On Fasting

This Full Seed Moon has filled me with energy, and that means it's time for a Double Bonus The Pagan Experience Post! This post is inspired by my sister witch Amanda's writing about the topic - I wrote her a reply so long that I realized it is a post unto itself. So here we are, an extra bonus post for the tail end of March.

I've experimented quite a bit with fasting throughout my Pagan career. When I was a baby Pagan, I took this aspect of practice very seriously. I read that fasting was a good preparation for ritual, so I fasted for at least 24 hours before each and every ritual. For my first initiation, I think we did 3 days. We allowed ourselves water and plain brioche. Not much brioche, just enough to keep us coherent. It was tough at age 13, and it was also my first attempt.

I have also experimented with fasting for health reasons. Fasting is helpful after an illness, especially a stomach virus. Reintroducing foods slowly and mindfully helps our GI tracts to heal and repopulate with healthy flora. I have also fasted after over-indulging at Yule, or as a personal spring cleaning before Ostara.

Several times I used the Master Cleanse (the maple lemonade). Sometimes it was successful, other times not. I struggle with low blood sugar, though I have no official diagnosis. I still don't fully understand why I was able to complete the Master Cleanse some years and not others.

I'm also familiar with fasting as a Yoga practitioner. The Yoga Sutras tell us to eat just enough - to fill our stomachs halfway with Sattvic (pure/balanced, most vegetables) foods, then a quarter more with water, and to leave the last quarter empty. Yoga practitioners are encouraged to fast as a means of getting closer to God, but not to the point that one becomes emaciated. The Yoga tradition also includes tales of Yogis who are able to live without food and water altogether. Is it true? Who can say?

So as Pagans, why should we fast? First off, I would never say that anyone *should* fast. We all follow different traditions and different Gods. Across world religions, there are many different reasons that people fast, and many different ways that this is practiced. Go check out this awesome infographic for a summary.

Overall, I would say that most religions fast as a form of voluntary sacrifice to the Divine, as a means of building discipline and as a form of personal purification. All of these things are helpful for Pagans, but I say this with reservations.

It seems to me that many of the religions that advocate fasting associate food with pleasure and pleasure with dissolution, gluttony or even evil. I agree that over-indulging regularly is not healthy on any level. But as a Pagan, I see the fruits of the Earth as beautiful gifts that should be enjoyed, with full gusto and pleasure. The Charge of the Goddess tells us “Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; 
for behold, 
all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.”  That is one of my very favorite passages. Some versions of the Charge also include: “Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice; 
for behold, 
I am the Mother of all living, 
and my love is poured out upon the earth.”

That’s my kind of deity. A loving one, one who does not wish us to deny ourselves or require us to prove our worth. The Goddess loves all with an unconditional and perfect love. She recognizes our inherent worth and potential. Sin does not exist anywhere in the Pagan equation, at least not in my tradition. For me, this is an essential point. 

At this point, my personal conclusion is that fasting is a useful technique when used in moderation. I know that it's much harder for me to have any type of peak experience when I am glutted with food, especially rich foods like fatty meat, dairy, sauces, etc. Fasting puts me in a different headspace, and it makes transitioning to ritual consciousness easier. Hunger – it’s an automatic altered state!

What works for me is to do short fasts (24 hr) when I want to abstain from food altogether, and an Ayurvedic monodiet when I want to do a longer fast. Also, any type of fast will work much better when I manage my energy demands. So no long days of massage while fasting, for example. Fasting during tax time or other mentally demanding work would also be difficult.

NOTE: I always drink water when fasting. I don’t see how voluntary dehydration is a good idea. Humans can live for a long time without food, but we die quickly when dehydrated. Be careful with yourself!

I fast for ritual preparation, vision quests, before initiations, and occasionally as a devotional practice. I used to like to fast on every Full Moon day. These days, with my busy workload, fasting is pretty infrequent. I just can't get through a day of massage or teaching Yoga on a fast like I could when I had a sedentary job!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge

While doing some blog networking, I came across the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge over on Pagan Health and Fitness. What a great idea - a spiritually focused fitness challenge to get us through the dark winter months! 

