I am so joyful to be back in the Richmond area offering these high vibrational events this summer! Truly, the fun has just begun. Join me for raw gourmet food prep and raw vegan lifestyle discussions, visionary stewardship and manifesting classes, and a community building raw vegan potluck with drumming, dancing and live music! I'm even offering a special raw immersion day deal for the first six folks who sign up.

You may call or e-mail to register for classes at (804) 243-9909 or laura@rawinspirations.com. Cash, credit card and checks are accepted! I can't wait to have the best summer ever!

Saturday, July 8
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Workshop: Visionary Stewardship for
Planetary Transformation
Become a Cosmic Superhero! Do you want to make an impact for the better for life on earth? Take your life to the next level. Learn how to become a Visionary Steward, using high vibrational, supercharged reality creation techniques to care for your own life, your family and community and your world. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s your innate powers of creation. $25 in advance, $35 at the door. $3 materials fee. Raw Gourmet lunch purchase is additional and optional. You must call or e-mail to register: (804) 243-9909. www.anchorthedream.com laura@anchorthedream.com

Thursday, July 13
6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Raw Gourmet Food Prep Class
Prepare and enjoy an outrageously delicious raw vegan gourmet meal and scrumptious “healthy” dessert with author, healer and raw gourmet chef Laura Fox. Lively raw foods nutritional discussion is part of this fun evening! You must call or e-mail to register, for directions and for your food assignment. $25 plus food assignment.

Saturday, July 15
Raw Food Potluck & Drumming Circle
Free, fun community building event! BRING a bowl of fruit or veggies or a prepared Raw Vegan dish to share. If you need ideas on what to prepare, feel free to call. Please call or e-mail in advance for directions and to let us know how many are attending: (804) 243-9909. www.anchorthedream.com laura@anchorthedream.com

Saturday, July 22
Raw Vegan Lifestyle Discussion &
Raw Gourmet Prep Class
6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Prepare and enjoy an outrageously delicious raw vegan gourmet meal and scrumptious “healthy” dessert with author, healer and raw gourmet chef Laura Fox. Lively raw foods nutritional discussion is part of this fun evening! You must call or e-mail to register, for directions and for your food assignment. $25 plus food assignment.

Saturday, July 29
Spiritual Principles of Manifesting
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Come to class with your list of desires and with your mind, heart and spirit ready to soar with the highest vibrational information available on manifesting the best of the best in your life every day! We’ll explore many of the most powerful techniques and mindsets needed to bring in your manifestations in the most lasting, loving, wholesome and aligned ways. $35 paid in advance, $45 at the door. $3 materials fee. Gourmet raw lunch optional for additional charge.

Saturday, August 5
Raw Immersion Day!
Be one of 6 lucky people to enjoy a full day of fresh, raw gourmet meals, juices, desserts and snacks in a beautiful location! We’ll learn how to prepare yummy foods, get your questions answered about your personal concerns, leverage the best manifesting techniques to align you with your health and dietary goals, and discuss raw veganism. $100 includes instruction, personal questions answered, a yoga class, a mini manifesting workshop, three meals, snacks and desserts. You must call to register and for directions.

Raw Inspirations is a great way to stay healthy, and if you want to lose weight it works for that too. This is better than all diets.

I’ve known Laura forever and she’s always been close to my family, and I trust what she says. When she first mentioned raw I said “Yeah, right, I couldn’t do that,” and I also was wondering, "how do you do that?"

When I thought raw, I thought salad and fruit and didn’t know that anything else could be raw.

Laura was also explaining to me different foods that you can make and how. She also told me what was in it. The raw pizza is my favorite and after the first time I tried it I couldn’t get enough of it. There are many different gourmet meals that taste amazing.

If you don’t like trying different things that sounds weird together (like me), wait until after you eat it to ask the ingredients, or just don’t ask what is in it at all.

After eating all raw I noticed I felt healthier, and I had more energy. I also wasn’t as hungry. Laura explained to me that because you’re eating all raw and you're getting all the proteins you need, you become less hungry. Eating raw is they way to go and I recommend it for everyone.

