The Master Cleanse

I've heard of the Master Cleanse from a thousand different sources, but never tried it because it just didn't 'speak' to me, at the time. Recently, after wanting to rid my body of its excess mucus (the ear infection/'cloudy' ear is STILL happening a week later), I stumbled upon the Master Cleanse again. Luckily, I have been 99% raw for several months so the Master Cleanse did not really intimidate me. I also wanted the experience of finding out if it indeed DOES reduce mucus.

Also while reading voraciously (I truly LOVE to read...)about raw food and all the stuff folks on the Internet are up to, I stumbled back upon the Raw Divas. While I'd never call myself a diva (not out loud, anyway), I do feel that I need to look at raw food with a more gentle, yin approach. I tend to be all or nothing in most of my endeavors and the rigidity/yang energy (I've recently blogged about this) was actually not good for me. But I still want the benefit of eating raw food...so how I can have a delicious and supportive relationship with raw food, without the feeling of rules and regulations with regard to my food. The rules and restrictions led me to a lot of nut-eating, which is a no-no in large quantities (I consider my consumption to be on the edge of large quantities). Most people stop feeling good (they have replaced excessive cooked fat with excessive un-cooked fat) when they use nuts as the filler raw food. Also, it was getting to be a headache to figure out what was raw and what was billed as raw, but still pasteurized, steamed, cooked, etc.

The Raw Divas have challenged me to put aside the nuts, avos, and oils in favor of all the fruits, veggies, and sprouts my heart and body desire.

I'm doing the Master Cleanse for 3-10 days (we'll see how long I decide/choose to do it), then I will move into the 7 Day Detox, via the Raw Divas (which won't be that different from the 80/10/10 diet but without all the calculating). I am eager to see what it's like to eat no extra fat (fruits and veggies DO have fat, so I'm not too worried) and also eat when I am hungry, not when I am sad, bored, walking through the kitchen, etc. As a bonus, I hope to save on groceries since our bill tends to be high when I am buying more specialty items. Also, we're growing food this spring and summer so that should be a great way to reduce our food bill.

I do want to hold myself accountable for getting enough calories. Several folks have already expressed their 'almost-concern' about any further weight loss and while I still have some extra "energy" in my body, I am not fasting or detoxing to lose weight for weight loss' sake. I am simply releasing the stuff on and in my body that no longer needs to take up space.

I'm also looking toward some emotional intentions. Lately I've been feeling really disconnected from myself, and I project that outward onto others in my community. I am feeling vulnerable about how I build (or destroy?) the community and connection around me and I intend to gain some clarity on that front. I have been feeling really stretched and I see that I allow myself to bend and form according to others and NOT according to myself and my needs and what I want in the moment.

I have been doing things because I think they will gain me approval and love and when they don't, I am really upset, disappointed, and disillusioned. It SUCKS. Then I am angry and resentful, I pull back and recoil, and spend lots of time sulking and pouting. Yuck. I am looking forward to examining this pattern and seeing how I can sidestep it. Hopefully the detox/fast will give me some clues.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's update...