Often when I bring up the plight of non-human animals, my friends will come back with the question, “What about people? Don’t you care about people?” I used to wonder why this question would come up, but I am no longer startled. The answer is, of course I care about people! That’s why I am in the people business. I am here to raise consciousness on this planet in every way. As we evolve, we will not just talk about Oneness and Universal Love. We will come closer to actually living it. And as we come closer to living in alignment with our deeply held beliefs, we will become bolder, more authentic people. We will be less internally conflicted, and more at peace. We will be freer. Professing our belief in Oneness and Universal Love while simultaneously hurting, killing and eating other beings makes for a crazy interior life. If we give it any consideration, we are simply not able to reconcile our sense of ourselves (the idea that we are good and caring people), our beliefs (the ideas that we are all One and killing is morally wrong), with our actual behaviors (the fact that we pay other people to kill innocent sentient beings because we want to/like it). You will likely want to defend yourself against that last phrase. After all, you don't really like to hurt or kill anyone. Or you certainly don't want to think that you do. So if you actually do, it must be something that you can't help doing, that you absolutely need to do, or that you are supposed to do. Alternatively, you might think that there is something wrong with me and/or what I am saying to you. You might then respond/deflect with comments like, “But animals are meant for us to eat,” or “Human beings need meat for health/survival,” or “From the beginning of time, we have always eaten animals,” or "But I only buy certified humane products," or “What about plants?” or “Lions eat other animals,” or “People are more important than animals,” or “Alaskan Eskimos live on only meat,” or “What about abortion?” or “Our human body is designed to consume animal products,” or “I don't want to look at this – you are making me feel guilty,” or any number of other responses that keep you (or me) distracted and not having to actually reconcile behaviors with values and beliefs. (By the way, I hear these responses/questions all the time - I did not make them up. Sometimes they are legit inquiries. More often they are diversions. Brief answers can be found at the bottom of this blog.) This is called cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time; performs an action that is contradictory to their beliefs, ideas, or values; or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas or values. (Scientific American, 1962 v. 207, L. Festinger) The inner anxiety causes us to rationalize, defend, deflect, project, blame, live unconsciously, split off or pretend. Rather than look at ourselves and take steps to be in better alignment, we shift our attention to something or someone else. Cognitive dissonance is the place in our consciousness where we shore ourselves up, rationalize/ignore our discontinuities, terminate reflection and inquiry, and stop growing. It is antithetical to the spiritual path! When we are on the spiritual path, we seek to grow our consciousness. We seek to broaden our understanding of all Life and deepen our relationship with the Divine. We seek to become more of our spiritual nature and less driven by ego. Given that, wouldn’t it follow that we would naturally be grateful to have our inconsistencies exposed so that we may more closely tune ourselves to Harmony, Love and Peace? This is our heart's true desire. But that’s not how it always goes down. Awakening can be messy business. It forces us to look at our lives honestly. The good news is, when we awaken, we can actually get out of the nightmare that we are living in. I call it a nightmare because that is what it is for the animals. I believe it is also a nightmare for our souls that yearn to fully embody Kindness and Compassion. In this nightmare (which we inherited) we are humans who purposefully, repeatedly and systematically reproduce sentient beings – beings who have awareness, personalities, experience suffering, have their own interests and desperately want to live. We produce them so that we can do to/with them whatever we want, including but not limited to shortening their lives with a violent death. And we do all this when we have no biological or situational need to do so. In every other arena in our society we would find this abhorrent. My friends, Oneness is Oneness. Kindness is Kindness. Universal Love is Universal. It applies indisciminately to everyone. It cannot co-exist with using other beings for our personal wants any more than it can co-exist with human slavery. At the depth of our being, we know this. You may not yet be ready to wake up completely, but perhaps finding this page is evidence that the voice of your higher Self or inner child is knocking at your door. Let it lead you. © carol saunders 2016 Thank you for listening. If you are interested in looking into a plant-based lifestyle, here are a few links that might help you: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vsk http://www.nutritionmd.org/makeover/basics/go_veg_start.html http://www.peta.org/living/food/free-vegan-starter-kit/ Here are brief answers to the questions hypothetically posed in the above blog. They will likely be handled in separate blogs