Has anyone completed the 3 month live-food apprenticeship with Dr. Gabriel Cousens at the Tree of Life?

If yes, can you please share your experiences ( both the good and the not quite so good) and tell me if it was worth the $$ ?

I'm thinking of possibly going, but I'm not quite sure yet.

It would be great to get feedback as to the value of the program, particularly how valuable it would be for people who have had a lot of raw "classroom" experiences.

Thank you!


i breathe in
i breathe out
peace
love
courage
Bikini

nope
never had
the farming permaculture thing at the Tree of Life sounded kind of interesting though
but then again
after all that work
i would probably want to just keep all that land and cultivated plant to myself
instead of leaving it after the 'apprenticeship"

has anyone done the permaculture thing there?

I think it would be more prudent to get a job there, even if it's only at a very low level such as washing dishes. That way you could check out the place and the vibe and get paid while doing so. If you really like it, then you can make the big financial committment.

I think Cousens does a lot of great work. But he also does a lot of shifty things, like selling tachyons, expensive supplements, etc. So I would advise keeping your eyes open and your head level.

Arugula,

What do you mean by shifty?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

shifty:

1. Having, displaying, or suggestive of deceitful character; evasive or untrustworthy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Why is it shifty to sell supplements? I also sell supplements, and I use a tachyon disc on my computer.

Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2006 09:04AM by Mike.

Dr. Cousens appears like one of the most well informed pioneers of nutrition in the world. He is a legend and he looks like the most healthy 63-year old I've ever seen. David Wolfe has been or is his apprentice and that says quite a lot. Although, I would actually put Dr Douglas Graham even higher.

shifty:
[skepdic.com]

more troubling, and not vegan!
[www.inblogs.net]

THAT'S troubling....

If it's true, I'm shocked. Who can you trust in this world?

I don't believe that second article. It was written by Quackbuster, aka Stephen Barrett, who is an idiot who poo poos anything natural.

That first article is just an opinion. The book Tachyon Energy is very well researched. I use Tachyon products every day.

Cousens knows how to heal diabetes:
[www.rawfor30days.com]

His program works better than any other program I have read about.

Also, listen to his radio show:
[www.worldtalkradio.com]

Cousens is amazing! He is my favorite teacher.

I put on a raw foods festival last month and Cousens was our main speaker. I spent two full days with him.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2006 04:25PM by Mike.

Cousens had me on about 30 supplements at once for several hundred to a thousand dollars a month. Plus his medical fees. I was desperate to try something new so I gave it a shot. It didn't work for me.

Love,
Uma

Hi Uma,

Why didn't Cousens program work for you?

arugula,
Do you really read the Quackbuster website?

Mike

Once you learn the basic principles of health and raw food, your body is your teacher, it will tell you if you are doing the right thing or not.

I listen to my body and the Cousens, Wolfe, Storms are not that important to me. They are running a business.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2006 04:14AM by djatchi.

uma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cousens had me on about 30 supplements at once for
> several hundred to a thousand dollars a month.
> Plus his medical fees. I was desperate to try
> something new so I gave it a shot. It didn't work
> for me.
>
> Love,
> Uma


What kind of supplements? Personally, I would only use supplements transatorily until I can eat a balanced 100% raw diet with foods as they occur in nature.

I have , and honestly folks, while I was there I met other people who did it before us and before us..and we all felt the same way..the food is amazing, but the energy there bad

I have theories...
the no fruit diet makes you very uneasy and everyone, always was fighting and screaming, in meetings and there was gossip and really uncomfortable situations..we all had to sleep in the same room and well, there were always problems and people broke down and cried and there was drama.. too much..

my friend came to visit and he didn't want to stay on the grounds..

plus everyone is into weird jewish/magic/ indian religious ceremonies and its too weird for me.

sorry!! I like to be and say nice things...but it was my experience..

PLUS I spent thousands of my hard earned dollars on all these pills that he made us believe we needed, he tells you your blood is dirty, even if you are raw and well, it scared us all into buying things ..





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2006 07:21PM by coconutcream.

