Breath

Most humans believe that although plants and insects and fish are alive, that they are devoid of souls, do not feel physical pain or emotion the way that we do, and are, therefore, inferior to us. A tree does not breathe the way that we do; it does not speak in our language; it does not eat in the same way that we do, so it must be a lesser being. It mustn't have a soul, and it doesn´t feel pain. It becomes expendable. We allow ourselves to believe that since this lifeform does not fall within the parameters of what religions teach us about souls, then we do not need to feel guilt, reverence, or remorse when killing these soul-less creatures.

Garbage.

I´m not even going to get into sentience right now, because sentience is obviously something we humans are not able to temper with reality and spirit. Sentience is what has gotten us into so much trouble, makes us arrogant killers, makes us greedy and depraved. Only creatures that do not possess our way of thinking have not strayed from their Original Instructions and become cancers upon nature. That´s us.

It was believed in primitive cultures, and has been taught for eons in Asian, Indian, and other "older" cultures, that breath is the key to spirit. It is through breathing that we establish a bridge to the spirit from our physical forms. Breath is the key to life, and it is the fuel of the blood and the energy that run though our bodies. Breath is healing, cleansing, and settling. It aids in bringing us to open states of awareness in order that we synchronize our senses and move beyond their physical restrictions to tap into the Whole. It has been said that in moving from the vastness of the Whole, that the breath of the body allows the spirit to inhabit the vessel.

The thing is, the shallow, conceited humans believe that breath must imply the very act of inhalation and exhalation that we perform involuntarily on a regular basis. Since many humans can barely see past the end of their nose, they assume that reality is whatever they project from their personal perspectives.

Garbage.

Breathing is accomplished in trees through leaves and roots. In fish, through gills. In insects, through knees. But it´s all breathing. It is all still a process of taking in gases via our prevailing atmosphere and replenishing our bodies so that we continue to function.
A fetus breathes. It does not breathe in the conventional way that we do postpartum, but oxygen is still taken in and carbon-dioxide still released within mom´s body, and with her assistance. But the fetus is still autonomous to the point that it still inspires and expires via the lungs. The fetus has a heartbeat, it has muscle function, and it can feel pain. If breath is the key to the soul, then a fetus has a soul. Someone moved into that vessel. It is the same for all other creatures on this planet, made by the Great Spirit.

Humans really need to get out of the box and start seeing the truth.