How do we truly transform ourselves to transcend our ordinary human awareness and achieve personal freedom? I read an interesting piece on quantum physics about the atom. Physicists have found that if they split the atom far enough, they find pure energy. When the atom is split, waves and particles act in very different manners. If the “observer” expects the energy to act  like a particle, it will; if the observer expects it to act like a wave, it will do that too. So if energy responds to the beliefs of the observer, it must be able to perceive what the observer is thinking. All energy has consciousness. Therefor, since we are made up of atoms, we are pure energy. If we are pure energy than our thoughts then create our reality. How’s that for food for thought?

We spend so much of our life in our head, thinking away, worrying, and creating stories that don’t exist. Yet, this is all information we are bringing into our consciousness and that of the larger collective.

Seems so simple, yet try for a moment to actually clear your mind, and stop thinking; its not so easy. This is where the fun begins. If we can be aware of what we are focusing on, and “putting out there”, could that effect our experience of life? I do believe so, I have experienced it myself.

Rene Descartes said, ”I think, therefore I am.”  I think he was onto something! Lets take the time to clear our minds and focus on the life we really want to create, and the world we really want to live in. Focus on the good stuff; beauty, love, abundance, solution, and perhaps that will begin to manifest in our lives. I find that this is most powerful when we first awaken to a new day. By taking a moment to take some long deep breaths and acknowledge that we are alive on this planet, that still swarms with abundance and beauty, than we shift our attention to the good, instead of the terrible. We will then begin to focus on creating more good.

Of coarse we live on a planet filled with environmental degradation, pain, and disease. We mustn’t wear blinders. Yet by creating what we do want, we create less of what we don’t want. So we can then shift our attention to sustainability, solutions, and healing. By knowing what we don’t want, we can know what we do want. If we imagine that the world depend on each and every one of us to align with our true nature in order to become whole, we then can see that each one of us plays a big role in the larger whole. Take a stand and do your part to become part of the solution.

With Much Love and Gratitude,

Angela

We are approaching the Autumn Equinox. This is the time when there is equal amounts of day and night. Traditionally it is a time to reflect balance in our lives. We are in the sign of Libra, the scales. What are we putting our emphasis on? Where do we need to give more attention in our lives? Balance is key to keep us feeling centered. No matter who we are or where our people came from, our ancestors had many ways of honoring the autumn equinox, when the day and night are of equal length and the world finds balance for a breath of time. After this equinox the nights grow longer than the days, so it is traditionally a time to look inward, take stock, give thanks, and prepare for the time of dreaming.

This is also the time of harvest. After many months of planting our seeds, and tending to, we enjoy the fruits of our labor. Literally or metaphorically. Its a time of gratitude for all the abundance in our lives. Its also a time to prepare the soil for next years crop. So a good time to put forth new intentions. Taking time to honor our own inner harvests–all the things we have achieved and felt and learned from, over the past year.

In a world that is often so terribly out of balance, it can be both healing and heartening to celebrate this special time. Plan an autumn dinner party with friends and family .Prepare beautiful autumn vegetables is a great way to celebrate. I love to combine purple and red potatoes with sweet potatoes, beets, and butternut squash. I cut them all up put all these beautiful colors in a baking dish with oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and lots of rosemary… Serve with a salad, beautiful! Light candles, and have a nice glass of wine

A fun thing to do is to take four pieces of paper and write: 1) write what you have achieved and give thanks to 2) write what you would like to let go of 3) what you would like to carry forth 4) The things you would like to achieve in the coming year… Then make a big fire and burn them.

Some fun things to do with the kids can be to make dream catcher, create an autumn nature table, rake & jump in a big pile of leaves! The Autumn equinox is a good time to tell your children the story of Michaelmas. The Archangel Michael is one of the principal angelic warriors, seen as a protector against the dark of night, and the administrator of cosmic intelligence. Another great story for this time is Saint George And The Dragon. Story telling is a great way for children to connect with their inner archetypes. May we all find ways to let our inner light shine!

Love & Light,
Angela

We have an array of environmental issues to be healed. Yet what is our environment? Our first, most intimate environment starts with our inner being. Without healing our inner environment, how can we approach our outer environment? Isn’t it all inter-related?

This Labor Day weekend was nothing more than a labor of love. My friend Joni and I planned a spontaneous healing community retreat hosted at my home. It all came together so beautifully.

We kicked off the weekend Friday starting with a Toltec Tantra circle on empowering our emotions, held by Sedona yogini Juniper, with dance movement led by Crystal. Juniper’s Kejiwa Kombucha [www.kejiwa.com] makes the best rose kombucha I’ve ever tasted!

