Evolve, love, trust.

     Whenever my mood gets a bit down, I can always raise my energy by spending time outside in nature. This morning was a chilly, grey day, but I put on a warm scarf and jacket and went outside for a walk. The crisp winter air was invigorating and cleansing. Getting outside is the quickest way for me to get out of my own head and into the present moment, enjoying the presence of nature and her energies. Afterwards, I went to yoga class with my favorite teacher, John. He was a huge source of inspiration for me when I began to get serious about my yoga practice. He is a great person to be around. He is always happy, kind, and not to mention an amazing teacher. I owe a lot to him, but as he always says, “the greatest teacher is yourself.”

     I felt much love today. John and another one of my yoga buddies gave me hugs, wishing me well for my upcoming trip. I am getting super excited, but I want to remain in the present. I want to go into this experience with no expectations, but only a wide open heart. I do not want to make plans. I want to be guided. I trust!

     Also, I was inspired by a post by Mystic Medusa, about the 2012 Cardinal Cross, an important astrological aspect that she refers to as the Zap Zone. In my own words, the Cardinal Cross is when the planet Uranus in Aries will form a square to Pluto in Capricorn, which pretty much means drastic changes, the end of old paradigms, and a call for us to evolve, innovate, and thrive. Mystic said it best, “Stay stuck and you’re fucked.” This year will be a time of change and the end of the world as we presently know it, which means that we have the power to co-create our own new reality. Astrology is one of the tools that I use for self-inquiry and expansion.  I can feel these heightening energies manifesting in my own life. I don’t want to be stuck. Rather, I am striving to be mindful in each moment, and analyze the outmoded, delusional thought patterns which no longer serve my highest purpose. I want to transform into the beautiful, intelligent, loving, kind, and confident goddess that I truly am. I imagine myself living fully and authentically every day, shining, glowing, sparkling, spreading my light. I am ready to release the fearful, egotistical thoughts that have held me back. I strive to step into my power, pursuing radical self love, expression, and growth. This is the Now Age. This is it. My horoscope says, “Think big or don’t think at all.”

I am going for it. Work this hard.

Light and Love,

Aura Jade

Winter Sunshine

Today was a lovely, chilly winter day with loads of warm golden sunshine. As far as February days go, this is one of the nice ones. The New Jersey winter has been pretty warm this year, with only one small snowfall, and I’m not complaining. Spring is my favorite season for so many reasons. I was born in the springtime, and it is a beautiful time of growth, life, and new beginnings. But in one week, I will be in the middle of the warm Australian summer in Melbourne! The weather there seems lovely, sunshiny and 70 degrees. I am beyond excited to travel there and see brand new things. Surely I am nervous and anxious, but I release my worries to the Universe, with my full trust that I will be guided each step of the way.

I adore waking up naturally with the sun peeking through my window. I played outside for a little bit in my peaceful backyard. Later, I went to Whole Foods, driving through the back roads around open farm lands and quaint fields with herds of horses and sheep. Fleet Foxes provided the perfect soundtrack to this casual drive in the winter sunshine. At the store, I picked up some dates, mangos, Lara bars, and cacao nibs. When I come home, I made a lush salad, with kale, cucumber, onion, carrots, and kalamata olives. For the dressing, I mixed flaxseed, hemp seed, chia seed, maca powder, spirulina, and extra virgin olive oil. It was amazing, and so full of energy.

Eating raw is the next thing. I am so inspired by people who are making raw foods more well-known, accepted, and easily adaptable to a modern lifestyle. In the future, way more people will be eating raw! When I first learned about raw food, it sounded really different and at odds with everything I’ve learned about food. When I read about the benefits of the raw food diet and watched amazing, vibrant raw foodists on YouTube, I was convinced that I had to try this. My diet is pretty high in raw foods, but it is a daily process. At the moment, I am trying to incorporate more raw and less cooked and processed foods.

If you would like to learn more about raw food, I suggest checking out the following people! And do some searching of your own online and YouTube.

http://rawalicious.wordpress.com
http://rawsangha.com
http://aniphyo.com
http://www.youtube.com/rawmodel

Light & love,
Aura Jade

Sunday Morning

     My proper name is Laura, but quite recently I realized that it is made up of the word aura, which refers to the subtle energetic body of humans. The chakra system is made up of the auras throughout the body. Everything in the universe is made up of energy, and therefore of auras. I found this so interesting because I never before took much of a liking to my given name. Everybody thinks my name is Lauren and I don’t blame them, because that’s a far more common name. Mine, on the other hand, sounds better suited for an older woman. For now, I like Aura better because I have the power to create my own identity, my own unique experience of reality.

     So here I’ve decided to create a sanctuary to express myself and my ideas. I plan to use this blog to write about all of the things that I am passionate about, document my experience, connect with others, and create a tribe of like-minded people.

     You can expect to see posts about what I love, including raw vegan food, yoga, travel, astrology, meditation, spirituality, hoop dancing, and all things consciousness expanding. That is the goal, mind expansion and universal awareness. In addition, I will soon be embarking on an amazing journey to Melbourne, Australia, to study abroad for a semester. My goals during this time are to be wide open to love and new experiences, to meet new people, to grow, evolve, and become more self-reliant. I hope to post lots of pictures and unfiltered thoughts! Let’s go on this journey…welcome to the Now Age.