i n f i n i t em a g a z i n e

infinite abso lu t e s imp l i c i t y

Sophia Kons

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Sophia Kons

ART DIRECTOR

Sophia Kons

PHOTOGRAPHER

Sophia Kons

PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR

Sophia Kons

ARTS EDITOR

Sophia Kons

WRITER

Sophia Kons

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR (sophia@inifiniteaustralia.com)

CONTRIBUTORS

Pana Chocolate RAW Resilient Aspiring Women

FONTS Bauer Bodini BT - Neou Aparaijita

LOCATION Cape Schank

CONTENTS

08 RAW Interview

14 Inner Bliss

16 RAW Recipes

20 One with Nature

pana chocolate r a w v e g a n h a n d m a d e s u g a r f r e e g l u t e n f r e e

p a n a c h o c o l a t e . c o m

“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the

more free you are”

editors letter

In The Laws of Simplicity John Maeda defines in a single sentence one of the most imporant tenet of our time: “Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful”. Our thinking of what it is to truly imbue our lives with meaning and take part in shaping our cultural architecture is slowly beginning to shift. It’s a new kind of bohemian- one that comprises of bare essentials, raw materials, and a less-than-less-is-more approach. As it turns out bohemian is not dead. It has just been meditating. Welcome to the Simplistic Issue. This is about the principles of a back-to-basics, less-is-more style philsophy. As our world is in a global diseased state- with destructive technology, mass consumerism and distracted minds we must embody the new paradigm shift.

We must embdoy the simple, the beautiful. We must focus on happiness, enlightenment, integrity, peace and love. This new bohemian directs us to an organic, minimalist approach to life; a way it should be. Sustainable and conscious. Life should not require too much thought, effort or output....just ease. It’s a decidely Taoist approach, an evolution that I’m sure the renegades and bohemes of yore would approve of. The message of this magazine is to take a moment of pause. To learn that we do not need to do loads of yoga and holidays to find peace. The truth of simplicity lies within us all. We need to wake up every morning as though it were the best day ever and stay optimisitc to things that make us feel truly alive.

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community

RAWi n t e rv i ew wi th founde r s

o f r e s i l i t en t a sp i r i ng women

RAW was established in Brighton East, Melbourne in 2012, RAW is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes simple sustainable solutions for a more connected and caring community. The RAW Garden is a meeting space for women from all walks of life and backgrounds. This platform allows them to share unique aspirations and find common ground as they work alongside one another. They bring and share the wealth of their accumulated life long experiences and personal stories.At RAW, they are passionate about community advancement and social change. Their narrative began with 3 women meeting from three continents, reuniting in shared values and bringing back a passion for life. This story communicates our heart’s desire to live an inspired and mindful life, and it’s pulling us towards change, to relearn the trust we need in ourselves and in each other as a community. It speaks to us to stop walking through life angry, frustrated and resentful. It’s urging us to stop in engaging in the harmful pollution of our negative thoughts and participating in them. It is a platform to regain balance in the world today while taking into consideration that men are regarded as the traditional leaders. RAW strives to change the mindset of beliefs based on negative pre-conditioning through sharing

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powerful stories, learning about each other’s rituals and traditions to eliminate fear of the unknown and embrace each other full heartedly and finally unlocking undiscovered potential in all women. RAW’s womb of all creation is the RAW Garden at 325 South Road, East Brighton based on the permaculture concept. This platform is a non-threatening environment where mainstream community, migrant and refugee women meet to exchange common and basic needs. RAW does this through celebrations and innovative workshops and they are really proud to say that they’ve instilled a culture of pride and growth in all women who visit their platform. RAW helps to bridge the transition from one culture to another.Over the past 2 years, RAW has gained the respect and trust from several councils, (incl. the City of Melbourne, Bayside, Kingston to name but a few), Rotary clubs, in particular the Hampton one plus other groups, such as the Country Women Australia, Women’s Federation for World Peace, other organisations and schools. The community has been supportive financially as well as in-kind and through countless volunteer hours. RAW is seen as an invaluable partner in Community Building and Strengthening around metropolitan Melbourne and beyond.

community

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One vision for RAW is to create a sustainable world for the future generations. In what ways does the community garden benefit the environment?

The RAW Community Garden benefits the environment in multiple ways; using the permaculture concept we use our resources carefully, using donated goods and services, recycling our waste and living by example.

Why is permaculture important, and how can we integrate it into our daily lives?

As all is connected and everything and everyone feeds off each other, interdependence becomes a crucial aspect in our lives and permaculture supports this with a holistic approach to the whole system of life. We can all play an important part in the web of life by applying the permaculture concept into our farming, our gardening and even our balconies. There are many resources available and it is definitely a growing awareness that this kind of diversity is needed in nature as much as it is in and for humanity.

Is there a particular reason RAW was created mainly for women (as the name suggests)?

Due to our personal experiences we are providing a safe and nurturing environment for women as we have seen the struggle of women everywhere. Women need to find their voice and need to be heard. Women have been marginalised throughout history, especially in Africa (and Muslim countries…) Women are also Life-Givers and more nurturing than our male counter parts and the world is in need of nurturing and healing.

Do you identify as a feminist, and if so why is feminism important to you in modern society?

No, we believe in women empowerment and building self-confidence where we can strike a perfect balance. Being an authentic woman is important to us. We aspire to and envision a supportive partnership where we complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

What is an example of how RAW and the RAW Garden has empowered women (or a specific woman) and potentially changed their life?

