Early Roots of Macrobiotics
Introduction
Today, partly due to misunderstanding and partly due to the way we have communicated 
macrobiotics for the last twenty years, macrobiotics is often viewed by the general public (as well as many who personally practice it) as another one of many health food diets. When most people think of “macrobiotics,” they think of the “macrobiotic diet.” Very few are aware of the origins and philosophical basis of macrobiotics. And among some of those who are aware of macrobiotic philosophy, some view it as “esoteric,” “mystical,” “too foreign,” etc. Some macrobiotic teachers today choose not to mention any of the philosophical background of macrobiotics, presenting it solely as a diet, recipes, etc., explained and taught more from the point of view of modern science and popular nutrition.
In Process 1 you will be studying the philosophical and theoretical foundations of macrobiotics. The point in this study is not to memorize the macrobiotic philosophical views but to investigate the origins of macrobiotics. All of the various macrobiotic subjects that are taught today such as diet, cooking, diagnosis, home remedies, shiatsu, healing theory, etc., have their roots in these original macrobiotic philosophies and theories. Knowing something of this background can help us understand the roots from which modern macrobiotic practice has grown.
