The Birth of Ahimsa Coaching

My very own Hamsa pendant ~ from the artistic hands of Marcy Hall

Ahimsa ~ nonviolence; abstinence from injury; harmlessness; the not causing of pain to any living creature in thought, word, or deed at any time.

* * * * * * * * *

Today I will give the first of what I hope will be many Ahimsa Coaching sessions. Several women will be gathering in a sacred space to learn about a nonviolent approach to wellness. Combining my advocacy for peace with my passion for helping others on their paths to wellness, we will partner together to:

~build a peaceful view of health
~develop a compassionate approach to nutrition
~foster wellness centered in respect for Nature
~adopt sustainable lifestyle changes rooted in love.

It is time to end the trespasses we commit against ourselves by succumbing to the diet mentality and body image constrains our society has so detrimentally portrayed over many decades. AHIMSA coaching seeks to provide clients with deep healing based in love and compassion, for ourselves, each other, and the planet. This is an approach to health that is rooted in love, respect, peace, dignity, and joy.

"The most violent weapon on earth is the table fork."
~Mahatma Gandhi

An awesome henna Hamsa on my leg!
by Lily of Ohio Henna

* * * * * * * * *

"IF YOU WANT BETTER HEALTH CARE
IN THIS COUNTRY,
TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOUR HEALTH!"
~me

Peaceable Kingdom

"Your beliefs can change in a day."

Go here to learn more.

On My Way

The sunburst sky on my way home from the World Peace Yoga Conference ~ Oct 2009

"We must let go of the life
we have planned,

so as to accept the one that is
waiting for us."
~Joseph Campbell

Saints

Recently, Gail wrote a post about falling down and getting back up.

I've had a song running through my head ever since.

And then yesterday, BlissChick reminded us it was All Saints' Day.



So, for the saint in each of us, I give you this song...

19 Years Since Our First (Blind) Date

Moment Of Surrender
by U2

I tied myself with wire
To let the horses roam free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me

The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day

We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It’s not if I believe in love
If love believes in me
Oh, believe in me

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I’ve been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body’s now a begging bowl
That’s begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down ’til the pain would stop

At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

People Before Perspectives*

*My Dear Readers: It is likely that many of my blog posts going forward will be on the subjects of peace, nonviolence, yoga, cruelty to animals, a plant-based lifestyle, etc. Because of the recent conference I attended, my long-standing interest in promoting peace, my current spiritual path (which calls me to a life of non-violence (ahimsa) and non-stealing (asteya)), the current eating choices borne out of those, and the recognition that I do not need to consume animals in order to survive, this is where I am right now.

Since this blog is about MY life, this is what I have to offer to you. My aim is not to pass judgment or offend. Some of the material may be shocking or difficult to read. In this awakened life, it is often necessary to face our shadow selves and this may require a level of uncomfortability. If I become your mirror, then so be it. We are all connected and what affects one of us, affects us all in some way or another.

It is my hope that you will stay with me through this period in my life. However, if you choose to stop reading what I have to share, I understand. Really, I do. It's okay if what you find in my pages doesn't serve where you are in your life right now. I encourage you to seek out and read what does.

I value your feedback and perspectives. Each and every comment you leave is a lifeline between us in this otherwise very fractured world. I pledge to consider all of them with an open heart and mind (barring those that personally attack or verbally abuse me). Sometimes the simple, yet powerful, encouraging and affirming words you leave here are read at just the right moment and help to buoy me up so I do not drown in the waves of a 'bad' day.

So whether you stay or you go, you are loved. In the tradition of namaste', I honor the light that is within you ~ for it is the same light that shines within me.

* * *

Some time ago, I purchased a particular style of Bible aimed specifically at women. It's the kind that has additional stories, explanations, quotes in the margin, pretty artwork, etc. One of the quotes that has stuck with me ever since contained the admonishment to put "people before projects". As much as possible, I've tried to remember this advice ~ and when faced with a looming deadline, long to-do list, or other seemingly important accomplishment, I can stop and choose to connect with someone along the way.

