An Unexpected Happiness Boost

One of the things that I’ve toyed with is going vegetarian to reduce my environmental footprint, but rational arguments aren't always strong enough for us to give up something we love. And my favourite foods are veggies, salads, steaks and cheeseburgers. The compassion plea might be stronger.  If we think about how animals are kept in factories, it is worth it to choose free-range beef and chicken. Let's say the animal had a humane life and we believe in the food chain (animals eat each other in the wild); there is nothing morally wrong with eating animals. Moderation is healthy too. 

Then three months ago I went on a heart healing workshop where we connected with our Higher Selves and with teacher guides such as Buddha or Quan Yin. It sounds like science fiction, but we can all learn to receive their messages and guidance if we meditate with this in mind. Beyond a certain level, the messages that come through are meant to help us and these highest level guides never ask for anything in return. My Reiki Teacher calls it the Third Heaven level where all we encounter is compassion; no duality, no give and take, no agendas. The messages are about helping you.

The message that I received from a spiritual being that shone like a thousand suns, was that going vegetarian would make me happier, as I wouldn't be eating certain emotions. It made me think about it…

I'm Testing Vegetarian Waters 

This was in March. Two weeks ago I finally thought I would go cold turkey for a month. I love meat - I really do - so in the long term my plan is to become a weekday vegetarian and eat burgers and hot wings on weekends. Tacos too - it's really hard to be Mexican and live in Mexico and never eat a taco again (although my favourite taqueria has a vegetarian menu). I went to a nutritionist to get tips on how to substitute protein, iron, B12 and all of the others nutrients that we get from meat. Two weeks have gone by. I had a spoonful of ceviche the first week, and chicken enchiladas on Wednesday, but otherwise no meat products. 

 

And guess what? I have never been happier. It took like 10 days for my mood to adjust and another few for me to notice. But I feel like my Aura is full of light, my mind is clearer and my Solar Plexus Chakra is radiating. Nothing has changed in my life - actually, there are a few things that make it less than perfect. But I am happy for no reason, except for the biological one ... 

Science On Vegetarian Happiness 

Yesterday I was thinking about how I feel so much happier and was there a scientific reason for it? I googled "happy after 2 weeks as a vegetarian" and came across a clinical study that looks at the acids in animal meat and the effect they have on the brain. This particular acid is called Arachidonic - our body needs it to function properly, but if we have too much, the studies show a correlation between depression and animal consumption. The trials run with meat eaters showed that after just 2 weeks on a vegetarian diet, people who previously ate meat were happier. 

So I had no idea about this before I started - other than my intuition telling me that I would be happier as a vegetarian. The archangels have told me repeatedly that our personal ability to channel miracles into the world depends on how happy we are - but also, that if we are super unhappy they can help us with a bit of divine intervention. Thank God for that, literally. 

 

I would never presume to tell anyone to become vegetarian. But if we can't bring ourselves do it for environmental reasons or out of compassion (I couldn't manage it despite those reasons), test it for your own happiness. Just for two weeks to see how you feel, and if you are happier, think about adding a few meat-eating days so that you are able to benefit from the mental uplift as well as your favourite dishes. At this point I don't know if I will stick with it forever but I am loving the happiness boost. When this month is over I might choose the weekday vegetarian plan as that gives us freedom to eat anything on Saturdays and Sundays - then again I may run with it and go vegetarian 99% of the time. The main benefit is happiness; for me, for the animals and the planet. 

Vegetable Protein Sources

Knowing what to eat is the biggest challenge and to be honest, I didn't stock up on protein alternatives so by the end of the first week I was feeling tired. Plus my favorite workout is spinning á la SoulCycle, so I had to up my protein game. I have been relying on a few ingredients and I'm actively looking for more. The tiredness went away with these: 

• Fage Greek Yogurts have 20 grams of protein in one pot, which is almost half of what I need in a day (at 63Kilos) - amazing. 
• Feta, Goats Cheese, unsweetened peanut butter are good too. 
• Pastas made from Lentil, Garbanzo have 8-10 grams. 
• The Veggie Protein Shakes at GNC are great. 
• Lots and lots of greens like Spinach etc
• Lentils, beans, garbanzos, nuts and seeds.
• Quinoa is a famous protein grain but I am really loving another one called Freekeh that is very filling and has lots of protein. 
• Eggs for breakfast are wonderful. 

My nutritionist suggested switching my carb intake to bread, rice and pasta that take longer to digest. Some carbs give us more energy - and I have to include the right type of carbs, protein and fat in every single meal or snack. The only thing that's been cut are pastries, candy and sweets (or fruit after 2pm as it disrupts digestion). The bread that I am eating is called Ezequiel or Centeno in Spanish; the rice is usually wild or a bit harder, no white or processed carbs for me.  