We then had a beautiful Cacao Ceremony for opening the heart. This was followed by a potluck, and a night of Kirtan chanting. It was so incredible to see who showed up. I met so many beautiful souls. We all sang our hearts out with Sukhdev Jackson of AYKANNA and MoMo, while the children blissfully danced.

First thing in the morning a new friend Michelle, who is also a musician, offered to teach us an ashtanga kundalini yoga set. Her beauty beamed from a deep blissful part of her soul. It was an awesome way to start the day.

As more friends arrived, so did Dr. Udd’hava Om to teach us Chi Gong.

We then spent time discussing energy fields, our relation to the universe, and how everything begins with us ourselves in our heart mind. This was followed by another amazing potluck of super charged foods and a nap for me. We ended the night with a fire pit drum circle led by Francesco.

Sunday was again another magical day. The day began with my most immediate friends and community with yoga by Sybil Buck—yes, the former model. We spent the rest of the day eating food grown from the land and admiring what a beautiful weekend it was!

Everyone came together and offered their services in one way or another to make this special weekend come together. It really cost nothing more than a few candles—I used foliage from the garden to decorate along with oranges from the trees. The rest was a labor of love.

The world is shifting fast. Now more than ever it is clear we must make those inner shifts to create balance and harmony here on earth.

Love & Light,

Angela

Angela Lindvall has been a cover girl for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and the face of brands from Valentino to DKNY, but for the past 10 years this supermodel’s mission has been to bring a personal interest in sustainability to her professional career. Angela founded the non-profit Collage Foundation to bring national awareness to environmental issues, co-hosted “Alter Eco” with Adrian Grenier, and is on the founding board of Natural Resources Defense Council’s Clean by Design Initiative.

Angela Lindvall: I met you almost eight/nine (?) years ago when I first started Collage Foundation and you were working on the Organic Portraits Project, how have you seen the industry change over that time?

Summer Rayne Oakes: Yeah it’s crazy to think the time that has passed. There are some obvious differences: More people involved in sustainable design, a growing interest and understanding of the concept, more coverage within the media, and a greater move to integrate into academia.

AL: What are some of the less obvious changes?

SRO: With the acceptance of sustainable design comes a more critical evaluation of the externalities along the supply chain. Consumers are more discerning especially as media becomes hypercritical on how “green” a product really is. Basically not everything goes now.

AL: What do you think were the drivers that led to that change?

SRO: The advent of the blogosphere and social media tools with a focus on green-mindfulness has played a huge role in catalyzing change – from simply presenting options to consumers – to galvanizing outrage around socio-environmental injustices. I mean think about how many people retweeted “H&M’s slashing on 35^th Street” or the recent reports of a Zara’s contractor in Brazil using slave labor.

Operating in a resource-constrained economy has also triggered change. The increased cost and reduced availability of fuel, water, and fiber such as cotton has created a bottleneck in the industry, forcing the market as a whole to reduce any unnecessary waste along the supply chain.

(more…)

I can’t believe it’s already almost the end of the summer! Kids will be going back to school soon and fashion season will start again! I’m taking the next couple weeks to really tune in to myself and get centered. Routine and ritual are important to balance, and most importantly that time we give to ourselves in meditation. Today I held the space at mine for 8 girlfriends to come together to meditate and do Kundalini. The world is moving at a fast pace, so being centered is key. And women play a big part in that.

Yesterday I did an interview for ABOVE Magazine.  If you haven’t yet heard of them, tune in to this beautiful quarterly magazine focused on nature and sustainability. Come fall they will be launching an interactive website and I will be contributing in as many ways as I can. I love seeing people with the power to influence, take the initiative to create positive change.

Another great thing to tune into for fall is The Bioneers conference. This organization is one of my biggest inspirations. They are comprised of some of the best visionaries and leaders in science, technology, and sustainability. They truly have found solutions. The conference will inspire you and give you hope for our future. Also check out their many books and audio series.

See you next week with when I reunite myself with a good old friend Summer Rayne Oaks.

 Before at Cropsey Farm 

Our symbiotic relationship with nature is crucial. Our connection to the food we eat is a big topic. Between the pesticides we consume, and that pollute our environments, we also have GMOs—or “genetically modified organisms”—which is a real issue that hasn’t yet come to a nasty head, but which we must have attention for. We are so disconnected to our food, what we put in our bodies and how it ends up on our plate. Farming, the way we are able to cultivate food, is at its worst. And the food we cultivate can not be cultivated without the human assistance. Nor can we survive without this basic need. Though we still somehow are so removed from it.

