Poisonous Food

[Jade]

I understand very richly the social implications if one goes vegan. It's also another part of awakening, though. I know it can't be forced. I'm just trying to offer that annoying catalyst that helps people find a less distorted way of being, that may then in turn help their physical and mental health. Yes, a lot of stuff that I have to say is emotional in nature, but it's fact, and some people just need to hear someone clearly state "Dairy is actually not healthy for you and it desperately hurts those from which it comes" at least a few times, to undo all of the brainwashing that has been so thoroughly successful.  

Thank you for raising this point about brainwashing. It helps me better appreciate the great service you are performing. 

Nearly all cultures and societies on this planet are brainwashed in so many ways. Even our spiritual cultures and gurus. The saying "question everything" is so well-known, but it's also like a subconscious shadow for how so many people 'question nothing' and often confuse faith with questioning nothing. 

Very few people, even spiritual people, I truly think for themselves - when I say self here, I mean the deeper self that is the spark of the Creator. Too often, the thinking that is done in conscious mind comes from entrenched egoic beliefs, or family values, cultural values, societal values, and this brainwashing often extends into personal evolution, politics, interpersonal relationships, scientific communities, authorities, religions, gurus, spiritual practices, to name a few areas. 

I would say that I still find myself on this journey to undo brainwashing a deep part of my spiritual path of discovering who I am, and as Ra says there is no end to self-discovery. Sometimes I wonder if I've even begun because the brainwashing seems to be like an onion, you peel off one layer and there is another one underneath.

The Q'uo channeling most recently posted actually talks about this, too:

You ask, this day, about the dark side, the shadow side, of the self, and what is it? Does it have a purpose and how does one balance it or use it, is this possible? My friends, this is a most important query, for within the cultures of your planet there are various mores [1] or customary expectations that are provided as givens, shall we say, that each within the culture must reproduce in some way, and if these cultural mores are ignored, or rejected for any reason, then there is the possibility of the entity so ignoring or rejecting a certain concept or quality [that it] then becomes relegated to the subconscious mind in order that it not be, shall we say, a bother or an irritating reminder to the conscious mind that it, indeed, exists at all. Various concepts throughout the many cultures of your planet may be found in such a darkened environment, shut away as within a closet, so that the conscious waking self may proceed on its daily round of activities without having to consider these qualities that are somewhat disturbing to it for whatever reason.

...

So, we would suggest to you, my friends, that the shadow side is that portion of any entity, especially the conscious seeking entity looking for truth in the life in the path, which cannot be dealt with clearly as a rule, and must be relegated to a safe place within the conscious mind, or more likely, for those who are not conscious of the seeking path, the subconscious mind. Thus, many of your peoples carry with them, what you might call “heavy baggage” that contains these qualities and concepts which are shunned, either by the culture as a whole, or by individuals according to unique personal experience. This “baggage” tends to weigh heavily upon each entity for it is that which is not understood, is not handled in a clear and open fashion so that there might be a fruit produced from the interaction of the entity and the concept. For, my friends, as we are sure you know, every experience that you have ever had has the capacity for teaching. Each person can learn a variety of lessons from any concept or quality of human behavior or endeavor.

When the mind and the heart are open to receiving any information that is available in the daily round of activities in an open manner, then there is a process of learning that is begun, oftentimes within confusion or doubt or disharmony, for these are those processes that, shall we say, grab one’s attention, and continue to offer the opportunity for balancing the learning within the individual according to the energy centers or chakras that are involved.

http://llresearch.org/transcripts/issues..._0106.aspx

I think the onion analogy is apt. I think all of it is also symbolic with the "raising of the veil", in partial but ever increasing increments.

Kind of side note that I just learned: 1/5th of the US economy is advertising.