More 2010 presenters will be posted soon!!!
The 2010 Raw and Living Spirit Retreat presenters include:
| Ronnie & Minh are husband and wife raw foodists who produce some of the most interesting and “unbelievably tasty raw and living foods you may ever encounter” and who will be featured chefs at this year’s Retreat!Minh is a second generation raw & living food chef, born in Viet Nam in 1950 into a humble and loving Buddhist family, the youngest of eight children. At a very young age, Minh began learning how to find and use food and medicines in the jungle, learning which plants were edible and which were not. She spent her youth helping her mother grow, gather, and prepare food for their family using simple and ancient techniques without electricity to prepare nourishing and great-tasting food. In this way, the art of preparing raw food was passed from generation to generation without even knowing what “raw food” was; to them it was just food. In 1963, one of Minh’s brothers was kidnapped by the North Vietnamese Army and her mother was devastated and sought guidance through prayer and from Buddhist Monks. Minh’s mother was already a vegetarian but she received a revelation that if she gave up cooking and ate only uncooked vegetarian food her son would return to her, so she did and a year and a half later her son retuned to her unharmed. Minh’s mother continued to eat only raw food until she died in 2005 at the age of 93.
Ronnie is an Essene Philosopher who spends his time and energy promoting Raw & Living Foods and the teachings of the Essenes. |
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| Abeba Wright, known as the Krazy Kracker Lady, Abeba is a certified raw food chef, teacher, and motivational speaker. Her teaching methods are fun, humorous, and filled with wisdom. Leola Brooks, director of the Ann Wigmore Institute, was so impressed with Abeba’s teaching skills that she was invited to give as a teacher and receive as a student at the Ann Wigmore institute.One of her most treasured achievements has been writing her international best-selling book, Absolutely Abeba’s Krazy Krackers: Learning the Secret to a Good Kracker. It has become a staple in both the raw and cooked food communities. She contributed eight of her most requested recipes to the best selling book The Complete Book of Raw Food, which features over 50 raw food chefs from around the world. She was featured in the Bay Area’s Oakland Magazine discussing the raw food lifestyle and, of course, her Krazy Krackers.
Abeba gives all glory and honor to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for blessing her with the skills and talent to share her raw food experiences around the world. |
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| Gabrielle Chavez is the author of the Raw Food Gourmet and pastor of Christ the Healer UCC, the Retreat’s sponsor. Gabrielle has been gardening intuitively and enthusiastically since childhood and has also studied with Machaelle Small Wright at Perelandra in Virginia and at the Findhorn Garden in Scotland. She has made friends with thousands of edible plants and flowers, both wild and cultivated. Since becoming raw nine years ago, Gabrielle has incorporated her knowledge of plants into unique and beautiful raw gourmet dishes.Thomas Chavez, author of Body Electronics: Vital Steps for Physical Regeneration and co-sponsor with Gabrielle of the Raw and Living Spirit Retreat, is a teacher, learner, and practitioner of a full spectrum healing lifestyle from food, body work, relationships, and politics to energy work that leaps beyond the current bounds of your imagination. He sees all these things as an integrated wholeness he calls prayer. Working with Thomas, whether you tap his knowledge-stuffed brain, compassionate heart, or shamanic magic, brings immediate shifts and, most often, instant relief of what is troubling you. Thomas will be among the healing practitioners available at the retreat for private sessions. |   |
| Kelly O’Connor is a licensed acupuncturist, intuitive healer and reader, a meditation and spiritual awareness teacher and a certified laughter yoga coach practicing in Portland, OR. She is a gentle and cheerful soul deeply committed to living in truth and love. Kelly’s hope always is to empower and inspire others to discover their own inner divinity, sense of purpose and joy. |  |
| Richard Hemsley (aka Raw Chocolate Love) is a superb raw foods chef in Sacramento, CA. The founder of Synergy Chef Collaborative and proprietor of The Art of Food he is a featured chef at the Raw and Living Spirit Retreat since its inception in 2006. Richard’s Pet project is Longevity Nutrition which is focused primarily on producing food for schools K-12 in the Sacramento area (and the world). Richard is also a 3rd generation Chocolatier specializing in truffles, barks and molded custom shapes. “Devine Desserts” is more than just how to make the most tantalizing treat. This workshop is about being prepared to create magic on a whim. You will learn many professional tips and tricks to help you create the most exciting meals and snacks. This workshop will help you keep your family interested in eating healthfully and intrigue the unsuspecting “victims” to explore what healthful can taste like. |  |
