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Spiritual Food for the New Millennium |
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MAIL ORDER SERVICE OF SATTWIC ORGANIC
FOOD |
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VOL.
I, No. 2
Fall
2001 |
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Our Mission Statement
evolution
n.. a gradual process in which something changes
into a different and usually more complex or better form revolution
n.
a sudden or momentous change in a situation As
we look around us it is painfully clear that the Earth and
its inhabitants are out of balance.
While we have all the knowledge and resources we
need to be a healthy, peaceful and progressive society, we
are plagued with debilitating diseases of the mind, the
body and the spirit.
The air is polluted, the soil is sick, many species
are disappearing from the Earth, her people are troubled
and dispirited, attacking one another with acts of
horrific violence.
As our connection to a physically, emotionally and
spiritually natural and healthy way of life grows ever
weaker, there is one way in which we cannot completely
sever the tie. The
mission of this newsletter is to provide our readers with
information that will inspire them to adopt food
purchasing, preparation and eating habits conducive to
peace and harmony in their own lives, in their communities
and on this planet Earth, our home.
While we respect every person’s right to eat the
way he/she chooses, we hope to enlighten our readers to
the benefits of avoiding highly processed foods, basing
their diets on fresh, whole, naturally-grown foods,
listening to the nutritional guidance provided by our own
unique bodies, practicing respect for the Earth and the
plants and animals that provide our sustenance and
supporting individually owned farms and enterprises
For some this may involve a complete reversal in
the way they interact with food but, if we are going to
stop the chaos and bring any kind of balance back to our
lives and our planet, it will require a (r)evolution.
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Contents |
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By
Victor (Vyasa) Landa |
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India
has repeatedly denounced Pakistan for terrorist attacks
in Kashmir, yet the U.S. Congress had offered millions
of dollars in aid to Pakistan.
The president of the United States has declared a
war against terrorism.
What, then, does the word terrorism mean? On
hearing the news that the Pentagon was awarding the
largest contract in history- $200 billion- to build
military aircraft, I could only ask myself: “Who is
the enemy?” “Why do we require the production of
such sophisticated weapons knowing that no other
nation’s armed forces can in any way The
United Nations reported that that 500,000 children have
died in Iraq in the past 10 years. I ask myself,
“What about the future of those who have survived?”
I thought about the children in Afghanistan who are
now sleeping on the bare ground without a blanket to cover
their bodies. They
had to flee in TERROR from the ceaseless bombing, day and
night, leaving behind all their possessions to seek
safety, hoping to be embraced by humanitarian arms in
neighboring countries, only to be denied entry; being told
that the borders were closed and that they would have to
remain in no-man’s land, waiting for either another lost
bomb to tear them into pieces or to die of hunger and
despair. But,
some of these children will survive, growing up having
already received their first lesson in terrorism and they
will know exactly what terror feels like.
Will they have the capacity to be loving and tender
human beings? Or
will they apply what they have learned and lived? As
war rhetoric increases along with military actions to
“eliminate” terrorists, we would learn much by looking
back to history. Hitler tried to “eliminate” the
Jewish people. He
killed millions, but failed.
In Biblical history, King Herod’s fear of
displacement by Jesus Christ led him to order the death of
thousands of infants.
He also failed at his objective. Will
we try to emulate these crimes against humanity in order
to be able to “eliminate” terrorism?
Violence did not succeed then and it will not
succeed now. Violence
is not the answer. We
should seek the path of peace. The
Afghani children who live through this nightmare may grow
up to think that in order to survive one must have
powerful, sophisticated means of mass destruction.
They will find that this requires much wealth and
learn that accumulating wealth means taking away from
others what is rightfully theirs, causing others undue
suffering. They
might also learn about Hiroshima and Nagasaki and think
that burning thousands of innocent civilians alive may be
justified for the cause of peace or for the sake of
revenge. They
will see this as one of many examples of the way in which
“justice” has been meted out by the world’s most
powerful. Looking
around they will notice the disproportionate difference
between the poorest and the wealthiest. Having
lived a life of poverty and despair, they will understand
the powerlessness of the poor and be reminded of their
first lesson in terrorism when they were denied entry into
a safe haven. Those
children may feel inspired by figures such as the Biblical
character Samson who sacrificed his life in order to kill
the Philistines; and they may justify barbaric actions in
God’s name. Or,
they may simply become fanatical, seething with anger and
thirsting for revenge, also acting with a distorted sense
of justice. Violence,
no matter where it originates or what form it takes,
denies the sacredness of human life. “Anyone who claims to be in the
light but Whoever loves his brother lives in
the light, and there is nothing in him to make him
stumble. But
whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks
around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded him. We
need to think about how those of us who are Christians can
ask for forgiveness from Our Father when we do not
“forgive those who trespass against us”? To
truly combat terrorism we need to build an army of
“freedom fighters” who will fight not for the freedom
to live a wasteful, materialistic lifestyle, to pollute
the environment, to exhaust our natural resources without
thinking of future generations, to create and stock
weapons of mass destruction, to be enslaved in alcoholism
or drug addiction. Real
freedom is to conquer anger, greed, jealousy, hatred, and
all other negative emotions that denigrate our condition
as human beings. We
need to replace the present, negative worldwide cloud of
anger, hatred and despair with one of love, understanding
and compassion. Only
then will we have “defeated” the terrorists. Unless
abundance is shared amongst all members of the human
family; as long as “justice” is used to justify
self-serving purposes; as long as we cannot see that our
brothers’ weaknesses are a reflection of our own; as
long as we export violence through the media and through
our own actions; as long as we lead a wasteful lifestyle
and lack respect for natural resources and the
environment; as long as we have no respect for other
cultures and beliefs and feel we have the right to replace
governments of other nations at our whim; peace
will not be within our reach. Looking
at history again, we can see two examples of the power of
non-violence: Gandhi and Jesus Christ.
