Transformation: Awakening to The Nature Cure!
My 21-Day Fast & 7 Days on Live-Foods
at Our Hygiene Homestead in the Woods
By: Terry Svolto -- June, 2014
I am 40 years old. I am nearly 6' 4" tall. On June 1st, Day 1 of my
first fast, I weighed 260. By its end, I had dropped 35 pounds. I had made myself sick and tired from being
in SAD Diet commercial food production and operations management for 20
years. As a very young adult, I aspired to become a Celebrity Chef and
received much training. As the years went by and my skills progressed, I
became obese from tasting throughout every day. I became addicted to
the very foods I loved to make for others.
My addiction to food started as far back as I can remember. When I was a
young child and my cousins would visit, I wanted to eat their food as
well as mine. I also would find myself binge-eating on foods in secret. I
remember one time eating a half jar of peanut butter outside behind the
house and then hiding it, only to come back for it at another time.
Sometimes, I would fantasize that I was living in a grocery store and
could have whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted it. In my teenage
years, my addiction grew into recreational drug use which lasted on and
off for 24 years. This vicious cycle was a type of switch from drugs to
food and back and forth.
At one point, I was ready to go to the second best school in the country
to major in Culinary Arts. This would have set me on the path to become
a Celebrity Chef or an Executive Chef, until I hit my first crossroads.
In 2002, my friend and mentor Peter Quinn introduced me to the raw food
diet. He had a library of over 50 books. During the next few years, I
read each one. I was heartbroken though, because I had already invested
10 years of my life into developing my career in the world of cooked
foods. From that time forward, I walked a tightrope every day, knowing
the raw truth but working in the gourmet cooked food world. I did try
juice dieting and a semi-raw diet for a time, and both my wife and I
succeeded in losing an amazing amount of weight! We looked great! It did
not last long term, though. Duty called, and I had to support my family
and raise a child. I also was shackled by my cooked food addiction and
unaware of its triggers for out-of-control eating, including grazing on
cooked food all day at work. So I stayed in the industry and climbed up
to kitchen management and eventually became a Foodservice Director for
different intuitional companies. I was able to avoid standing over the
stove and ovens most of the time, but all of the bad foods were always
there and readily available. I drifted back into abusing these foods and
became deeply troubled. I felt like I was overeducated in my head and
completely inexperienced in my body. I was not practicing what I was to
learn about and live at Victoria's: The 10 Energy Enhancers.
I was approaching desperation when I finally reached out to Victoria
BidWell, The Wilderness Woman! I had done a lot of research on-line
about other fasting retreats and had spoken with people who had fasted
at some of them. I had a great need in my life to fast. I had damaged my
stomach from all these years of self-destructive eating. I took my leap
of faith with her retreat after reviewing her website, reading the
guests' stories, viewing the 2 picture tours, and spending time to think
about what I really needed and wanted. When I read her story and
understood her mission to make this type of experience accessible to
common folk with low to middle income, as well as to the rich, I really
appreciated that. I made a deposit a full year ahead of time and then made payments throughout the year for the month of June, 2014.
I WAS EXCITED TO THINK OF IT! THE PLACE IS IN THE WOODS! Being from Miami, I did not go out in
nature much. I did boy scouting as a kid and had some wonderful nature
experiences! Victoria's place was calling to me from 2,600 miles away!
Being a great reader through all my school years, I loved The
Transcendentalists, mainly Henry David Thoreau. I had always envisioned
going to a cabin deep in the woods for a vision quest and quiet
contemplation. The Guesthouse is nestled into the outer limits of the
small town of Concrete, Washington. This is just south of the Canadian
border and a little bit northeast of Seattle. The town is also just west
of the Cascade Mountain line that runs through Western Washington. Our
Hygiene Homestead in the Woods is known as having the freshest, most
pure, clean air in America! Thoughts of this coming trip were what kept me going through most of my
days at work for the entire 12 months. I planned to escape to Our
Homestead and shut out the world. Little did I know that this journey
would change my life forever and open doors to my transformation I had
never even dreamed of!
I flew to Seattle from Fort Lauderdale and then took the Bellaire
Airporter Shuttle to the town of Burlington. I arrived at 1:20 A.M.
