The Gifts of Mother Cow: A Spiritual Understanding Featuring Katie ‘Mila’ Bullis
Our youngest cow, Shekinah!
As we learned from Victoria’s post, cows are highly intelligent, loving creatures who have so much to teach us about creating harmonious relationships with the earth, its animals, and each other. Even simple shifts in how we regard cows and animals in general can lead to significant harm reduction and greater harmony between human beings and the natural world on which we so depend.
Many cultures and wisdom traditions from around the world also encourage a deeper spiritual understanding of the nature of animals, and how our relationship to animals reflects our own spiritual journeys. St. Francis of Assissi preached about the need to protect and care for animals as God’s creation, whose souls are as valuable as any of our own. Mahatma Gandhi said that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Abraham Lincoln stated that one cannot be a whole human being without protecting animal rights as much as human rights. And the Talmud claims that one who saves any life “saves the world entire.” Throughout time and across varied global contexts, we can recognize that our relationship with animals has deep moral, philosophical, and spiritual implications, and it is here that we can affect big changes through even small, simple actions.
To learn more about the spiritual work of caring for animals, we asked our own Katie Bullis, horticulturist and animal husbandry expert at Plenitud PR, to share her insights after many years of caring for the cows at the farm.
Radha coming by for a snack!
Of this relationship between our own spiritual progress and our relationship with mother cow, Katie says:
“To truly appreciate the blessings of mother cow, it requires honesty to look at our current condition, personally and collectively. And a deep look inside at our own capacity, willingness, and readiness to show motherly compassion to ALL living souls, not just a select special few.”
“A mother is loving, compassionate and selfless. She will set aside her personal wants, even her personal needs, to satisfy the wants and needs of her children. Her love is unconditional, uninterrupted, and unmotivated. The earth and the cow are mothers, and we are their children! We are one, evolving together and totally interconnected. How we treat the earth, how we treat cows, therefore ourselves - are all totally related. So the happiness of human society is totally dependent on the happiness of mother earth and the happiness of the mother cow. Knowing this, it is our responsibility to serve and love all of creation as non-different from ourselves - because, again, we are ONE!”
Katie also shares how we can clearly see that the state of our relationship with cows and the earth as a whole is deeply imbalanced, reflecting a larger consciousness of selfishness, greed, and disregard for the sanctity of life. As Victoria pointed out, large-scale animal farming is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions warming the planet at a dangerous rate, and conditions in these factory farms are among the worst of any industry in the world. Katie shares: “Today, all over the world, our mother cow stands with tears in her eyes as she is separated from her calf and artificially milked by machines. Once she is milked dry, she is sent to slaughter. It is only a matter of time before humanity at large experiences the full effect of this horrific behavior; since we are one conscious living entity, what we do to the earth and to the cow, we inevitably do to ourselves. And we can clearly see what is happening all over the world: wars breaking out, climate crises destroying communities, and so much more.
So, what do we do to get out of this horrific cycle we have gotten ourselves in?! We must make a shift; we must shift our consciousness.”
Albert Einstein famously said that you cannot solve a problem with the same thinking that created it. To make this conscious shift in the way we regard the value and worth of all living beings, especially helpless but highly loving and intelligent animals such as cows, we must first learn from the animals themselves, and then allow these lessons to guide us into a more holistic and compassionate relationship with them. To this end, Katie shares her recommendations and insights based on years of cow caretaking:
“I urge you please, just start spending time with a cow. Share a loving glance, give her some fruit, massage and brush her, serenade her with a song! Anyone can do it! She does not discriminate! Remember, she is a mother, and a mother sees all of her children with equal vision and love.
Once you start spending time with her, you will notice many things. Probably the most noticeable for me was her PURITY. Cows are so clean! They can tolerate any weather conditions, from the freezing cold of Austria to the blistering heat of South Sudan. But put them in a filthy place and they will get sick very quickly. They love to be washed with water, they love to be brushed, and they are always grooming each other. In addition to their external cleanliness, their insides are just as pure, if not more so!! In many cultures, it is said that fresh cow dung can heal wounds, and that walking on it can remove all the bacteria on your feet! Rubbing dry cow dung can remove the dead skin from your body and improve blood circulation. In India, drinking gomutra ark (distilled cow urine) is said to be the elixir of life because it can prevent and heal many diseases and bodily ailments.
In addition, the cow’s nutrient-rich blood converts into so much milk that she supplies enough both for her calf and her extended family of humans that care for her! We can use that milk to make cream, yogurt, kefir, curd, other cheese, ice cream, butter, and so much more! Here at Plenitud, she also gives us unlimited fertilizer (with her dung and urine) for our gardens and fruit trees!!
There is a tribe in South Sudan that lives entirely off of their cows, although they do not kill and eat the cow. They drink the pee, eat the dung. They use dried dung to make fires, the dung ash as bug repellent and as sunscreen. And in return, they devote their entire life to protecting the cows. They understand this essential relationship, and this tribe are some of the healthiest people in the world.
I read once in a book about an old man from New Zealand who had many cows, but as he got older he had to sell all of them except one. She was about 40 years old (very old for a cow) and she hadn't had a baby in over a decade. But she had such a strong loving bond with that man. He would come to see her every day and take her for a walk, and she would have milk overflow from her milk bags for him just because of the motherly affection she had toward him. Now that is love!!
In addition to purity, the mother cow also has many other incredible qualities. She is very peaceful, compassionate, loving, giving, honest, and tolerant.
We must shift our consciousness where we see mother cow as the sacred spirit she is, and thus see ourselves as we truly are in relationship to her. We will then begin to serve and protect the cows rather than exploiting and taking from them. And since giving and receiving are the same in consciousness, when we give this love and reverence to the mother cow, it is immediately reciprocated within ourselves. Then we will be able to develop these same qualities of our mother cow and share them with the rest of creation! But if we never shift our consciousness and our actions, how can we expect to have any peace, honesty, purity, compassion, tolerance, or love in ourselves, let alone the world?
So please, chew on this cud for a while, and appreciate the unceasing blessings of mother cow!”
We have so much to learn from our dear friends, the cows, and from Katie, whose tireless service to the Plenitud cows (and other animals) is an inspiration for all who live, work, and visit the farm. We encourage everyone to follow this advice and spend some meaningful time with animals where you can–or even better, come and visit us here at Plenitud PR and meet our loving mother cows - Radha and Shekinah! Both of them have names that represent divine feminine energy and presence, and are quick to capture hearts. Many people have been inspired to change their eating habits to reduce meat consumption after spending personal time with these animals! Radha arrived at Plenitud in March 2021, and grew up surrounded by 4 shepherd dogs, so she has the playfulness of a puppy! She is also very social and will often run straight up to people. She loves starfruit and kale. Shekinah arrived in July, 2023 to give company to Radha and be sisters. As cows are also social, and desire to love and be loved just as we do, we wanted Radha to have a friend to be with. Shekinah is very sweet and gentle, which is a good balance for Radha!
Anyone can make the small changes that lead to a big difference, (including you)! Maybe this starts with spending more time in nature, more time with animals, or bringing more awareness to your dietary choices. There are unlimited ways in which we are connected to the natural world, and finding our own personal practices that bring the greatest benefits and minimize harm for all living beings is crucial to this collective healing and shift in consciousness.
“If we never shift our consciousness and our actions, how can we expect to have any peace, honesty, purity, compassion, tolerance, or love in ourselves, let alone the world?” -Katie ‘Mila’ Bullis
