|
|
|
|
|
Cooking All too
often, modern Americans are like oversized infants when it comes to
food. We are used to having it
provided for us. We are like baby
birds in a nest with our mouths wide open, squawking for more. But we never grow up into the mama bird
that goes and hunts and finds food and provides. We never learn how to feed ourselves,
because it is so easy and culturally supported not to. People who cook on a daily basis and who
like to prepare food from scratch are considered either foodies
or health nuts. Cooking is not seen as
a universal skill of self-sufficiency and adulthood, like driving a car. We are surprised when someone doesn’t know
how to drive a car, but we are not at all surprised when someone doesn’t know
how to cook. Large corporations are
more than happy to keep us in this state of helplessness. It creates a huge market for
factory-processed products and fast food. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.248. Living Takes Life Once we
accept that living takes life, we can begin doing vitally important
work: ensuring that farm animals and
wild animals have the opportunity to lead a good life and die a good
death. We need to approach the body of
a slaughtered animal more holistically, ecologically, consciously, and
spiritually. We have to witness the
lives and the deaths of farm animals, and to be less squeamish about the
truth of what happens to them. Last
year I had the opportunity to go to a local farm and kill a chicken
myself. Then I scalded it and plucked
it and gutted it. The next day I ate
it. I learned a great deal by doing
that, and it helped me to accept the mortality of the process. I will never
look at a chicken the same way again, now that I know each step involved
between a feathered clucking being running around the barnyard and the pink
plucked headless body you see in the store.
We are so divorced in this culture from all of these steps. The disconnection is a big part of what
makes it seem possible to step outside the cycle of life and death and be
free from the karma of killing for our food.
But a life lived on the farm or in the forest will teach you
otherwise. Full
Moon Feast – Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.225. Myths & Truths About Nutrition Myth: Heart
disease in Truth: During the period
of rapid increase in heart disease (1920-1960), American consumption of
animal fats declined but consumption of hydrogenated and industrially
processed vegetable fats increased dramatically. (USDA- Myth: Saturated
fat clogs arteries. Truth: The fatty acids found in artery
clogs are mostly unsaturated (74%) of which 41% are polyunsaturated. (Lancet
1994 344:1195) Myth:
Vegetarianism is healthy. Truth: The annual all-cause death rate of
vegetarian men is slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (.93% vs .89%); the annual death rate of vegetarian women is
significantly more than that of non-vegetarian women (.86% vs .54%) (Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36:873) Myth: Vitamin B12
can be obtained from certain plant sources such as blue-green algae and soy
products. Truth: Vitamin B12 is not absorbed from
plant sources. Modern soy products increase the body's need for B12.
(Soybeans: Chemistry & Technology Vol 1 1972) Myth: For good
health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl. Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher
in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180 mg/dl. (Circulation
1992 86:3:1026-1029) Myth: Animal fats
cause cancer and heart disease. Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients
that protect against cancer and heart disease; elevated rates of cancer and
heart disease are associated with consumption of large amounts of vegetable
oils. (Fed Proc July 1978 37:2215) Myth: Children
benefit from a low-fat diet. Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer
from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities. (Food Chem News Myth: A low-fat
diet will make you "feel better . . . and increase your joy of
living." Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with
increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and
suicide. (Lancet Myth: To avoid
heart disease, we should use margarine instead of butter. Truth: Margarine eaters have twice the
rate of heart disease as butter eaters. (Nutrition Week Myth: Americans do
not consume enough essential fatty acids. Truth: Americans consume far too much of
one kind of EFA (omega-6 EFAs found in most
polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another kind of EFA
(omega-3 EFAs found in fish, fish oils, eggs from
properly fed chickens, dark green vegetables and herbs, and oils from certain
seeds such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts
and in small amounts in all whole grains.) (Am J Clin
Nutr 1991 54:438-63) Myth: A
vegetarian diet will protect you against atherosclerosis. Truth: The International Atherosclerosis
Project found that vegetarians had just as much atherosclerosis as meat
eaters. (Lab Invest 1968 18:498) Myth: Low-fat
diets prevent breast cancer. Truth: A recent study found that women on
