Fasting to Lighten Up
I have been on an intense eating plan. For over three months I ate three meals a day, each with protein and vegetables and some with added nuts and berries. After each meal I worked out. This could be as simple as moving around the house or taking a walk or as strenuous as gym visits and swimming laps. After three months I hit a wall. This past Thursday I couldn’t eat any more meat, seafood and poultry protein if I tried. My body revolted. So, I fasted. I started with a water fast then throughout the day decided adding celery juice was okay. I did this for three days. While I wasn’t craving food, I interestingly craved the outdoors. I had to be outside. I sat under a maple tree and read, wrote in my journal, and took in the energy around me. I needed the earth, hungrily. So I laid on it, thanked it, touched it, watered it, and loved it. This shifted my focus from the food and exercise discipline I’d engaged in…and I began to lighten up. Truly. I couldn’t help myself but sing prayers of gratitude. Write love notes to people, and talk to God. From early humanity, fasting has been a deeply spiritual discipline—a sacred doorway through which individuals have sought Divine connection, purification, and transformation. I tapped into this energy.
In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, fasting was practiced in conjunction with temple rituals and spiritual rites. It was understood that abstaining from food could sharpen inner perception and prepare the soul for communion with the Divine.
The Hebrew Bible frequently speaks of fasting as a way to seek God’s mercy or guidance. Moses fasted for forty days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments, and Esther called her people to fast before approaching the king. In these traditions, fasting was sacred preparation—clearing space for Divine revelation and repentance (repent means to turn around). Jews fast for Yom Kippur, their day of Atonement, refraining from food.
Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness. Early Christians practiced fasting as a way to imitate him, cultivate spiritual strength, and resist temptation. The practice of Lent—forty days of fasting (although not necessarily from food) and penitence before Easter—has its roots in food fasting.
In Islam, fasting is central to the holy month of Ramadan, when believers abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs from sunrise to sunset. This sacred observance is an invitation to realign with God, to engage in acts of charity, and to purify the soul. The Quran describes fasting as a means to attain taqwa, or God-consciousness, underscoring the spiritual depth of the practice.
Hinduism and Buddhism embrace fasting as a tool for enlightenment and purification. Renunciation of the physical can quiet the mind and detach the practitioner from worldly cravings. Yogis, monks, and householders alike may fast to cultivate discipline, increase spiritual merit, or mark sacred festivals. The Buddha himself fasted rigorously during his early quest for awakening.
Native American vision quests often involve periods of solitude and fasting to access spiritual insight and connect with ancestral wisdom. These fasts are seen as dialogues between the soul and the Spirit World, enabling seekers to receive messages, names, or life callings.
Of course fasting has physical impacts, so it’s prudent to get advisement from your doctor. Before the pandemic I did a ten day water fast and had two different doctors and my spiritual advisor checking in with me.
I wish I could convey the joy bubbling up in me from my moments in the grass. There is a letting go and transformation happening that I’m not initiating and its beautiful.
Enjoy the Day,
