Coffee Roaster Prototype

Chief Production Engineer, Rourke Ball, stands beside an early prototype of our commercial coffee roaster. Great job Rourke! I can't wait to get my hands on the first production model!

This past Wednesday, February 25th (my 49th birthday) I was given a Food Processor license for the sole purpose of roasting coffee beans. I will be working out of the commercial kitchen located at 1800 E. Main St., in Ashland, OR. Come by and try some of the freshest roasted coffee around. I can be reached by calling (541) 944-0600, or else following me on Twitter where I will be updating my location and roasting schedule daily.

Transformational Twittering

My friend and webmaster Verin Lewis recently turned me on to Twitter as we were discussing new creative possibilities for my new venture, Wake-Up! So I signed up and started twittering.

At first I really did not understand how Twitter could benefit me. Then I started following the twitter of two guys, Lance Armstrong, and Lance's good friend, Doug Ullman, CEO of Livestrong (and who just happens to be the ex-husband of my wife's first cousin).

Lance loves to twitter, and what he is able to communicate through Twitter is profound. It's not what he says, but how he says it! Every single twitter is positive and joyful. You can feel that Lance is living a thrilling and satisfying life.

So I tried the same approach. Throughout the day I started twittering all of the positive aspects of what I was doing. What I noticed immediately was that I started looking for only the joy in everything. My twitters were becoming affirmations about the good in my life, and as long as I am focused on the good I feel great and know and believe that anything is possible!

I highly recommend twittering as a spiritual practice. Just follow the twitters of Lance, Doug, and now me and you will see what I mean. Thanks Lance! You inspire me to live the best life possible. It's as if you are saying, "hey, tuck in behind me and draft.....I got you covered".

The Insanity of This World!

This morning as I was contemplating the meaning of life, I was amused at how insane it is to be a part of this world.

I imagined that I was receiving instructions on how to be an earthling before making my descent into this world. This is what I was told, "Your mission on earth is to live the most joyous and happiest life possible while helping others to do the same." Well, okay, so far so good. "The secret to maximizing your life experience and have fun is to find the source of that which you are and allow that source to do all the work." Another name for that source is God, trouble is, God is invisible. The Great Paradox. We come to earth looking for something that is invisible...cannot find it... and yet, we are completely surrounded by it!

So we search for someone who has been with God to tell us what God looks like and where to find it. Religions were created for this purpose. But each religion has a different idea of what God looks like and we easily become confused in the process.

When we have finally given up our search in looking for the image of God outside of ourselves, we become open to experiencing the God within. The indwelling Presence, Shechinah, Atman, Christ consciousness, Buddha. Oh........I see, I have to feel it. There it is, it was here all the time.

Friends, it's time to Wake-Up! Let us align with this power and allow our life experience to unfold happily and joyously for all humankind!

Welcoming The Age of Aquarius

I just learned yesterday that today, February 14, 2009 (as well as being Valentine's Day and Shabbat) is the beginning of The Age of Aquarius!

That means that everyone who is currently on the planet has consciously chosen to be Present at this time to help usher in this new age of expanded consciousness.

The moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter is aligned with Mars, peace will now guide the planet and Love will steer the stars. This is the dawning of The Age of Aquarius.

Harmony and Understanding, Sympathy and Trust abounding. No more falsehoods or derisions, golden living dreams of visions, mystic crystal revelations and the mind's True liberation.

It's all happening now! It's time to Wake-Up! Let us let go of the illusions of the human condition so that we may experience right now, right where we are, a revelation that hastens our Collective Mind's True Liberation!

Wisdom of the Woods - The Story of Jed

This morning as I walked outside to throw out the compost I was greeted by an incredibly beautiful sight. A light snow had fallen overnight and all of the trees in the forest were covered with white. I took a deep breath of cold air and felt peace and
gratitude.

This experience led me to a realization that I call “The Story of Jed”. Many of you know Jed. Jed was a poor mountaineer who lived in nature amongst the trees. In the stillness of his environment Jed always felt surrounded by The Presence. His life was very simple and his main concern was keeping his family fed, which at times was difficult.

One day Jed takes his rifle to fetch some food for his family and an errant shot goes into the earth. What happened next would change Jed’s life forever. Up from the ground came the bubbling crude. Jed struck oil. Jed wasn’t looking for a life changing moment and would have been very happy staying in the woods. But his kinfolk recognized that he was an instant millionaire and told him to move away from his native land.

Jed packed up his family in his truck and moved to Beverly Hills, California. The idea being that with his new found wealth he could create a bigger, more prosperous, more joyous life. Life in Beverly Hills was insane! He couldn’t trust anybody and every day he was engulfed by greed, fear, lack, and limitation and all the drama that came with it. He could feel his body energetically succumbing to the effects of gravity and the depravity of the human experience. Life was a struggle and he was losing a sense of Self. He longed for a simpler existence, a quiet walk in the woods amongst the trees and The Presence.

The story stops there and gives us a lesson and a choice on how we live our lives. The choice is ours......I am so grateful to have chosen what feels best to me. What do you choose?

Better Than Ever!

Lately I have been thinking about how to respond to my friends and acquaintances when, upon greeting me, they inevitably ask me how I am doing.

It has been about a year since I changed my answer from "good" to "great!". I have grown into "great-ness" and am now feeling very comfortable responding this way. It now feels like my truth, and the more I say it the more I believe and embrace it!

So, what comes after "great"? After pondering this awhile, I came up with "Never Better!". I figured that since I am always in the process of evolving (always becoming more and never less than my True Self) then I must naturally always be in the state of "Never Better". This response now best reflects my awareness of who I am and the being I have become.

However, I feel uncomfortable saying this right now. The audacity of fulfillment! It might take a year or so to fully believe and embody "Never Better", but that's okay, I'm not going anywhere and I can't think of anything better to do!

Encouragement Leads To Insight

I received an email today from my friend who is a very talented ceramicist. Some of you may know him, his name is Dennis Meiners. This is what he wrote, "Hey Asher, The OLE Blend is great! It blooms on the palate...the words rich and robust come to mind." Wow! Thanks for the great review Dennis. (Encouragement)

Dennis is a decaf coffee drinker ('decaffer') always in search of a better cup. My conversations with him about coffee remind me of a time in my life when I was a 'decaffer'. I remember always searching for a better decaf and always coming up short! I wasn't aware, at the time, about the critical freshness factor and always wondered why there was a very limited choice compared to caffeinated. (Leads To)

I started to think about the decaf coffee drinkers situation. Decaf drinkers drink mainly because they love the taste and are passionate about it. The coffee market caters mostly to the caffeinated drinker with an abundance of choices in flavor and freshness. This leaves a sizable portion of the market open for servicing. (Insight)

My commitment to you is to offer Fair Trade Organic freshly roasted decaffeinated coffee in both single origin and blends. I want you 'decaffers' to have more choices of flavors as well as the freshness you have come to expect from Wake-Up!