The
Consciousness Collaborative Update
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In the spring season, seeds flaunt their vitality and energy by sprouting. Sprouts of all varieties contain the building blocks of life in the form of vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and simple sugars. In their early growth state, sprouts are very easy to digest, allowing our bodies to access many wonderful nutrients. Recent research by the American Cancer Society has backed what holistic nutrition has known for years: that sprouts contain anti-cancer properties, high levels of active antioxidants, concentrated amounts of phytochemicals and significant amounts of vitamins A, C and D.
In their raw form, sprouts have a cooling effect on the body, and therefore are best consumed in warm weather or by robust, warm body types. Those who tend to feel cool can try steaming spouts or adding them to warm dishes such as stir-fries and soups, to reduce the cooling effect. There is a wide variety of edible and delicious sprouts, each with a different texture and flavor: alfalfa, mung bean, lentil, radish, clover, sunflower, broccoli, garbanzo and adzuki.
Here are some great ways to serve up sprouts:
- add to salads
- combine with other vegetables in wraps, roll-ups or stir-fries
- use as garnish on top of soups, stews, omelets or scrambled eggs
- add to rice or whole grain dishes
- use in sandwiches instead of lettuce
Spring has arrived! Eat sprouts and feel alive!
-Contributed by
Nathalie Blitz
of Vitamin N
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Save the Date
July 15th-17th
Emotional Re-Education Workshop
Led by April Prita Manganiello, the Emotional Re-Education Workshop provides a safe and healing place to challenge limited self beliefs and to cut through inhibiting stuck places. Within the safety of this container, you will have the opportunity to unwind and melt traumas you have experienced. It is a place to try on new attitudes, support your ability to give and receive love, and to be more fully connected to yourself and others.
Emotional Re-Education Workshop July 15th - 17th Essex Conference Center Complete the ON-LINE APPLICATION to Participate |
Recipe
of the
Month
Spring Sprouting Steamer
Delight in the vitality and energy offered to you from spring sprouts.
Prep Time: 3 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 zucchini
- 1 summer squash
- 1 package mixed crunchy sprouts (lentil, adzuki, mung, garbanzo)
- 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter) or butter
- 4 lemon wedges
- salt to taste
Directions:
1. Slice zucchini and summer squash in discs, about 1/4 inch thick. Steam with sprouts for about 5 minutes or until desired tenderness.
2. Toss with tarragon, ghee and salt in bowl.
3. Serve with lemon wedge.
Note: Try fresh herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro, or mint for a totally different taste.
-Contributed by
Nathalie Blitz
of Vitamin N
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Quote
of the
Week Contest
"I like to be stretched."
-Gumby, inspirational clay TV character
(this image has been borrowed from the internet)
Every week we post a consciously amusing, informative,
inspirational, or provocative quote to The Consciousness Collaborative home page and on our Facebook fan page. We invite you to get involved!
If you have a favorite quote that you'd like to share, click here, fill out the form, and if selected you will be credited for sharing the prose! If you've missed any of the great quotes that have been posted these past few months, read them here.
Thank you Shanta Puchtler, Jill Rothman Fournier, Maria Williams, and Jamie Thurber for sharing your favorite quotes this past month!