Victoria drove into the station in her famous Ford pickup painted deep
blue and with American Flags air-brushed on the entire hood and roof. We
were on our way. I shared my history and why I was coming to the
retreat. Victoria listened and then shared about food addiction and her
experience with it. After a half hour or so, we arrived at Our Hygiene
Homestead in the Woods! Victoria gave me a tour of the main house. I
stayed in The Howling Wolves' Den. And what a Den it is! I found it to
be the perfect, private room and the best in the house. It had a huge
window right by the bed to open anytime and let the fresh mountain air
in. The cozy room was well planned out. There were pictures of wolves on
the wall, and a huge wolf howling at the moon on my bed in the form of a
blanket. I went to sleep around 4:00 A.M. I awoke to a new world.
When I got up the next morning, I went outside and walked around the
property. This retreat in the woods is a sanctuary of peace and
tranquility. It is paradise lost -- and then found by those who seek it.
The deep wilderness setting is pristine with evergreen trees scraping
the sky all around. Through the trees, glimpses of the mountains lead to
The Cascades. Victoria calls them "foothills," but they are "mountains"
to me! Birds and squirrels and other wildlife flowed freely and in
harmony from the woods through the property and back. The house itself
is like something out of the last frontier. It is a real, authentic
"homestead cabin," having been made from trees cut and milled right off
the property. Other attachments on the house were made later throughout
the years. Inside the house, every inch from ceiling to floor has been
carefully thought out to reflect "Victoria's Vision." She is happy,
whimsical, creative, rustic, loving, and deep in her understanding of
healing. These attributes in her are reflected throughout the home.
There are little messages all over the property, inside and out. They
are on the walls, in corners, on rocks in the plants. And all of them
say something thoughtful and encouraging. The sign over my bed urged:
"RELAX." Another favorite stone planted in the ivy simply stated:
"WISDOM."
My fast started out tough. I had not prepared myself by eating a
cleansing diet prior to arrival. I was in "burnout breakdown mode" when I
arrived. I had slept very little in the 3 weeks prior because of moving
to a new house and working around the clock at my job. By the time my
travel day arrived, I had been running on pure adrenaline and caffeine
during the trip to Seattle. The days passed with gnawing stomach pangs.
My entire body was filled with so much nervous tension. I also had acid
reflux at times throughout these days. I knew that my stomach was so
sick and abused that it was going through the cleansing process to heal.
The first thing I did was finish Dr. Herbert Shelton's The Hygienic
System, Volume 3: Fasting and Sunbathing. It explained in depth the
symptoms I was experiencing. On Day 3, my appetite diminished. By day 4,
it was completely gone. I must stress the word "appetite" here for a
reason. From reading Natural Hygiene books for years, I learned that
true hunger is a pleasant mouth and throat sensation. It is kind of a
celebration of the cells crying out in their bio-electrical language:
"WE WANT TO EAT!" What I and so many others who claim they are hungry
were feeling was not genuine hunger. It was jaded appetite -- an abnormal
hunger. All of these symptoms commonly reported from just a few hours
to a couple days without a meal were not genuine hunger. Symptoms like
headache, weakness, dizziness, "gnawing hunger pangs" (a misnomer), and
emptiness -- they all expressed a toxic gastro-intestinal tract in the
process of cleansing itself when not interrupted by large shovels of
wrong food going down the hatch. I realized that since birth I had never
known genuine hunger.
As I got deeper into my fast, I started to get adjusted. I was here -- IN
THE WILDERNESS! I had successfully escaped Florida and my especially
miserable last few years there! I had developed a great appreciation
for where I was but had not yet figured out how to relax. On Day 5,
Victoria came by and asked me to go on a short outing with her! She took
me to Downtown Concrete so she could go to the hardware store. The
entire Downtown is one main street with not even one stop light. It
looked like a movie set from the 1940s. I had never even been to any
place this rural ever before. Then she took me to the memorable Concrete
Fire Station. The exterior wall is a complete mural of Concrete,
Washington, and the surrounding Cascade Mountains. After that, we went
driving up old, abandoned mining roads and up through the mountains and
deep into primitive forests. We visited Victoria's favorite swimming
hole and then pulled onto a lookout and talked for an hour.
The Wilderness Woman was very generous with her time. We discussed some
of my fears if I were to experience a healing crisis or felt really
sick. She said that it is very rare in the early part of a fast for
someone to get sick. But if that were to happen, we would deal with it.