Mahatma Gandhi taught that the road of
non-violence, self-sacrifice, integrity, and the
exaltation of true human values are what lead to peace. He
liberated his country using the weapon that a human being
should use: non-violence. Gandhi had the courage to face
an empire without employing violence and was triumphant in
leading his country to independence.
In Biblical times, the people of Israel were
awaiting a Messiah who would forcefully and violently
liberate them from the oppression of the Romans.
Instead, Jesus Christ came with a message of love
and humility. He
was crucified for spreading his message, and today,
the Pope, whom Catholics see as his representative, sits
on a throne in the Roman’s territory.
This is a testimony to the power of love.
Violence
wins temporal battles.
Non-violence wins the war.
Our weapons should be billions of prayers, hours of
meditation, effective actions of moral courage that will
elevate our condition as human beings, and billions of
hearts palpitating with love and forgiveness. Humankind
is now facing a challenge that seems to have no solution.
This is an opportunity to demonstrate the merit of
human courage. By
putting into practice non-violent actions, this challenge
can be met successfully.
The vow of non-violence supported by ethical
disciplines and observances1, prayer,
meditation and other means of developing internal strength
offer the best formula to solve the riddle in which the
world is presently enmeshed. Research
has proven the power of prayer and meditation as effective
means of bringing about change. Some
studies mention that if 1% of the population concentrates
on the practice of meditation, the necessary mental shift
will take place. This,
then, is a unique moment in which all peace seekers can
exercise their capacity to act in the service of humanity.
A
sequential meditation is being proposed.
More concrete actions such as fasting, individual
and collective practices of self-sacrifice, etc. should
follow. The peace seekers of the world can lead
the way to a better and more enlightened existence. 1
Yamas
(non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, self-restraint,
and non-greediness) and Niyamas (purity, contentment, austerities,
Self-knowledge, and surrender to God). |
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A Call To Action |
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“Embrace
the world with a mantle of love” is the first call for
action to all peace seekers in the world and to those who
believe that Ahimsa, non-violence, is the most powerful
weapon for bringing peace.
If each peace seeker joins with friends, family and
acquaintances as part of a global meditation/prayer
initiative in their homes, studios, places of work, or
better still out in nature, the energy field that could be
built to envelop the whole planet will be more powerful
than any sophisticated technological destructive device.
In
this warfare, peace seekers will use spiritual ammunition.
Courage and self-control will be the battleships
and aircraft to attack violence at its source.
We will use missiles of compassion with warheads
loaded with viruses of tolerance and understanding in the
hope they be contagious and touch all the population.
To prove our fairness, we will explode some of the
warheads in our own territory.
To accomplish the holocaust of evil tendencies we
will drop the atomic bomb of love. What
is more encouraging is that these weapons can be built by
each individual in his/her own factory, the heart.
This means each human being is much richer than all
the Lockheeds and Boeings put together with a small
investment of time. Let’s
sign a 60 million-person contract (1% of the world’s
population) with the defense department of our souls.
This is what we need to raise the level of
consciousness of the whole 6 billion members of our human
family. Let’s
remember the words of the great initiate, Omraam Mikhaël
Aïvanhov 2: Never
forget that the foundation of all strength is unity,
harmony. Remember
that you must form one great family in spite of all your
differences of character, tastes, degree of evolution,
social or professional standing, and so on.
Leave all these details to one side, for they are
not important. They have very little to do with your
spiritual life. You
must strengthen the conviction in your hearts that, in
spite of all your differences, you all belong together.
You are here to pray, meditate and sing together in
order to awaken consciences throughout the world.
If you do this, you will really and truly be
powerful. The
M.K. Gandhi Institute of Non-violence in Memphis,
Tennessee will be one of the pillars of this Call for
Action. We
will take a second step in a day of fast on January 30th,
2002 the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi. |
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Get
on the phone with Bob Steffen, he of the clear voice and
crystalline expression, and you think you’re talking to
a young buck of a farmer just getting his hands dirty.
Then he tells you he was born in 1917. “People can’t
believe I’m [more than] 80 years old,” he says. Maybe
that’s the result of a life of farming the right way.
