I have always been interested in the ways that show us how to live a truly human life – a fully human life. As a child I intuited and these ways were given to us at the beginning of time, planted deep within the human spirit, that we might grow those seeds into fullness over the span of our lives.
In this day and age, we have become linear and digitalized; most have forgotten the valuable truth of the sacred roundness of time and existence, a container for all our experiences and relations. I believe that each of us is undeniably woven in the web of life in which all things are interdependent and interconnected; there is a cause-and-effect relationship between different dimensions and forces, seen and unseen throughout the universe. Like Consciousness, everything is connected and the sacred Circle of Life is interwoven into every aspect of our lives.
Although we are but only a small part of the Circle of Life, we find ourselves at the center. As humans, we have the remarkable ability to summon thoughts and feelings, explore concepts, new and old, revisit the past and perceive the present’s play, and dream of the future… the brain and body respond in much the same way regardless of whether we are having an experience or just imagining it. How we use our minds not only affects our moods and the body’s vitality and health, but can also inspire us toward loving action, creativity, self-expression and happiness.
Mindful actions and habits performed in ordinary reality can lead to extraordinary effects to deeply nourish us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – all we need to do is place our attention on our actions and intend transformation. Through conscious ritual, we cultivate the resources to nourish our deepest needs and desires in the continual celebration of “Love Becoming Life.”
It is really that simple. Love is Source.
Through Love, one thing is constant, the connection between your relationship to food and your inner world; how you eat is a reflection of how you live. The more aware you are of these connections, the greater the potential for your personal unfolding and inner satisfaction to receive true nourishment in all its forms.
Let’s assume you eat three meals a day with some snacking in between. The question of what actually nourishes you is often difficult to answer because your unique dietary needs change day-to-day. Doing your best to make healthy dietary choices, how often do you actually connect with your food and eat with awareness?
I invite you to embrace the process of becoming mindfully present to the moment before you take your first bite and connect to the food on your plate. Consider ritualizing the habit of eating. This means slowing the mind, smelling the aromas wafting from your plate and opening your heart to the spirit of your food. This aids the body to be able to receive complete nourishment increasing overall restoration, rejuvenation and renewal. This is the whole purpose for prayer and saying a blessing before we eat.
When we engage mindfully to do a food blessing ritual we switch to the parasympathetic nervous system facilitating relaxation and blood flow to the digestion system; aiding in metabolizing and assimilation of our food. It’s an important preliminary step to calm the mind-body for receiving the blessing of our food. Now we have fertile ground for a state of regeneration to begin the purposeful act to reinvent ourselves, to think new thoughts and plan new strategies for action, to memorize new, elevated feelings to recondition and nourish the mind-body.
Here is my blessing process:
As I sit with my food, I place my hands over my plate and close my eyes and go within. As my heart opens to the food on my plate I begin to offer prayers of gratitude. Often, I can “see” with all my senses through the eyes of the animal who will show me the environment in which it was raised and see the gardens and fields where the produce was grown, including regions of the world.
With presence, I allow a prayer to naturally arise from my heart:
“Great Spirit, All that Is, Creator of my Life, I thank you for the blessings of this food before me, for the life this animal has given, the plants grown in organic soil, and all the people – the farmers and growers, transporters, clerks – all those who have contributed to bringing me life in the form of preparing and cooking this food as a recycling of love, light and energy. I am most grateful for the Love that weaves our lives together. I invite and welcome you into my being to be reborn through me for the uplifting and benefit of all beings – as light, Love and positive energy. Ah Ho!”
I sit and “feel” my connection to the Love infused through the grand flow of the Circle of Life that is present through me. I deeply respect the once-living organisms that will nourish me. Life eating Life. Love eating Love.
Honoring the blessing ritual each meal is an intentional act of reverence changing our brain chemistry, thus our biology. When we take the time to develop a relationship with the source of our food, when we make contact with it, we are infecting the Quantum Field contributing to indescribable vitality and life force. We are embodying the Earth Mother fostering harmony with how She recycles the bodies of all her creations – ALL Life!
By including your family and friends in your blessing at your table you’ll be affirming Love as your food, sharing positive transformation in the Circle of Life by nourishing extraordinary happiness, a sure recipe for mind-spirit. It really is that simple.
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