Hi everyone,

The Ritual: To begin, let me start by introducing myself and tell you about my name. A few months ago, my friend and I decided to create a "ritual" to celebrate life and give thanks to Mother Earth. Since this was our first ritual, we chose to celebrate it on the day of the Summer Solstice. Having no clue on how to exactly perform such a celebration, we agreed to follow our intuition and include a few natural elements. Thus, we gathered our favorite crystals, two wooden bowls filled with water, and some incense. After performing a guided relaxation, we took turns and placed one crystal at a time in the wooden bowls, invoquing a new quality. Once both bowls were filled with the crystals, we placed them aside for a few hours in order to let the water impregnate itself with the vibrations of the crystals. In the meantime, we both chose a new name. The purpose of choosing a new name was for it to represent the new person we were about to become. I chose "Leelah" which for me symbolizes dancing with life. Hence, the purpose of this exercise was for me to embrace life more fully, enjoy each second and learn to let go. Finally, to close the ritual, we each drank the crystal water. The reason I decided to share this ritual with you is because I believe that on that special day, a profound change began. There are no coincidences...something did happen and my wishes are slowly being exhausted.

Dancing with Life: What does "dancing with life" mean to me? Well, I think it means becoming one with nature, letting go of the sense of separateness and feeling once again the joy and energy of childhood. Not being so serious anymore and just enjoying the journey. As a doctoral student in clinical psychology, I tend to experience a constant stress due to the pressure of exams and a need for perfection. Up until recently, all I could think of was getting to the end of this loooong program...but, on the way, I have learnt that it is not the destination that matters but the journey (Peaceful Warrior). So, I now try to enjoy the ride...and take time with my dog at the park on the water, listening to the waves on the shore and the wind in the palm trees. Yes, I live in the tropics :) Well, two and a half months ago, a friend of mine gave me a flyer he had "found" in the natural foods store. This flyer was from a Raw Chef Caterer who offered to deliver prepared raw vegan meals.

The Seed Had Been Planted: Years ago, I had read a book on raw foods and was very excited about it. I discussed it with my best friend, trying to convince her to adopt healthier eating habits...but, she gently laughed, responding that she was fine. Maybe a year after our conversation and just before her 30th birthday, her father suddenly passed away. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she responded: "I don't want to loose anybody anymore. Once I'm gone, then I won't care anymore". Shortly after that, she began complaining of back pains. After several tests and wrong diagnoses, the doctors finally concluded that she had cancer. Within two and a half months, she passed away in August 2001.

Asia: The death of my best friend was a great lesson. From then on, I decided to take my health into my own hands and educate myself. Years before that, I used to regularly consult naturopaths and rely on them to fix me. Well, in 1998, I traveled for 13 months throughout Asia and while I was there, I did get sick quite a few times. No one to run to anymore...until I learnt a good lesson. Someone I met in Dharamsala (India) gave me Reiki. It really helped get my energy back and made me feel much better. So, I asked for more. Well, he said no and that it was time for me to learn to heal myself. At first, I was not very motivated and had never before felt the need to learn healing techniques. But, because of this person's insistence, I signed up for my first Reiki course. It was amazing and transformed me! After that, I went for a few more courses and practiced a lot on fellow travelers. This was my first step into a bright new direction. The direction of self discovery and empowerment! The beginning of my journey to health.

Moving to the US: When my best friend passed away, I wasn't eating raw but had been a vegetarian since my teenage years. Shortly after her death, I moved to the States and ended up going back to school. I was a bit upset by the fact that no one seemed to follow my dietary recommendations and did not take nutrition or health seriously. Once I settled into my new home, I discovered health food shops bigger than I had ever seen before. This was almost paradise!!! All this healthy, organic food :) Slowly, I switched to a purely vegetarian and organic diet and cut down on dairy. From then on, I stopped getting colds...but the energy was still not great. My weight was stable, but I was stuffing myself with "gluten free" chips and cookies, organic chocolate and pizza...not even aware I was on a purely processed "organic" diet!!!

The beginning of my new journey: On the day my friend handed me that flyer, I contacted the Raw Vegan Chef and ordered my first meals. This time, I had no more excuses: raw vegan food at my doorstep! The reason I had not done it earlier was that after a few days of eating salads, I just got bored. I had no idea of all the Yummy raw foods and recipes available out there. This was on September 03 2007.

My experience with raw food and detox: I am happy to report that I have been 100% raw for 2.5 months!!! I have sooo much to share about this experience...