Vegetarianism Occultism

8/13/2019 Vegetarianism Occultism

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Adyar Pamphlets Vegetarianism and Occultism No. 3

+ 'ithout meat, %ish or %o'l + %or the last thirty+eight years and $ not only still sur(i(e, but ha(e been durinall that time in remar&ably good health. Nor am $ in any 'ay peculiar in this, %or $ &no' some thousandso% others 'ho ha(e done the same thing. $ &no' some younger ones 'ho ha(e been so happy as to beunpolluted by the eating o% %lesh during the 'hole o% their li(es* and they are distinctly %reer %rom diseasethan those 'ho parta&e o% such things. Assuredly there are many reasons in %a(our o% (egetarianism%rom the purely sel%ish point o% (ie'* and $ 'ill put that %irst, because $ &no' that the sel%ish consideration'ill appeal most strongly to a ma0ority o% people, though $ hope that in the case o% those 'ho are studyin

Theosophy 'e may assume that the moral considerations 'hich $ shall later adduce 'ill s'ay them %armore %orcibly.

WE WANT THE BEST

$ ta&e it that in %ood, as 'ell as in e(erything else, 'e all o% us 'ant the best that is 'ithin our means. )eshould li&e to bring our li(es, and there%ore our daily %ood as a not unimportant part o% our li(es, intoharmony 'ith our aspirations, into harmony 'ith the highest that 'e &no'. )e should be glad to ta&e'hat is really best* and i% 'e do not yet &no' enough to be able to appreciate 'hat is best, then 'eshould be glad to learn to do so. $% 'e thin& o% it, 'e shall see that this is the case along other lines, as,%or eample, in music, art or literature. )e ha(e been taught %rom childhood that i% 'e 'ant our musicaltaste de(eloped along the best lines 'e must select only the best music, and i% at %irst 'e do not %ullyappreciate or understand it, 'e must be 'illing patiently to 'ait and to listen, until at length something oits s'eet beauty da'ns upon our souls, and 'e come to comprehend that 'hich at %irst a'a&ened noresponse 'ithin our hearts. $% 'e 'ant to appreciate the best in art 'e must not %ill our eyes 'ith thesensational broadsheets o% police ne's, or 'ith the hideous abominations 'hich are miscalled comicpictures* but 'e must steadily loo& and learn until the mystery o% the 'or& o% Turner begins to un%old toour patient contemplation, or the grand breadth o% Velasue4 comes 'ithin our po'er to understand. /otoo in literature. $t has been the sad eperience o% many that much o% the best and the most beauti%ul islost to those 'hose mental %ood consists eclusi(ely o% the sensational paper or the cheap no(el, or o%that %rothy mass o% 'aste material 'hich is thro'n up li&e scum upon the molten metal o% li%e + no(eletteserials, and %ragments o% a type 'hich neither teach the ignorant, nor strengthen the 'ea&, nor de(elopthe immature. $% 'e 'ish to un%old the mind in our children 'e do not lea(e them to their o'n unculti(atetaste in all these things, but 'e try to help them to train that taste, 'hether it be in art, in music or inliterature.

/urely then 'e may see& to %ind the best in physical as 'ell as in mental %ood, and surely 'e must %indthis not by mere blind instinct, but by learning to thin& and to reason out the matter %rom the higher pointo% (ie'. There may be those in the 'orld 'ho ha(e no desire %or the best, 'ho are 'illing to remain onthe lo'er le(els and consciously and intentionally to build into themsel(es that 'hich is coarse anddegrading* but surely there are many 'ho 'ish to rise abo(e this, 'ho 'ould gladly and eagerly ta&e thebest i% they only &ne' 'hat it 'as, or i% their attention 'as directed to it. There are men and 'omen 'ho

are morally o% the highest class, 'ho yet ha(e been brought up to %eed 'ith the hyenas and the 'ol(es oli%e, and ha(e been taught that their necessary dietary 'as the corpse o% a slaughtered animal. $t needsbut little thought to sho' us that this horror cannot be the highest and the purest, and that i% 'e e(er 'isto raise oursel(es in the scale o% nature, i% 'e e(er 'ish that our bodies shall be pure and clean as thetemples o% the "aster should be, 'e must abandon this loathsome custom, and ta&e our place amongthe princely hosts 'ho are stri(ing %or the e(olution o% man&ind + stri(ing %or the highest and the purest ine(erything, %or themsel(es as 'ell as %or their %ello'+men. et us see in detail 'hy a (egetarian diet isemphatically the purest and the best.

