Perspectives on Vegetarianism

Last Updated on August 5, 2015

I stopped eating meat when I was about 18 or so. I didn’t really have any logical reasons for stopping. I was simply aware that it did not feel like something I was meant to continue doing. Admittedly I had been practicing Yoga for some years prior to this time and through that I became very ware of the way my body and energy felt after eating meat. It was as if a glass of crystal clear water suddenly had some mud thrown into it. After eating red meat it would take up to a week or more for that feeling to pass away before the inner clarity I had become accustomed would return.

I didn’t like that feeling. The same feeling would arise when as a teenager I smoked marijuana—the dull feeling would last for up to two weeks afterward. So eventually I gave that up too. It would also come about after drinking alcohol—lasting for about 3-6 days. So eventually I gave that up as well. In hindsight I can see that the awareness that came about through Yoga really had quite an impact on my experience of life. Awareness is the crucial factor.

With regards to eating meat…
Over the years since I stopped eating meat I have learnt a lot about the nature of meat eating and animal products. I have learnt about factors such as:

• The horrors of the meat production industry;
• The madness involved in leather production in countries like India
• The environmental impacts of raising so many animals outside their natural environment;
• The vast array of health impacts meat and animal products have on the human body;
• The powerful international movements against meat eating and the incredible work people are doing to make people more aware of the issues at hand;
• The many well formed arguments and “scientific facts” and studies that support the idea that it is healthy to eat meat and animal products
• The many well formed arguments and “scientific facts” and studies that completely refute the idea that it is health to eat meat and animal products
• The metaphysical dynamics behind eating animal products and not eating animal products
• The spiritual philosophies and beliefs for and against eating animal products
• The hundreds of millions of starving people in the so called “third world” who could be feed the voluminous about of grain that we currently feed to animals for meat.
  … This list could go on… but I shall end it here

I am aware that there is much confusion with regards to whether Humans “should” or “shouldn’t” eat meat There are many so-called “facts”, figures and studies that drive an equally firm message for and against human consumption of animal products. I have seen charts with “12 Reason not to eat meat” that cite all sorts of studies and scientifically back reasons why man was never intended to eat meat and why we should stop (for a whole host of reasons). Yet I have also seen arguments that point by point refute all this reasoning with just as many studies and scientific reports.

There are those that say humans do not have the right digestive system for eating meat. They back this up with anthropological and biological evidence. Then there are those that say humans are designed for eating meat and they will back this up with anthropological and biological evidence.

Really what I have discovered is that meat eating and vegetarianism must ultimately be treated like everything else. Beliefs are futile and are only necessary for that which is not real. The direct experience and intuitive understanding that arises through Awareness is paramount to humanity’s liberation. Beliefs only get in the way of that unfolding. So whilst I honour and respect those who strongly “believe” one way or the other with regard to meat eating, that is not my path or way.

These days the bottom line for me, when it comes to meat eating, is this: If I don’t feel I could do what it takes the hunt, kill, hang, bleed, skin, gut, and carve up an animal (let’s say a pig, or sheep, or a cow for instance) then I have evolved beyond the act of eating such animals. If I continue to eat meat only because I can get it in a nice clear little package from the supermarket, what’s up with that? Would you eat meat if you had to go out and kill it yourself (along the the preparing of the dead animal into edible flesh)? Most meat eaters I know would fail to pass this challenge. What does that tell us about where humanity is really at?

My experience of adopting a vegetarian diet was not one that arose through belief and it was not a product of the mind. It arose through direct experience of my Soul’s disposition toward meat eating and also direct experience of how it felt—deep within my body and psyche—when I ate meat. That was the way I experienced it and hence that is the only path I am truly qualified to share with others. This is what I shall endeavour to do. I will now take the time to explain various observations I have made with regard to meat eating and vegetarianism.

