Yesterday I read a book that validates my personal odyssey to raw health. This book, by Matthew Monarch, is called Raw Spirit.
What I like about Monarch is that he speaks to what I believe to be
true about my journey; that it is a personal one, that there is no "one
size fits all" method for transitioning to raw, or any particular
"percentage" raw that one has to be. I believe that we can all learn
from each other about the process of going raw and staying raw, but I
get very annoyed when I come across people who are preachy about how
their way is "the right way" and all other ways are wrong. My
philosophy is that the Right Way is the way that keeps you healthy and happy.In my own journey to raw health, I've had a few missteps: eating too much of one type of food until I get bored to tears, eating raw cheddar and finding that it brought back my old cravings and desire to binge, believing there is one raw guru I should follow. Monarch addresses these issues with some personal stories of his own missteps. He came to the conclusion that one should not follow one particular person's teachings- something I'd whole-heartedly come to believe myself. There are little bons mots to be found among the teachings of all sorts of raw food advocates; over time we find what works for us and reject what doesn't- maybe permanently, or maybe until a later date when we are ready to try what didn't fit us before. For example, I am against colonics because they are unnatural, yet I can understand how some raw foodists believe that our unnatural, modern lifestyle calls for such unnatural therapies. So even though I wouldn't have one myself, I wouldn't preach to others not to do them or to do them- you have to research the topic thoroughly and make an educated decision for yourself.
I recommend Monarch's book for new raw foodists because it is open-minded, easy to read, and reassuring to those of us who tend to forge out on our own like the Fool in the Tarot deck. It was only $12.95 and is a quick read. I'll keep it around to bring myself back down to earth if I start to get too rigid about any one aspect of my raw food odyssey!
Now to introduce a project I've been nervously working on over the past few weeks:
The Raw Odyssey Café was inspired by the comments that I get on both of my mirror sites of Raw Odyssey. So many people leave great comments, tips and tricks, recipe ideas, etc. but because I have two sites you don't get to read what each other has written. I like the idea of people talking to each other because what I learn from you is useful to others as well. Plus, I like the idea of community- that, to me, is the true spirit and purpose of the internet. (Must be the sociologist in me).
The idea behind the Café is that we can talk about all the sorts of topics that come up on a journey to raw health- good and the bad, because both exist! Why pretend they don't? We can work through problems and challenges by asking questions, offering ideas, and talking about what worked for us personally. The board is a family-friendly, non-threatening place to talk about the doubts, confusion and fears we might have, as well as the great stuff like improved health, weight loss, control over cravings, better skin, mental alertness, etc.
The Raw Odyssey Café takes advantage of a free message board service, so I can't control all aspects of it. I noticed a few times during heavy traffic periods that the board can't accept connections for a few minutes. If that becomes too huge a problem I might have to try another location, but when you're poor and using a free service, you can't complain too much!
I'm not going for a blockbuster, wildly popular board- just a fun, informative place for Raw Odyssey readers to commune, debate, discuss, inform, support and celebrate! If the board is successful in its modest goals, it will evolve over time to adjust to needs. Right now there are a handful of posts in different sections to get things started but YOU- raw foodists and raw-curious- are what make a message board, so come join the party at