By Happy Oasis, Raw Spirit Community News
Born the Middle East (Indiana), highly-entertaining and well-informed, Katharine Clark is not only a gourmet raw chef with 25 years of innovative recipes, but also also a professor of algae, a cosmopolitan traveler, and fascinating encyclopedia of health and nutrition with whimsical twists for fun, love and adventure.
Katharine recently completed two years as the Health Education Director at the Hipppocrates Health Institute in Florida. In July, Dr. Gabriel Cousens invited Katharine to speak as the sole female presenter at the Elders Conference at the Tree of Life. It's easy to imagine that dynamic Katharine could be an even more famous circuit speaker. Perhaps she is too free-spirited and too humble to take such ambitions seriously?
H: Katharine, What's inspiring you these days?
K: How many new and young raw fooders there are! A growing number of bloggers are not so knowledgeable, jumping on and off a healthy diet, but are very popular - which is amazing.
H: Perhaps because they are ridiculously honest?
K: Yes.
H: Katharine, What lights up your life?
K: Nature. Friends.
Katharine and I shared stories of the heart about our treasured friendships with many raw leaders including Dr. Gabriel Cousens, David Wolfe, and Viktoras Kulvinskas - the original presenters at the first Raw Spirit Festival back in May of 2005. As we spoke about the unfolding of relationships, we call now on all Raw Spirit leaders to lead by example regarding honoring differing perspectives, arousing the compassion that begets forgiveness, dignified respect, and unconditional lovingkindness. After all, We Are One LovIng Being expressing its magnificence in so many marvel-us ways. We are Godus.
We talked about the joys and challenges of creating community event, when Katharine surprised me.
K: The greatest thing about Raw Spirit Festival was that all the leaders were there. Raw Spirit was the first and only event that brought everyone from around the world together.
H: Interesting. Viktoras Kulvinskas and Gabriel Cousens, who have been the Raw Movement for decades, told me the same thing. Dozens of Raw Spirit leaders have asked me how the apparently-miraculous Raw Spirit gatherings happened year after year. Behind the scenes, as you know, Katharine, that I realized the only way I could pull it off was by the spiritual practice of radiating love while eating one's ego. I learned this while living at ashrams and at a particular Buddhist monastery in Thailand on and off for many years. With love filling my heart I consciously took responsibility and expressed my sorrow again and again for wrongs that I did not commit, and acted as a mediator between countless opposing parties. Thereby I willingly became a door mat, and eventually became the Raw Spirit Movement's most popular scapegoat. What an honor! (giggle) in order to bring us all together in relative peace and loving harmony to actualize the miraculous with 'education inspiration and celebration'.
Katharine shared how she founded and managed smaller events. After just a short while, she said she was disrespected by the entire group of about 100 participants who, unaware of the expenses, inaccurately imagined that she was raking in too much money. The next year Katharine wisely handed over the reins to the group to discover the challenges of event management for itself. Without Katharine's guidance and highly-energetic focus, the group failed. Spectacularly.
For decades I've wondered, Why is it that in Asia the ashrams, monasteries and even businesses often succeed for centuries? The followers respect the wisdom of the leaders. Here the youth and uniformed are sometimes less humble, respectful, or ready to help make things better. Instead it's vogue among some to complain and disdain without understanding. This attitude may be harming America more than any other factor. The leaders who are doing their best in all fields often lack support, so many of the best businesses are now on cosmic vacation.
H: After you leave summer Ashland, Oregon, what's next, my friend?
K: I love to live in summer around the year. My life is very open.
H: Your life always seems open. That's one of many reasons why I love you!
K: This autumn I'll be on a speaking tour of the East Coast.
H: Speaking about...?
K: "How Raw & Living Food Can Put You In The Mood!"
H: Any hints for how the readers can increase libido?
K: Durians. Figs contain seeds like little ovaries. Eating nuts increases libido, especially for men.
H: Men have nuts. They need to feed them.
K: Exactly. (giggle) For vitality, greens and sprouts.
H: A large bunch of parsley blended with water is apparently a great Viagra substitute. Katharine, you are so vibrant yourself. What are you eating for breakfast these days?
K: Chia and nutmilk, sometimes fermented like yogurt with local blackberries or other sub-acid fruits. Blackberry smoothies. Herbal teas with super blue green algae.
Since we both prefer summerlike weather we shared a few ideas of where we might meet in the tropics this winter. That Katharine has enjoyed ample sunshine in her life is evident in the warmth of her smile and sunlike sparkle in her eyes. If you'd like to book Katharine to present at your conferences health spa, yoga studio, home event, etc, call 808.280.8414 or healthworkshi@gmail.com
Katharine Clark is such a brilliant thinker and engaging communicator that I could have asked her questions all day, had not the phone rang. It was the amazing love-musician Larisa Stow calling for her interview which will be featured in next week's Raw Spirit Community News.