very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the same rate of breast cancer as
women who consumed large amounts of fat. (NEJM Myth: The
"cave man diet" was low in fat. Truth: Throughout the world, primitive
peoples sought out and consumed fat from fish and shellfish, water fowl, sea
mammals, land birds, insects, reptiles, rodents, bears, dogs, pigs, cattle,
sheep, goats, game, eggs, nuts and milk products. (Abrams, Food &
Evolution 1987) Myth: Coconut oil
causes heart disease. Truth: When coconut oil was fed as 7% of
energy to patients recovering from heart attacks, the patients had greater
improvement compared to untreated controls, and no difference compared to
patents treated with corn or safflower oils. Populations that consume coconut
oil have low rates of heart disease. Coconut oil may also be one of the most
useful oils to prevent heart disease because of its antiviral and
antimicrobial characteristics. (JAMA 1967 202:1119-1123; Am J Clin Nutr 1981 34:1552) Myth:
Saturated fats inhibit production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Truth: Saturated fats actually improve the
production of all prostaglandins by facilitating the conversion of essential
fatty acids. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation
Journal 20:3) Myth: Arachidonic acid in foods like liver, butter and egg
yolks causes production of "bad" inflammatory prostaglandins. Truth: Series 2 prostaglandins that the
body makes from arachidonic acid both encourage and
inhibit inflammation under appropriate circumstances. Arachidonic
acid is vital for the function of the brain and nervous system. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Journal 20:3) Myth: Beef causes
colon cancer Truth: Real Milk:
Nature’s Perfect Food Galen, Hippocrates, Pliny, Varro, Marcellus Empiricus, Bacchis and Anthimus, leading
physicians of their day, all used raw milk in the treatment of disease.
During the 1920s, Dr. J. E. Crewe of the Mayo Foundation used a diet of raw
milk to cure TB, edema, heart failure, high blood pressure, prostate disease,
urinary tract infections, diabetes, kidney disease, chronic fatigue and
obesity. Today, in Cholesterol: The Mother of All Hormones All the steroid hormones (which help
us deal with inflammation, injury and stress) and all the sex hormones
(including estrogen and testosterone) derive from cholesterol. Lowfat and low-cholesterol diets often have the effect of
depriving the body of the raw material from which to make these vital
substances. |
Index of Nutrition information
“Teaching is
also learning. Teach what you need to learn.” Adrenals Allergies and
Hay Fever by Tom
Cowan Metabolic Therapy: Adrenal and Thyroid Connection by Bruce
Rind Metabolic Seminar, Bruce Rind
pdf Getting Off
Steroid Drugs by Tom Cowan Replacing Refined Sugars
with Natural Sugars One Step at a Time by Lori Lipinski The Man in the Iron Mask by Tom
Cowan What You Should Know About Your
Glands by John Tintera Ask the Doctor
About Polymyalgia Rheumatica
by Tom Cowan, MD Agriculture Splendor From the Grass by Sally
Fallon and Mary Enig Agriculture
and Nutrition by Gary Wilson Agriculture and Global Warming: Carbon Farmers of America website Everything I
Want To Do Is Illegal by Joel Salatin Joel Salatin,
Taking on the Ethics of Industrial Agriculture: Fear in the
Fields: How Hazardous Waste Becomes
Fertilizer by Duff Wilson of the Seattle Times Forgiveness
Farming by Joel Salatin Sound Science
Is Killing Us by Joel Salatin Organic Food vs. Conventional by
Mary-Howell R. Martens The Benefits
of Organic Food, by Andre Leu The Phosphate
Fluoride Link, ACRES USA
Seeds of
Deception, Interview with Jeffrey Smith, ACRES USA Facing Down
Goliath: One Farmer’s Battle with a GM
Giant, and interview with Percy Schmeiser,
ACRES USA Pollinators in
Natural Areas, Xerces Society Nests for
Native Bees, Xerces Society Pollinator-Friendly
Parks, Xerces Society Farming For
Bees, Xerces Society True Protein
vs. Funny Protein by Jerry Brunetti Allergies The Health Benefits of Raw Milk
From Grass-Fed Animals Ask The Doctor
About Allergies and Hay Fever, by Tom Cowan Antibiotics The True Story
of Cipro by
Andreas Schuld, Wendy Small and Trent Harris Angie’s
Antibiotics Report (pdf) Athletes Vitamin
A: The Forgotten Bodybuilding Nutrient
Splendid
Specimens: The History of Nutrition in
Bodybuilding by Randy Roach Ask the Doctor
About Muscle and Menstrual Cramps by Tom Cowan, MD Guide to Superfoods The Liver
Files: Recipes and Lore About Our Most
Important Sacred Food by Lynn Razaitis Autoimmune Disease Ask the Doctor
About Polymyalgia Rheumatica
by Tom Cowan, MD Blood Pressure Blood Pressure
and Heart Rate Comparisons: A Method
of Assessing Cardiovascular Terrain. Everything You
Ever Wanted to Know About Blood Pressure Drugs…and How to Avoid Them Ask the Doctor
About High Blood Pressure by Tom Cowan, MD Saturated Fats
and the Kidneys by Mary G. Enig, PhD Bone Density Broth is
Beautiful by Sally Fallon Caffeine and
an Athlete by George E. Meinig, DDS, FACD Side Effect,
Caustic Commentary-Fosamax Dem
Bones: Do High Protein Diets Cause
Bone Loss? By Sally Fallon and Mary G.
