Returning Home To My Heart

What a journey it has been returning home to my heart!  💖  I mean that on many levels ~ not the least of which has been restoring a whole-foods, plant-based macrobiotic diet, along with writing a blog on Blogger.com, and returning 'home' to the Midwest to help our aging parents.  

I definitely  missed the greenery and trees while living in the Valley of the Sun for 10 years!  (Although we certainly miss many areas in AZ too!)

I first took the plunge into blogging back in 2011 or 2012, with The Food Way blog, using Blogger.com, now owned by Google.  I guess I have an affinity for Blogger's simplicity at getting started blogging.  

Actually, I have lots of URLs that went back into circulation, including The Plant Based Solution, Living Your True Nature, and Vegan Great Life, a previous website focusing on vegan macrobiotic diet and lifestyle.  Macro refers to long or great, and bios = life, therefore, when I saw recently (since first publishing this post) that the Vegan Great Life URL was still available, I snagged it for my website, then changed the name of this blog.  (I'm a bit nostalgic, I guess!)

You can now find me at either tracymatesz.com,  VeganGreatLife.com, or VeganMacrobiotics.com, all of which will take you to my website), or here at vegangreatlife.blogspot.com.

Wildwood Metro Park, Toledo, OH

Since that first blog, I've also published several books, changed up the blog more than once (a few of those names were mentioned above), created websites (including Vegan Great Life, now restored!), a YouTube channel ~ and much more!  

I completed my Mind Body Wellness Practitioner training from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, AZ with a certification in clinical hypnotherapy, the plant-based nutrition certification created by T. Colin Campbell offered through e-Cornell, an intense Yoga Teacher Training program at Scottsdale Community College, and, most recently, an animal Reiki course, and the Forks Over Knives plant-based cooking course offered through Rouxbe online cooking school.

Completed 2012

Completed 2022

My husband Don and I also moved across country, returning 'home' to the Midwest (I know, some don't consider Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin the 'Midwest', but we do.) 

At the onset of the big Co-V 'scare', we were on the move.  

We moved here to help aging parents.  Shortly after arriving, we found ourselves moving all their belongings out of their condo, as both had passed away.  Simultaneous to all of this, we moved my mom out of her condo, out of the city where she's lived most of her adult life, and where I grew up ~ Chicago. That was a lot of moving stuff around!

We also saw the passing of many others ~ neighbors, life long friends, my last surviving uncle, clients, and most recently, a neighbor who also hailed from Arizona.  

And, my precious, sweet Jasper, companion and soul mate of over 16 years.  

Her loss hit me pretty hard, as she really adopted me and helped me begin to awaken my heart all those years earlier!

(In fact, 'Awakening Heart' was another of my earlier websites. Hmm.  Beginning to see a pattern here!)

And before anyone thinks I'm either bragging about my accomplishments, (I mean, come on, I'm starting a new blog, yet again, and I've since unpublished most of my books!), or bemoaning all my losses, let me share what the Returning Home To MY Heart really refers to:  Restoring a whole-foods, plant-based, or vegan / macrobiotic way of eating and living.  

You could say we began transitioning back since our 'Meats & Sweets'  book was published, as we went from eating a very low-carb diet, to adding fruits, which included other botanical fruits more commonly referred to as vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, winter squashes, and others.

At one point, out of concern for having meat available, and preferring locally sourced food, we purchased 1/4 of a cow, followed by 1/2 of a cow.  Yes, we fell into the fear and conspiracy of having our right to eat meat taken away as the powers that be took stock in plant-based meat alternatives which were showing up along side real meat in grocery stores.

The bulk of that beef (let's call it what it was, a cow) ended up being donated.  Once we cut way back on beef, we no longer wanted to have any of it.

We gave up dairy after a visit to a local dairy farm.  

So no, not boasting.  More like scratching my head, and feeling quite remorseful.  And just plain greedy, fearful, and dumb ~ a sure sign of lower level judgement from eating the wrong foods for way too long!

You see, somewhere over the last five or more years, I/we felt like we really lost our way.  We had been fully vegan for five plus years, but suddenly switched gears, doing a complete 180, disappointing many, most of all, ourselves.

It's like things went dark.  

And, in many ways, they did on a massive world-wide level! (You can watch my YouTube video series about that here, beginning with this video.)

It's taken us the better part of this past year to unravel all that has transpired over the previous decade+, culminating in our decision to abandon our vegan macrobiotic path.  (And yes, the roots of this go deep!)

In hindsight, it was like we abandoned ourselves, and especially, our hearts, in order to 'gain' external acceptance, especially among family.  A trade off that cost us dearly!  More on that to come.  

We both were drawn to a vegetarian diet and way of life since quite young, and long before the term 'vegan' was really used.