at a later date: "But animals are meant for us to eat." Says who? We made this up! It's not even in the Bible. All beings have their own purpose. “Human beings need meat for health/survival.” Humans have no inherent biological or nutritional need for animals products. We also live in a society where there are so many healthy plant-based options. See the links above for guidance. “From the beginning of time, we have always eaten animals.” There are dissenting views on this. Here is one of many that claims it is not true. From a cultural perspective it's irrelevant though. Would you use history to justify other human activities like slavery, child labor, war, living without indoor plumbing, etc.? We are evolving. "But I only buy certified humane animal products." Beware of misleading labels. They want to mislead you so you feel better about your purchase. "What about plants?” Plants have no central nervous system and are not sentient. “Lions eat other animals.” Yes they do. And we are not lions. “People are more important than animals.” I will never ask you to elevate the importance of animals above people. You are welcome to think that humans are more important than non-humans. I am asking you to consider non-human animals as sentient beings - a who, not a what. Choosing to not kill animals for food or clothing doesn't take anything away from any of your efforts to help humanity. “Alaskan Eskimos survive on only meat." Yes they do. It shows how resilient the human body is! They also don't have community gardens, farmers markets, Kroger or Whole Foods like the vast majority of us do. We have choices. “What about abortion?” This is deserving of its own blog. What I can say now is these are separate issues. "Our human body is designed to consume animal products.” No, it really isn't. “I don't want to look at this – you are making me feel guilty.” I understand. It is hard to look. But looking is how we grow. Remember that guilt is a mechanism of the psyche to help us to align our behaviors with our values. Do not dwell in guilt but pay attention to it! It is telling you something! This is definitely worthy of a future blog.
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On the eve of Thanksgiving Day, I am moved to express how deeply grateful I am for all the people who work tirelessly for the freedom of animals. You are the angels on this planet. Unsung heroes. For those who are on the front lines working undercover in factory farms and slaughterhouses, under the most demanding circumstances, thank you. You are doing such important work exposing one of the darkest shadows of our culture. You reveal to the world how the animals we use for our own purposes are treated. You give us the opportunity to see reality for ourselves, hold our society accountable and make better choices. For all who are engaged in the rescue of the fortunate few animals who escape their dark fates, thank you. You are doing such important work by giving these blessed beings a free and natural life. You give the rest of us an opportunity to experience their gentle natures, individual personalities and endearing qualities. You help us to become aware and make better choices. For all who help the animals in need who cross your paths - giving them food, comfort, shelter or a home - thank you. You are doing important work. You are showing the best of human nature to animals who may have never before experienced compassion from a human being. And your compassionate action is ringing loudly through the world and blessing us all. For all who financially support the animal education, advocacy and rescue organizations, thank you. You are doing important work. Your generosity of Spirit and willingness to share your prosperity is what supports the movement and contributes to the evolution of humanity and the world. For all who blog and post on Facebook or Twitter, who table at events, write books, publish YouTube videos or communicate by whatever means is available to you about the plight of our non-human animal friends, thank you. You are doing important work. Because of you our message is spreading into the world. And you give the one person who is ready to listen that day the opportunity to awaken. For those who have heeded the call, awakened to the plight of the animals and are in the process of taking practical steps to live in alignment with your values of non-violence and compassion, thank you. You are doing important work. We all know how hard it is to change deeply rooted life patterns. It challenges us to move beyond our comfort zones. It can also challenge our relationships and sense of culture and community. But through your integrity and by your actions, you save the lives of so many animals, set an example for others for what is possible and give us all hope. For every person who plants seeds in your daily conversations with people, encouraging them to widen the circle of compassion to include all sentient beings, thank you. You are doing important work. By gracefully and compassionately giving voice to this, over time, we will awaken the world. I feel deep gratitude today for all the boys and girls and men and women who are a part of this movement that is actively breaking through the next moral barrier. You see the Truth - that our non-human animal friends are divine expressions of Creation with their own interests, not things to objectify for our own desires. You are in action helping our animal friends live freely and also helping people to see the Truth for themselves. You are angels. And even if the majority of our world rejects our message at this time in history, there will be a time when it will be otherwise, because of your courageous actions and powerful voice. Ours is a movement of Love, Kindness, Compassion and Peace. It is fundamentally Good. Good for all. There will always be violence in our world as long as it is okay to hurt animals. And any move toward more kindness and less violence on our planet is good for all. Thank you to all who are tirelessly at work to make our world a kinder and gentler one. © carol saunders 2016 "I want to thank you show my gratitude
