The Pastor of my church growing up recently recommended a book to me “The Pigness of Pigs” by Joel Salatin. It took me a while to get fully engaged by the book but I’m so glad I did. I have been inspired by so many aspects of what the author had to say I got to a point where I felt like I was cheering him on as each new chapter started. I’m finding myself mentally planning a trip to Virginia just so I can visit his farm.
I particularly liked the analogy about not eating food that has never lived before. He mentioned, specifically, “Velveeta Cheese”; which we all know is a non-food but eat anyway because queso is so good. Velveeta cheese isnt made from anything that once lived. It is neither plant nor animal derived and even animals are smart enough not to eat it…but we, as humans gobble it up. The question then becomes, where do we draw the line? When do we stop making excuses for ourselves and cut out all “food” that “never lived” before?
Since my cousin’s cancer diagnosis, I’ve tried to really be more mindful of what we eat and what we put on or in our bodies and how it affects our health. Prior to cancer, my cousin ate a lot of prepackaged foods like frozen pizza and corndogs. At the time I don’t think any of us realized the effect of all those chemicals and preservatives and what it would do to our bodies in the long run. Cancer wasn’t a term people used daily in the 60s because in the 60s the use of preservatives and growth hormones and weed killer and pesticides and other killer chemicals just wasn’t the standard practice that it is today. Sadly, it is FAR MORE prevalent here in the USA. In other countries I’ve visited like Israel, France, Spain and others, meals are predominantly plant based and freshly made as opposed to frozen, canned or prepackaged and filled with ingredients we can’t pronounce.
I also found it thought provoking about the vitamin and mineral content of eggs in the mainstream marketplace versus eggs on Joel’s “Polyface Farm” in Virginia. I remember my Grandmother telling me how big chickens are now compared to how big they were when she was a child. We, as a nation, are using so many growth hormones that find their way into our food that our young men are developing breasts and our young girls are experiencing facial hair. Why isn’t this more alarming to everyone? We are all oblivious to it and we accept the pitfalls that come with it as “normal”..or worse, we don’t even notice.
Recently I’ve been very intrigued by the comparison of (for example) the dirt when Jesus told the blind man to rub the dirt on his eyes or to wash in the Jordan river or various other examples in the bible and how it correlates to the minerals in the soil and that particular geographical area and it bounties. I shudder to think of the resources available literally at our toes and we never even tap into its full power. Naaman took dirt with him after he was healed. How come I never questioned why before? What about the ancient trees, is there some sacred truth or land healing power resting in their branches that is ordered and powered by our great Creator?
Joel Salatin’s analogy about the dandelions tendency to grow in calcium deficient soil but then through its own process of life the dandelion replenishes the calcium in the soil. This is just the tip of the iceberg of how God uses the circle of life to our benefit and health. This whole line of thought really played into what I’ve been thinking about lately as it pertains to the soil, grounding, geographical importance, and other powerful factors as they apply to our health and wellbeing.
In addition to that, with the Euphrates river drying up there are some parallels there I would love to explore also. Part of the problem is that so many teachers are busy with their sermons on all these classic bible subjects that people have heard their entire lives that they are missing these subtle but powerful messages within those stories. The Christian world is overly worried about where we go when we die that they are completely missing the fact that we would live longer if we spent as much time discovering Gods provisions and blessings.
Have you heard of this practice of “Grounding” (aka “Earthing”)? Basically, it is the practice of taking off your shoes and putting your bare feet to the ground (or in some cases your whole naked body) making contact with the earth for healing purposes. How many times have we read in the bible about people removing their sandals for ceremonial purposes and making a pact or contract or all the other reasons mentioned? How many times have we read about someone sleeping on the ground? That has to mean something doesn’t it?
Grounding or “Earthing” research suggests that it allows people to directly connect their bodies with the Earth and use its natural electric charges to stabilize them. This practice involves walking barefoot outdoors or using indoor grounding systems while sleeping or sitting. Although earthing can positively impact the mind, research also suggests reduced pain, stress, and inflammation and an improvement of overall mental well-being. This technique restores the connection between the body and the electrical currents of the earth. It is suggested that grounding or “Earthing” may boost immunity, improve heart health, improved sleep patterns, fatigue, depression, stress and joint pain.
Seriously, this is the most simple and basic concept of natural healing I’ve ever heard of. Just 20 years ago I might have scoffed at the idea that it held any merit whatsoever. Now, in light of my recent awareness of how intricately all of nature works together not just for the plant and animal circle of life, but also as it applies to the human condition as well. I can’t deny its probable validity even without taking a scholarly research approach to the subject.
God has provided everything we need to live healthy, happy lives and we have created a world full of false foods, plastic environments and contaminated beauty. That is messed up.
On a blog of Michael Heiser’s (or maybe it was a podcast?) Tyler Stark noted that he was about to embark on a study of the imagery/sacred geography themes in the bible and near eastern cultures. This got me thinking on a similar plane as comparing the underworld themes of the bible to the depths of the sea and the core of the earth and its links to chaos and fallen angels. What are the ties to the four angels of Revelations 9 that we are told will be released after the waters of the Euphrates river dries up? Are we about to lose 1/3 of the people on earth? This begs the obvious questions about Covid 19 and all these strange occurrences where people are dropping dead from heart attacks and blood clots and “sudden death syndrome”. Are the effects of Covid and the Vaccine all part of the end of time events? Now that the Euphrates River is indeed in a state of dire loss, are we truly teetering on the edge of the end of the world? We can’t know the day our God will return for us, but we CAN know the season. Have we been ignoring the signs or has all of the human population become so far from God they simply don’t believe or care?
How many times has someone asked you: “What would you do if you only had 7 (or however many) years to live? Now, consider this, what if that’s all we really have? Will you live your life any different? Will I?
Then, if a person really wanted to wrap their mind around the vast depth of the ocean, how about the endless expanse of the sky and galaxies too numerous to count…”more than grains of sand on the beaches”? There is no end to what we do not know about the wonderous works of God and just how far His creation stretches or how we have yet to tap into the depth of the resource that is the Bible.
Despite all that God does with keeping the planets aligned and the flowers blooming, and the birds fed how reassuring it is to know that He still cares about me and makes sure my own needs are met despite all of my human attempts to bejuggle and befuddle my way through life.