when i was a small sparrow & i ate seeds where i could find them, i said "thank You" to Shiva for giving them to me. when i was a hawk & i could catch a sparrow on the wing for my supper, i said "thank You" to Shiva for providing my next meal for me. when i was a deer & i munched on tender grass & leaves to feed my hunger, i said "thank You" to Shiva for offering Himself to me in this form. when i was a wolf & i ate deer to stay alive, i said "thank You" to Shiva for this welcome gift You bring: & i laid myself down flat upon the ground, prostrating to Him. now i am human. i ask Shiva what He suggests I should eat. He tells me that i, myself, am both the eater & the eaten. Shiva confides that everything is made from His own body, that all things nurture in their own way: & that once i eat i also am confirmed within the realm of the eatible. all matter is circulated & transformed in the process; as caterpillar becomes chrysalis; as water evaporates from the ocean to become rain. all matter is subject to transformation, & the master-transformer is Shiva, who provides everything that we eat from His own primal substance, His body of expression. all is given by divine provision, for it is one & it is holy. i call this Shiva; others may say God or Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Krishna or the Tao. Although appearing as quite diverse, all is seen essentially as one, when examined with holistic sight & a receptive heart capable of melting. though all is made from the substance of that one vast holy being, what i eat does become part of this body, thus i'm selective. i don't eat anything that has a face, so i eat vegetables, grains & milk products, giving some degree of purity for You Who finally partake of me in the higher realm that i am headed for. i say "thank You," Shiva, as i offer myself like a sweet, juicy purple plum, ripe on the branch in morning sunshine, ready for a transformative journey to Whom all things return.
THIS HAPPENED 