My love and my respect for you I want to thank you." from Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Matthew 5:9 At the depth of our being is Spirit. Some people call this God within. Some call it Lord. Others call it their higher Self. Whatever you call it, it is our Spirit-self that seeks to express as Love, Compassion and Understanding. Even though we often ‘miss the mark,’ those of us on spiritual paths are always striving to become a clearer expression of Love, Compassion and Understanding. We turn within for clarity and guidance. How are you allowing your Spirit-self to guide you today? Will you allow it to bring light to the choices you make in your everyday life? It’s really very simple. When faced with a choice, ask yourself: Most of us like to think we are kind people. We help people in need. We may perform random acts of kindness. We give to causes we believe in or to people in need. We say nice things to other people to lift them up. We do our best to appreciate the contributions of others and to be cordial toward those who are more difficult. We do what we can to not hurt others. We also do our best to be aware of the times when we are not kind and strive to do it better the next time around. And we are certainly put off by what looks to us like unkind people or unkind acts. But in our complex society, our impact on others can sometimes be completely invisible to us. As consumers we may have no idea if we are participating in something that is kind or not. But we can do due diligence to find out. We can give it some dedicated thought and put our minds and hearts in gear! Here is one thing that may have never crossed your mind: eggs. We eat them for breakfast. We use them to make egg salad or potato salad. We use them to bake almost everything. They are an integral part of a lot of what we eat. They also seem pretty benign. After all, hens lay eggs naturally and if the eggs aren’t fertilized, no harm is done; no life is taken, right? I used to think that. For decades I had no idea that there was anything harmful in the production of eggs (or milk for that matter, but we will save that for another day). But eventually I made the choice to discover the facts. Underneath my scrambled egg breakfast was egregious cruelty, beyond the pale. What I learned was this: More than 300 million hens are raised on factory farms, representing 95% of the eggs that we buy. The hens are kept in crowded, unarguably abhorrent conditions. The ammonia level in the air caused by the breakdown of uric acid in their excrement is pungent and a respiratory hazard. First image above shows battery cage hens. Second image shows free-range hens. Is this kind? Compared to a century ago, when an egg-laying hen laid 100 eggs a year, the modern hen has been bred to lay between 250 to 300 eggs a year. Laying such a huge number of eggs can cause her to suffer from conditions such as osteoporosis, fatty liver syndrome and prolapsed uteruses. No veterinary care is provided for ailing birds. They are left to suffer and/or die. Is this kind? There comes a point in a hen’s life cycle when she is found to not be laying a sufficient number of eggs by production standards. She is then put into a forced molting process, where she is essentially starved for up to 14 days. This puts her body in a state of shock and induces it to produce more eggs for our consumption. Keep in mind, there is no biological reason for us to consume eggs, and there are plenty of ways to bake without them. Forced molting is a widespread practice in the United States. Is this kind? To keep this machine going, you need a constant supply of new hens so of course some eggs must be fertilized and hatched. Soon after hatching, all these little chicks are separated in a mass production line by the chick ‘sexers.’ Yes that is actually a role for a person in this assembly line production. You can guess that only females are desirable for this business since they are the ones who can actually biologically lay eggs. Males born to egg-laying hens are considered useless, because they can’t lay eggs and their breast tissue is insufficient chicken sandwich material. This is an assembly line folks. It looks like they are playing with Peeps, but these are real living beings with a desire to live, being separated by gender. Is this kind? So what do we do with the ‘non-essential’ male chicks? They are discarded, gassed or ground up alive right after birth. And that is the awful truth. More than 260 million male chicks are killed every year in the United States alone. And if you think that your certified humane, organic or free range eggs are free of all this, even the most rigorous humane labeling certification programs in the U.S permit the