This article is reprinted from MacroMuse Magazine. Copyright © by the publisher, Michae! Rossoff. To reproduce, please contact the publisher at MichaelRossoff.com. The Official View of Macrobiotics by Michael Rossoff Over ton years of lecturing and counseling people on macrobioties, 1 have been frequently ask: fed questions which are based, consciously or not, fn the presuaption thet mecrobiotle teaching’ he Specific, even absokite, answers to everything. ‘The uestioner presumes that there is an vofficialY macro Biotic view or rule for every question. These can range from the mundane (When is it bost to go 10 Sleep?) to the profound (What Is the correct role of foun and woman in marviage?), Usually the person faking Just wanta the ‘correct’ answer. Yet, oven if there is a factual answer, this is not the paint. The eal matter {s how we can discover the answer for Surscives, ‘There is no "official view for a macrobiotic lite Rather mucrobiotio philosophy offers simple, clear find Balanced way to make your own best decisions. This tool Is called the Unique Principle. Underlying. the meaning of it stands the spirit of non-credo, do hot bolleve (see MacroMuse, Number 4, Non-Credo & the Unique Principle). With this attitude of non-credo, 4 you enn become free from endless dualities such ss Fight/wrong, good/bad, purity/sin. The Unique Principle is the most concise expression of the orderly 7 hmovement of nature, to which we are intimatel nected. Fathoming end then applying this understand- tyetve THEOREMS OF THE ing in your Ifo requires your wetive participation on every levsl--body, mind and spirit. The outeome Js a transformation from using macrobiotics solely for better personal health, to wanting to embrace ntirely now vistas Of awareness, wholeness, freedom fand responsibility. This Is why ‘George Ohsawa hloknamed the Unique Prineiple, the Megic Spectecles Our entire culture ongraine us with dogma, The right way to do thinge; the acceptable stages of fgromth: the approved methods of health care; the ‘Winner is the greatest: the statue of money and fame; and so on. Ne automatically seo all approsches tw life only a5 more dogma. So when we bagen. hecrobiotics, it was easy to view it as yet another dogm: there foods are "good," while others are “oad.” We wanted that expression. Even when it is not communicated that way, we stil translated those term in @ twisted fashion.” Likewise, when asking bout social order, spiritual development. ete.» the Same sental mechanism asserts @ distorted inter pretation. Gradually, by # willingness to Usten frith an open mind, to experience with an open heart, and to sense with a (see spirit, we begin to recognize that there ig a new moaning to macro: bictics."Now we are at the threshold of great Our delusions and dogmas vanish, our feonetiousneas aperiies with ineignte and wonder. the gateway to a renewal of life. ‘There may be teachers of rucrobiotice who are dogmatic in their expression, and therefore dualistic in thair own lives. They are attached to thelr Wnlted egos, which insulate them from discovering their grester human potentials, Eventually they will change, of you wil someday become their teacher, acrobiotice is the greatest step toward # sane, even enlightened, health. Yet this reward ‘challenges each of Us, everyday, to pursue our highest potentials using the desire ahd will of our entire being Below are the Principles and Theorems of the Unique Principle. Read them clossly. "Think of at least 10 exemples confirining each one. Can you disprove any? Io there any aspect of life, from the fnleroscople to the macroscopic, which cannot be ‘understood by these? Do these help you resog= hlze the connectedness of all things, animate or inanimate? For those readers who are more familiar with the Unique Principle, please write about how it het affected your life, your views, awareness, ete. OF perhaps you would like to write about an experience ‘or persomial study thst was enhanced when you lunderstood it by the Unique Principle. In future Jsoues of the Macrotluse there will be a speci! series of articles on the diverse and far-reaching mesning find applications of the Unique Principe. With this attitude of non-credo, you can become fre from end: less dualties such as, right/wrong, good/ bag, purty/sin. SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE 4. Everything ia a differentiation of one Infinity. 2. Everything changes. 5. All antagonisms are complementary. ‘There ta nothing tdantical. 8) What has 9 front haw 8 buck. & igger the front, the bigger the back 3 beginning hes an end. By a willingness to listen with an open ‘mind, to experience with an open heart, and to sense with a free spirit, we begin to recognize that there is a new mean: ing to macrobioties. UNIFYING PRINCIPLE 1. Ong Infinity manifests itself into complementary land antagonistic tendencies, yin and yang. in {ts endiess chenge. 2. Yin'and yang are manifested continuously from the eternal movement of one infinite universe: Yin Fepresents contrifugaiity. Yang represents centripetality. Yin and yang together produce ‘energy and sil phenomena. 4, Yin attencts yang. Yang sttrvcts yin 5. Yin repels yin. Yang repels. yang Yin and yang combined in varying proportions produce different phenomena. ‘The atraction nd repulsion among phenosicna is proportional to the difference of the yin and yong forces 1. All phenomens are ephemeral, constantly changing ‘their constitution of yin and yang forces; yin changes into yang, yang changes into. yin Nothing is solely ia or solely yang. Everything {a composed of Both tendencies in varying degrees, 8. There is nothing neuter. ither yin or yang is in cexoeae in every occurrence. 10, Large yin attracte smell yin. Large yang attracts Our delusions and ‘ent yang dogmas vanish, our 11, Extreme Yin produces yang, end extrone yang consciousness 12, Ril'physical forms and objects are yang at the sparkles with in- Genter and yin at the surface sights and wonder. Michae! Rosaoff co-directe the East West Conter of Washington, D.C. He began studying macrobiotics {n Boston in 1063. Since completing acupuncture training in London in 1973, he has lived in the Washington area. Hie hobbies include photography and playing the plana.