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1. MOE N!T"MENT

2irst6 7ecause (egetables contain more nutriment than an eual amount o% dead %lesh. This 'ill sound asurprising and incredible statement to many people, because they ha(e been brought up to belie(e thatthey cannot eist unless they de%ile themsel(es 'ith %lesh, and this delusion is so 'idely spread that it isdi%%icult to a'a&en the a(erage man %rom it. $t must be clearly understood that this is not a uestion o%habit, or o% sentiment, or o% pre0udice* it is simply a uestion o% plain %act, and as to the %acts there is not

and there ne(er has been the slightest uestion. There are %our elements necessary in %ood, all o% themessential to the repair and the upbuilding o% the body, 8a Proteids or nitrogenous %oods* 8bcarbohydrates* 8c hydro+carbons or %ats* 8d salts. This is the classi%ication usually accepted amongphysiologists, although some recent in(estigations are tending to modi%y it to a certain etent.

No' there is no uestion that all o% these elements eist to a greater etent in (egetables than they do indead %lesh. 2or instance, mil&, cream, cheese, nuts, peas and beans contain a large percentage o%proteids or nitrogenous matter. )heat, oats, rice and other grains, %ruits and most o% the (egetables8ecept perhaps peas, beans, and lentils consist mainly o% the carbohydrates + that is, o% starches andsugars. The hydro+carbons, or %ats, are %ound in nearly all the proteid %oods, and can also be ta&en in the%orm o% butter or o% oils. The salts are %ound practically in all %ood to a greater or less etent. They are o%the utmost importance in the maintenance o% the body tissues, and 'hat is called saline star(ation is thecause o% many diseases.

$t is sometimes claimed that %lesh+meat contains some o% these things to a larger degree than(egetables, and some tables are dra'n up in such a 'ay as to suggest this* but once more, this is auestion o% %acts, and must be %aced %rom that point o% (ie'. The only sources o% energy in dead %lesh arthe proteid matter contained therein, and the %at* and as the %at in it has certainly no more (alue thanother %at, the only point to be considered is the proteids. No'. it must be remembered that proteids ha(eonly one origin* they are organi4ed in plants and no'here else. Nuts, peas, beans, and lentils are %arricher than any &ind o% %lesh in these elements, and they ha(e this enormous ad(antage, that the proteid

are pure, and there%ore contain all the energy originally stored up in them during their organi4ation. $n thanimal body these proteids, 'hich the animal has absorbed %rom the (egetable &ingdom during its li%e,are constantly passing do'n to disorgani4ation, during 'hich descent the energy originally stored in theis released. onseuently 'hat has been used already by one animal cannot be utilised by another. Theproteids are estimated in some o% these tables by the amount o% nitrogen contained therein, but in %lesh+meat there are many products o% tissue+change such as urea, uric acid, and creatine, all o% 'hich contanitrogen and are there%ore estimated as proteids, though they ha(e no %ood (alue 'hate(er.

Nor is this all the e(il* %or this tissue+change is necessarily accompanied by the %ormation o% (ariouspoisons, 'hich are al'ays to be %ound in %lesh o% any &ind* and in many cases the (irulence o% these

poisons is (ery great. /o you 'ill obser(e that i% you gain any nourishment %rom the eating o% dead %leshyou obtain it because during its li%e the animal consumed (egetable matter. :ou get less o% thisnourishment than you ought to ha(e, because the animal has already used up hal% o% it, and you ha(ealong 'ith it (arious undesirable substances, and e(en some acti(e poisons, 'hich are o% coursedistinctly deleterious. $ &no' that there are many doctors 'ho 'ill prescribe the loathsome %lesh diet in,order to strengthen people, and that they 'ill o%ten meet 'ith a certain amount o% success* though e(enon this point they are by no means agreed, %or ;r. "ilner 2othergill 'rites6 < All the bloodshed caused bythe 'arli&e disposition o% Napoleon is as nothing compared to the loss o% li%e among the myriads o%persons 'ho ha(e sun& into their gra(es through a misplaced con%idence in the supposed (alue o% bee%+

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be a good thing %or the race. Nations li(e and thri(e upon them alone, and it has been %ully demonstratethat meat is not a necessity.oyal /ociety, Pro%essor )illiam a'rence, 'rites6


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'e %ind traces o% it. $t 'ill be recollected that o% all the tribes o% Dree&s the strongest and the mostenduring, by uni(ersal admission and reputation, 'ere the /partans* and the simplicity o% their (egetablediet is a matter o% common &no'ledge. Thin& too o% the Dree& athletes + those 'ho prepared themsel(e'ith such care %or participation in the Olympian and $sthmian games.

