If you are already feeling a bit queasy about this, I’m afraid you are not going to like me very much today. I’m not going to be very gentle about this, so please feel free to skip this if you think you are not ready for some radical non-sugar-coated talk. And if you are comfortable or even excited, prepare for some major learning, shifts in your mind and maybe even get ready to become a vegetarian for life.

Before I get into the topic let me touch on something that human beings in general are very concerned about: suffering. One of the most profound realizations I have had on my spiritual journey is that human race as a whole is extremely scared about suffering, is willing to do whatever is necessary to avoid suffering (to the extent of killing thousands of their own kind), but generally clueless about what brings about suffering. Think about it.

All human beings want happiness, health, wealth, freedom, love, peace and success but entirely ignorant about what causes these things or the opposite of them: suffering. Here’s the strangest bit: as a race we have programmed our own minds to such an extent, we cannot even see the cause of suffering even when it’s slapping us right across the face. We keep doing the same things over and over and expect different results. You know what that type of behaviour is called? Insanity!

Let me give you an example: every day we wake up, drink coffee, turn on the tv, watch the news about violence and separation, on the way to office pick up the newspaper, read some more stories about struggles and wars, spend our entire day running the rat race – competing against each other, come back home, drink some alcohol, watch an action movie that shows (in the most hypnotic way) how violence and struggle is glamorous, go to sleep, repeat the whole thing the next day… and expect to have peace, abundance, health, love and freedom in our lives!

It makes no sense but that’s exactly what we, maybe not specifically you, but as a race are doing everyday. The result? Look at the world today…

Coming back to what I started off on, human beings are terrified of suffering, but clueless about what brings about suffering. Its like running around in complete darkness touching a hot stove now, falling into the ditch a while later, spilling boiling water after that, an electric shock following that… absolutely clueless what we are doing, where we are going, messing up our lives even before we could start… with debt… massive debt… financially, environmentally, inter-personally, and most importantly karmically.

So here is a bit of a rude awakening… how long are you going to stay blind to the fact that you are eating dead animals that have experienced the pain of death? How long are you going to pretend that that nice chicken thigh that you bought off supermarket is just “lean meat”? Its not lean meat my friend, its flesh of a sentient being that once lived on this earth, had emotions and feelings, enjoyed freedom and love, and was mindlessly murdered for your eating pleasure. How long are you going to give into the temptation of eating a rib eye steak with mushroom sauce with a bit of fois gras on the side? Have you ever looked into the eyes of a cow that was about to be slaughtered? Have you seen the throat being slit open? Are you still going to tell yourself “but I thought it was done humanely!” How would you like to have your loved ones slaughtered “humanely”?

Here is the problem with eating dead animals (apart from the fact that you are killing helpless sentient beings just like you and me) regardless if it has been killed for you specifically or not: you inherit the pain of death that it has endured. And this pain is a karmic debt that you will have to balance. There is no way out of this.

Now you may ask, how is a cow or a tuna fish a sentient being? Well, here is the only difference between you and a tuna fish, its level of cognitive processing capacity. It cannot analyze, rationalize, communicate or study in the same way that you or I can, but then neither can a human baby. We don’t eat it just because it’s helpless, do we? A tuna fish has many capabilities that you or I cannot even dream about, but they are different capabilities. And it definitely feels the same pain as you or I would feel if a hook pierced through the soft flesh of our mouth and pulled us up in the air. It feels the pain but it cannot communicate in our language. It feels the pain but we are too blind and arrogant to see it. And really what am I talking about, if we can’t see the pain of a cow or a goat being slaughtered, how can we see the pain of a tuna fish. Some people ask me, when I tell them to become a vegetarian, “but you must eat fish right? It’s not meat!”

So once again, here is the spiritual problem with killing animals and eating them: you are inheriting the pain of death that will reflect in your own life. Take a HONEST look at your life, if it’s filled with disappointments and broken dreams, emptiness and dead ends, struggles and fight, here is one powerful contributing factor that maybe causing it. Stop killing sentient beings and stop being the direct or indirect cause for it and watch your life turn around. Yes, there may be years of negative karma to be balanced, but the hands of the Writer who writes our script is strict but infinitely generous. Reverse the process today, balance out some debt by contributing to sustaining life and eliminating pain. You will be surprised by the miracles that follow. All it takes is a shift in our consciousness.