Laura's Note: I have been having so much fun helping my friends, including Maddy's mom Andrea to make yummy raw goodies like raw pizzas and pies. It's so nice to be building community and sharing health giving information! Thanks, Madison!

Maca is a food. Its designation as an herb imparting specific health benefits is also true, but primarily maca is eaten as a food by people living in a harsh environment where there is little else.

Are there any side effects or interactions? In toxicity studies conducted in the U.S., maca showed absolutely no toxicity and no adverse pharmacological effects. In animal studies, the more maca animals consume, the stronger and more sexually active they become.

Historical or traditional use: Maca's history as a powerful strength and stamina enhancer and libido-fertility herb stretches back well over five hundred years. Maca is a powerful adaptogen, which means it has the ability to balance and stabilize the body's systems. Maca can raise low blood pressure AND lower high blood pressure. Adaptogens also boost immunity and harmonize the body's overall vitality. Rather than addressing a specific symptom, adaptogens are used to improve the overall adaptability of the whole system.

During the height of the Incan Empire, legend has it that Incan warriors would consume maca before entering into battle. This would make them fiercely strong. But after conquering a city the Incan soldiers were prohibited from using maca, to protect the conquered women from their powerful sexual impulses. Thus from as far back as five hundred years ago, maca's reputation for enhancing strength, libido and fertility was already well established in Peru.

Parts used and where grown: Maca is a hardy perennial plant cultivated high in the Andean Mountains at altitudes between 11,000 to 14,000 feet. It grows as a mat-like stem system. Maca leaves grow close to the ground and the plant produces a small self-fertile off-white flower typical to the mustard family, which it belongs to. The part we are interested in, is the pear-like tuberous root of about 8cm in diameter and of a pale-white color. Although it is a perennial, it is reproduced by seeds which require around 7-9 months for harvesting.

Active constituents: Dried maca weighs in at about 60% carbohydrates (starches and sugars), 9% fiber, and slightly more than 10% protein. It has a higher lipid (fat) content than other root crops (2.2%), of which linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid are the primary fatty acids, respectively. Maca is also a rich source of sterols, including sitosterol, campestrol, ergosterol, brassicasterol, and ergostadienol. From a mineral standpoint, maca exceeds both potatoes and carrots in value, and is a good source of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iodine.

Other reported traditional uses: Archeological evidence has been found, that Maca was domesticated over 2000 years ago by the predecessors of the Incas and primitive cultivars of Maca were even found in places dating back to 1600 years before Christ.

For the indigenous inhabitants of the Andes, Maca is a vital and valuable commodity. Because so little grows in this region, Maca is often used for trading against other staple food like beans, rice, corn and sugar. It had been used over the ages for its nutritious and medical advantages. Maca is rich in sugar, proteins, starches and important minerals, especially in iron and iodine.

Maca can be consumed fresh or dried. The fresh roots are considered a treat. Even a fermented drink chicha is prepared in some regions.

Research on Maca: Peruvians claim that maca improves memory, combats anemia, and fights depression. Some researchers note that when the body is well-nourished, libido rises and depression abates; maca's nutrient value could explain some of these purported actions. The root, which tastes like butterscotch when it's roasted like a potato, can also be prepared into jam, broth, puddings, and juices, and contains five times more protein than a potato, four times more fiber, and less fat. It contains linoleic and oleic oils (two types of essential fatty acids) and essential amino acids.

Maca's actions on sexual function are better researched than its effects on mood and memory. One study showed that maca increased fertility in rats. Then came studies of guinea pigs, rams, and cows, each of which corroborated maca's fertility-enhancing effects. For example, maca significantly increased ram semen volume and sperm count.

Researchers consider plant sterols, isothiocyanates, and glucosinolates to be maca's active constituents. The sterols have been shown to reduce cholesterol; this can positively affect erectile response if erection is compromised by artery clogging fats. And the isothiocyanate p-methylbenzyl has been shown to increase fertility in humans. Advance word has it that animal research will soon be published in a major medical journal that identifies maca's secret agents of sexual desire and energy.