$% you 'ill read the classics you 'ill %ind that these men, 'ho in their o'n line surpassed all the rest o% th

'orld, li(ed upon %igs, nuts, cheese and mai4e. Then there 'ere the >oman gladiators + men on 'hosestrength depended their li%e and %ame* and yet 'e %ind that their diet consisted eclusi(ely o% barley+ca&es and oil* they &ne' 'ell that this 'as the more strengthening %ood.

All these eamples sho' us that the common and persistent %allacy that one must eat %lesh in order to bstrong has no %oundation in %act* indeed the eact contrary is true. harles ;ar'in remar&ed in one o% hletters6 < The most etraordinary 'or&ers $ e(er sa', the labourers in the mines o% hili, li(e eclusi(elyon (egetable %ood, including many seeds o% leguminous plants.


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poison. Another interesting point 'hich he mentions is that his change o% diet brought about in him adistinct change o% disposition + that 'hereas be%ore he %ound himsel% constantly ner(ous and irritable, heno' became much steadier and calmer and less angry* he %ully realises that this is due to the change inhis %ood.

$% 'e reuire any %urther e(idence, 'e ha(e it close to our hand in the animal &ingdom. )e shall obser(e

that there the carni(ora are not the strongest, but that all the 'or& o% the 'orld is done by the herbi(ora +by horses, mules, oen, elephants and camels. )e do not %ind that men can utilise the lion or the tiger, othat the strength o% these sa(age %lesh+eaters is at all eual to that o% those 'ho assimilate directly %romthe (egetable &ingdom.

(. LESS AN"MAL )ASS"ON

2i%th6 7ecause the eating o% dead bodies leads to indulgence in drin&, and increases animal passions inman. "r. H. 7. 2o'ler, 'ho has studied and lectured on dipsomania %or %orty years, declares that the uso% %lesh %oods, by the ecitation that it eercises on the ner(ous system, prepares the 'ay %or habits o%intemperance in e(erything* and the more %lesh is consumed, the more serious is the danger o%con%irmed alcoholism. "any eperienced physicians ha(e made similar eperiments and 'isely act onthem in their treatment o% dipsomaniacs. The lo'er part o% manBs nature is undoubtedly intensi%ied by thehabit o% %eeding upon corpses. (en a%ter eating a %ull meal o% such horrible material a man still %eelsunsatis%ied, %or he is still conscious o% a (ague uncom%ortable sense o% 'ant, and conseuently he su%%egreatly %rom ner(ous strain. This cra(ing is the hunger o% the bodily tissues, 'hich cannot be rene'ed bthe poor stu%% o%%ered to them as %ood. To satis%y this (ague cra(ing, or rather to appease these restlessner(es so that it 'ill no longer be %elt, recourse is o%ten had to stimulants. /ometimes alcoholicbe(erages are ta&en, sometimes an attempt is made to allay these %eelings 'ith blac& co%%ee, and atother times strong tobacco is used in the endea(our to soothe the irritated, ehausted ner(es. Here 'eha(e the beginning o% intemperance, %or in the ma0ority o% cases intemperance began in the attempt toallay 'ith alcoholic stimulants the (ague uncom%ortable sense o% 'ant 'hich %ollo's the eating o%

impo(erished %ood + %ood that does not %eed.

There is no doubt that drun&enness and all the po(erty, 'retchedness, disease and crime associated'ith it may %reuently be traced to errors o% %eeding. )e might %ollo' out this line o% thought inde%initely.)e might spea& o% the irritability, occasionally culminating in insanity, 'hich is no' ac&no'ledged by allauthorities to be a %reuent result o% erroneous %eeding. )e might mention a hundred %amiliar symptomso% indigestion, and eplain that indigestion is al'ays the result o% incorrect %eeding. /urely, ho'e(er,enough has been said to indicate the importance and %ar+reaching in%luence o% a pure diet upon the'el%are o% the indi(idual and o% the race.

"r. 7rarn'ell 7ooth, the chie% o% the /al(ation Army, has issued a pronunciamento upon this sub0ect o%(egetarianism, in 'hich he spea&s strongly and decidedly in its %a(our, gi(ing a list o% no less thannineteen good reasons 'hy men should abstain %rom the eating o% %lesh.

