The sacredness of food.

For info on the "food as sacred" event in May, see page 22.

One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting between two rows of squash in our garden with my mother. I was contemplating a recent Sunday school lesson and asked my mother, "Where is heaven?" She stopped weeding, smiled, looked around the garden, and answered, "Right here."

Looking back, I think this was one of the defining moments of my life. My mother had introduced me to the idea that the Earth is sacred, and thus all life a revelation of the Divine. Through gardening and a love for cooking, I have continued to explore my relationships with plants with a deepening appreciation and awareness of the spiritual dimension of food.

The wisdom of science teaches us that fourteen billion years ago, the elements that make up all matter in the Universe were forged in the stars. Four and a half billion years ago this star-dust coalesced into this planet we call home. In a grand adventure, over millions of years, life emerged, evolved, differentiated, and communed. The yearly cycles of life laid down layers of rich topsoil. Eventually, humans became conscious of the patterns of seeds, seasons, and the rhythms of the Universe, and began domesticating plants and animals. This set our species on a course of abandoning our hunter-gatherer culture and evolving into agrarian settlements that grew ever larger. These early farming communities recognized the sacredness of the Earth, celebrated the gifts of the geasons, and praised the Creator for the fertility of the Earth and the gifts of the harvest.

Over the centuries, our relationship with the Earth changed. Humans began to see themselves as separate from the community of life. The science of manipulation, the quest for power and domination, provided the conceptual foundation for the industrial revolution. The philosophy of Descartes became a science that sought to separate, compartmentalize, mechanize, and control. Our present-day concerns for ecological, social, and economic sustainability are consequences of growing industrialism. In a mechanistic worldview, which supports industrialism and greed, there is no role for the sacred.

The sacred act of growing food was not immune to the effects of industrialism. In America, the idea that bigger farms that planted monocultures were more efficient than small, diversified farms caught on. Using weapons of mass destruction such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers was taught as the way to conquer the enemy, and the enemy was Nature. We turned our backs on the Universal laws of differentiation and communion. We forgot that life expresses in a multitude of manifestations and that all life exists in a unity that supports the whole.

The farmer was told that he needed to become a businessman, a manager, and a production specialist. Get big or get out was the message our government policies gave to the farmers. Farming communities began to break down under this system. As family farms were lost to large, corporate agribusinesses, communities lost their connections to local food sources. Food became packaged and "perfect", shipped in from thousands of miles away, and displayed under fluorescent lights at the local "super" market. We no longer knew who grew our food or, more importantly, how it was grown. We turned to the laboratory and the corporate model for food production, and turned away from the Earth, our primary teacher. In so doing, we have polluted our air and water, depleted and poisoned our soil, killed off entire species, and become more dependent upon fossil fuel to grow, harvest, process, and ship our food.

Along with the changes in how food was grown came a change in the way that we cook and eat. The ritual of coming together to prepare and share a meal, once held sacred by families, was replaced with convenience food popped in the microwave, to be eaten on the run or in front of the television. An entire generation is losing their connection to the soil and the understanding of where their food comes from. Thousands of Americans die annually from diseases related to a diet of processed food. Rising cancer, diabetes, heart disease rates, and new infectious diseases are just some of the results of a processed diet and a disregard for our environment. It is not hard to see why this industrialized food production and marketing system has left us feeling hungry for change. For change to happen, we first must change our own personal relationships with food. This involves our food choices, and how we prepare and eat our food.

Buying locally and eating in season puts us in touch with our sense' of place, as we actually become our place, eating and absorbing the same minerals that are in the land that surrounds us. Buying organic whenever possible from local farmers reconnects us with those who provide us with safe and healthy food, and who provide care and concern for the Earth. It also avoids the need for fossil fuels to ship our food thousands of miles while it loses its nutritional value. By choosing whole, unprocessed foods, we support our bodies in being healthy and whole.

Preparing food mindfully and with love I believe actually makes the food taste better. As you peel the carrots or chop the celery, remember the energies of earth, air, fire (the sun), and water that are carried by the food. Appreciate the creatures that pollinated it and the colors that make it so beautiful and nourishing.

Bringing ritual back to family mealtimes is in itself nourishing to our bodies and spirits. By saying grace before meals, we acknowledge it is the grace of the Universe that allows us to thrive and survive. We also acknowledge that we live in a Divine partnership that opens us up to the interconnectedness and sacredness of all life. With each bite you take, savor the textures, the aromas, and the flavors of your food. Eat with understanding, gratitude and pleasure. In the words of Wendell Berry, "In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and power we cannot comprehend."

Jeanie Martin is a retired nurse and serves as the Co-Leader of the Jubilee! Community Earth Team. She lives and celebrates life in Asheville with her husband Paul Frehe.