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This post is part 2 of “Sensuous Soups on a Shoestring” by contributing author: Christine Phoenix Green. Click here to read Part 1.

To create a Sensuous Soup, there has to be an Intentionality to deliberately create something DELICIOUS  FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. When I cook a soup, I always have an Intentionality before I start. In other words, what is my intention or purpose here?

Sometimes it is to celebrate the gifts of the Earth by eating seasonally. It must be sensuous and enhance the particular flavour of one or more of the season’s signature ingredients. In other words, this might mean delightful trips to your local farmer’s market if you don’t have your own garden, to gather, honor, celebrate and cook your way through the wheel of the year, each period with it’s own energy and spirit. In this way, we are in tune with Nature’s rhythms, which physically, psychologically and spiritually of which we are a part.

Sometimes it is for what I call a magical or spiritual purpose, using  certain vegetables or ingredients for energetic purposes when a person is unbalanced. Continue Reading »

Creativity, Comfort, Compassion, Community for the Boomer Generation

A note from author, Christine Phoenix-Green:
“Sensuous Soups  on a Shoestring” showcases four soups—each for a different purpose. I am here on a mission and with a vision! I love soups!  I love working with food and especially the gifts of the earth and the energy of the seasons. For me, making soups is a very creative and centering activity when my life gets hectic, confused, and I need to come home to myself and my kitchen. But the older I get, the more I have realized that for me, the cooking of soup is a spiritual practice of Compassion, Comfort and Community. Recently I shared this passion for soup making at one of my workshops. Here and in the next few articles, I share some thoughts on this Sensuous Experience.

How many times I have been sick and a friend has come in with a pot of soup when I could not take care of myself and I gratefully received this blessing gift to nourish me and facilitate my healing. I have found that every time I make a big pot of wonderful soup, almost ALWAYS there is someone else in my life who is in need of support, comfort and compassion and it is such a blessing to be able to “pay it forward” by sharing some of what I have created when they are in need.

A soup is nourishing, easily digested, and takes no effort to warm up once it has been cooked. Continue Reading »

When her 15 year old son celebrated his birthday, Laura of RARAwithLaura.com had a major diet crisis! Has this ever happened to you?

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“My son’s 15th birthday was yesterday.  He is at school, the hubby is  at work and I am working from home.  At 10:22 a.m today I started   eating birthday cake.  I forgot that it was there and when I opened   the refrigerator it spoke to me saying things like ” you know you   need me, want me and nobody is here except you”.  “Just have a   sliver and by the way leave the knife in here with me in case you   want to sliver all day”. I am thinking about putting the cake out   on the deck hence I bet that is how the song “McAurthur’s Park” [sic] came about!   Someone left my cake out in the rain!!!!  The best   thing that could happen for my hips right about now is that my cake   is left out in the rain and I can no longer consume it!  I want to   throw it out but my son will come home from school and ask where is   my cake?

I am going to go to the prayer chair and pray for guidance and self control!  Yes, you heard me right I am now praying about not eating all that cake!”

~ RA! RA! LAURA www.rarawithlaura.com

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A note from the editor: Dieting can be a terrible bore. Even “Skinny Cow” deserts don’t cut it with me anymore. Best advice – enjoy the cake when you have it, just keep that single slice to a SINGLE slice. It’s all about portion control. So let go of the guilts and enjoy your dessert! ~ P. Mullaly

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I recently went to my dermatologist for my yearly skin screening. She pokes and prods and scans every inch (I mean every inch) of my body looking for problems. Luckily nothing was found. But there are warning signs. Patches of brown just beneath the surface—what we call “age” spots, just ready to burst forth! With Irish heritage my skin is naturally fair, but like so many others I think a little “tan” makes me look more attractive, more healthy. In spite of all the warnings to the contrary I am a sun worshipper. Each spring and summer I spend hours lounging by the pool or walking the golf course, soaking in the rays.

I can’t not be in the sun. And the damage already done to my skin is —done. I can use age-defying creams and try to lighten the spots, but the damage is there. What I can do is prevent any further damage. (Oprah Winfrey recently had a number of guests on her show for skin evaluations. The results were shocking. Visit the oprah.com website for more comprehensive information.)  I’ve sampled and studied many of the products on the market today. Many promise to screen or block the sun’s damaging rays. Very few actually do the job. Continue Reading »

Reflections by Christine Phoenix-Green

When you find yourself alone after partnership, there are many ways to  find  your way moving about as a Single. Some ways are easier or more difficult than others…and all take courage. This was my way…through Dance, and in a series of forms that fulfilled a particular need at each  phase of the transition.

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A number of years ago, upon entering mid-life, a series of life changing issues required decisions that demanded attention and  action. After the ending of a long partnership and a way of life “in tandem,” it was  necessary to enter an also seemingly long period of personal healing and the crafting of social behaviour comfortably as a solo woman in a world of couples.

Some women at that time feel so lonely and befuddled, that they are hungry to find a relationship as soon as possible, and at any cost, to not feel isolated and “odd” while surrounded by couples. Others, perhaps those of us who initiated our leap to single-status, desire a conscious time to experience the taste of freedom and  listen deeply, without distraction and compromise, to where our Soul and individual unique story may be leading us.

Yet  feeling alone during times of transition is a human experience we all know, whether “together” or “single,” and feeling isolated is probably one of the most devastating heartaches we might be asked to bear in a variety of circumstances.  Continue Reading »