The Rice House Home Page
Macrobiotics Numerology 9 Star Ki Shiatsu Palmistry Life Coaching
Home Photo Galleries Links Feedback עברית
Study With Us Contact Us About Us
Non Credo
Kushi Macrobiotic Newsletter
"A Profile of American Macrobiotics"
These six interviews were published in "Non Credo," an internet newsletter created by Yogen Kushi, grandson of Michio and son of Phiya Kushi.
|
"Prince of Pies" |
I well remember Patricio Garcia de Paredes as a young man in my employ at Satori Natural Foods restaurant in Boston, MA. He embodied a charm and refinement that brought precision and care to his work. Patricio remains a sensitive, delicate soul who graces the company of macrobiotic friends with understanding and acumen. He is at once insightful and delicate, a blossoming flower of introspective composure. Set in his ways, his words are well chosen and practical, making him an asset to any gathering. He is self reflective and gently expressive. Patricio loves life and takes it seriously. He recognizes a great sense of responsibility to further macrobiotic goals, and enjoys the independence needed to search out his role. Money is not his chief concern, but rather an unfolding joy of life as he explores his path to express his dream. |
|
"The Agnostic Reverend" |
A self-proclaimed student of human nature, John Ineson is a deep thinker and eloquent speaker. He is at once versatile and adaptable to new ideas and to change, and at the same time stalwart in his faith and adamant to the principles he defines for himself. He began life as a shy, only child and has gradually gained self-confidence and wisdom through his acumen and openness. He has developed a selfless sense of giving over the years, teaching and modeling an unflagging idealism. John tells the story: A Zen teacher asks his student, "Tell me who you are." When the student has finished his account the Zen master asks, "Who were you last year?" Again the student responds with an account of his life. The questioning continues until the master finally asks the koan, "And who were you before you were born?' The student responded, "I don't know." "That's right!" shouted the master. "Now you understand everything I have to teach you!" In the end, concludes John, we know only what we decide we want to know. |
|
"Senior Inspiration" |
Margaret Bettis is a model for macrobiotic golden age. When she greeted us at the door, we thought the woman bounding towards us must be the caretaker. Such was our image of seniors. This one was lucid and spiritually connected to deep emotional issues of life. Everything seems to interest her and she has an open mind. At 80 she is helping younger family members who have not taken care of their health as she has. She has a daughter incapacitated by a brain aneurysm and a son suffering the effects of a stroke. When I asked her if she fears anything, she thought carefully, and finally asked for examples of what anyone could possibly fear. She fears neither dying nor living and focuses her attention on the many details of her rich life. She is an avid reader on subjects dealing with spirit, and has a mind as sharp as a razor. My interview of her was one of the best. She does not adhere strictly to a Macrobiotic dietary framework, but allows herself flexibility. She feels that the macrobiotic diet is the only sensible one for sustaining health. |
|
"Miss Macro Belgium"
|
Jeanne and I met at Kushi Institute Level IV studies and immediately became fast friends. I was energized from her all embracing approach to a macrobiotic way of life. Jeanne is so insightful that her responses transcend borders. She is exceptionally adaptable and versatile in her life, an energy I hope to match. As Jeanne says, find a mentor and emulate him. Above all, Jeanne is humanitarian. She is blessed with a selfless nature that she expresses with an infectious joy of life. She is independent, assertive, and a good businesswoman. She is more intellectual than emotional and a force to be reckoned with. Fortunately for us all, her energy is focused on helping others. It is clear that she has a gift with words, beautifully expressing her insights and ideas to make all of us just a little bit happier and wiser. |
|
The levels of judgment are a progression of consciousness incorporating all forms of macrobiotic practice. A clearer understanding of the variances within macrobiotic practice is possible with correlation to these seven levels. |
Patricio Garcia de Paredes, "Prince of Pies"
This article is the first of a series of interviews of people across the United States, conducted by Ginat Rice.
NON CREDO KUSHI MACROBIOTIC NEWSLETTER ©FEBRUARY 2002 by Yogen Kushi
What is Your Macrobiotic Background?