Enig, PhD From Seafood
to Sunshine—A New Understanding of Vitamin D Safety by Chris Masterjohn Soy and Osteoporosis: Not a Leg to Stand On by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN Brain Injury Brain Injury
Therapies by Dr. Rind Cancer How to Protect Yourself Against
Cancer With Food (trifold) X-rays, Cancer and Heart Disease The Major Cause of Cancer – Part 3,
Rachel’s Environment and Health News #693 Nutrition for
Cancer Survival Powerpoint (with notes) (See articles under “Iodine”
heading, also) Candida Treating Candidiasis by Dr. Laura Mann, OMD, LAc,
MH Celiac Against the
Grain: The Case for Rejecting or
Respecting the Staff of Life by Catherine Czapp Going With the
Grain: A Healing Protocol for Celiac
Disease by Katherine Czapp Going
Gluten-Free by Becky Mauldin Our Daily
Bread by Katherine Czapp with Garrick
Ginzburg Voskov How To Restore
Digestive Health by Jordan S. Rubin, NMD, CNC Natural Fermentation for Tolerance,
Nutrition and Protection by Mario Repetto, PhD “My Son Won’t Eat Anything!” –question posed to MamaCare list on the Gainesville Sun website. How to Change a School’s Food
Program by Jane Hersey Ancient
Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow’s Children by Sally Fallon Premature
Births May be Linked to Seasonal Levels of Pesticides and Nitrates in Surface
Water Conception
Date Affects Baby’s Future Academic Achievement Cholesterol Cholesterol and Health by Chris Masterjohn Myths and Truths About Cholesterol Ask the Doctor
About Low Cholesterol by Tom Cowan, MD Chronic Fatigue Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome by Tom Cowan Detoxification Diabetes and Sugar Handling Treating
Diabetes: Practical Advice for Combatting a Modern Epidemic by Tom Cowan, MD Ask the Doctor
About Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) by Tom
Cowan, MD
Diet Sodas Contribute to Childhood Obesity
by James Gormley
Hawaii Aspartame Bill Update:
Lobbyists Crushing Consumer Protection Law to Ban Nutrasweet
American Diabetes Association
peddling nutritional nonsense while accepting money from manufacturer of
candy and sodas by Jessica Fraser
Sugar-Free
Blues: Everything You Wanted To Know
About Artificial Sweeteners by Jim Earles
The Diabetes
Issue: A series of articles on
diabetes from the Winter 2003 issue of Wise
Traditions
The Double
Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup by Bill Sanda,
BS, MBA
Replacing Refined Sugars
with Natural Sugars One Step At a Time by Lori
Lipinski
The Ideal
Blood Sugar by Emmanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD
The Kitchen
Transition by Lori Lipinski, CNC
Treating
Diabetes: Practical Advice for Combatting a Modern Epidemic by Tom Cowan, MD
Diets around the world and through
time Nutrition and Physical
Degeneration by Weston A. Price, DDS Principles
of Healthy Diets Oolichan Oil: Romancing the Oil by Rudolph C. Ryser, PhD Excerpt from People of the Deer by Farley Mowat Australian
Aborigines: Living Off the Fat of the
Land by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD Caveman
Cuisine by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD A Trip Report on the Deterioration of the Eating
Habits in Pakistan by Tabinda N. Khan Ancient
Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children Out of Africa:
What Drs. Price and Burkitt Discovered in Their
Studies of Sub-Saharan Tribes Sad Changes in
the Standard American Diet The Gorilla
Diet: What Can It Tell Us About A Healthy Diet for Humans? Guts and
Grease: The Diet of Native Americans Australian
Aborigines: Living Off the Fat of the Land Food in China:
Variety and Monotony The
Mediterranean Diet: Pasta or Pastrami? Inside Japan:
Surprising Facts About Japanese Foodways