1) Meat Eating and Your Energy Anatomy

The human body is made up of various layers. The densest is the physical body—the one that most people relate to and are aware of. There are other “bodies” that are not physical and for most people are unseen. These bodies include the etheric body (which sustains the physical with “prana”), the astral (through which our emotional reality comes about), the mental body (in which thoughts and through-forms arise and reside), and then the higher mental and spiritual bodies. It is the spiritual body that gives rise to Awareness and the experience of “I” or the “I Am”.

That is all I will say on our energy anatomy because it is not the purpose of this article to explore this topic in detail. If much of the above seems beyond your scope of understanding then I invite you to take some time to explore this topic more fully as it will give you a more enriched experience of life and your Self.

What I do intend to explore with you here is that when a human eats animal protein he will “digest” and process certain energies from the astral body of the animal. The presence of this astral energy (and those energies that result from its digestion) generally results in the person’s own astral body “backing off” and not coming as fully into the psyche as it would if this animal protein were not ingested. What this means at a practical level is that if you eat animal products you will not experience the full “matter” of your own astrality and the emotional content within the astral body. For most people this has desirable implications. Namely that it is easier to suppress unresolved and unwelcome emotions.

For anyone wishing to “wake up” and be more whole and conscious these implications are not so desirable. It is only by the content of our astral body coming into our direct experience where it can then be transformed by the power of spiritual Awareness that we can transcend the limitations of a blocked / stuck / dense astral body. It is through this trans-formative process that we can transmute life-taking emotions and emotional patterns. It is possible, perhaps for some, to access and transmute these emotional energies even when animal protein is being consumed but certain this is not the case for most of us.

Now I will add to this that not all people are ready to start fulfilling their human body’s astral requirements through their own energy field. Many people actually depend on the astral energy of animals to feed and sustain certain aspects of the body-mind system. To explain what I mean I liken this to the following:

If I jump into a really cold river my experience is that I really “come alive”. When I get out I feel warm, invigorated, energised, and just magnificent. The cold water actually invokes “life” within my body-mind to come forth and it is a great experience.

Many people getting into the same river will have a rather different experience. For many such as experience will result in them feeling cold, shivery, and even on the verge of hypothermia. Such a person may end up having to rest in bed with lots of blankets in order to get warm. It might “knock them out” (not literally) for much of the day – whilst they regain their inner warmth.

So what is the difference?

It is my observation that for the person in this later example their vital forces were so weak and not incarnated that there was simply not enough energy for the cold to elicit forth. Rather the body loses what little energy it has and felts cold and depleted afterward.

The dynamic illustrated by this example is the same dynamic that happens for many people when they stop eating animal products. My experience is that the absence of these animal products actually stimulates more of my own Soul and energy to come forth into the flesh and into my direct body experience. For some people, however, it will leave them feeling “depleted” on some level.

What I am saying here is that it is not necessarily appropriate to say that “all people must stop eating animal products now” and experience better health and well being. Some people have not evolved to that level yet. They are on their way, but they are not there yet. I will add that most of the people reading over an article such as this—and are not resisting everything contained herein—will, more than likely, be quite ready to stop eating animal products either immediately or over the course of time.

A key here is that those of us who are ready and able to cease eating animal products have a responsibility to overcome this destructive habit. Yes, if you have the capacity to live a healthy life without eating animal products then it is highly likely that the consumption of such products will have by now become destructive to your growth and evolution as a Soul and your health as a Human Being. I don’t ask you to believe this. By directly exploring your own nature with Awareness you will discover whether what I have just said resonates within you as Truth or falsity.

2) The Environment – In Brief

In my observation it is true to say that the environment can not sustain our mass production of animals for food. Over half the water used in America goes into raising animals. Vast volumes of grain goes into feeding them. Something like 15lbs of grain is required to product 1lb of bull meat.

Many scientific experts agree that if we closed the meet industry our greenhouse gas issues would be solved over night. Most of the gas affecting the atmosphere comes from the commercial raising of animals for food. The antibiotics feed to many commercially raised animals are (like most drugs) designed to be non-biodegradable. Many of them last for hundreds, even thousands, of years in the environment.