I was born in Spain in 1970 on a small island. My mother, Luchi Baranda, was always sick. She had surgery that removed 1/3 of her kidney. She loved sweets and fatty, cold food which I now know makes fat harden into stones. She ate lots of ice cream. Friends recommended herbs and other alternative medicines. She became vegetarian and in 1975 heard about macrobiotics in Barcelona. She ate a simple, pure diet and chewed very well. As she saw her condition improve, she made a gradual transition with our whole family into macrobiotics. I loved heavy animal food, oil and overeating, and already had severe hemorrhoids by that time at age 5. I had parasites as well. Within 1-2 months everything cleared up. My mother became a cooking teacher and we began to bring ill people into our home. Sometimes we traveled with Michio Kushi when he came to Spain. We moved to Barcelona to have more macrobiotic contacts. We opened a macrobiotic food store and organized seminars and classes at home. In 1984 when I was fourteen we moved to Boston to study more. I went to high school and worked at Erewhon health food store in the produce department. When I graduated in 1988 I worked at Satori natural food restaurant as assistant cook and waiter. So I was able to see many aspects of food buying, preparation and service. I traveled for a year after that in Central and South America to find my direction, and realized in my own right the gift of macrobiotics and my good health. In order to share my gratitude I studied Level I at the Kushi Institute and then returned to Spain to help my father restore his health. He had practiced macrobiotics with my mother but then let it go somewhat. So I learned with him about healing with food and teaching cooking. I returned to Becket for levels II and III, and stayed for 3 years to learn food production, kitchen operation, farming, consultation assistance, conference organization, etc. Then I went to Japan to learn food processing on my own. I was surprised to see how Japanese food has declined, and how many sick people are there. It seemed to take a foreigner for them to listen to their own traditional ideas. I went from there to Costa Rice for six months but found little possibility to develop macrobiotic activity. I returned to the US and worked with Phiya Kushi importing and exporting organic food to Peru. I lived there for 9 months to develop organic food and macrobiotic study. The conditions were difficult socially and economically. I went next to SE Asia to teach and offer consultations in Singapore, where I also advised some restaurants. I was also in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. I realized then that Japan was the model for Asia and decided to return there. I traveled first a bit with Michio and returned to care for Aveline for 6 months in Brookline. Finally I joined Kushi International to train chefs. I also visited Tel Aviv for 1 month to help an ill friend there regain his health. We organized dinners in his home and traveled throughout the country. It was another chance to help someone heal by means of macrobiotics. He was very successful.
What Do You Do Now?
I live in Japan now where I founded the Kushi Garden restaurant as well as a macrobiotic deli/dessert eatery. We've written a cookbook in conjunction with the Lima Ohsawa cooking school. In January 2002 a dessert cookbook will be published. I'm learning to speak Japanese but cannot read or write yet. My original translator is now my wife!
Have you had cooking lessons? Who cooks in your household?
I studied all the levels at the Kushi Institute, including cooking. Of course my mother was my best inspiration. I had enjoyed cooking since age 6, of course only with macrobiotic ingredients.
Have you had formal macrobiotic study?
I'm pursuing Level IV studies now, and have studied and traveled with Michio Kushi at every opportunity.
Do you eat out frequently?
I eat out frequently when I am traveling or busy, but I can't get away with this for an extended time. I start to develop small symptoms that I try to adjust by fasting and chewing well. I enjoy restaurants when I'm there but I don't look forward to them. I always try to choose the best quality restaurant when I go out.
How do you define / understand macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics is the natural, common sense way for humans to live on this planet. Its origin is in traditional cultures. Macrobiotics allows you to freely do whatever you want to do, to adjust to any condition and thereby realize your dream. This includes making mistakes and learning to manage. You become your own leader. It's a path to freedom so that you can play and enjoy life. A natural consequence is the desire to share your gratitude by helping others.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
I'm still young and still learning. I started early and have far to go. So I place myself at level three. I'm open and have great dreams.
Is your macrobiotic practice consistent? What changes have you seen?
Stage I of my journey was unconscious living. Stage II was learning indirectly as a child without consciously choosing this way of life. Stage III began for me when macrobiotics became my choice and my dream.
Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
My macrobiotic practice is comfortable because I continually make adjustments as my life changes. Everything is learning as I continually refine my practice.
Is strictness an ideal for you in your macrobiotic practice? Strict or narrow eating is a misnomer. Rather, an aware, simple, whole, and energetically centered diet is the goal. Because we have all abused food at some time, we need to find variety within balance. Ideally we need to regain the center on a daily basis. There is always variety, never narrowness. We need to regain our common sense or intuition and be neither rigid nor loose. This requires simple eating, which is my preference through self-reflection.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
With macrobiotics I can manage my own life, take care of myself and realize my dream. I understand who I am and what life is so I can play and enjoy the planet with friends and nature.
What is the backside of macrobiotics for you?
Perhaps in the small picture there are fronts and backs, mistakes, adjustments, and developments. In the big picture there is no backside.
What is illness? What is health? Is health synonymous with happiness? Health is the foundation of our dream. Illness is when I do not adapt to my environment. To this end I observe my daily physical condition-fatigue, bowel movement, and so forth-and practice self-diagnosis of my face, hands, and feet. Bowel movement is a good indicator, as are my emotions. I notice whether I'm happy and positive or more depressed, negative, angry and unhappy. This shows me my balance and need for adjustment. It's good enough if I'm positively, actively involved in my day-to-day dream and social relations. When I get angry or start complaining it's a signal to change.