The Machiguenga by Ethan
Russo, MD Problems Adjusting to Traditional Foods by Thomas
Cowan, MD Digestion The Long
Hollow Tube: A Primer on the Digestive
System by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Ening, PhD Ask the Doctor about Irritable
Bowel Syndrome by Thomas Cowan, MD Enzymes by Sally Fallon with Mary
G. Enig, PhD Focus on Diseases of the GI Tract by Thomas Cowan,
MD How To Restore
Digestive Health by Jordan S. Rubin, NMD, CNC Seven Tips to
Enhance Digestion by Lori Lipinski One Patient’s
Experience With Ucerative Colitis and the GAPS diet
by Kurt Worthington Disease Diet and
Recovery from Chronic Disease by Ron Schmid, ND Foods that
Damage, Foods that Heal Insulin and
Its Metabolic Effects by Ron Rosedale Emphysema, COPD Ask the Doctor
About COPD by Thomas Cowan, MD Environmental Health Landscaping
With The Chi of the Environment by Maria Minno (pdf) Landscaping
With The Chi of the Environment (Powerpoint with
notes) by Maria Minno Dioxins in
Animal Foods: A Case for Vegetariansim? By Chris Masterjohn Pesticides and
Polio: A Critique of Scientific
Literature by Jim West Safeguarding
kids from environmental hazards, in Contempory Pediatrics, March 1,
2007. Pesticide
Study in Northern Mexico Excitotoxins Excitotoxins: The Taste
that Kills, by Russell Blaylock – book review by Sally Fallon Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, video of a talk given
by Russell Blaylock, Website of
Russell L. Blaylock, MD Sweet
Misery: A Poisoned World. The FDA Aspartame Conspiracy. Video.
Aspartame: Diet-astrous Results by Rebecca Ephraim,
RD, CCN Glutamine
Metabolism: Nutritional and Clinical
Significance MSG
Studies: Are You Concerned? By Jack Samuels MSG’s Effect
on Neurological Function by Jack L. Samuels Excitotoxicity: A Possible Central Mechanism in Fluoride Neurotoxicity by Russell L. Blaylock, MD Soft
Drinks: America’s Other Drinking
Problem by Judith Valentine, PhD, CAN, CNC Sugar-Free
Blues—Everything You Wanted to Know About Artificial Sweeteners by Jim Earles The Aspartame Scandal
by Betty Martini The Obesity
Epidemic: Should We Believe What We
Read and Hear? By Jack L. Samuels Farms Dennis Stoltzfoos, Full Circle Farm Tom and Tarri Street, Shepherd’s Hill Farm WAPF Chapter
President, Gainesville: Beth Michelson
(352)219-4653 Fats Confused About
Fats? http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html Myths and
Truths about Nutrition The Skinny on
Fats by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon The Oiling of
America by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD Tripping
Lightly Down the Prostaglandin Pathways by Mary G. Enig,
PhD and Sally Fallon Fats and Oils
and Their Impact on Health Fatty Acid
Requirements for Women by Mary Enig, Ph.D. What If Bad
Fat Is Actually Good For You? (Men's
Health and Saturated Fats) by Nina Teicholz A Life
Unburdened by Richard Morris, New Trends Publishing Losing Weight
and the WAPF High Fat Diet (Word) (PDF) Eat Fat Lose
Fat by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. Taking the
Fear Out of Eating Fat by Lori Lipinski Lowfat Diets by Mary G. Enig, PhD, The Latest
Studies on Coconut Oil by Mary G. Enig, PhD (Word)
(PDF) Why Butter is
Better by Mary G. Enig and Sally Fallon The Case for
Butter by Trauger Groh Australian
Aborigines—Living off the Fat of the Land by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig,
PhD Korean Beef by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD Caveman
Cuisine by Sally Fallon and Mary Ge. Enig, PhD Guts and
Grease by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD People of the
Deer by Farley Mowat (excerpt) (Word) (PDF) Fat-Soluble Vitamins Butter,