If you believe in reincarnation, here is a Buddhist concept that you may find helpful…

In Buddhism it is said that each of us has had countless past lives before we were born into this one. And in our countless past lives, every single sentient being has served the role of our father, mother, enemy, lover etc. Which is why in Buddhism, all sentient beings are called Mother Sentient Beings: they have been your mother at some life time in the past. Try to remember that the next time you are picking up a roast chicken from the supermarket.

Now you may not believe in past lives and you may not believe in karma. You may still be stuck in your ego mind prison of name, bank account and job description that you have created in this life time. That’s fine Mr/Mdm Asst. Executive Vice President, I know all this spiritual talk sounds all gibberish to you but surely you care about the food that’s not only making you overweight and ugly, but also killing your children by slowly clogging up their coronary arteries. Wouldn’t you be interested in knowing what food is slowly washing away the calcium from your bones and thickening your blood with insoluble fat? If you don’t care about the “dumb chickens”, you must surely care about your own chance of dying one fine foggy morning from massive cardiac arrest without being able to spend those free air miles to Bahamas…

For those of you who need a little more convincing about the medical aspects of eating animals vs becoming a vegetarian, about what food is truly a balanced diet, what food can actually KILL you and your loved ones and what food can heal you and help you live a healthy, lean, thin, energized life – I know of no better teacher than Dr Klaper of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research.

Dr. Michael Klaper has been a physician for 37 years and a vegan since he was 34 years of age. Among many other interesting posts, Dr. Klaper has served as advisor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A.) project on nutrition for long-term space colonists, so you know you are learning from a professional here. A gifted teacher, humorous lecturer, and the author of successful books and video’s on cholesterol-free nutrition, Dr. Klaper has contributed to the making of the award winning PBS television production, “Diet for a New America.”

Here is a funny quote from Dr Klaper that I love: “Nobody has ever been found face-down 20 yards from the Burger King because they couldn’t get their Whopper in time.”

So sit back, relax and enjoy this fantastic, information filled, paradigm shifting 1 hour lecture…

I hope this gets you to think and seriously reconsider not only your own diet choices but also that of your family and loved ones. A small shift in your consciousness can create a ripple effect into all eternity, touch lives in unknown places through undreamed of ways. The world needs your help today. Do something about it. Become a vegetarian. Stop killing sentient beings.

Here are some free resources for making your transition to becoming a vegetarian easier:

Great vegetarian recipes

Another free vegetarian recipes site

I hope you will spread the word around and share this with as many people as you can in whatever way you can. You never know whose life you will end up saving.

With lots of love,

Shafin

Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
www.redefineyourreality.com

Here is a spiritual prayer that I say every morning. It allows me to re-focus, to remember, to re-orient and to be grateful. It reminds me where the Source of all creation is and where I need to focus. It allows me to center and see beyond the veil of material illusion. It reminds me of my purpose and the responsibilities of my journey. It allows me to differentiate between what is real and what is not. It allows me to be.

Believe it or not, this one prayer has the capacity to turn your life around if you use it right. Write it down and say it every morning… from the heart. Miracles will happen!

With all my love,

Shafin

You can get the prayer text here

When I followed that specific link to see how in the world a major religious text can contain something like this, I found that it was something about Job being asked to strike the ground with a bundle of rushes (a green plant) to a. keep the satan away or b. produce water from the ground (I couldn’t be sure because it was a bit confusing) but nothing to do with women, or hitting them, or anything about the choice of green branches for more pain!

Having gone through this it really made me upset thinking about the situation the world is in right now. What are we doing to each other and the planet? With so much of propaganda against each other and our faiths, with so much brainwash in the hundreds of channels on TV, with so much of ignorance in the hearts of these so called educated folk of the world, are we really going to survive or actually become the cause of our own extinction?

