Fasting?

[The AlphaOmega]

Well, I've never projected before, so no.  But as far as fasting goes, once you get past that first initial day without food you enter a much more relaxed and enlightened state.  I've meditated after a couple days of fasting and it was extremely profound and insightful.  I had never been so focused, relaxed or determined to reach a mental goal (that I succeeded in reaching) as when I meditated after fasting.  I did drink water while I fasted, but ate absolutely nothing, not even a cracker.  Most people can't go a couple of days without eating, it's just something they're not at all use to.  But if you're serious about it, I'd say give it a shot.  Dont go to restaurants with your friends or just sit around and watch tv.  It's good to stay mentaly active as to keep your mind off of the food and also to prepare yourself for what you are fasting for.  I found it to be more of a personal experience, and spending a few days in solitude away from people you know makes the experience not only easier to handle, but also more meaningful.  Good Luck!

[Rastus]

Yes, as well as with other energy work.

[Naiad780]

How much fasting do you typically do, guys?  2-3 days?  I am accustomed to going a day or so without food, but not much more.  Any other tips?  Do you just stick to water, or do you also consume juice, broth, and other liquids?

[Rastus]

1 day isn't that bad, say breakfast this morning for work tomarrow night.  3 days is harder, especially day 2, but by day 3 your quite lucid.  Witches traditionaly do 3 days before Sabats.  Some let you have fresh backed whole bread (grind your own wheat) as part of the fast (hence the old prision punishment of Bread&water, what the witches ate).

You can do a "juice" fast, that is you only have fresh vegatable juice.  It's MUCH easier to do and has about the same affects.  That is of course up to you, depending on how you like vegatable juice!

I'm having a NEG issue, so I feel a 3-day fast coming up (10 days until full moon, but I'm not sure I can wait that long, sigh).

[Naiad780]

Thanks, that's helpful.  I hate veggie juice, actually, but maybe getting a juicer would be a good idea, try that first so I wouldn't start out with NOTHING for 3 days.  Do you have to drink a ton of juice, or just a glass for mealtimes?

I hope your neg issue gets better before the full moon.

[Rastus]

Let me backtrack.

Don't fast if you have medical issues.  Fasting isn't for everyone.  Don't overdo it (go for 5 or 7 days).  3 days is about the limit before your body starts doing fundamental changes (changing over to starvation mode).  Fasting puts you into Keytosis (sp?), where you are converting fat/protein as your primary energy source (aka the Atkins Diet).

I'm not sure if the "juice" fast includes fruit juices or not.  I'm not sure if it's no carbs (which doesn't apply to bread, so it's a false assumption) or protein only (except carrots are high in sugars).  I think it's basically the no solids.

I do know that most fruit juice is acidic, and that's hard on an emtpy stomache (you couldn't go 3 days on just orange juice without stomache aches).  You can come up with some pretty tasty vegatable juice combinations without a lot of effort (carrot/celary is not bad).  I am of the opinion the juice is mainly to quiet your stomache of the pains, and not so much for the calories (which aren't that high)

<EDIT>

I think this is the NEG/Sprititual drive behind Eating Disorders.  People feel the 'Energy Rush' from not eating, then take it to extreme and lose all the benefits.

[The AlphaOmega]

If you haven't fasted before it might be a good idea to start slow.  If it's your first time then 3 days might be stretching it.  Try it for one day a couple of times and see how easy it is for you.  Try drinking just water (a true fast has no food and no liquid) and if it's very difficult for you then perhaps juice would be alright.  I'd recommend to only do so at meal times.  If you substitute a meal with a juice drink then you get some nutrients, but you are still fasting throughout the day.  If you drink juice or water all day long as you see fit then all you're really doing is starving yourself, not committing to a traditional fast.  Only drink if you feel you can't stand the thirst or hunger any longer.  As for eating bread.  Well, to each his own, but if you're eating bread and drinking juice all day you're really not fasting at all.