He insists that a (egetarian diet is necessary to purity, to chastity, and to the per%ect control o% theappetites and passions 'hich are so o%ten the source o% great temptation. He remar&s that the gro'th omeat+eating among the people is one o% the causes o% the increase o% drun&enness, and that it also

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%a(ours indolence, sleepiness, 'ant o% energy, indigestion, constipation and other li&e miseries anddegradations. He also states that ec4ema, piles, 'orms, dysentery and se(ere headaches are %reuentlbrought on by %lesh diet, and that he belie(es the great increase in consumption and cancer during thelast hundred years to ha(e been caused by the corresponding increase in the use o% animal %ood.

*. ECONOM+

/ith6 7ecause the (egetable diet is in e(ery 'ay cheaper as 'ell as better than %lesh. $n the encyclical0ust mentioned "r. 7ooth gi(es as one o% his reasons %or ad(ocating it, that


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pound or t'o each day, that 'ould in time amount to the 'eight o% an animal. /econdly, it is not auestion o% amount, but o% complicity in a crime* and i% you parta&e o% the results o% a crime, you arehelping to ma&e it remunerati(e, and so you share in the guilt. No honest man can %ail to see that this isso. 7ut 'hen menBs lo'er lusts are concerned they are usually dishonest in their (ie', and decline to%ace the plain %acts. There surely can be no di%%erence o% opinion as to the proposition that all this horribunnecessary slaughter is indeed a terrible crime.

Another point to be remembered is that there is dread%ul cruelty connected 'ith the transport o% thesemiserable animals, both by land and sea, and there is o%ten dread%ul cruelty in the slaughtering itsel%.Those 'ho see& to 0usti%y these loathsome crimes 'ill tell you that an endea(our is made to murder theanimals as rapidly and painlessly as possible* but you ha(e only to read the reports to see that in manycases these intentions are not carried out, and appalling su%%ering ensues.

THE $E'A$AT"ON O, THE SLA!'HTEMAN

:et another point to be considered is the 'ic&edness o% causing degradation and sin in other men. $% youyoursel(es had to use the &ni%e or the pole+ae, and slaughter the animal be%ore you could %eed upon its%lesh, you 'ould realise the sic&ening nature o% the tas& and 'ould soon re%use to per%orm it. )ould thedelicate ladies 'ho de(our sanguinary bee%stea&s li&e to see their sons 'or&ing as slaughtermen - $% nothen they ha(e no right to put this tas& upon some other 'omanBs son. )e ha(e no right to impose upona %ello'+citi4en 'or& 'hich 'e oursel(es should decline to do. $t may be said that 'e %orce no one tounderta&e this abominable means o% li(elihood* but that is a mere tergi(ersation, %or in eating this horrib%ood 'e are ma&ing a demand that some oneshall brutalise himsel%, that some oneshall degrade himsbelo' the le(el o% humanity. :ou &no' that a class o% men has been created by the demand %or this %ooda class o% men 'hich has an eceedingly bad reputation. Naturally those 'ho are brutalised by suchunclean 'or& as this pro(e themsel(es brutal in other relations as 'ell. They are sa(age in theirdisposition and bloodthirsty in their uarrels* and $ ha(e heard it stated that in many a murder casee(idence has been %ound that the criminal employed the peculiar t'ist o% the &ni%e 'hich is characteristic

o% the slaughterman. :ou must surely recognise that here is an unspea&ably horrible 'or&, and that i% yota&e any part in this terrible business + e(en that o% helping to support it + you are putting another man inthe position o% doing 8not in the least %or your need, but merely %or the grati%ication o% your lusts andpassions 'or& that you 'ould under no circumstances consent to do %or yoursel%.