killing of male chicks at the hatcheries which supply their egg farms with laying hens. It's no different with 'backyard chickens.' Above are male chicks being suffocated in plastic bags or disposed of as trash. Below are male chicks going into a grinder alive. I spared you the video. Is this kind? The female chicks will grow up without any natural parenting from their mothers. At just a few days old, the tips of their sensitive, nerve-ending-laden beaks are shorn off without anesthetic. This is done to keep them from pecking each other in the unnatural confined conditions they are kept in. It would be kind of like having our fingernails pulled out to keep us from scratching at each other, because if we were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in a small space with other people, standing in our feces and with no natural light for our entire lives, we just might do that. Is this kind? And the cycle continues. Eventually every hen stops producing a sufficient number of eggs (after numerous cycles of starvation) and she is considered to be ‘spent’. At that time, she is just 12-18 months old, while her normal lifespan might be 10-15 years. Regarding lifespan, this would be comparable to a seven-year-old human being. She might be transported to slaughter where her depleted body will be made into low grade food. Or if market conditions for that aren’t so great, she may simply be gassed and put in a landfill, ground up alive or slaughtered to become food for other farm animals. On-farm composting is a means to dispose of laying hens considered no longer useful for egg production because it is considered convenient, cost effective and environmentally sound. They did nothing to us. Is this kind? I hope you made it this far, because now we get to the good stuff: inquiry. What does this say about our humanity? I invite you to look at the reality as well as the symbolism here for a moment. It seems ironic that the egg is a symbol of life, and there is so much death around this so-called 'life.' We may say, ‘it’s just a chicken,’ but we (humankind) have said that about lots of ‘others’ throughout our long history, and we have deeply regretted it (or loathed our ancestors for it). So let’s not say that. She is a she. She has her own interests. And her body is completely abused and used for human desires, which are not even needs. There is also a huge denial/repression/domination of the feminine going on here, which I will write about in another blog. Today, I’ll stick to Kindness and respect for Life. For all of us who try to be kind in our lives, this is about the most unkind thing that we humans systematically participate in. When you learn the truth about something like this, it can be enormously unsettling. Because once you know, you either have to ignore that it exists (which wastes a lot of internal energy and ultimately harms you) or make the decision to change (which takes a great deal of courage, conviction and fortitude). The path of least resistance is to stay with what you normally think and do. There’s a part of you that - even with everything you may have just learned, and even if you think it is all horrible - will defend the status quo with statements like, “But I love my eggs; they taste so good!” or “It is just too much trouble to figure out how make a cake without eggs,” or once again, “It’s just a chicken.” Watch for those thoughts. I know. I’ve been there. But I did change. Because for me, I knew that I didn’t want to be a part of something so terribly unkind. For me, every life deserves respect. And for the sake of the poor chickens who are forced to give every last ounce of life for a human want, for the sake of Kindness itself, and for the sake of Peace and Harmony in my soul, I chose to take action. I did not want to be a person who says/believes one thing and does another. So I found a way to live without this non-essential food that causes so much harm to other beings. And the peace I feel in my soul every time I say no to eggs is uplifting. I am in closer alignment with the Divine expressions of Love and Harmony, which admittedly I also want to see more of in the world. For every person who takes a brave step to live more kindly, the world becomes more kind. And the world needs more Kindness, don't you think? Be Kind. Be Love. Be Peace. Today. © carol saunders 2016 Thank you for listening. If you are moved to learn more, here are some resources: More about the egg industry: https://www.farmsanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Truth-Behind-Eggs-vF.pdf What labels on eggs really mean: https://www.animallaw.info/article/morally-informed-consumer-examining-animal-welfare-claims-egg-labels Easy egg substitutes in baking: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-vegan-substitutes-for-eggs-in-baking-tips-from-the-kitchn-136591 The social world of chickens: http://freefromharm.org/chicken-behavior-an-overview-of-recent-science/ http://www.upc-online.org/thinking/social_life_of_chickens.html You think eggs are cheap protein? Take a look at this: http://plenteousveg.com/cost-vegan-protein-vs-animal-protein/ There will be a day when generations to come look back on us and wonder how we could have ever allowed all the suffering. They will look at us in the same way we look at the slave owners of the 1800’s or the Holocaust perpetrators and all the people who remained silent about it. How did people sit idly by