I love you all, so I'll be frank...
If you have a tendency to freak out about "dogmas" saying that the people around you are preaching that their way is
the way and blah blah blah... turn the finger around for just a moment.
My experience with people who preach "down with dogma" is that they are usually the ones who are most enslaved by dogmas, either created by themselves or "gurus."
Because really, if you live a life of freedom of choice, you're more likely to see the information from others as just that,
information. Sure, people get passionate and even ridiculous about what they believe works for them. Let's take the information and applaud them for being passionate about something besides tabloids or television! And hey, if it is tabloids or tv they're being "dogmatic" about, here's a great opportunity to exercise your compassion.
Let's go back through the history of the word dogma. First off, it isn't a bad word. Dogma refers to "a system of principles or tenets," as defined at
dictionary.com. The word got a negative connotation for several reasons, one being some less-than-excellent occurrences where people were murdered or excommunicated for speaking against the dogmas of a church. Okay, this is a total bummer, but dogma, the word or what it stands for, is not to blame. It's people.
Now don't get me wrong, I love people. But sometimes it's hard for these gentle, glorious creatures to take on some good ol' fashioned responsibility.
I felt compelled to talk about this after reading Anthony Anderson's blog (www.rawmodel.com) about
giving up veganism. After a long stint of my trying to fit in with raw foodists, all the while knowing that I would probably never come to see myself as a 100% raw foodist. (I'm not big on labels so even if I did only eat raw food I'd be reluctant to label myself a "raw foodist.") Yes, I love the techniques used for raw cuisine and I will continue to go periods of time only eating raw/living foods. It really is a beautiful way to prepare food and as I've said in previous blog posts, it's one that we should regularly consider seeing as it uses much less nonrenewable energy, if any at all. My issue is that the trend with the lifestyle seems to be following dogma over listening to your body and considering the principles of alchemy and basic nutrition. For instance, eating whatever, whenever as long as it is a nut, seed, vegetable, or fruit and as long as it never reached a temperature of over 118 degrees Fahrenheit to stifle cravings is less-than-excellent if you still find yourself puffy, pissed, and unable to get out of bed before 9 A.M.
Dehydrating is indisputably better than cooking. Does this mean that one should never eat cooked food while eating dehydrated food with complete abandon? I beg to differ. To a raw foodist at whatever percentage he/she chooses to eat raw, dehydrated food should be treated as cooked food and it needs to be balanced accordingly. Why? Because the act of dehydration removes water from the organic structure of the food. Seeing as all food you eat must be turned into a liquid, the water must be reintroduced somehow and that water will either come from your body or the foods you choose to eat with the dehydrated food. This is where proper balance and food combining comes into play.
Water is also the element that receives prayer or vibration, which is very important for proper digestion. Consider an effectively combined veggie sandwich of cucumber, sprouts, tomato, lettuce, onion, olive oil, and raw Celtic sea salt on whole grain baked bread just as lovely a combination as that veggie sandwich on a dehydrated bread, commensurate with your
desire for either and your gratefulness for having it.
Deliberate the frequency a food takes on if the thought before eating is "yeah, I'm overeating, but at least it's raw" (translation: I do not deserve the best.) or "at least I'm eating raw food instead what those idiots I work with are eating" (translation: disempowerment - my best is dependent on outside forces). These disordered thoughts create disorder in the organic water of the food, and this is another aspect of "you are what you eat."
When I'm at my healthiest and most cleansed, I'm able to follow a basic schedule of eating/drinking. I'm never ravenous and I just listen to my body to see if I might need some cleansing greens, a good helping of fat like coconut oil, and/or a savory chewy crunch like walnuts or brazil nuts. I can think clearly before I put whatever it is into my mouth and consider "should I actually be drinking something first... yeah, if I take this time to respond to my e-mails [or create a blog post ;) ], that's enough time for the drink to be absorbed so the bulky salad I'm going to have won't be swimming in a sea of coconut water (or whatever the beverage happens to be)."
Life is a blessing. You are life. You are consciousness. Praise yourself and the foods you choose to put into your body. You are magnificent. You deserve the best... ALWAYS.
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