Being around so many spiritual teachers and like minded people, having so many students around the world who write so many wonderful things about my work, most of the times I feel there is a great awakening happening in the world right now. That people are slowly waking up to realizing that there is more than what meets the five senses. That there is a deeper reality with miracles and magic that we can access right right now if we choose to. That God does exist, not in our hearts, but we in the heart of God. That we are all brothers and sisters, part of a cosmic drama, playing our parts, spiritual beings having a physical experience and not the other way round. That what I am doing is actually making a difference and setting off a chain reaction around the world…

But some other times, on days like this, when I see so much of darkness in the minds of, not the villagers of third world countries, but our educated folk who travel around the world and apparently “see” a lot… it pains me. On days like this, it appears to me, the world is in its teen ages, spiritually speaking. Bad attitude, bully type mentality, and total disregard for anything beyond our own understanding of what is RIGHT. Ignorant of our ignorance, wise in our own esteem. The result? Countries like Nigeria and Ecuador being crippled for oil, trillions of dollars being spent on wars, planes flying into buildings and about 24,000 people dying every day from hunger or hunger-related causes (Source: The Hunger Site at thehungersite.com).

Anyway, the fact that I don’t like to feel this way, and the fact that I understand the power of our mind projecting outwards, makes me quickly find out something powerful that can snap me back and help me feel optimistic again. So today, the video that helped me smile back is below. Its the Spin Of Life. Somehow, in its own offbeat funny way, it made me think of how all things are interconnected and how we are all in this great journey together.

So this is for you, not just for today but for all days when life makes you feel down. But in exchange for my efforts (if it has ever helped you at all) I have a request for you (its 6.30am where I am and I still haven’t slept, that’s how bothered I got): do something today to eradicate the idea of separation from the minds of our friends and family. No matter how small your step, do something today to spread the love and the idea that we are all One, in this planet together, and when one is hurt, we all suffer. Whether we realize it or not.

With lots of love for you and everyone you care about.

Shafin

And if you too need some inspiration and lightening up, here is our collection of Motivational Videos For Spiritual Awakening

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If you like the video, do leave a comment below. Please don’t forget to leave your name. And if you have a YouTube or GMAIL account, please rate or comment on the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8b8v3CoLoY

I am here once again with lots of uplifting good news! Your diet coke is killing you!

You heard that right. If you are drinking any kind of diet cola or drink, or consuming any sugar free gum, or any sugar substitute like Equal, Nutrasweet or Spoonful, I got news for you.

This article can save you or your loved ones from serious illnesses like brain tumors, leukemia, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, epilepsy, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s and many more! So I suggest you start paying attention and share it with as many people as you can.

Ok, here is the background:

The substance that is used to sweeten your diet drink and sugar free foods (including Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Kool Aid, Listerine Strips, different sugar free gums etc) is called Aspartame. Aspartame is also the technical name for brand names like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and other sugar alternatives. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965 by a chemist of G.D Searle Company. G.D Searle tried to get approval from the FDA in United States in 1974 but failed due to objections from a neuroscience researcher named Dr John Olney and a consumer attorney named James Turner. For the time being, the FDA put the approval on hold to carry out further investigation. However, aspartame was allowed on 1981 for dry goods and 1983 for carbonated beverages.

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. It is responsible for headaches/migraines, heart palpitations, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.
According to recent studies it is also responsible for triggering or worsening brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, birth defects, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, and diabetes.

So why was aspartame approved by the FDA? Well, for many years FDA not only refused to approve it, but took G. D. Searle to court indicting them under Title 18, Section 1001 for “their willful and knowing failure to make reports to the FDA required… and for concealing material facts and making false statements in reports of animal studies conducted to establish the safety of aspartame.”

You know why? Because in 1969, Searle conducted a study with Dr Harry Waisman on the effects of aspartame on primates. Seven baby monkeys were given Aspartame in milk. One died after 300 days; five others had grand mal seizures. Searle eliminated these findings when they submitted this study to the FDA!

So that’s pretty huge right? And Searle should have been stopped from producing this dangerous chemical forever right? Unfortunately there was a famous man in this story who had very high stakes in Aspartame.