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According to Stephen Pressfield, author of The War of Art, "Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet." He defines resistance as self-sabotage and "genius' shadow." Pressfield claims, "To yield to resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be." You know the old adage, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, well, Pressfield might argue that resistance is the enemy, and he'd tell you to get it as far away from you as possible. More than that, he'd warn you to watch for "a parallel peril that must also be guarded against: sabotage by others." I have a friend who gave up desserts a few years ago. She was feeling great. Between her personal fitness plan and her altered diet, she felt empowered in her body. Ironically, though, whether attending one of her husband's business dinners or having lunch with close friends, she found that everyone strongly encouraged her to have "just a taste" of the cheesecake, crème brulee, lava cake, etc. Pressfield refers to this as "resistance recruiting allies." It can be hard, particularly on the people we are closest to, when we begin to shine. Instead of feeling the warmth of our glow, they may perceive it as a glaring spotlight on their personal deficiencies. The dessert-pushers are a silly example, but even they may not have wanted to face their personal lack of will-power, and if they could corrupt my friend with "just a taste," resistance would win. As you create and grow that which feeds your soul, that which is inside of you wanting to burst out, you will not only face your own resistance, but that of those around you. Yikes! How do you move forward, if the people who care most about you aren't supporting your efforts? If your spouse, parent, or best friend feels threatened by your success, does this mean you should fail simply to keep everyone comfortable? I've learned to ask myself these questions: Do I deserve to succeed? Do I have the right to share and manifest all that I have within me? Essentially, do I have the right to exist? Because, at the end of the day, being all of who I am meant to be is about my existence, just as it is about yours. As a transition coach, I see this struggle often! Living from the essential self and allowing your gifts within to support the emergence of the most outstanding version of you, changes the playing field. And sometimes it feels like the only two options are to slide back to the old pattern, allowing "genius' shadow" to win. Or shut out everyone who ever cared about you, so that you can have what you really want. Ouch! Both of those extremes sound painful. Enter a third option: provide an example of what's possible, by living it. Pressfield suggests, "The best and only thing that one artist can do for another is serve as an example and an inspiration." And in her famous quote, Marianne Williamson says, "...as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." So be the beacon! Know that those who are dearest may occasionally behave like the enemy. Remember, what they most want and need to know is that they, too, can live to their full potential. It is their right, as much as it is yours. And every time you beat "resistance" you evidence the possibilities. In that moment, you choose your right to exist, and you extend a hand to those around you, inviting them to join you in doing the same. I suggest keeping your beloved enemies (who have been recruited by resistance) closer, because the warmth of your glow will shine most brightly on them. And maybe, as you lead by example, it will help to thaw their resistance, too! Glowing on friends and enemies alike,
Joanne LutzThird Option CoachingFounder of The Consciousness Collaborativewww.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 |
What's Next?! Workshop Summer Intensive
WARNING: This workshop is intended for participants interested in making meaningful and tangible change by discovering and being supported by their unique gifts. If you are prepared to uncover the true you...
...if you want to meet the world from a different place; and if you wish to make decisions from your best self, the What's Next?! Workshop IS the program for you. Participants have a proven track record of making huge shifts in their lives. Every person who has put 110% of themselves into the series manifests stellar results, using the tools and support provided by Joanne Lutz, creator of the What's Next?! programs. You can, too!
For the first time ever, the What's Next?! Workshop is being offered as an intensive summer program. If you've been holding back because: "I don't want to drive in the snow" or "it's really hard during the school year" or "uggh, six months is just too long to commit," this is your chance change how you move through your life toward your personal What's Next?! over the course of three months.
You will receive:
- 50+ hours of coaching in a small group setting with Joanne Lutz, the creator of the What's Next?! programs
- (2) 30 minute one-to-one phone coaching sessions (the first of which must be in advance of the first class)
- A complete guide book filled with the tools and methods taught during the series
- Interim assignments designed to support your growth and challenge you to meet the world in new ways
- An opportunity to share the experience with an intimate group of people, committed to delving into the deepest places with the intention of manifesting the lives they want to live
Read what past participants have said about this program and learn more about what to expect for yourself, from...
What's Next?! Workshop Discounted tuition if registered by May 10th. Register On-Line Today! |
Rousing Intuition: Listening to Your Inner Clarity 
Do you hear yourself saying...
"Uggh...I hate the way my wife makes decisions. Everything from our choice of restaurant to which couch to buy is made by committee."
"My son is driving me nuts. He never wants to go on play dates. I'm afraid he's not going to have any friends."
"I think my business partner is in la-la land. Every time I turn around, he's telling me not to stress about what our next move is. He doesn't care that we don't even have a plan!"
"My daughter is the most stubborn person on the face of the earth. In fact, not just stubborn, but contrary! If I say black, she wants white. If I say yes, she says no. It goes on and on all day long. I can't take it anymore."
If any of these statements resonate, you are heartily encouraged to engage in a full weekend of Rousing Intuition!
The Rousing Intuition Workshop explores ways to better recognize and trust the voice of our own intuition. Through a series of playful, active, and artistic exercises we begin to experience ourselves, and those who challenge us most, in a new light. We tease apart the expectations and assumptions that shrink our perceptions and block our intuition. We discover the ways fear and judgment shut down our perception, and we begin to open our ears to our own intuition. This deep knowing, in turn, informs our insight and understanding and opens life-filled options for us - moment by moment.
