I woke up this morning feeling no sense of hunger.
I drank water. I stared at a bowl of raspberries and orange slices — two of my favorite fruits — but I simply had no interest in eating them. As I was preparing to publish this post, I felt my hunger return at precisely 24 hours since I last ate.
This state of being no longer surprises me.
It all started one midsummer day in 1995, when I rose in the morning with the lack of hunger. Hours turned into days. I consumed only water. I went about my daily life as usual —walking, jogging, writing, playing music — except for eating. I continued to prepare meals for my then-boyfriend; neither the colors and smells of the food nor watching him eat brought on the feeling of hunger. After a few days, I felt very light, strong, and clear-headed.
On the twenty-second day, I woke up and ate some fresh berries, thus breaking my spontaneous, three-week-long, water-only fast.
Looking back on that time, I realize that my spirit was preparing me for the life I was creating. It was an intense time. I had been working for a guy who stiffed me on my share of money for a film project we were working on, and I ended up taking him to civil court. I won the judgment, by the way, but it took many more weeks for me to figure out how to get my money from him. Also my band was playing music frequently and writing details pre-production notes for the engineer who was going to record our debut CD. I continued writing new music. It was a fascinating time in my life.
I now do weekly 16-hour water-only "intermittent" fasts and occasional 72-hour water-only fasts, as they provide a unique sort of "reset" of the mind/body/spirit complex. Sometimes, I carefully plan a fast; other times, I feel an inner urge to fast. Still other times, like this morning, I simply have no desire to eat.
A couple of additional thoughts on this topic:
I have learned that "true hunger" is not felt in the stomach. Those pangs are from the stomach being empty and likely recalibrating the acid/alkaline balance. True hunger is experienced as an increased need to swallow, and is felt in the throat.
Fasting does come with effects, which may vary from person to person. For me, one of the typical effects is feeling light-headed or fuzzy-headed. Another effect is feeling tired. And a third effect is becoming hyper-sensitive in different ways: Sometimes, my stomach throbs and feels "acidic"; today, there was ringing in my left ear (which could also be caused by EMFs from wi-fi or other environmental factors). These effects usually go away after 24-48 hours, but I have had them linger into the third day of a longer fast.
As happened in 1995, I had no idea how long today’s fast would continue; but I also have no cause for concern because I trust the wisdom of my inner authority to show me how to affirm life. Perhaps that wisdom comes with age. Although I think it is more likely that it comes through listening to the body through the toroidal center of the heart, from which divine communication emanates.
Notably (pun intended), my hunger returned this evening precisely after my husband and I finished practicing songs for our weekly Thursday performance. Coincidence? I no longer believe in coincidences.
Thank you for reading! Please comment if you feel so inclined.
Sharine.
Greetings everyone,
Speaking of clearing out mind If anyone would like to try Qi Gong here is a link to a free trial https://qigo.ng/qi.
Daisy Lee @lotus qigong- is also a good teacher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9e4ybu3WSM)
Peace.