Fasting anyone?

[Deekun]

I was wondering if many of you have tried fasting per instructions given in the Ra material? I wasn't sure if I should have posted that in that forum or here.. but anyhow I was wondering how you do it.
I want to start fasting, but according to what I see from Middle Eastern co-workers they fast during daylight hours. Is it just part of their religious undertakings or is there some reason to fast during light hours?
I ask because I am awake during the nights and sleep during the day, my career allows me the luxury So I guess my point is that if I fast during the day it would be while I sleep so I feel I would be cheating the system in a way. Or is the purpose of fasting to go the entire 24 hours without food or water?

[Ali Quadir]

There's many different ways to do it. You refer specifically to the muslim method. But that's not the only way. Christians also have a fasting period, although it's not in common use any more.

I've done it a few times. I did 3 day fasts. 3 days is a good number because it takes you through the whole experience and you quit before it can do damage to your body.

If you want to fast I'd suggest trying for a 3 day fast. There's basically two choices. Either go completely without calories.. This is the harder and more interesting approach. You will feel weak so don't do work while doing it. Or the other choice, get calories through drinking. The best way I know to do this is to drink maple syrup.. It has calories and some additional components that sustain your body and mind. It really makes it easier though I still recommend taking it easy for the duration of the fast. It is not a replacement for food. Last time I made the mistake of going to the gym anyway I was drinking the syrup and figured the extra calories would suffice if I took it easy. But the next day I had to abort, I was completely drained. I was staring I could not think I really had to stop there, and I only had 12 hours to go.

It's normal to get a slight headache about 24 hours into the experience. That is a lack of serotonin. There's nothing you can do about it without eating. If it gets too much, a banana, some almonds or chocolate will do. But that also effectively ends your fast. It also feels good, after you get through the first experience of hunger you get into a phase where you realize you don't have to worry about food. It feels like a short relief from an addiction.

Your body will use the period to do some extra cleaning. You will probaly notice some differences in the weeks after mainly involving your digestive tract.

Good luck, and please let us know your experiences.

[Deekun]

I'm starting today but since I am working I cannot go through like a 24 hour period. Most of the people I know that do it consistently during this month only fast from sun up to sun down. So I will try that for now.
I have had plenty of days where I am home and have no intent on eating but I still have some green tea or soda. But I will do my best to have none of that until sundown. If I can easily get by then I will plan for a 3 day one and have an intent on actually ending some bad habits.

[Ali Quadir]

Good luck with that I ended some didn't manage to end others and again others are sometimes there and sometimes gone... I can still compete with Bob Marley in cannabis consumption. But I kicked the sweets cookies and candy and replaced them with fruit. The cola is under control. As long as I don't buy it, because if I do, I empty it.

Addictions and bad habits are not easy to wrestle with.

Green tea is a good drink by the way. I would probably drink it even during a fast assuming that there is no sugar in there. Green tea has mostly good effects on the body.

[Brittany]

I've tried doing this, but I'm one of those people that gets exceedingly grouchy when I get hungry and I realized that I wasn't providing much of a service biting people's heads off.

If it's your first time, I would at least drink water or juice. You can really mess yourself up making such a sudden change with no warning. Of course, tis just my humble opinion. The most I've done successfully is a fruit fast, where I ate nothing but fruit all day, and the results weren't spectacular.

[Eddie]

I used to fast just for 24 hours at a time; it caused me no problems (other than feeling hungry), and in fact, I always felt exceptionally clear-headed when doing it. I guess I need to start doing this again.

[Deekun]

Update...
I am currently eating a nice Bankok Pad Thai dinner. I went 17 hours without eating or drinking and felt pretty good. Really I think I could have made it through the day but the thought that everything would be closed and I would be left with 7-11 sandwiches stopped me from keeping on. But just like yesterday, I will stop eating and drinking around 3-4 AM and keep on fasting until the following night and maybe complete 24 hours since I will not be at work.
But according to questions online about fasting I am doing it wrong, so I will switch over eventually to fasting on my waking hours, because that is when your body becomes conscious of what your intent. So doing it while I slept is considered cheating.