The actions of four alkaloids from maca root may also serve to increase animal fertility. One of the researchers heading current studies on maca, Peruvian biologist Gloria Chacon de Popivici, Ph.D., suggests that maca alkaloids act on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis and the adrenals. These areas of the body produce hormones as well as energizing substances like adrenaline. The end result could be an increase in energy, vitality, and virility. Still, no studies of maca itself have been conducted on human sexual response, despite physicians' claims that maca positively affects ovarian function in women, and, as mentioned previously, erectile function in men.

Today maca is becoming increasingly popular in Peru among native and non-native people, and the effects of maca are creating market demand in Japan, Europe and the United States. Maca cultivation is on the increase, a number of government experts and agencies are actively promoting maca agriculture and development, and maca is poised to be a major botanical product on the international herbal scene.

I don't know if you feel the same way I do, but...my feeling is that things are really revving up on planet earth. We are living an adventure that will be shifting and changing and bringing our innermost expressions into manifestation~which is why it's important that we come into mastery of our thoughts, feelings and actions!

The truth within me says, it is really, really important for us to fine-tune our immune systems and become as strong and healthy as we can at this time on the planet. It is really, really important for us to fine tune our vibrational frequencies by releasing old patterns of fear~doubt~judgment~hate~denial so that we can be in harmony with our highest probabilities for a happy life on earth.

While so many changes are taking place worldwide with the environment, the pollution levels, international relations, and inner growth, the best thing we can actually do is stay true to our true nature of joy, living the dream of peace we wish to bring into the world.

While this does not always seem easy, I want to assure you that we have each other, and it's time to come together and build community, support each other in our growth and healing of old patterns, and start to live each day with a passion and love that transforms the old into the new world experiences of our own choosing.

Many things don't seem to touch us directly here in the United States. We have to become really savvy to overcome old habits of self-indulgence and complacency that keep the old paradigm in the driver's seat. Diseases of excess are what we are dealing with here in the West. I have personally suffered from excess food consumption and I feel very honored and joyful that I have been able to heal these issues to the degree I have so far.

It's a good time to collectively and individually do a mental-emotional-physical house cleaning: what people, places, foods, things, experiences, institutions really serve us and our community and children in our lives, and which things don't?

I invite you to look within and really ask yourself these "serious" questions~in a way that feels fun, enlivening and enriching.

Enjoy! And if you like this line of thinking and inner work, you will LOVE the Visionary Stewardship and Reality Creation classes that I'm offering this July. I'll also be doing an Anchor the Dream Workshop at the Raw Spirit Festival. Please see the link below and the calendar if you'd like to attend and get more in depth into this powerful work of finding~aligning with~expressing our highest calling!

Juice the following and amaze yourself at the delectable nature of this healing beverage!

8 carrots
1 peeled lemon
1 small chunk ginger root
1 very small piece of onion
1 large radish
5 collard leaves

Tangy, sumptuous, great for summer rejuvenation and cleansing!

By the way, my favorite juicer right now is the Breville, which is easy to use and easy to clean and inexpensive, which means (1) you'll buy it, (2) you'll use it and (3) you'll clean it.These are three very good reasons to get it if you haven't gotten a juicer already.

Remember, fresh pressed vegetable and fruit juices are instant, highly usable vitamins and minerals for your bod and your health!

At this time of year, I love to find fun ways to use the huge zucchinis that are the bounty of the garden. Here are some ideas on how to enjoy this magnificent "fruit" in it's natural, raw state!

a. SOUP
B. JUICE
c. ZUCCHINI BOATS FILLED WITH DELICIOUS RAW FILLINGS
d. SHREDDED INTO COLESLAWS
e. CHOPPED INTO SALADS
f. MARINATED AND USED AS A TOPPING ON...JUST ABOUT ANY YUMMY ENTREE!

Check out the Zucchini Tapenade recipe in this issue!

Click the bee pic for a quick link to a page all about B-12 for vegetarians.

B Vitamins are needed for many important bodily functions, including good eyesight, skin, hair, nails, red blood cell reproduction, nervous system function, memory and more. It is important, especially as vegans and vegetarians, that we pay attention and make sure we get enough B.