The Bigger Picture 

We get a lot of nutrients from meat, chicken and fish - not just protein. Iron, B12 and other minerals need to be substituted as well. I am no expert on this - clearly I’m just starting out. But the past weeks have seen such a HUGE SHIFT IN MY HAPPINESS that I anticipate being mostly vegetarian for a long time. How many of us would love to feel a little bit happier. If a plant-based diet does it for you, going vegetarian is a pleasure, not a sacrifice.

There are plenty of rational reasons to not eat meat and you will find them in this 4 Minute TedTalk on being a Weekday Vegetarian. But we humans aren't entirely rational - so many of our decisions are made emotionally. So do it for yourself - for your happiness, and if you feel a difference it will be very easy 😇

Why I'm a Weekday Veg (TedTalk)

I hope you enjoyed this post and please don't unsubscribe - we will go back to energy healing and intuition posts next week. And if you'd like to give this a go - see a nutritionist. The last thing you need is to miss out on nutrients and think that being a part-time vegetarian is exhausting, when it just requires planning and knowledge. And of course, every physical body is different, please pay attention to what you need. 

One last plus to going vegetarian, you usually have room for dessert!

Reiki hugs, 

Regina 

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PLUG & PLANT: The Smart Vertical Garden

Last year I shared a fantastic TedX Talk by Fernando Ortiz of VertialGreen. Fernando starts his talk by googling "Paradise" to show us what comes up: pristine nature scenes. It's mindboggling to think that we had paradise and then developed it away. This fantastic company is dedicated to bringing nature back into our lives and making us more conscious of how vital nature is to our survival. Unfortunately this project didn't meet the Kidckstarter goal, but you can the visionaries here: www.verdevertical.com.mx/eng/index.html! 

PLUG & PLANT: The Smart Vertical Garden - Allows anyone to grow plants anywhere; it’s the easiest way to integrate nature into your everyday life. Allows Users To Plug In 12+ Plants, Water Once A Month, and Watch It Grow. 

New York, New York September 9, 2015. Vertical Green, LLC is announcing the launch of Plug & Plant, the all-in-one planting system with a modular design that lets you interconnect its components to transform any space into a natural ecosystem. Simply plug plants into a panel and watch them grow. The Plug & Plant comes with five parts - panel, plugs, smart sensor, smart water tank, and canal. Users simply hang the panel on a sunny wall and place 12 plugs into each panel. Each plug contains the seeds and nutrients needed to make the plant grow, then accesses water from the smart water tank through a smart bio-foam. The Plug & Plant smart sensor continuously measures the environmental factors - including temperature, light conditions and the moisture of the smart bio foam - sending an alert to the user’s accompanying app with instructions on how to care for their plants. Users need only fill the smart water tank once a month as it supplies the plants with the exact amount of water needed through a dripping system; it only takes 10 minutes per month. Finally, the canal is placed in the lower part of the panel to catch all excess water, recycle that water, and keep your Plug & Plant system clean and dry.

We created Plug & Plant for those who love nature but don’t have the means to enjoy it. It’s a practical and beautiful way to get in touch with nature.” Fernando Ortiz, CEO

Available Plants. Vertical Green 
will initially offer more than 30 different types of plants for Plug & Plant.
 These will include culinary species such as lettuce and
tomatoes, decorative flowers and other colorful plants,
 and even plants with medicinal purposes like chamomile and thyme.

Here are Plug & Plant's Awesome Features:

SMART: PLUG & PLANT is a smart vertical garden because its innovative sensor measures the humidity of the bio-foam, room temperature and the amount of light received. 

INTERLOCKING: Thanks to its geometry, PLUG & PLANT achieves a 100% modular system which allows you to easily connect the panels horizontally and vertically
.

SOCIAL: The PLUG & PLANT APP makes it easy for you to share the status of your plants on social media and establish relationships with PLUG & PLANTERS near you 


AUTOMATED WATERING SYSTEM: the PLUG & PLANT SMART WATER TANK is in charge of maintaining your plants with water for up to 30 days. 


DISPOSABLE PLUGS: You can choose between more than 30 different species of PLUGS to make a culinary, decorative or medicinal smart vertical garden. Each PLUG contains high quality seeds that start to grow in the SMART-BIO-FOAM as soon as the PLUGS are connected to the panel. The plants continue growing until their roots also connect to the panel, enabling them to achieve optimal growth. 


EASY-TO-INSTALL: Installing your PLUG & PLANT is so easy that any person can do it, you just need a flat vertical surface with lighting and 10 minutes to install it. 