What do you understand as the main cause of illness?
Illness is when I am not in dynamic harmony with my environment, whether it's the cycle of the day, season or year. If we abuse ourselves and create stagnation, that's disharmony. Physical and emotional symptoms are equally important and reflect each other.
How did you / does one heal?
To regain my balance I self reflect on my daily life and on how I have created an imbalance. I reflect on my surroundings and situation in order to know how to adjust to my environment. I usually begin adjustments on a dietary level. Generally the abuse is over-eating more than lacking the right food. The issue of life-style also comes into play, such as chewing, relaxing, etc. For my current condition right now, body scrub and do-in are not necessary. I use them as I feel the need arises. A third way to change is with self-massage, do-in, nature walks and other practices that restore harmony. Usually these are enough to change my emotional state. Gratitude has always helped me regain my mental and spiritual balance. I remember that we are all one. There is always the unknown, but I seem to be able to feel a sense of unity that tells me I'm headed in the right direction. With serious illness, one must pay much more careful attention. The adjustment must be more serious. Long time imbalances require more careful self-reflection and application. The more imbalanced a person is the more these must become the focus.
Why doesn't everyone heal?
On a practical level, someone who doesn't recover has not been able to practice a correct lifestyle, preparing healing foods, chewing well, regaining mental attitudes and finding support. On a deeper level, he or she has not been able to regain his or her intuition in order to restore health. A strong constitution gives one a better chance to reverse abuses. Constitutional weakness makes it more difficult. Healing requires 1) proper daily food and lifestyle (correct practice), 2) a supportive environment, including family, friends, and nature, and 3) consideration of ones native constitution. Overall,healing requires strong will.
What is the benefit of illness for you?
Illness is an opportunity to reflect on the issue of health and well-being. Personal experience has allowed me to see where I'm lacking and how to live. It makes us more
humble. Illness makes us self-reflect and lets us learn about life. Illness is our friend which lets us learn what life is and who we are, how to love and have compassion for others.
How do you change / let go? Do you have a bottom line that you will not give up?
I've changed countries, cultures and lifestyles many times. I've love change and am willing to let go, regardless of how difficult it may seem. I'm not attached to my life and not afraid to let it go. Life and death are not separate, but rather a continuum. Knowing this allows me to let go of and simultaneously embrace whatever comes. It's all okay.
Do you participate in a macrobiotic community?
I participate in a macrobiotic community as much as I have time. I'm sure I will become more involved as my family grows and we have need of more social interaction.
Is macrobiotics for everyone?
Macrobiotics is for everyone. It must be practiced with personal adjustments and experimentation.
Do you use additional healing modalities?
Additional healing modalities are not necessary, although they are all right. I'm not opposed but I never use or recommend them. I've never had a shiatsu massage except when we practiced on each other in class.
Do you practice a religion? What does it mean to be a spiritual person?
My background is Catholicism. I was exposed to many religions as my mother developed spiritually. I accepted and explored many religious paths from an early age at home and then through my travels. They all are ways of expressing the spiritual world within a particular culture, expressing a way to live together peacefully and refine ourselves. I embrace them all and learn from them all, practicing whatever brings me joy.
Ginat Rice is a macrobiotic teacher and counselor in Jerusalem, Israel. She and her husband Sheldon are currently traveling across the US in their motor home, researching macrobiotic healing stories and compiling a countrywide inventory of macrobiotic resources in conjunction with the University of South Carolina. Have you healed with the help of macrobiotics or know someone who did? Can you tell us about macrobiotic activity in your area? We'd love to hear from you!
Reverend John Ineson; The Agnostic Reverend: "In The End, How Can I Know?"
This article is the second in a series of interviews of people all across the United States, conducted by Ginat and Sheldon Rice.
What is Your Macrobiotic Background?
Our good friend Ted Keller had thyroid cancer and ate his way out of it. We got interested in macrobiotics through our friendship, and 18 years later still share meals together. We already were eating naturally at that time, locally and in season from our vegetable garden. So I came to macrobiotics without a health need, even though my health improved greatly once I began. My wife Hannah (Anna) and I started the Way of Life Macrobiotic Center with Richard France in 1981. We ran it as a macrobiotic educational center for 10 years. When we eventually lost our passion for doing it, the place became Hannah's art gallery. There's no sense doing something without enthusiasm. It won't be successful.
What Do You Do Now? What direction do you want to take your macrobiotic practice?
I've been an Episcopal priest for the last 34 years, now semi-retired. It's been my vehicle to teach and express myself. Today I'm still enthusiastic about teaching, although on different topics, and about environmental issues. I've always loved music and would love to begin composing. And I'm a lifelong fly fisherman. I'll always love that. I'm out every morning in my canoe, touching wilderness. Then I throw the poor fish back.
