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12 The Journal of Shamanic Practice VOLUME 5 ISSUE 2 FALL 2012 www.shamansociety.org 12 of the tiny percentage of real food and the disproportionate amount of non- food. One day I wondered if the real foods could become more powerful and healthier than the ller non-foods by spiritually addressing only the real foods with chants and songs to restore their en- ergies. I feel this is time well spent even if I cannot yet report on a specic outcome with this ritual. At one point during this time we re- ceived a series of large shipments of gov- ernment surplus raw chicken. This was tricky to work with because of the huge amount of meat and lack of space so the challenge was how to safely navigate from the raw chicken to the completely cooked product. As I stood there ready to start opening the boxes of chicken I suddenly felt zapped by a lightning bolt of energy. Spirit of Chicken spoke to my power animal and we took off. Energized might not be a strong enough word as I ew about the kitchen following the spirits directions season the our using this amount of spice that amount of herb seasoning lay out the parts on trays in a specic way and bake for a certain amount of time. Now remember I was cooking chicken among employees who had been cooking chicken all their lives and who grew up watching their mammas and grandmas make it too. So there was some performance pres- sure to produce a quality product. But I had no time to be concerned with that and apparently didnt need to for soon the delicious smell of robustly seasoned chicken lled the kitchen. Everyone had gathered around as I pulled tray after tray from the ovens the staff selected pieces to be sampled and then declared them to be very very good. Of course the real test was with the students and teachers. Less than halfway through the rst lunch students rushed out of the cafeteria to tell administration teachers and fellow students to get to the cafeteria quickly for some chicken as it was the best theyd ever had at school. My power animal and the Spirit of Chicken were very pleased with the change from apathy to delight among the students and teach- ers that day. I began my second year by transfer- ring to a different city high school kitch- en and continuing my work with the animal and plant spirits. This kitchen has been a completely different experience. The staff was disorganized headstrong and unprofessional. After the rst year in this kitchen I wondered if I was meant to stay on the year being lled with an endless parade of frustrating experiences. Even with an excellent professional kitchen manager to work with there was no wonderful transformation like the previous kitchen experience. As I jour- neyed on this issue to ask for guidance the response was quite clear Do not leave stay put After the summer break I returned feeling hopeful lled with the energy of my power animals and ready to carry on with the work. Gradually I have noticed small positive shifts in at- titudes emotions work attendance and improved teamwork occurring among the staff though very little change with those members aficted with addiction and possession. Connections between some staff members have been changing from disrespect to respectful and more cooperative as the work continues with the spirits of the plants and animals. No- tably a number of students who eat only at the cafeteria are starting to eat foods that previously they had no interest in. Having felt prompted to return to the same school and continue doing the work of Spirit I recognize through my work at both schools that the spirits of the animals and plants are always eager to be helpful in providing health and vitality to the humans in these environ- ments when invited to do so. Its also clear to me that I have been changed by doing this daily spirit work. By inviting the presence of the sacred into a worka- day environment I have deepened my awareness of our interdependence with all of life on many levels and have seen how we are fed and nurtured beyond the physiologic nutrition present in food. Ive also seen the interplay of the sacrice of animals and plants with the gratitude of staff and I feel very much a part of the myriad connections and relationships present in a commercial kitchen. Im not entirely sure if the work of listening to spirit has been the reason but the pres- ent kitchen has been ranked number one in the city school district for two con- secutive years causing the administration to create workshops to try to bring the other kitchens up to the same level of performance. References 1 McCaw David www.theshamanskitchen.com. 2 Perkins Mark personal communication. 3 Fomin Elizabeth personal communication. 4 Makransky Bob personal communication. 5 Makransky Bob Spiritual Cookery Magical Living Dear Brutus Press 2001. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cynthia Nado is a chef artist medical illustrator and photographer. She has studied shamanism with Cecile Carson taking an Introductory Workshop a Two Year Shamanic Intensive a One Year Healing Intensive and a One Year Shamanic Apprenticeship. She has also taken workshops with Tom Cowan Myron Eshowsky and Betsy Bergstrom. ______________________________________________ Opposite Caption Photo by Deborah Byron