UNLIMITED GROWTH: The hydroponic growth technology of the PLUG & PLANT allows the seeds of the pre-seeded PLUGS to grow rapidly and without restrictions, thanks to our SMART- BIO-FOAM that connects to the panel 


AESTHETIC DESIGN: The PLUG & PLANT is designed with a clean and neutral aesthetic that allows any user to easily incorporate it in diverse spaces. 


CLEAN AND SUSTAINABLE: 100% biodegradable SMART-BIO-FOAM which allows the plants roots to develop the same way as they would in soil, without the soil. 


VERSATILE: The PLUG & PLANT is designed to adapt to your needs. That’s why its modular system allows your smart vertical garden to be as large or small as you wish. 


Unfortuantely this project was cancelled; it didn't meet the goal. You can contact the creators here (LINK)

Here's a video to get you started!

(Pixels courtesy of my mischievous computer)

***

Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition. 

Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Youtube

> Español: @AngelMedium33

Pope Francis Speaks up for the Environment

When I was a kid, our local church was on a hill near the ocean. The wall behind the altar was made of glass and through it we could see the sky, the trees, and birds, squirrels or even dogs running by. We were in nature without being exposed to the elements. Every Sunday I tuned out the priest (oops!) and took in the view instead. I don't know if I believe creationism but if I did, it would make more sense to meditate and pray in nature. I find that my intuition is louder when I'm sitting in a park, and energetically it also becomes very clear that we are all part of one living breathing ecosystem. 

Somehow we've lost sight of the fact that hurting the planet ultimately hurts us as much as it hurts the environment. This is why I was thrilled to read Pope Francis' Environmental Encyclical last week, an  open letter imploring all of us to take better care of the planet. He starts by referencing St Francis of Assisi, whose name he took, as a prime example of  respect for non-human lifeforms. Pope Francis also condemns the view that we own the Earth and have the right to pillage it's resources. We've been doing it for centuries without any thought for the consequences, which he also lays out:

Climate Change and Pollution: Here he highlights the damage that fossil fuels are doing to the environment and calls on our governments to look for other, sustainable sources that won't wreak havoc on the climate. He also mentions environmental toxins that make people sick and all of the trash that our society creates (though population control isn't mentioned). I think this point has to be tackled at a macroeconomic level although I wouldn't underestimate the voice of the public. It's a shared responsibility we all have, especially when we consider our consumption habits and "brand" loyalties. 

The Water Crisis: This is a hard one to wrap your head around, if you think that 70% of the surface area on the earth is water. Fresh drinking water can be hard to come by in some parts of the world, putting human survival at risk and also increasing the cost of our food supply. Also, growing up in California we were constantly told to be mindful of our water consumption because of the droughts. I learned to appreciate rain so much that living in drizzly London for five years felt like a dream.

Loss of Biodiversity: I'm a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio's Facebook Page, and even though I love his movies, it's the environmental posts that grabbed my attention. Elephants are in danger of extinction because of the illegal ivory trade, and a lot of that ivory finds it's way to the US through legal misdirection. We know and love elephants so we're moved to action, but as Pope Francis points out in his encyclical, there are plant and animal species that we're not even aware of, and they are likely being wiped out by commercial developments that affect our rainforests and oceans. We don't really know what the implications will be or how it will affect that "global equilibrium"  

Quality of Life: Our social structures are also affected when we deplete the earth's resources and build cities that grow into the tens of millions of residents without proper planning for water, transportation, clean air and waste management (especially common in developing nations).  I can attest to this as my hometown has more than 20 million inhabitants and being near one of the few parks is a huge privilege. We need fewer cars on the streets and better urban planning when it comes to new developments. Not being able to drink water without boiling it is also a hassle, so we buy twenty-gallon jugs instead. 

I don't know enough about sustainability but I'm keen to learn. So far Netflix and blogs have been my main source of inspiration. There's a great Ted Talk where the speaker starts by Googling "paradise" and he comes up with pristine nature scenes. There's a reason so many of us crave holidays on a remote beach or in the mountains. We have (or had) that, but our way of life is pushing that paradise further and further away. Spending time in nature can also be healing on so many levels and we are shooting ourselves in the foot by trampling our surroundings and pretending that nothing is wrong. 

***

Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition. 

Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Youtube

> Español: @AngelMedium33

Archangel Sandalphon: Nature, Music and Prayers

My latest class at The College of Psychic Studies is proving to be more fun than I expected, which says a lot because I have always loved angel intuition. This term we are preparing to give readings from stage (I am slightly terrified about giving readings in the auditorium next month...). 

