There's a profound, sacred symmetry that resides in the heart of both spiritual living and holistic healing:
As within, so without.
This concept is a hermetic principle that suggests a correspondence, a parallel between our inner world as individuals and the outer world around us. This belief proposes that the outer world is a reflection of our inner world; that our thoughts, feelings, and level of consciousness are mirrored in our external experiences.
This principle is empowering us to change our outer world by first changing our inner world.
A heart and mind open to symbolism is required to receive the full, self-healing benefit of applying this sacred mirror to our health and our lives.
The inner world of thoughts and feelings creates our actions in the outer, physical world via our biochemistry first, then our behaviors and subsequent results.
The Top TWO Most Powerful Influencers of Our Biochemistry Are:
#1 - Our thoughts (that we believe, aka beliefs)
#2 - Food & Beverages
They're both VITAL because our beliefs and our diet are what create health and harmony, or kill them.
When we think destructive, unhealthy thoughts about ourselves or others, we create stress hormones that create inflammation and demolish health. For example: feeling anger, blame, resentment, hatred, frustration, trapped, powerlessness, depression, anxiety, worry, dread, fear, prolonged-undigested grief, even numbness are some of the endless ways we create stress hormones, inflammation, and disease..
Emotional dysregulation deadens our felt connection to our Soul and Source.
When I was 9 years old, I had to deaden my connection to my Soul in order to please my mom.
Do you recall an experience like this, too? I think a lot of us can remember a significant moment (or many) where we suddenly didn't feel seen, heard, respected, or safe.
I had previously been abused by the males in my life for about 7 years at this point, which she didn't know about. She was my trusted safe haven until this engraved experience occurred. It might seem insignificant to many, and even correct by most, but to me... it was a moment where I felt shut down, forced to close my heart, and it deadened my connection to my Soul.
At this same time in my life, I had also been seeking to feel close to God and asking to go to any church (my family wasn't religious or spiritual), but nobody would take me. Yet, this wasn't the substantial event that broke my compassionate heart.
What did?
It suddenly hit me full-force that the animals on my dinner plate were.... well, animals! I LOVED animals! Our black and white, Lab-Beagle mix dog, Brandy, our orange cat, Cinnamon, the snake at the park, Wilbur from Charlotte's Web... I even took spiders to school to play with them rather than kill them!
Maybe there's something special about age 9 and our brainwaves awakening into conscious awareness, but it was as if I woke up and realized those were bones, veins, cartilage, and muscles just like I had... just like my dog and cat had... and I became nauseous and overcome with grief.
I announced at the dinner table that I don't want to eat animals anymore.
My mom yelled at me and forced me to eat it.
When I relive that moment, I can feel my solar plexus and entire gut feel sick with mixed emotions. I couldn't continue to feel my feelings and eat (and feel safe with my mom again). I shut my true self down in that moment.
My Soul didn't want to kill.
"Ahimsa," meaning non-violence. is part of the Hindu spiritual tradition. This is why many yoga teachers are also vegan, or whole-food, plant-based. Many spiritual traditions worldwide teach non-violence, to not cause harm, or flat-out do not kill.
My young little Soul that felt called to feel close to God at age 9, was also feeling called to non-violence, though I didn't know that phrase in the 1980's!
Now, as an adult, age 51, and a certified Nutritional Herbalist, I can see the unlimited BENEFITS of "do no harm" when it comes to our diet and how it heals the body rapidly!
Harming animals = harming the body and compassionate soul.
Protecting animals = protecting the body and compassionate soul.
I like to think of this as a Sacred Reciprocity; of being in a sacred, connective relationship with all Life and sentient beings..
When humans harm animals in any way to take from them that which is NOT freely given, we are taking away from ourselves.... stealing our own health from our bodies, not just theirs.
These TEN evidence-based, key links between animal-based foods and chronic disease are just a few of the ways that harming animals for food harms us:
1. Acidic byproducst & Urea
2 AGEs
4. Beta-amyloid plaque
5. Endothelial Cell Damage & Dysfunction
6 Heme Iron & Oxidative Stress
7 Increased LDL (bad cholesterol)
8 Inhibited Sirtuin Function
9 TMAO
Each of these key links harms our health and leads to a huge list of health problems and chronic diseases. I'll be sharing about each link in separate blog posts.
My mom died from heart disease at age 38. I was 15.
What if she had listened with compassion and curiosity to her little girl at the table that night?
She would have avoided all 10 of those key links to chronic diseases listed above (heart disease included).
The body KNOWS how to heal, but it needs us to stop doing what's causing the problems and start GIVING the body the proper tools it needs to heal itself, AKA: a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet, herbs, and healthy, high-frequency thoughts. Of course, exercise and other lifestyle factors are important, but the TWO that affect our biochemistry and health the most powerfully are our thoughts (BELIEFS), and our diet.
When we choose a plant-based, non-violent diet and lifestyle, we don't just avoid harming animals - we liberate our bodies from harm, too, while also opening our hearts to an expanded experience of compassion.
World peace can't manifest in our outer world until we cultivate a deep peace within that then begins to show up as our plates of peace right in front of us.
If your goal is to heal something, I can help you with a peaceful, holistic approach incorporating Angel energy healing, plants, and your Soul's purpose.
For a free consultation to work with one on one, text me at 480-259-7140. You can also call and leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible ;-)
My email: Theresa@11thHourShaman.com