She also told me not to focus on fears but on the great progress I am
making here! We next drove to a field of wild daisies and took
photographs. By the second week, my body had learned how to relax. But
my mind was still flying at full speed. I realized that not only had I
never experienced genuine hunger, but that I also had never known what
"complete rest" was or how to shut off all the fear-oriented tapes that
played all day in my mind. Victoria came to visit me almost every day.
She does take one day off a week for her personal time if the guests are
doing fine, but also calls on those evenings. She spent hours and hours
with me. We talked and talked about all of her journeys in life and how
they crossed over to the road of being a leader in The Natural Hygiene
Movement. She always laughed at so many things and contained a happiness
and state of self-mastery that I could not comprehend. I listened and
shared but did not laugh. I was not even sure how to really laugh,
because it has never come natural for me. I was intrigued by her
presence, confidence, and bursts of joy that came through in all of our
conversations. She had a plan for me and had taken a stand to see me GET
WELL AND STAY WELL! I shared many of my experiences in the world of
culinary arts and foodservice management, my history, and an in-depth
look at what I later came to see were self-destructive behavior cycles.
One day, she brought over a large white poster board and asked me to
draw my life experiences. In one sitting, I was to draw from as far back
as I could remember and up to my arrival at Our Homestead. So I did. It
took about 3 hours. Doing so surfaced a lot of emotions and
reflections. It was very revealing. Two days later, we sat down and
went over "my past" in detail. It took another 3 hours as I brought
Victoria along the path of my life, picture by picture. All through this
process, she guided me into identifying a 24-year cycle of
self-destructive events driven by fear, stress, and addiction. This
self-destructiveness had either overshadowed my life events or flowed as
an undercurrent. The years of mood-altering, mind-altering recreational
drugging had been my great escape from fear. The experience left us
both wondering how I had made it through life so far and thankful that I
finally had arrived here for rest and renewal. AROUND THIS TIME, I
REALIZED THAT I WAS NOT ESCAPING ANYTHING BY COMING TO THE GUESTHOUSE. I
HAD COME TO RELAX IN THE LAP OF NATURE TO REBUILD MY ENTIRE LIFE!
My next assignment was to flip the poster board over and draw out my
future from the day I leave our retreat in the woods. I was also
instructed to watch various versions of A Christmas Carol. I watched the
1951 version that very night. Scrooge's moment of transformation was
powerful after completing the work I had done that day! It made me
introspective on this whole process of "cleansing." The fast is not only
a physical cleanse but a mental, emotional, and spiritual one, as well.
Three days later, I drew the other side of the poster board with the
future life I want once I leave Our Hygiene Homestead. It took me a
couple hours, and it was one of the best activities I have ever done! I
created the life I want. It led into health, prosperity, and happiness.
Victoria came in the afternoon, and we spent about 2 hours enjoying my
future. We went into some deep discussion about it and set up
self-constructive, self-corrective actions for my entering back into my
Florida world and dealing with situations and slip ups that might occur
in my diet. She also recommended some wonderful books on overcoming
eating disorders.
The Guesthouse Library is one of a kind. There are hundreds of books
organized into various "little libraries": raw diet and food
preparation, fasting, Natural Hygiene, mind and body connection, love
and emotions, addictions, and nature and The Wilderness, and more. There
are also years of magazines published from Natural Hygiene leaders,
videos on many subjects, and movies. I read many books from the library,
but the 2 that were the most powerful for me were Thin Tastes Better
and Binge No More. These books gave me deep insight into myself and
identified the cunning nature of my eating disorder. They gave
strategies to cope and manage it successfully. I have a form of "BED"
otherwise known as "Binge Eating Disorder." In my case, it is triggered
by stresses and anxieties. The root of all darkness is fear, and it
always leads to thoughts and/or actions of self-destructive behavior.
Victoria and I counseled extensively on my BED and set in place the
self-corrections necessary to stop the syndrome. I also reviewed again
some material from 2 BOOKS IN 1: The Health Seekers' YearBook with The
Best of Common Health Sense and refreshed myself on "Slow Down
Behaviors" while eating.
