Fasting - Let's get back to the basics

Over the past decade I have had alot of people ask me how to fix different conditions in the body and I have tried to help as many as possible with all of the different modalities which are available to us: Herbs, oils, hydro-therapy, massage, colon hydro-therapy, saunas, energy work, etc. These are all wonderful ways to help us through a crisis or chronic condition.

Unfortunately, I have seen one of two things happen far too often.

1) The person is looking for a magic bullet which will fix the problem quickly so they can get on with their 'normal' life or

2) The person is dedicated to doing the right things to cure themselves - then they go right back to the life-style and habits that caused the problem in the first place.

You have to look at it this way: If a child touched a hot stove and burned his finger - then the finger was healed. What would happen if the child went back and touched the stove again? Obviously, he would get burned again. Does that mean he wasn't healed from the first burn? Of course not!

The same principle applies to someone who has cancer or any other degenerative condition. After they are cured/healed, if they go back to what caused the burn/condition in the first place - it will come back with a vengence! Too often, everyone around them will use this return to convince them they were never healed in the first place, so they turn to more conventional methods which will quite often kill them.

Because of these experiences, I thought it might be a good idea to start doing some articles that will help you understand some fundamental principles which I consider extremely important if you truly want to obtain optimal health.

As we proceed with this forum, you will see me promote two ideas quite often - they are: 1) Cleanse & Nourish 2) You have to be as aggressive as what you are fighting or it wins.

In this article, I would like to start with the first half of number 1 - cleansing. There are many ways to cleanse the body and many ways to focus your cleanse on specific parts of the body such as the colon or liver. In this article we are going to focus on a cleanse that does not cost any money and can be encorporated into your every day life - fasting.

In the "Essene Gospel of Peace" which we get from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Master says, ". . . Take heed, therefore, and defile not with all kinds of abominations the temple of your bodies. Be content with two or three sorts of food, which you will find always upon the table of our Earthly Mother. And desire not to devour all things which you see around you. For I tell you truly, if you mix together all sorts of food in your body, then the peace of your body will cease, and endless war will rage in you. And it will be blotted out even as homes and kingdoms divided against themselves work their own destruction."

Earlier in the record he states, ". . . You have been gluttonous, winebibbers and gone a-whoring, and your past debts have multiplied. And now you must repay them, and payment is difficult and hard. . . for he allows you to pay in seven days the debt of seven years. . . "

Now, to make more sense out of this, let's take a look in "The Miracle of Fasting" by Paul Bragg. "When the great city of Alexandria, Egypt was the educational center of the world, people had to fast for 40 days before they could enter and study with the master of that time." The reason for this was that they did not consider a person enlightened enough if they could not over come the natural man. "We know that in ancient times, the patriarchs of the Bible fasted frequently. Moses, Elijh, David and others fasted for as long as 40 days. We know that Christ fasted 40 days before he began to teach the great truths of life." One of the many reasons for this is: as the physical body becomes weaker, the spirit becomes stronger and we are able to tune into a higher frequency in the universe.

Bragg also shares this interesting story of one of my heroes, Ghandhi, "The date I met Gandhi was July 27, 1946 in New Delhi, which would become the capital of the new Republic of India a year and a month later. At Gandhi's headquarters there, I received permission to accompany this amazing man on a 21 day fasting trip eastward through India's villages, where he would talk with the people and help them with their problems. At that time, the average Indian earned about 10 cents a day and starvation was a way of life. To show he shared their plight, this saintly and compassionate spiritual leader was planning to travel the dusty roads from village to village on foot, without food, only water; for 3 weeks.

Ghanhi was then 77 years of age and very frail in appearance. But his looks were indeed deceiving! This man was a tower of strength . . . physically, mentally and spiritually. His stamina, endurance, energy and mental abilities were astounding to everyone!

The trek began at sunup. The heat and humidity were the worst I have ever experienced. I have spent time in some of the hottest spots in the world, including Death Valley in California, the Sahara Desert and across North Africa on an 800 mile bicycle trip in intense summer heat. But never once did Gandhi seem to tire. Never once did he falter in his brisk pace of walking. The only time he sat down was during talks with the villagers. He would speak for 20 minutes, then answer questions for 20 minutes. Then we continued down the hot, dusty road to the next village. Gandhi ate nothing and drank only water flavored with lemon and honey.

Many who tried to travel with him fell by the wayside, suffering from heat and exhaustion. But Gandhi was inexhaustible. I have been an athlete and hiker all my life, but I have never seen anyone who had the physical stamina and energy as Gandhi. Each day he walked and talked until sundown before stopping for a rest. During the 21 day fasting walk, I had many talks with Gandhi on the power of fasting. Of all I learned from him, this statement seems to me the summation, 'All the vitality and energy I have comes to me because my body is purified by fasting.'

Walking mile after mile from village to village, he gave the people courage and hope that a better life was coming to them. His internal strength and beautiful pure soul were so powerful that weak people felt strong after seeing him and hearing his wisdom. He gave his unlimited strength to the discouraged and the sick. He brought bright light and love where there was darkness. Gandhi told the people to fast and purify their bodies and they would find peace and joy on earth. Gandhi said, 'The light of the world will illuminate within you when you fast and purify yourself.'

This trip with the great Gandhi is an experience I will never forget! This physically small man was a spiritual giant. He led millions of people to independence from the mighty British Empire without striking a single physical blow. Yet, with all his power and influence, he was completely without arrogance. Characteristically, on the day of India's independence, Gandhi took no part in the celebrations that went on all over India; instead he spent the day in fasting and prayer in his garden."

So what is the program? It is recommended that we pick one day in seven to fast on just pure water. Then once a month we fast for three days. Example: Fast on just water every Sunday. Then on the first week-end of each month we fast on just water for Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Then it is suggested that we do a seven-day water fast at least twice per year, preferably as the seasons change - such as in the Spring and Fall.

CAUTION: If you are not used to fasting - do not try to do a seven-day fast. This is something you need to work up to. If you are not used to it, you can throw your electrolites off which will cause light-headedness, dizziness, fainting, etc. It will also cause you to start dumping toxins faster than you will be prepared to handle.

If we go back to the wisdom of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we are told that for every seven years of abuse, it will take seven days of fasting to cleanse it. Sounds like a pretty fair trade to me! The first time I did a seven-day fast, I started with three days of apple juice, then four days of water. I did this because at the time I was used to doing three-day juice fasts and it allowed me to work into it. By the 4th or 5th day of the fast, I woke up feeling like I had a piece of sheet metal in my mouth. It smelled and tasted like metal. I went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and found my tongue was coated in a thick white/grey substance. I scrubbed it with a tooth brush and within 15 minutes it was back again. These were some of the metal toxins I was eliminating with the fast.

For those of you who feel you can't afford to cleanse, I hope this will help to show you that it doesn't necessarially have to take alot of money or preparation - it just takes commitment and a little bit of time to educate yourself.

In order to experience optimal health (not to mention a higher level of conciousness) we have to be willing to cleanse. In my personal opinion, this is one of the easiest to incorporate in to our every-day life.

Wishing You a Long, Healthy,Productive Life
Dr Mom

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