Then 'e should surely remember that 'e are all o% us hoping %or the time o% uni(ersal peace and&indness + a golden age 'hen 'ar shall be no more, a time 'hen man shall be so %ar remo(ed %rom stri%and anger that the 'hole conditions o% the 'orld 'ill be di%%erent %rom those 'hich no' pre(ail. ;o younot thin& that the animal &ingdom also 'ill ha(e its share in that good time coming + that this horriblenightmare o% 'holesale slaughter 'ill be remo(ed %rom it - The really ci(ilised nations o% the 'orld &no'

%ar better than this* it is only that 'e o% the )est are as yet a young race, and still ha(e many o% thecrudities o% youth* other'ise 'e could not bear these things amongst us e(en %or a day. 7eyond alluestion the %uture is 'ith the (egetarian. $t seems certain that in the %uture + and $ hope it maybe in thenear %uture + 'e shall be loo&ing bac& upon this time 'ith disgust and 'ith horror. $n spite o% all its'onder%ul disco(eries, in spite o% its mar(elous machinery, in spite o% the enormous %ortunes that ha(ebeen made in it, $ am certain that our descendants 'ill loo& bac& upon this age as one o% only partialci(ilisation, and in %act but little remo(ed %rom sa(agery. One o% the arguments by 'hich they 'ill pro(ethis 'ill assuredly be that 'e allo'ed among us this 'holesale, unnecessary slaughter o% innocentanimals + that 'e actually battened on it and made money out o% it, and that 'e e(en created a class o%

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beings 'ho did this dirty 'or& %or us, arid that 'e 'ere not ashamed to pro%it by the result o% theirdegradation.

All o% these are considerations re%erring only to the physical plane. No' let me tell you something o% theoccult side o% all this. Cp to the present $ ha(e made to you many statements + strong and de%inite, $ hop+ but e(ery one o% them statements 'hich you, can pro(e %or yoursel%. :ou can read the testimony o% 'e

&no'n doctors and scienti%ic men* you may test %or yoursel(es the economic side o% the uestion* youmay go and see, i% you 'ill, ho' all these di%%erent types o% men contri(e to li(e so 'ell upon (egetariandiet. All that $ ha(e said hitherto is thus 'ithin your reach. 7ut no' $ am abandoning the %ield o% ordinaryphysical reasoning, and ta&ing you up to the le(el 'here you ha(e, naturally, to ta&e the 'ord o% those'ho ha(e eplored these higher realms. et us then turn no' to the hidden side o% all this + the occult.

OCC!LT EASONS

Cnder this heading also 'e shall ha(e t'o sets o% reasons + those 'hich re%er to oursel(es and our o'nde(elopment, and those 'hich re%er to the great scheme o% e(olution and our duty to'ards it* so thatonce more 'e may classi%y them as sel%ish and unsel%ish, although at a much higher le(el than be%ore. ha(e, $ hope, clearly sho'n in the earlier part o% this lecture that there is simply no room %or discussion iregard to this uestion o% (egetarianism* the 'hole o% the e(idence and o% the considerations are entirelon one side, and there is absolutely nothing to be said in opposition to them. This is e(en more stri&inglythe case 'hen 'e come to consider the occult part o% our argument. There are some students ho(eringround the %ringes o% occultism 'ho are not yet prepared to %ollo' its dictates to the uttermost, andthere%ore do not accept its teaching 'hen it inter%eres 'ith their personal habits and desires. /ome suchha(e tried to maintain that the uestion o% %ood can ma&e little di%%erence %rom the occult standpoint* butthe unanimous (erdict o% all the great schools o% occultism, both ancient and modern, has been de%initeon this point, and has asserted that %or all true progress purity is necessary, e(en on the physical plane,and in matters o% diet, as 'ell as in %ar higher matters.

$n many boo&s and lectures $ ha(e already eplained the eistence o% the di%%erent planes o% nature ando% the (ast unseen 'orld all about us* and $ ha(e also had occasion to re%er o%ten to the %act that man ha'ithin himsel% matter belonging to all these higher planes, so that he is %urnished 'ith a (ehiclecorresponding to each o% them, through 'hich he can recei(e impressions and by means o% 'hich he caact. an these higher bodies o% man be in any 'ay a%%ected by the %ood 'hich enters into the physicalbody 'ith 'hich they are so closely connected - Assuredly they can, and %or this reason. The physicalmatter in man is in close touch 'ith the astral and mental matter + so much so that each is to a greatetent a counterpart o% the other. There are many types and degrees o% density among astral matter, %oreample, so that it is possible %or one man to ha(e an astral body built o% coarse and gross particles,'hile another may ha(e one 'hich is much more delicate and re%ined. As the astral body is the (ehicle o

the emotions, passions and sensations, it %ollo's that the man 'hose astral body is o% the grosser type'ill be chie%ly amenable to the grosser (arieties o% passion and emotion* 'hereas the man 'ho has a%iner astral body 'ill %ind that its particles most readily (ibrate in response to higher and more re%inedemotions and aspirations. The man there%ore 'ho builds gross and undesirable matter into his physicalbody is thereby dra'ing into his astral body matter o% a coarse and unpleasant type as its counterpart.

