On arrival, a Hispanic cab driver picks me up and asks me where we’re headed. “The Tree of Life” I tell him. He’s got a strong accent and an attitude. His cab looks like something out of an old Western movie. As I ride along the winding road to Patagonia Arizona, alongside my musings about whether I’d ever seen so many cactus trees in my life, I start thinking about the four weeks ahead.

I arrive at around three o’clock in the afternoon. It’s a remarkably simple place; red stone buildings set amongst the scenic Arizona desert. The weather in summer was hot, but dry. Thankfully, there was plenty of reverse osmosis water to go around, and a pool to cool off in.

The next few weeks were a download of nutritional and lifestyle information which was nothing less than sensational. The experience of being amongst health and spiritual enthusiasts from all around the world, having the chance to do my first seven-day juice fast and detox program all set the scene for what was to be a life-changing experience.

The intensive four week program, a requirement of the Masters Program in “Raw & Living Food and Spiritual Nutrition” offered through the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Centre and the University of Integrated Science was my first real contact with Dr. Gabriel Cousens and the start of an inspiring friendship.

The point of difference that has impressed me the most about Dr. Cousens’ work is that he successfully integrates the most cutting edge nutritional information into a strong spiritual framework where the divine element within all beings is at the centre of a truly holistic model of health.

What Dr. Cousens promotes is the idea that what we eat and how we live is not just about longevity, feeling great or looking good – it’s about using the physical body as an optimal vehicle for working towards spiritual liberation; something spoken about by the adepts of all spiritual traditions throughout the ages.

Ultimately, we cannot separate the mind, body and soul; we cannot separate our connection with the physical body or our connection with the living planet – to do so both diminishes and depletes us, both individually and collectively.

Dr. Cousens promotes the idea that both personal and planetary enlightenment is attainable, necessary and a responsibility that we can all actively participate in and provides a rationale and practical model for how this can be achieved in his inspiring books titled “Spiritual Nutrition” and “Conscious Eating”.

Dr Gabriel Cousens will be speaking on the topic of “Spiritual Nutrition” and the effects of food on mind, body and spirit in Brisbane on Thursday December 1st at 6.30pm.

Book your place.

Fasting has been used ancient times as a profound way to activate the body’s healing mechanisms. Fasting has also a part of many ancient religious traditions as a way of enhancing spiritual awareness. Different modes of fasting include dry fasting, fasting on water only, and fasting on fruit or vegetable juice. Gabriel Cousens M.D., a world leader in holistic medicine, recommends 7-day fasting on green vegetable juices two to four times a year as the optimal way of activating the anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic genes. During these fasts, adjuvant procedures include daily water enemas, herbal kidney and liver support, liquid zeolite, proteolytic enzyme support, far infra-red saunas, rebounding and gentle exercise. Additionally the participants experience the “Zero Point” course for healing emotional blocks and raising understanding of one’s sacred design.

During a fast, the body’s energy is able to focus on healing itself rather than digesting and eliminating food. The “vital life force” is activated, the seven chakras are balanced and the mind cleared. Research in the early 1900s on incurable schizophrenics showed a 65% healing rate simply by placing the patients on a 28-day water fast. Potent bowel neurotoxins such as 6-hydroxy-skatole were cleared from the intestines of the patients and thus their minds were allowed to be cleared and the mental illness healed. This points to a significant healing benefit from regular fasting. Fasting was a regular part of Mahatma Gandhi’s weekly routine. At the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Centre in Arizona, USA, type 2 diabetics are regularly reversed using a 7-day green juice fast followed by an extremely low-glycaemic, highly mineralized, organic vegan raw food diet. The potential of this direction in holistic healing is staggering and the need for high quality research urgent.