Women of diverse backgrounds visit the RAW GARDEN and some find solace by just being in the space while others share their stories and they come back acknowledging how greatly they are touched by the RAW kindness they found in this space. Some swear their life is not the same but if I were to give you a specific example, we, the founding team @ RAW have found amazing friendships, community connections and an incredible respect for each other and from the community. We’ve connected to the local schools and our children are learning the true meaning of community through the garden, by working in it and in some cases holding their birthday parties in the Garden, with more than 30 children invited. Not to mention these are young women, wanting a party in the RAW Backyard!

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community

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community

health & well-being

INNER BLISSPHOTO & WORDS Sophia Kons

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Meditation techniques have been around for thousands of years, but became most popular in the 1960’s when Maharishi, the guru who taught The Beatles; began teaching what is now best known as Transcendental or Vedic meditation. Meditation means ‘a cessation of the thought process’ and describes a state of consciousness, where the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns.Whilst meditating you begin to realise that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one. It is simply awareness. Whenever you do something with awareness you are meditating. “Watching your breath” or listening to the birds is meditation. As long as you are free from any distractions to the mind you are practising effective meditation. As you become adept at calming the commotion in your mind through meditation, you can enliven heal-ing and transformation in your body through conscious attention and intention.

health & well-being

You can learn to slow your heartbeat, raise your body temperature, and influence circulation. The Upanishads tell us, “As great as the infinite space beyound is the space within the lotus of the heart.” From the time of your birth, you have been called to explore the world outside of you. Meditation is the exploration of your inner world. When you can move through both the inner and outer domains of life with freedom and finesse, you fulfill the highest purpose of yoga. You can use music, chanting, drumming, or the sound of your own breath as a focus on your attention dur-ing meditation. You can use visual symbols, a candle flame, pictures of people you love, or a sunset to ex-pand your consciousness. You can even momentarily go beyond time and space thorugh the sense of taste and smell. Simply praticisng meditation for 20 mintues a day will allow for complete bliss to take a hold of you.

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“If you are depressed, you are living in the past.If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present”

Lao Tzu

R E C I P E SRAW

food

PHOTOS Sophia Kons

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kind food for your body. mind and soul

recipes courtesy thisrawsomeblog.com

RAW CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM CAKE

Crust:1 cup dates

1/2 cup hemp seeds1/3 cup whole flax seeds

3 tablespoons cacao powder

Filling:3 frozen bananas

1 cup dates2 cups cashews

2 tablespoons coconut oil1 1/4 cups water or vegan milk, as needed

1/4 cup cacao powder2 tablespoons nut butter

Optional:Raw chocolate sauce

Fave nut butter

Crust: pulse the hemp and flax seeds and cacao in your food processor until they become a rough flour, then add the dates and process until it all gets sticky.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan. Put in the fridge.

Filling: blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding water or vegan milk as needed to make it

creamy. Spread evenly into your crust, occasionally swirling in nut butter and chocolate sauce if you’re

using them (soooo recommended). Put in the freezer overnight or until frozen solid, and let it thaw a little

bit before serving, so it’s nice and creamy. enjoy!

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food

FRESH SUMMER ROLLS & PEANUT SAUCEserves 2-4

Peanut sauce: blend or mix together all the ingredients until smooth. If you like, sautee the garlic and ginger first to bring out more flavour. Set aside in a bowl.

Wraps: cut all the veggies into thin strips. Dip your rice paper sheets in warm water so they soften and be-come pliable (do this one at a time), then arrange your fillings in the middle. Fold over two ends, then wrap it up like a burrito, making it as tight as possible. It might take a few tries to get it perfect. Serve with the sauce and enjoy nature’s elegant beauty.

Peanut sauce:2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon chunk of ginger, peeled and finely chopped2 tablespoons each of tamari, maple syrup, and lime juiceChili powder, to taste 1/3 cup peanut butter1/3 cup water Rolls:1 cup cooked vermicelli5-8 rice paper sheets1 carrot1 avocado1/3 cucumber1 cup fresh basil1/2 cup cilantro5-8 kale leaves1/2 red pepper

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food

Being in nature is the one place where you can come to terms with all of your emotions and at the same time not care about them at all. It brings out some sort of deep-rooted primal in-stincts of only worrying about food and sleep. At the same time it also makes you feel like a kid too, just sitting and staring for hours at a patch of moss soaked in bugs, or walking forever in no

particular direction. Many of us do not even take time to sit out-side and recieve the healing qualities nature offers to our bod-ies, minds and spirits. We are all part of the web of creation, yet we do not always recognise the amazing influence it has on our overall well-being. We unconsciously believe we are seperate; unjoined to our environment. Being within nature en

W O R D S & P H O T O S S o p h i a K o n s

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ONE WITHNATURE

courages one to see ourselves as part of the oneness of all Life and to live in sustainable ways that care for Earth, our home, and the well-being of all that is created. We have lost touch to our ancestors, traditions and rituals. Our ancestors relied upon the rhythms and cycles of nature so as to survive- the change of seasons, weather, animal

migrations and food crops; which all provided sign-posts. To feel as though you are one with nature and all of creation, you need to feel the pulse of nature. You must feel in harmony with life and the world around you. There are no labels, no need for judg-ment. Take advantage of Nature’s unconditional acceptance and love! Acceptance and appreciation is all that is needed .

W O R D S & P H O T O S S o p h i a K o n s

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nature

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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nature

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nature

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al l i s sacred

i n f i n i t e 1