This challenge comes at a perfect time for me. Though I love winter weather, the winter months are always the most personally challenging ones for me. The days are short. Holiday stress gets me down. Year end professional organization fees, taxes and other recurring expenses loom. Family dramas ensue. Business is often a bit slower. And did I mention that the days are short? 

Yes, even a Yoga instructor, outdoor guide, backpacker and adventurer like me has tough days! I find that having goals and some form of structure helps me get through rough patches. I have an ongoing Yoga practice, spiritual community, a personal spiritual practice and plenty of active hobbies. But I like the idea of having a little boost. A bit of extra motivation. What better way than to join this challenge and tell all of you about it? 

Besides all of the good reasons to do this challenge, I really liked the author's ideas about balancing health using the five elements. As a follower of an Earth-based spiritual path, balance and the elements are integral part of my worldview.

One thing I see a lot of New Age or Pagan practitioners do is to focus on their spiritual practice while ignoring their health, home life and/or financial situation. In my opinion as a holistic health practitioner, this is a risky proposition. How can you meditate if your body hurts? How can you live a life of abundance if you don't have your finances in order? How can you have positive relationships when your emotional baggage is not sorted out? Balance. Balance is key. Each element of our lives must be reasonably healthy and in balance with the others for everything to work harmoniously.

So here we go. The challenge ends March 19. Between now and then I will post once a week on Sundays to report out on my experiences. After the challenge ends, I won't stop my practices - this is life, daily practice! As the Yoga sutras say "this practice becomes well-grounded when continued with reverent devotion and without interruption over a long period of time."

Traditional Goals and Plan

Weight

Good thing yoga pants are stretchy. I haven't weighed myself in years, but I can tell that I have put on a few eggnog and pasta pounds over the holidays. My goal is to fit into my smallest clothes comfortably.

Fitness

My goal is to be in good enough shape to begin teaching martial arts again. To be fit enough to backpack for a week at a time again. To be fit enough to do handstand pushups. My plan is to continue with Yoga and hiking, then add in martial arts training routines - all several times a week. Also, be better about my knee rehab exercises. My knees are fine when I'm in good shape, but I have patellar tracking syndrome. That just means that I have to keep my quadriceps balanced in order to have good knee health. I get slack about it sometimes. Also, more archery.

Diet

My goal is to eat clean 90% of the time. I eat pretty healthy most of the time, but certainly was off track over the holidays. It's gotten better again now, but I need to stay on top of it. To me, this means: plenty of fruits & vegetables, avoid processed foods, lots of water, low amounts of dairy, reasonable portions of healthy meats, very low sugar and plenty of whole grains. I will save splurging on snack food, rich food, sugary drinks and desserts for holiday celebrations and one day a week of reasonable cheating. I will pack healthy snacks to stave off any low blood sugar incidents.

5 Elements Goals

Air

Air rules the intellect, communication and of course, breathing. My plan is to practice pranayama (yogic breathing exercises) every day, to continue my intellectual studies and set healthy personal & work boundaries. I will also incorporate more chanting into my practice.

Fire

Fire rules strength, passion, will and the creative force (qi, ki, prana). My plan is to continue my daily Yoga practice, and also attend at least one challenging weekly group class. I will exercise my creativity with writing, art and music. I will play music in public once each month. I will continue to pursue my passions with gusto!

Water

Water rules the emotions and our intuition. My plan is to listen to my intuition, honor and accept my emotions, honor the yogic principles, continue my personal healing work and of course, stay well hydrated. I also pledge to spend more time on the water this year!

Earth

Earth rules our bodies. To me, honoring the element of Earth is caring for the temple of my body each and every day. That means getting enough sleep, eating mindfully, wearing fun clothes that make me feel good, practicing safe body mechanics while working, receiving regular massage therapy, and getting routine healthcare. I also have a goal of incorporating more Ayurvedic daily practices into my regime (more on that later).

Spirit

Spirit is the element that binds everything together. Spirit is the energy that animates us and connects all beings to one another. My plan is to continue my spiritual practice and to continue to integrate a spiritual awareness into all aspects of life. I will continue my daily practices of Yoga, meditation, gratitude and morning devotionals.

So there you have it. Looking at the list, it seems pretty ambitious. On the other hand, it also looks a lot like my normal life! Care to join me, anyone?