There’s a persistent myth that spiritual awakening necessitates a vegetarian or vegan diet. It’s the kind of idea that has people gnawing on kale, convinced they’re nibbling on enlightenment. But let’s clear the fog: there’s no cosmic scoreboard keeping...
It’s interesting to read this as I currently eat meat and it had never particularly bothered me but more recently I ve started to feel guilty about it and I m considering vegetarianism. It seems to come from deep inside, rather than from the mind. It seems that even if this is all a dream, in the same way I would not go around killing people all of a sudden under that excuse, the same should apply to animals. I think what’s really happening is that I m starting to see no difference between people and animals, and while they still seem real to me, it seems I should act in accordance. The question I think should be about guilt and whether it has an impact on awakening. ACIM says it does.
It’s refreshing to see someone wrestling with these questions from a place deeper than the mind’s chatter. The shift you're feeling, that tug towards seeing no difference between people and animals, is a signpost on the journey inward—where distinctions begin to blur and the lines between "self" and "other" dissolve. Guilt, though? That’s just another story the mind loves to tell, a clever trick to keep you bound to the game. ACIM touches on it because guilt is the glue that holds the illusion together, a clever distraction from the simple truth: you're already whole, untouched by what you eat or don’t eat.
You don’t need to let guilt guide your choices, but you can let that deeper knowing, the one that’s not tied to mind-made morals, steer the ship. Whether you go vegetarian or stick with meat, do it from that place of clarity, not from a sense of duty or fear. Awakening isn’t about adjusting your diet; it’s about waking up to the fact that none of it, including the guilt, has any real power over you.
It’s interesting to read this as I currently eat meat and it had never particularly bothered me but more recently I ve started to feel guilty about it and I m considering vegetarianism. It seems to come from deep inside, rather than from the mind. It seems that even if this is all a dream, in the same way I would not go around killing people all of a sudden under that excuse, the same should apply to animals. I think what’s really happening is that I m starting to see no difference between people and animals, and while they still seem real to me, it seems I should act in accordance. The question I think should be about guilt and whether it has an impact on awakening. ACIM says it does.
Francisca,
It’s refreshing to see someone wrestling with these questions from a place deeper than the mind’s chatter. The shift you're feeling, that tug towards seeing no difference between people and animals, is a signpost on the journey inward—where distinctions begin to blur and the lines between "self" and "other" dissolve. Guilt, though? That’s just another story the mind loves to tell, a clever trick to keep you bound to the game. ACIM touches on it because guilt is the glue that holds the illusion together, a clever distraction from the simple truth: you're already whole, untouched by what you eat or don’t eat.
You don’t need to let guilt guide your choices, but you can let that deeper knowing, the one that’s not tied to mind-made morals, steer the ship. Whether you go vegetarian or stick with meat, do it from that place of clarity, not from a sense of duty or fear. Awakening isn’t about adjusting your diet; it’s about waking up to the fact that none of it, including the guilt, has any real power over you.
Cheers! 🎭
Love your perspective on this!