Life As Guru

As many say, my life is my main guru. This is where I learn to function in the world of form, and where I learn to deepen the integration of the absolute and the relative. My life is the ground, context and guide in this process, and any human guru - as important as they are - function only as intermittent guides.

For me, food is an important part of the process. I have food intolerances, and need to be quite careful about what I eat. Any particular food can be nurturing and just what I need in some situations, and they quickly pull the rug out under my feet at other times. It all changes depending on time of day, my current condition, the seasons and more.

And my body always tells me what is OK and what is not, although I don't always take the information as seriously as I could. When I don't, I get to deal with the consequences, and that is part of the dance too.

Specifically, my system has a hard time with sugar, wheat and dairy. Sugar sinks my energy level, often in a dramatic way. Wheat makes me feel spacy and weird. Dairy brings about a good deal of sluggishness and lethargy. When I am in a generally good shape, from a nurturing diet and exercise, I can eat a certain amount of each of these. But if I am not in good shape, or if I eat too much at any time, my system is pushed over the edge.

And in terms of seasons, I - not surprisingly - do much better with hearty and cooked food in the winter, and light and raw foods in the summer. Now, in the middle of winter, my system wants hearty stews in general, and other warming foods and spices such as pepper and miso.

At any time of year, a good deal of water is essential (enough to have very light colored urine).

This all came up again as I had some wine a couple of days ago, and some reactions due to the alcohol (sugar) yesterday and even some today.

And I also became quite dehydrated today, although I am drinking as much water as I usually do this time of year. My body told me to drink more, but I over-rode the information by telling myself that I am drinking my regular - plenty - amount. What I did not realize was how much water my body apparently needs after the raindrop therapy session yesterday, my first experience with this particular approach to essential oils.

So in all these cases, my life invites me to pay attention to my physical self. To its current condition and needs. It is a great invitation for mindfulness. One that is faithfully there, and gives me instant feedback.