A Q&A with Denise and Meadow Linn, authors of The Mystic Cookbook
Why did you feel it was important to write The Mystic Cookbook?
We wrote The Mystic Cookbook because we wanted to share the myriad ways that you can harness this pulsating power and infuse it into every dish you prepare. These meals can be transformative and can profoundly inspire and uplift the energy of anyone who eats them. Over the years, we’ve discovered that by embarking on such a culinary journey, you can activate the deepest spiritual wellsprings within you that can lead to powerful transformations and breakthroughs.
By living deliciously, you savor your life. By celebrating the vast array of colorful, flavorful, and delicious foods available to you, you celebrate yourself more fully. Food is both physical and spiritual nourishment, and we wanted to share some of what we’ve learned over the years about the way we eat being a metaphor for the way we live our lives.
I’ve heard you say that The Mystic Cookbook isn’t a cookbook in the traditional sense. What do you mean by that?
Although The Mystic Cookbook contains a number of delicious recipes, it’s actually more of a cookbook for your life. In addition to the recipes, there are also suggestions, activities, and meditations you can do to find the optimal ways to nourish not only your body but also your soul. Research has shown that when you enjoy your food, you actually metabolize it better. So not only is it more fun to relish a meal, but also it’s better for all aspects of your being!
Believe it or not, the way you approach food can have a dramatic impact on your life. While we often think of food as fuel, it sustains us on deeper inner and spiritual levels. By harnessing the secret alchemy of food, you can indeed bring increased joy, health, happiness, and balance into your life. In this way, The Mystic Cookbook is more than simply a recipe book; it’s a gateway into the inner recesses of your soul.
So, what is the secret alchemy of food?
Albert Einstein said, “Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter.” This means the universe is filled with pulsating energy, whose vibration can be raised or lowered by our thoughts. Scientific studies have even been conducted that show that plants respond to different types of music and some even respond to human emotion. It makes sense then that the food we eat is filled with life-force energy. It’s influenced by the wind, rain, and sun, but also the energy of the land and the energy of the people who grew and raised it, as well as those who transported it, stocked the grocery shelves, and cooked and prepared it.
It’s said in India that a mother’s food is the most nourishing of all, because when she feeds her child, she’s feeding him love and nurturing, and not just the base elements necessary for fueling one’s body. Although this concept may challenge the way you typically perceive food, this is not a particularly new idea. For centuries ancient peoples have honored and prayed in gratitude to the plants and animals that provided for their sustenance. In France, the term terroir is used to explain how the land and every other aspect that makes a particular region unique add to the specific characteristics of a certain food. For instance, although cabernet grapes are now grown across the globe, they only taste like French cabernet when grown in Bordeaux.
In our modern society, most of us don’t have the time, space, or ability to grow our own food and often we don’t know the provenance of the ingredients in the meals we consume. However, all is not lost. Throughout The Mystic Cookbook, we offer a number of practical suggestions on how you can infuse your food with energy, raise its vibratory rate, and honor the people, plants, and animals that made your meal possible. For example, simply holding your hands over your meal before digging in or saying a simple grace can dramatically affect not just your energy, but also that of the food. Cherishing your food means cherishing yourself. This is the secret alchemy of food.
What is the relationship between foods and our spiritual path?
We tend to think of the food we consume as separate from us; however, as both ancient mystics and modern physicists have come to understand, everything is made up of swirling energy, which means that we are not separate from the universe around us. By understanding the secret alchemy of food and treating your daily meals as something hallowed, you can indeed deepen your spiritual path.
When you take time to savor the flavors, textures, and colors of the foods you consume, you take time to savor your life. Spending a few moments each day cherishing the seemingly small or mundane things, such as the crunch of a juicy autumn apple or the red and white patterns on the interior of a strawberry, you not only are appreciating your sustenance more deeply, but also you when you slow down enough to appreciate, your breathing slows and you become more relaxed. Not only is this good for your health as it will aid in digestion and metabolism, but also when you slow your mind, you’re more open to hear the whispers from God, Spirit, Creator (whatever you choose to call it).
