Epic Eden Hot Springs Retreat! October 6th through the 10th, 2010

This is by far the most exciting event of the year for me! There is no other place on Earth that leaves me feeling so connected to the Land and to the Elements!

For many years now I have visited this oasis of the Sonoran desert, and it has been (by far) the most trans-formative location of my life.

Up until now these retreats have been a collaborative effort of my teachers and mentors David Wolfe and Kerri “Dancing Butterfly” .  They have facilitated the transformation of the countless people who have attended (myself included!).

This is in fact where my very first YouTube video was recorded, and the place where I began my career.

Now a new generation is taking up the call of stewarding this unique piece of Earth. Joy Light and Rebecca Astara are putting on this year’s event, Epic Eden HotSprings! I will be leading a tour of the Sacred grounds of Eden, visiting along the tour the six geo-thermal hot springs that spot the land. I am honored to share my knowledge and experience of my many years of visiting this land, with all of the retreaters!

This Oasis is beyond description, but let me attempt!

When standing on the hill, the high point of the property, surrounded by the 360 degrees of Arizona Mountains, looking down at the valley, the magick of this place becomes clear. The Sonoran desert is one of the harshest, driest environments on the planet. Yet, this oasis is green and lush, surrounded by inhospitable gravel-strewn desert.

It all begins with a small pool known as “The Source”. This sacred spring spills over and runs into the “Guitar Pool”, which is, as you may have guessed, shaped like a guitar! It is also known as the “Goddess Pool”, because the pool imitates the curvy shape of a Woman’s body. This is my favorite pool for soaking, as it is the quietest and most… sanctified.  All around it salt crystals grow right up out of the ground, dusting the area like a fresh snow!

This water runs down past a pool known as the “Emerald Pool” which is much hotter than the guitar pool. This pool is brilliantly green with exotic flora, and feeds down into the most popular pool, “Geronimo”!  This pool is named after the Apache Warrior who led the final free indigenous natives in the war against the early US!

And yes, he and his warriors really used this spring for healing and rejuvenation!

It is his, and the Apache spirit that is felt so strongly here!

This pool feeds down into the “Goddess Pool”, a hot spring pool the size of an Olympic swimming pool!  Swimming, bathing, or even just floating here is a truly unique and indescribable experience! It is less hot and more like tepid bathwater… I enjoy this pool for exercise and play!

This will be a time of powerful healing and lifelong transformation for all who attend. There will be many amazing work/play shop facilitators, body workers, and many new and old friends… Morning Yoga, Sun Gazing, Spring Water…. It is a chance to immerse yourself in the Temple of the Elemental!

Oh, and did I mention the food? The wonderful Chocolatree Cafe, based out of Sedona, will be preparing the food and overseeing the kitchen! Business partners Jen Warr of Chocolatree Cafe and Kelly Johnson of Sedona Superfoods, in combination come together to provide for us at the retreat this fall. They are a business of high integrity, bringing us the most top notch organic vegetarian cuisine! Each meal they serve up is delicious, nutritious, and uniquely prepared. Their cafe in Sedona is definitely the hot spot of the area and is a must visit while going through that town!

The experience of Eden is always hot, sunny, fiery energy… Burning off the old to make room for the new. The springs are so deeply nourishing, and there is always a view of the stars like few have ever seen. Soaking in these waters in the cold desert night looking deep into space is a gift that few ever give themselves!

Visit here to find out more about the retreat, and here to learn about all of the amazing facilitators for this epic retreat!

For me it is a place where I shed yet another layer of domestication and re-member what it means to be human.

And so my Road takes me West….

You coming?

~ Daniel

Join us ~ October 6th-10th, 2010 for this Epic Experience of a Lifetime!

I will be facilitating 3 Wild Food Tours in the Jungles of Peru, August 5th, 19th, and September 2nd!

The RawFlora Wild Food Journey in ledgendary Peru!

This trip is so comprehensive that I will only be able to describe a few of the highlights here!

We are traveling into the jungle to explore the Wild Foods and Medicines of the most bio-diverse region of the world, the Amazon!

Native biologists, shamans, and wild food experts will lead us through the most nourishing, exciting and informative eco-adventure of our lives!