Join Beth Sutton for a weekend of clay modeling, music, architectural installations, laughter, and provocative discussion. Working with the Temperaments (Rudolf Steiner), the Buddha Families (Tibetan Buddhism), and Sensory Learning Styles (Enki Education) we will open up our expectations and explore new perspectives and possibilities. From there, we practice hearing our own intuition as we take a fresh look at that which challenges us - from the screaming child, to the coworker who seems to be deaf, to the undertaking that defies our plans - learning to trust ourselves, regardless of the hurdle before us.
Rousing Intuition Workshop June 24th-26th ~ Arlington, MA Register before May 17th to receive discounted tuition Sign Up Today!
Read what past participants say about this workshop.
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Why Weight? Diets Don't Work 
"Getting my weight under control has come from a process of treating myself as well as I treat others in every way." -Oprah Winfrey You can't turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with America's hottest obsession: weight. Diets are a billion-dollar industry; companies spend millions and millions luring you to try the latest diet (low carb, high protein, low fat, no fat, you name it) with promises that this will (finally!) be the solution-your shortcut to a thinner body. Advertising efforts also deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on diets as early as 9 or 10 years of age.
Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods, and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick fix solutions have backfired. America's populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one third are obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.
Diets don't work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone? Diets don't work because they are extreme solutions. As in physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other. A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10-pound gain once off the diet. Diets don't work because they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed and weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body.
Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight, and see diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances. In our fast paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal, and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting.
Balance and a sustainable weight are your birthright. Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom. There is no such thing as a quick fix; you already have everything you need within you. With careful thought and loving reflection, you can feed yourself wisely and purposefully and be completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health. -Contributed by Nathalie Blitz of Vitamin N
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Favorite Practitioner?
 Do you have a favorite chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, coach, mental health professional, or perhaps another professional who you have come to trust and appreciate in your personal growth and healing? If you believe they might be a nice fit for The Consciousness Collaborative, you might encourage them to complete a membership application and begin the process of learning about becoming part of this unique group of passionate and highly skilled individuals.
The Consciousness Collaborative is a network of practitioners guiding clients toward greater personal awareness. We offer a variety of growth and healing modalities that support a heightened connection to consciousness. The styles and modalities offered are as varied as the members themselves - from meditation to business consulting, from equine inspired discovery to structural integration, with a wide range of other services in between and beyond. Common threads binding our association include: experience and expertise, authenticity, the willingness to recognize and release personal agenda as it arises, a deep knowing for the dedicated discipline, and all members actively engage in their own personal growth work. "It is the openness and desire to continue our personal growth that frees us to be truly present for every client with clarity and compassion. As each of us bring awareness to our many layers of experience, we may respond to life freer from the habits and beliefs that limit us. When we share that through our work with clients, we participate in growing a community that is vibrant with our inherent connection," explains the founder and director of the network, Joanne Lutz. Learn more about becoming a member. |
Meditation of the Month
Healing Hands
 Many healing disciplines, from Reiki to massage therapy use hands as their primary tool. This month, you're invited to bring focus to your own hands, creating a nourishing circle of attentiveness.
For this mindfulness exercise you will need to select your favorite calming lotion, balm, or cream. Once you have it at the ready...
Begin with a few deep breaths. Fill the belly, fill the chest, and let it go. Be sure to maintain conscious breath throughout this process.
Now, put a liberal amount of the lotion on the back of one hand. Cross the back of your other hand on top, and begin to mindfully spread the cream with the backs of your hands, extending to the knuckles and fingernails, along the side and base, and finally your palms and fingertips.
With great care and focused attention, massage the balm into your skin, feeling the healing energy seep into your hands layer by layer. Be sure to extend awareness to your wrists, where the hands meet the rest of your being. Continue this deep and nourishing massage until the lotion is fully absorbed.
Now, clap your hands together and rub vigorously. Feel the heat building between them. This is your clear, essential energy. When the feeling of heat feels ample, cup your hands on your face as though you are going to play peek-a-boo. Your fingertips will be above your eyebrows and the base of your hands will be below your cheekbones. Breathe deeply. Feel the healing energy held in your own hands sinking into your being and taking in the scent of the calming balm you have used. Maintain this pose until you feel you've absorbed the energy you need (at least a few minutes).
You may repeat the clapping - energizing - placing of hands several times. If you wish, notice if there is a particular part of your being that would appreciate the healing attention...the back of your neck, your knees or lower back. Enjoy the benefits of your nurturing power.
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