Like every second soul this side of a rabid party season, I have commenced on a detox programme.
Diligent and committed, I rise early, drink a litre of luke-warm water with sea-salt, determinedly hand-squeeze 3 lemons and add a sharp burst of chilli powder to a brownish concoction I faithfully sip on all day. A gnawing hunger is my new best friend and anything tasty is my nemesis.
For what sane reason am I undergoing such quiet torture - especially as my omni-eating reputation rests on this? Why, I once won a pie eating contest! I can eat for both Russia and Australia, outstripping my own father and definitely most sane men in the plate-loading stakes!
Well, the above aren't exactly commendable claims to fame - especially for a Goddess ;) and so, to stay in integrity to my mission, I decided to clean myself out, re-set the energy barometer and break this excessive longing that I have to food.
Now look - nothing wrong with food. Yes, it's a delicious, tasty, hedonistic gift from the Gods. It is the juice that bonds friends, families and romances together. It is a salve for the soul, a tonic for the tired and a proud art-form for the initiated chef (Master-aspiring or otherwise).
However, it may also be that modern man's foibles stem from this excessive focus towards instant gratification at the expense of other things - an over-worshipping of the tastebuds and the compulsion to having our bellies fuller than Hercules may well be at the cost of other inner capacities that enable us all to be more creative, love deeper, speak sharper and act with more significance.
Because you see, the heavy, delicious, cream, chemical and animal laden foods we love to consume clog our chakras and meridiens. And those are the subtle voices of the nervous system and Spirit that help us rise above our problems into a realm more rich with beauty, love and general well-being.
There is a quote that reads along the lines of: "Successful people do regularly and consistently what every one else can't be bothered to".
Indeed, authentic success always doth require some sacrifice - and what is required of us today is to be magical and otherwordly leaders... To heal the planet we must vibrate at a higher frequency.
Rather than be stuffed full, lethargic and hung-over, are we not better to radiate, dance, bounce and shine with health and life-force?
I've even conjured my own version of Kate Moss's notorious quote from late last year :
"Nothing tastes as good as Spirit feels."
Indeed, more people have stopped me on the street since my detox than any other time. A sweet man said he loved my aura. I am super-psychic and know you will call me before you do (just don't ask me the lotto numbers). My mood is happy and up-beat... I am present, clear and patient in my dealings with people. These benefits to me are way more lasting, meaningful and profound that the instant (but yes, I aknowledge - orgasmic) hit of a chocolate brownie digesting in my gut.
Since starting the cleanse, I realise how little food I need to survive and feel satiated. I am shocked at how much I've been eating and consuming unnecessarily... Forget my love-handles - what about my eco-footprint? What about all of ours?
I think I serve others best when I keep myself feeling light (read - slightly hungry). I've found that is when I feel my emotions dancing through me most fully. I like hearing the signals of my intuition, the alert meanings of my thoughts. Lightness in my body is what enables me to be a present, calm and empathetic listener to friends and clients; or a happy burst of femininity to men.
I cheated on my cleanse (day 1) and ate some heavy, greasy foods come dinner time.
BOOM - the Goddess was gone. Within 10 minutes I was in an energy slump and back to my neurotic, chatty and slightly nervous self. The next day, when I recommitted to keeping myself light and clean, my aura expanded and I felt in flow. I was positive, confident and attracting good things and people into my world within hours.
Light eating is nothing new. Yogis do it. Monks do it. Any hilosopher that has made an imprint in the longevity of mankind did it - Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Hippocrates, Socrates, Aristotle, Ghandi. I would much rather be in the company of these men, than Kirstey Alley or even Nigella Lawson. These wise sages understood the wisdom and act of love that savouring our Spirit is - above all else.
Do I still feel pleasure from food? Indeedy I do. I appreciate the juiciness of a mango... the fresh crispness of a salad... The wholesome satiation of a fish. I derive just as much pleasure from food as when I used to... it's just different food now.
It feels grateful to re-connect with my body... Eating what I need, when I really need it. In general, we need so much less than we think we do - and having less - of anything - really does make the heart sing stonger.
Do I miss things like cheese and meats? Sort of. I rather find that my mind is naturally focused on something greater - how amazing I feel and what more I am able to achieve when I'm like this. And what a better friend and human being I am to others. At the end of the day, I am simply in tune with the subtle messages of my body. If it craves a pizza, it will tell me and I will have some (although somehow I dont think it will). And if my mind get seduced and sidetracked, I will simply remind it:
Nothing tastes as good as Spirit feels.
And that really is the truth.