as
i prepare for the growing season and the idea of opening my home to a
random stranger or two who might be excited to help, i face the question
of How to Present my lifestyle in a way that makes it Very Clear to
people who might come here what they can expect. so far, it feels hard
not to run into about a dozen cultural taboos. i Am out to destroy
civilization, so i guess i shouldn't be surprised. anyway, here's one of
the things that's come up during this process.
animal
sacrifice = barbaric, right? it means twisted witches, or dangerous
worshipers of evil, or people you can't relate to because how could they
spill an animal's blood?
no.
Every Death is a sacrifice. the question is not animal sacrifice or not - the question is, sacrificed to which gods?
everything you eat was sacrificed. to the gods of efficiency, of production, of capital, of shareholder value, of profit and progress. or perhaps to the gods of the ever-renewing. to the gods of grass and sunshine, the goddess of rebirth.
when a factory-raised animal is slaughtered, how is that not a sacrifice to the ends of the business? to the god of the corporation?
when a well-loved, humanely cared for animal is slaughtered, how is that not a sacrifice to the gods of respect for all that sustains us?
when you eat a salad, how was the harvest of those leaves not a sacrifice to our bodies, to our lungs that provide the breath of future green?
civilization is barbaric. the primitive and the savage are the nobility, steeping each death in ritual so that our intent is clear. so that the consequences of our actions are in line with our intent.
i love my land, and i love the nourishment that i gather from the land and creatures of my home. we kill animals here, we harvest plants for sustenance, we gather nuts that could have become trees. and with every death and sacrifice, that creature or plant or seed is held in loving hands, and respected, and thanked, and worshiped. Ritual Sacrifice is the way that i hold myself responsible to the communities that feed me.
it is not acceptable to me to support the sacrifice of animals who are not loved, not held gently. it is not acceptable to me to support the sacrifice of animals to the gods of civilization. i sacrifice to the gods of the wild - the goddess of chaos, of rebirth. the death crone and the dark soil. i sacrifice to my cats, who will eat a carcass clean. to my chickens, who let nothing go to waste. i honor my animals, my land, far above anyone who throws the remains of life into a landfill without a care or thought.
animal sacrifice is my 'normal'. what's yours?
no.
Every Death is a sacrifice. the question is not animal sacrifice or not - the question is, sacrificed to which gods?
everything you eat was sacrificed. to the gods of efficiency, of production, of capital, of shareholder value, of profit and progress. or perhaps to the gods of the ever-renewing. to the gods of grass and sunshine, the goddess of rebirth.
when a factory-raised animal is slaughtered, how is that not a sacrifice to the ends of the business? to the god of the corporation?
when a well-loved, humanely cared for animal is slaughtered, how is that not a sacrifice to the gods of respect for all that sustains us?
when you eat a salad, how was the harvest of those leaves not a sacrifice to our bodies, to our lungs that provide the breath of future green?
civilization is barbaric. the primitive and the savage are the nobility, steeping each death in ritual so that our intent is clear. so that the consequences of our actions are in line with our intent.
i love my land, and i love the nourishment that i gather from the land and creatures of my home. we kill animals here, we harvest plants for sustenance, we gather nuts that could have become trees. and with every death and sacrifice, that creature or plant or seed is held in loving hands, and respected, and thanked, and worshiped. Ritual Sacrifice is the way that i hold myself responsible to the communities that feed me.
it is not acceptable to me to support the sacrifice of animals who are not loved, not held gently. it is not acceptable to me to support the sacrifice of animals to the gods of civilization. i sacrifice to the gods of the wild - the goddess of chaos, of rebirth. the death crone and the dark soil. i sacrifice to my cats, who will eat a carcass clean. to my chickens, who let nothing go to waste. i honor my animals, my land, far above anyone who throws the remains of life into a landfill without a care or thought.
animal sacrifice is my 'normal'. what's yours?
Comments
thanks for your comments.