“I was born and raised on a farm,” says Steffen, owner
of Massena Farm, near Bennington, Neb. “We didn’t
appreciate it, but when I think about it, the diet we had
was much better than the diet people have now.” The
veggies were organically grown, he notes, and the milk and
meat were from grass-fed cows – and grass is now known
to boost the levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in our bovine
friends. “At
that time, of course, herbicides were unknown,” Steffen
says. And other than a brief flirtation with herbicides
during one particularly wet growing season, Steffen has
avoided the trap of chemical farming. Instead, he has used
the agricultural techniques pioneered by Dr. Rudolf
Steiner. And in the process, he has become a living
history book of Steiner Agriculture in America. Steffen
had just graduated from Creighton University’s Rural
Life Institute, in Omaha, Neb., in 1941 when one of his
teachers, Father John C. Rawe, learned about the Steiner
method. That year Rawe, author of the book Rural Roads
to Security, sent Steffen and his wife, Clara, to the
Kimberton Farm School in Kimberton, Pa., to study under
Erenfried Pfeiffer, a protégé of Steiner. Pfeiffer
invented some of the preparations and other techniques
used in Steiner-style farming, authored many books and
articles on the subject, and is generally credited with
bringing it over from Germany and introducing it to
American farmers. The
Steffens intended to teach the Steiner method at
Creighton. But shortly after they got there, the four
students who had enrolled in the program were drafted. So
the Steffens took posts at Father Edward Flanagan’s
famed Boystown, a home for troubled boys, and brought
Steiner Agriculture to its 160-acre Overlook Farm outside
of Omaha. Steiner
farmers avoid chemicals, hormones, and non-therapeutic
antibiotics. Instead, they seek to understand how living
things behave, how they interact, and the spirits that
underlie them. They use the cycles of the moon and planets
to guide their planting schedules, and treat their soil
and seeds with preparations made from organic plant and
animal elements, developed by Steiner and his compatriots. At
first, Steffen says, Father Flanagan was skeptical about
some of Steiner Agriculture’s central tenets, especially
the relationship between spirits called elementals and the
plants and animals of the farm. But the Irish-American
priest eventually came around.
“They have their leprechauns.
So they’re not that far off from where we are,”
says Steffen. In
1945, Steffen was sent to the Pacific theater, where he
served about 18 months. When he returned, he got right
back to the job of teaching young boys – and
conservative Nebraska farmers – about the Steiner
method. Dr. Herbert Koepf, Pfeiffer’s successor at
Kimberton and author of The Biodynamic Farm,
repeatedly visited and conducted workshops on the use of
preparations, composting, crop rotation, the Stella Natura
planting calendar, and other techniques recommended by
Steiner. “We
were ridiculed,” remembers Steffen. The 50s and 60s saw
the development of “conventional farming,” with its
emphasis on monocropping, herbicides and pesticides, and
state agricultural officials mocked Steffen’s contention
that animals and plants must exist side-by-side to make a
farm complete. The conventional farmers and their
governmental supporters derided his composting, and
blasted his practice of putting alfalfa, which adds
precious nitrogen to the soil, into the crop rotation. In
1956, Steffen bought the 76.5-acre Massena Farm, but it
would be two decades before he would farm it himself.
“That job at Boystown was a full-time job,” he says,
leaving no time for his own land, which he rented out.
When he finally left Boystown in 1977, Massena had a weed
problem. “We’re still trying to deal with it,” says
Steffen. Instead of herbicides, though, his weapon is an
intensive crop rotation involving soybeans, oats and hairy
vetch, which throws off the weeds’ growth patterns,
prevents erosion, and keeps the soil alive at the same
time. He also trades his hay for a neighboring farmer’s
manure. Weeds
aside, Massena is a fine piece of land, Steffen says. Alex
Podolinsky, who brought Steiner Agriculture to Australia,
visited once, and deemed the farm good. Podolinsky liked
it “mostly because we have a lot of trees,” says
Steffen, and Steinerites hold that trees help a farm
“breath”, and provide shelter for elementals. Quality
land means quality produce, Steffen says. “We sell to
restaurants, and I’ve been told more than once that our
vegetables keep better.” He has no doubt that his
produce has a higher nutritional content than does the
stuff on supermarket shelves, and its consumers seem to
like the taste, too. “We have no trouble selling what we
can grow.” Steffen
is also experimenting with hullless oats that don’t
require the expensive de-hulling process commonly used by
conventional farmers, which removes much nutritional
content. The
first batch he says, “did not make a very thin flake,
thus requiring a longer cooking time.
The next batch will hopefully result in a thinner
oat flake.” Even
so, it’s hard to make a living farming in America,
Steffen says. Produce prices have long been kept
artificially low. And lately, another factor – the high
land taxes brought on by encroaching development – has
made it even harder to balance the books. Where
once there were only farms, there’s now a housing
development across the road from Steffen. Such development
has pushed property taxes up – some farmers have seen
their tax bills double – and that forces more farmers to
sell their land to speculators, continuing the cycle.
“Some years, the entire crop goes to paying the
taxes,” Steffen says. “The
whole tax policy is crazy, because every dollar that
farmers pay in taxes, they get back just 70 cents in
services,” he says.
With costs rising and age encroaching, the Steffens
have begun discussing the future of the land.