when all this violence was going on? How could they not see? Why did they not act? A few years ago I was listening to UnityFM radio. The radio show host and his guest were both bright scholarly teachers and they were discussing the gay marriage movement. They acknowledged that this last barrier was on the brink of breaking. At the close of the program the host posed a question to his listeners: “What do you think is the next moral barrier to be broken that we cannot yet see?” I knew the answer to this! I could see it as clearly as Mt. Everest on a bright sunny day! The next barrier to be broken was the animal-human boundary. I immediately sent off an email to the show host with my answer. I was so excited to be in this dialogue with a person who in my eyes, was a spiritual giant. His response took me completely aback. It was surprisingly dismissive. He replied that what I was suggesting will never happen, that eating animals has been a part of human history from the very beginning - like fire - and it will always be a part of our culture. It was a most peculiar response coming from a spiritual teacher whose radio show that day was focused on breaking historical cultural boundaries! The justification he put forth was 'history' as if history was something to which we were bound. Since when did history ever serve as a justification for anything? Slavery, child neglect/abuse/labor, domination/exclusion of women, segregation of races, alienation of homosexuals, etc. were also ‘always a part of human history.’ That is, until we awakened and saw their horrific nature. Then we changed. What I saw that day was a very bright, spiritually accomplished person who couldn’t see that he couldn’t see. And many years from now, people will wonder how it was that we as a people, were not able to see what is so obviously clear to them: being the cause of another being’s suffering because you want to, just isn’t okay. Change in collective consciousness is slow. It usually starts with a small minority out in front doing what they can to point out injustices, immoralities, inequities and harmful behaviors. These few people are generally made fun of by the majority. They are marginalized and their voices are squelched and belittled. Or if they are in the spiritual arena like I am, they may be acknowledged for ‘sharing their personal truth,’ as if choosing to be kind or to not take the life of another is a personal truth. But the thought leaders keep on. If their cause is one that will bring a higher level of ethics into the world - more Goodness, Kindness, Fairness and Love - then the message begins to spread. A few more people start to resonate with it. Those who resonate convert to the new ethics. They then join the voice for change and the sound gets stronger. Eventually it reaches a tipping point, and consciousness – along with what is considered socially acceptable or unacceptable – changes. We saw this with the Abolitionists during the Civil War. We saw this with the Suffragettes in the late 19th century. We saw this with the Freedom Riders during the Civil Rights Movement. And we saw this recently with the shift to legalize gay marriage. And we will see this table turn for the non-human animals. We will see it! Consciousness will change because wherever there is a cultural and personal shift toward creating a world of less harm, less suffering, less fear, less anxiety, and more love, move compassion, more care, more freedom, the Universe smiles and lights the path to its full expression. Sometimes that shift is abrupt. Much more often it takes a long time. The time it takes isn’t our business. We must keep doing what we do, anchored in Compassion and Freedom. We are the ones. We must keep speaking. Even if we are speaking into what seems like an infinite, bleak tunnel of darkness; even if our friends or family turn away from us; even if we find ourselves in challenging or embarrassing situations; even though every day of our lives we must navigate through the violent world that we so deeply yearn to change. We must speak for as long as it takes. The animals need our Voice. Know that all the angels of Goodness are behind us, because we are a movement of Peace, Kindness and Compassion. It’s very simple really. It’s much simpler than the movements to free slaves, give women the vote, end racial segregation or legalize gay marriage, because we can act without anyone else having to do anything. We don’t need to wait for any big move to be made by our government. We don’t need to wait for any new law to be legislated. We don’t need to wait for Big Ag and the food companies to change their ways. We can simply choose differently, spend differently, invest differently and eat and clothe ourselves differently. By our personal actions today, we can stop being the cause of another’s suffering. It comes down to this: in all the situations where you have the personal power to act, do less harm; do more good. Refrain from killing or being the cause of killing anyone or anything, unless you absolutely need to for your own survival. You don’t want to be abused or eaten, so avoid abusing or eating others. Non-human animals are sentient according to 2500 studies. They have rich emotional lives with the capacity to suffer and feel empathy. They want to live. They are complex social beings, not things. Let them have the freedom to be who they were created to be. Treat them how you want to be treated.
