By Dr. Will Tuttle on November 2, 2009
Yesterday marked the beginning of World Vegan Month. Today, Dr. Will Tuttle is here to talk about how our food choices connect us to the rest of the world and our spirituality. Participating in Meatless Monday is the perfect opportunity to create positive change for your health and the health of our planet!
“From one grain, ten thousand.” This ancient understanding of the universal principle of generosity and abundance is at the heart of macrobiotics, veganism, ahimsa, and the spiritual teachings of the world’s religions. It points to the truth that we live in an essentially benevolent and cooperative universe, and that life is a miraculous creative exuberance flowering all around us. We have been invited to participate in this life through the giving of ourselves.
From one grain spring hundreds, thousands, and millions of grains, each of which has the same potential. How do we respond to this existential exuberance of life bursting with more life? Our response depends on our food! From the early days, there have been two types of agriculture: plant and animal. Plant agriculture is essentially more feminine work, cooperating with the cycles of nature, nurturing the spontaneous growth of herb-, fruit-, nut-, and seed-bearing plants, and saving the precious seeds so they could be planted again the following season. For thousands of years, sacred rituals celebrated the miraculous abundance of the Earth, the powers of rain, sun, and green growth, the fecundity of Nature’s ever-giving and replenishing womb, and the joy of receiving a bounty of fragrant, delicious, and life-giving vegetables, fruits, and grains.
From the beginning, roughly eight to ten thousand years ago, animal agriculture was essentially men’s work and it required violence and the cruel domination of animals who always resisted as best they could to the thefts, confinements, and killings that were forced on them for their flesh, fur, and secretions. It began with wild sheep and goats and spread to cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals, and it always brought out the worst in the people who practiced it.
Universally, we feel a sense of wonder and joy upon entering a lovingly tended organic garden. It exudes beauty, magic, delight, and blessedness, and we instinctively feel grateful, humble (from humus, earth), and blessed in the presence of the gifts we receive so freely from forces that accomplish what we can never do: bring forth new life from seeds, roots, and stems.
Universally, we are repulsed by the violence and sheer horror and ugliness that are always required to kill animals for food, and at a deep cultural level, we feel ashamed of our relentless violence against animals for our meals. We cannot create life, but we can most certainly cause death, and we do so on a massive scale. It spreads to our plant agriculture. Though we could humbly cooperate with life by creating widespread networks of small-scale organic gardens, we tend instead to dominate nature violently, the way we dominate animals for food, and create the kind of pesticide-ridden, mono-cropped industrialized agriculture that is actually a manifestation of the same mentality required by thousands of years of animal agriculture.
As children, we are injected with all the stories that rationalize our violence, the no-soul, protein, taste-good, and superior-species stories that armor our feelings. As we get older, we are forced to participate in preparing the foods, cutting flesh from bone, hooking unsuspecting fish, stabbing “meat” and hardening our hearts to the cries of terrified calves and starving children, whose grain we feed instead to livestock.
We are cast out of the garden into the rat race of competition and consumerism, ashamed of ourselves. It is this low self-esteem that drives the profits of corporations enriching themselves on our insatiable craving for gadgets, drugs, and entertainment to help us forget what we know in our hearts. The choice is set before us at every meal between the garden of life or the altar of death and as we choose life and eat grains and vegetables rather than flesh, milk, and eggs, we find our joy rising, our health increasing, our spirit deepening, our mind quickening, our feelings softening, and our creativity flourishing.
We are all connected. At the core of virtually all spiritual teachings are two interdependent directives: to love a higher power (i.e., to connect authentically with the transpersonal dimension) and to love our neighbor (i.e., to treat other expressions of life with kindness and respect). In the Buddhist tradition, as but one example, these are considered to be mutually supporting, so the more authentic our meditation experience, the more we become spontaneously compassionate, and the more we practice compassion, the deeper our meditation practice will be able to bring us.
We are here to bless the world. We are each one grain who can bless ten thousand, and that is not just our potential but our joy. As we find our song and give it voice and wings, we contribute to the healing of our world and join with others in the celebration of love and beauty on this Earth. The inner teaching is generosity, humility, and gratitude: that as we give and nurture, we receive and are blessed. Mindfulness of our food choices is the key to creating not just the outer gardens of beauty, sustainability, and nourishment, but to nurturing the inner garden of our hearts. Choosing plant-based meals is the foundation of spiritual awakening, authentic generosity, humility, and ensuring the future of life on Earth—the ten thousands depending on us today. We are ALL connected.
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By Guest Blogger on August 14, 2009
We’ve learned about the risks associated with being uneducated about personal care products from Stacy Malkan and Mia Davis. Today we’re shining a spotlight on a company we love because of the time, care, and mindfulness they put into their products. We wanted to pull back the curtain and give Mountain Spirit Botanicals the chance to share what goes into their wonderful creations, some of which are now featured in our Crazy Sexy Shop! Take it away Eli!
I created Mountain Spirit Botanicals as an alternative to products that are chemically mass-produced. Every ingredient in my product line is either a plant or the by-product of plants or trees that have been organically cultivated or ethically wild-harvested. When I’m unable to procure “organic” – which rarely happens – I use plants grown without chemicals, harvested mindfully and processed in a manner that retains their medicinal qualities.
