Have only this and Spirit will fill the rest of you.

This is about an incident that happened to me during an elongated fast, defined herein as a period of days, weeks or months of ingesting pure drinking water only, no food, supplements, juice, coffee or tea, nada.

There are several persistent and prevalent myths about fasting being dangerous and even fatal. One of those myths has to do with forty days being the limit to fasting “safely,” probably due to the reported 40 day fast of Jesus.

During the 1981 hunger strike of Irish political prisoners, several were reported in the news to have died at the 41^st or 42^nd day. Some fellow prisoners insisted that those who died were “helped” along by prison officials, which may also be only a myth.

Is this all you need?

The longest-lasting hunger strike in recorded history was undertaken by an Irish political prisoner, Terence MacSwiney, whose 74-day strike ended with his death in 1920. Two things should be taken into account here: 1) this is according to one account on the Internet and, 2) This relates to a hunger strike for political purposes and in a prison, NOT a fast for spiritual enlightenment.

Another myth has to do with a belief that you mustn’t engage in physical activity while fasting. This one probably due to the reported fact that during his longest fast (21 days), also for political reasons, one of my favorite spiritual guys housed in a human body, Mohandas Gandhi, was in bed during the whole time.

Is a water fast part of your path…?

During several fasts lasting longer than Gandhi’s longest, I have run 5 miles and farther. During one such fast in Alaska, while helping build a rural mission chapel, including physical activity such as digging the leach trenches with a hand shovel for the septic system (they wouldn’t trust me with the more skilled labor needs), PLUS running 3+ miles after working – 8 to 10 hours each day.

This could serve as proof that my mind was addled due to fasting, so you can draw your own conclusions.

I’m neither suggesting nor recommending that anyone undertake a fast, as I have defined it. In The Unrecognized You Discovered, ^{©2010, SHS Publishing, Vancouver, BC} one of two books I offer to send anyone a paperback “shelf copy,” FREE & postpaid, and just for the asking.

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Posted in Perspective by Ryan Bruce No Comments Yet