Start today. And perhaps future generations will be proud of us. "It is man's sympathy with all creatures that first makes him truly a man." Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize winner 1952 © carol saunders 2016 Thank you for listening. If you are moved to do less harm or be in action to cause less suffering, here are a few resources (or check out the resources at the end of any of my blogs): http://freefromharm.org/ http://www.navs.org/ http://www.theveganrd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/7-Habits-slides-Portland-Maine-2016.pdf http://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/the-someone-project/ Why am I talking about this? When you are able to get at the soul level that ‘we are One,’ then life truly arises in a different way. You awaken to ‘there is no other.’ The belief that ‘we are One,’ calls us to know no ‘other.’ It enjoins us to Love without conditions or boundaries. As One, we understand that when we hurt another, we hurt ourselves. Jesus knew this when he taught, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31) and “Love one another; just as I have loved you, you must love one another.” (John 13:34) But despite our knowing these golden teachings, we are generally okay with hurting those whom we deem to be ‘others’ every day of our lives. Why is that? I actually don’t think we are okay with it. I think most of us live busy lives and we don’t want to think about or see anything that might make us uncomfortable - even if it is staring us right in the face. In the same way that we rarely stop to be in awe of the amazingness of the Universe, we also rarely stop to question our habits, or look into anything that might cause us to feel bad. We protect ourselves by putting the things that we don’t want to see into mental closets. And we close the door, not realizing that that which is holed up inside is something that our soul is imploring us to examine. Here’s a question to examine: “How did this food actually get to my plate?” Since our earliest days, our caregivers placed food on our plates that was called “meat” and if we connected it to anything, it was to mental images of happy animals living happy lives on happy farms. We may have even had stories read to us or learned songs that supported that mental image. But that’s not a true picture. I’m not sure it ever was, but I am sure that in today’s world – where the demand for meat has increased 600% since 1950 - it surely isn’t. (The Atlantic June 13, 2013 "Peak Meat" ) Here are just a few snapshots of what mass production of 'life' looks like. Google image 'factory farm' and you'll get a fuller picture. These intelligent and emotionally sensitive beings get to see sunlight for the first time on their last day of life...while on the transport truck headed to slaughter. When we were young, we believed what we were told - simply that meat is what people eat, we need it and it is good for us. We didn’t give much thought that it was actually another sentient being that we were turning into food for our purposes. If we asked further, we might have been told that the animals were actually created for us to use in whatever way we wanted. Hmmmm. Sounds like a ‘uniquely human perspective’ to me. Do you think we might feel differently if another species thought that way about us? So many of the things we learned as children may no longer hold true for us as spiritually minded adults. In fact, some of it is downright not helpful to keep around. We can be free - if we want - from the patterns, beliefs and habits (all rooted in separation) that we inherited. We can change our behaviors in ways that match our growth from childhood consciousness. We are ALL One. Not just some of us; ALL of us. And we hold the power to create lives that express that. If you are willing to look, you will see that what is called ‘meat’ is not a happy animal, but a dead body of a fellow sentient being. That in itself is enough to know. But she was also likely denied everything she needed in order to be who she was born to be, kept in abysmal conditions during her short life, and killed as a youngster. Like you and I, she wanted to live – to eat, sleep and play freely in the fresh air - to enjoy a full life and hang out with companions of her choice. And just like you and I, she didn't want to be separated from her mother or have part of her nose trimmed off with a heated blade. And she surely didn't want to be cooked in the oven. No one wants that. All beings desire freedom of movement. All babies want to be near their mothers. Why do we do this? Debeaking of day old chicks is standard industry practice. This is because they tend to peck at each other in unnaturally crowded conditions. And no one wants to make this dreadful journey. There are no federal laws protecting birds used for food from inhumane slaughter, or requiring any level of care for them during transport. If you are still with me, thank you for your bravery. Believe me, you haven’t seen the worst. All this may be unsettling and even bring up feelings of guilt. If it does, that’s a good thing, because it means you care and you are not defending or deflecting. I encourage you to be courageous and feel the feelings rather than run away. Guilt can actually be a very powerful force for good! It is a tool of your Conscience to turn you in a direction that is closer to the ideal of Universal Love and the tenet, “We are One.” Feel it. But don’t hold onto it. Let it go. Then give yourself permission to move in a new direction. There are so many other food options available that are healthier, kinder and more life-sustaining! Please think on these things. Today. The non-human animals who share the planet with us are not some-things. They are some-ones. It’s really very simple when you think about it. Treat them how you would like to be treated. Be Love-in-action. Remember, we are ALL One. © carol saunders 2016 Thank you for listening. If