About Food Yoga

He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver. - Thomas Kempis

EXCERPT from FOOD YOGA – Nourishing the Soul™

by Paul Rodney Turner

Rooted in Hindu tradition, the spiritual dimension of pure foodism has meaning for people of all faiths. In Hinduism, before we eat our food, we offer it to the Goddess – the very source of that food’s creation. The food is then pure, karma-free, and spiritually nourishing. Hindus call this food prasadam, or the mercy of God.

Hinduism is a complex and varied belief system that accepts many gods and goddesses as emanating from a single source, Brahman, which is understood either as an impersonal, formless energy, as in the Advaita tradition, or as a dual (male/female) god in the form of Lakshmi-Vishnu, Radha-Krishna, or Shiva-Shakti, as in Dvaita traditions.

To the naturalist, the Goddess is simply “Mother Earth.” After all, all food comes from the earth. Some currents of Neopaganism, in particular Wicca, have a concept of a single goddess and a single god who represent a united whole. Whatever your belief, the fact that you are reading this book tells me that you accept a higher power, and in your own unique way, you honor that higher source.

My goal here is not to explore the entire subject of foodism, but rather to focus on its more divine aspects, beginning with an acceptance of a benevolent presence in our lives and evolving to appreciating that presence through the offering of pure food, much the same as when you honor a friend in your home. Giving food is the most fundamental act of kindness a human can do, and eating food is one of the few things all humans have in common.

Pure foodism springs from the belief that the kind of food we eat affects our spiritual consciousness and subsequent behaviors. According to the Bhagavad-Gita, foods in the mode of goodness—vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes—can be energetically purified or offered in sacrifice, thereby raising consciousness. Conversely, meat, fish, and eggs, as well as a few vegetarian items,  classified in the modes of passion and ignorance, should never be offered to the Goddess. If the food you eat is prepared by people devoid of spiritual awareness (e.g., unhappy employees working in a dirty restaurant kitchen), you are sure to absorb negative psychic energies. For this reason, pure foodists avoid such foods in favor of meals prepared with loving intention and fresh, organic ingredients.

That food should be prepared and served in its purest possible form is central to the belief and practice of all Food for Life projects around the world. Without adherence to this single principle, the Food for Life program would be no different than any other food relief organization.

At the root of all purity is an adherence to honesty and cleanliness, and both of these attributes can easily be applied to the food industry. The purest of food for consumption, however, is food that is energetically pure in every phase of its life cycle. When you look beyond the immediate gratification food offers and see food for what it truly is¬— energy—you tap into one of the greatest wonders of life and open the door to higher knowledge.

All the world’s great spiritual traditions have elaborate food offering rituals carefully designed to expand consciousness. From the Holy Eucharist to Passover to Diwali, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and even the mushroom ceremonies of the Shamanic traditions—all use food as a means to represent or please the Divine and to expand the consciousness of their adherents.

Pure foodism is, in essence, a discipline that honors all spiritual paths by embracing their core teaching – that food in its most pure form is divine!

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