In regards to eating meat

[Monica]

When did you turn vegetarian, Monica? I am of course assuming you consumed meat until some point in your life. Sorry if that assumption is wrong.

I am interested in the spiritual and psychological process behind your acceptance of vegetarianism?

I had an unusual eating disorder as a child and wouldn't eat any 'normal' foods like bread, pizza, meat, etc. I can't say I was a vegetarian, though, because I wouldn't eat any fruits or veggies either! My mom would try to force me to eat a tiny bit of meat, bread, or apple, and I would immediately throw it up! I literally lived on milk, cookies and sweets.

I grew out of the eating disorder at age 10 and started eating typical junk food: hamburgers, pizzas, etc.

Surprise surprise, I was very sick, with chronic sinus headaches, frequent colds, flus, etc. from all that 'glue' in my system. So at age 21 I sought help from an alternative practitioner, who helped me improve my diet. I quit the junk foods and got off red meat. (I now chuckle at that, since it's a myth that chicken is any better than red meat.) At that time, it was strictly for health reasons.

Around that time, I was reading Edgar Cayce and exploring New Age spirituality. I noticed that Cayce told some people to eat meat, but told others to "not lower their vibration with animal foods." I found this interesting.

Then, maybe a year or so later, I came across 2 books that changed my life: Survival into the 21st Century by Viktoras Kulvinskas (Classic raw vegan 'bible' which I don't agree with totally - very hippie and VERY hardcore radical!) and The Essene Gospel of Peace (attributed to Jesus).

I didn't care whether The Essene Gospel of Peace was actually written by Jesus or not, because by that time I was letting go of Christianity anyway. And it's written in archaic, Biblical-style terminology. But the essence of it resonated deeply with me, and together with Viktoras' book, something shifted in me. I saw the truth of it so clearly...

In 1982, I gave up all meat...that means all dead animals...the day I read that book. It was a final, instant, absolute change, like a light switch turning on. Dead animals ceased to be recognized as food to me. I was no more interested in eating a dead animal carcass than I am in eating this keyboard.

I never looked back.