Don't eat me. I love you!

Instead of eating a turkey this year for Thanksgiving, why not adopt one!!! For more info, visit here: http://www.adoptaturkey.org/aat/adopt/

From the Farm Sanctuary Website:

Factory Farming
Packed by the thousands inside huge, factory farm warehouses, female turkeys raised for slaughter in the U.S. are typically allotted one square foot of space per bird, while toms are given little more than two square-feet, according to the National Turkey Federation’s guidelines. The overcrowded birds, who are unable to comfortably move, or exhibit natural behaviors, are driven to excessive pecking and fighting. Rather than alter the birds’ living space to prevent these injurious behaviors, producers cut off the ends of the turkeys’ beaks and toes, practices know as debeaking and detoeing. These painful mutilations are performed without anesthesia and can result in excessive bleeding, infections and death.

Asking the Right Questions: How our language affects our experience!

Last night I watched a powerful presentation about using our language to create our experience. The law of attraction has been in the spotlight for the past few years due to "The Secret", and the deeper we understand this law, the more we understand our own power. It all begins with our thoughts and our language. We cannot control every thought we have, but we can control what comes out of our mouth. If we are always talking about what isn't working in our life, we will continue to attract situations that match this declaration. "I hate my job. No one appreciates me. I am so disorganized." Now, we may have these thoughts...but we can make a powerful choice before we speak them into our world. We can choose to observe the thoughts, and then let them pass. Further, we can replace the thoughts, or declare afterwards (in our minds), "I love my job. I am appreciated. I am organized." Now, when we replace these thoughts with the opposite, or positive, we might also be thinking "ya, right." So we can take it a step further and find something to be grateful for. So if we are unhappy in our jobs, we can think about some positive aspects about the job, or something to be grateful for. If we are feeling unappreciated, we can think about times in our lives when we did feel appreciated. We can think about times when we felt appreciative of ourselves, our gifts, our talents. If we feel the need to be more organized, we think about when we were organized and how that felt. We go to those feelings and breathe into them.

From here, we get to ask questions! These questions can be used as mantras or affirmations in our every day lives. Now, our questions are positive ones. Think about the differences between these questions:

1. "How can I stop being such a slob?" vs. "How can I bring more organization and order into my life?"
2. "Why don't people appreciate me?" vs. "How can I bring the experience of appreciation into my existence on a more regular basis?" OR "How can I bring the experience of self-appreciation more into my life?"
3. "Why does my job suck?" vs. "How can I bring the qualities of peace, joy, and happiness into my existence more at work, so that I can inspire these qualities to come forth in the people I work with, my clients, etc ?"

Our question are powerful and positive ones. For me, the question is "How can I serve more people through music and dance?"

If there is a quality or thing that you want to experience, use "more of" in front of that quality/thing. For example, if you ask the question, "How can I be organized?" This suggests that you are not organized in the first place. If you ask the question, "How can I be more organized?", this states that you already are organzied, but want to be more so. Your words are POWERFUL! We are made up of energy and our thoughts are energy. Pay more attention to your thoughts and language. What are you talking about with your friends? Do you complain? Gossip? Or do you speak your vision, your affirmations, your powerful questions into your existence? You can begin now to do this. My questions are going in my car to remind me of the importance of my language and the power that I have to create my experience.

What are your questions?

West African Dance in Ventura! Join us!

Calling all lovers of Rhythm and Dance! Join us for our very special West African dance workshop at the Ventura Nia Center this Saturday. Come one, come all!!

Finding Home, Finding Myself -- The Agape International Spiritual Center

I have so much brewing inside of me these days that I must share a BIG BIG BIG part of the inspiration for my work and my life in general. I have been attending Sunday services at the Agape International Spiritual Center for a few years now. Commuting from Santa Barbara is no longer an issue for me, as my heart and soul are pulled to this place and its vibrant, loving, diverse and open community. Michael Beckwith captured my attention when one of my dearest friends shared the movie "The Secret" with me a few years back. His message and the energy that is carried along with it shot straight into me like a bolt of lightning. Before my first time at Agape, I discovered the Center of the Heart Spiritual Center in my own neighborhood. I was so excited to find a small and beautiful community so close to home! However, once I walked up to Agape for the first time, I felt like I was home. People dressed in brilliant colors, smiling, hugging and greeting each other, greeting me in this way - like they'd known me for years. A real family; a true community -- open, accepting, and generous -- the way the world can really be!