“What is going to happen to this land when we
can’t handle it anymore?” Bob Steffen asks.
He doesn’t know the answer. Despite
his concerns, Steffen isn’t slowing down yet. He and
hired field workers continue to work Massena Farm. He also
owns a piece of land in Iowa, where another farmer raises
cattle that the two own together. He’s thinking of
renting a piece of land adjacent to his Iowa plot, so he
can farm it responsibly and curb the runoff that is now
damaging his watering pond. Farming
right is a struggle, though, and sometimes a lonely one.
There’s nobody that has a sense of place,”
Steffen says. “Nobody
has a feeling of responsibility for this little piece of
earth we’re on….People with new ideas are always
surrounded with a vacuum.” Editor’s Note: Massena Farms produces the oats for
SFNM. The
second batch of the new, hullless variety of oats is due
out the end of this year and should result in a thinner
flake than the first crop.
However, flaking the oats is really not necessary.
The whole kernels, called groats, are highly
nutritious, although they do require overnight soaking
and/or longer cooking time.
“We
are very satisfied with the new product and hope our
customers will be, too,” says Bob Steffen.
“Oats are one of the oldest cereals for many
cultures and are still one of the most nutritious and
beneficial foods that help keep the digestive system
functioning properly.” |
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Headlines from Shanti Yoga By
Amy Finnegan |
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India In January, seven members of the Shanti Yoga community went with their Guru to India for one month. The main purpose in going was to participate in the Kumbha Mela, a holy festival which takes place every four years when the heavenly bodies are aligned to produce intensely benevolent vibrations on Earth. Every twelve years the alignment is particularly influential, and every one hundred forty four years (which was 2001) the Maha Kumbha Mela occurs—an event of gigantic proportions, on the physical and spiritual planes. The group went to India under the auspices of Dr. Yogiraj, a world master of pranayam, or life-force control. He is truly a “Yogi King” as his name means, and as we came to know, a wonderful man. In
fact the best parts of the trip for all were the hospitality
provided by Dr. Yogiraj and his young ashramites at
Kanvashram, in the foothills of the Himalayas, and 2 weeks
spent at Bhagavan Satya Sai Baba’s ashrams in the south.
Dr. Yogiraj and his assistants gave us a grand tour of
north/central India, taking us to visit Swami Sivananda’s
ashram in Rishikesh; the holy city of Haridwar; Sri
Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura, and Vrindavan, where he
grew up; Varanasi, where we were graciously
received—including a musical performance and Vedic
chanting-- for an overnight stay by the headmistress and
students of a girl’s ashram; the Taj Mahal in Agra; and
Allahabad, holy city where the Kumbha Mela took place. But
what everyone most enjoyed on the first part of the trip was
the quiet time at Kanvashram.
There we woke with the boys at 4, to the sound of
Vedic chants broadcasted through loudspeakers, and went to
yoga for one hour; then read from the Bhagavad Gita, did
group prayers, and said japa with Vyasa for an hour; joined
in the ashram’s morning yajna (fire-rite); and enjoyed a
delicious, nurturing, Ayurvedic breakfast.
The group was working on a Puruscharana (100,000
repetitions of a mantra), and studying the Gita, throughout
the trip, wherever we were. Often during these studies we
were served wonderful herbal chai made on the premises out
of herbs harvested in the Himalayas, with little English
cookies. The
accommodations were Spartan, but clean and comfortable, and
the spontaneous, loving generosity showered on us by our
host and his little helpers surpassed anything we had ever
experienced. They continued to provide for us throughout our
stay at the Kumbha Mela, and the highlight of the Kumbha
Mela for many was bathing in the Ganges at dawn on one of
the auspicious bathing days. Then
we flew south to Whitefield, where Bhagavan Satya Sai Baba
was for the opening of a hospital.
We were by the grace of God and Satya Sai able to
stay in the visitor’s accommodations right across from the
ashram, which meant not only the experience of the
atmosphere of a Sai community—saturated, sparkling with
divine energy—but that we were able to line up at the
ashram gates every morning before dawn, and get a chance to
possibly receive Satya Sai’s darshan if he passed by us. We did all get to see him up close. The
effect of his presence has to be experienced to be
understood. The
darshan was followed by bhajans, which ended when he left.
This ceremony took place twice a day, and here the
group was able to really concentrate on the Gita, and the
Puruscharana, as well as learn musicianship and bhajans from
our neighbor in the building! When Bhagavan went to
Puttaparti, we followed, though it was just for one day.
That too was an amazing experience, because
Puttaparti is where the Avatar began his teachings. Hopefully
Shanti Yogis will be able to go back to India again. Dr. Yogiraj was scheduled to come here
for some time in October, but with the tragedy on September
11, this could not be. |
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School
of Life The
membership of the School of Life has blossomed since our
last report, growing from 8 to 26 members. The new
Aspirants are: Susan White Haag, Michael Hargrove, Lucho
Jimenez, Alicia Jimenez, Mali Jimenez, Sylvia White,
Richard Miller, Whitney Waara, Raquel Gomez, Anne Stuecker,
Nancy Raymond, Loriann Signori, Diane Tyburski, Cathy
Bartey, and Delia Morales, Carlos Arrien and Evelyn Parra-Rodriguez.