Victoria is a former English, communications, and speech teacher. She
had been profiling my method of communicating: "...way too little
listening, way too much monopolizing, way too fast speaking, way too monotone,
and way poor pronunciation." She analyzed: "You pronounce so incompletely
and so rapidly, it is as if you have your own private dialect. And I can
hardly follow it!" We discussed these patterns throughout my entire
visit. "They reflect your high state of anxiety and the low-grade state
of fear you have come to accept as normal," she explained. She coached
me on breaking all of these modes of miscommunication while I practiced
new, intelligible, and engaging speech patterns. About 2 weeks into the
4, she casually mentioned: "I have yet to see a really happy, full-mouth
smile on your face. And I do not even know what your laughter looks or
sounds like -- let alone what a big belly laugh from you is. YOU ARE NO
FUN BECAUSE... you are just not having fun!" Then she aimed this at my
aspirations: "If you are to stand before an audience one day and share
"The Message & Promise of Natural Hygiene," you certainly need to know how to communicate so The
Health Seekers enjoy you and get The Message!" I could see that she
really wanted to help! I received her observations enthusiastically. And
I am becoming way better for doing so!
As I got into my fast, more changes happened. I had an easy fast with
virtually no discomfort or detox symptoms. Victoria attributed this to
the my many years of veganism with so many raw fruit and vegetables.
Despite my junk food binges, I always ate large amounts of organic, raw
fruits and greens. The common signs of going into my fast materialized.
They started on Day 3 (after all hunger ceased) with a fully coated
tongue, halitosis, acetone in the urine, weakness, and lowered body
temperature. The first 10 days or so, I had more bouts of mild weakness
and low energy. But as the fast got deeper, my energy actually
increased. On most days later in the fast, I enjoyed walking for a few
blocks. Some days, my energy was lower. But generally as I got into the
deeper stages, I felt better and better. On all of those days,
regardless of my energy levels, I took a short sunbath and let the sun
apply its own healing touch. Victoria kept urging me to go outdoors and
to get in touch with "God's Great Nature" and "your own true nature!"
After Day 18, a major shift started. I lost all interest in reading and
wanted to become immersed in the outdoor liveliness.
This is from my journal: "At some point, I went for a very short walk.
My awareness and participation in nature continue to rise. My mind has
become completely calm and quiet. No noise or the tapes that have always
played. I am in such a state of deep relaxation that even my father
thought I sounded weak or out of it when we spoke on the phone in the
afternoon. I explained to him that this is the first time in my life
that I have actually relaxed and been still and at peace for such a
long, steady period. Later, I sat out front at the picnic table. The sun
came out. I sat in just a T-shirt and jeans and let the sun warm me. I
became much immersed in my natural surroundings and content with
watching the rocks, trees, insects, birds, and all else nature served
up."
Victoria and I had a nice talk during these extreme moments of getting
in touch with nature. We identified my peace and tranquility of body,
mind, and soul as... "THE NATURE CURE AT WORK!" That is the cure that
comes from allowing nature to do its work when we get out of the way.
Victoria explains: "Spending time in nature, hours and hours at a time,
allows you to get in touch with your own true nature. This can reveal
many truths about who you are and what you want and how to go about
getting it." Throughout the final days of the fast, I still remained
very introspective, appreciative, relaxed, and immersed in nature. I
wanted to be outdoors, mostly every minute possible. My facial features
changed. And I grew fingernails for the first time in over 20 years. I
had spent all my life picking and biting them out of sheer stress. I
also shed 35 pounds! I got a transformation I never dreamed possible!
On Day 22, I broke the fast on the nicest assortment of juices! They
were all Victoria-made-fresh and delivered in a basket. The strawberry
juice was my first taste in 21 days. No words can describe how my taste
buds jumped alive and danced in sweet-and-tart waves of bliss! Every
faster has a different refeeding plan depending on his or her situation.
My plan was juices for 3 days, then a day of melons, then the last 2
days with whole fruits and vegetables. Although my plan was in place, my
body had a tougher time refeeding than fasting. On Day 2 of juices, my
body started rejecting them. I was low in energy and had brain fog. A
heavy metallic detox taste irritated my taste buds. I was alarmed at
first, thought I should perhaps resume fasting. "Yes! You should,"
agreed Victoria. "But you must leave in 4 days! You must get ready to
go!" It all made sense. She explained I had broken the fast too soon,
that my body was not done yet. It wanted to keep fasting. She added that
about 1 of every 3 fasters experiences problems refeeding when breaking
the fast early. I had read about the cautions of breaking a fast early.