This is exactly the mission of the Rockland Farm Alliance. To create a local, sustainable food system, beyond just a CSA, but an alliance of farmers, and an organization that holds the space to get community farms established. We have done a great job of using the local system to make change. The local municipalities have actually given us land to farm on, and Cropsey Farm has proven to be a successful CSA. Wouldn’t it make sense if we had access to a system of local agriculture? Doesn’t it seem more healthy and cost effective—and less polluting? We are shipping a large portion of food from one end of the country to another, sometimes even further. With the current ecological crisis, and the price of oil, that doesn’t make sense, or any “cents” at all! The model of the farm alliance is to create a structure that can be implemented into any community and provide the tools and inspiration to do so.

After at Cropsey Farm, with John Mc Dowell, Founder of The Rockland Farm Alliance.

It’s not easy creating something that doesn’t exist, but over the last few years we have come this far. The results are astonishing. Yet like any initiative it takes time , especially being a non-profit 501C3. There are some hard workers and some capital investment—and investment of belief. There are many working to the bone on this with no pay, for the cause. Yet, we need some help to pull us through the year. Anything you can DONATE will add up to bring us to the next level, even if it’s $5. I would never ask if this wasn’t something I feel very passionate about. We are well onto some good things, as well as plans to create a documentary to educate and inspire the potentials that exist. Your help will go far.

I am so happy to be home! As Dorothy once said, “There’s no place like home.” Which reminds me, one of the greatest children’s authors is Frank. L. Baum. I’m sure many of you don’t know, as I didn’t, that he wrote the 13 books of OZ. I was auditioning for the new James Franco film, “Oz the Great And Powerful,” and learned about this amazing series. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the part of Glinda, though it would have been the best part ever to play, but I’ve been reading them to my children ever since. True archetypical fairy tales. One of my favorite aspects of being a mother is reading to my children. It’s rare in these technological days, yet so rewarding. And they always fall asleep so well!

After I arrived home, it took me a few days to feel “back in my skin,” though I soon found myself back in this truly inspiring environment. My neighbor has been studying bee keeping since I’ve been away, so that we can bring bees onto the land. My other neighbor brought me a jar of honey harvested from their land. Funny that I should write about this, because I actually got stung this weekend… Maybeeeeee the bees are trying to tell me something! In the mean time, “The Queen Of The Sun” is a beautiful documentary about the vanishing bees, which is a real sign and threat to our food chain, us, and the larger cycle of life.

Sending all my best.

Catch ya next week,

Angela

I’m SO happy to be home!!!

At last! The news is out, I’m the host for the new Project Runway All Stars!
This was such a fun and exciting opportunity. It won’t air until November, but I hope you will all tune in.

The other big news is I’ve finally launched my website! Angelalindvall.com. There is still some work to do on my Loves page, but I look forward to sharing with you all that I love in my lifestyle.

I’m just getting settled back into being home, so I’ll  check in next week when the dust settles.

All my best,

Angela

Getting close to the end of my NYC trip! I’ll be able to announce my project very soon. I can’t wait to get back to my little paradise in LA!

I found out you can now get a portable Kangen Water machine, so I ordered one for my travels. I’ve got to say, after two weeks, I see a difference in my skin.

To all those mothers out there, it’s not easy balancing it all. My biggest job of all is being a mom! As a women it can be hard to find peace, find time for ourselves, take care of domestic duties, our careers and creative outlets. Balance is the key! I am grateful for all the beauty life has to offer despite the problems in the world. Let’s focus on the light!!

Speaking of issues, Kenneth Cole’s new campaign is launching August 8th, featuring…me! Check out WhereDoYouStand.com, it provokes some real thought on social issues. It’s provocative, too—including shots of me kissing a girl!

Behind-the-scenes footage of Angela’s steamy shoot with model Casey Taylor, courtesy of Kenneth Cole.

Heading to the farm! Check in next week!

Love & Light,

Angela

Hi all!

I’m working away in NYC! Can’t wait to get back home to my special little paradise. Although I’m loving my secret new job—hope to announce that soon!—it’s been VERY busy. Yet I squeezed in the time to to become a judge for Yoxi’s Trim the Waste of Fashion contest.

Make sure you tune in on August 8th for the first contest! 

While in NYC, I discovered the products of Santa Maria Novella. Established by the Dominican Fathers shortly after 1221, Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. They began by cultivating herbs to prepare medications, balms and creams for the monastery’s little infirmary. Only the highest quality natural ingredients are used, and the procedures continue today, using the founding father’s traditional recipes. Every product has a story to tell!

Mayor Bloomberg is bringing a fleet of 70 new electric vehicles to New York Cities city agencies. I’m not eager to get a new car—my Lexus Hybrid will last me some time. But I hear Leonardo DiCaprio is getting a Fisker Karma Plugin Supercar. It’s sounds like a pretty cool electric vehicle! Check it out—won’t Leo look cool in it?

Love & Light,

Angela