[Emphasis]

I`m a witch and I ussually fast on the full moon or sometimes when doing an important ritual or spell.I drink tons of water and have to go to the bathroom ALL the time(thats a little frustrating),but I feel great after 1 day fasting.I`ve never fasted more than 2 days tough,do you loose much of your weight if you are fasting for about 5 days or does your subconscious do something or what.I`m thinking of fasting for a longer period soon,but I don`t want to get anorexia[xx(].

[no_leaf_clover]

I'm in the same bout as Alpha with the fasting and projection thing. Never projected but in general I find I usually feel better when I eat less. I don't fast for whole days, but I eat very little and only when I'm genuinely hungry.

The last time I was about to have a big meal I came to realize this. I was eating out with my family at a restaurant and I became full pretty quick (maybe my stomachs shrunk?) and afterwards I felt bloated and sick until it started digesting. I don't think eating less has hindered my health, either. If anything I'd say I'm as healthy as I've ever been. So all in all eating less works for me. I haven't tried fasting for whole days yet. Maybe I'll give that a shot. []

[Rastus]

Proper Diet is a bigger key to projecting than NEW.  Fact.  That means for 99.9% of you all, your hosed.  If your eating from a Europeon or American grocery store, your not eating a well balanced meal.  Sorry, that's a metaphysical fact of life.  Fasting is one way to purge the negative energy buildups.

It's one of the reasons Wiccan's (as opposed to Witches) have an advantage in energy work.  I smell a long post coming on.......

[Nagual]

Some people even advice distilled water, to drink while fasting.  Also, be sure to slowly go back to eating after a long fast.  The veg-juice is indicated for this. Followed by soups; etc...

[19]

I think the extreme hunger of fasting makes you more alert than average in daily life and then you become alert in your dreams which leads to lucidity.

some find that fasting gives them a break from the animal act of sh.tting

[19]

When you fast your digestive system doesn't work so hard,

Humans have the teeth of omnivores(meat eaters) but the stomachs of herbivores(plant eaters).

Try eating alot of meat before going to bed, you'll understand why it is important to fast occasionally.

[LiLRaverJay]

Fasting sounds like a good idea to help with the OBE process, and I would love to give it a whirl.... except....
Well, lets just say Im 6'1, and only 140lbs.  So I need all the weight I can gain.  I actually loose weight a lot easier than I can gain it, and Im afriad that if I fast, it'll be a challenge to actually put the weight back on.
*sigh*  Oh well.[xx(]

[Arie]

If you fast...just watch out for the scurvy. If your body starts showing signs of rigor mortis...rigidity...and strange twisting... be careful.  When this happens...if you want...you can start drinking some orange juice or something with Vitamin C. That will give you energy.  I've also experinced strong vibrations in my hands while fasting.

If you fast for more that two days...power to you...I don't think I've gone that far.  That dude David Blaine fasted for 40 days(just food) in this small glass or plastic box suspended in the air by a small crane or something.  I believe it happened in New York...I saw it on television.  He was on Larry King talking about it as well.

If you fast for even one meal...you will develop self-control...but then you can lose it by eating rapturously when your done.  Haha.

But of course...there are other positive ways to gain self-control such as running...reading a difficult book etc etc.  And as I'm sure most of you will agree...a good amount of self-control is necessary for any type of universe exploration.

To each man his own

[SmileySpirit14]

i fast all the time, days at a time and the only time i break it is to eat bread or fruit or somthing, and a small amount at that...projection and everything was easy as f**k, but now im anemic!!! (lack of blood in the body, and the red blood cells that are left, are weak -_- ) i gotta go to the hospital for it now

[no_leaf_clover]

There have been reports of people in the East that don't eat - at all! There was even a scientific study on one such man a while ago and I think they're going to conduct more studies. What they saw from the first study was that even though the man didn't eat anything, his bladder would fill with liquid, and then it appeared to re-absorb into his bladder walls. He never ate anything while he was being studied, and was only allowed water to bathe and even then they kept watch to be sure he didn't swallow any. The man claimed to have not eaten anything for decades and had some following in his region.