| Eric Christiansen has been preserving foods for three decades. His love of healthy raw foods led him to found and operate It’s Alive! Cultured Living Foods, which has been thriving for eight years. He’s continually concocting new food combinations, and loves to share them and the knowledge of how to make them. Dietary health is the foundation of sustained happiness, health and security. Learning how the enzymes in live foods get concentrated through fermentation and culturing has inspired Eric to create these products for everyone. |  |
| John Kohler has been on the living and raw foods diet for over a decade; he turned to living foods for healing from a life threatening-illness (spinal meningitis) and has enjoyed dynamic health ever since. One of John’s goals is to educate the world about the power of living and raw foods. He is the founder and webmaster of the largest living and raw food website on the internet, www.living-foods.com, andwww.rawfoodsupport.com. John also owns and manageswww.discountjuicers.com and is the number one expert on rawfoods appliances and gadgets in the world.Widely sought and a regular speaker and instructor at many raw food festivals and events, John’s area of expertise includes recipe demos with 5-7 ingredients or less, young coconut recipes, traveling while raw, rawfood appliances, successful transition to the rawfoods diet, and the importance of a fresh organic whole foods diet. He believes that by using fresh, organic, and whole ingredients simple, healthy, and delicious recipes can be made with few ingredients and without the use of salt, oil, spices, refined sweeteners, or chemical additives. He is known for his pragmatic approach to rawfoods and has coached and helped thousands of people to incorporate more fresh raw fruits and vegetables into their diet. |  |
| Jimmy Free Jimmy Free specializes in live looping of the 6 string violin. An unusual instrument, the 6 string’s range produces notes as high as the violin and as low as the cello. Live looping allows the layering of notes in a repeating loop: nothing is prerecorded, and some tunes are spontaneously composed. “Mostly, I just play what I’m feeling at the moment,” says Jimmy.
Jimmy began playing violin at the age of ten in the Vancouver school district under the Suzuki method. He was quickly converted to old time fiddling by his grandparents, Jim and Gladys Braskett, and his sound continued to mature over the years. In 2008, Jimmy experienced a spiritual awakening that resulted in the discovery of this entirely new sound and technique. “I feel I have been given a gift of music that is unique and soothes the soul” he says, “I am happy to share it.” |
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| Nicole Asprocolas has been a hypnotherapist for almost 7 years, and has been facilitating group chakra balancing meditations with her 9 singing crystal bowls for over 5 years. She has a private practice in Portland that she terms “Hypno-Chakra Therapy” where she incorporates hypnotic healing suggestions that relates to what her client wishes to work on into each of the 7 chakras while playing her bowls simultaneously. Her guided group chakra balancing meditations are generalized versions of her private practice, opening up this service in a community setting. Check out her website at www.trinitihealing.com. Nicole will be leading a Guided Group Chakra Balancing Meditation w/ 9 Singing Crystal Bowls. Enjoy a state of blissful Being as you relax to the tranquil frequencies of the 9 singing crystal bowls. Nicole begins by first talking about hypnosis, the function and design of the singing crystal bowls, as well as a bit about quantum physics, grounding this spiritual practice into scientific logic. The meditation begins by lying comfortably on the floor, while Nicole connects you to the Source of All That Is while also grounding you to Mother Earth. Then Nicole goes up each of the chakras, playing its correlating singing bowl while integrating positive healing suggestions into each of your chakras. The singing bowls brings one into a trance-like state quickly and easily, and the result is a deep feeling of peace and calmness. During the guided meditation Nicole also connects you to your creative loving power. Afterward, you take with you a greater sense of connectedness to the Universe, to the Earth, to yourself, and to this creative loving power that is your heritage to utilitize within your life.” |
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| Steven Bailey, ND has been in practice as the owner and director of the Northwest Naturopathic Clinic since 1983. His clinic has a special emphasis on fasting and immune support, though he maintains a general family practice as well as treatment of chronic and terminal diseases. He lectures regionally on medical, environmental, and specific issues, and also guest lectures at naturopathic colleges and professional conferences. Twice each year (Spring and Fall), Dr. Bailey leads a group fast for the purpose of therapeutic cleansing and detoxification. This popular program regularly takes up to forty people through a 3-day cleansing and detoxification process with resounding success. Now in the 23rd year, the fasting program is a testament to Dr. Bailey’s leadership and expertise and has resulted in the writing of his Fasting Diet published by McGraw-Hill in 2002.From 1987 to 1998, Dr. Bailey was on KBOO community radio in Portland on his popular weekly show Healthwatch. He now appears as a regular monthly guest on The Electric Salon hosted by Marlana Smith. Dr. Bailey has authored The Fasting Diet, Contemporary Press/McGraw-Hill (Feb.2002), and is co-authoring a book on juicing, titled Juice Alive, with Larry Trivieri, Jr. He was a major contributor to Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, and You Don’t Have to Die: Unraveling the AIDS Myth, both on Burton Goldberg Press. |  |