The methods I’ve adopted cause no harm. Quite the contrary, my work supports your health and well-being as well as that of the environment. The fields and meadows where organic practices are in place encourage natural habitats. Birds, bees, and butterflies go around “kissing” flowers all day. That, in turn, ensures the pollination necessary for the continued and abundant growth of species – which, in turn, supplies us with an everlasting source of beauty and nourishment.
I firmly believe that all of this – the songs of birds, the buzz of bees, the caring intent of the farmer, the manner in which I “stir the pot” – goes into my end result: products born of integrity and love. (As noted in an old herbal text, “Cooking salves is a holy task, demanding concentration and devotion; harvest plants with gratitude and process carefully.”)
I represent a lineage, traditions I’m blessed to be a part of. Mountain Spirit Botanicals is a reflection of these traditions – the complete antithesis of what the “beauty industry” promotes: unnatural products that do harm every step of the way.
What we put on our skin is absorbed deeply and affects us in ways we’re just beginning to recognize. (One example: Consider how the “birth control patch” alters the reproductive system.) All the more reason for you to educate yourself about everything you put on your body. Be informed. Be selective. Enough said, yes?
My labels won’t confuse or manipulate you; a “Rose” is a rose. “Olive oil” is olive oil. “Bee’s wax” is bee’s wax. Straightforward and honest / no guesswork necessary. That said; let me share a few of the benefits of just a few of the ingredients I use.
Calendula: Soothes dry, reddened skin/useful for sensitive skin.
Lavender:Flowers have a mild, calming effect
Chamomile:Cleanses and soothes the skin.
Comfrey: Stimulates blood circulation & firms the skin.
Carrier Oils: I use the finest quality cold-pressed vegetable, seed & nut oils; these oils are carriers of healing substances & vitamins A, D, & E. They penetrate the deepest layers of your skin to support its ability to function, as well as soften & give it elasticity. (Contrary to “popular” belief, using fine quality oils will not block pores or leave you feeling greasy; in fact, quite the opposite is true).
Olive Oil: Clinical research supports the fact that Olive Oil has extraordinary anti-aging properties; it allows your skin to breathe while absorbing the nourishing qualities of the herbs in the formula.
Kukui Nut Oil: High penetrability and soothing properties; contains high levels of essential fatty acids; readily absorbed into the skin.
Evening Primrose Seed Oil: Contains essential fatty acids essential for the health of the organs and overall health; a rich source of Omega 6 fatty acids; anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Contains 19 of the 22 minerals required by the body for maintenance, growth & repair. When plant material is steeped in vinegar, it is further enhanced with a rich supply of nutrients.
Essential Oils: The “soul of a plant” / the essence of all that a plant has to give. I use these precious oils as the “final note” when blending each formulation.
A final word: None of what I do would be possible without the medicine and beauty given so abundantly by the plant world; the elders who kept the traditions alive; the small, organic farmers who work ethically and sustainably. Without these gifts, Mountain Spirit Botanicals would not exist.
Elise Muller
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By Sophie Uliano on July 10, 2009
I am crazy about composting. Each time I toss veggie scraps into the little ceramic compost crock on my kitchen counter, I am thrilled that every little morsel is going to good use.
We need good topsoil – the planet is desperately in need of it, which is why in countries like Sweden, composting is mandatory. It’s amazing to realize that topsoil is the earth’s skin and we are entirely dependent on it for our food supply. Over the past fifty years, much of the healthy soil that we used to have, due to intensive/conventional farming, has been rendered devoid of all the nutrients it needs to give us beautiful and healthy food. This is why so many of us now have to take a plethora of supplements. The crazy amount of veggies that you virtuously devour, are likely devoid of many of the minerals and vitamins that their ancestors possessed.
The best way that we can create the highest quality topsoil imaginable is to compost. All those scraps decompose into odorless brown gold. If you have a garden, you’ll be able to grow veggies bursting with goodness, and if you don’t have a yard, you’ll find someone who’ll take your compost in a jiffy.
So which compost bin is the best? I get asked this question weekly and I have honestly tried almost every model on the market. There are pro’s and con’s with all of them, however the Ecomposter is my current favorite and hard to beat for all it’s incredible attributes. It’s a bizarre looking globe on legs, which looks like something from outer space (in a cool way.) First and foremost nothing can get into it – so no more nasty furry surprises for those of us who have a few pesky friends running around our neighborhoods. Little finger like tubes direct oxygen right into the deepest recesses of the actual compost, which considerably speeds up the process. You’ll get good, rich compost in just 4-6 weeks. When you’re ready to get the compost out, you just roll the big green ball to the area of your yard where you want the compost, unscrew the lid and empty it out. It’s made of recycled plastic and is just fun to spin around every time you walk past it.
My husband and our stray cat Zoom were extremely cynical at first. My husband had had his fill of strange bins, “digesters” and worm towers appearing weekly in our yard, and Zoom was very partial to my old big black bin because of the hole in the back that had become the backdoor for a extended family of rats. After a few weeks, my husband was delighted with the new “space ship”, as nothing can get into it. Zoom, however, has abandoned his perch above the old bin. He has to content himself with chasing the sassy squirrels.
Now that I’m juicing daily (totally inspired by Kris,) I can empty the dregs, along with the paper filter, straight into the compost bin and know that this time next year, all that shredded carrot and beat mush, will be fertilizing my heirloom tomatoes – heaven!
Happy Composting,
Sophie Uliano
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