On Vegetarianism

On Vegetarianism.

Whenever I feel an urge to write a philosophy post, it comes from a place within myself that starts to bubble up to my throat, seeking expression. Sometimes I reflect on the nature of what I want to say and know that it’s a message just for me – other times I feel compelled to share and invariably hear back that the message is perfectly timed for others. I’m in a quandary over an energy rising within me for the last few days and whether to share or not, because I know it will cause controversy. Anyway here I am! It’s about eating meat. A few weeks ago I was driving to teach a workshop in our Healers Course in Brisbane and had to pass 2 semi-trailer trucks loaded with cows who had little room to move. Having grown up on a farm, I knew these cows were headed for slaughter. I felt sick, panicked, over-whelmed with grief and as I passed the trucks, I sent as much love and reiki as I could, all the while sobbing my heart out. I love animals and I personally do not condone mass raising of animals to eat (in particular factory farming where the animals have no room to move). I do, however, accept that eating meat is a part of our human culture since the beginning of time and is an important ritual at the right time. I have been blessed to have a partner who has lived with and is a member of a Native American Apache tribe and can explain eating meat from an indigenous perspective. This has assisted me incredibly since when we met I was a fanatical yogi who was practicing vegetarianism (but secretly craved fish). If you want to know more about indigenous tribes and their traditional view of eating meat, watch the movie Avatar – it clearly highlights how to do it right and to only eat meat sparingly and for an appropriate occasion. Whether you agree or not, many indigenous cultures believe we are assisting the animal to grow in consciousness by becoming part of the human’s energy. We are all energy and there is no death, only a transforming of energy. Could it be possible it is the will of animals to merge with a human’s evolution to asset their own evolution? Food for thought (pardon the pun). Ultimately there is no right or wrong in this world. There is nothing you can ever do that would banish you from God’s Kingdom. We are all here to grow in consciousness and learn from our experiences. Only you can know what serves your highest good and your INTENTIONS for doing so. If you are a judgmental vegan or vegetarian, then the energy of superiority can outweigh the higher intention of treating animals well. I have encountered plenty of people who assert rules over meat eating and make others feel less than and parade around as if they are somehow more holy. I have also been on the receiving end of ridicule from people who eat meat and tell me ‘just eat it!’ as if there’s something really wrong with my choices. So after many, many years of trying different ways, here’s my truth – if I am ok with catching my own food, then I can eat it. If I am not ok with it, I choose not to eat it. I am ok with seafood, it sits well with me in terms on knowing if I had to survive in the wild, I could get my own. If one day I felt I could eat other animals, then I feel my next step would be to guarantee it was free range, treated well, slaughtered humanely and eaten sparingly. It’s a contentious issue, but I invite you to find your own truth. Take the time to properly educate yourself about how animals are raised and killed. There’s plenty of documentaries about it. Check in with your own conscience. As the Native Americans say, “Do what YOU know to be right.”

Carrie