My Heart Talks to You: A Plea for Veganism

My intention with this blog is to share with you subjects that are close to my heart, to tell you what animates me and thus to create a heart to heart link to you. These subjects will be related to naturopathy, to personal and spiritual development as in changing yourself, as well as to the development of society, because one does not exist without the other. If you are one of those people who want to change society and the world, then you must also change yourself and take real action to transform your own impact on the world. Your actions will be seeds sown to help change the world. To be congruent is to change one's inner world to influence one's outer world and to change the outer world to influence one's inner world.

The topic that is close to my heart today for the opening of this blog is veganism because becoming vegan has brought me closer to my true nature and my true self. It is now so much a part of me, it makes my cells vibrate so highly that I want to share these words with you. It is a sensitive subject in society because it is often a source of incomprehension and opposition between people, often filled with violence. When there is misunderstanding, opposition and violence, it is because we have not taken enough time to listen to the other person and to know their intentions. When we take the time to explain how we work and why we work the way we do, we ease tensions and we are better able to live together in love and acceptance of each other.

In addition, the question of food is inevitable nowadays. There are now so many food-related illnesses, so many ecological debates about food, so much media coverage of the animal suffering caused by the food industry, that it has become impossible to eat with our eyes closed without being aware of what is on your plate. To remain in denial of these issues requires a good dose of "conscious unconsciousness" in my opinion. It has become impossible to ignore the battery farms, the atrocious conditions of animal slaughtering, the damage to the environment etc.

When I decided to stop eating meat and dairy products permanently and to eat only Living (raw) food, I did it only for my health. I wanted to try a different approach to hunt down the precancerous cells that had developed in my body. I wanted to save my uterus and still have a chance to become a mother one day. I told myself that I had nothing to lose by trying something else since allopathic medicine had not delivered on its promises. After a very invasive, life-threatening and unsuccessful operation, I was determined not to go through the horrible ordeal of biopsies ever again. I could not conceive of inflicting this suffering and violation on my body another time. I started looking on the internet and soon found that hundreds of people were showing signs of self-healing by simply changing their diet.

So, I changed my diet, both out of curiosity and guided by a visceral desire to heal myself. I started by eliminating red meat and drastically reducing poultry, cheese and dairy products. Then, convinced that in order to know if it really worked, I had to be radical, within a few weeks I became completely vegan. Little by little, I felt my body changing, becoming lighter, calmer, reviving... It was incredible. And the most amazing thing was that I felt my heart grow, vibrate and be animated by an infinite compassion that I had never felt before. Words can hardly do justice to everything that happened inside me, they sound so hollow compared to the intensity of the well-being I felt. It's as if my heart chakra stopped hiding, diminishing, restricting itself, and opened really wide.

My heart began to vibrate with an infinite love for all animals. I have always had a great love for the animals that surrounded me, my cats Feline, Lizzard, Kumik, Taskit, our family dog Elki, the rabbits that my grandmother raised at home, our neighbour's cows when I was little, who passed peacefully every morning and every evening in front of our windows ringing their bells joyfully, the hedgehogs I passed by... But this love did not extend to the animals I was not close to, and even less to those I had on my plate. I was a vegetarian for a few years between my 20s and 30s, but I was a vegetarian because I wanted to be accepted and loved by the community where I lived, not out of love for the animals. I was not inhabited by the compassion I feel now. In fact, when I returned to my parents' home, I couldn't resist the traditional duck confit. But this time, I began to see all these animals differently. I finally see them as truly living beings, whose lives are priceless, and no longer as a product. I see them endowed with feelings, capable of loving and suffering, and above all with the absolute right to live among themselves and to lead their own little life, just as I lead mine without the fear of being taken away from mine to be eaten. The cows, pigs, sharks, fish, chickens and other animals that end up on your plates have emotions, just like you and me. They feel love, sorrow and fear. They may not be able to verbalize their emotions, but not all humans can, and still, we don't eat them.