Experiencing Michael's message in person for the first time was similar to the first time I saw him on "The Secret", but the electric bolt that shot through me was about 500% stronger. When he speaks to his congregation (or channels, rather), you feel that he is sitting down with you and talking to only you -- except you are not alone! This is the most magical part. Everyone in the congregation is feeling this electricity and sharing it with you. It is a beautiful thing. And the music...oh my HEAVENS the music!! Rickie Byars Beckwith is a musical angel genius! Her choir creates the most powerful sounds I have ever heard, and the musical guests at Agape blow me away every time. Gospel and Soul and Jazz and Rock and music from around the world...without any dogma or fear or negativity. All for inspiration, healing, LOVE...all for joy!!!
I have been to Agape about a half a dozen times or so since that first experience a few years back, and have recently made a commitment to myself to attend services at least 1-2 times per month. This is my gift to me. But it is more than a gift. It is my job -- to take care of myself and regularly become infused with the enthusiasm, joy, abundance, beauty, and incredible soulfulness that Agape gives me. The bigger job for me now is to realize that I have all of these qualities inside of me already...that I don't necessarily need this place or these people to depend on for my spiritual "fix"! My life IS joy, abundance, beauty, enthusiasm and soulfulness and I can access this anytime and all the time! This beautiful place just reminds me of who I really am. I am so grateful to live as close as I do to this magnificent center, and so grateful to be in the presence of such people, and to realize that I am a part of it all. And the drive has become a peaceful and joyful experience for me and for those I bring down to the center...everything is JOYFUL when I am really able to understand the way life is! Thank you for listening, and pass on the good news if you feel so inspired...

"I believe that you're great. that there's something magnificent about you. Regardless of what has happened to you in your life, regardless of how young or how old you think you might be, the moment you begin to think properly, this something that is within you, this power within you that's greater than the world, it will begin to emerge. It will take over your life. It will feed you, it will clothe you, it will guide you, protect you, direct you, sustain your very existence. If you let it! Now that is what I know for sure."
~ Michael Bernard Beckwith

www.agapelive.com

With love and deep gratitude,
Lisa

Camp Fareta 2009 Slideshow

I posted this on facebook last weekend and wanted to repost here. Music is by the one and only Budhi Harlow, on his "Konkoba: Dance of the Forest" cd! Enjoy. I don't have pics of all of the fabulous teachers and classes at camp, but this represents some of the incredible classes offered. Plus some fun and funny moments with SB/Ventura crew and new friends...

Camp Fareta 2009

I was honored to bring 16 folks (including myself) to Camp Fareta this year. There were 7 of us in our SB/Ventura cabin (plus one), Patrice in her camper, and two families in another cabin. From beginning to end, camp for me this year was inspiring, challenging, revealing, and so meaningful. To share this world with my dancers was a dream come true. To see their smiles, hear their stories, and share in their joy and sweat (lots of it) gave me a feeling like none other. I had many moments of feeling that there was no other place on earth I would rather be...that I was exactly where I needed to be, doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

Camp Fareta is a magical place. It is created by a wonderful group of people, made up of dancers, drummers, visionaries, artists, etc., who want to share the incredible world of West African drum and dance with folks who come from all backgrounds and skill levels. The beginning classes were fun, playful, and challenging; the advanced classes pushed me beyond where I thought possible and gave me a sense of wonder, humility, and satisfaction. I connected with so many, and felt a kinship and bond with the Camp Fareta crew that will stay with me for a long time. At night around the campfire, many of the teachers (from Guinea, Mali, and Senegal) spoke of the village atmoshpere that is created at camp. It inspires me to continue forward with the vision of building and strengthening the community, or village, that exists in my neck of the woods.

I learned so much, and last night dreamt that I was still at camp getting ready to leave -- with tears in my eyes and a joyful and open heart. This is what life is about for me -- JOY, COMMUNITY, EXPRESSION, OPENNESS, CONNECTION, FRIENDSHIP, MUSIC, DANCE, CREATION --

Camp Fareta 2009 was all this and more. Thank you to Christina and Declan, Youssouf and Mariama, the fantastic chef and kitchen crew, and all of the fabulous teachers and campers who made camp possible this year. Special thanks to the SB/Ventura/Ojai crew - Rachel, Brenda, Patrice, Joann, Deby, Laura, Vicki, Karen and families. I will never forget our experience together, and thank you all for making it possible.

To learn more about Camp Fareta, visit http://www.dancingvillage.com or http://www.westafricandance.com

Health ~ Wellness ~ Vitality!

I just received my July issue of Body + Soul Magazine and am inspired to share with you all, 17 ways to help you feel your best. I resonate completely with these suggestions, and feel that this is a perfect time to start FEELING OUR BEST!! When has there ever been a better time than NOW?

First of all, I highly recommend this magazine. Subscribe to Body + Soul here: www.wholeliving.com

Here are the 17 (in a nutshell), gathered by Hillari Dowdle:

1. Listen to your body
2. Get your daily D (vitamin D through sunshine, supplements)
3. Practice forgiveness
4. Lean on your friends
5. Get moving (DAILY exercise)
6. Just Breathe (deeply and with intention)
7. Power up your breakfast (with protein)
8. Get to know yourself (enjoy solitude daily)
9. Eat whole foods (less processed)
10. Meditate in the a.m. (counters the stress cycle)
11. Be Grateful (every day, take some time for gratitude)
12. Have some fun!
13. Reach Out (practice regular acts of generosity)
14. Change the channel (stop watching the news...or in my case, just turn off the TV!)
15. Don't fill 'er up (stop eating once you feel satisfied, but could still eat a little more)
16. Be fearless
17. Be one with nature (take a daily walk at the very least)

Enjoy!!