The Chakra Kitchen: Feed Your Body to Nourish Your Spirit. / Sarah Wilkinson. Published by Cico Books, 2015. 142 pages, color illustrations, index.
The first thing to notice is the clarity and precision of the illustrations which artfully combine color and form in a setting that looks at once casual and realistic. Each super-beautiful dish looks freshly prepared and table-ready, caught in a photograph at just the moment a serving was plated, cut from the cake, or poured into a glass. The images are stunning, and all the more so considering the book offers vegan dishes to benefit the chakras or energy centers of your body.
We cannot resist drinking in the jewel-like colors—not unlike absorbing the warmth of a light beam—we soak up the hue, the light, the energy, as it resonates with our mind’s yearnings. Consider the nutritional wealth of berries, beets, citrus oranges, cucumbers, so cool and refreshing, goji berries sparkling in a bowl of brussels sprouts, or deep-green kale pairing with spaghetti squash to express its delicacy.
Colors are believed to strongly relate to energy. At first we think of flowers as having natural color. Or objects in the physical world. Yet it is possible that human beings relate internally to color. That may be why an approach taken in the Vedas of India, long ago, appropriated colors to represent the energy centers of the body.
Early in Indian history it was thought that different energy centers of the body could be recognized at various nodes of the spinal cord. These nodes begin at the base of the spine and move upwards to the crown of the head. There are seven points as illustrated in the diagram.
Author Wilkinson’s treatise describes each of the seven chakras in detail, giving each energy center a location, color, and gender followed by the characteristics each chakra displays. The author explains that healing can be magnified by the use of crystals; her selection of 21 crystals are revealed to possess special affinity for the chakras. If your birthstone is a crystal, you can search the list to see its function in your energy centers.
In an informative section that precedes the recipes, readers can acquire the distinctive relationships between ingredients and the chakras they influence. Cranberries are “balancers”, Root, Sacral and Heart chakra influencers, having a special affinity for urinary tract health and contribute to the heart as well. Cucumbers are Heart and Throat chakra influencers as they are anti-oxidant in function. Goji berries influence the Root and Brow chakras, are “stimulating”, and are listed under “Superfoods”.
More sections are helpful before venturing into the kitchen. Vegetables, Grains, Seaweeds and sea vegetables, Herbs and Spices, Nuts, Seeds, Sweeteners, and as above, Superfoods are showed to contain all the valuable benefits as well as their related chakras.
Recipes are organized by the seasons. Recipes for 60 drinks, condiments, soups, salads, main dishes and sides, puddings and cakes are adorned by festive photographs. Colors that sympathize with a chakra and plates that appear mouthwateringly delicious invite you to experiment to benefit one or all the chakras, or a special purpose in healing, balancing or stimulating.
Benefitting the heart chakra most are green vegetables: Green Vegetable Curry is made with spinach, cilantro, green bell peppers, fennel, and coconut milk. A Lebanese-inspired dish, Quinoa Tabbouleh with Spinach Falafel aids the Fire chakra (digestion) and Root chakra, while Raw Spiced Chocolate and Walnut Cake is especially good for your intuition and brain power.
Familiarity with the chakra system will magnify your experience with this book. In a similar way, if the chakra system is new to you, your grasp of it is enriched by bringing your experience of color to the act of choosing and preparing foods. Healing may be accomplished first in your mind and sense of yourself in the world. Offering the brightest colored recipes in The Chakra Kitchen might become your vibrant and healing gift.
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