Last year, Linette Landa, John Mutzberg, and Iris
Alvarez became the first Aspirants ever to move on to
attain the degree of Helper, deepening what it means, at
an experiential level, to belong to the School of Life.
Two more Aspirants have since become Helpers, Jennifer
Moulden and Amy Finnegan. All this new life has meant
reorganization of the School, including: an SoL manager,
Rose Lord, who is doing a much needed, and very community
enriching service in keeping all members up-to-date and
interconnected; reports, to be presented at our monthly
meetings, on one of the Yamas and Niyamas (points of
ethical discipline), where we share personal experiences
of trying to put them into practice; and Karma Yoga days,
when we all join together to work as a community on a
specific project, share lunch, and enjoy the pool.
Special thanks to Jennifer Moulden, who faithfully
cooks a delicious lunch for a never-known number of guests
every Saturday (and to all those who pitch in to help
her.) |
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New
Classes
This
year has also seen many new classes: two new Shanti Marga
groups—the class for people who have decided to make
yoga an important part of their lifestyle, and an expanded
Shanti Kshatriya group (Shanti,
peace; Kshatriya,
warrior). Also
a Sivananda Beginner’s Routine is being offered on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, open to anyone, but
especially good for those who have taken the Foundation of
Yoga to build on. And Luz Ana Cabrera is offering her
special style of yoga on Monday evenings, for all levels. |
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Summer
Camp
In
July several members of the School of Life went on the
annual summer camping trip to the CSA farm in Kimberton, PA.
There we again enjoyed the fruit and milk mono-diet,
group study, and a special karma yoga project, which was the
re-vamping of the motor-home, parked on farmer Tim
Rapsey’s property to accommodate weekend CSA drivers.
Also, for the first time Shanti Yoga celebrated the
Gurupurnima, a day traditionally celebrated in India in
honor of the Guru. All
those who came to the camp agreed it was the best yet. |
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| CSA
Update Every year the CSA gets better. This year very special thanks go to Iris Alvarez-Noer, who has created a peaceful, organized ambience for those coming to pick up, and to Patricia Alvarez, for her hard work and for providing the signs and art-work in the garage. This year there are 86 members, not only a bigger group than last year, but one which has demonstrated more commitment to the CSA than we have seen yet, with most members picking up their shares every week and participating in the U-Serve. The
food gets better every year as well. Farmers Tim and
Fabienne Rapsey and Deb Falkenberg have provided us even
more abundantly than last year, and there is also more
variety. In
addition, through negotiations made between Dan Thomas (SFNM’s
wheat farmer), Green Mountain Mills in Vermont, and
Zachary of Kimberton Hills Bakery, the CSA has received
delicious, fresh-baked bread almost every weekend, the
favorites being Dakota and Challah.
(Soon Zachary will go to California to apprentice
under Dave and Michele Miller, of Miller’s Bakery!) Spiritual
Food has also made some new farmer friends, including Hugh
and Hannah Williams of Threshold Farms, NY, and Jim and
Charlotte Marquardt of Maracah Orchards, in VA.
Spiritual Food was able to purchase hundreds of
pounds of apples from the Marquardt’s, by borrowing
their apple press and yep,--pressing 300 half-gallons of
cider (spread over six pressings).
These were given out with the CSA shares.
It was disappointing not to have more members
volunteer to help out, but our thanks to those who did.
Special thanks to Richard Miller and John Noer for
overseeing the press. |
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In
other apple news, Van McKay drove to New York to pick up
1,000 pounds of apples from Hugh and Hannah Williams, half
of which went to the CSA, and the other half of which is
available through SFNM’s
mail order service. A second run is programmed for
November, to bring another 2-3,000 pounds to take us through
the winter. Finally,
everyone has been enjoying the incredible sattvic-organic
eggs from the Winter’s farm in Eastern Shore. |
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New
Ashramites The
Shanti Yoga community is growing, not only with new
members of the School of Life, but with new members of the
household. Anne
Steucker has been with us for six months, and Mali Jimenez
joined recently as an ashramite. Both participate in
ashram daily yoga and prayers, and in weekend Satsang and
Agnihotra, as well as helping out in the many and diverse
activities that support the ashram.
They are a wonderful addition, and may they attain
the spiritual growth that they are meant to here. |
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New
Website
Once
again, thanks to Rose Lord and her husband Rich, the
Shanti Yoga and Spiritual Food for the New Millennium
websites have been joined into one—schooloflife.org.—where
people can find all the information on both Shanti Yoga
Center for Harmony—yoga center, ashram, place of
retreat—and Spiritual Food.
The site includes a special “Updates” spot,
which alerts people to newly available seasonal vegetables
as they arrive, information on center programs, including
short and long-term retreat possibilities, and more. |
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Questioning,
critiquing, control, complaining, time consciousness,
bargain consciousness, etc.
We in the West, certainly in America, value these
characteristics for the control, individualism, and
“freedom” they bring.
