Your Energetic Relationship with Food

By Felicia Berry of Colorado, USA

Many of us are aware that eating organic or natural, whole foods is a great way to support our physical, emotional and mental health. It is fairly mainstream now to read articles and see in the media many references to wholesome eating. WHAT to eat need no longer be a mystery. However, are you aware of the energetic relationship you are creating and cultivating with your food?

Food is so basic to our lives; it is a potent symbol and manifestation of our connection to the earth, our groundedness, our fuel and nurturance. Second only to our breath, our daily intake of food is a natural rhythm from which we set our inner clock and from which we thrive and grow. In our consumerist culture, we seem to have lost sight of the sacredness that food represents. How did we ever forget the primal importance of our right relationship with the most basic of life-giving elements?

I have studied over the last several years my own inner, energetic relationship with food. As a very young child, I delighted in the investigation of different foods and my sense of taste. What a world to explore! Very soon, though, I learned to become afraid of food; I was taught the mental constructs of certain foods being “bad” for me, certain foods to avoid if I wanted to lose weight, and I learned not to trust my intuitive sense of when and what I wanted to eat. As an adolescent I came into a more tortured relationship with food; watching my feminine role models be so concerned with the thinness of their bodies as well as buying in to the media images of the ideal female, I alternately ate grapefruits all day, starved myself, went vegetarian, vegan, ayurvedic, ate right for my type, ate high-carbohydrate when I ran competitively, ate low-carbohydrate when that craze was in, etc. etc. etc. I have been all over the map when it comes to exploring all the ways to have an imbalanced relationship with food. Over the years, I have yearned to feel at ease again about food and have been examining the ways in which I desecrate what I eat and therefore my body, soul and spirit. I am now reclaiming the joy and ease with food that I experienced when I was a wee one.

What are the benefits of a balanced, joyful energetic relationship with food?

Greater nutritional assimilation-getting more bang for your buck from your food investment (which can be a lot of money these days!) Studies show that when we are angry, stressed out or not present, our bodies don’t digest properly.
Peaceful mealtimes, fun conversations, feelings of gratitude and bonding with others
Trusting yourself, your inner sense of rhythm and balance
Feeling more happiness, ease and joy in every aspect of life

An example: I have noticed that when I make dinner for company at my house, they eat voraciously, devouring every scrap on their plates, and there is almost no sound except for “mmmmmm”, and “oohhhh”, and “ahhhhh”. It never fails! Yes, eventually lively conversation comes around, but it is as if my dinner guests can feel the love that I cook with and are energetically responding to the feeling of reverence in the food. It makes them sit up and take notice! My sense is that we have a deep craving for an expanded definition of whole foods- not just physically healthy for us, but food that nourishes body, soul and spirit in a way that affirms our wholeness and that causes us to feel more alive at every level of our Being.

Some of the ways I have learned to create a joyous energetic food experience are:

Food planning, prep and eating as ritual-When I am planning my grocery trip, I sit quietly, perhaps with a nice cup of tea; I choose not to rush or write my list on the go. I visualize what my family would enjoy eating, mentally look through my cabinets or refrigerator to see what I need, and write a neat, organized list. Going to the store is a trip to a holy place; I select what I will purchase based on what feels good to me, and experience the amazing abundance of choices there. I prepare the food in an environment that is clean, uncluttered, and conducive to happy thoughts with lots of color and light. Sometimes I light a candle! As I am washing, cutting, stirring, I am consciously putting love into the food with my thoughts, cooking with joy in my heart, envisioning how everyone will enjoy the food and how it will nourish them at so many levels. I will sometimes put on wonderful music or choose to laugh a lot by making the food preparation playful.

Blessings at meals-I feel gratitude for all those who had a part of bringing the food to our table, from the earth and seed to the sun and rain to the farmer to the truck driver to the grocer, etc. We also sing our favorite spoken blessing…. “YUMMMMMMMMMM”.

Reverence for food-through watching and experiencing the transformation that can occur when wholesome food is served, I have developed an awareness of food being an energetic/spiritual support as well as a physical one. Therefore, treating food with reverence, eating mindfully and thankfully, and having a sense of celebration at meal times creates an experience of deep nourishment.

Being conscious of our beliefs, mental constructs, and judgments- making food good or evil does not support our awareness of wholeness. Of course we can make choices about the foods we eat, but consciously choosing to unlearn/release those limiting ideas about food brings us freedom to receive nourishment even if we can’t eat the freshest, most lovingly prepared foods in that moment!

Setting the intention- There is something very powerful about speaking my conscious intent out loud to the universe! In this case, I intend to bless myself and everything that I take into my body, be grateful and PLAY with my food!

Having Fun! Bring lightness and humor and playfulness into your food world. One thing that I do is make Sacred Cookies! I add holy basil or tea masala or cayenne pepper to my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and then watch them be devoured by appreciative recipients! Wahooo!!!

Felicia Berry, Rev.,

Teacher, Energy Facilitator, Soul Tender, Wise Woman, AKA The Goofy Goddess

Felicia (Licia) Berry has had direct experience of her connection with The All That Is since she was a young girl, when she regularly held conversations with the spirits of the plants, trees, rocks, sky and the Angels. She has been a teacher, facilitator, energy transformer, agent of change and celebrator of life for 41 years. She is currently working on several writing projects, teaching classes, laughing a lot and enjoying her Angelic/Shamanic Energy Transformation practice, where she assists others to wake up to their divine power and become conscious creators. She began channeling the Archangels in 2006, primarily Raphael and Gabriel, and she considers them to be a riot.

Licia is blissfully married to her husband of 20 years, Peter; together, they co-create with their two amazing sons and a happy cat in the boonies of the San Luis Valley of Colorado. She can be reached at (719) 657-0424 or licia@liciaberry.com. Learn more about Licia at www.liciaberry.com and her sister sites www.goofygoddess.com and www.sacred-celebrations.com

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