you are moved to grow today, here are some resources that may support you. To learn more about the emotional lives of non-human animals: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-emotional-world-of-farm-animals/ http://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/the-someone-project/ http://www.livescience.com/39481-time-to-declare-animal-sentience.html https://www.voiceless.org.au/the-issues/animal-sentience To learn more about making a change away from eating non-human animals: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes http://www.ilovevegan.com/resources/the-basics-of-veganism/ http://www.v-lish.com/make_the_switch/ If you could live all your days on this planet without hurting anyone, and doing so didn’t hurt you, wouldn’t you want to do that? I am not talking to everyone here. I know there are plenty of people on this plane who enjoy violence, power and domination. They live in fear and suffering, and their way of life is to inflict fear and suffering onto others. They are unable to hear what I just asked without making fun. I bless their journeys, but they are not my audience. I also know there are plenty of people on this plane who are entrenched in their ways and not open to exploring new possibilities and perspectives. They live in the safety of tradition and familiar patterns of behavior. They are unable to hear what I just asked without rationalizing and justifying the status quo. They may also make me wrong for my ideas or feel that I am making them wrong. I bless their journeys, but they too are not my audience. My desire is to talk to those of us who are approaching consciousness levels that honestly seek to express as Love and Peace, and are open to looking at how we can better do that. Here and now. This is David Hawkins Scale of Consciousness as presented in the book Power vs Force. We are all at different levels and most of us express at different levels in varying aspects of our lives. The spiritual path is about integration and climbing this scale. The masters are at the top. Almost all of us are blind to the many ways we participate in harming other beings. Many of us don't care and don't want to know. But some of us - if we only knew - would sincerely make an effort to change our ways and cause less harm. We might even be grateful for new knowledge and the opportunity to awaken. These are the people I am seeking. Is that possibly you? If it is, keep reading. To you who are lovers of Life and seekers of Peace, ask yourself:
I believe at the soul level that you would answer yes to all of those questions. And I believe in you. I believe that at your deepest level, you don’t want to be violent, and you don’t want to harm another. You want to boldly walk through life living as closely in alignment with your values of Love and Peace as you are able. Know that you are strong enough to do so. Those of you who have ears to hear - I am speaking to you, so that you may know, and so that you may begin to make choices in your everyday lives that do the most good and the least harm. Think of it this way. If you happened upon a baby chick struggling on the sidewalk, you would likely pick her up and do what you could to help her. Just know that there are billions more who need your mercy. All it takes is for you to stop being a part of the gruesome machine that turns their bodies into food. You have the power to change your thinking and create an integrated life that not just speaks about Love and Peace but also lives it. With a strong mind rooted in the Infinite, any habit can be changed, even our everyday habits of what we eat and wear. I know these can be very difficult habits to change, because our culture and family traditions are rooted in using animals for our own purposes. You grew up eating cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and bacon. Every day you consume milk and cheese and wear leather. All of that is everywhere! And the dark reality of the lives and deaths of these animals, whose bodies you eat and wear, is kept completely hidden, so it all seems okay. But as you awaken, you may find yourself no longer wanting to participate. At first you may not even be able to conceive of an alternate way to live. But millions of people have taken these steps and can show you the way. The most important thing to remember is, in Truth, you can make any change, because nothing limits you! Do all you can to do no harm. Be Love. Be Peace. Listen to your soul. Take steps today to let the animals live without harm. They have done nothing to harm us. Let them live with Love and Peace. Let them experience their soul’s natural expression. Let them know the best of humanity. “You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will be as one.” John Lennon © carol saunders 2016 Thank you for listening. If you are moved to learn more about the lives of animals we use for food and clothing, here are some resources that might help you:
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/factory-farming/ http://www.mercyforanimals.org/the-problem If you want to look into lifestyles that do not use animals, here are some resources that might help you: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/step-by-step-guide-how-to-transition-to-vegan-diet/ http://www.nomeatathlete.com/go-vegan-steps/ http://www.vegan.com/ The spiritual path is about awakening to our True Nature and staying awake. Our True nature is the nature of God. We are created as God’s “image and likeness.” But what does that mean? What is God?” Here’s my understanding: God is Infinite Intelligence, the Power and Presence that is under all that is. God is not a big being in the sky who wields power over all of Creation. God is the Infinite and transcendent Power of Love and Creativity. God is Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. As “image and likeness,’ we are all of that at our deepest and most authentic level. Most of us