You Are What You Eat [REPOST]

21/1/2022

It seems really obvious, doesn’t it?

To say that diet affects an energetic practice feels like I’m stating the obvious. Not only does it feel very obvious but also…. somewhat loaded.

In this new digital age of modern occultism/magick we see commerce permeating every aspect of one’s learning journey. It seems like every blog, video, book, etc. is really trying to sell you something. It’s not always a product. Sometimes it’s an idea, sometimes it’s a brand… Sometimes it’s a ‘voodoo high priestess’ that can cure your herpes in the comments section of a public Facebook post for $500.

…Okay but jokes aside, not all of this commerce is bad. I do it, I have friends who do it (though I like to believe we’re a bit more ethical than the social media scam accounts that we’re all familiar with). For a lot of us, this is how we make our living. We have to sell to survive.

Beyond that, however, there seems to be an awful lot of convincing of others that we witchy folk feel the need to do. It feels like a lot of us (myself included) are sometimes desperate to sound authoritative on the subject at hand. This is an understandable desire, if you have considered yourself any sort of witch/occultist/lightworker/what have you for any amount of time, you will be painfully aware of the stigma there is against this sort of thing.

People can be particularly cruel to those who step out of the status quo, especially in a way that makes them feel threatened- and nothing threatens the status quo more than witchcraft, after all. Any witch worth their salt has at some point had to stand up and defend themselves against someone who doesn’t understand. It’s never fun feeling misunderstood, even less fun when the person/people misunderstanding you are committed to misunderstanding. It seems like they don’t even try.

So of course people get defensive. Of course people need to convince, to sell their idea to the masses. It’s validating to be seen and I think there should be room for people to share and discuss their unique wisdoms without fear of persecution.

However, I feel like there can be some drawbacks to this need to convince all the time. The main critique I can give would be that it feels like the focus shifts entirely to selling and, in a way, commodifies spiritual experience. In other words, it feels sometimes like we can lose sight of what we’re talking about because we want it to be convincing. I think we have all been guilty of this on some level- I know I have!

So, hold on, wait a second… What does any of this have to do with the title of this blog, anyways?

Well, I’m glad you ask.

Breast cancer has brought a lot of… opportunities for growth. I’ve been able to become very intimately acquainted with my own body. With this reacquaintance, I’ve become aware of certain things my body has needed for a long time. I’ve had to adjust my whole lifestyle to a more holistic approach.

The most glaring change has been in my diet. For nearly 12 years, I was pretty strictly vegetarian. I began my vegetarian journey alongside my witchcraft journey, swearing off meat was my first major move as a witch. I say was because I have had to go back to eating meat.

Chemotherapy attacks the bone marrow and can cause serious damage if not addressed. One way I have coped with this damage is to increase my protein and iron intake. I eat nearly three times as much protein as before treatments. I’m sure there are ways to get adequate protein with a vegetarian diet… but my body was screaming for meat. In fact, inexplicable cravings for beef were probably my first sign that something was wrong.

This was very difficult to cope with initially. I remember crying into a bowl of rogan josh at my favorite Indian restaurant, the first time I openly ate meat in front of my boyfriend (who is still a vegetarian). I devoured the tender chunks of lamb like a starved wolf… Guiltily picturing those cute, baby lambs looking at me with those big, sparkly eyes, pleading at me…. “Why, Sigrid? Why?”

I was torn right down the middle. My body knew it needed protein to fight this thing. I almost didn’t have a choice in the matter. At first, I tried to fight it. The glistening raw meat at the grocery store butcher’s counter would cause my stomach to groan and my mouth to water but I would stay strong and push my cart the opposite direction, choosing tofu instead. Soon, however, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. The first meat item I had was actually a humble beef stick. Sitting in my car, alone, I stared at the peppered beef in its wrapper for a long time. I contemplated throwing it out, but almost as if my body was acting of its own accord, I found myself unwrapping it and putting it in my mouth.

