  So, cotton and layers becomes your new best friend.  So yes, shopping for clothes becomes an additional challenge.  But eventually, you'll find what works for you.
     Why not just go for all the synthetics that are available today?  Synthetic materials, such as polyester, actually pulls negative ions from the body.  Negative ions are beneficial to our health. 

7.  Last but not least.....have fun with it all.  View your transition as an adventure in tasting new foods, living life differently and responsibly, meeting others who feel the same way, and improving your health naturally.  Try to look at this whole new adventure as not something that you "have" to give up, but as something you're excited about discovering.  I never even knew what hummus or falafel was until I became a vegan, and you'd be amazed at how quickly you can make your own hummus with lots of variations to please your palette, and it's amazingly simple, fast, and healthy.

Deciding to become a vegan is a big choice, especially where food is concerned, since food tends to drive a lot of our social patterns with family and friends.  When I first was encouraged to make changes, I first became a vegetarian, additionally eating fish, but gave that up 8 months later to a fully vegan lifestyle.  But then, it also took me that long to have others around me that supported that decision, and that made a huge difference for me.  It's been almost 9 years now for my transition, and being vegan is as natural to me as everything else I do.  What I eat, where I go, who I'm with.......none of this is an issue, as it all fell into place naturally as i stuck to my decision.  The same will happen for you.

I sincerely hope you find this helpful.  In a future article, I'll write about how becoming a vegan was presented to me: the why's........from the perspective of physiology, energy, and consciousness.  I'll also be writing about choosing a vegan lifestyle for your animal friends as well, and how one couple were amazed to see healthy changes in their own dogs in only 5 days!  More on that soon.

I've added two new programs that will be available in February.  I'm equally excited to provide both of them, as they are both (pun intended) close to my heart.

Healer Heal Thyself- 4 Week Program:  This 4 week program was created with the intent to support all alternative and health care professionals from Reiki practitioners to nurses to coaches to massage therapists.  If you work with people, then this program is for you.  Working in a profession where you are working with others contains many dynamics of energy and awareness.  These dynamics can cause professionals to feel worn out, tired, and eventually…burned out.

Join me in this rejuvenating 4 week group program that was designed to help you learn how to decrease the depletion of your own energy, how to stay clear and balanced, how to boost your energy, how to utilize guided imagery, and create a lifestyle that supports YOU.  This program combines energy work, inner work, and coaching.

Original Heart Center Self Group Session:  In this day and age, we are constantly being challenged in ways that move us away from being centered in our heart; acting from our heart and speaking from our heart.  Because of this, we find ourselves not speaking in a way that honors how we really feel.  Honoring how we feel, at any given moment, is not about being forceful, but about simply being real and ourselves…….from the heart.  When we can consistently come from our heart, we then respond more authentically to others and to life.

In the tradition of Shamanic knowledge I was trained in, the Original Heart Self is the place where we connect with our Spirit, who and what we truly are.  This space also holds our deepest memories of this life and others, and holds the energetic signature of who and what we are.

Join me in a facilitated group session to help you connect with your Original Heart Center Self to begin accessing who you are, and bring more of YOU into manifestation.

I hope you'll join me in these transformative opportunities!

I happened upon sunflower seed butter when I got tired of paying ridiculous amounts of money for almond butter that contained sugar.  And apparently, necessity really is the mother of invention.  So, one day, I decided to make my own nut butter.  The following is a loose recipe, as you blend to your taste and blender ability.  What you'll need is a good strong electric hand blender (you can see the Energy Store for a recommendation under recommended products) to create this yummy sunflower seed butter.   If you don't have one, you can find the hand blenders at all department stores.

I found this to be so yummy that I made lots for friends to try also.  Everyone has really enjoyed this.  I hope you will too!

What you'll need:
1 Package of sunflower seeds (I prefer roasted as they have a much more nuttier flavor.  I also mix salted with unsalted.)
1 container of sunflower oil
1 deep plastic container (using a hand blender can be messy unless you use a deep container to minimize the splatter)
1 Storage container with lid. (I use the Ziploc twist tops for this)

Simply add about 1 1/2 cups of sunflower seeds to the empty plastic container.  Then add a drizzle of sunflower oil (the blender motor may find it hard to blend this smoothly if there's no oil).  Blend till the seeds and oil are blended to a buttery texture.  Spoon the sunflower butter into the storage container.

You can either stop there, or make another batch and add it to your storage container.  Then simply store in your refrigerator. 

I've been told by friends that they added this to their baked potatoes and it was yummy.  I often make little sunflower seed sandwiches using saltine type crackers.

If you make this for the first, please let me know if you enjoyed it.  Bon Apetit!

One of the biggest challenges I find with students and clients, is the challenge of created inner silence.  One of the reasons for this challenge is the non stop constant attentions with tv, movies, and video.

