Fasting, Abstinence and Entheogenic Discipline

From the Lesson

Why study this?

Nearly every mystical tradition uses the body to open the mind: by fasting, vigil, silence, and in some traditions sacred plants. What separates a sacrament from mere intoxication is discipline: preparation, setting, intention and integration.

Fasting across traditions

- Christian: Lent, the desert fathers, the forty days of Christ in the wilderness. - Islamic: Ramadan, a month of daylight fasting joined to prayer and charity. - Jewish: Yom Kippur, a full day of fasting and atonement. - Hindu and Jain: Ekadashi fasts and the Jain disciplines of restraint. - Buddhist: monastic practice of not eating after midday. - Indigenous: the vision quest of many Plains nations, days alone on a hill without food.

The common teaching: when the body's ordinary appetites are quieted, a finer hunger becomes audible.

The entheogenic traditions

The word entheogen, "generating the god within," was coined in 1979 to describe plants used as sacraments. This Mystery School's own philosophy treats experiential gnosis as central, and history supports the importance of these practices: the kykeon of Eleusis (its contents still debated), soma of the Rig Veda, peyote in the Native American Church, ayahuasca in the Amazon, and, in the thesis of Die Before You Die, the Amanita muscaria in Siberian and possibly wider Eurasian rites.

The discipline

Traditions that use sacred plants surround them with rules: 1. Preparation: days of dietary restriction, sexual abstinence and prayer beforehand. 2. Setting: a ceremonial container with an experienced guide. 3. Intention: a clear question or purpose. 4. Integration: the days and weeks after matter more than the hours during. Journal, rest, speak with the guide. 5. Respect: these plants are held as teachers, never as recreation.

Safety and law

This lesson is historical and philosophical, not medical advice or encouragement to break the law. Many of these substances are illegal in many places. Some are toxic when misidentified or misprepared; Amanita in particular requires careful knowledge. Fasting is unsafe for some people, including those who are pregnant, diabetic, or have a history of eating disorders. Speak with a qualified professional first, and never combine substances with medications without medical advice.

Orthodox view

Scholars agree on the ancient use of fasting and many plant sacraments. Specific identifications, such as soma or the kykeon, remain debated, and the lesson presents them as hypotheses with differing scholarly support.

Practice

A safe beginning: a one-day "fast from noise." No media, minimal speech, simple food, and an evening journal entry. Notice what arises when the usual inputs stop.

Reflection

What appetite in you most needs quieting so a finer one can speak?

Sources

- R. Gordon Wasson, Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality - Carl Ruck et al., The Road to Eleusis - Huston Smith, Cleansing the Doors of Perception - Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation