Apart from being a great artist, scientist, and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci (vegetarian) was thought to have prophesized future events, near and far on the timeline. With the precision and intent of a scientist, Da Vinci constantly recorded in drawings and words, his deepest thoughts, Insights, and conclusions.
Leonardo da Vinci (vegetarian), born as Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, was one of the greatest artists and polymaths of the Italian Renaissance. At the tender age of 20, Leonardo was qualified as a Master in the Guild of Saint Luke, the Guild of Artists and Doctors of Medicine. Although he had received little formal training, he was multitalented and was gifted as a painter, artist, musician, sculptor, architect, engineer, and an inventor who was ahead of his time. His most famous designs and inventions include a flying machine, submarine, parachute, diving suit, and a fully animated robot.
It is from this incredible range of talents that Leonardo da Vinci earned the title of “Universal Genius”, of which many agree Da Vinci was the epitome. This term and title refers to those great minds, scholars, and enlightened souls – also called polymaths – who display diverse talents and encyclopedic knowledge in multiple subjects and fields, such as American Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin (vegetarian) and Thomas Jefferson, Bengali poet, musician, and social reformer Rabindranath Tagore (vegetarian), 12th century German Benedictine nun and mystic, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, etc...
With such high intelligence and keen perceptions, many polymaths choose a vegetarian or animal-people protective and respectful lifestyle. Reports indicate that Leonardo da Vinci was also a vegetarian, and it is well known that he spoke out against the abuse of animal-people used in food production. On bees he wrote: “And many others will be deprived of their store and their food, and will be cruelly submerged and drowned by folks devoid of reason. Oh Justice of God! Why dost thou not wake and behold thy creatures thus ill-used?” On sheep-, cows- and goat-people he wrote: "Endless multitudes of these will have their little children taken from them ripped open and flayed and most barbarously quartered."
A reference from a Florentine contemporary, Italian explorer Andrea Corsali, mentioned Leonardo da Vinci does not consume meat or harm animal-people. He wrote the following in a letter to his patron describing Hinduism from his travels: “[...] Gujaratis (Hindus) are so gentle that they do not feed on anything which has blood, nor will they allow anyone to hurt any living thing, like our Leonardo da Vinci.”
Da Vinci is perhaps most famously known as a painter, and is often credited as the founder of the Italian High Renaissance – the most productive period of Italian artistic production. His works include the iconic and perfectly proportioned Vitruvian Man; the most reproduced religious painting of all times, The Last Supper; the highest-priced painting ever sold at a public auction, Salvator Mundi, which is a depiction of the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ; and his magnum opus, Mona Lisa (La Gioconda).
With his curiosity and love of science, Da Vinci also blended his art with innovative scientific ideas and transferred many of these into practical designs or creations. This side of his artistry included a vast range of drawings on anatomy and human physiology, which became a valuable resource for doctors in the years to follow. In the later stage of his life after his right hand became paralyzed, Da Vinci’s focus was toward scientific studies until his death in 1519.
Apart from being a great artist, scientist, and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci was thought to have prophesized future events, near and far on the timeline. With the precision and intent of a scientist, Da Vinci constantly recorded in drawings and words, his deepest thoughts, Insights, and conclusions.
He had compiled over 50 notebooks at the end of his years which are now collectively known as “The Notebooks.” About 70 years after his death, some parts of these were collated and published by Pompeo Leoni as the Codex Atlanticus. Over time, this great treasure was restored into the current 12-volume, 2,238-page series that is the largest collection of Da Vinci’s total estimated 13,000 pages of work. Other volumes have also been created, such as the Codex Arundel, Codex Leicester, and Codex Urbinas. It is from these valuable records that historians and philosophers have been able to ponder and decipher the secrets laid within to present the many prophecies of Leonardo da Vinci.
In many of these prophecies, humans can be seen to be profiting from the death of others, including their own kind. For example, for the sake of fulfilling their own selfish desires, claiming territories, or seeking egoistic power, humans harm each other, inflicting death, suffering, misery, terror, and exile to every living creature on Earth. Many of his visions also concern the environmental destruction created by humans, and warn of many disasters such as floods, fires, and famine that will follow.
“Creatures shall be seen upon the earth who will always be fighting one with another, with very great losses and frequent deaths on either side. These shall set no bounds to their malice; by their fierce limbs a great number of the trees in the immense forests of the world shall be laid level with the ground; …. And by reason of their boundless pride they shall wish to rise towards heaven, but the excessive weight of their limbs shall hold them down…. O Earth! what delays thee to open and hurl them headlong into the deep fissures of thy huge abysses and caverns, and no longer to display in the sight of heaven so savage and ruthless a monster?”
It is through his profound words and artistic creations and collections that Leonardo da Vinci clearly warned humans of the great Armageddon that is approaching. With this wisdom, we are reminded to connect with all living beings and make peace, so that our planet can be protected, and our lives can be saved!
In the following episodes of this multi-part series, we will investigate the many prophecies foretold in the spectrum of works, writings, and the life of the Universal Genius, Leonardo da Vinci.