Vitamin E and the X Factor by Dr. Royal Lee Cod Liver Oil
- Notes on the Manufacture Of Our Most Important Dietary Supplement by David
Wetzel From Seafood
to Sunshine – A New Understanding of Vitamin D Safety by Chris Masterjohn On The Trail
of the Elusive X – A 62-year-old mystery finally solved, by Chris Masterjohn The Miracle of
Vitamin D, by Krispin Sullivan Vitamin K2 in
Bone Metabolism and Osteoporosis Vitamin A On
Trial: Does Vitamin A Cause
Osteoporosis? By Chris Masterjohn (Word) (PDF) Vitamin A, D
and Cod Liver Oil: Some
Clarifications, by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD Fermentation Fertility and Reproductive Health Fibromyalgia Fish and Native Fisheries The Phosphate
Fluoride Link, ACRES USA
Fluoride,
Worse Than We Thought The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson Food and Recipes Glutathione Staying on Top
of Oxidative Stress by Stephen Byrnes, ND, RNCP Health Hazards
of Mercury by Eric Davis, DDS GAPS – Gut and Psychology Syndrome GMO’s Seeds of
Deception, Interview with Jeffrey Smith, ACRES USA Facing Down
Goliath: One Farmer’s Battle with a GM
Giant, and interview with Percy Schmeiser,
ACRES USA The
Future of Food – whole video The
Future of Food – Introduction Future
of Food (biotechnology) Genetically
Modified Food: Panacea or Poison? The
Health Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Jeff
Smith: The Effects of Genetically
Modified Foods Heart Herbs Susun Weed:
Pine Balsamic Vinegar (video) High Fat Diet Hormones and hormone disruption Immune system and illness Kidneys Saturated fats
and the kidneys by Mary G. Enig Ask the Doctor
About High Blood Pressure by Tom Cowan Treating
Diabetes: Practical Advice for Combatting a Modern
Epidemic by Tom Cowan Ask The Doctor About Gout by Tom
Cowan The Emperor’s
New Clothes: Aggressive New Guidelines
for Pre-Hypertension The Yin and
Yang of Cod Liver Oil Lyme Disease Men’s Health Men’s Health, The Magazine
by Sally Fallon Mental Health Vitamin
B12: Vital Nutrient for Good Health by
Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD The Diet Cure
by Julia Ross, MA, All Thumbs Book Reviews, by Sally Fallon Child Violence—Is Malnutrition the Cause? By Richard Dell’Orfano Soy and the
Brain by John MacArthur Is it Mental
or is it Dental? – Cranial and Dental Impacts on Total Health by Raymond Silkman, DDS Cod Liver Oil—The Number One Superfood,
by Krispin Sullivan, CN Fluoride: Worse than We Thought, by Andreas Schuld Letters, Summer 2001, WAPF Journal The Diet Cure, a book by Julia Ross, MA. Reviewed by Sally Fallon Mercury Health Hazards of Mercury
by Eric Davis, DDS Minerals NAIS Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, DDS Obesity Oiling of Organic Pesticides Pets Pharmaceuticals Prenatal and infant health Processed foods Radiation Raw milk Real Milk
Cures Many Diseases by J.R. Crewe, MD Sea salt Skin Ask the Doctor
About Acne by Tom Cowan MD Soy Supplements Thyroid Ask the Doctor
About Hypothyroidism by Tom Cowan, MD Vaccines Vegetarianism The Myths of
Vegetarianism by Stephen Byrnes, PhD, RNCP Not So Soy
Healthy For The Heart by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN It’s The Beef Vitamins Vitamin B12 Weight Control A Life Unburdened by Richard Morris Eat Fat, Lose Fat The Raw Diet Real Food and Weight Loss Blood Type Diet Adventures in The Weston A. Price Women’s Health For more information, contact Maria Minno, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Call for appointments 352-375-3028 Weekend and evening hours. Center for Balance |
The Hunger Moon On the Hunger Moon, I send out a
prayer that our food system may begin to shift some of its energy from
offering us quantity to offering us quality.
