I love this soap! I have been using it for years and it is awesome. The soap is called "Dr. Bronners 18-In-1 Uses Magic Castile Soap". They use organic and certified fair-trade oils and their first soap dates back to 1858 Germany. It is also a family run company, with the 4th and 5th generations of Bronners running it today. It comes in great scents and uses great essential oils. To note:  Dr. Emmanuel H. Bronner created his soap after escaping from an insane asylum. This soap is insanely great! Sales of this soap really took off in the '60's and '70's. To quote Dr. Bronners website : "Young people, primarily members of the counter-culture, come to love the soap with which they could do everything: from washing their VW vans, to cleaning their bell-bottoms, to washing themselves by the nearby lake. They also groove on the label's call to peace and the fact that Dr. Bronner is a real person, not some corporate mascot. Word-of-mouth soon makes Dr. Bronner's the iconic soap of that era." Dr. Bronner moves the bottling and shipping plant to Escondido, CA (North County San Diego) in the 60's. He meets and marries Gladys, his wife until he dies. Jim is now overseeing manufacture of the soap in the Los Angeles facility full-time, and he becomes the Vice President of R&D and Production. I think it's a really cool company with a really interesting story and most of all the soap is awesome. Try it out.

		-

Hello and congratulations once again on completing the first part of your reclamation! To begin, get comfortable next to that bag or box (or bags or boxes if you were extra ambitious) that contain the items in transition. To keep or not to keep, this is the question. This will require some listening...no scratch that---FEELING for the honest answer. To Begin: Designate 5 empty bags or boxes or if you began with a 'junk' drawer, purse or wallet you can use a table with little pieces of paper designating which pile is which. Onto the next exercise. You will be separating your 'transition' box/es or bag/s into the following categories: -REPAIRS (things you KNOW you will need and will repair). Remember that having broken things around will stagnate energy further. -RECYCLING (things you can sell or give to someone who can use them) -RELOCATIONS (things that belong in another room or to another person) -KEEPERS? -TRASH Now, get comfortable once again and get in front of your stuff. If you feel stressed, take a few breaths and get grounded and calm. Get a drink if you need to. Now go through the 'transition' items and put them into their designated piles without thinking too much about it. Go on your first instinct. 9 out of 10 times you will put things into their appropriate pile. Stop right there. Now take a look (without moving any items to a different pile) and see where your stuff is. The pile that will give you the most question, without question will be the 'keepers?' pile. Lets take a look at this. Now, go through each item in the 'keepers?'  pile and ask yourself: -IS THIS REALLY OF USE TO ME? -DO I FEEL ENERGIZED/GOOD/ WHEN I LOOK AT THIS ITEM? -DO I LOVE IT? If you cannot answer 'yes' to at least one of these questions, put it in the 'trash' or 'recycle' pile and move forward. Congratulations once again people! i have to say it because i know what a huge exercise this is and how challenging it can be. The final exercises all deal with moving each category of stuff to its rightful home. I recommend taking a part of  one day and address one box/pile or bag at a time. Give yourself a week to move the items to their new locations. I find if you wait too long that the stuff you've organized will end up sitting and causing more clutter. You have already moved alot of old energy---there is more coming all the time, so lets keep allowing it in. TAKE YOUR REPAIRS TO BE FIXED GIVE YOUR RECYCLING TO A THRIFT STORE OR GIVE THEM TO A NEW OWNER WHO CAN USE THEM PUT THE RELOCATIONS IN THEIR APPROPRIATE AREAS  OR GIVE THEM BACK TO THEIR OWNERS TOSS YOUR TRASH (AHHHHHH) FIND A SWEET HOME FOR ALL YOUR PRECIOUS 'KEEPERS', (no longer with a question mark at the end). You now have the tools to reclaim any space in your life! Come back to these exercises anytime and remember to enjoy the processes. Watch and feel for both the subtle and large shifts that begin to happen in your world. You have started anew!