Have you had cooking lessons? Who cooks in your household?
We would drive down from Maine to the Kushi Institute in Boston for classes and come right back the same night. Both of us cook today. I do the simple stuff while Hannah cooks intricate, sumptuous food. We eat widely now-we love a stewed dish of apples, figs and lemons.
Have you had formal macrobiotic study?
We studied various classes in Boston for short periods. The greatest impact of macrobiotic philosophy on me as a theologian and student of human nature was the concept of non-judgment. Macrobiotics includes everyone. It is catholic in the sense of being universal. I found that very attractive.
Have you had a health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor?
I don't think that I ever had a formal health consultation, but we knew all the teachers and got a sense of where we stood. I've never been ill, so I'm missing that experience of compassion and identification.
How do you define / understand macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics really defies definition because it's so broad. "Great life" includes everything. Above all macrobiotics is a philosophy for me in the way that Ohsawa envisioned it. It doesn't begin as a diet that leads to something else. Macrobiotics is essentially an attitude of harmony and balance, internalized and made real. This then leads to non-judgment and compassion, great religious ideals. Macrobiotics fine tunes our spiritual radio receivers and opens us to the such-ness of life, as the Taoists say. Macrobiotic philosophy is a unified understanding of the big view. If you internalize the idea of universe, as opposed to multiverse, then everything is connected. That's so important. The universe treats everyone the same, regardless if you are "good' or "bad." The judging is where we get in trouble. Such duality is the source of illness. As Jesus said, the rain falls on all of us without prejudice.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
I'm a macrobiotic, period. Among many things, it's part of what I am. So I'm at 10 on the scale. Regardless of what I happen to be eating, I'm macrobiotic in my being. I understand that everything that happens is appropriate and as it must be. This removes all impediments.
Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
I never have let macrobiotics stand between my parishioners and me. That just wouldn't be worth it. I'd rather eat whatever they serve me than create a distance between us. I use macrobiotics to adjust any imbalance that may come up. I no longer begin each day with miso soup, but I return to it when I need it. I'm married to a consummate cook, so food is not the central focus for me.
Is strictness an ideal for you in your macrobiotic practice?
Although sometimes I wish I had a more coherent dietary practice, strictness is not an ideal for me. I come from a long line of meat eaters and feel good with the muscle mass that occasional animal food gives me. Good quality meat is a powerful food. I think some macrobiotic people are too gaunt and lifeless, and don't look very healthy.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
First, macrobiotics has informed my inner spiritual life. Macrobiotics helps me understand how life hangs together. Second, I've gained wonderful friends from the macrobiotic movement. The macrobiotic family is a great camaraderie. Michio Kushi has been a wonderful inspiration.
What is the backside of macrobiotics for you?
Macrobiotics deals with deep and eternal universal truths, bigger than fronts and backs. Being an Episcopal priest has a back. I have sacrificed macrobiotic eating sometimes for social choices. I don't mind what other people think of me. I just want to serve my parishioners. I know that some people are lazy and may not want to make the effort needed for macrobiotics. This is not a problem for me.
What is illness? What is health? Is health synonymous with happiness?
Health is wholeness, not only physically, but also overall. Total health includes life style, mind control, thought processes and diet. Health is universal while disease is so unique and individual. Some people seem called to have an illness regardless of what they do. Health certainly promotes happiness. Yet a suffering person can be blissful.
What do you understand as the main cause of illness?
There isn't any one thing that causes illness. We all have genetic weaknesses. So it's both constitution and condition, including the unseen realm of thought and attitude. Oscar Lavant says that he feels sorry for someone with no invisible means of support. The mind has a lot to do with well being. Sometimes mind precedes food, and sometimes it is the other way around.
How did you / does one heal?
Healing is a mystical process that you can't predict. Human nature is a life long study of unpredictability. A vital factor is the desire to be healed. Some people relish the attention that accompanies illness. Doctors themselves have said in a survey that 85% of their patients don't need medical care. Humans are so entertaining!
Why doesn't everyone heal?
Illness is self-indulgent. It requires our agreement. We don't always choose what would seem like the best for us. The mind sometimes wants to maintain a disease. It may require a total change of identity to be well rather than sick. It takes tremendous force to change our personality.
"Macrobiotic philosophy is a unified understanding of the
big view. If you internalize the idea of universe, as
opposed to multiverse, then everything is connected."e 7
What is the benefit of illness for you?
Illness is a call to change, to wake up and understand something you didn't previously know about yourself. It makes you reconsider who you are, like a true friend. We are not at war with ourselves. As macrobiotic people we work with our illness. I have the disadvantage of never being sick, so I don't have any experience. I respect people who have faced lifethreatening illness. They know the terror of that in a way that I can't imagine.
