"Bringing peace to the world... one cup at a time"

Thursday, November 17, 2011

A Feast For The Eyes


Raw pasta with Raw Alfredo at Shangri-La
November is the beginning of the feast season. We tend to go internal, light candles more or linger near a fire. As the darkness outside begins to consume more of the daylight it is important to feast with the eyes. Create a feast once a week for yourself. Treat yourself as a most treasured guest to the banquet. Flowers or greens on the table, tablecloth, nice dishes and flatware, candles, these will set the stage for your eye feast. Plan and prepare a nutritious beautiful meal for yourself. Remember that this is a meditation. Start with an exotic tea in a favorite teapot and cup. Notice the simplicity of this practice. How do you feel just watching the steam rise from the cup. Keep your meal simple and small and elegantly arranged. Remember that your stomach when empty is only as large as your closed fist. how do you feel hunger. Sit before your table and let your eyes be filled. rate your eye satisfaction from1-10. Be thankful for the gift you have given yourself. If you need help get yourself a book on Japanese food and flower arranging. Even if you don't particularly care for Asian cuisine the Japanese know how to present food and flowers.

Feasting on Eye Hunger Without Eating
Feast your eyes on a flower and how the light plays on the curves of a petal

Often times our body does not really want more food. But we eat because we are not in touch with what is really going on. With the eyes as part of our hunger system often what we are seeking is more beauty. Or more awareness of the beauty around us. I know this seems far fetched, but we are connected to the world around us in very deep subtle ways and what we feast our eyes on resonates deep in our body through a messaging system. So if you want, experiment with feeding the eye hunger itself by feasting your eyes on something lovely or interesting to look at. Stop, stop and really look for a few minutes, drink it in with your eyes. It could be anything you want . Try different things. A flower, it's petals, how the light plays on the curves of a petal. Or a painting in an art gallery. Or my favorite, Hands. I love the character of hands. Old hands that have withstood the hard life of working. They are a beautiful feast for the eyes. What ever you choose, imagine the energy that radiates from this sight entering the eyes and absorbing into the body. Feed the eyes for as long as you like. You may discover that feeding the eye hunger also feeds the heart.

I would Like to suggest a tea in honor of the heart.
Heart's Rhapsody. Divine Lotus Tea Company
Heart's Rhapsody is designed for just overall healthy heart. I thas herbs that have been known for thousands of years to regulate and maintain healthy pressure. It also contains Tulsi which has been used in India for thousands of years to calm the adreanals and oxygenate the blood so that your indurance is better.: Of course you should always be in consult with your health care provider if you have serious heart conditions. Go to our website to get more on this tea or come by and see us at Shangri-La Tearoom and Vegetarian Cafe, 1800 w. Overland Rd., Boise Idaho

1 comment:

  1. Beautiful, Toni. I shall try this idea soon. We often eat in a hurry here, and making a meditation of a meal is a lovely way to slow down. xoxoox

    ReplyDelete