Spirituality: is Eating Meat Right or Wrong?

Today, in spiritual, new-age, or otherwise more consciously sensitive lines of thought, it is common to oppose consuming animal-based meat. And indeed, respect for Life itself is one of the significant traits of an awakened and sensitive spirit.

The way an individual regards animals, and life in general, bears a direct correspondence to his spiritual development. Often, those who are naturally more sensitive, and/or spiritually evolved, tend to refrain from hurting other beings, and from contributing in any way towards systems that do so.

The subject of consuming meat, and animal-derived foods, has multiple aspects. First, there’s the idea in itself of slaying animals for the purposes of our consumption; second, there’s the way humans treat and handle animals for such purpose and within that context; and third, the usage of any additional substances to feed, breed, and take care of said animals, which will find their way to our own biology via their consumption, and that may not necessarily work for our health.

Next, I’ll address each of these in turn.

Ingested Elements

Whatever the animal ate, we’ll eat it as well. Ths might not be necessarily and linearly true in all circumstances. Substances are broken down and processed by the animal’s biology, and also by our own. But I do believe this is true in a broad, general sense. Any substances in the animal’s body will be in its meat and thus are passed to us when we ingest it. So the issue of what substances are given to animals, fed and administered throughout their lives (medicines, antibiotics, hormones, processed foods of which other animals become part of, and so on) is a significant one.

For me, the animal’s state of mind during its life, and up until its passing, is a highly significant factor. This is both metaphysical, and not so. The body produces and stores certain substances, and within the context of a certain metabolism and chemical equilibrium, when the being lives in a state of fear and anxiety, which will be different than when the animal lives in a calm and carefree context. And when we ingest the animal’s meat, we’re ingesting the meat that grew in the circumstances the animal lived in. On the metaphysical side of things, meat belonging to an animal grown and living in fear and negativity will have the energy/vibration of fear and negativity.

If the animal lived in fear, or in stress, or it suffered at the time of its passing, we’ll be eating the animal’s fear, stress, and trauma – in a literal sense.

Whatever you don’t want for yourself, you shouldn’t give or cause to the animals during their lifetimes. Examples of such negative things would be living in small cages and with little mobility, suffering from taking their babies away, diseases from conditioning and genetic manipulation, trauma from death or the prospect of death… and so forth.

Consuming Animal-Based Products

While the aforementioned concerns are valid reason for consideration, perhaps the true greatest conflict within us is the idea of eating living beings to begin with.

When one reaches a certain step in spiritual evolution, it is only natural to gain sensitivity to hurting other beings. This will naturally include slaying animals. A natural reaction to this is, then, to decide not eating meat so as not to participate, “fuel” a system that works by killing animals.

However, regardless of the beliefs and background you come from regarding this subject, I’d like to offer the following idea: that eating animal-based products might not necessarily be “evil”, or “wrong”, even from a spiritual perspective.

What if I were to tell you that, were the consciousness on Earth was of a high enough vibration, it would allow the spiritual energies of animals raised for the purposes of consumption to peacefully leave their bodies upon request? What if I told you that this was as programmed possibility, that simply isn’t open at this time due to the current level of consciousness of the human beings?

What if some animals are on Earth for the purposes of serving as support to humans? I wouldn’t want for this to sound like a traditionally religious view i.e. “God placed the cow/sheep/etc to feed us”, but, planet Earth does serve the purpose of supporting and serving Divine lesson for the humans incarnating on it. In that context, the spiritual energy of some groups of animals can choose to serve in this manner – to come in and serve as sustenance.

An animal only starts becoming individualized enough to be considered an individual being, when you give it a name. This is true whether it’s a cow or horse in a ranch, a dog or cat as a pet, an animal observed in the wild with no direct interference, or in any other case. This is why it is easier for you to eat a generic “unnamed” chicken, than for example a chicken that happens to be your pet: same species, different energy. By regarding a specific animal as an individual, you, as a creator God, are infusing your own individuality onto that specific animal. But if the animal is a ‘generic’, unnamed animal, it will most likely not be spiritually individualized enough for it to be inappropriate in a spiritual level to end its life, if in an honouring and respectful manner.

Harming, neglecting, and mistreating animals is to be avoided. This is part of the spiritual sensitivity towards respecting and honouring the animals’ service, and Life itself. Also, the way animals are treated will heavily reflect on the energy of the products being consumed.

Still, the belief that animals may not be used for consumption under any circumstance, can be contested – even in a spiritual sense.

Follow Your Balance

The biology of some individuals is naturally sensitive to eating meat, and/or to the substances that exist within the meat. To these individuals, there’s a point in life when they realize that their body handles the absence of meat better than its inclusion. Ponder if this is your case, for if it is, it will do wonders to you to start reducing meat from your diet or cutting it out altogether.

Some human bodies do require animal protein to some degree, and/or at a given period in their lifetime. Not all bodies are the same. The needs of each physical body depend on a variety of factors, such as body type, foods consumed in past-lives, energetic aspects, and its unique chemistry. There is no one best diet. What you want, is to provide your physical body what it needs to remain in a balanced state.

While it isn’t true that meat is absolutely necessary in anyone’s diet, by the same degree it is also not true that everyone should stop eating meat – either from a moral, ethical, or spiritual perspective.

To believe that eating meat is wrong in an absolute sense, is just another rigid, judgemental belief system, one which might pull you away from what your own body tells you at the present moment. If you feel driven to subscribe to a change of diet, then you must; but be careful when subscribing to rigid rules and belief systems that override your own inner guidance.

I am sympathetic for those who abstain to eat animals to honour its own sensitivity. And I understand how one could cast an opinion about all the wrong things of meat and the killing of animals. But the inappropriate thing is being judgmental. Some do so with passion. However, to Spirit, there is no place for judgement.

What if you’re supposed to shed meat from your diet in the long run, but you can’t just do so yet, because you have more pressing life lessons to deal with, that requires you to ingest animal protein? One trait of animal protein is that it promotes the energy of assertiveness and grounding. If that is the case, you may still need meat for your current lessons, and if you try to remove it from your diet, you may actually be sabotaging your own spiritual development.

An additional factor is often the guilt that comes from feeling you’re contributing to an industry that mistreats animals, and slays them for consumption. However, in this context and in any other, feelings of guilt do not serve you, are not constructive, and will only contribute for you to surrender your abundance and pleasurable experiences you are entitled to.

Your choices must come from your essence, from what your heart knows to be true, and never from a place of negative emotion. If you make a choice from your essence, that option will always be constructive; if you make a choice out of fear, you will only succeed at castrating yourself, with no real benefit.

There is a great release when you realize there is nothing inherently wrong in eating meat, and you allow yourself to freely experience whatever foods you desire, without rules, following your inner balance. Feelings of guilt and self-nullifying belief systems are given up, taking a huge burden of your shoulders. If you find yourself self-punishing about eating meat, don’t be so hard on yourself. Don’t follow judgement from others, or the “right” and “wrong” that’s trending at the moment. Find what it is you feel you’re most comfortable with, and go with that.

If you desire to avoid animal-based products, do so. If you feel in your heart that there is no harm, then do so as well.