What sealed this unconditional love forever in my heart was an umpteenth trip to India where I made a magical pilgrimage to the temple of Kedarnath with a wonderful person, Sukrat (aka Neo sufi). On our way, inspired by Sukrat, I fed off my little hands donkeys, monkeys, cows. We bought kilos and kilos of fresh fruit that we always kept with us for the moments when we would cross their path. There, in the eyes of those animals I saw life and I saw all the love of the world concentrated in those beautiful pupils. I saw these beautiful cows as sisters, I felt our deep bond extending far beyond our mutual physical form. I understood in my heart that we all come from the same source, that our hearts and their hearts are one. It was as if suddenly my soul was back in the kingdom of God, and no desire for food of any kind could ever again make me renounce my vow of abstinence. What began as a deeply self-centered act on my part has become a real reason for being inside of me, quite naturally, without the slightest struggle on my part.

“Now I can look at you in peace; I don't eat you anymore” Franz Kafka

I now know that being a carnivore was part of my spiritual journey. Spirituality is what we feel and know deep in our hearts and minds. Spirituality is the invisible but deeply felt love that dwells in a heart. Love for oneself, as for any other living being and any spirit of nature, and simply for life.

Eckhart Tolle said: "For everything you do to others, you do to yourself". Now I know what that means.

Two of the most beautiful ideas in this world are for me the "Golden Rule": "Treat others as you would like to be treated" and "Love one another". ALL religions are rooted in these precepts based on reciprocity. They are very simple and easy to understand. Their recognition by most civilizations and cultures seems to make them common denominators for humanity. They represent the highest ideal in human behaviour. If we move in this direction, we will all become what we are destined to be: compassionate and non-violent beings. By making a vow of non-violence and love, we live a spiritual life: a life in which our sincere beliefs are in harmony with our way of life. We show how to love one another, not only among humans, but among living beings. In this way, we raise our consciences. Caring about the suffering of animals, despite the pressure from society to ignore it, means that we are in touch with our true hearts and minds.

We are individuals of a dual nature. Duality is what constitutes the whole universe and we are no exception to the rule. We have a survival nature that tells us to protect ourselves at the expense of others if necessary; and we have our other fundamental nature - our spirit that aspires to care for others, even at the expense of ourselves. Anyone who pledges not to participate in animal suffering has a spiritual nature that springs forth because this person allows his/her spirit the freedom to express that most absolute and selfless love. It is this love and spirituality that transforms the world into a place of freedom and peace for all beings. It is this love that incites us to act for the good of all living beings.

“A man of spiritual intensity does not eat corpses” George Bernard Shaw

Parallel to this spiritual path, everything I learned at the School of Naturopathy confirms what my heart has noticed. Man is not omnivorous and unfortunately many beliefs are based on this monumental, anti-specific and anti-rational error. Humans began to eat meat as a survival mechanism when they migrated to areas of the world that did not offer enough plant food to sustain them. Our biology cannot be denied, we are simply not designed to eat animal products. Since man has believed himself to be an omnivore and has eaten anything anyhow, he has never been so sick in his body and his mind. If humans were omnivorous, then there would be no such thing as bad food. Humans would adapt to any food. In truth, in order to be healthy, humans, like all other creatures on earth, must consume food specific to his species.

The most objective technique to define the diet of a species is to analyze its anatomy. It must be noted that humans do not have the same anatomy as a carnivore. The carnivore's liver is powerful to enable it to produce a lot of ammonia to eliminate all the purines from the meat. The intestines are short so that the elimination is done quickly. It has a very large mouth opening, his facial muscles are reduced, his teeth are long and sharp and contain many canines to tear the flesh and it does not chew. It has night vision. It can cover large distances very quickly and has claws. Conversely, the human liver is much less powerful and cannot produce ammonia in large quantities. The intestines are very long. Like all frugivores on earth, human have hands to pick and not claws. Humans cannot chase their prey and kill it with their hands, they need a bow. Their teeth are mainly flat for crushing and chewing, not tearing. They have no night vision. What's more, humans have the same blood type as the great apes. Each species has its own anatomy and physiology adapted to the food it consumes. In nature, each species feeds on a specific diet provided directly by nature and in the state given by nature, i.e. without being denatured (heated, frozen, processed, etc.).