[agatha]

Last week I had a massage at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. Spa here in Virginia Beach. The spa is located in what used to be the old hospital on the hill. While waiting for my appointment I chatted with another person, Patricia, who was waiting for a massage and who had been trained as a massage therapist years ago at the same location. The following day she bumped into me at the Heritage Store which is an organic grocery store, book/gift store as well as provider of healing therapy services. Out of the blue, Patricia wrote down the name of this book & gave it to me: "The Master Cleanser" by Stanley Burroughs. I always appreciate synchronicities so I bought the book and after having read it, intend to try the cleanse sometime soon.

Essentially, The Master Cleanser is a minimum 10 day to 40 day cleaning fast using fresh lemon or lime juice in water with maple syrup. The book contains interesting and easy to understand reasons for this combination with exact measurements, additional optional items such as a specific recipe for a salt water cleanser in the morning as well as some herb teas. The book strongly recommends a specific plan for coming out of the fast with an explanation as to why it is important to ease back into solid food.

If anyone is interested but cannot find this book, you might try calling the Heritage Store's toll free number @ (800) 862-2923. The books cost $6.50.

Over the years, a few people have briefly mentioned their experience with this cleansing fast. All felt some weakness but better having completed 10-11 days.

Another good book I just read is "The Edgar Cayce Products Thirty Five years of Research" ($3.00) which gives people's first hand accounts of experience using The Heritage Store's formulas based on the Cayce readings. For anyone, especially guys who are experiencing unwanted hair loss, there is a recommended treatment but it needs to be followed for a year for best results. The first two weeks in September is the Heritage's Anniversary Sale with a lot of buy 2 get 1 free - a good time to stock up not only on Cayce products but other holistic remedies as well.

"The Cayce Remedies" gives more information along the same lines. I browsed through it & it looked good but have not read this book.

I tried a water-only fast but stopped after 2 days due to feeling too weak and ill. Later I wondered about the effect on my electrolytes. Here's another person's approach and experience with a 3 day fast: http://spartanstudent.blogspot.com/2010_...chive.html .

Maybe something in this post will resonate with someone. I feel such gratitude for everyone's sharing and caring here.

Peace out

[agatha]

I found "The Master Cleanser" by Stanley Burroughs online while searching for Organic Maple Syrup.
Here's the link:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/Beautycare-Ve...anser.html

Here's the link to the Maple Syrup company that Mr. Burroughs mentions. They also sell "The Master Cleanser" book.

http://www.maplevalleysyrup.coop/CERTIFI...gradeb.htm

L/L

[Joseph326]

I have few suggestions for a 24-hour fast that may be helpful. At least these methods have worked for me and my body type. *Yours may be different so only do what feels right to you*. I have been doing a fast once per week and have been tweaking a few things to make it more effective. My last one was the best so far so I will detail the steps.

-At some point after your last meal before the fast, consume raw, pickled, or crystallized ginger. The taste is a bit strong for some, so do just eat what you can. A few pieces should be enough. This rhizome nourishes the liver and helps it to detoxify.

-Dandelion root. This may be consumed raw (from your backyard as long as you know there are no chemicals in your soil) or made as a tea. Warning: very, very pungent taste if taken raw. Tea can be found at a health food or herbal store. This stimulates detoxification of the liver and kidneys.

-Drink only water for 24 hours (does not have to be exact). I would suggest avoiding tap water at all costs. The more you drink, the more opportunity your kidneys have to flush toxins out of your body. (About a gallon works for me).

-POSITIVE INTENT!!! Keep your spirits up! Instead of feeling sad about the things you could be eating, focus your energies on cleansing your body. Encourage yourself! Feel the negative vibrations leaving you. Meditate. Great time for chakra balancing as well! Ask the water to cleanse you and bless it with love before drinking it. (check out Dr. Masaro Emoto's water experiments on youTube if the concept of water consciousness is new to you)

-Salt Water Cleanse. Optional. You can wake up the next morning and drink one quart of warm water to 2 tablespoons unprocessed sea salt. This will cleanse whatever debris may be remaining in your gastrointestinal tract. Wait about 20 minutes and you will HAVE to go to the bathroom. The results are worth it. Afterward drink plenty of normal water and...