Throw in the usual habits of interrupting,
impatience, impetuousness, and arrogance to complete the
list of characteristics prevalent everywhere.
Yoga has led me to see these things – first and
foremost in myself, and now, once recognized, I see them
everywhere. These
are characteristics I have been trying to eradicate for a
long time but it is very difficult.
So difficult, it became on of my goals for the trip
-- that the challenges of traveling with a group for a
month not be exacerbated by these, what I now know as
disrespectful, egoistic habits.
So,
off to India. After
one week traveling around, I began feeling a little
disappointed and even critical that we were
“sightseeing” so much even though the sights were
mainly temples and ashrams.
I wanted to experience the spiritual side of India.
I expected to sit in ashrams and meet holy people,
hoped to be inspired in the practices of meditation and
chanting; planned to practice intense daily sadhana with
the group; to be energized and enlightened (not literally)
by simply standing on holy ground. Then, as usual, God
showers blessings upon us and never in the way we expect. At the
moment of doubt and discomfort, suddenly I recognized the
greatest blessing had already been given.
The example of India’s people.
Our tour guides and their assistants, Dr. Yogiraj,
Menoje, the bus driver, the students from Kanvashram who
served the meals, the schoolgirls, were before my eyes
living the virtues we need.
They all serve happily, tirelessly, smiling and
never complaining. They
give, give, and give with the intention to please.
Food keeps coming, treats at every stop, enthusiasm
in showing sights, incredible beds made for our warmth and
comfort in the tent at the Kumbha Mela.
But
even more than this “service with a smile”, I was
impressed that they do not question a person’s requests
– instead seek ways to fulfill.
While I was mentally questioning or critiquing
changes in plans, delays, etc, they were busy making it
happen. No
judgments. Only the intent to serve and please. Of course, there are times they dissent,
which are dealt with very politely and not directed
towards any one person as a cause of disagreement or
trouble. Instead
a whistle is blown, a joke made, a plan cancelled all with
jokes and smiles. Incredible
patience and tolerance is shown.
There is so much respect for fellow human beings
that serving others’ requests or waiting while a person
satisfied their own needs appears to come naturally. It reminds me of a good artist/performer.
No doubt they struggle too with this but they are
so good at patience, tolerance, respect, forbearance,
generosity, cheerfulness; it flows naturally day after day
and appears not even to require an effort.
I am not saying that Indian people are perfect, but
they live many of the Divine virtues I, and most
Americans, need. While
this first half of the trip was a teaching by example, the
Divine grace of Satya Sai Baba on the second part of the
trip gave me the clarity, courage, and strength to move
forward in the direction I need to go.
The spiritual “work” here is directed
personally for each individual so I will not go into
detail, but will say that it is very REAL:
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A
Nutritional Viewpoint
By Rose Lord
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Are
you looking to decrease or eliminate meat from your diet?
As accurate nutritional knowledge has become more
available, more and more people are realizing the benefits
of a vegetarian diet and the demand for meat alternatives
has grown. These days you can probably find a
substitute for your favorite meat dish, no matter what it
is. There are a
wide variety of vegetarian burgers on the market, a number
of brands of meatless hot dogs, ground beef substitutes,
meatless sausages and even cold cuts.
In addition, there are various flavors of a product
called seitan which disguises itself as beef, chicken and
other meats. Seitan
has been a significant source of protein in Asia for
hundreds of years. It’s basically wheat flour that’s
been rinsed to remove the starch. What remains is a glutenous high-protein
dough. Seitan
can be found in health food stores and Asian markets.
Of course, people with a gluten problem would not
want to choose seitan as a meat substitute.
The great
majority of meat substitutes are made from soy beans, a food
in the legume category that provides high-quality protein
and disease-preventing isoflavones.
Tofu, one of the most common meat alternatives is
made from the curd of soy milk. Tofu comes in several textures, from soft
or “silken” which is often used for dips and cream
sauces to firm or extra-firm, the preferred variety for
“meat” dishes. Tofu
can be used in stir-fries, casseroles, pasta sauces, and
countless other dishes.
Although it is quite tasteless in itself, tofu takes
on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with.
Many companies are now making a variety of
pre-flavored tofu products (Italian-flavored, barbecued,
teriyaki, etc.) which are often quite tasty.
It’s very important,
when purchasing tofu, or any soy product, to be
certain that the soy beans were grown organically.
There is a lot of genetically-modified soy being
grown these days and that’s one thing we definitely want
to avoid. Soy
products that are labeled organic cannot be grown from
genetically modified seeds. If
you are in the market for some meat alternatives, be aware
that just because a product is vegetarian or vegan,
doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s healthy.
Many of the vegetarian substitutes for burgers, hot
dogs and sausages have ingredients that all health-minded
people will want to avoid, such as partially hydrogenated
oils, factory farm eggs, preservatives, MSG and artificial
flavorings. Some
products are a lot better than others, so it’s very
important to read the labels.
Most of the better veggie burgers look like a
vegetable product. If
you can see bits of carrot, broccoli, etc. you have a pretty
good idea of what you’re getting. Be leery of anything
that has a list of ingredients as long as your arm,
especially if the print is so small that anyone over forty
would have to put on their reading glasses to read it.