)e all &no' that on the physical plane the e%%ect o% o(er+indulgence in dead %lesh is to produce a coarsegross appearance in the man. That does not mean that it is only the physical body 'hich is in an unlo(e

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condition* it means also that those parts o% the man 'hich are in(isible to our ordinary sight, the astraland the mental bodies, are not in good condition either. Thus a man 'ho is building himsel% a gross andimpure physical body is building %or himsel% at the same time coarse and unclean astral and mentalbodies as 'ell. That is (isible at once to the eye o% the de(eloped clair(oyant. The man 'ho learns to sethese higher (ehicles sees at once the e%%ects on the higher bodies produced by impurity in the lo'er* hesees at once the di%%erence bet'een the man 'ho %eeds his physical (ehicle 'ith pure %ood and the man'ho puts into it this loathsome decaying %lesh. et us see ho' this di%%erence 'ill a%%ect the manBs

e(olution.

"M)!E VEH"CLES

$% is clear that a manBs duty 'ith regard to himsel% is to de(elop all his di%%erent (ehicles as %ar as possiblin order to ma&e them %inished instruments %or the use o% the soul. There is a still higher stage in 'hichthat soul itsel% is being trained to be a %it instrument in the hands o% the ;eity, a per%ect channel %or thedi(ine grace* but the %irst step to'ards this high aim is that the soul itsel% shall learn thoroughly to controthe lo'er bodies, so that there shall be in them no thought or %eeling ecept those 'hich the soul allo'sAll these (ehicles there%ore should be in the highest possible condition o% e%%iciency* all should be pureand clean and %ree %rom taint* and it is ob(ious that this can ne(er be so long as the man absorbs into thphysical encasement such undesirable constituents. (en the physical body and its sense perceptionscan ne(er be at their best unless the %ood is pure. Any one 'ho adopts (egetarian diet 'ill speedily begito notice that his sense o% taste or o% smell is %ar &eener than it 'as 'hen he %ed upon %lesh, and that heis no' able to discern a delicate di%%erence o% %la(our in %oods 'hich be%ore he had thought o% astasteless, such as rice and 'heat.

The same thing is true to a still greater etent 'ith regard to the higher bodies. Their senses cannot beclear i% impure or coarse matter is dra'n into them* anything o% this nature clogs and dulls them, so thatbecomes more di%%icult %or the soul to use them. This is a %act 'hich has al'ays been recognised by thestudent o% occultism* you 'ill %ind that all those 'ho in ancient days entered upon the "ysteries 'ere

men o% the utmost purity, and o% course in(ariably (egetarian. arni(orous diet is %atal to anything li&ereal de(elopment, and those 'ho adopt it are thro'ing serious and unnecessary di%%iculties in their o'n'ay.

$ am 'ell a'are that there are other and still higher considerations 'hich are o% greater 'eight thananything upon the physical plane, and that the purity o% the heart and o% the soul is more important to aman than that o% the body. :et there is surely no reason 'hy 'e should not ha(e both* indeed, the onesuggests the other, and the higher should include the lo'er. There are uite enough di%%iculties in the 'ao% sel%+control and sel%+de(elopment* it is surely 'orse than %oolish to go out o% our 'ay to add anotherand a (ery considerable one to the list. Although it is true that a pure heart 'ill do more %or us than a pur

body, yet the latter can certainly do a great deal* and 'e are none o% us so %ar ad(anced along the roadto'ards spirituality that 'e +can a%%ord to neglect the great ad(antage that it gi(es us. Anything thatma&es our path harder than it need be is emphatically something to be a(oided. $n all cases this %lesh+%ood undoubtedly ma&es the physical body a 'orse instrument, and puts di%%iculties in the 'ay o% the soby intensi%ying all the undesirable elements and passions belonging to these lo'er planes.

