5 weeks and 5 precepts week 5

First off, I want to let you know that from next week through the holiday season I will be offering tips and suggestions to help you get through this season with less stress and more joy. For many it is a stressful, sad and unhappy time for many reasons, so these are to help increase joy and love all around us. Another exciting thing I am going to start on Monday through the first of the year, is to post on my status, some tidbit of holiday trivia, for the first person to correctly answer the question, you will win a free 30 minute reflexology appointment. Only one opportunity to win throughout the season, so everyone has an opportunity to feel the joy of winning. So pay attention, have fun and good luck!

I have enjoyed the past five weeks. As I have enjoyed learning new things and being reminded of things, I hope that you have too. Now for the fifth precept.

5. Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society.

Well, there is a lot to cover. In short, this can be a lengthy discussion and has so many different branches to look into ourselves with. Take a moment to digest what the fifth precept is saying and a moment to reflect. It does wrap up the five weeks in connecting our mind and our body to the overall health of ourselves and our society.

The base belief is to be mindful of what we put into our body, this includes the things we entertain ourselves with. If we watch a lot of violence, this energy is put back into the world, just by our reactions and by saying it is okay to continue to make movies and television programs with unnecessary violence, not to say any violence is okay. As mentioned in an above precept.

Now I can go into the organic foods and pesticides and the chemicals that are on or in our foods, but I am not. Just know that there are harmful elements within food that is not organic.

The long of the short of the five weeks is to be mindful and think of the impact that we have on our society as a whole. All of our actions impact others, even if we are not in direct contact with them. The best is to love and respect all.

Peace and joy,
-Rhonda