You
can, of course, make your own meat substitutes. There are numerous recipes for different
varieties of veggie burgers,”
loaves, balls, etc. and chances are the ones you make
yourself will be healthier than anything you can buy in the
grocery store. Two
of our favorite family recipes follow this article. If
you haven’t tried falafil, you really should.
A staple of the Mid Eastern diet, made from garbanzo
beans (chick peas) it’s a great substitute for meat.
A number of companies make falafil mixes that can be
made into balls or patties with the simple addition of
water. The ones
I’m familiar with do not have any unhealthy ingredients;
they’re just powdered chick peas and spices.
Even
if you have decided to forego eating meat you don’t have
to find substitutes for every meat item on your menu.
It’s really not very difficult to make delicious
meals that simply don’t contain any meat.
After all, a large percentage of the world’s
population does it all the time. |
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2
med-large onions Preheat
oven to 350. Chop onions and sauté in EB until
transparent. Grind nuts and bread in food processor until
quite fine. Mix powdered veg. Base with boiling water.
Thoroughly combine all ingredients and press into greased
loaf pans. Bake 1/2 hour. Let cool several minutes,
carefully remove, slice and serve. Variation: Fill bottom
of loaf pan w/mixture, top w/sliced tomatoes and grated
cheeze, top w/more mixture and press firmly. Bake same as
above. Makes 2 large loaves. |
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| Oat-nut
Patties
1
cup (quick-cooking) rolled oats Mix
all ingredients, except boiling water, bread crumbs and
oil, in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of the boiling
water and mix again. If mixture is too dry, add a little
more boiling water until you get the right consistency for
shaping into patties. If mixture is too moist, stir in
some or all of the bread crumbs. Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a
heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Wash hands
thoroughly, then shape mixture into eight medium-sized
balls. Flatten somewhat to shape into patties. Place
approximately 4 patties in the hot oil and fry for 2-3
minutes on each side or until golden brown. You may want
to flatten the patties some more with a spatula as they
cook. Drain the patties on paper towels. Serve them
immediately on whole grain buns with your favorite
condiments, or serve as a replacement for meat alongside
potatoes or rice and vegetables. Variation: instead of the
yellow onion, celery and carrot, try substituting green
onions (about 1/2 bunch finely sliced), some finely
chopped mushrooms and red peppers. |
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Materialism 101 . |
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| What
are our children learning through their school programs,
not just from the books and classroom teaching, but from
the whole school experience?
What values are they being taught?
In the following letter Linette Landa asks that
very question regarding a school fund raising event.
September,
2001 Dear
members of the Fundraising Committee: This
letter is being written to express grave concern about the
involvement of the children of your elementary school in
the fundraising venture chosen.
My concern, at this time, is not about the fact
that they are selling or what they are selling, though I
know many parents do express concerns about this, but
about the prize system.
I could never have imagined such incentives and
such materialism imposed on children. My
first concern is with the sheer quantity of prizes
offered. I
understand that each time a child sells one or a few more
items it receives not only a bigger prize but also an
accumulation of all prizes offered up to that point. Of course, bigger rewards offer
incentives to work harder; this is a fact of life and a
common characteristic of incentive programs, but why is
the accumulation necessary?
I feel that it not only seems extremely over
materialistic but sends undesirable messages to the
children (1) that more is better (quantity over quality),
(2) that they need only work a little bit more to be
rewarded abundantly, (3) that they are supposed to want
all of that stuff (otherwise why would it be given as a
reward?) While
the accumulation of what I call “junk” toys, which can
be equated to junk food, may offer immediate gratification
it does nothing to really nurture the child’s mind or
integrity, and in fact can spoil a child’s appetite for
real, wholesome rewards.
These plastic toys clutter our minds, our houses
and subsequently our landfills. I will even surmise that many children
won’t even want the smaller prizes but may take them
just because they are offered.
Secondly,
I find it quite shocking that elementary school children
are offered prizes that feed greed and imitate the worst
of materialistic behavior in our society.
I am referring to prizes such as the money whirl,
and the limousine ride to Pizza Hut, for example.
A limo ride used to be reserved for very special
occasions – important dignitaries, weddings, funerals,
etc. If
children experience these things in elementary school
simply for participating in a fundraiser I wonder what
will they have to aspire to as they grow up? Also, I worry
about the message that is sent – how can one respect the
people and the occasion that truly deserve special
treatment such as those mentioned if they have already
done that in second grade? The
money whirl is what really moved me to write this letter.
The image of a young child literally grabbing for
dollars, I believe, not only sets a terribly sad message
about the world they are growing up into but exemplifies
the worst of America.
Yes, we are a great country, but chasing dollars
with all the stress and related illness, violence, waste,
exploitation, competition, etc. is not our best quality.
Of course, greed is everywhere in the world but
other countries, even other countries with similar Western
cultures in Europe and South America, do not put the
dollar above all as we do.
I
had planned this letter two weeks ago, but now, since the
foreign attack last Tuesday, I believe it is even more
vital and timely that we all look hard and honestly at the
image we present as Americans.