Nor is this serious e%%ect during physical li%e the only one o% 'hich 'e ha(e to thin&. $%, throughintroducing loathsome impurities into the physical body, the man builds himsel% a coarse and unclean

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astral body, 'e ha(e to remember that it is in this degraded (ehicle that he 'ill ha(e to spend the %irstpart o% his li%e a%ter death. 7ecause o% the gross matter 'hich he has built into it, all sorts o% undesirableentities 'ill be dra'n into association 'ith him and 'ill ma&e his (ehicles their home, and %ind a readyresponse 'ithin him to their lo'er passions. $t is not only that his animal passions are more easily stirredhere on earth, but in addition to this he 'ill su%%er acutely %rom the 'or&ing out o% these desires a%terdeath. Here again, loo&ed at e(en %rom the sel%ish point o% (ie', 'e see that occult considerationscon%irm the straight+%or'ard common+sense o% the arguments on the physical plane. The higher sight,

'hen brought to bear upon this problem, sho's us still more (i(idly ho' undesirable is the de(ouring o%%lesh, since it intensi%ies 'ithin us that %rom 'hich 'e most need to be %ree, and there%ore, %rom the poino% (ie' o% progress, that habit is a thing to be cast out at once and %or e(er.

MAN-S $!T+ TOWA$S NAT!E

Then there is the %ar more important unsel%ish side o% the uestion + that o% manBs duty to'ards nature.(ery religion has taught that man should put himsel% al'ays on the side o% the 'ill o% Dod in the 'orld,on the side o% good as against e(il, o% e(olution as against retrogression. The man 'ho ranges himsel% othe side o% e(olution realises the 'ic&edness o% destroying li%e* %or he &no's that, 0ust as he is here in thphysical body in order that he may learn the lessons o% this plane, so is the animal occupying his body %othe same reason, that through it he may gain eperience at his lo'er stage. He &no's that the li%e behinthe animal is the ;i(ine i%e, that all li%e in the 'orld is ;i(ine* the animals there%ore are truly our brothere(en though they may be younger brothers, and 'e can ha(e no sort o% right to ta&e their li(es %or thegrati%ication o% our per(erted tastes + no right to cause them untold agony and su%%ering merely to satis%your degraded and detestable lusts.

)e ha(e brought things to such a pass 'ith our miscalled


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has its li%e upon the astral plane, and persists there %or a considerable time. >emember that e(ery one othese remains to pour out his %eeling o% indignation and horror at all the in0ustice and torment 'hich hasbeen in%licted upon him. >ealise %or yoursel% the terrible atmosphere 'hich eists about thoseslaughterhouses* remember that a clair(oyant can see the (ast hosts o% animal souls, that he &no's hostrong are their %eelings o% horror and resentment, and ho' these recoil at all points upon the humanrace. They react most o% all upon those 'ho are least able to resist them + upon the children, 'ho aremore delicate and sensiti(e than the hardened adult. That city is a terrible place in 'hich to bring up

children + a place 'here the 'hole atmosphere, both physical and psychic, is charged 'ith %umes o%blood and 'ith all that that means.

$ read an article only the other day in 'hich it 'as eplained that the nauseating stench 'hich rises %romthose hicago slaughterhouses, and settles li&e a %atal miasma o(er the city, is by no means the mostdeadly in%luence that comes up %rom that hristian hell %or animals, though it is the breath o% certaindeath to many a motherBs darling. The slaughterhouses ma&e not only a pest+hole %or the bodies o%children, but %or their souls as 'ell. Not only are the children employed in the most re(olting and cruel'or&, but the 'hole trend o% their thoughts is directed to'ards &illing. Occasionally one is %ound toosensiti(e to endure the sights and sounds o% that ceaseless a'%ul battle bet'een manBs cruel lust and th

inalienable right o% e(ery creature to its o'n li%e. $ read ho' one boy, %or 'hom a minister had secured aplace in the slaughterhouse, returned home day a%ter day pale and sic& and unable to eat or sleep, and%inally came to that minister o% the gospel o% the compassionate hrist and told him that he 'as 'illing tostar(e i% necessary, but that he could not 'ade in blood another day. The horrors o% the slaughter had soa%%ected him that he could no longer sleep. :et this is 'hat many a boy is doing and seeing %rom day today until he becomes hardened to the ta&ing o% li%e* and then some day, instead o% cutting the throat o% alamb or a pig he &ills a man, and straight'ay 'e turn our lust %or slaughter upon him in turn, and thin&that 'e ha(e done 0ustice.