To allow new energy on any level to move into our lives, we must first move out any energy that isn't serving us. I know..I know.......this is the part of the project we can get stuck on;  figuring out what those things, people, events and issues are. I'm here to help. Remember this too....just taking the time to look at this is an accomplishment! Your on the path already. Clutter and disorganization create mental stagnation and drain energy on all levels. It creates fatigue and keeps you in the past. It can lead to depression and distraction. Energy cannot move freely through a cluttered area, no matter how small or large the area we're talking about. A great way to start is by choosing one space in your life to address first. This can be a closet or drawer if that feels right. You can also begin with your wallet or purse.  These are usually good places to start if you feel hesitant or anxious at the thought of de-cluttering. If you are a little bit more ambitious, you can begin with an actual living space. When you clean up your physical environment first, you'll start to see shifts in other areas of your life as well. Relationships, your physical body, the way you respond to and the way people respond to you will start to change. All because the energy in ONE area has been changed. Yes, even the junk drawer is a start. You only need to begin. I love this fact of life. Its an amazing reality that we don't have to do it all. We only have to BEGIN with ONE aspect, with  attention and intention. The next steps will be presented to us. Watch and see. Lets do this people. Your gonna feel great! So again where are we going to begin? Choose it and let's start right here.  It doesn't matter if its your cubicle, your corner office, your bedroom, kitchen, car, junk drawer, purse or wallet. No rush, no stress...these are both unproductive actions.  Take your time and enjoy the process. You'll start to gain momentum once you have begun. This is the way it works. You'll see. Begin By: -Getting  a trash bag or can to put your trash in and another bag or box for non-trash items. You'll also need a broom, dustpan, dusting cloth and something to clean any glass items with if your addressing an actual living space or closet. -Clear out any trash or garbage and anything you don't want or need anymore---find it and toss it. -Any items that you are not sure what to do with should be put into the non-trash bag or box. These are any items that don't belong in the area you are tending to.  Anything that you don't use on a day to day basis-- any trinkets, knick-knacks, other people's belongings, old business cards, receipts, clothes etc. will also go into this bag or box.  We want to start with a clean slate. We will look at how to address these items next blog. -Anything that is broken and you know you will not repair (be honest with yourself), toss. Broken items symbolize broken energy. Holding onto things that don't work sends a message that you don't trust that more will be available to you. -Dust and sweep the area. Remove any cobwebs, dust-bunnies and grime of any sort. Moths in the wallet must find a new home....there will soon be new energy taking up space in the wallet or purse as well. Clean underneath stationary items as well. We want full flow of energy! -Once you have completed the above, put out the  trash and begin the return process of any items that don't belong to you. Put the items in question off to the side in the space you have just tended to. Re-claiming your space is a process, so lets sit with what we've done. Of course, if you feel inclined to toss more items that you decide you don't need, do it! Most items hold memories and emotions and are sometimes difficult to part with. In the next blog we will look at addressing how to weed out what is useful to us and what is not. Congratulations! You have begun moving the old and welcoming the new. Treat yourself to a nice beverage and relax into what you have accomplished. You'll notice the change of flow immediately. Enjoy it and maintain the level of cleanliness in the space. Talk soon for part 2..

To keep energy up in a healthy way, brew a pot of Yerba Mate (pronounced ma-tay) tea and pour it into a to-go container over ice and  take it with you to sip on throughout the day for a healthy 'buzz'. Sorry coffee lovers (im one too), but we cannot healthfully sip on java all day. Its acidic qualities, heavy metal contents and high dosage of caffeine leave it a poor choice as a source for sustainable energy. Some of the beautiful benefits of Yerba Mate are that it's sustainably grown in the rainforests of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. It stimulates focus and clarity, improves physical energy and contains antioxidants and naturally occurring caffeine. It is fairly traded and organic(yeah!). Its non-acidic makeup and moderate caffeine content makes it a healthier choice than even black or green tea. Yerba Mate is known  as the worlds most nutritious stimulant. No jittery buzz...just a stable, continuous energy. Add soy milk, rice milk or regular milk and you've got yourself a 'mate latte'. You can make the hot version in the winter and ice it for the Summer months. Add honey, agave, cane sugar or keep it sugar free. Pretty much any way you make it is awesome! You can find Guayaki  Yerba Mate at any health food store, though if you have a Trader Joes, they have the best price on this awesome tea. See www.guayaki.com to order online and to get more info on one of natures best products.

Get a massage once a month. Oh, you already do....... Great then. You should know that you are helping to tonify your muscles and skin, move and stimulate your blood and lymph flow, and calm your nervous system. and hey, dont forget that it just flat out feels good. thats a good thing.

Detach from the computer and any electronics at least one hour before you anticipate going to bed. This gives your body a chance to decompress from the concentrated electromagnetic energy and align itself for a more restful sleep. Night night.

Before your commute to work, take a minute to sit quitely... either in your car, on your couch or in the bathroom if thats the only quite place you can find. Take this time to set an intent for the day. It can be as simple as that you intend for the day to unfold smoothly or as specific as a healing wish for someone who is not well. This will help you to focus your energy and feel more alligned with the day ahead.

Take your time when eating. Chew each bite fully before swallowing, and dont take another until the one you’ve eaten is swallowed. Sip a little water if you need to during your meal, though liquids should be saved for before a meal or at least 15 minutes after a meal. This aids digestion by keeping the digestive “fire” burning. You'll feel less bloated, less sleepy and will eat less food.

its all about you. no really it is. any issue you are having with another person can only be shifted when you shift. its not logical for us to want to change another so we can feel better, but sometimes we do it anyway. a way to remedy this issue is by expecting.....literally expecting.. the best from those who irritate and bother us. see the thing in them that you like and hold on to it. find the thing that you 'get' and focus on it. it will proliferate. this is one of the ways i get to lovin' on my life if i werent previously doing alot a lovin' on my life.