How do our choices about food limit or expand our consciousness?
Believe it or not, many of us from a very young age make decisions about food that can greatly impact our lives in a myriad of ways both physically and spiritually. Research has shown that children, even as babies, can pick up cues from their caregivers about food preferences, and this can lead to lifelong feelings about particular foods. Additionally, without even knowing it, we often have physical or emotional reactions to certain foods based on decisions we made long ago, both early on in this life and sometimes even in a past life. For instance, if as a child your grandmother told you that eating spinach would make you strong like Popeye, as an adult you might find yourself subconsciously drawn to spinach when you need more physical and emotional strength. Alternatively, if you hold the belief that a certain food, such as French fries, is bad for you, regardless of its actual nutritive value, you will find ways (subconsciously, of course) to prove yourself right. When you eat that food, you might even feel ill, not necessarily from the French fries themselves, but because your belief system is so strong.
We live in a society in which many people think very little about their food choices and as a result have poor health and are not nourishing body and soul in accordance with their highest good; yet, there are others who think so much about what they eat that they become stuck in a rigid mindset.
Many people believe that growth comes from suffering, but in The Mystic Cookbook you say that spiritual breakthroughs can come simply by the way you eat. How is this possible?
Simply put, food is much more than, well, just food. By following a few simple steps and understanding the principles laid out in The Mystic Cookbook, you really can eat your way to a deliciously enlightened life! For instance, simply spending a few extra minutes truly enjoying and experiencing your morning coffee can change the entire direction or your day. Alternatively, creating a meal dedicated to abundance can open you to accepting and welcoming the bounty of the Universe to flood your life.
When we think of a spiritual path, we often envision meditation, yoga, fasting, chanting, or prayer. We don’t usually consider our everyday meals as a potential gateway to mystical transformation. Yet, the food you eat and your approach to it can be one of the most powerful pathways to spiritual renewal. Plus, it can be fun and delicious!
How can the color of our food, plates, and dining room affect our consciousness?
Believe it or not, the colors of the food you eat have a compelling impact on your life. Color in fruits and vegetables is an indicator of specific phytonutrients. For example, red fruits such as tomatoes contain lycopene and orange vegetables such as carrots have beta-carotene, both necessary for a healthy, balanced diet. However, color can also dramatically affect your emotions, your demeanor, and even how much you eat.
People who are angry or upset will often calm down in a pink room. Your pulse and blood pressure will go up in a red environment and go down in a blue environment. Certain shades of both blue and yellow can affect the way neurons connect in the brain. Some studies suggest that certain disorders, such as chronic pain, brain injury, and Parkinson’s disease, can be affected in a positive way by color. To enhance your life, eat a colorful diet for both nutritional and metaphysical purposes. Color alchemy works exceedingly well if you hold the intent, as you’re eating a food of a particular color, that the associated qualities of the color are being absorbed into your body. In The Mystic Cookbook there’s a detailed list of each color and its associated properties. We also give some suggestions on which colors bring about which moods in a dining room. For instance, orange can be a great color to inspire creativity and community.
In The Mystic Cookbook you use the phrase, “from nourishment to nirvana.” What does this mean?
Many people think of eating in the same way that they think of getting gas for their car. It’s something you have to do in order to keep going. Some view food as medicine and create strict guidelines for themselves about which foods are “good” and which ones are “bad.” And others yet, think of food as a treat, reward, or some form of hedonistic pleasure. Yet, there’s a place in the middle where the meals you consume can feed your mind, body, and soul and nourish your physical and spiritual appetites. These types of meals can, indeed, sometimes feel spiritual. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be time intensive to eat in a way that transcends your physical need for sustenance. By taking a few moments to honor the plant or animal that gave its life for your meal or even by taking a few extra seconds to inhale the intoxicating aroma of a sun-ripened peach or sharing a meal with friends rather than eating at your desk at work, can indeed take your snack or meal from simple nourishment to a state of nirvana.
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