Here are some food sources of Vitamin B.

Some of these are superfoods, which makes them more potent. I'm doing a class on superfoods on July 22nd in Richmond. See the event listing for details!

It's best to get our minerals and vitamins from food sources as these items are more assimilable in the body.

BEE POLLEN AS A SOURCE OF
B-VITAMINS FOR VEGANS
While some vegans prefer not to use bee products because technically a bee is an animal, I personally feel okay about it, especially if it's wildcrafted, as all the bee products I use are. Also, when it comes down to Vitamins B-2 and B-12, there are not many reliable known vegan food sources besides bee pollen. I thank the bees for helping me get enough B so that I can BE at my optimal level of health. I totally understand if you are a vegan don't prefer to use bee products. In that case, your best bet is to use blue green algae or spirulina as food sources of B-12 and B-2, and possibly to use high grade raw vegan supplementation. (I haven't found these yet, but I will keep you posted!)

Hemp Seed and Oil

Bee Pollen

Spirulina, Chlorella, Blue Green Algae

Tocotrienols (raw rice bran)

Brazil Nuts

Olives

I am currently collecting information on the best food sources of Vitamin B. I know that the above are some of the best. Please let me know if you have raw wisdom about more sources of B Vitamins!

This picture is of the lively and vigorous Raw Spirit Festival coordinator Happy Oasis and her friend Aya, dressed appropriately with spirulina face paint. It is a perfect suggestion of the wacky wonderful fun we'll be having at the Raw Spirit Festival!

Won't you join me there? The price is right, the food will be amazing, and I will be presenting an Anchor the Dream Experience. Many other fabulous presenters will be in attendance.

It's going to be sooo much fun!

Try letting this delectable combination sit in the fridge overnight to make it more satisfying!

1 large zucchini, diced into very small pieces
1 onion, chopped fine
2 cloves freshly minced garlic
1 tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)
1 cup cold-pressed organic olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
(if they weren't packed in oil, you might wish to soak them for at least an hour before chopping)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
juice of 2-3 lemons and/or limes
2 large red, yellow or orange peppers, chopped small
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped small
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped fine

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with a lid (preferably). Stir well before sealing. Place in fridge. Every so often, shake the bowl (if it will not spill with it's lid on tight) or stir the contents.

Serve the next day. This would be yummy on top of fresh raw soups, pizzas, nut pates and salads.

DEEElicious!!!

Laura's Note: Water fasting is known to be one of nature's most potent healing allies. I did it for three and half days once, and I felt just great. While not everyone desires to water fast, for those of you that are curious, please know that I am not a medical doctor, and neither Paul nor I are recommending that you water fast. If you are considering a water fast out of your own choosing, it is recommended to see you doctor/health practitioner before doing it. The "wisdom on the street" is that water fasting for periods longer than a day or two must be under direct medical supervision where they can check your liver and other medical considerations, as Paul did. A very strong detoxification results from a water fast, and while people have reported enormously beneficial results, it's best to have competent medical assistance to ensure your safety.

The link to the place where Paul did his waterfast is below and linked to the photo.

For twenty one days I fasted on water only. Yes! I did it. It was an amazing process which I thought I would share with you. The process is completely different for everyone as everyone has different backgrounds and body types. For me it was an experience unlike anything before. I have seen miracles happen both for myself and others. I have learned so much here. Mostly about how I can succeed if I can truly follow nature, step out of the way, and let her do what she does best. The body has infinite wisdom about how to take care of itself. By fasting I give it the best opportunity to conserve its energy and focus it instead on eliminating the toxins that create disease and healing damaged tissues. I feel so fortunate that I was able to go through this process. I know it is the greatest thing I have ever done for myself. I sincerely look forward to observing the ongoing changes in myself after I leave and continue to rebuild my body on the highest nutrients that life has to offer.

My experience here has been excellent. The Tanglewood center was founded and is run by Loren Lockman. Loren’s vast knowledge and sharp insight ring the bells of common sense. My every request was fulfilled and I never felt like I was asking too much. I just could not say enough how impressed I am with everything from the décor to the wonderful interns that work so hard and yet are always happy and helpful. I have never been so pleased.

