FASTING, SOPHIA, PURIFICATION and ROLLING THUNDER

I’ve been doing a fair bit of fasting over the last 6 months, and I find that on the second day I enter a different state – slower, more thoughtful, clearer and closer to who I am in Spirit. It is a very good place to be, but not if you want to get a lot done – probably best kept to weekends! And I think once you have done it a few times, you get the trick of turning feelings of hunger, which can be painful, into a feeling of giving your stomach a rest and entering some other deep process. There is a quietly joyful aspect to it. It seems to be good for both mental and physical health.

At present I am living with what one might call an archetype – Sophia – a feminine presence that apparently comes to some men as they get a bit older: she has a power and wisdom that come from the earth. (I think we are all both genders, or neither, and that the trans thing can miss this.) And it seems to me that the main purpose of my life for the next few years will be absorbing her to make a new basis to who I am. This is a huge and welcome task, I have been given a great gift. The purpose of my life is not to save the world, nor even to be of help to others, but rather to co-operate with the mysterious unfolding of my spirit. I think that always was the purpose, though I didn’t know it. But it ties in with the traditional perspective that our primary task is to take care of that deep thing in ourselves. That can seem selfish, but it isn’t. It is grounded and sane. And the fasting brings me closer to her.

I’m reading a book about the Native American Medicine Man Rolling Thunder, by Doug Boyd. It’s a great book full of down to earth teaching set in the context of the author’s experiences with him. If you look up Rolling Thunder you will find him on the new age fraud and plastic shaman sites. That to me can be a recommendation, for these sites are often set up by fundamentalist Native Americans who do not want to share the teachings. They are mean-minded and will scream cultural appropriation at anyone who shares the teachings. Well Rolling Thunder does share, and I don’t know what a fraud is technically, all I know is that he talks a lot of sense, and that is good enough for me.

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I offer Shamanic consultations, usually by skype, in which we can talk over anything you want to talk over. I may use the Medicine Wheel, Journeying, Astrology, Tarot or anything that works. And it centres around listening to ourselves in a deep way. I work on a donation basis, and I am happy with whatever is easy for you: I love this work. Contact: BWGoddard1@aol.co.uk

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So anyway, here he is talking about purification, which I realised fasting is a form of (they are all about to head off to some hot springs at night as a purification ceremony):

“The beginning is purification., that’s the first step. That’s a big step and it’s serious business. There’s a right way to do everything, and there’s a right way of purification. It’s completely natural, I’ll tell you that much. There’s nothing artificial. And purification means purification of body and mind. You don’t purify the body without cleansing the mind, that’s the way it works.

Maybe someday there will be a purification centre up in those hills. Below there might be a camp, or a meeting lodge. There could be study and teaching and fun, too. People could have discussions and talk and think about things. But when a person walks up that path for purification, everything but the person will be left behind. There will be no books or radios or any connection with the outside world. People will leave their clothes behind, too. The clothes will be waiting for them when they get back, but they’ll use buckskins and all the necessary and natural means will be provided for cleansing the body and purifying the mind. So people can leave their opinions behind with their toothbrushes.

In the old days when all our people lived by the tradition, and purification was practised by everyone, we had many means such as sweat lodges and herbal medicines and special rituals. Different people had different methods, but many things were common knowledge that are mostly unknown today. Things that are meant for a good purpose can also be used for a bad purpose; and many of those things, if they were known today, would be used in a wrong way…

People have to be responsible for their thoughts, so they have to learn to control them. It may not be easy, but it can be done. First of all, if we don’t want to think certain things we don’t say them. We don’t have to eat everything we see, and we don’t have to say everything we think. So we begin by watching our words and speaking with good purpose only. There are times when we must have clear and pure minds with no unwanted thoughts and we have to train and prepare steadily for those times until we are ready. We don’t have to say or think what we don’t wish to. We have a choice in those things, and we have to realize that and practice making that choice. There is no use condemning yourself for the thoughts and ideas and dreams that come into your mind.; so there’s no use arguing with yourself or fighting your thoughts. Just realize that you can think what you choose. If they keep coming into your head, just let them alone and say ‘I don’t choose to have such thoughts’ and they will soon go away. If you keep a steady determination and stick with that purpose you will know how to use that choice and control your consciousness so unwanted thoughts don’t come to you anymore. Then you can experience purification completely and in the right way and no impurities can exist in your mind or body at any time.”