Not Dealing with Living Reality?

[Plenum]

there are a couple of passage from Ra, which I'd like to highlight today.

One is about the use of preservatives.  In this context, it was in regards to meat, but I think the general principle of eating fresh foods (no matter what those foods are) is something of note:

Here's the passage:

referring to the distortions of the animal protein which has been slaughtered and preservatives added in order to maintain the acceptability to your peoples of this non-living, physical material. It is well to attempt to find those items which are fresh and of the best quality possible in order to avoid increasing this particular entity’s distortions which may be loosely termed allergic.

I know that even until last year, I was eating a lot of canned and frozen foods.  Nothing wrong with that!  But I don't think canned and frozen goods fits the bill of 'fresh'.  Both these methods (freezing and canning) have made food more widely available and accessible in unsupportive climates, so they have served a great purpose - think of canned sardines and tuna for example.  It extends the possibility of consuming fish to situations far beyond living close to a fish market.

But last year I started cooking my food from scratch.  I soaked chick peas and lentils, and then cooked them in a pressure cooker, instead of using them from the can.  I also used the same pressure cooker to cook veggies from scratch, instead of using the convenience of frozen vege's.  There's something nice about starting from scratch.  And I do store the cooked food for a few days in the fridge; but that is a far cry from the shelf life of months or years for frozen/canned foods.

So in a way, I would say that my foodstuffs are more coresponding to a 'living reality', rather than a second hand captured version of it.

- -

This second passage deals with the medical system, and how we approach and treat physical body disorders:

In observing the allopathic concept of the body complex as the machine we may note the symptomology of a societal complex seemingly dedicated to the most intransigent desire for the distortions of distraction, anonymity, and sleep. This is the result rather than the cause of societal thinking upon your plane.

In turn this mechanical concept of the body complex has created the continuing proliferation of distortions towards what you would call ill-health due to the strong chemicals used to control and hide bodily distortions.

"strong chemicals used to control and hide bodily distortions"

would taking a headache tablet as pain relief, qualify here?  I mean, if you have a headache, there must be a reason, right?  A reason worth investigating, right?  Instead of just blocking the pain, and getting through the day - which may be a necessity in some work situations.

I myself don't take any pharmaceuticals for any physical conditions, so this aspect of not dealing with 'living reality' is less pertinent to me.

I am thinking that various anti-depressents would tend to mask the issue, and while it might be a life-saver, just taking anti-depressants alone doesn't seem to ever 'fix' the root problem.  And please note; this is not me suggesting or advising in any way that people come off their medications for their diagnosed conditions.  It is more my own observation that these medications just treat the symptoms, and never heal the original condition so that one is whole again.

Everyone also knows that these pharmaceuticals have a long list of side-effects.  You know, the commercials where they race through at the end and list all the various complications, as a matter of legally informed consent.  Legal Disclaimers etc.

[rva_jeremy]

Great post.  One thing that came to mind on the theme of "not dealing with living reality":

This distortion is not in any case necessary. It is chosen by each of you as an alternative to understanding the complete unity of thought which binds all things. [LoO 1.7]

One can call it "not dealing with living reality" for the illusion to exist at all, because we're not dealing with our essential, ultimate unity with the Creation.  So I wonder if these little attempts to ignore material realities are microcosms of a greater choice we have made to live in an illusion, one of "our" own choosing, one that is not necessary, but nevertheless one that has potential.

By accepting our physical ailments and the limitations of undoctored food, do we practice accepting ourselves and the Creation?  Just a thought.  

BTW I can't help but wonder how these two examples would map, if at all, onto the archetypes of the body.