$ read that a young 'oman 'ho does much philanthropic 'or& in the neighbourhood o% these pest

houses declares that 'hat most impresses her about the children is that they seem to ha(e no gamesecept games o% &illing, that they ha(e no conception o% any relation to animals ecept the relation o% theslaughterer to the (ictim. This is the education 'hich so+called hristians are gi(ing to the children o% thslaughterhouse + a daily education in murder* and then they epress surprise at the number and brutalito% the murders in that district. :et your hristian public goes on serenely saying its prayers and singing ipsalms and listening to its sermons, as i% no such outrages 'ere being perpetrated against DodBschildren in that sin&+hole o% pestilence and crime. /urely the habit o% eating dead %lesh has produced amoral apathy among us. Are you doing 'ell, do you thin&, in rearing your %uture citi4ens amongsurroundings o% such utter brutality as this - (en on the physical plane this is a terribly serious matter,and %rom the occult point o% (ie' it is un%ortunately %ar more serious still* %or the occultist sees the psychresult o% all this, sees ho' these %orces are acting upon the people and ho' they intensi%y brutality and

unscrupulousness. He sees 'hat a centre o% (ice and o% crime you ha(e created, and ho' %rom it thein%ection is gradually spreading until it a%%ects the 'hole country, and e(en the 'hole o% 'hat is calledci(ilised humanity.

The 'orld is being a%%ected by it in many 'ays 'hich most people do not in the least realise. There areconstant %eelings o% causeless terror in the air. "any o% your children are unnecessarily and ineplicablya%raid* they %eel terror o% they &no' not 'hat + terror o% the dar&, or 'hen they are alone %or a %e'moments. /trong %orces are playing about us %or 'hich you cannot account, and you do not realise that

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this all comes %rom the %act that the 'hole atmosphere is charged 'ith the hostility o% these murderedcreatures. The stages o% e(olution are closely interrelated, and you cannot do 'holesale murder in this'ay upon your younger brothers 'ithout %eeling the e%%ect terribly among your o'n innocent children./urely a better time shall come, 'hen 'e shall be %ree %rom this horrible blot upon our ci(ilisation, thisa'%ul reproach upon our compassion and our sympathy* and 'hen that comes 'e shall %ind presentlythat there 'ill be a (ast impro(ement in these matters, and by degrees 'e shall all rise to a higher le(eland be %reed %rom all these instincti(e terrors and hatreds.

THE BETTE T"ME TO COME

)e might all be %reed %rom it (ery soon i% men and 'omen 'ould only thin&* %or the a(erage man is nota%ter all a brute, but means to be &ind i% he only &ne' ho'. He does not thin&* he goes on %rom day today, and does not realise that he is ta&ing part all the time in an a'%ul crime. 7ut %acts are %acts, andthere is no escape %rom them* e(ery one 'ho is parta&ing o% this abomination is helping to ma&e thisappalling thing a possibility, and undoubtedly shares the responsibility %or it. :ou &no' that this is so, anyou can see 'hat a terrible thing it is* but you 'ill say6 < )hat can 'e do to impro(e matters + 'e 'ho aronly tiny units in this mighty seething mass o% humanity - < $t is only by units rising abo(e the rest andbecoming more ci(ilised that 'e shall %inally arri(e at a higher ci(ilisation o% the race as a 'hole. There ia Dolden Age to come, not only %or man but %or the lo'er &ingdoms, a time 'hen humanity 'ill realise itsduty to its younger brothers + not to destroy them, but to help them and train them, so that 'e mayrecei(e %rom them, not terror and hatred but lo(e and de(otion and %riendship and reasonable co+operation. A time 'ill come 'hen all the %orces o% Nature shall be intelligently 'or&ing together to'ardsthe %inal end, not 'ith constant suspicion and hostility, but 'ith uni(ersal recognition o% that 7rotherhood'hich is ours because 'e are all children o% the same Almighty 2ather.

et us at least ma&e the eperiment* let us %ree oursel(es %rom complicity in these a'%ul crimes, let us soursel(es to try, each in our o'n small circle, to bring nearer that bright time o% peace and lo(e 'hich isthe dream and the earnest desire o% e(ery true+hearted and thin&ing man. At least 'e ought surely to be

'illing to do so small a thing as this to help the 'orld on'ard to'ards that glorious %uture* 'e ought toma&e oursel(es pure, our thoughts and our actions as 'ell as our %ood, so that by eample as 'ell as byprecept 'e may be doing all that in us lies to spread the gospel o% lo(e and o% compassion, to put. an ento the reign o% brutality and terror, and to bring nearer the da'n .o% the great &ingdom o% righteousnessand lo(e 'hen the 'ill o% our 2ather shall be done upon earth as it is in hea(en.

Vegetarianism Occultism

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