How do you replace fear with love?
The epistles say that where there is fear there is no room for love. I'm not fearful by nature. There is a purpose or plan to the universe, to use an anthropomorphic term. I try to get out of the rut of my mind, to move from reluctance to acceptance. It takes work to climb out of trauma and scar towards freedom. The best technique is acting as a witness. As soon as you rise above your mind and watch an emotion, you short circuit it and it loses its force. Humor is a wonderful way to obtain a higher perspective on life. It takes you above your problems and makes them universal.
How do you change / let go? Do you have a bottom line that you will not give up?
I have some beliefs or understandings that I know to be true. If someone held the proverbial gun to my head and demanded that I renounce the holy trinity I'd go along with whatever I needed to say. But if the person asked me Einstein's bottom line question of whether this is a friendly universe, I'd put my life on the line to say yes. This is something that I've experienced as true in mystical realms. I'd love to think that I'm free of other attachments, but I'd probably hate it if someone stole my guitar.
Do you participate in a macrobiotic community?
We ran the way of life center for 10 years and generated a macrobiotic community for mid coast Maine. My environmental involvement and my parishioners today satisfy my need for community.
Is macrobiotics for everyone?
There's no way to get away from macrobiotics, the natural tendency of the universe toward balance. Everyone is macrobiotic whether he or she knows it or not. It's not a card-carrying movement, but a philosophy of universal truth. All indigenous people are macrobiotic without even know it according to
macrobiotic principles and guidelines. It's part of their cultures and religion.
Do you use additional healing modalities?
Yoga and food are the primary ways that I balance energy. Prayer helps tremendously too. I rarely experience a discharge or imbalance, something disadvantageous according to macrobiotic understanding.
Do you consult an allopathic physician?
Neither my wife nor I have health insurance. Other than shots that I needed for a trip to India, I have been to a doctor only once in 30 years. Allopathic physicians are great for symptom relief and mechanical repairs. Its view is microbiotic. It can make you feel better even if you are not.
Do you practice a religion? What does it mean to be a spiritual person?
Macrobiotics attracted me most for its lack of apology for spirituality. In a society with such a strong scientific bias, macrobiotics is spiritual without being religious. Spirituality is central to healing and to macrobiotics. The two are inseparable for me. Religion is my life. Being a spiritual person is huge for me.
Margaret Bettis "Senior Inspiration"
This article is the third in a series of interviews of people living macrobiotic lifestyle all across the United States, conducted by Ginat and Sheldon Rice
What is Your Macrobiotic Background?
In 1980 I heard about a lecture by Murray Snyder on the subject of macrobiotics organized by Ginny Harper. I had wanted to be vegetarian and sought instruction on it. The next year I attended the summer camp to see if their food tasted anything like the things I was preparing. I didn't enjoy the food at first, but that didn't matter. My hip had been bothering me for quite some time, and surprisingly to me after a week at camp it didn't hurt any more. On the way up I remember that I could barely get out of the car to fill up my gas tank. On the way back it was no problem. That sold me. From then on I've kept close to the macrobiotic community here in Nashville. It makes sense to me to eat better. I had already stopped dairy in order to help my husband's arthritis. He didn't stick with it, but it helped my sinus problems instead.
What do you do now? What direction do you want to take your macrobiotic practice?
I was born here in Tennessee and raised in Florida until the Crash at age nine. Daddy was a contractor in the building business. I worked for the telephone company when I first married and then raised our three children. Later I did office jobs for social workers. That was great because I could attend their therapy groups. It was the best investment in myself I ever made. I led a discussion group on transactional analysis for five years. That helped me to learn it well. I am not afraid to get out front and try.
Have you had formal macrobiotic study?
I only know what I've read in the books, but people were willing to listen, and I am willing to share. I even taught classes in macrobiotics at the Unity Church and the Franklin health food store!
How do you define / understand macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics to me is eating whole grains, beans and vegetables. It's a way of cooking and a way of eating. I already have a spiritual life and ecology consciousness so I'm not looking for that. I admit that I haven't studied macrobiotic philosophy much.
Is your macrobiotic practice consistent? What changes have you seen?
Not too much really has changed. I use home remedies as needed and have learned to doctor myself up. I've become more aware that what I put in my mouth affects my mind. I know that sugar makes me less alert.
Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
I just eat what I want, and don't deny myself. If I want something, I have it. I always know how to fix any excess I exhibit. I aim to have grains, beans, and green and yellow vegetables everyday. I've cut back on my need for desserts. Now it's a treat I enjoy.
Is strictness an ideal for you in your macrobiotic practice?