The CEO of G D Searle at the time was Donald Rumsfeld (retired defense secretary for the Bush administration who de facto led the Iraq war)! Mr Rumsfeld said he would ensure that aspartame gets approved even though the FDA said no. He was also on President Reagan’s transition team at the time.

Here are some videos where you can see Mr Turner narrate the story of how greed kills millions of people for years to come!

http://www.redefineyourreality.com/aspartame-poisoning.htm

In 1985, the G.D Searle Company was bought over by Monsanto. The first thing Monsanto did was make the Searle Pharmaceuticals and NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.
Now Monsanto is also one of the world’s biggest companies that produce genetically modified foods and other chemicals that go into foods and food production. Monsanto is also known for producing pesticides.

Now we are talking about a multi billion dollar industry called the diet drink industry. Just like CFC (which almost destroyed the earths climate because of its long term destructive properties yet was popularized for more than 40 years as the magic chemical that makes money yet is environment friendly, until we had the Ozone Hole) and Trans-fats (that clog your arteries and makes you obese and responsible for numerous other diseases yet millions of people around the world are eating KFC), Aspartame also is very preciously protected because its HIGHLY PROFITABLE!

In 1992 the Flying Safety Magazine published articles about the dangers of Aspartame and mentioned that some people could be immediately affected by Aspartame with as small doses as a chewing gum. And here is the most interesting piece of information:

Major airline pilots are not allowed drink or consume Aspartame containing goods! You know why? Because it increases the risk of headaches, seizures, heart palpitations, depression, slurred speech, loss of memory, loss of sensation in lower legs, loss of equilibrium, vertigo, anxiety attacks, chronic fatigue, vision loss, etc. How nice is that? Now you can stop worrying because even if you might be killing yourself with Aspartame poisoning, you should be happy knowing that at least you are going to reach your destination in one piece.

Now I know, in your mind you might be thinking well, diet drinks at least keep your weight in check! Right? Well, does it really?

Aspartame has actually been known to contribute to weight problem and obesity even though it is used in diet drinks. Of course it doesn’t cause over weight issues the same way that sugar does, but it causes obesity by creating some very harmful toxic materials in the body. It also makes you crave carbohydrates which makes you gain weight. These toxins are often stored by the body in fat particularly on the hips and thighs. Not surprising that millions of overweight people around the world are drinking diet Coke, Pepsi and other drinks for years and still not loosing any weight!

In the famous book Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, says aspartame may trigger clinical diabetes! He says that excitotoxins such as NutraSweet literally stimulate neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. “What really concerns me about aspartame,” he says, “is its association with brain tumors as well as pancreatic, uterine and ovarian tumors. … and that so many develop an Alzheimers-like syndrome with prolonged exposure.”

Dr Blaylock also commented: “The new study released in the European Journal of oncology by Morando Soffritti and co-workers should terrify mothers and all those consuming aspartame sweetened products…”

“This study confirmed the previous study by Dr. Trocho and co-workers, which also found the formaldehyde breakdown product of aspartame to be damaging to cellular DNA and that this damage was accumulative. The type of damage was a duplicate of that associated with cancers. Along with this most recent study, this means that drinking a single diet cola sweetened with aspartame every day could increase one’s risk of developing a lymphoma or leukemia.”

Unfortunately, even as I write this today, millions of people around the world are sipping on their “sugar free” and “zero calorie” poison. Every year millions of dollars are spent on marketing and advertising diet drinks with slim and petite women in on the billboards and TV. Little do the ignorant consumers realize that they are paying with their health, their children’s health, and their grandchildren’s health everyday to make people like Rumsfeld and companies like Searle and NutraSweet richer and richer.

On the other hand people like me, Dr Betty Martini (who is the world leader in exposing the ill effects of chemical sweeteners) and hundreds of others are trying their best to reach as many people as possible around the world. But we are up against billions of dollars worth combined advertising and marketing budget of the diet drink companies, processed food companies etc.