Hot springs, waterfalls, coca,cacao, wild food and wild medicine, and yes, even an optional Ayahuasca ceremony!  Herbal steam baths, guided hikes through forests and eco-gardens, native markets, and lodging in Peru’s eco-friendly Manu Learning Center!

You will have to view the itinerary to believe it!  I am still amazed!

Click HERE for the Raw Flora
Wild Food Journey Itinerary

I am also very excited to visit the markets and meet the locals!  Peruvian Alpaca garments are the best in the world, and my poncho, hat and gloves all come from there.  It is so great to get them locally and for the amazing prices that can only be had on such a visit!  Yay, gear!

This is your chance to meet the Superfoods, Medicinal Herbs, and Psychoactive plants of South America right there where they live and grow!

These retreats are limited to 10 people and they are already filled!  Contact info@rawflora to get on the waiting list!

~Daniel

OH, Wait!!! Did I mention that there is an optional trip to Machu Picchu?  I almost forgot.  There is an option to arrive on the early for a trip to the Ancient Incan City of Machu Picchu!  This has been a dream of mine for ages!  See you there?

If you are anything like me, you consume enough books that they could be considered part of your diet! Each book is like a tile, great or small, in the mosaic of world-view that we are each assembling.

There is such a joy and satisfaction for me when I discover a critical piece of information that answers questions that I have long held.

And while I love reading, sometimes I get even more (I must admit) out of watching a well crafted video.

One example is the PBS documentary “The Botany of Desire ” with Michael Pollan.

I first came across the work of Michael Pollan when I read (ok, it was an audio book) “In Defense of Food”. His grounded and well researched teachings on nutrition and the environmental and psychological impacts of our diets have earned him tremendous respect as and author and authority on the subject (he’s a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley).

My personal approach to nutrition has indeed been influenced by his writings, and most influential of all was the documentary “The Botany of Desire”.  Here are some video extras from the documentary, and the rest is available for purchase or download online.

The theme of lectures I have been giving around the continent this year has been “Indigenous Nutrition and Human Evolution”, and much of the focus has been on the breeding of our modern food supply.

In my own life I have been pursuing a diet made up of (as much as I can) local, heirloom, and wild species. This has proven an interesting and valuable endeavor, and I am constantly amazed to discover the source of the foods that I grew up on.  More on this in later blogs.

So much of the The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World is focused on breeding, and more specifically the breeding of four plants; apples, potatoes, tulips, and cannabis!  While each section is amazing, I was most taken by the segment on the apple.

For instance, did you know that all of the apples in our modern diet are genetic clones?  It’s true, the apple tree as we think of it is a grafted plant, and its fruit is exceptionally hybridized. This is so strange because we tend to, as a culture, consider the apple the very symbol of “natural food”. Not so! In fact the modern apple scarcely resembles the true wild apple in taste, size, or nutritional profile.

As an example, most of us find the idea of cloning sheep or humans strange. Many of us, in fact, might even have a moral repulsion to the idea. And yet so much of the fruits we eat are cloned, and few of us are even aware.  This is why my teachings have been focusing in on foods that are bred wisely, or when possible, are wild!

PS; more interesting still is the history of the real life character Johnny Apple Seed. This strangely clad and barefoot historical figure was committed to much more than just growing apples.  He was committed to planting apples from seed.  As strange as it may seem this was and still is a revolutionary concept!  Did you know that every seed in an apple (there are 5) will bring forth a different type of apple tree?  It is this unpredictability that has led to its cloning!

Watch the The Botany of Desire DVD for the rest of the story, and then comment below to let me know what you think!

Gratitude!

~Daniel

No one there was able to explain this to me, and I was looking for some confirmation….

Special thanks to Lin for getting me this information! It is an old document describing the Wilbur Spring and surrounding area.  The bottom of the first paragraph makes reference to “Oil Spring” which tastes of petroleum!  That gives a bit of confirmation.

Then there was also this document which mentions springs of petroleum coming up in the area…

Now to see if the Balneologists know of any theraputic benefit to this naturally occuring compound!  Compounds like Radon and Arsenic, which are known to be poisonous are considered to have beneficial medicinal action in the art and science of balneotherapy.  Dose is everything!

My first reaction to seeing petroleum in the spring was notable concern.  As I began to contemplate this, I realized i didn’t have a reference point for naturally occurring “rock oil”.

