Macrobiotic Principles

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Macro Principal Six: Opposites Attract

May 27, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | 2 comments

The author puts it, Opposites Attract, Like repels Like.  In all honesty, I think the whole opposites / extremes point has been driven home sufficiently in principals 3, 4, and 5.  I’m struggling to come up with anything new to say on the subject. 

One fun way of thinking of and using this principal is in cooking macrobiotic meals.  Or in creating artistic work (one expression of which, I truly believe, is cooking).  Think contrasting colors, flavors … things that you wouldn’t necessarily think would go together actually do great things!  Last night - for our summer of smoothies smoothie flavor, I threw the following into the blender:  one peach (with the peel on), one kiwi (peeled), two bananas, 1/3 can of organic pineapple (and juice) left over from making pineapple fried rice, a cup of green kale, and a teaspoon of cinnamon!  Where’d I come up with that cinnamon?  Not sure - just sounded interesting.  And it added a great dimension of flavor to the smoothies! 

For me this principal is license to go with my intuition, try new things, and not be afraid to throw “opposites” in a blender together.  Fabulous.

Five: All Polarities are Complementary, yet Antagonistic

May 19, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | No comments

rainydaylovelies

These principals are full of BIG concepts.  Some of them are hard for me to wrap my mind around without some rather intense investigation and thought.  This one is one that, when I first read it, caught me by surprise.  Maybe it’s the big words, or perhaps the words are just a little overwhelming in concept.  I’m not sure.  But initially, I kind of don’t want to write about it - I’d rather just let it go, and not think about it.  Probably not a great sign!  I’m going to pursue it, though, because I think that in the end, thinking about these principals will deepen my understanding of macrobiotics, as well as my practice.

If it weren’t for extreme opposites, there would not be balance.  Although going to extremes is generally not part of practicing macrobiotics, one must maintain an awareness of the extremes in order to understand the point of equilibrium.  It’s also interesting that these principals really play off the previous ones.  In four, I talked about how everything in the extreme changes to its opposite.  This one is similar, in that it emphasizes extremes, but it goes a little further and describes those extremes. 

When we end up more near to the polarity than to the balance, we’ve got to take a step back and see what is going to bring us back into balance.  Use your intuition!  The longer you practice macrobiotics, the easier it will be for you to identify what your body needs to bring you back into balance.  Perhaps, like the author of the principals article I’ve been referring to describes, you need something that won’t pull you to the other extreme like one of those hooks on silent television!  Instead, maybe something that is balanced (like umeboshi tea with a bit of ginger in it) itself will be more effective to bring you back to balance.

We’re still out of town and living in a hotel room — learning how much we truly value macrobiotics, when we really have no opportunity to practice eating and living the way we usually do, and the way we prefer to.  Getting back into the swing of things at home this coming weekend, I’m SO looking forward to getting back to balance!  It’s amazing how we take for granted the ability to cook our own food on a daily basis … and how much we crave those simple, wholesome dishes when we’re away.

Four: Everything in the Extreme, Changes to its Opposite

May 6, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | No comments

This principal is really at the heart of macrobiotic living.  It’s the concept that is oft repeated here at AGAD, that moderation and balance are really the keys to success in macrobiotics.  It’s tough to maintain moderation, though, because it’s almost as if we as human beings are pulled to extremes.  Life is far more exciting (see the author’s amusing story of an 18 day grain fast followed by a milk-and-cookie-induced-comatose-state) when we are living on the edge.  Or is it?

When I was studying for the bar exam a few summers ago, I spent my days eating avocado and goat cheese sandwiches, drinking several hazelnut lattes a day, and stuffing my face with little debbie swiss cake rolls and zebra cakes.  Now - studying for the bar exam is a rather intense state of affairs.  But, I’m willing to bet that had I responded to this intense state of affairs with some brown rice, quinoa, steamed broccoli, and umeboshi tea, my life may not have felt like it was crashing down around me.  However — that summer was also one of the most amazing of my life.  I was living in a new place, had discovered that a good friend was in actuality my soul mate, and was embarking on a whole new life and career. 

But then there is the opposite in the equation — throughout this period of intensity my body was in high gear and I’m pretty sure that I experienced more than one anxiety attack.  My mind would go completely blank and I would feel as if I was going to pass out, accompanied by a racing heartbeat and a general feeling of disorientation.  Perhaps a reaction to (a) WAY too much caffeine pulsing through my veins and (b) sugar sugar sugar coupled with (c) adrenaline.  Everything in the extreme, changes to its opposite.