One of my main issues with the current vegan movement is that it has become very militant in certain circles. Like any other extremist approach, damage can be done in the process of trying to communicate a message. Anger, ostracizing, labeling, judging, hurling vitriolic comments, closing off to other people's perspectives...how does this create more peace and nonviolence in the world?

As far as I can tell, the choice to abstain from using animal products comes from a place of COMPASSION. Unfortunately, often times it is not lived out in that manner ~ and only serves to create more suffering and violence in the world.

My hope is not to succumb to this approach.

When flying home from North Carolina last spring, I sat next to a man who noticed I was reading an article on the Hindu Ethic of Non-violence. That intrigued him and a conversation ensued. During part of our exchange I quoted Gandhi's, "Be the change you wish to see in the world" and stated that concept as my aim for studying this particular subject.

After the planed landed and we exited, I stopped in the bathroom. The women who had been sitting next to the man with whom I was conversing said to me, "You know Gandhi beat his wife, don't you?" To which I replied, "Well, none of us is perfect. And I still believe his ideals towards peace are worth pursuing."

Should the fact that MLK, Jr. had extramarital affairs negate all the good he did in the world? Should we roll the calendar back to the 1950's and start over with civil rights in this country simply because he had a weakness for women?

I hope not!

And so it is with my quest for living out a more cruelty-free existence. I am not perfect. I guarantee my methods, choices, and communications will not be either. But does that mean I should not follow my heart down this path to which I am called?

I want to BE the change I wish to see in the world.

And right now, that kind of change involves a world where:

~2oo million male chicks are brutally killed each year simply because they are born male and have no use to the egg industry
~female cows are repeatedly raped (on a "raping rack") with a tool forced into them by a human hand in order to keep them pregnant and lactating to produce more calves and abnormal amounts of milk
~baby calves are separated from their mothers soon after birth and confined in small pens, unable to stand, denied their mothers' milk, fed a diet completely unnatural for them, and killed way to soon so that our hunger for veal is satisfied
~cement cinder blocks are repeatedly dropped onto an injured pig's head by a bored farmhand who wants to know how many times it will take before the pig's skull is totally crushed and he/she finally dies

THIS is what is breaking my heart these days.

"I don't say follow your bliss;
look where that has gotten us.
I say follow your heartbreak.

Do you have the courage
to stand in the center
of your own heartbreak?"

~Andrew Harvey

The World Peace Diet argues that by categorizing animals the way we do, thus leading us to choose some as pets (with laws that protect their welfare) and others as objects of consumption, here for our use, (with very few laws that protect their well-being), we then view our human brothers and sisters in the same manner. Our detachment from 'others' and categorization of them is what leads to a world full of 'us' vs. 'them' mentality and creates the conditions for violence and war.

Indeed, there are higher violent crime rates in areas containing slaughterhouses.

Perhaps a step towards peace in those communities would be to close the slaughterhouses, help the people heal, and assist them in surviving (physically AND economically) in such a way that does not include the torture, killing, and eating of animals.

* * *

I'll end with the statistics and information for now. In the book that is my life, the chapter of my journey towards a more peaceful existence through a plant-based life and being the change I wish to see in the world has only just begun and there is much more to discover and share.

Most importantly, however, regardless of your perspective on what changes YOU wish to BE in the world (or not), I honor you and your truth ~ and I pledge to cultivate my connection with you ~ before whatever differences we may have.

I hope you will meet me in that field.

Namaste.

What Have We Become?

On the way home tonight, I ran over a deer.

He was a big, majestic buck in the middle of a five-lane road. He had just been hit by a couple of other cars, and I did not see him until it was too late.

I slammed on my brakes but the impact was still forceful. The size of his body lifted up the driver's side of my car like I was running over a very large boulder.