It is obvious that when you eat to fullfill an emotional need you're going to have to let all the emotions, that you've tried to surpress, out and work with them when you change to a diet which can no longer be a substitute for happiness. I can't know that that's the case for your roommates, but it's a guess.


I believe that every food is perfect in it's whole natural state, which is a theory I share with Dr. Douglas Graham, and I don't understand how Cousens seems to think in another direction.

By the way, you look hot coconutcream!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2006 07:36PM by Brand new heart.

Thank you Brand new heart...

yes alot of people there came as residents and they were sick and overweight and there were some issues.. serious ones... people would act all crazy and stuff and it was , well, pretty bad..we had to live with them and deal..

other shy guys became , well, domineering and demanding.. and other girls started having food issues we had to help with ..plus there was jealousy over who gets to make cakes all the time and it was anger anger anger all the time.. even I felt bloated all the time and slept alot.. alll we could drink were nut mylks and green juices..everything had nuts in them, every dish.. and greeens..nothing sweet and if we were allowed it was a ton of agave mixed with ...more nuts!!!and hahaha there was alot of childish things going on..throw in a nude hottub and some daily prayers meditaion chanting drum circle sweatlodges and you got a show!

I guess if you are a transient hippie with no place to go you could work there and live there forever and it would be nice, get a teepee and stuff, but I am a tiny bit sophisticated for that..I like working hard and I love things..

I learned how to make raw food there and that's all that matters to me and it was good course...

A couple people asked about my Cousens experience and why it didn't work...

I don't remember the whole protocol because it was so long and involved and a few years ago. I had this huge spreadsheet with a long long list of supplements and then about 8 columns for "upon waking", "5 minutes before breakfast", "with breakfast", "1 hour before lunch", "5 minutes before lunch", "with lunch", etc. etc. till bed, you get the picture so each pill would say when to take it, usually a few times a day. I was popping powders and pills and capsules and drops and whatever, _all day long_ like a true obssessive-compulsive. I was so depressed and upset about it but he convinced me to give it a try. I went to him because i was very sick, nothing else so far had worked, I was fortunate to be able to afford to see him and several people told me he was the best. So I took a leap of faith.

I was on several different amino acids for brain/mood balancing (read: "natural" antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills), various vitamins, green powders, probiotics, minerals, ayurvedic herb powders, growth hormones, homeopathic remedies, *several* different digestive enzymes, I don't even remember the rest of it. What's funny, is when I started asking about food combining, he told me it was all in my head and I best not think about it because it only really matters if you worry about it. YET, he had me taking maybe 6 or 7 digestive enzyme capsules with each meal (a few different types), and recommending a diet of high-fat, combo-a-bombo horribly food-combined meals with tons of salt and spices and oil and nuts and nuts and nuts and nuts! (Funny, once I started food combining, I didn't need any digestive enzymes anymore! Go figure.) For my "candida" and "hypoglycemia" and whatever other reasons, I was on the almost-no-fruit diet. (Now my diet consists of almost all fruit, no supplements, and I am a much happier, healthier Uma!)

I was feeling more emotionally balanced in a disturbing (drugged) way (read:zombified) and also had more energy from all the stimulating supplements I was taking (such as heaps of ashwaganda for the adrenals). But real healing was not occurring. At some point I finally broke and _could not do it_ anymore. The day I threw all those pills away was SO liberating.

And the rest is history!

I do remember some positive experiences about the Tree: I had an enjoyable week-long juice fast with yoga with some neat energy experiences. There were some neat people apprenticing there. The temple was beautiful and I liked some of the meditation tools he taught. The food was De-Licious (like you'd eat at a gourmet raw restaurant -- just not advised for 3 times a day fare!). He was a nice man, I don't think he had ill-will, we are just NOT on the same page.

Coconut Cream, your experience at the Tree sounds familiar, as I visited there several times over a couple years and got to know some of the staff and hear their melodrama stories!

Wow.

See, that's what is wierd to me. He is againts a natural fruit diet, but he has people swallowing unnatural pills and has food that has agave nectar and nuts, nuts, nuts. I mean, maybe once in a while you can have a food like that, but what about the wholesome fruits?