She advised: "You must continue to drink your juices -- to force-feed
yourself against nature, if need be! That is why, for those who do not
feel like eating, it is called 'breaking' the fast!" At that moment, my
75,000,000,000,000 cells were still set for fasting and sending me
signals that they wanted to continue! By following the guidelines to
keep drinking my juices, my digestive system and elimination systems
would get the consistent message: "The fast is over! We must wake up the digestive system!" And according to
The Law of Accommodation, they would have no choice but to accommodate
me -- The Digetive System Vacation would be formally over, and the workers would go back to work once again.
After 3 days of juicing, their protests ended. I woke up on the 4th day
and had watermelon the entire day. All symptoms passed. My cells called
out with an unmistakable desire for food! My strength and energy
started returning rapidly.
On Day 5 of my refeeding, I experienced "genuine hunger" for the first
time in my life! It was exactly as Dr. Shelton described -- a pleasant
mouth and throat sensation with a calling from all of my cells: "WE ARE
HAPPY! WE WANT TO EAT!" My mouth kept watering, and the feeling of
wanting to eat was very pleasant. Genuine hunger is never in the
stomach. I now know this, firsthand! I sat down to a melon meal in the
morning and a large assortment of vegetables for lunch.
Later that afternoon, Victoria came by with a surprise. We were going on
an adventure! I made plans with her to go into town that day, but she
had some additional stops in mind. My housemate Phillip and I got into
her famous "Patriotic Pickup," and we were off. First we went to
Downtown Concrete again and showed Phillip the main street and the Fire
Station with the mural of the Concrete area. "Now you know where you
are!" Victoria beamed.
Then we drove around some back roads and arrived at the headquarters of
GetWell*StayWell, America! This is also the home of Victoria and her
stunning white Arabian horse named "Captain HighJoy America!" Victoria
gave us a personal introduction to "The Mighty High Joy" of her life! At
first, he was a little shy and suspicious of approaching us. Victoria
explained it was because he had endured a 3-hour forced beauty spray bath just
a couple days prior and did not fancy another! But after some coaxing,
he came right up front and introduced himself! The bond between Victoria
and HighJoy is unique and a joy to behold! He actually understands her
and follows her directions. He has quite an entertaining personality!
After performing various tricks, he was treated to one of his favorite
snacks -- a potful of whole grains -- raw, "of horse!" We then sat with
him during his snack and watched Victoria hand-feed him. This was the
first time I had ever been so up close and personal with a horse,
especially a famous one!
After HighJoy's lunch, Victoria invited us to come inside her home. We
toured her offices where she works and communicates with Health Seekers
around the world! And we visited The Health 4 the Billions Library.
She showed us more than 1,000 books she received from Dr. Vetrano. Most
were dated in the 19th century. It was just like stepping into a time
machine! This one collection held 200 years of knowledge and healing --
from famous masters to the many lesser-knowns. A large
portrait-painting of Dr. Shelton on the wall stared down at Victoria while she worked at her desk. I felt a
sense of standing in history merged with my destiny -- which is still
opening up to many possibilities this moment.
We then went back to the retreat to drop off Phillip. Our adventure
continued. We drove through deep, remote valleys of the foothills of The
Cascade Mountains. After some time, we stopped and pulled over by a
huge meadow. Victoria said she was going to cut fresh grasses and
clovers for High. I was to go out in the field and just be in it all.
"THIS IS ONE OF YOUR LAST CHANCES TO TAKE THE NATURE CURE!" I walked far
into the field and sat down to gaze into the foothills in various
verdant shades and enjoy Goya-like clouds getting ready to summer storm.
There I sat -- in quiet contemplation with my mind still. This was my
next to the last day in Washington. I took in the meadow, the mountains,
the sky, and the pure air. Then, I laid into the deep grass and just
became part of it all.
Next, Victoria gave her horse-holler! And it was off to the next
adventure! She left me at the cemetery where Victor Bidwell was buried
and instructed me to get in touch with my own nature there. I wandered
the gravesites, aware of the fluttering ribbons and swaying flowers
before the cloudy sky turned into a summer storm. I could feel the love of the living for the dead through these gravesite mementos. Upon returning,
Victoria asked what I had learned. I answered: "LIFE IS FOR THE LIVING.