How much chance do we have to break through the noise of these mega budget campaigns? I don’t know. But I would like to believe that we are making a difference… That you would read this letter today and never touch any aspartame related product ever again. That you would take the initiative to tell as many people as you can in person, on the phone, via email, in the next office meeting or whatever else you can think of. If you do that, we take a step forward and we shall win. If you don’t, then all of this effort is worthless.

Think about it.

Would you like to help the movement and help thousands, if not millions of people around the world? If so, read on and follow the 3 steps given here to help the world today.

Step 1: Forward this email to at least 5 of your friends, family or loved ones.

Step 2: Let me know that you have forwarded it at bittertruth@aweber.com Just send me just an empty email. Don’t write anything as it is an auto responder. If you have questions or comments follow the email link below.

Step 3: As a thank you gift I’ll send you two motivational ebooks for free. One on a true story of how to bounce back at life when you got nothing more to loose and the other an excellent 49 page special report on motivation. This applies to all readers of this article.

Spread the word and let more and more people live a life of health, abundance and happiness!
I wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, poison free day.

Shafin

—
Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach

PS: To sign up for this newsletter and learn how to transform your personality, love life and livelihood, visit http://www.thesevendayjourney.com

PPS: For a more detailed report of aspartame poisoning with medical research, go to: http://www.wnho.net/new_aspartame_studies.htm

The story of how Rumsfeld accomplished this was told by the attorney James Turner in a documentary on aspartame called “Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World” you can visit the site here
http://www.soundandfury.tv/pages/sweet%20misery.html

Don’t forget to leave a comment. And if you have a Google, GMAIL or YouTube account, please rate the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upumh3zgets

I just uploaded a video on YouTube called “The Journey“. Here is what I want you to do:

Step 1: Watch the Video

Step 2: Write your opinion within 200 words (two-three paragraphs) on what is the message contained within the video and how you think it relates to the journey of our lives. What specific messages you could find that you can immediately implement in your own journey. How did the video change the way you think about life?

Watch the video as many times as you need as it truly contains a profound message that may not be apparent on the first go. Please take the time to construct your reply in a nice way so others can benefit from it also. Feel free to include your personal experience and life stories if it is relevant.

Step 3: Send it to us at ryr.ecourse@gmail.com (or post it as a comment here)

We will receive all your emails and comments until next Saturday (13th December) and then decide on 3 winners. The comments will also be posted on our blog at the end of the result for everyone to benefit from it.

The winners will get the following prizes:

First Prize: A personal 1 hour telephone session with me + The Redefine Your Reality Package with my book “Redefine Your Reality” and access to over 100 HOURS of bonus audio/videos found here:

http://www.redefineyourreality.com/promo-package.htm

Second Prize: The Redefine Your Reality Package with my book and access to over 100 HOURS of bonus audio/videos.

Third Prize: A copy of my book Redefine Your Reality.

Have fun and I hope you will find something valuable from this little contest.

Shafin

The Result

Firstly I’d like to thank all of you who submitted their interpretations of “The Journey”. Although we could not publish all them, but we have read each and every one.

And now its time to declare the winner! (All winning posts are in the comments below.)

AND THE WINNER IS…

***************
Lisa Hanson!!!
***************

Thank you Lisa for your wonderful and your heartfelt entry. Your personal experience and depth can be felt through your words. You will get a free telephone session with me along with my book Redefine Your Reality and all the other bonuses. We will get in touch with you via email shortly.

The second prize goes to….

Roseline Fong!!

Thank you Roseline, you words are true and very much to the point. Hopefully many thousands will find guidance from your words for years to come. You will receive my book along with over 100 hours of audio/videos.

The third prize goes to…

BOTH…

Janice Scarinci Ph.D.

And…

Adesh Goyal

Thanks Janice and Adesh! Both of you submitted a wonderful entry. You are both going to receive a copy of my book Redefine Your Reality.

Okay! So that’s it for now. Please feel free to submit your own interpretation of the Ithaca anytime you want to. Just post it as a comment here. And don’t forget to include your name and website if you have one.

Thanks again all of you. All the best.

Shafin