The same applies to dairy products. Cow's milk contains more protein and fat because it is intended for calves, which have to grow very quickly from birth and end up weighing at least 450 kilos. It is not intended for human consumption and it contributes to many health problems. If you are reading this and you are a little cow, continue to drink milk; otherwise, understand that it is not a food made for you and preserve your body because in your body it acts like a poison.

Understanding how the digestive tract works is essential for the naturopathic doctor because this is where ALL diseases start. Our cells need nutrients to function. The main nutrients are amino acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, hormones and phyto-nutrients. All these nutrients are contained in food and in order for them to be used by our cells, they must be extracted from food. This is the role of digestion.

In naturopathy, we affirm that life does not come from matter but that we must capture it and promote its penetration into our bodies. The goal of digestion is to "vitalize" cellular matter in order to maintain a vibration capable of capturing vital energy from the sun and natural elements. In order to be used by our cells, the food we eat must be broken down into simple chemical elements. The purpose of digestion is to make lipids, proteins and sugars assimilable and thus allow cellular nutrition. If this work is not done correctly, the nutrition of our cells does not take place normally and this is the beginning of the disease.

The cell is the fundamental unit of every living being. We eat to nourish our cells and if they are well nourished, we are healthy. The food of each species is the food that corresponds to its digestive system. Each species has a specific diet: the thermite eats wood, the flea eats blood, the hyena eats corpses, the koala eucalyptus leaves, the great ape eats fruits, stems and leaves, seeds, nuts and the small insects found on these foods. Since we are anatomically very similar to the great ape, our diet also closely resembles his.

We have always been told that we should eat meat so that we can have enough protein. Research shows that this is a myth. Protein is made up of amino acids and the human body needs 20 different amino acids to function properly. Our bodies make 11 of these amino acids, so we don't need to eat them. The other 9 are called "essential" amino acids, because we have to get them from our food. Although we have been taught that we have to eat meat to get these amino acids, it turns out that all plants contain these 9 essential amino acids in varying amounts.

For us humans, it is plant food that nourishes our cells in depth and it cannot cause any deficiency.

Jesus said: "I advise against killing, for all life belongs to God, and it is not for man to take back what God has given. The flesh of the slaughtered animals makes your entrails into graveyards; every drop of foreign blood that flows in your veins turns into poison. The ransom of this sin for man is death. Therefore, never kill, and above all, never eat animal flesh. For your food, the Lord has given you every herb bearing seed and every tree whose fruit bears seed. Truly I tell you, do not kill the beasts to eat them, and moreover, do not destroy the life of your food, neither by fire nor by cold. Life proceeds from life; and what is dead can only come out of death. Whatever kills your food also kills your bodies; and whatever kills your food also kills your souls. All food that is cooked, frozen, or denatured in any way poisons your bodies. No ploughman would sow cooked, frozen or spoiled seeds on his land, for in the season he would reap nothing.”

Veganism is one of the most powerful ways you can maintain your health, let your heart express the true love that drives it, sustain life, spare the planet, protect your body and soul, and live without moral compromise. I believe this is the best action you can take to begin this new decade. If you are in search of spirituality, then truly I invite you to take this step and see if your heart answers the call.