I lack the willpower to be strict. Strictness is not necessary unless you have an ailment. But I don't really know because I haven't studied. I'm sure too strict can be bad too.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
I feel at ease about my health by eating this way. I'm physically healthier from cutting meat out of my diet. Had I continued to eat rich foods and desserts, I wouldn't be healthy today. I have a tendency toward high blood pressure that stays under control. My cholesterol has come down. I feel poorly when I eat too widely for too long. My friends are much more ill than I am. But I don't preach macrobiotics. People don't want to change. I'm grateful to macrobiotics because it's kept my mind clear. I can still drive at age 80, and not many people can say that.
What is the backside of macrobiotics for you?
The only disadvantage is that I can't dine at a restaurant, even though I do go! Maybe I don't get as many invitations because people know I eat differently, but it could just as well be a function of my age at this point. All in all macrobiotics has been a blessing. It's brought me wonderful young new friends.
What is illness? What is health? Is health synonymous with happiness?
Dis-ease is no longer being at ease. Suffering keeps m e inline. I no longer keep food in my kitchen that I can associate with intense pain. For myself, I know my limits. That's experience.
What do you understand as the main cause of illness?
Health is physical, emotional and spiritual. They all go together. For me, health is when I'm enthused about living and I feel good physically. Health is when I can feel good about whatever I need to do. Happiness brings health; unhappiness brings disease. But you can be ill and still be happy.
How does one heal?
A healthy body requires a healthy mind. We need to be able to let loose and eat "unhealthily" from time to time. The most important thing is to enjoy life. You can always rebalance afterwards. With positive thoughts you can think yourself well. I always say , "I can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought."
Why doesn't everyone heal?
People may think they eat well when they don't. The stronger my mind is the better I can heal. Spirituality helps me to have a healthy body.
What is the benefit of illness for you?
I'm grateful for the knowledge I gain. My body is telling me to make some changes in m y food or exercise or thinking. What you think about you bring about.
How do you replace fear with love?
I don't believe that I have any fears. What would I be afraid of? Anyone could die, but there's nothing you can do about it. I may be frightened if a snake comes in the door, but I don't live in fear about it. Whatever happens, either I can do something about it or I can't. I might have a concern but I do what I can to cope with whatever it is. What I can't do, I don't. I just take care of what's in front of me. I claim my joy. This is all hypothetical, of course. Everything I need is provided for me. I don't have to understand, but just accept. I don't get overly emotional about things. It doesn't seem to profit anyone. So I control my thoughts and live happily. Love is fellowship with God. It requires being aware.
"We need to be able to let loose and eat 'unhealthily' from time to time. The most important thing is to enjoy life. You can always rebalance afterwards. " -Margaret Betti
Jeanne van den Heuvel "Miss Macro Belgium"
This article is the fourth in a series of interviews of people living macrobiotically, conducted by Ginat & Sheldon Rice.
What is Your Macrobiotic Background?
One year for Christmas in our native Holland my brother presented food that seemed very strange. Food had always been a chore to me, and I didn’t like cooking. He showed me a book of Michio Kushi’s early lectures and I read it the whole night through. I had been an ardent Marxist feminist until then. Suddenly I discovered the dialectic of change in place of violent revolution. I decided then and there that I wanted to do this. I’d had rheumatism for ten years. Macrobiotics felt like coming home. It was so clear and natural. It felt like me. I emptied my kitchen the next day. I only ate carrots and onions because nothing else was organic. I had been raised without butter, cheese or dairy products and was already vegetarian. That allowed me to open up to macrobiotic philosophy, which I still love.
What Do You Do Now? What direction do you want to take your macrobiotic practice?
The part I enjoy most now about macrobiotics is educating. I love to teach. I teach people how to live, to become happy and free. I work in private one on one sessions, going into people’s homes for three days or more at a time. The first day they are careful and conscious of my presence. The second day they begin to do things that I couldn’t know about without seeing them. By the third day they let themselves slip back into their old habits. That’s when the learning really begins.
Have you had cooking lessons? Who cooks in your household?
I’ve had lot of cooking lessons. I took every course I could. I do all the cooking at home with some help from my daughter and assistant. Have you had formal macrobiotic study? I’ve studied a lot, and in different locations, including Amsterdam, Antwerp, London, Kiental, and Becket, among others. I’ve been lucky to have lots of choices.
Have you had a health consultation with a macrobiotic counselor?
For the first four years I learned everything from books. Eventually I had a consultation after I had my first child. I didn’t know how to eat for this new condition and I sought advice.
Do you eat out frequently?
I almost never eat out-not even once a year. We don’t have good whole food restaurants where I live. I wish we did, because it’s an important social skill for my children. When we do go to a restaurant, they inevitably ask me for something more to eat when we get home. Restaurant food doesn’t satisfy them.