Generally, now, we strive for balance and moderation in our diets here at chez AGAD.  We’ve all got stories like the ones cited above that prove that this principal is a reality.  And, like I talked about a few posts back, people who are attracted to the macrobiotic way of living just *might* be a tad fanatical at times.  So we need to watch out for this principal in action — if we decide to do a brown rice fast, great.  But let’s not decide for the wrong reasons, and let’s ease ourselves out of it with grace, rather than with cookies and milk.

Macro Principal Three: What has a Beginning, has an End

April 21, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | 1 comment

Mr. Varona says that this principal is comforting for him, allows him to get through difficult times.  I agree, but find it a little less clear cut than he does.  Knowing that unpleasant experiences will eventually end and that brighter days are coming is comforting, of course, but the opposite is also true, then, that really happy times and pleasant experiences will end eventually too, giving way to less pleasant times.  Plus — to me this principal kind of contradicts the macrobiotic principal of remaining present in the moment.  Or does it?  Perhaps knowing that something will eventually end helps one to stay in the present moment more effectively!

This principal is obviously applicable to everything in life — from life itself (birth / death) to meal time (beginning of cooking / cleaning up).  It’s an interesting shift of perspective to really think of things as having beginnings and endings … allows life to feel super organized in some strange sense — although beginnings and endings are sometimes less *defineable* than others - say, like in the slow beginning of a romantic relationship or the slow fading of a friendship … there are seldom specific *moments* to identify in these instances of beginning and ending, but more processes of doing so.  It’s so interesting how such seemingly obvious yet subtle principals are really quite intricate and deep if you really think about them, and begin to integrate thinking about them into your daily rituals. 

What are some interesting beginnings and endings in your lives?

Macro Principle Two: Nothing is Identical

April 7, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | 1 comment

Seems common sensical, right?  Nothing is identical.  Everyone is unique.  I think this principal is actually stunningly similar to principal one, that everything changes.  It’s about managing expectations.  I think a lot of being happy is about managing expectations, actually.  And macrobiotic means living the “big life” which I often equate to the “joyful / happy” life.  (Although I also believe that in order to be joyful and happy, one must experience profound sadness.) 

One of the most common things I see happening with people who are chronically unhappy is a failure to manage expectations.  If one is constantly expecting life to go one way, and it goes another, expectations are not met, and life seems disappointing on a continuous basis.  On the other hand, if you don’t fill your life with expectations, even then smallest happinesses are miraculous and fulfilling. Read the rest of this entry »

Principle + Technique

March 31, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | No comments

“The principle without the technique is useless; the technique without the principle is dangerous.”  ~ George Ohsawa

Did you know that Kushi and Ohsawa didn’t come up with the word “macrobiotic”?  Hippocrates actually used the word in his writings; throughout history, many philosophers have used this term to talk/write about living in harmony with nature, eating a simple diet, and living to an active old age.

We haven’t spent a lot of time discussing the actual macrobiotic principles here at AGAD.  I guess I’m not quite sure why, it’s a topic that has been rolling around in my head for a day to come soon for a while.  Perhaps it is because I don’t necessarily ascribe to all of them, but I still think that given this is a blog about “learning to be macrobiotic, one grain at a time,” it is worth discussion.  Anyway — recently came across this article, and it sparked me into action!  Thus - a new series begins, on the principles, as we see them around here.  Stay tuned!

Macro Principal One: Everything Changes

March 31, 2010 in Macrobiotic Principles by bursty | 1 comment

turtle

Jake wrote this post a while ago exploring this principle.  I think it worth revisiting, as this one is particularly poignant.  It’s a tough concept to grasp, despite the fact that it is constantly happening all around us — in fact, the human body completely regenerates itself every seven years [or so]!  Seven years from now, none of the cells that are in your body will be the same — they will all be new from this moment.  Trying to control change is futile, and accepting this principle is a must if you want to live in harmony with nature and yourself.

I tend to be a person who likes to know what is going to happen, who thrives when she feels in control of situations and life choices.  But I’m also a gemini, and true to form, I thrive on change.  I am not afraid of change, as long as I choose the change.  It’s changes that I don’t necessarily see coming, or ones that are unwelcome that get me anxious. 

Read the rest of this entry »