Spiritual Nutrition: By Cyndi Dodick

Why consume food, why breath unless is draws us closer to the Divine?   More and more it is revealed to me that everything we do is a form of nutrition.  The food we choose to eat will either bring us closer, or carry us away from the Divine. The company we keep, the books we read, the music we choose, our daily routines are all opportunities to collect sparks of the Divine.   Every action we select becomes a part of the quest for God Mergence or Deveikut if we stay connected to the Creator.  Balancing the desires  that  detour the journey  is a daily task.  Some days the battle feels like standing in opposition to a hurricane/gale force wind and other days, there’s is just a gentle breeze blowing, yet always there is wind against my skin.

I have been drawn to deep exploration of nutrition  and health in the bio-chemical realm and I am flowing to exploration of health as it is effected by the Bio-electric domain. I wish to share my journey  here in hope that it will be of service and benefit to those who find it.  Many articles will focus on Raw, Live food nutrition as much of my training is in this area. Watch for recipes and ways to incorporate more vegan live food into your diet. I would also like to share information about specific nutrients and nutrient deficiencies that plague our modern society as well as general thoughts on the quality and origin of food today.

Food is important although it is only one aspect of spiritual life. It plays a vital role and yet so many other things “feed” us. I have been gifted a set of guidelines  called The Six Foundations that help me daily and I wish to share them with you today.

The Six Foundations of Spiritual Life are taught by a teacher of mine Rabbi Gabriel Cousens. Each one of them may be understood as form of Spiritual Nutrition, feeding us for our journey. They afford me some counsel and serve as a compass and a candle, pointing out a route and shedding a soft light on the path.

1. Nutrition: sattvic/kedusha (holy), vegan, organic, live-food, high mineralized, low sugar, individualized moderate food intake diet, well hydrated with oure living water and including Spiritual Fasting

2. Building prana (life force): Yoga asanas, pranayama, Ophanim (energies if the Hebrew letters), T’ai Chi, Reiki, Tachyon Energy and sacred dance. These all enhance and expand the consciousness of the body-mind complex, filling it with increased life force energy.

3. Service (seva/sheirut) and charity (tzedaka): In service of others we can forget ourselves. In the process of service and charity, we are able to face our attachments to things and feel our connection to all of the family of humanity.

4. Spiritual guidance and inspiration: Satsang or yechidut being in the energy of Truth. Being in the presence of a Liberated of awakened spiritual teacher.  Sangha or chavurah (kehila/community) is spending time with spiritual people or groups. Sacred music, great mystical poetry. Reading Torah, the Vedas, Tao Te Ching and other spiritual wisdom teachings help expand and refine the mind. Spending time in Nature is also a part of this foundation

5. Silence: Meditation, prayer, repetition of a mantra and chanting the names of God. Silence is the doorway to the Heart of God! The source of all spiritual wisdom emenates form the silence of the Divine.

6. Kundalini Awakening: Shaktipat initiation (S’micha l’shefa/Haninha) the awakening of the Divine force that is resting in potential within us. The descent of Grace, generally given through a living Enlightened spiritual teacher, it can occur spontaneously.

These Six Foundations are meant to be not so much a goal, but a way of Being. A way of Being that prepares us to awaken from the dream illusion of separation.  Each one is meant to support the others and when they become integrated into the core of one’s existence Spiritual growth becomes more tangible.

When in facing the wind storms of desire, I remember the Six Foundations and determine into which certain desires might fit. Food temptations are easy to identify. The daily desire for sloth instead of asanas and aerobics are a clear number 2 and my reading choices can be influenced by Foundation 4.  Just before evening meditation I assess which foundations I have visited  and how much time I devoted to each one. Clearly, they are not defining my Being yet or there would not be a need for scrutiny. And yet they give me focus and bring me back to center whenever I wander off.  For that I am grateful as I am forever wandering off, in need of a gentle nudge in the right direction.