Do you eat homemade lunches?
I don’t bring food with me when I go out; I just skip a meal. I only bring meals for the kids.
How do you define / understand macrobiotics?
Macrobiotics is a way of living in order to let you do what you want to do. My life is huge now. Macrobiotics taught me the tools to accomplish that. It’s child-like living, where I am able to do whatever I want, and be happy and free. Life is a game for me.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, would you rate your macrobiotic practice?
I give myself a ten. I go the whole way. Of course I make mistakes, but I give it 100%. That’s what is so nice about it. I do it with my whole self. There is always more to learn. That’s life.
Is your macrobiotic practice consistent? What changes have you seen?
I used to be so salty at first. Then I experimented with almost no salt. I changed so much that I hardly recognized myself--I became shy and blushing. I experimented with no oil for 3 years. I gave up baked flour products for nine years. In this way I’ve seen a lot of changes. I always cook my grains, beans, vegetables and sea vegetables with great variety.
Is your macrobiotic practice comfortable?
My macrobiotic practice is very comfortable. The more I study the better I eat. My teaching has saved me - I eat together with my family, friends and clients. This ensures a good macrobiotic practice.
Is strictness an ideal for you in your macrobiotic practice?
To me strict means uncomfortable or restricted. I have never felt deprived with macrobiotics. I focus on what I have. I don’t feel that I am missing anything. I’ve had good macrobiotic examples to follow.
What is the main benefit you have garnered from macrobiotics?
In my 30s I suffered physical pain and emotionally dysfunctional relationships. Macrobiotics renewed my joy so that I became a child again. I became a loving person, a world citizen, a planetary being. Macrobiotics developed the directions in my life that I’d always wanted to go.
What is the backside of macrobiotics for you?
The backside of something always becomes its front. I don’t see a division. Nothing in my life is a problem. I always find solutions.
What is illness? What is health?
A healthy person eats little, chews well, gets up early, is active and content, and can happily release his body into the next world. Health is living in accord with the laws of nature. A person dying from a serious illness can be healthy, because health is synonymous with happiness.
What do you understand as the main cause of illness?
Illness is a combination of food and environment I ate a great deal of salt as a child. Later I developed rheumatism.
How did you / does one heal?
I always go back to the standard diet. Many times we’re too conceptual, and we’re scared to make necessary changes. Study is so important - keeping a diary, paying attention, sharing your experiences, and creating support. We experiment on ourselves. Sometimes we don’t find the right solution easily. It requires tenacity.
Why doesn't everyone heal?
Everyone heals on a different level. Real healing is on the highest level: true understanding. It’s easy to buy health food, but changing your habits, thinking, life style, behavior and relationships is not so easy. Healing is changing yourself and your life, healing your personality. Healing on a physical level is only the beginning. The change has to go deeper. When people don’t heal it means they haven’t found the answer yet. They didn’t yet go to that level.
What is the benefit of illness for you?
There is no such thing as illness. Even death is growth. Discomfort challenges me to move forward.
How do you replace fear with love?
First, heal your kidneys; they create fear. I have very little fear in my life. Look for a teacher who can be a good example in life. We all learn by experience. We must become examples ourselves. I demonstrate how to live for the people I counsel. For example, I will go to a school with a parent and show him how to speak with a teacher. That is an expression of my love.
How do you change / let go?
I may protest and be resentful at first, but eventually I know that I’ll change when I truly see what I’m doing. "Real healing is on the highest level: true understanding. It's easy to buy health food, but changing your habits, thinking, life style, behavior and relationships is not so easy. Healing is changing yourself and your life; healing your personality." When I feel stuck, I study Ohsawa’s Book of Judgment to find an answer. He says, “When you truly understand your mistakes, you need never repeat them.” I don’t let things sit. I reflect a lot and then act. Michio taught me that to truly change you must develop the highest level of consciousness.
Do you participate in a macrobiotic community?
We have a nice macrobiotic community here in Belgium. I counsel, teach all levels of study, and a program like the Kushi Institute’s Way to Health. People generally stay for five to ten days. I have live-in students, and training programs for teachers and students. All this is from my house. We have a lot of fun.
Is macrobiotics for everyone?
Yes, macrobiotics is for everyone, with no exceptions.
Do you use additional healing modalities?
Macrobiotics includes everything. Sometimes I recommend a medical doctor depending on the case. The most important thing is good judgment according to yin and yang.
Do you consult an allopathic physician?
I work together with medical doctors for their experience, diagnosis and knowledge. We learn from each other. They are fascinated by oriental diagnosis.
Do you practice a religion? What does it mean to be a spiritual person?
