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    Fasting..?

    Does anyone here practice fasting for spiritual purposes? That is, give up certainly earthly indulgences to focus the mind and keep up to scratch with self discipline?

    I used to do "dry July" (no alcohol over the month of July, other than communion) back in the day. I don't believe in any gods anymore, certainly not those that effectively require me to fast, anyway.

    However, I did feel the benefit of it. Not the lack of alcohol, I don't drink enough for it to affect me physiologically on the days I do, let alone over the long term. But I do feel mentally stronger for giving something up for a long time, and I feel more focussed. I may be a non-theistic whatever these days, but I might try it again. I won't lie and say I don't look fondly on parts of my Orthodox past. But I think it was the spirituality of it, rather than the deity involved.
    I'm not one to ever pray for mercy
    Or to wish on pennies in the fountain or the shrine
    But that day you know I left my money
    And I thought of you only
    All that copper glowing fine

    #2
    Re: Fasting..?

    I have in the past. Either to make a point to myself or because I grew up in a family that worked limited fasts into Lent.

    The point in question has been made to my satisfaction and I no longer keep Lent so not currently. Someday, I may find another reason to fast but I'm not particularly looking for one.
    life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

    Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

    "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

    John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

    "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

    Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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      #3
      Re: Fasting..?

      Never have done a spiritual fasting. I have done like a fasting where I drink only smoothies for a day, but I never have done any spiritual fasting.
      Anubisa

      Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

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        #4
        Re: Fasting..?

        I think mainly the whole "Fast" for many is a test of will. Someone "Might" go with out smoking for a week or two just to prove they could. Maybe someone would not watch TV for a month,or use their computer for a time. Testing ones ability to "fast" from anything,might even be considered a way of reclaiming ones "Humanity" free from modern conveniences. Might explain the whole "Survivor" TV thing,or the "Greatest race" . Back to basics anyone?
        MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

        all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
        NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
        don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




        sigpic

        my new page here,let me know what you think.


        nothing but the shadow of what was

        witchvox
        http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

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          #5
          Re: Fasting..?

          I use too. Required in Jewish faith. Now I don't though, I really don't see a reason to it other than it can mess up your body after to long a time. The only fasting I do now is when it's requested by a Doctor for tests.

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            #6
            Re: Fasting..?

            I haven't because I'm Diabetic. I only fast for medical purposes and 12 hours with a working gal totally sucks.

            But more importantly I don't find the need to fast. Either because I'm an atheist and spiritually 'dead and vacant' as a lot of non atheists believe.

            Or I'm just perfectly fine with myself and have found my level. I don't have an inherent need do feel 'less than' by something, anything outside of myself.

            Probably I'm lazy.
            Satan is my spirit animal

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              #7
              Re: Fasting..?

              I have, but I don't.

              My experience is that it leads to disordered thinking, and all my spiritual practices require a sound mind - it would be like trying to do mental work while drunk.
              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                #8
                Re: Fasting..?

                Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                I have, but I don't.

                My experience is that it leads to disordered thinking, and all my spiritual practices require a sound mind - it would be like trying to do mental work while drunk.
                I think so too. I kept thinking about food when I went on a smoothie fast so I don't know how I would do a spiritual fasting without thinking about food.
                Anubisa

                Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

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                  #9
                  Re: Fasting..?

                  I have fasted in the past because of my interest in yoga, but because of my history of eating disorders it's probably not something I should attempt again. Even for spiritual reasons, I don't think my body would thank me for mistreating it again. However, you mentioned alcohol and it just so happens that my partner and I are off the drink for 5 weeks. We actually just wanted to detox and in his case lose the belly for E3 (we throw a party for our gamer friends every June for E3 and it's one of the biggest days in our calendar). We abstain every November-December too, ready for the seasonal onslaught at Christmas and New Year. I never thought to make these times into something spiritual. We're the kind of folk who like a few glasses of wine with a meal and think nothing of sitting with a couple of beers to watch/play video games. When stressed.. grab a beer. Something to celebrate.. pour a glass of wine. So these little months off the stuff require real will power and it is hard to motivate ourselves to stick to it.

                  As a former wiccan, I still have the old sound bites floating around in my head 'Goddess and God want us to enjoy all the pleasures of our physical existance, not run from them' (an interpretation of the 'all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals' line from the Charge), so I guess the concept of denying myself as an act of worship is still a bit alien. That said, I've posted before about a concept I'd heard about from traditional Japanese culture called gankake (願掛け) in which you pray for something at a shrine and then abstain from a particular food or vice until the prayer is answered. I thought that was a really nice idea. I incorporated it into my spellwork for a while, although I never managed to shake the feeling that the gods as I know them don't want me to abstain on their account, and as I believe it is my own will that powers a spell, anything I do after that as an act of begging the universe to give me what I want like some child crying 'please mummy can I have the sweets, I'll be good!' Is pretty pointless.
                  夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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                    #10
                    Re: Fasting..?

                    Ask me again in about two weeks.
                    [4:82]

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                      #11
                      Re: Fasting..?

                      I don't, but there is actually something to it, science-wise. It apparently takes several days to feel the effect, but when you stop intake of carbohydrates, your brain switches to ketones, which is its preferred fuel. This American Life did a thing on fasting as a means to find enlightenment (it didn't work for the guy) and included a bit with a scientist that studies fasting--->I think its this episode.
                      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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                        #12
                        Re: Fasting..?

                        Searched ketones and found they can be good or bad depending..I had no knowledge on this,so thank you Thal
                        MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

                        all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
                        NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
                        don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




                        sigpic

                        my new page here,let me know what you think.


                        nothing but the shadow of what was

                        witchvox
                        http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Fasting..?

                          I've done a few a different fasts a couple of times including
                          - 3 day water and juice (no pulp) only fast
                          - 21 day vege only fast
                          - 7 day fast from luxury of my choosing (mine was recorded music)

                          When fasting, I coupled it with extending time in prayer or prayer instead of the activity I chose to give up. Twice I didn't make an effort to do this and both times it was as though I was on a bad diet. If I did the liquid fast, I made sure I wasn't working. So I chose a long weekend or something. Otherwise I found it too hard to keep my energy up.

                          When fasting, nothing hugely radical would happen to me like full blown visions or whatever. I'd just receive very simple ideas and insights to enhance my spirituality (eg how to better use my time).

                          I'd like to start fasting again in the future but the liquid fat worked best for me and I doubt I'll get that kind of down-time again until I'm 50!

                          I started a thread on this a VERY long time ago myself and there was some nice points in there. Here is the link if you are able to access it... http://www.paganforum.com/showthread...hlight=Fasting

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