-When coming out of the fast, listen to your body and give it what it needs. You may not want to do a heavy meal at first. I find fruit or veggie smoothies to be the best thing to start with, in generous quantities. I then go to eating fruit and maybe a salad, then whatever else from there. You may notice you need less food to fill you up.

SUGGESTION #1: Make yogurt, kefir, or raw milk part of your first meal to restore a healthy culture of beneficial bacteria to your intestines, especially if you did the salt water cleanse.

SUGGESTION #2: Raw honey or maple syrup if you are feeling weak due to low blood sugar during the fast.

SUGGESTION #3: Take it easy! Rest during fast, no heavy activity as you will be pulling from your energy reserves (muscles, then fat cells are used). Do it on a day off if possible.

[Monica]

Essentially, The Master Cleanser is a minimum 10 day to 40 day cleaning fast using fresh lemon or lime juice in water with maple syrup. The book contains interesting and easy to understand reasons for this combination with exact measurements, additional optional items such as a specific recipe for a salt water cleanser in the morning as well as some herb teas. The book strongly recommends a specific plan for coming out of the fast with an explanation as to why it is important to ease back into solid food.

I have done this fast as well as juice fasting. For the past 27 years, I have done liquid fasts for 1-2 weeks about 1-2 times per year. Usually I do a variation of the Master Cleanse, utilizing the lemon juice with fresh juices later in the day.

From a health perspective, I wouldn't recommend abstaining from water. In fact, Ra stated that Jim had kidney problems from fasting without enough liquid:

105.4 Questioner: Could you please tell me what caused Jim’s kidney problem to return, and what can be done to heal it?
Ra: I am Ra. The entity, Jim, determined that it would cleanse itself and thus would spend time/space and space/time in pursuit and contemplation of perfection. The dedication to this working was intensified until the mind/body/spirit complex rang in harmony with this intention. The entity did not grasp the literal way in which metaphysical intentions are translated by the body complex of one working in utter unity of purpose. The entity began the period of prayer, fasting, penitence, and rejoicing. The body complex, which was not yet fully recovered from the nephrotic syndrome, began to systematically cleanse each organ, sending all the detritus that was not perfect through kidneys which were not given enough liquid to dilute the toxins being released. The toxins stayed with the body complex and reactivated a purely physical illness. There is no metaphysical portion in this relapse.

From a health perspective, juice fasting can be just as cleansing as fasting with just water, and maybe even more cleansing, because of the enzymes found in fresh juices (prepared with a juicer...not bottled). Thus, the body is cleansed without feeling week.

The first 3 days are typically a bit difficult as the body years for food. But by the 4th day, food becomes a foreign substance and an amazing clarity sets in. By 1 week, a high sets in that is better than any drug, because it is clean, natural and pure.

Whenever I have fasted for 2 weeks, I was in an altered state for at least half that time. Food was like cardboard to me. In fact, I even (momentarily) considered never eating again, the experience was so amazing!

The joy, the clarity, the bliss...it's really awesome!

Yes it's a bit difficult to get it going but wow, the rewards are well worth it! The benefits to body, mind and spirit can be profound.

On many occasions, I hadn't even planned to fast at that time, but suddenly felt spiritually guided to do so, and very suddenly lost all interest in food. After 1 or 2 weeks, I would begin thinking about food again, and I knew it was time to end the fast.

Be aware that toxins can be stirred up, both physically and emotionally. Allow yourself the space to release those toxins. Jump on a trampoline and/or do yoga to move the lymph. Allow yourself to have a good cry if you feel like it. Be sure to drink lots of water in addition to juices.

There are lots of various herbal formulas to help facilitate cleansing as well.

A less drastic approach is to do the Edgar Cayce method of only apples or only grapes for 3-4 days. A lot can be accomplished this way, physically, though the high was less.