The surrounding nature makes for the perfect environment to rest. It’s very quite here and most days you never hear a car or modernized machinery running at all. The wildlife is teaming and the air is fresh and clean. I came during the beginning of the rainy season so storms roll through often. They can be fantastically powerful and exiting. Especially when the thunder and lightning hits! I have never heard thunder so deep and roll on in echo for so long. But even still the sun is out shining plenty of times during the day for me to get my daily dose of revitalizing sun light. The best surprise I had was to find that there are very few mosquitoes here. I am still waiting to see a particular large blue winged butterfly that I was told about. Maybe if I wish enough I will get a photo of one.

Once I began the re-feeding process my meals have been like spiritual experiences. They often are so enjoyable that I am laughing with joy. Just when I think this meal is the best ever. a following one is even better. It started with my second papaya meal that left me commenting in my journal that it had been the most enjoyable experience I have had in my life. Then I had a meal of watermelon that was so ripe, so perfect, I was laughing and thanking god the whole time. I said I had never had watermelon that was so good.

But then my next watermelon meal was even better! The fruit here is simple outstanding. Not all of it, but when it’s good and ripe it’s like nothing I have ever tasted – and I have been around some places.

But it’s not just the quality of the fruit. Yesterday I had mango for the first time. There were two varieties on my plate and I could taste the individual flavors so distinctly. Every little nuance was there distinctly and tasting them all was like a beautiful symphony.

Once again it was an experience that somehow managed to top the others. There really are no words to describe how incredible it was. No words to describe the contrast between what I thought was good eating before and what I know now. I never felt so satisfied after eating. Today I had a pineapple meal for lunch. They told me it was going to be a good pineapple and I was ready for it because I was craving it. From the start the smell was magnificent. I spent the whole time in bliss and thinking about how I can move down here to Panama and live in heaven everyday. Having cleansed my body and tongue of cravings for denaturalized foods the experience of eating meals of these ripe tropical fruits here has turned out to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. It’s so simple and yet so powerful – the act of nourishing oneself on gods tree ripened wild organic gifts.

I think the thing that I am most excited about is how I am learning to tune into the signals of my body and follow its advice. If I’m hungry I eat. If it’s not hungry I don’t force it to eat because I have some idea that I need too. If it’s thirsty I drink water – not because I think I need a certain amount. If a food does not taste good to me then I don’t eat it. If I feel full I am not going to overeat just so as to not waste the food. I will no longer eat something that tastes bad to me because science tries to say it’s good for me. I now see that nature has infinite wisdom and knows best. Foods that are good for us taste good – that’s why they taste good. If they taste bad then they are not good for us and the body does not want them – that’s why they taste bad. My body knows what it needs to be happy and all I have to do is listen to it and respond accordingly. Of course I have known this for awhile now but I was never clear enough to hear the little voice amongst the banging that all my classic addictions like bread and chocolate made. Now that I have fasted for 21 days I can practically feel every cell in my body. One of my first meals was cantaloupe melon. As soon as I tasted the first bite in my mouth I knew that my body did not want it. I can feel when my body wants one fruit over another before each meal – and I choose accordingly. Perhaps this is partly why so many of my meals have been such a blissful experience.

I am told that it will be 3 or 4 weeks before I feel the peak benefits of this whole process.

I am also looking forward to seeing how I am able to integrate all this into a city lifestyle. I have learned so much more about life than just fasting and eating. So many new ideas and attitudes about most everything. About new ways of living and embracing life. Right now I am so inspired to see what I can create!

Love,
Paul

Just call or e-mail Laura at (804) 243-9909 or laura@rawinspirations.com.

It may be just the beautiful experience you need to help you meet your dietary, health and wellness goals and help you learn to prepare delicious raw gourmet meals! You deserve it! Cash, check and credit card (PayPal) accepted.

Our Special Price: $200 USD

Purchase Your Raw Immersion Experience Now! Simply enter the quantity of days you want for your Experience in the quantity box. We'll handle the food costs later. | Check it out!