AND I AM NOT GOING TO LIVE IN SELF-DESTRUCTION MODE ANY LONGER! YES! I
AM GOING TO SELF-CONSTRUCT WITH MY NEW-FOUND NATURE CURE!" After that, we
went to a park and shared a dinner. The Wilderness Woman had gone off
to get us lettuce, avocado, celery, and lots of Rainier Cherries,
"...fresh-picked this morning, eaten this afternoon!" This was my first
time for Washington Rainiers! They were the meatiest, juiciest, and most
crisp cherries ever -- with a special, divine sweetness! Our dinner was a
most notable moment! Teacher and student shared the original food
provided by nature. OUR FOOD ITSELF IS PART OF... "THE NATURE CURE!"
Day 27 was my last day of re-feeding, and I spent most of the day
packing. I was not sure what Victoria had planned. Little did I know.
What had the universe in store for this night? It turned out that
Victoria had nothing planned except a dinner. But first, she indulged us
in a spontaneous creative dramatics act! What happened to me is beyond
what I can describe in words. But I will try. Victoria sat down on the
couch between Phillip and me to share her 2 children's coloring books.
The Dr. GetWell's Apples to Zucchini Coloring Book amazed us with a page
for each letter of the alphabet and a picture of a fruit or vegetable
and an animal starting with that letter and a sentence alliterating that
letter many times, too! I had been asked to do "a fun reading" of the pages. Victoria suddenly
stopped my show. It was our last night. And I was still talking in a monotone.
She had seen me smile over the last 2 weeks, genuine smiles. But she had
not heard me laugh or give a good belly laugh.
Victoria became visibly frustrated! She could not bear this on my last night at The Guesthouse! The monotone
pitch communicated my almost complete absence of joy --- and her almost complete failure as a teacher! She directed me
to stand in front of Phillip and her and to read and act out each
alliterated sentence of the animal and fruit or vegetable in a highly exaggerated,
highly animated, and highly entertaining way! I was instructed to
"...delight us 5 year olds until we scream with high joy!"
My fearful
self fought the directions at first, but then something shifted in me.
As I processed the ridiculousness of this entire portion of the evening,
I suddenly started to laugh. A little, genuine laughter at first. And
then belly laughter to the point that it hurt my ribs and I got tears in
my eyes! I buckled over at one point! I could hardly stand up! Barring high times in my youth on
recreation drugs, this was the very first time I had ever belly-laughed
in my entire life! THIS WAS THE FINAL BREAKTHROUGH VICTORIA HAD BEEN SEEKING!
Every one of my 75,000,000,000,000 cells in my body were happy --- all at
once -- all in unison! Once I adapted to this brand-new mode of communicating, I moved
into "The Entertainer Mode!" I started performing for them like they
actually were 5 year olds! I took my attention off my fearsome, Old Self
and put it on entertaining these 2 children to the point that they
loved it! They were squealing and clapping and bouncing up and down on the couch in hilarity!
This silliness and laughing continued in intensity until I began singing
and dancing across the room at Victoria's direction. The creative
dramatics ended with my actually singing "Zippity Do Dah! Zippity AY!
Me, Oh My! WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY! Plenty of Sunshine Heading My Way!
Zippity Do Dah! Zippity A!" This, of course, was to celebrate the letter "Z" for "Zucchini!" I did the song and thus finished the entire A
to Z book. It took about an hour because I had to do the first several
letters of the alphabet over and over until I got them right!
Then, Victoria had 2 more breakthrough assignments for me! I sat in a
chair with another empty chair across from me. I then started a dialogue
between my newly created self and my Old Self. I switched chairs as I
switched characters. The Old Self was imprisoned in a fear-cage, drug
and food addicted, miserable, and looking right at me with hopelessness
written all over his face. I, my Nature Cured Self, sat strong and
confident with a new appreciation of the happiness and fun and belly
laughs to be had in life. Our dialogue went back and forth about my
breakthrough success on this trip, about my newfound peace, my strong
self-confidence, and my finding the key to being happy and having fun! My New Self firmly
let the Old Self know: "THIS MAN OF FUN AND HAPPINESS IS WHO I AM NOW." My old self protested
too much and assured me that the change would be short-lived and that he
was not buying into it. My New Self invited my Old Self along for the adventurous ride! But since that was not his nature, the back and forthing
several times brought no melding of us 2. So my New Self let the self-destruct guy
in the dust with an "ADIOS!"