What I'd like to know is how people reach this level of fasting.. [?]

[tdd]

Hi all,

Fasting has been practiced successfully for thousands of years to

a) cleanse the body and allow it time to heal itself
b) spiritual enlightenment

While it is theoretically "safe" to fast up to 40 days without damaging your body (after 40 days your body starts digfesting itself) - it is not advised for anyone on a standard western diet since the cleansing and purging effects will simple be to strong and they inthemselves could cause if nothing else then phsychological problems and damages.

Paul C. Braggs fasted each year 2x for 10 days on distilled water only, and did also 1 x36 hour fast each week. He died at 93 of a surfing accident - and on autopsy showed organs comparable to a 20y old.

Yet aside from fasting he also was eating mostly raw fruits and vegetables, exercised each day a lot, and ate only 2 meals per day.
He was the teacher of JackLaLanne and numerous other health pioneers.
He wrote an excellent book "Miracle of Fasting"

I have found that a light "living" diet (living as in un-cooked thus the vitamins and minerals are preserved) - as well as occasional fasting - helps tremendously with any kind of internal work including OBE.

Some reference sites that may be of interest:
Benefits of raw food diets etc: http://www.rawfoods.com/
Info on Braggs: http://www.bragg.com/company/about_paul.html


Overall one of the main issues I have found is that all the references to energy work, cleansing etc from the past - are all mostly written in a time when the diet was more balanced, ethere were no processed foods, food was by default organic and had no pestisides etc.

In the modern western society however most people are so desythesized from themselves through all the chemicals they absorb from food, contaminated air and water etc. - that it is tremendously hard for them - and takes them a lot longer - to reap any benefits from energy work or cleeansing, diets etc.

Light & Love,
TDD

[endlessoneness]

I agree with TDD here. Fasting allows the body to heal itself and greater spiritual attunement. People say it's harder to get ill than it is to stay healthy, and with the increasing cases of illness and disease here in america alone, I would have to say we defenitly are making it hard on ourselves! Our diets directly and indirectly contribute to our states of mind, body, and emotions. I liked TDD's point about eating living foods. You should check out the work of Edmond Szekely. I think it couldn't have been done better by his description of the foods that be. He labeled them Biogenic, biocidic, bioactive, biostatic. I'll post a link at the end for all to read once I find one. But to get to the point there are foods which contribute positively to our energy bodies, and foods that contribute negatively. I think understanding this, used in a harmonious fashion (also with the lunar cycle) with fasting, provides solid base for building a very healthy physical body, that is able to store, transfer, and manipulate more finer and higher manifestations of energies to provide for our subtle bodies, which at the least for conscious projection is needed. If we observe these with harmony related to the bigger systems out there, I should think the effects and results would magnify. Fasting allows the body to devote more of it's resources to purely spiritual and mental facilities for utilizing the energy around and in us, and also to the physical facility by allowing it more resources to properly balance itself, persay. True fasting also accounts to fasting spiritually and mentally, not only physically. Fasting from foods, to allow the body to heal, fasting from negative spiritual tendencies, and mental habits to gain further discipline in those related matters. Fasting should be observed with total mindfulness, and not just related to food. But it's not to say that fasting in only one area isn't helpful, it is, I just want to bring to your attention of the various uses of fasting. As above so below, as within so without. If we tune our lifestyles and thinking to the unchanging laws of harmony, and observe them with diligence, I should believe that the possibilities and successes of subtle (and physical) body manipulation would be endless. THe secret here lies in the balance. Man shall not live on bread alone, and fasting allows us to eat a food of another type. Also Mari Bala hasn't eatin or taken anything for over 40 years! She wasn't initiated into a yoga technique and mantra that allowed her to take the nutrients she need from the air and sunlight. Reports say it was given to her by a materialized guru whom she prayed for to show her how to live without food or drink. I should stop now before this post turns out to be a novel. Here are some links to further your studies. Thanks for everyone else's posts on the matter, and your experiences as such. I too find the energy body greater fed with only sufficient amounts of living food and water(there is dead water and living water too you know) and enhanced by fasting to tune into these greater. Also less mental trash to aid in meditation with greater clarity. Another point to make that while fasting, especially if one's diet is pretty negative and destructive or overly gluttonous, one will begin to feel tired, and a personal experience I had while trying to sleep, I felt like I had just dropped acid, and my body was tense and very irritating, itchy. But this is directly related to something of a "withdrawal" and your body is purging the toxins that are building up. So you may feel very drained of energy and sick. Careful consideration must still be taken into context, because not all people can fast. But you'll soon notice that with prayer and meditation and dedication, your body will flush those toxins out and you will feel a little better if not a whole lot better after those are clear. Edgar Cacye suggested a 3 day raw apple fast, coupled with daily cleansing of the outer body, and a half a cup of olive oil consumption on the third day i think to help push the toxins out. One must take note here as well to these toxins they are mostly related to buildup and inflammation, which in turn is the cause of all disease and illness. We flood our bodies iwht negative food that buillds up, and then we can't flush then out unless we give the body time to take action on them by stopping consumption of food. I personally believe that these blockages could be directly related to subtle body blockages in the same area, and that with fasting and proper energyg work, will insue healing. But now I'm getting a very long post. I should hope nobody bore from it. Take care.