however, live in a state turned away from that Truth. Living ‘turned away from Truth’ is called ‘sin’ in many faith traditions, but those of us on the spiritual path call it separation. As long as we experience ourselves as separate from Spirit, from Creation, from each other and from ourselves, we will not experience ourselves as Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. Our egos do everything in their power to keep us from identifying with our spiritual natures. That keeps the ego alive and well and sets us up to live contradictory lives – lives in opposition to Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. As a result, we live in anxiety, fear, self-loathing, violence, loneliness, victimization, doubt, objectification, hurting self and others and on and on. And that’s not a pretty sight. Deep within us, in the place where God dwells, we are free of all this. On the spiritual path, we endeavor to release our identification with the ego and awaken to this depth of being. Our depth of being calls us to live the life that It seeks to express. It urges us to look at the whole of our lives, our relationship to all that is, and to live as Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. As you venture on your path, I invite you to look at every encounter and every decision point that arises for you, and ask: What would Love do? What would Peace do? What would Harmony do? What would Wisdom do? What would Understanding do? Your first inclination might be to look at all of your human interactions. That’s a good start. We all need to look there! But don’t confine your inquiry. Also look also in the places you don’t usually look. Look at the way that you live. Are you willing to look at your food, your wardrobe and the products you buy? Again, ask: What would Love do? Would Love purposely harm an innocent? What would Peace do? Would Peace inflict brutal and unnecessary violence upon another? What would Harmony do? Would Harmony take a baby from his mother at birth, deny him freedom of movement and isolate him for a premature death? What would Wisdom do? Would Wisdom force another being to live in crowded conditions antithetical to her nature? What would Understanding do? Would Understanding turn a blind eye to another’s inherent desire for life and freedom? The state of today's chicken farm. No one wants to live like this. These are close quarters. Imagine living like this. Taken from her mother at birth, this is how a female calf born to a dairy cow is housed. The baby boys are confined in crates and turned into veal in a few weeks or months. Note: These are 'soft' images of reality. In this blog I am not showing the degree of overt violence that takes place for these animals. Remember the wise words in the book of Psalms - the ones that were so wise Jesus quoted them: “You are gods!” (Psalm 82:6, John 10:34) Be your God-nature. You hold the power to release inherited thoughts, patterns and habits that are contradictory to your true nature. Awaken today. Be in action to become the you that you were created to be: Love, Peace, Harmony, Wisdom and Understanding. Your Divine Self knows what to do. You don't have to be a part of the violence anymore. You can decide not to participate in the suffering and brutal killing of fellow sentient beings. Or you can take steps to do what you reasonably can to move in that direction. In today's world we don't NEED to do any of this anymore. It is a want, not a need. Be Kindness. Eat plants. Lots of them! Wear materials that don’t require the skin or fur of a sentient being. Purchase products that don’t make others suffer. It’s very simple really, when you remember that we are ALL One. “Love one another.” John 13:34 © carol saunders 2016 Thank you for listening. If you are moved to learn more about how you can make a change, or you want to make a change today, here are some resources that might help you: http://www.v-lish.com/ http://tryveg.com/ http://vegankit.com/ In the throes of my work to bring Wolf and the Lamb alive, this prayer came to me as a gift from Spirit. It encapsulates the joys and challenges of this work and is a wonderful way to start each day.
I make myself an instrument of Peace. Where there is hatred, I sow love; Wherever there is injury, I refrain from injuring; Where there is doubt, l have faith in my own convictions and ability to move mountains; Where there is despair, l give hope; Where there is ignorance, I bring illumination; Where there is darkness, I bear light; Where there is entrenchment, I inspire with a new vision; Where there is sadness, I allow myself to feel from the depth of my soul and stay focused on what is good and right and possible in the world. Knowing the Divine Truth that we are all One, I bless ALL of Life – all living beings, Not just those I consider to be like me. I commit myself to living as Loving-Kindness and Compassion. No beings tremble before me, For I AM Love, Peace and Freedom. And so it is. © carol saunders 2016 |
AuthorRev. Carol Saunders I am an ordained Unity and Interfaith minister, speaker, writer and lover of all life. In 2010 I founded a spiritual community in Deerfield, IL, a suburb of Chicago, and led it through mid-2021. In my current ministry I host a podcast called The Spiritual Forum and an annual Whole Planet Spirituality Retreat at Unity Village, Mo. Being a voice for the animals and a light for the spiritually-inclined who are willing to seriously examine the self and begin to awaken, are what Spirit has called me to be. I am here to support anyone who wants to move toward living in closer alignment with their deeply held spiritual values - i.e. sovereignty, freedom, love, peace and kindness. We have the power to change our world by changing ourselves. A first step is identifying and releasing all the cultural conditioning that normalizes cruelty and violence. Be Love. Be Peace. Be Kind. Today.
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