We also get to prepare lectures for class, and today it was my turn to introduce Archangel Sandalphon, the Angel of Nature, Music and Prayer. Like Metatron, Sandy is one of two angels who is said to have had a human existence. That incarnation is now so ancient that he's transcended the identity of "Elijah" and would rather we connect with his energy as it is now. 

Archangel Sandalphon is known as the Guardian of Earth. He is associated with the lowermost realm on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, which corresponds to the physical world and the form spirit takes whether its a tree or a human being. For the same reason is connected to Nature and we can work with Sandalphon to increase our awareness of spirit around us from a “oneness” point of view, but also the distinctive characteristics that can be found in particular herbs, plants, or people. We are carved from the same stone, but with unique functions.

Sandalphon also suggests that we use Nature as a gateway to connect with the Divine. We are that much closer to it. He can also help us embrace a grounded approach to spirituality so that we feel safe and loved in the world, we enjoy it while being aware of our spiritual nature and power. We can strengthen our connection to Nature and to Archangel Sandalphon through the Earth Star Chakra, located beneath our feet in the ground.

Sandy is said to be the prayer courier, taking our requests up to Heaven where they'll be taken care of. He can help us ground our energy and clear our mindfs so that we are able to hear the response, especially if the answer comes as intuitive guidance.  Read: 7 Ways to Make your Guardian Angel's Job Easier, via OM Times. The suggestions work with all angels =) 

The Angel of Music (and Nature)

Archangel Sandalphon is said to be the Patron of Music and initially, I was very curious about the connection between Music and Nature. A few months ago I attended a workshop on manifesting and creating with your Heart Chakra, and one piece of information made a huge impression. Musical notes are mathematically aligned with Nature through the ancestry of the male bee, and we can see it on a piano's white and black keys... 

This is how it works: a queen bee can give birth to a male bee all by herself, but to have a female babe bee, she needs a partner. As a result, male bees have only a mother whereas female bees have a mother and a father (weird, huh?) If we take a male bee and draw his family tree, the male to female ratio of the seventh generation mirrors the ratio of black (male) to white (female) keys on on a piano, considering one set of DO-RE-MI-FA-SO-LA-TI. Not only that, but the number of bees in each consecutive generation reflects the Fibonacci Sequence, a mathematical pattern that can be found over and over again in Nature (seashells, flowers, bees), referred to as God's Fingerprint. 

Finally, we also have seven Chakras, each resonating with a different note on the musical scale: DO for the Root Chakra, RE for the Sacral and so on. We can balance, heal and free our energy by listening to tunes that hit these notes. One of my blogger friends laughed when I mentioned this, because in theory, when we listen to classical music our chakras enjoy it more than we do LOL. I believe that art, music and emotions and are the language that the soul uses to talk to us, and we have the bees/maths to prove it too =) 

The Bees and Musical Keys 🐝🐝🐝 

 > SEE HERE FOR A DIAGRAM

The real message was not about Fibonacci numbers or musical notes, but about the world's bee population, and Archangel Sandalphon was crystal clear on this point: bees are vital to our survival on this planet. They are responsible for cross pollinating most of the fruits and vegetables we eat. And yet, they are also dying off in alarming rates thanks to our negative influence on the planet. I find that the more we connect with Nature intuitively, the louder the message becomes whether it is saving the oceans or the bees and ultimately ourselves. 

Prayers and Special Requests

When I first connected with him, Archangel Sandalphon used the example of a waiter in a restaurant to explain his role. Sandy goes round each of the tables taking down orders and relaying them to the kitchen, though he can also give us a little guidance on what we might enjoy most. Let's say you want a new job and you're looking at the career section of the menu. We can ask him about a particular dish (an accounting job that we applied for) and Sandy can tell us "yes that's delicious" or maybe, he'll suggest that it's not worth the price - putting in weekends, added stress and possibly heart trouble. He can draw our attention to another option, which could be appetizing as well, though ultimately we rely on our intuition, our personal affinities and our cravings to choose it.

We will also have a better time it if we take the time to dialogue with our angels, instead of being distracted by modern life and the gadgets at our disposal. Let's switch off our phones and think about what we would like to order. There may be moments when we are sad or down and don't feel like eating, at these moments he suggests physical exercise to get our blood pumping again.

Another approach would be to specify what we crave emotionally, leaving it up to the cooks to send us the perfect dish. We can also personalize our requests but keep in mind that some dishes take longer to cook. If salmon isn't available, Sandalphon will be on hand to suggest alternatives. The more attention we pay to the waiter, the clearer our options and smoother the delivery. 

Archangel Sandalphon Meditation

 

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Reiki hugs, Regina