After I had finished this conversation, Victoria asked me to close my
eyes. She then told me to open them and deal with whatever happened from
my viewing what was on the chair in front of me. I opened my eyes to
look upon a huge cupcake the size of a large grapefruit! It was pure
chocolate with mounds of white butter cream frosting on top. It jarred
me to see this, and I stared at it and took it all in. It brought up
many old thoughts and feelings of all the binge eating I had done in the
past. At first, I admitted to the cupcake: "Wow... you look really
good!" But upon shifting into my New Self, I had absolutely no desire to
eat the thing. The cupcake did not even look like food to me anymore. I
told it: "Go away. I have no desire to eat you." I was done. After some
time to reflect on what just happened, Victoria had me pick it up,
place it in a box, and hand it back to her. Since HighJoy is not on as
strict a regime as I, he was to enjoy that gigantic chocolate cupcake
later!
Next, Victoria, Phillip, and I toasted with my favorite --- a sparkling
strawberry juice, Victorian-fresh. Phillip, still fasting, stayed with
just the sparkling water. They both wished me "THE BEST NEW LIFE FOR
EVER AFTER!" Then, Phillip retired. Victoria and I had our final
dinner -- 2 huge, elegantly prepared platters of a fine assortment of
veggies and non-sweet fruits. Each platter displayed a bowl in the
middle of a wonderful Raw Raspberry Instead-of-Vinagrette, chunky style
with walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes and dried mango. Because it was so
thick, it really ate like a "chutney" -- and the tastiest ever! We shared
pleasant conversation and a recap of so much work that we had
accomplished! The quantum shifts and breakthroughs kept coming in waves
through me all during the meal.
After dinner, Victoria left, only to come back at 1:45 A.M. to drive me
to the bus station. The whole ride there, I could not say much. I was in
shock from the intensity of the evening that had just transpired. I had
broken through the barriers of my body, my mind, my emotions, and
my spirit to declare my true nature of who I am and who I will come to
be. The Wilderness Woman had taught me how to have fun and release
happiness from within! I now want HIGH JOY, too... to have... "FUN! FUN!
FUN!" I want to check throughout the day to make sure I am having it!
We arrived at the Burlington Bellaire Bus Station just before departure.
I loaded my luggage and hugged her over and over again -- each for a
long time, kept thanking her, and telling her how much I loved her. A
minute later, I stepped back from the bus steps and hugged her again!
Then I boarded the gentle giant and sunk into my comfy seat. I watched The Wilderness Woman scoot off in
her American Flag-painted Ford pickup... "a million miles on the original engine!" I estimated about 200 of those miles had "Terry Svolto" written all over them!
Our Hygiene Homestead in the Woods and Victoria BidWell helped me
transform my life! This was a training camp for leading The Natural
Hygiene Movement forward in any way that I am led and that I can.
Healthful Living is achieved by following The 10 Energy Enhancers of
Natural Hygiene. And fasting on water-only is the greatest and the fastest
way to clean the bloodstream and the tissues in preparation for that
Healthful Living. I am beyond grateful for all of the things I learned
in Washington. I will be back again -- next time with guests to share the
wilderness experiences.
A FEW DAYS LATER, TERRY WRITES... Victoria! I am well -- and happy! My wife and
daughter are amazed at how much and how easily I smile now. They love
you for the work you did with me. My wife declares: "YOU ARE AMAZING!"
We are having FUN! I stayed 100% RAW for 11 days!
I did a test. I took my wife and daughter to the Cheesecake Factory
tonight. As soon as the bread basket hit the table, I pushed it to the
other end and did not have one crumb. I ordered fresh-made guacamole and
a large mixed-greens salad. The platter did come with some tortilla
chips. I ate fewer than 15. I left a pile of them on the plate. I
watched everyone else eat their cooked food and remained very happy with my
choices. On the way out, I ordered a large slice of smores cheesecake to
go for my daughter and had zero desire for it. This very successful
restaurant meal with loved ones proved Victoria's Nature Cure has taken
root: "I can trust myself. I can eat out with loved ones and be just
fine. AT AGE 40, I HAVE FOUND THE TRUE NATURE OF BY BEST INTENTIONS... IT IS TO BE HAP- HAP-
HAPPY AND EVER-SO HEALTHY!