If anyone finds a reference or more information on this, please leave it as a comment below!!

Deep Gratitude!

~Daniel

Post Script!  It is now April 5th, 2010, and this was just received from Wilbur HotSprings!

Dear Friends:

Some of you have expressed interest in the black  tar like substance that
Daniel Vitalis showed in his excellent,  and,  for me,  emotionally moving,
2 movie UTube  series on Wilbur Hot Springs.

Here is some information on that  healing  smelly substance.

A black,  tar like,  material can be seen in the mud around the Wilbur Hot
Springs source springs.  You cannot see this  black material in the hot
water since it is dissolved;   however, you can smell a very mild
petroleum  like odor in Wilbur's medicinal  mineral  water along with the
smell of  sulfur,  a well known,  and established,  anti bacterial agent. I
have witnessed dramatic reductions  in the symptoms of Psoriasis at Wilbur
Hot Springs.  My research  led me to the following article from the renowned
Mayo Clinic.
Treatments and drugs By Mayo Clinic staff
<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/AboutThisSite/AM00057>

Psoriasis treatments aim to:

   - Interrupt the cycle that causes an increased production of skin cells,
   thereby reducing inflammation and plaque formation.
   - Remove scale and smooth the skin, which is particularly true of topical
   treatments that you apply to your skin.

*Topical treatments*
Used alone, creams and ointments that you apply to your skin can effectively
treat mild to moderate psoriasis.

   - *Coal tar. A thick, black byproduct of the manufacture of petroleum
   products and coal, coal tar is probably the oldest treatment for psoriasis.
   It reduces scaling, itching and inflammation. Exactly how it works isn't
   known. Coal tar has few known side effects, but it's messy, stains clothing
   and bedding, and has a strong odor. Coal tar is available in
   over-the-counter shampoos, creams and oils.*

In addition, Daniel Vitalis  personally  assimilated the depth of the
respectful and non cult  atmosphere  that we have created at Wilbur.
He is to be  commended,  and thanked,  for his making Wilbur a subject of
his professional,  guerrilla,   video journalism.

Richard

Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D.
Wilbur Caretaker in Chief since 1972

Daniel and I didn’t want to leave you hanging for long without new information posted on the site but Daniel is unable to devote any time to his blog for a little while yet as he is on the road and busy spreading the word of Shamanic Nutrition in California! The tour is going great and there are several events left if your thinking you’d like to see Daniel do his thing live and in person!

These next 3 videos are the follow up from the last post entitled “Stalking the Wild Chaga”.

The first video covers proper drying and storage of the Chaga mushroom and preparing a decoction, with the 2nd & 3rd videos being a detailed, step by step instruction on creating an Elixir, using the wild-harvested Chaga tea as a base.

As per usual, Daniel’s delivery in these next 3 videos is flawless… Enjoy!

Daniel has a bit of an aversion to recipes….. preferring to teach the principles and process of ElixirCrafting and encouraging people to use their intuition and to create from their own unique palate, so it’s a special treat that he measured everything this time and I was able to put together the recipe for you!

I’ll let you watch the videos first though… the recipe is included at the bottom of the post.

The ElixirCraft Mastery Program is an excellent resource for understanding the concept and components of making liquid medicinal preparations and I recommend it to anyone who is embarking on the journey to Invincible Health!

Also, check out our friends at rawnatureboy.com to get an exclusive package deal on Sun Warrior Protein Powder, SurThrival Colostrum & Immortal Velvet Deer Antler!!!

For those of us living in areas where Chaga is not readily available we can substitute the Chaga tea base with any medicinal teas we are currently working with, keeping in mind that the flavor may vary slightly… but not enough to make that big of a difference.

Bodybuilding Wild Chaga Protein Elixir

6 cups wild chaga decoction (tea)
1/2 cup soaked chia seeds
1/4 cup mesquite powder
1 cup wild blueberries
3 raw eggs
1/2 cup Sun Warrior protein powder
1/2 cup SurThrival colostrum
1tblsp raw butter (or other fat source)
3 guarana seeds
1tsp vanilla powder
1/3 tsp whole leaf stevia powder (or sweetener of choice)
pinch of salt

Thanks for all your support here at DanielVitalis.com!!!!
We look forward to your comments and feedback….

Sarah Maria xo
Superfood SpeakEasy Promotions