Did you know that in the USA over 10 billion animals are killed by humans for food every year? How much methane and excrement do you imagine that produces? Where do you think most of it ends up?

Put simply, the mass commercial raising and killing of animals is an environmental nightmare.

3) Vegetarianism – A Shift in Consciousness

The transition from meat eating over to not meat eating is ultimately a shift in consciousness. It will not by default bring about that shift in consciousness but it will most certainly arise from that shift in consciousness. Hence refraining from meat eating is not necessary going to make you “more spiritual” or Enlightened. If you stop eating meat on the basis of beliefs that you take on then you are in the same boat as the meat eater in that regard. He believes in eating meat and you believe in not eating meat. All beliefs are ultimately futile and self-limiting.

I will say that anyone chewing on a piece of pig or cow or chicken (or what-have-you) with full awareness of what is taking place will simply not be able to swallow that meat. Eating meat from that point on will not longer be possible. Under normal circumstances, it will be as likely as eating your own faeces on a day-to-day basis.

How does that Awareness come about? In my experience it came about through the intention to wake-up. It came about through Yoga, meditation, and—later on—through an understanding of what is involved in producing meat for human consumption.

4) “Human Beings were not meant to eat meat – outright”

I don not feel that it is correct to say that “Man was not designed to eat meat”. In some ways this statement is true and in some ways it is not. It is a complex issue, and more than I wish to cover in this article.

Based on where Humanity is presently at within the evolution of consciousness I would say that we are rapidly moving on from meat being a suitable source of sustenance. We are not all at the same stage though and hence I don’t not feel it is appropriate to project beliefs onto others about whether or not they are ready to move on from this meat eating paradigm. In my experience it is arrogant to assume that I might know what is best for other people. Only they can determine that and when the fail to figure it out Pain (in the form of disease, suffering, misery, unhappiness etc) will show them the path they are to take.

There was a time when we used to go out into nature—completely at one with nature actually—and hunt down an animal. It was killed quickly and with great honour and respect for its life. I feel that the meat obtained from such a kill would prove to be a very powerful and direct source of nutrition. The meat obtained from this kill, however, is completely and fundamentally different from the meat available to us in the supermarket and at the local butcher as far as sustenance (physical and energetic) and nutrition goes. Let’s not kid ourselves. Yes our ancient ancestors may have eaten meat but it was not the meat we eat today. It is like comparing the food you put in your mouth to the stuff that comes out of your butt a day later. They are the same in one regard, but entirely different in another—far more important—regard.

5) Love and Awareness

Please pause for a moment – at this time, as you read this. Feel. Breathe deeply and fully. Feel deeply. Now, if in this space you know that you are not particularly aware of the “issues” involved in the modern-day raising, slaughtering and consumption of animal products I invite you to take a look at some of the websites linked to from the FEAL LINKS PAGE. Go to the PETA.ORG site and take a look at the videos they present. Watch “Meet your Meat” and others.

If you took the time to look at the above referenced information you are now more aware of the nature of the animals-for-food industry. Again, I invite you to breathe, pause, be still and feel. If you feel that you are not aware of what it means to your body-mind when you eat animal products I now invite you to make a conscious intention in your life to start deeply exploring yourself; your emotions; your mind; your inner silence; your beliefs; your whole Being. This sort of exploration is very easy to get started on these days because the world is awash with thousands of books, courses, workshops and teaches all within this field of exploration.

When you know love and when you are present with your natural state of Awareness I suspect you will find that eating meat and many animal products will become near impossible. I am not saying you should give up these things. For now, if you still feel compelled to eat such things and to support what they represent then that is your journey and I honour that. I am simply saying that we are all alive on this planet to wake-up to Love and full Awareness of Reality. Hence it that journey that I encourage you to step into as fully as you feel able—and then a little bit more than that, just to ensure you move forward.