I believe every parent, in their heart, struggles
with the consumerism and violence that exist in our
society today and grieves at what our children are exposed
to and pressured into.
Undoubtedly,
I have no idea of the financial pressures schools are
exposed to today. I
only hope that other alternatives might be available for
schools and families to work together to raise needed
money for the programs they offer.
If not, I for one, would rather sacrifice a program
than expose my child to schemes such as this. I
know this program is well underway, and I don’t know how
the handing out of prizes is conducted but, if this is not
already done, would it be possible to offer the
accumulated prizes (in a more low key way) instead of
giving them out? Then,
each child would be able to leave behind something they
don’t want. In
future years, if the voice of one parent can be heard, I
hope an alternative fundraising event can be chosen. Thank
you for your kind consideration. Sincerely, Linette
Landa "We must be the change we wish to see.” M. K Gandh |
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Editor’s Journal . |
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On
September 11th the World Trade Towers came
tumbling down. As
a native of Long Island and, having made many trips back
home throughout my adult life, the Towers were a familiar
site to me, clearly visible from the Throg’s Neck Bridge
between the Bronx and Long Island.
It was strange and horrifying to see the scenes of
their destruction but not in my wildest imagination could
I conceive of what it must have been like to be there.
Like so many others, I cried, I mourned, I woke up
the next morning and for several mornings afterwards
thinking, ‘maybe it was just a bad dream.’
It was – a very bad dream, come true. I
keep thinking about the Old Testament story of the Tower
of Babel, the Jewish explanation for why the world was
populated by many tribes speaking many different
languages. The
people of the Earth were one people who spoke one
language. They
were building a great city and a tower that they hoped
would reach to the heavens.
God came down and took a look and He realized that
with one language these “sons of man” could do
anything they set their minds to.
Then he decided to confuse their language and
scatter them over the face of the Earth.
The city and the tower were never completed.
Yet it seems that throughout history man has
continued to attempt to build his towers to Heaven and the
sky-scrapers have steadily grown taller and more
impressive.
The
story does not explain why God didn’t want the people to
cooperate and build this tower that would reach to Heaven.
Perhaps He felt that we had not yet learned all
that we needed to know. Maybe God was trying to tell us
that towers built of brick and mortar, or glass and steel,
or ambition and greed cannot reach to Heaven, that we have
to use other materials. Two of the tallest towers ever
built came tumbling down on September 11th,
shot through by arrows of hate and despair.
And now the plans are being made to re-build them.
If we can hold up any hope of doing this right, of
re-building not only the towers, but also the sense of
security and freedom that we hold so dear in this country,
perhaps mankind needs to go back to speaking one language
again, a worldwide language of peace and compassion.
With such a language perhaps the “sons of man”
can still do anything they set their minds to.
Just
a thought! Peace
and Joy, Rose |
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Om
Shanti
Shanti
Shanti
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A Visitor From the World Bank . |
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On
Saturday, December 1st, while the School of
Life members were busy preparing our communal lunch and
getting their assignments for an afternoon of karma yoga,
we were told that a visitor from the World Bank was coming
to meet us. While Linette gave the visitor and his
escort, Claudia Sobrevila, a friend of Racquel Gomez, a
tour of the ashram, Vyasa gathered the rest of us together
in the living room of the guest house. The aroma of lunch cooking in the kitchen
was terribly enticing and some of us may have been
thinking, “I hope this doesn’t delay lunch,” when in
walked a regal-looking gentleman, tall and straight with
thick, wavy white hair and classic Arabic features.
Our attention was quickly diverted from our
stomachs. Alfredo
Sfeir-Younis is the son of Lebanese parents who immigrated
to Chile. He received his undergraduate education
in Chile and earned his masters and doctoral degrees in
the United States. Dr. Sfeir-Younis became an environmental
economist and eventually went to work for the World Bank.
After years of working on his personal spiritual
development, he felt compelled to bring what he had
learned into his professional life. His work now specifically addresses the
important link between spirituality and economics.
We were
indeed privileged to have Dr. Sfeir-Younis, who is a world
speaker, recipient of three peace awards (information I
gleaned from the Internet) and the World Bank’s special
representative to the United Nations, among us. He spoke to us about ourselves, how each
one of us is exactly what and where we are supposed to be
at this moment and how we should put all that we have into
being our true selves.
Dr.
Sfeir-Younis asked each of us to give him a word that
describes what we think the world needs.
Many of us thought of the same words - peace, love,
justice, compassion.
Dr. Sfeir-Younis told us that these are not mere
words and that we must be these concepts if we want to see
the changes we long for. If we want peace in this world, we must
be walking peace. After
speaking to us for about an hour our guest joined us for
lunch and we had the opportunity to share our thoughts and
concerns. When
we told him about the Global Meditation for Peace, Dr.
Sfeir-Younis stated that he would join us in this effort.
Our visit from this remarkable guest is further
evidence of the very special place that is the Shanti Yoga
ashram. |
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Spiritual Food for the New Millennium |
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4217 East-West Highway, Bethesda,
MD 20814
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