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The International Teachers Conference

“The Future of Macrobiotics” 

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This first international teacher’s conference had a natural, organic evolution.  The idea was conceived and organized by friends in Lisbon, notably Chico Varatojo, who directs the Macrobiotic Institute of Portugal, and Bill Tara, an American who currently lives in Portugal.  People from around the world were invited. A self-selected group of participants gathered — all dedicated to macrobiotic education in some aspect, whether cooking, shiatsu, counseling or other work.

In June, 2007, when I received an email announcement and invitation, I quickly accepted.  The dates worked out perfectly for me since I was scheduled to teach in London during the following week.Macrobiotics as an organized movement has declined over the past 10 years.  There are small pockets of activity in certain regions — in the U.S., in England, Europe, and in Japan in recent times, but on the whole there are few active centers or new teachers.Against this background, I felt excited and open to re-connecting with many friends from the past and meeting new friends, especially Europeans. I was happily surprised to find that nearly all of the past friendships immediately revived and that any past difficulties had been washed away by time and change.  I was equally pleased to meet many new people for whom I felt respect and friendship.I believe that the re-vitalization and re-orientation of macrobiotics is in order for it to have a meaningful voice in the world today. This requires each of us to find his or her true calling.  And it requires each of us to re-evaluate who we are, what we are doing, and what we want to achieve in our lives.  These past 10-15 years have provided—and, in my opinion, demanded—that we discover and re-define our visions.  It is in this sense that I was curious to learn more about the work, experiences, thoughts and visions of my colleagues.One reason for the positive energy that occurred during this conference was everyone’s willingness to discuss openly areas of conflict and differences.  While sparks flared a few times, these conflicts seemed to bring a new clarity, even if painfully so. Overall, though, the mood and mind-set was one of openness, even eagerness, to exchange ideas in a respectful way.The basic daily schedule included 2-3 presentations in the morning and again in the afternoon, with each presentation followed by a group discussion.  Presentations were allotted 30 minutes, though I must admit that mine lasted for an hour, surely the longest!  It was decided that the discussion times would be in a circle, with a moderator.  Overall, this worked well.  A list of all of the presentations is at the end of this article.There were over 60 participants.  People came mostly from European countries and some from America.  Besides Portugal, there were people from Spain, Belgium, Holland, England, Sweden, Germany, Croatia, Israel and possibly other countries, too.  The group’s large size presented a challenge for creating good flow for sharing and communication.  The other problem was the disparity of macrobiotic experience among the attendees.  Some people had only a few years experience, while others had 30-40 years.  In the future, I expect that there will need to be some stronger criteria for attendance.In my opinion, this conference was historic because of two factors.  First, it took place in Europe, not America.  And second, Michio Kushi was not present.  Michio was honored and acknowledged as the leader and inspiration that he has been. However, it served this community of people to have autonomy from Michio. In order to see more clearly and to speak more fully, this forum needed to happen as it did.  It was a small step into the large future.Tremendous thanks and gratitude are due to Chico Varatojo’s leadership, to his wife, Eugenia, who was very involved, and the Institute’s friendly staff for conducting such a smooth and relaxed program in Lisbon. Special thanks go to Ida Candeias, the head chef, and her helpers, who created delicious lunches daily. Lisbon is a beautiful city. We were able to walk wherever we went, from the hotels to the Institute, to restaurants and for fresh Mediterranean air and sights of colorful buildings and streets. Camaraderie extended into the evenings with informal gatherings, good conversation and good food in nearby restaurants. I left the Conference with a sense of optimism, such as I have not felt in years, that macrobiotics can flourish in the future.

The plan is to create a second International Teacher’s Conference in November 2008, location undecided at present.  I look forward to attending again and helping forge a new meaning of macrobiotics for the 21st century.