This is a fascinating exchange. Gratitude everyone..
Open, a Masterful discussion about rape. It opens things right up... truly as the Divine Feminine would ask.
The dialogue around meat eating is particularly timely here. Within our close circle of friends there are a few that still eat meat. It comes up in discussion occasionally, but is mostly left alone with the odd 'raised eyebrow' thrown in for humour... Just yesterday the switch was made by all to commit to a plant based diet - big celebration time - yay, yay, yay. ! Well done everyone - time for a breather in the 'growing' department - perhaps a vacation of sorts? Hah ! Not to be.
On our porch this morning - not 12 hours after the family celebration - a new visitor here was describing his pleasure at having hunted 'big cats' in our wilderness neighbourhood. (Doesn't THAT just up the meat eating discussion to a whole new level?) I thought to myself ' seriously '? Not even one day off ???

I couldn't breathe! Every one of my lower chakras was lit up like a Christmas tree and I was frozen in place. As my hunter extolled the virtues of only taking the males, this forum thread flashed through my mind and JUDGEMENT was up there like a neon sign. So I breathed - and couldn't think of what to say - except "Why do you take the males?" The answer was trite (obviously not to him), and I couldn't for the life of me think of what to say next. I was, as they say, Gobsmacked! So - I gathered up our resident animals (how is a dog different than a cat?) and I excused myself.
Help me, Rhonda... How does one even respond to something like that?

I came back here to re-read this post for answers. Open said "bring awareness into it. You bring light once more into the darkness. And it has to begin with surrender - total acceptance. Not as an intellectual idea. But as an experiential feeling. At each cell, you feel the repugnance in you that wants to reject and contract, that wants to get angry - and in that moment, you soften and accept. You keep doing it, time and time again."
Look out Heart - its coming at you again...
Much love, Jan