Szekely on foods: www.rosneath.com.au/ipc6/ch05/swindell/
living water and dead water(types of water:
www.nzwellness.com/files/water.htm
www.earthtransitions.com/livingwater/living_water.htm
fasting, advantages and principles: www.thenazareneway.com/index_fasting.htm
Mari Bala (from an autobiography of a yogi): www.thenazareneway.com/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi/Chapter%2046.htm
(NOTE: if some of you have trouble with relgious "dogma" as related to these nazarene documentations, I encourage you to use stragetic key words in search engines to find what you need to know as related, althought I do suggest www.thenazareneway.com as an enormous wealth of information for meditation, buddha, ancient texts, fasting as i've shown, and insights into truth that give further base for the reasons we come here to the pulse seeking obe's and experience with the higher realms, and in general unlocking our subconscious memory and abilities that lie dormant from years of societal repression)

[Manix]

If you've never fasted before how would you suggest for a person to start?
I would like to try it for a 24 hour period but I'm afraid of the effects it might cuase with my thyroid problem.

What are some ill side effects from fasting? Maybe something that will be a clue as to whether your pushing yourself to much?

[tdd]

manix,

You can safely fast for 24 hours.

Any problems you may have wil over the long run only improve from fasting. Problems can however become initially stronger when fasting - this is called a healing crisis.. it needs to happen in order for the problem to improve.

ie. old symptoms need to re-surface .. and then the body can clean them out. Its a long process though.

I would suggest first adding 1 day a week were you eat only 100% raw fruits and vegatables (preferably organic)

For example: big bowl of only cut up mango.. banana and peaches for breakfast..

large salad with all possible veggies in it with some cold pressed olive oil and organic vinegar on it..  for lunch

some mashed up strabberries with sliced bananas and dates in it for dinner.

Especially with thyroid problems I would also first cut out any refined sugar, caffeine, white flour, heavily processed foods, canned foods, overly large meat consumption - etc. and add alot more fresh fruits and vegetables to the diet.

After those changes I would start regular short fasting (I usually fast every week for 36 hours).

Hope this helps.

Again check the reference links I posted in my ealier post.

Another one that mya help is www.ultraprevention.com (for a more global view on this)

Also keep in mind.. since we are energy beings.. we need energy from food.. not just dead mass and fiber. Thus only raw foods can really feed us.

There were Kirlian photography images taken of cooked food.. and raw food.

The raw food had lots of light and electric charges surrounding the food.. the cooked one.. was basically "dead"


Love and LIght,
TDD

[Naiad780]

Has anyone found that fasting helps them project?