May we acknowledge that there is a time of purification and hunger and
want, and yet be comforted with the knowledge that spring will soon be here,
that the Earth will flower again, and the abundance of the harvest will
follow behind. May we be full of
gratitude to the Earth that feeds us. May we remember that after the Hunger Moon
comes the Sap Moon, and that is sweet consolation indeed. Full
Moon Feast – Jessica Prentice, 2006, 2006, p.17. The Sap Moon On the Sap Moon, may we all be
reminded of our enduring connection to the trees and plants of landscapes
that are part of our planet’s web of life and cultural heritage. May we hold in our hearts all those whose
lives and communities were devastated by slavery. May we give thanks for sap, which is to
plants what blood is to animals and water is to earth – that liquid movement
of life, growth, and return. May we
all be blessed with the sweetness of life, and may we sometimes find it
somewhere other than dessert! Full Moon Feast
by Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.42. The Egg Moon On the Egg Moon, I say a prayer for
all the chickens living in confinement.
May we humans see the errors of our ways and dismantle the egg
factories in favor of free-range, integrated, ecological farms. May each one of us find a source for eggs
that we can be proud of, so that we can eat eggs without fear or hesitation,
but with relish, pleasure, and respect. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.65 The Milk Moon On the Milk Moon, may we move beyond
our petulant rejection of the things that make us feel vulnerable, and understand
that only when we accept our utter dependency can we know the true meaning of
freedom and power.
May we honor the cow and the Earth and the Great Mother as well as our
own mothers, who brought us into the world with tears and blood and a great messy
thrust toward life.
And may we also honor all those metaphorical mothers—those who may not
have suckled us at their own breast, but who offered us the milk of human
kindness. May we find within ourselves
the heroism to seek out all that is yin and holy and rescue it from the
forces of destruction. Maybe if we do
that, we will get our own hearts back. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.88. The Moon of Making Fat On the Moon of Making Fat, may we be
free of the oppressive ideal of thinness, as well as the disease of
obesity. May adolescent girls be
nourished – body and soul – and know that they, too, are precious. May cultures such as the Lakota and Inuit
thrive and renew, along with the populations of American buffalo on the Full
Moon Feast – Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.113 The Mead Moon On the Mead Moon, may we all honor
the great mystery of life. May we be open to magic, and be humble
enough to admit that there are things that we do not fully understand and
never will.
May we seek out thin places, and open our hearts to the divine. May we acknowledge that there is more to
life than our moralistic notions of right and wrong. May we recognize the great “incarnate
life-force” and the “uncontrollable chaotic eruption of nature” that pulses
within each of us, and in every cultural and religious tradition. On the Mead Moon I give thanks for the
masterpiece of alcoholic fermentation, even with all the questions it poses
and leaves unanswered. It is the mystery
itself, after all, that makes life worth living. Full
Moon Feast – Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.137. [Mead (IPA: ['mid]) is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast.] The Wort Moon On the Wort
Moon, may we all begin to develop a little bit of wort-cunning. May we
find a way to tend a small wortyard, and come to
know a few plants that are healing for us. May we watch them flower, smell their
fragrance, taste their leaves. May we
carry on the tradition of wise cultures around the world that have looked to
plants for medicine and healing. May we remember how to drink our gardens –
and brew up a little mischief while we’re at it. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.157. [Wort comes from the Middle English wort;
Anglo-Saxon wyrt (<PIE *werad-,
'branch, root'). It is the original English name for 'plant'. It rhymes with "hurt". -- Wikipedia] The Corn Moon On the Corn
Moon may we remember how to make handmade things too beautiful to be
resisted, and offer them back to the divine source of life. May we do this even when we bake bread, or
steam idlis, or fry injera, or roll tamales. May we begin to rebuild an agricultural
system that respects, honors, and replenishes the Earth, even as we beg
forgiveness for all the ways in which we act like we own the place. May we feel wonder for the gift of grain,
which through dying is born again, or else gives its life to us. Full
Moon Feast – Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.181. Salmon Moon And so we sat on a bridge that fords
the creek, and watched, and waited in the silence as the winter rains came
down lightly and gently. We watched
for what seemed like a long time until we saw a bit of commotion in the water
upstream, and watched the turbulence closely until it was right under
us. And then they were there—a pair of
salmon, one more red, the other more silver, enormous, sea-sized fish in that
shallow, tiny creek. We only saw them
for a minute, but it was magical, truly magical, to witness the salmon’s
return to Earth, and to death, and to rebirth. And it made me proud of humanity,
and so grateful to all those who have dedicated decades or more of their
lives to making it possible for those salmon to do the thing that makes them
salmon, that makes them sacred, that makes them totem. May there always be a Moon When the Salmon
Return to Earth. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.203 The Blood Moon On the Blood Moon, may we say a
heartfelt prayer for all the animals that are being raised in inhumane conditions. May we give great thanks for the farmers and
ranchers who treat their animals with respect and honor and who care deeply
for their welfare.