I secretly ate meat alone in my car every time I went grocery shopping for months before I finally decided I was at the end of my time as a vegetarian. I lied to my friends and family about it because I was afraid of judgement. I was afraid they would see me as a quitter, I was afraid they would make jokes, I was afraid that my partner would fall out of love with me…. But ultimately, I was afraid that this would mean I was no longer spiritual. I was afraid that by eating meat, I had somehow tainted myself and severed my connection with nature and the higher power.

Of course none of these fears happened. My boyfriend was a bit upset at first, vegetarianism was one of the things that initially drew us closer together, but ultimately he said he would love and support me no matter what- and he certainly has. In fact, everyone I know has been very supportive of my lifestyle change, including the higher powers in my life.

This got me thinking… Where did this guilt come from? Why was I so afraid?

There is a narrative within the alternative spirituality community. That narrative being, you can’t be enlightened, you can’t be a spiritual, connected person if you eat meat. It’s become almost a shortcut to ‘enlightenment’ in some circles. The longer and more restrictive your diet, the more ‘healthy’, ‘connected’, and ‘enlightened’ you supposedly are. I speak from experience here! I recall with great clarity talking to others who, at the time, were new to their own crafts and 100% touting this bullshit that vegetarianism was somehow a requirement. I recall humbly bragging “yeah, I’ve been a vegetarian for about {insert number of years here}…. It’s really honed my skills as a magician.”

…. Gods it’s embarrassing to think about.

Now, bear in mind that I am not against vegetarianism. Not even in the slightest. I’m all for this crazy radical idea that we shouldn’t try to convince others what they are doing is wrong (as long as that thing doesn’t cause harm to themselves or others, of course). So this post is not meant to dissuade or persuade anyone. I fully support vegetarianism, just like I support meat-eating, and believe vegetarianism is something that every single person should try in their lifetime- even if it’s only for a week! It can be wonderfully beneficial for many ailments- one, in particular, being Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which is a chronic illness that I personally have. It can be eye-opening and wonderful and you really can feel more connected with nature as a vegetarian.

There are some old-school spiritual/religious schools of thought that require vegetarianism as well- it’s not just a new age thing! Buddhism and Hinduism come to mind, but we also see restrictive diets in the Abrahamic religions as well. Fasting is a very common tool for cleansing the spiritual body before a large magickal working. However, I think we miss the point of these concepts when we assume vegetarianism will automatically make us better witches or even better people in general.

In my experience with ritual magick, which admittedly is limited by the fact I am so young and almost entirely self-taught, I find that the foods we eat and how we eat 100% affect our magick. There is no doubt about it in my mind. We should always strive for a mindful diet- however that might look for us. We should always do our best to eat quality, nutritious foods. However, that’s not always possible for everyone all the time.

So if you have struggled or are currently struggling with this, feeling guilty because you can’t be vegetarian or eat an entirely organic diet, or whatever the case may be… I am here to tell you that there is no real difference. Vegetarians/vegans do not get super powers, they do not automatically become more enlightened, they don’t get special treatment from the universe just because they abstain from meat. Similarly, meat-eaters are not stronger, healthier, better, etc. than vegetarians.

Do both diets have different effects on one’s magick? Yes, of course. But can we say that one is definitively better overall? Absolutely not. Any and all differences that arise from one’s diet must be explored on a personal level. All things in life require balance and that will look different for each and every person.

Ultimately, the thing I want you to take away from this, dear reader, is that there is no one thing that will make you spiritual. There is no end-all-be-all or quick fix. You have to experiment and learn for yourself. Never let anyone tell you your practice is wrong or that you can’t be a spiritual being for something as arbitrary as diet.

Know thyself and be confident in your power.

Well, that about does it for this post. Hopefully, my insight was at least interesting to read. Stay tuned for next week’s post! Sorry, this one was a day late… but better late than never I suppose.

See you next week!