Shocked and stunned, I pulled up a ways, put on my flashers, and tried to figure out what to do next. I started weeping.

I reached under my seat to find flares in the emergency kit. Because it was dark and an unlit stretch of road, other drivers coming upon the scene couldn't see the deer. I wanted to at least try and protect his body from being hit again, even though I suspected he must already be dead.

Try as I could, I could not get the flare to light.

I got back in my car and tried to decide what else I could do.

I backed my car up slowly, getting as close to the deer as possible, so that oncoming traffic would see my flashing lights and at least slow down.

I then got out of my car, waited for a break in traffic, and went over to the far side of the road to speak with the man who had hit the deer initially. They were quite shaken, as the deer came at them out of nowhere and their car has sustained a fair amount of damage.

We commiserated briefly and then the woman excitedly shared that her son was on his way from a nearby town (they called him right away) to see if he could have the carcass. "He'll dress and eat 'im if they'll let 'im have the body!", she told me.

At that moment, she could not have said anything more horrific in my presence.

There I was, gazing at the fresh blood and ravaged body of a creature who only minutes ago was filled with the breath of life. I could literally see MY tire tread imprint on his torso, indented into his otherwise undisturbed and beautiful fur.

As I looked at his body, I felt heavy pain and sorrow.

Sure enough, the woman's son showed up moments later. He arrived at about the same time as the police.

He retrieved the deer's detached antler from the far side of the road and came over to where we were standing.

I turned my attention to the policeman.

After assessing the immediate situation, the policeman said, "Is anybody injured?"

I wanted to scream, "WELL YEAH, THE DEER, YOU IDIOT!!!"

Instead, we all said, "No".

The policemen asked me if there was any damage to my car. I said I did not know. He walked me over to it and we looked around. Maybe a bent wheel, he wasn't sure.

As he shone his flashlight at my front tire, I grimaced as I saw the wheel well full of thick bright red blood and fur.

It was a traumatic sight.

I began to cry again.

"Are you okay?", the officer asked.

"This is very upsetting", I said. "I don't eat animals."

To which he casually replied, "Well, if it's any consolation to you, the deer are very over-populated around here right now."

I thought to myself, "According to whose standards?"

I mumbled something, he gave me his business card, and I went on my way.

I cried all the way to the car wash ~ and all during the process of washing the blood and fur from my car. It took a very long time before the water would run clear.

* * *

Having been vegan for only a few months ~ and still gaining a deeper understanding of this ethical and spiritual path which I have chosen ~ I already know firsthand how difficult ~ and lonely~ it is to live this kind of life in a country that slaughters
25 million animals
and
45 million fish
EACH DAY.

The numbers are incomprehensible.

Really.

Truly.

Utterly astounding.

And I am no longer willing or able to ignore them.

Indeed, my Dark Night is getting darker.

* * *

One of the many amazing people I met at last weekend's conference, was Dr. Elizabeth Farians. At 87, she remains a dedicated advocate for vegansim and women's rights, teaching a class (against many odds) on Veganism and Theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
(Read her bio here.)

So, in her honor, and on behalf of the buck who met his death tonight, I leave you with one of her poems:

Who Are You?

Look into my eyes...deeply.
I have the same breath as you.
I am nephesh chayah, a living being, like you.
I am alive and aware. I have feelings and emotions.
I value my life as I struggle to protect and keep it.
I enjoy the breeze and the sun's warmth like you do and
I enjoy the coolness of the earth under my feet.
I am terrorized, as you are, by cruelty.
I cherish my calf as you cherish your child and
I grieve when my calf is taken from me and made into veal.
I feel pain the same as you do and
I ache from being kept continually pregnant, so that
I am forced to give milk beyond my natural capacity.
I want to live even when you have drained all my milk. Then
I do not want to be dragged to the slaughter house.
I want to be in peace.
I am "I", a subject.
I am not an object.
I am a "Thou".

WHO ARE YOU?