| William Milmoe is pleased to be returning to our fourth annual Raw Spirit Retreat at Camp Adams to teach yoga, dance, and “finding your voice” workshops. Bill has been an attendee/presenter at the 2001-04 International Raw and Living Roods Festivals in various Oregon locations and at the 2004 Living Now Festival in upstate New York. Living foods, yoga, partner dancing, music, and permaculture/organic gardening have all been positive life/spirit changing experiences and he wants to thank God and all who participated in this and the last three years’ events for this wonderful opportunity. Special thanks goes to Gabrielle and Thomas Chavez for conceiving. creating and making the selfless personal sacrifices necessary to manifest these events. He also hopes to find time to also help out in the kitchen, to attend some workshops and visit with new and long time friends.For those who want to practice morning yoga in fresh air under tall trees in the beautiful chapel area please bring layers (maybe even thermal underwear), a hat, gloves, a yoga or pilates or exercise mat if you have one, etc.
For social partner dancing on our concrete floor he recommends shoes that have a sole that will allow turns. For the “Finding Our Voice” class bring a relaxed mind and body and the energy to play with sound and our voice. Singers and non-singers welcome. |
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| Vrnda Leier Heyden has a degree in art and psychology and is a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist and is a second-degree Reiki practicionaer. She is a certified yoga instructor, and a Hakomi practitioner, and teaches at The Ashland Yoga Center. |  |
| Laurie WheelerMs. Wheeler is a life‐ long student of the human condition, through her own journey in life she has studied many practices ranging from No Mind Meditation, Astrology, Universal Symbolism, Zen, Energy work including Reiki, Samadhi meditation, to Christian Mysticism. She is a professional astrologer and has taught personal and spiritual growth classes throughout the world, including in England, the Middle East, and the United States.
She will be leading the “Beyond Intention: Walking in Trust” Workshop. |
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| Dana Kelly SweetDana Kelly Sweet is an Artist and a trained facilitator of Touch Drawing TM. She is sure that you are an artist, too and is an expert at inspiring others to connect with their inner guidance through art. Dana says:
Art is Worship God is Creator. |
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| Margie Torgeson will be sharing her talents through a workshop entitled “Writing In A State of Grace.”
As part of her seminary studies at Northwest House of Theological Studies, Margie Torgeson served as pastoral intern at Meridian United Church of Christ from September 2004 to June of 2005. Margie studied the Amherst Writers and Artists method of creative writing at the Graduate Theological Union during 2 summer sessions in 2004 and 2006. She will be leading the “Beyond Intention: Walking in Trust” Workshop. |
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| Philip Morgan is a writer, photographer, and tinkerer. His life path has given him an appreciation for Byron Katie’s Work that he would like to share with you. His workshop is entitled “Exploring the Work of Byron Katie.” |  |
| Raw Vegan Source: Tom and SusanA year after going raw and witnessing Susan’s raw-based recovery from cancer, Tom Armstrong and Susan Park created a raw foods buying co-op with four friends near Seattle. A year later, there was enough interest to create a physical store, and they began selling online. Today, the store is run out of their home, and they offer thriving raw foods potlucks and classes as instrumental leaders in the Seattle raw and living foods community. Tom and Susan are true believers in the power of raw foods, and are excited to be at the vanguard of this burgeoning movement. Through their extensive contacts, they are able to bring their customers some of the best raw foods products and deals, and the Retreat is proud to name them as co-sponsors in 2010! |  |
| Peter Tuomelo is the amazing farmer who grows most of the vegetables for the Retreat to order on his local better-than-Tilth-standards farm featuring heirloom, heritage, and exotic varietals. We are truly blessed to have this generous farmer and his incredible vegetables nourishing us at the Retreat. |  |
Update July 31, 2010: Due to her busy schedule, Victoria Boutenko regrets that she will be unable to join us at the retreat this year.
