Its been fasting season for a few months now. Aadi to Purathasi to navarathri to Kedar Gowri to Shasthi and now to Shabarimala fast. So a good friend asked why do we so fast so much .
Its got lots more to do with physiology then its got to do with faith . As in a prior article I had written . Mantras and Slokas( which are still mantras but with the bijas coded into the sloka as a verse. They are words of power and prayer in action . They are magical in the sense that they change energy and create a energy forcefield that allows us to create in awareness the reality we might want and strive for .
So the usual system is to become Vegetarian for a time. This is to get the mind into a sattvic state and detach it from human entanglements . Everything is a energy contribution including the food we eat. if we ingest meat. the fears and pain and anguish is also absorbed. The recommendation is to always have a sattvic diet when on the spiritual path .
The next step up the ladder is to skip a meal . so to have a light breakfast and a good bountiful lunch and then no dinner. this slows the mind and allows it to kick into its reserves and in doing so sharpening the mind into a focus and not dwindle into mindless thoughts
The third is to go off meat, grains and even coffee. This is the normal for most on an intense fast for example Navarathri . The ritual recitiation of the Devi Mahatmaya which is a text filled with mantras hidden should not be down without the fast. As you recite the text, the energies of the kundalini rises and such a diet is done so there is no blockages for Mother Kundalini to reach the Father at the crown .
so why fast ?
All fasting times come at a very exact time astrologically that have the planets at a very specific alignment. These alignments are most specific to the clearing of karma at a faster speed. Our bodies are 70% water and are affected by the gravitational pull of the moon and other planets . So such diets are not just religious fervour but rather have a very practical reason to be observed. In further articles. We can explore the various fasts and its benefits .
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