F is for Fasting
I have mixed feelings about
fasting.
I’m a fat girl who has always had
blood sugar issues, so fasting isn’t easy for me. (Though I understand it isn’t supposed to be “easy”…) But the more I learn about the occult, the
more exposure I get to the idea of fasting.
Back when I was a Baby Pagan I didn’t know anyone who ever fasted
(unless it was for a fad diet.) So while
it’s not a completely foreign concept to me, fasting is not something I engage
in very often.
I’ve been told that a light fast is
good before a ritual, which would include eating simple foods like salads,
brothy soups, fruits, veggies, and tea. Sparse
eating before a ritual ensures that your body isn’t too distracted by digesting
your food. It means you won’t get too
sleepy or distracted that you can’t engage in higher processes, like chanting,
charging an item, concentrating, serving as an oracle, or something
similar. I’ve also been told that
fasting before sleep is really conducive for initiating active dreams. A light-headed feeling allegedly helps you
reach higher realms.
I know that I personally feel bogged
down if I eat too much. It makes me feel
unwell, and if I don’t feel well I don’t want to engage in ritual. But on the other hand, if you fast too much,
you run the risk of getting too distracted from your hunger and bad
feelings. So, while too much food will
bog you down and make you feel yucky, too little food may make you feel too
light-headed and out of whack, which is also not conducive to magic and ritual.
 |
| from The Last Temptation of Christ |
I’ve seen too many people get
overly hungry in the middle of rituals.
They don’t eat beforehand, they don’t ground and center, they get loopy,
their attention wanders, and they get whiney.
This isn’t just unpleasant to the person experiencing that moment, but
it’s distracting for the whole group. So
what’s the point of fasting (a type of purity) if you just fill yourself with
another type of impurity (negative and disruptive thoughts and actions)?
Certainly there is a historical precedence
for fasting. We’re all familiar with
Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert before he decides to finally accept himself as
a sacrifice. Muslims also abstain from
all food and water from sunup to sundown every day during Ramadan. Certain groups of people rejected certain
foods because of their supposed detraction from living a pure, religious
life. (Such as the Pythagoreans and
beans, and Jews and pork). So part of
pre-ritual fasting may include abstaining from certain foods like coffee, tea,
alcohol, red meat, processed foods, meat in general, or too much dairy.
Of course, while it’s advised to
fast before ritual, it’s highly encouraged to eat after a ritual to make sure
you get re-grounded. I’ve seen people
reach for the sweet (key lime pie), the salty (sacred Tostito chips), the carby
(slice after slice of bread), the healthy (hummus and veggies) and everything
in between. I find that I personally
feel better (post-ritual and in my life in general) with lots of protein, but
with a fair amount of hearty carbs thrown in, too.
There are examples of austere mystics and
occultists who we admire because of their ability to fast and to reach
higher realms, but this is something I rarely see modern people even attempting, let alone succeeding at. All in all, it seems like fasting
can be a useful tool, but that many of us don’t know our body’s strengths and
limits enough to engage it effectively.
It’s all part of self-knowledge, I suppose, and of maintaining balance
and health.
Please, chime in! Do you
fast? How often, and for what
reasons? Do you cease the consumption of
food and drink completely, or do you just cut back on certain items? What are the pros for fasting, the cons for
fasting? What have been your successes
or your failures? I’d love to hear your
thoughts?