6) Choice

I am aware that the state of affairs with regards to the meat and dairy industry is so poor and disgraceful in many parts of the world that really, wherever you are at within yourself, whatever your state of consciousness, however aware or unaware you are you still have the capacity to make a choice. If you choose to eat meat then perhaps it would be wise to go out there are kill an animal in the wild as your ancestors once did—and I don’t mean with a rifle from a distance, whereby you never actually feel and honour the life of the animal about to become your prey. Buying meat from a supermarket or in a restaurant—where you don’t even experience the meat in it’s raw state before cooking and disguising it—is so far removed from reality that it is very easy to go on making the choice to continue consuming something—entirely out of habit and cultural influence—that would completely repulse you once you were aware of the full scope of just what that meat on your plate really represents.

I have put across the point, elsewhere in this article, that the transition from meat eating to vegetarianism is about a shift in consciousness. I don’t wish that perspective to be a source of apathy. Your consciousness is entirely YOUR responsibility. Your state of awareness is entirely your responsibility. The outcomes and effect of your consciousness and the choices you make are very real and are again your responsibility. I could also say that the transition from being a child molester to being someone who loves and cares for young children is also about a shift in consciousness. It’s your choice. Every choice has consequences. You are responsible for those consequences. It’s all about Cause and Effect. Do you wish to be the cause of massive suffering, environmental damage, health damage, animal abuse, starvation through misappropriation of resources, when all it would take is one simple choice to not be the direct contributor to all these things?
Educate yourself. Become aware of what’s what—any way you can. The world depends on it.

7) Connection

“But we don’t raise the animals like that in this country… we have much better standards than in America. Yes it is terrible what they are doing over there”.

This line of thought was put to me at one point when I showed someone the “Meet your meat” video (available at www.petatv.org) here in New Zealand. Yes, she is right, we do have very strict laws and regulations with regards to how animals are raised in this country. Our dairy and meat industry is considered to be one of the best in the world. Much of what goes on in America in this regard does not go on here in New Zealand. Yet I suspect that there is still much that does go on which—once again—if a New Zealander were to see it on video then their choices around consuming animal products would rapidly change.

Although what actually came to me the strongest was the deep knowing that there is no “them” and “us”— “Americans” and “New Zealanders” seperate and independant from each other. This is a political and social convenience that serves a certain purpose, yet in fact we are all one and deeply connected. Even at a very practical level America is presently having a massive life-taking* impact on this Planet and all of humanity. By making choices that support the brutal raising of animals for human consumption in one country I am in fact supporting a state of consciousness that exists within the global human psyche as a whole and however that thought-form plays out in the world I have now added to it and given it more energy through my power of choice.

Likewise, by making the choice not to support this sort of activity in my own country—even if they happen to raise animals relatively humanely—then I have essentially within my life-force, my energy from that thought-form or paradigm within the global human psyche.

There is connection between all human Beings that can not be avoided and it is directly influenced by the choices that each individual is making from moment to moment.

Conclusion

This article is proving to be quite long hence for now I will conclude it here. I have said more than enough.

I feel it should be clear in the above text that I am neither for nor against the eating of animal products. Your path is your path. Tread it wisely and you will be sure to experience and discover all that you have set out for yourself in this life.

My path is about serving those—who are interested and willing —on their path to being fully Awakened Human Beings. I know within my heart that Humanity is fast evolving into a state of consciousness that will simply not support the animal based industries we currently maintain in this world. If and when you feel inspired to make a transition in your diet away from the consumption of animal products then I know you will find all the support and information you require to fulfil that quickly and healthily.

* Sometimes I will use the terms “life-taking” and “life-giving”. This comes back to the knowing that in Reality no-thing is in fact “negative”, “positive”, “good”, “bad” etc. These are value judgments that are the product of the ego-mind in its attempt to assess its ego-projected world. In Reality there is simply that which is “life-taking” and that which is “life-giving”. It is our responsibility to choose which of these two we which to gravitate towards in our actions and state of Being. I thank the Ancient Hawaiian Kahuna for putting this observation into an easily understood form such as what I have just mentioned here.