Step Two on The Raw Vegan Hero's Journey

2. I Align Myself with My Core Values
Inspired by the mythical Hero’s Journey first compiled in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (photos are of famous, recognizable characters on their own journeys)

Ruth and Walter in A Raisin in the Sun

Becoming a raw vegan is an inside out job, which I don’t think people realize until they are on this journey. We eat some a-frickin-mazing raw food, and think, “I am raw for life! This is awesome! I can do this.”

But as soon as the smell of your favorite cooked food wafts across your nostrils, sending you into stupor, you then think, “Bump that raw stuff. This mac and cheese is calling my name!” And off you go. The next morning, you wake feeling as if a bus hit you. Your eyes are full of icky crackly crud. Your nose is stuffy. You have a headache. All of your muscles ache. Then you think, “I’ll never eat cooked food again.”

Riiiiiiiight….

Then we hear stories of people who went from cooked to raw overnight. The rest of us are like, “If they can do it, what’s wrong with us?” Feeling like losers, we stuff ourselves with chocolate fudge brownies, washed down with soy milk.

What to do?

Lion, Scarecrow, Dorothy, and Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz

Steve Barnes, a novelist and teacher I greatly admire, recently wrote in his LifeWriting newsletter, “…we should have a clear sense of our morality, ethics, and values. You just can't overstate the value of knowing who you are and what you believe when you are writing...or living."

In other words, get clear…about everything in your life. Steve writes a lot about the importance of core values. Know what they are. Write them down. Look at them daily.

Why is getting clear even relevant to the Raw Vegan Hero’s Journey? If you are not clear on why living a raw vegan lifestyle is important to you, you’ll never remain on the path. You’ll continue to fall off. And you’ll continue to beat yourself up for not have the “willpower” to stay raw. It’s not about willpower. It’s about clarity.

Here is what I did to get clear about what my core values are. Replicate the process. But remember, it’s about what is important to YOU, not anyone else.
1. Write down what you know for sure. Take a piece of paper. Write down every single thing that is important to you. And write down beliefs that you are concretely convinced are true, for you. My list filled every line of my paper. What you know for sure will look totally different. Here are some of my examples:
· I am the co-creator of my reality
· My family and my connection to them is important to me
· Raw vegan food is like sunshine in food form
· Being emotionally present for my children is important to me
· Experiencing perfect health is important to me

I had twenty-six of these. See if you can fill at least one side of lined-paper. It’s okay if you repeat yourself, or same the same thing a different way. Then look at the list. See if themes arise. Those repeated themes are your core values yelling back at you.

2. Take all the sentences you wrote, and condense them into FOUR core values.

3. Write “Why?” Again, take all those sentences you wrote to figure out why those four values are so important to you.

Elliot and E.T.

Here are my core values:

Living a raw vegan lifestyle.
Why?
“Being a raw began allows me to heal my body, feel the Universe’s love, connect with my family and friends, consciously co-create my world, increase my intuition & angelic connection, and improve my sleep & memory.”

Experiencing a loving, harmonious relationship with my husband, sons, and family.
Why?
“I chose my husband and my children chose me. They are my life, my joy, and reason for living. My family is an extension of myself.”

Being a published novelist and author.
Why?
“My novels are inspired gifts from the Universe and I honor my gifts. My non-fiction (Mocha Angels, raw food books, etc.) inspires and heals people.”

Being a teacher.
Why?
“To whom much is given, much is expected. Knowledge is meant to be shared. I choose to leave this Earth better than I found it.”

4. Whittle your core values down even further. You've got four clear sentences. Looking at those sentences again, I can say my core values are: union with Spirit, relationships, honoring gifts, and sharing.
5. Write, or type your core values twice. Keep one on your person (in your purse, or in your wallet). Frame the other one. Keep it in a place where you see it daily.

6. Write down the consequences of not living in alignment with your core values.

Now this one will stop you in your tracks. In short, your life will never look the way you want it to look. That is a sobering reminder that we are all responsible for our own lives. As adults, we have to develop the emotional maturity to handle life without using food, or other vices, as crutches. Living from your core, with diamond-like clarity, will help navigate your Raw Food Hero's Journey with grace.

Love,
Althea

Recommended Reading:
Steve Barnes' sites: www.darkush.blogspot.com and http://www.lifewrite.com/ ◦

Step Two on The Raw Vegan Hero's Journey