From the perspective of a Hypnotherapist, I also know that when we watch videos, movies, and tv, we do enter into a hypnotic state.  So, in essence, we are more suggestible during these moments.  Additionally, because our brain does not differentiate between what is real and what is imagined, every emotion, thought, and experience we go through when watching something, is in essence an experience we've had.  These experiences get tucked away in our memory.

For decades now, athletes not only practice physically, but they also practice mentally.  And some research studies showed that those who did practice "mentally, " or imagining they were going through the motions, performed better than those who didn't.  Research also demonstrated that when the brain was being monitored during the "imagined" activities, the brain and body's physiology responded as if it was doing those activities.  That's how powerful our ability to imagine is.

Having said that, I'd like to propose a challenge for whomever would like to join me in this.  I propose, beginning on January 1st, that we turn off our tv's (although I don't personally own one), not watch dvd's or even watch videos on the internet or your phone.  That instead, you commit to one month (31 days) of doing something else with that time/energy.

Before we begin, however, take a few moments to decide on an index.  This index will be the way we measure whether we've experienced any change from committing to this.  We'll begin with an index of 10, with 10 being the maximum level of inner dialogue, dreaming about movies or actors, and over all how we feel.  Therefore, if after 31 days, you feel a significant difference, you would then decide if from a 10 you are now at a 7, 6, 5 or less.  We'll call this the "Well being" index, with 1 being  incredibly well, and 10 being the worst.

If you'd like to join me, please post your commitment in the comment option below.  Then, on February 1st, we'll all return and re-evaluate our "Well being" index.  I sincerely hope you'll join me in this challenge and experience for yourself if there is any difference.  I'm actually going to begin my over index at a 5.  Although, as with most people, this fluctuates from day to day, and sometimes even moment to moment.  Regardless, I'll begin with a 5.

Hoping 2012 finds you all experiencing a greater level of well being and peace.

_ Recently, I watched a four part documentary that had aired on the Discovery Channel called, Medicine Men Go Wild, Healthiest Heart Episode.  In this episode, the two young doctors from England visited a village in Siberia.  A village where they almost entirely eat the local food of walrus, whale, and fish.  The reason they chose to go there was because these particular people were known for having a very low cholesterol problem due to their eating patterns, hence, the healthiest hearts.

I really give these two young men credit as they decide to put the village eating patterns to the test.  They happen to be twins, so one twin decides to eat whatever he wants that is available.  This included the processed foods they can purchase at the local store.  The other twin decides to eat only fish, walrus, and/or whale; just like the locals.

They also went so far as to test the so-called good and bad cholesterol levels of some of the men in the village.  They found that all but one person had low bad cholesterol, and a healthy level of good cholesterol.  Later, when invited to eat with that one person and his family, they discovered that he also ate a good amount of processed foods like cake, hot dogs, and cookies.

The twins held their eating patterns for the 10 days they were at the village.  They took their cholesterol levels before they began and then again after the 10 days.  What they found actually surprised them as practicing doctors.

Although I don’t recall in detail what the results were, what they found was that both of their cholesterol levels had improved.  The reason this surprised them, they said, was because they were trained to accept that cholesterol levels can’t really be altered by how a person eats.  Just 10 days had made a significant change for both of them.  They did also discover that the processed foods were the biggest culprit for the higher cholesterol levels.

I wanted to write about this today as we get prepared to enter into a new year.  Processed foods have really changed the health of many on the planet, but more so the American culture of fast foods.

The above mentioned documentary, and several others, would be a good place to begin considering what you eat and how this affects not only your health, but your energy levels.  If the body has to expend more energy to digest foods that it was not created to digest because they don’t exist in nature, there’s less energy available for other activities.  But this should not be a temporary choice.  It should be a choice to make permanent changes that will facilitate lifelong health and vitality.  This is one of the reasons I do advocate a Vegetarian, Vegan, or Raw Food lifestyle.  I know from personal experience, how I benefitted from making changes.  I sincerely hope you’ll consider making some healthy changes this coming year. 

We all deserve to be vital and healthy……….but it begins with our choices.

Wishing you a vital and healthy 2012.

I've decided to start this blog so those who are interested in site updates, upcoming programs/events, and any other additions/changes to this site, can stay informed by subscribing to the RSS Feed.  This is the easiest way I can come up with to help you stay informed.

Having an email list and/or newsletter is great, but time/energy consuming for me.  This way we'll both benefit by using the RSS Feed option on this blog. 

If you're not familiar with how to subscribe to an RSS Feed, simply click on the RSS Feed at the bottom of the right menu.  You'll be take to a page that will ask you if you want to subscribe.  Click on subscribe and it will add the blog at the top of your browser (unless you have a different set up for RSS Feeds).  Then to check for any blog additions, just click on that feed and it'll give you a list of the latest posts.

Having said all that..........there's lots more in the works.  February's schedule is already being formulated, and much more.  Stay tuned!

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy holiday season!