And also, in my studies, I have come to an understanding that if you make a raw pizza, it will digest like a raw pizza. Now with fruit, there is only one process to break down the sugars. Much easier on the gastrointestinal system.

I am glad to hear you are doing well now, uma. I like your story there. And you too, coconutcream.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2006 01:36PM by shep252.

Interesting everybody... very interesting!

To think that he uses Agave Nectar (that's not raw?!!)

Oh, well. Thank god that I have my own Living Food Center and can share all my experiences with my patients. And all of you have a part of my experence and knowledge.

Thank you guys!

> To think that he uses Agave Nectar (that's not raw?!!)

<all-together-now> Oh yes it is! </all-together-now>

;-)

Ian

But why would you want to consume agave nectar when you can enjoy sweet, raw fruit with the fiber still intact?

> But why would you want to consume agave nectar when you can
> enjoy sweet, raw fruit with the fiber still intact?

Depends on what your goal is. If you're making a pie crust, date makes a great sweetener. If you're making a pie filling, fruit (say bananas and strawberries) makes a great sweetener. If you're making a cream for a pie topping and want it as close to real cream in taste, appearance and texture, then agave nectar makes a great sweetener.

We've got all these great things we can use to make wonderful creations, I see no reason to not use something (other than if I don't like it).

Cheers,
Ian.
[Edit: fixed typo]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2006 09:28PM by sodoffsocks.

Oh, I didn't meant to make a "?" in my statement that Agave Nectar was not raw. I only meant "!!".

Kisses!

sodoffsocks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > To think that he uses Agave Nectar (that's not
> raw?!!)
>
> Oh yes it is!
>
> ;-)
>
> Ian

Sodoffsocks,

I don't mean to cause debate or anything because I believe you should eat what you want. But I just want to see where you are coming from so here is a question. Which do you think is more optimal fruit or agave nectar? Do you eat any fruit at all? I'm just wondering.

What is optimal? Well, that depends on what you want to do, from a nutrition point of view fruit is the better source of sweetness. I do eat fruit and a fair amount of it, I eat way more fruit than I eat agave.

But I still find agave useful for make gourme style cakes and pies, mainly where it would be tricky to use something else and still have the desired effect. Normally only a small amount of agave is required anyway.

As for agave not being raw, anybody care to expain on that. How are companies allowed to sell raw agave if it's not raw?

Cheers,
Ian.

I want to thank all of you who so honestly and openly replied to my query about the Tree of Life apprenticeship. While I knew for a long while that he promoted supplements, which didn't really disturb me, what has given me pause are the comments about the energy at the place, and the energy of the staff. Gossip, drama, and staff who are experiencing emotional breakdowns from detoxing off fruit sugars doesn't sound like much fun or enjoyable. While I know that these are only some opinions and not all there is, I am hesitating about participating now. I'm also curious. You'd think that staff, being that they are at the center long enough and aren't just weekly guests, would have had enough time to adjust to the non-fruit/super low fruit diet and smoothed out their emotional and physical highs and lows as the low-glycemic Rainbow Green diet is supposed to do. Possibly the diet is harder to adjust to and maybe takes longer for some people to re-set their inner digestion....?

I've heard some glowing reports from people over the last few years, off and on, at how much they learned from a live-food culinary perspective during their stay as an apprentice at the Tree of Life. Perhaps apprenticeships are different than guest stays. Or perhaps not. I'm not clear yet intuitively so I think I will continue to prowl around a little bit longer in my search for
ex-apprentices in my home town to see if I can get some more 1st hand feedback before making up my mind for sure.


Thanks again. I appreciate all your support.



i breath in
i breathe out
peace
love
courage
Bikini

Go for it, just stay off all the nuts and your moods will be nice.

Does anybody want to see my photo journal of the food we ate when I was there?Pages

8, 9 and 10 here:
[smg.photobucket.com]

[smg.photobucket.com]

[smg.photobucket.com]

Those are awesome photo's, thank you for sharing coconutcream!

Mike

Wonderful, wonderful photo's,
thank you so much!

Can you tell me about the cake shaped like a house? Is the roof 'fruit leathers'?

Anna