I don’t practice a religion any more. I’m grateful to have been raised a Catholic, because the Bible is a study in yin and yang. I was able to experience spirituality as a child through its stories, liturgical chanting and the energy of the Church. It fascinated me. That spiritual feeling never left me. Studying with Michio and Aveline on a spiritual level felt like coming home again. Spirituality means being a real human being. It is down-to-earth, expressed practicality in daily life, loving and embracing everything. It’s letting go of resistance.
Seven Levels of Macrobiotic Practice
By Ginat Rice
Macrobiotics entails a worldview of complementary dialectics. It is based upon Taoist principles of yin and yang illuminated by Georges Ohsawa, the founder of the modern macrobiotic movement. Ohsawa articulated seven principles and ten theorems that govern existence. For example, all phenomena are energetic manifestations either of expanding and centrifugal (yin) energy or contractive, centripetal (yang) energy. Everything is a mixture of both forces and weighted more heavily to one side or the other. Each force attracts its opposite and repels its likeness. Therefore all phenomenal matter is constantly in flux, making change the only universal constant.
Adherence to macrobiotic principles and practice may be narrow or wide depending on the person’s understanding and condition. Many people who identify themselves as macrobiotic practitioners occasionally eat foods generally excluded from macrobiotic dietary practice in a temperate climate such as meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, sugar, chemicals, and simple carbohydrates. They consider their macrobiotic practice wide. Other people consistently eat grains, beans and vegetables yet do not identify themselves as macrobiotic because they do not embrace its worldview.
Macrobiotic identity therefore is an issue of personal choice. Exact practice defies definition. Ohsawa delineated 10 levels of macrobiotic dietary practice; Michio Kushi, today’s principal instructor, presents the concept of a healing diet and a standard macrobiotic plate with variations according to season, climate, health condition, and so forth. Ohsawa defined seven levels of consciousness or judgment. A clearer understanding of the variances within macrobiotic practice is possible with correlation to these seven levels. The levels of judgment are a progression of consciousness incorporating all forms of macrobiotic practice. Because all others rest upon it, Ohsawa declared the mechanical level the most essential. It is wrong to attach greater worth to the more exclusive stages.
1. Mechanical: Spontaneous, automatic response.
This is the widest level of macrobiotic identification. A mechanical practice of macrobiotics means eating according to instinct, drive and habit. It is the physical level of macrobiotic practice—that is, digestion, absorption and elimination. In this sense, everyone is macrobiotic. This is the natural level of human judgment during the period of gestation.
2. Sensory: Awareness of pleasure and pain, beauty and ugliness, comfort and discomfort.
Macrobiotic practitioners at the sensory level are concerned with the taste and aesthetics of food and the pleasure and comfort they derive from it. The presentation of food is important along with ambiance and mood. This is an infant’s natural level of judgment.
3. Emotional: Awareness of love and hate, joy and sadness, likes and dislikes, harmony and disharmony.
Macrobiotic practice on this level focuses on sentimental attachment to food. Perhaps a dish reminds one of his grandmother’s table, a trip to Paris or the breakup of a marriage. This is the level of a 3-year old child who “loves” and “hates” gratuitously.
4. Intellectual: Awareness of reason and unreason, proved and unproved, general and specific causes and effects.
This is the level of scientific theory such as governmental dietary recommendations or piecemeal advocacy of supplements and additives such as wheat bran, shark’s oil, and so forth. This is the level of adolescence when one begins to seek understanding and reasons.
5. Social: Awareness of right and wrong, suitable and unsuitable, proper and improper.
Social-level macrobiotic practice focuses on society rather than the individual. Systems of distribution are sought, economics and ecology are considered, and common good is a goal. This is the level of young adulthood.
6. Philosophical: Awareness of justice and injustice, righteousness and unrighteousness, spiritual and material, invisible and visible.
A philosophical practice of macrobiotics incorporates the belief that mankind can be served through macrobiotic principles and practice. Macrobiotics moves beyond food to a system of social justice. Practitioners reaching this level of judgment seek spiritual consciousness. They are interested in the philosophy of macrobiotics and yin-yang concepts of balance. Macrobiotics thereby provides a view of the world at the level of adult maturity.
7. Supreme: Awareness of universal and eternal consciousness, all embracing, unconditional love and acceptance, endless gratitude and complete freedom.
This is the natural, universal level of eating according to seasonal and local availability in which need and desire merge. It is the level of intuitive eating without regard to any of the other six levels.
"The Seven Levels of Macrobiotic Practice" is reprinted, with permission, from the Macrobiotic Research Project conducted by the University of South Carolina, and funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control. The report examines macrobiotic practice in the United States by assessing services and activities. Leadership training is explored to understand the present state of macrobiotics, and a brief description of macrobiotic practice past and present is presented. Reasons for choosing and maintaining a macrobiotic lifestyle are addressed.