May we take the time to seek out sources of animal foods that are
raised with respect for the environment, for our health, and for the
well-being of the animals themselves. May there come a day when factory farms
have been replaced with small-scale, integrated, holistic family farms where
all living things are recognized as the gifts that they surely are. May there be a day when Americans have
acquired the adult knowledge that all life is dependent upon all other life
in an endless circle of giving and receiving, birth and death, growth and
decay, rebirth and regeneration. May
we find ourselves humble as we contemplate the miracle of life, and of the
Life that transcends death. That would make our ancestors proud. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.225 The Snow Moon On the Snow Moon, may we keep in our
hearts a vision of a group of villagers laboring together, singing a song
while they keep their hands moving. May we feel inspired to experiment in our
cooking—to try something new and to use all six of our senses to guide us
through the process. May we feel the
sense of freedom and power that comes from being able to provide for ourselves. May we
find the time to put up a batch of sauerkraut, bake a loaf of bread, or
culture some yogurt.
And may we welcome the coming winter, knowing that even if the ground
is covered with now or ice, we will be well fed in all ways. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p.251 The Moon of Long Nights On the Moon of Long Nights, may we begin
to be a little more comfortable with the dark, and the mystery it symbolizes. May we
remember to sleep, and to rest, to dream, and to talk to the Divine. May we
remember that there is no such thing as human perfection, and show humility
in the presence of all the things that surpass understanding. May we remember that both illness and
difference can be gifts, or can carry within them gifts of very great measure. Let us not
be too arrogant to accept the gift, or to offer the giver a place at our table. And may that table be full of nourishing
foods, with plenty to share. Full Moon Feast –
Jessica Prentice, 2006, p. 277. The Wolf Moon On the Wolf Moon, may we find ways
to keep the metaphorical wolf from our door without driving the literal wolf
into extinction.
May we celebrate wildness in all its forms, including its presence in
our own indigenous souls. As we look carefully at the natural
environments that we depend upon for our survival, may we make wise choices
about how to use the precious gifts that Earth offers us. May we begin to rebuild the village, to
create community, and to nurture a place in our hearts for all the creatures
of God’s green Earth. May we be blessed with the great
fruitfulness that comes with true frugality, and may it serve us well for
many – many, many, many – generations yet to come. Full Moon Feast – Jessica Prentice,
2006, p. 297. At age 101,
Dr. J. L Head is still going strong. He lives alone, cares for himself and
has a girlfriend. "The secret to my long life is simple," he says.
"It was the hog lard I ate in my biscuits. I never ate much light bread.
We had biscuits made out of hog lard. . . I also ate chili with a lot of
grease. Most people don't make chilli right ‘cause they don't like the grease. Chili has to have
grease." (Star-Telegram, June 1999) Lard or pig fat also figures
large in the cuisines of two population groups noted for longevity—Soviet
Georgia and Vilcabamba in |
|
|
The health information contained on this website
is provided for educational purposes only.
Maria Minno (Phoenix Healing Massage, Inc.),
does not give medical advice or engage in the practice of medicine. We do
not, under any circumstances, recommend a particular treatment for a
particular disease, and we do not diagnose disease or prescribe
treatment. Consult your physician or
other health care provider before pursuing any course of treatment. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any of
the information on this website. |
|