To us, 'vegetarian' best depicts the spirit of eating a plant-centered diet, one that can enliven our own spirit to become the clearest possible channel for divine inspiration.  

According to Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., in his book, Transition to Vegetarianism, 

"The origin of the term "vegetarian" can be traced to the Latin vegetare, which means "to enliven."  This is related to vegere and vigere, which mean "to arouse" and "to flourish."  From the latter also come "vigorous" and "vigil," which connotes wakeful or alert.  The most ancient word is wag, to be lively or strong.  The basis of the term "vegetarian," then, is a sense of liveliness, vigor, and alertness, rather than merely an indication of a diet of vegetables.  The issue is not whether the diet is or isn't made up exclusively of foods of plant origins (vegetable foods) but whether it is enlivening and health-giving."

 

  

Hence, returning home to my heart has entailed a process of recovery, restoration,  and re-integration ~ as I reclaim those aspects of myself (including my old vegangreatlife.com URL) that I relinquished, dismissed, or worse, 'threw away' ~ metaphorically, physically and spiritually speaking.  (We are talking about much more than our diet here, which I'll get into as I go.)  

As old subconscious beliefs ~ and the darker and more limited aspects of myself ~ surfaced to be cleared, I've had to face and feel it all to move it on through.  This is not a comfortable process, yet essential to becoming Conscious, and Owning our triggers and issues.  (Part of the Holistic C.O.R.E. Counseling process for which I am a certified.)  Once we become conscious, we can we take control and begin to create the life we desire, as opposed to reacting to ~ or becoming a victim of ~ life circumstances.  And again, more on that later.

I will say that these last couple years, and especially 2022 through now, spring 2023, weeks before my 60th birthday ~ have definitely been transformative!  We have been learning how to turn our losses and regrets into a treasure worthy of sharing, just as an alchemist turns lead into gold.  As we clear out the darker, less evolved aspects of ourselves, we reveal something far greater, stronger, more resilient and more radiant!  Our truer selves!  (Be sure to read my Lake Over Lake, Reflection & Joy follow up post.)

After the last couple years of returning home to our hearts, we've fully transitioned back to a whole-foods, plant-based vegetarian, or vegan macrobiotic diet.  My perceptions and intuitions have sharpened, and I've already begun to feel much more 'light' or 'enlivened.'  

I've even lost and kept off 5 of those last 'difficult to lose' 10 or so pounds, so there's that!  (Actually, 10 pounds now as of August 18, 2023, as I'm now down to 97 pounds!  My goal is to lose another 5 pounds.  

You can read about my amazing macrobiotic diet weight loss, or watch my video.  

If interested, you can read about my Macrobiotic Health & Weight Loss Journey, see My Macrobiotic Meals for Weight Loss, and weight loss tips, or go to my Macrobiotics Page for all macrobiotic diet related topics.

Fall, 2022, visiting a local dairy led to our final decision
to stop consuming dairy products (see video series linked above)

While many have questioned our so-called 'flip flopping' we have learned a lot, despite our enduring much grief, loss, ridicule and remorse.  

From this point forward, I'll be sharing bits and pieces of our own stories, and what we learned, as we both now see just how much social pressures are the number one stumbling block for people to sustain a vegan or vegetarian diet.  (Study shows.)  We have experienced just how real these social pressures can be! Hopefully, sharing our experiences will help others remain vegan / vegetarian.

I will also share what I have learned over the years as a highly sensitive, empathic energy healer, and how my diet has helped or hindered my abilities.  (And why I chose The Vegetarian Intuitive name.)

And, I'll be sharing my simple, affordable, easy, every day vegetarian meals and recipes, with a little SAS ~ or Savory And Sweet ~ (to counter the current SOS, Salt, Oil & Sugar-Free trends.)  We cook with a sense of balance in mind, incorporating all we've learned as practitioners and students of both Oriental and Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese food therapy, and macrobiotics. 

It's all about balance, and eating according to individual needs.  (Read more in Crafting a Healthy Balanced Diet- Universal Principles.)

So, all interested are welcome.  No judgement on what anyone is eating.  We are all on a journey of awakening, and self-realization.  

We are just at different stages of our journey ~ returning home to our hearts!

Whether you are interested in trying out some simple plant-based / vegetarian meals, learning about macrobiotic, Asian and Ayurvedic principles of balance, are just transitioning to a whole-foods, plant-based diet, or you already are on a plant-based diet, but are needing some fresh inspiration, moral support, or, perhaps feel like something is missing, welcome!  I hope you'll find what you are looking for here as I continue my own journey of returning home to my heart, and as I populate my new blog!  

Please reach out!  Comment!  Let me know what you are interested in.  Or, if you would like support or one-on-one coaching, energy clearing, or any other of my services.

To all who have followed me and kept in touch over the years, a great big gigantic hug and thanks!

Time to enliven up our sweet selves!