Congrats ! That was a big number - 28 :)
happy refeeding
V

What a great post, S. Thanks for sharing it. Your experience echoes mine in many ways; including the intense, heightened clarity of mind, and the imminence of other planes or 'spheres of mind' as I think of them. ( Purinton said he had tremendous clarity and
yet no ability for creative work, but directly after the fast wrote 22 poems.)

I developed a huge passion for artisan breadmaking, J where you make your own wild yeast starter from grapes or pineapple, grind grains, imagined as grown in your own wild garden, and so on... I saved AND PRINTED pages of gorgeous recipes, and studied videos, did everything in my mind, including knead, shape and bake the bread. I could even smell it baking. Talk about focus. :-)

Then I moved on to collecting raw recipes and visualizing my own raw restaurant and so on. ( I am a former cook.) It’s really quite bizarre, since at the same time I was not hungry, merely extremely interested in food, ( much the way a cat will fix its attention on a mouse), and having acute senses of every kind.

The debilitating aspect is something that wasn't too extreme for me, although there were days where I mainly rested or slept, but then again, I was able to rest, and mainly was called upon to make a meal a day for my partner and keep the home going; not that he’d have demanded the meal -- but actually, otherwise I would have missed handling food.
I love to prepare it, and share it. And could even see myself at some point, like this lady
in The Autobiography of a Yogi who hadn't eaten for decades, (!yes, it was documented to be true) but still loved to make food for others. It really is ‘in the cells’, and as you note, there is a deep longing one can perceive, for what almost all of us without exception experience as being the thing that keeps us alive: food.

I believe there is another level to get to, and perhaps it’s achievable in a water fast. What I’m thinking of is the release of some kind of inner ambrosia; not to get too esoteric, but
I had brief glimpses of that; of the possibility of it—a different knowingness; a kind of quality that the cells have, perhaps, when they get near that elusive “natural hunger” point. Likely, it has to do with the removal of a lot of ‘junk’, junk being the screen between us and seeing more purely. I too would like to experience the natural return of hunger. For me there’s only been a desire to taste again, and then a certain weakness, along with a feeling that either I was ‘done’ or that I was in an ‘up’ period, and it was a good time to break.) It’s really only ‘life’ that seems to interfere at some point, and one feels it passing one by (which is ironic, because that’s not true, really). I recall the extreme feeling of disconnect – of moving in another time-space- walking out to a store, to buy some food for my partner, and feeling as if I literally inhabited a different universe than the one all the very physical and dense bodies were in, rushing about, being irritable and driven…I could feel all the effects of a belief that food is the thing that sustains us.
( and ironically, destroys us—you can feel people’s inner sense of worry over the effects of what they take in)

well, much enjoyed your post, reflective and inspiring.
Let us know how the refeeding experience goes. It seems as if not enough people pay much attention to how all that goes. It would be nice to hear from more people as to whether they have shifted into a Natural Hygiene mode, or how they’ve gone along.


The coconut water sounds perfect.
Be well!

C

PS--about the sense people have that a Water Fast is completely Over the top out there, yes. When I've mentioned it to my mother, I just hear the vacuum of silence. No questions, and no comments either. Feel very lucky that my partner supports it and 'gets it'.

Congratulations! That was a real accomplishment to be proud of.

I relate to what you say. I know what you mean. The emotional challenges, the spiritual experience of Fasting,are strong. In my case, that is always my challenge. I am a very emotional woman, and as such, I must face my mind and its "demons" when I fast. All emotions are the strongest then, and I really try to prepare myself mentally before I fast. And I never experience nor I am afraid of the physical discomfort: I deal very well with this part. However, the revelations of my mind, the sharpened perceptions, the "forced" introversion to look into my inner self, my past, my faults. These things all affect me greatly, and bring me sadness. But I know it is necessary because in this way I solve unsolved conflicts from my past, and get rid of that hidden anger almost all of us carry within without being aware of it.

Always, after a fast, the improved, self-confident and happier me is the sure result. My self-esteem, my appreciation for life, my judgement, my mental faculties, my intuition...increased. I could write a book about it.

Now, I guess you will pay attention to your refeeding. It can be even more difficult than fasting.

I have questions since did something of course similar but with variations that in hindsite may have been incorrect or wrong.
And willing to learn but am stubborn old goat sometimes.

I did go 31 days on water but it was modified in few ways ,taking green tea to try to get thru the fatigue and low energy especially for first week or so. Also figured should drink 8 to 10 a day and forced myself to do it and now think that may have depleted my salt and caused me to have super low blood pressure and the green tea being diuretic also was likely also causing rapid salt depletion.I thought it was dehyrdation as it does have similar near exact symptoms to low blood pressure caused by low salt.The fatigue though did go away after week and actually felt pretty good with as you said moments of great mental clarity and maybe did feel purer,cleaner but not religious so take those feelings for what they were.

I also did think a lot about food and somehow was almost eating vicariously by looking at recipes, planning which new restaurants to go to even later in fast sitting at table and smelling kids food .

I quit the water on day 31 evening and switched to juice fasting as was not able to walk around anywhere was too lightheaded and got fainting feelings all the time and sure would have passed out. It was scary.

Switched back to the juice even had some higher sodium clamato juice to try to put some salt in my body and get my blood pressure up there and within day or so on juice fast felt much better energy and no more lightheadedness since on the juice fast.

But want to know in your case since may retry water and likley not mess around with vitamins and green tea and
drinking 8 to 10 but drinking when thirsty like everyone on this board says so
Did you take any supplements anything but water on your 28days?
Did you drink when thirsty and how much a day approximately did you drink?
Did you try to drink a lot of water like 8 to 10 a day?
Did you experience any lightheadeness or fainting feelings when walking around?
I should have tested my blood pressure to see how low it really was but sure it was in the basement.
Maybe you didn't deplete your sodium reserves yet.Anyone have any idea how long sodium reserves can last in the body? Can't understand why sodium supplementation is not needed on longer fasts?
And does the filtered tap water I drank maybe also deplete my sodium quicker?
I tried distilled water ,is there some trick to be able to drink it that stuff is horrible tasting to me.?

sorry for all the questions but really want to get some answers on this stuff.

Also for my switch to juice it was easy. Just had diluted first day and now normal last couple days.Thinking to maybe do water over weekend then juice till 40th day then refeed over week or so.

thanks for the inspiration and such a great post!!!
m

thanks serenity, very inspiring!

I plan to do another fast in a year, and I will remember your words and try to push for more days, probably by putting some weight on beforehand, just like you did.

Congratulations. Let us know your experiences as you refeed!

all the best,

3rdday