Imagine growing up in a steel cage with hundreds of other people. You are so crowded that you can't even turn around. You are denied sunlight, a kind word and affection. Then, at the end of this ordeal, you and everyone around you are butchered so that someone else can eat you. Imagine that you have just given birth and instead of cuddling your baby, you have it ripped away from you the next day and coldly slaughtered so that your milk can be used for someone else. If you take a few minutes to look at cows, you'll see how attached they are to their calf and how hellish it is when they are separated. What many people also don't know is that veganism helps save lives other animals than cows, pigs, or chickens. These animals have natural predators, and farmers use cruel methods to trap and kill these predators. Coyotes, wolves, foxes and other predators are trapped all the time and endure often slow and immensely painful deaths. Birds are also very often victims of these traps.

Humanity is rapidly depleting the planet's limited resources, the environment is undergoing unnecessary and perhaps unalterable changes, and people are increasingly suffering from a myriad of diet-related diseases. Like the little hummingbird who is doing its part, you can do your part by going vegan. Veganism is a lifestyle that excludes the use of animals in food, clothing, animal-tested products, and recreation. Also, I am not teaching you anything new by reminding you that people tend to follow those they admire and love. If you decide today that veganism is for you, your friends, family members, and co-workers may be inspired and follow your lead. In any case, a seed will be sown...

Even if one chooses to eat meat, there are alternatives to the chain killings that will end up in many of these animals not even being eaten but just filling the garbage cans. Thousands of lives stopped FOR NOTHING. In Ladakh, when someone wants to eat chicken, they go to the chicken shop and choose a living chicken. The chicken is then slit and gutted in front of the person before ending up in their pot and in their belly. Even though for me this is still an impossible act on my part, there is at least an awareness in the person of what is really going on, of the life that is being taken and of the person's responsibility in this act. And above all, it is the chicken that will be eaten that will be killed and not hundreds of others in order to be able to choose the piece that we like the most and throw thousands of them in the garbage without any conscience at all of what is being done.

Before I leave you, I would like to talk to you especially if you have a "I ❤ Dogs" sticker on your bumper or if you volunteer every weekend at the local animal shelter or if you take offence at hunting and like to say at the top of your voice that you love animals and regret the cruel conditions in which factory farmers keep their animals, yet continue to eat meat, dairy products, eggs or honey. Maybe it's time to realize that you are not living your life according to your convictions. Getting rid of hypocrisy will do you good and others may follow in your footsteps. Please understand that I am not writing this to make you feel guilty or to lecture you. Everyone is free to think and act as they wish and I have neither the right nor the pretension to judge anyone. What's more, I love you just the way you are. I simply encourage you to align your lifestyle with your convictions because I know that this is where you will find your freedom and where your heart will be open to infinity.

Gary L Francione said, "If you really care about animals, then stop trying to figure out how to exploit them with compassion. Just stop exploiting them. »

For me, in the end, the most important thing is not to tell you to stop eating meat, it is to tell you to make your choices conscientiously and to always be clear with your choices. Putting food in your mouth is not an insignificant choice. What you eat physically will nourish your body, soul and spirit. No one can force you to eat this or that thing if you don't want to. No one can force his vision on you unless you want it for yourself too. Eating battery chicken is a choice, eating a cow slaughtered under terrible conditions is a choice, drinking milk or eating cheese and thus depriving a baby of its mother and its life is a choice, participating to a greater or lesser extent in animal suffering is a choice. Often people experience these acts as a lack of choice, but it is really a real choice you are making every single time. I therefore invite you to promise yourself never again to shirk your choices, never again to make excuses, never again to bury your head in the sand, but to look your choices in the face, eye to eye, and always be aware and responsible for everything you choose to do or not to do.

“Vegan. Because I’m being the change I wish to see in the world.”

PS: I am of the opinion that every human on this planet should read the book "Vegan Tantra" by Neo Sufi. This book has changed my life and I am so grateful to Neo Sufi for writing it and sharing it with the world. ❤ I promised myself that one day I would translate this book into French so that all French readers can read it too. In the meantime, for those who read English, you can order the book on Amazon by following this link!

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Tantra-Introduction-Magic/dp/1539158543