Keeper of TheWay

Suggestions for Body-Cleansing

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”

— 1 Corinthians 3:16

Everything we experience leaves an imprint — embodied memory encoded in the signals of the nervous system, the structured water of the cells, and the etheric field. Dietary and environmental toxins, physical injuries, overload and unprocessed emotions, all of these things create stress states in the body that disrupt nervous system coherence and block the free flow of energy. Creating the conditions where our energy systems can flow at full capacity means we can develop the ability to expand and cultivate that energy to a higher degree — this begins with physical cleansing and preparation of the body.

To read more about structured water and cellular communication, see the Appalachian Shaman’s substack article: Cellular Consciousness

Fasting: 3 day fasts are a good beginner standard. I would suggest once a month to start and then decide what you’re comfortable with from there. Women shouldn’t initially fast on or around their menstrual cycle, until they have a sense of what feels right for them, as it can be straining to the body at first.

Fasting puts the body into a “negative” cycle — negative meaning “receptive” and inwardly focused, not “bad.” When we eat, the body’s metabolism becomes active. The moment food enters our mouth, the digestive process starts, blood flow begins to shift towards the digestive organs, insulin is released. The energy in our body is now being directed toward the stomach’s mixing and churning, the release of enzymes, and the sorting, absorbing and eliminating through the intestines.

During fasting that common activity is suspended.

When we eat, the parasympathetic nervous system shifts on as part of the “rest and digest” process — our resources are being used internally and not as focused on surviving the outside world (sympathetic nervous system – fight/flight/freeze/fawn). What’s really fascinating is that during fasting the body goes into an even deeper state of parasympathetic activity. Energy is directed towards repair, cellular cleanup, detoxification, and internal regulation… releasing, restoring, and reorganizing. The energy systems go through a similar process of releasing blockages, clearing built up etheric gunk, increasing flow to areas that are in need of healing, etc.

Sensory and etheric activity heightens, energy circulation is increased, while the internal communications of the body are being brought into greater coherence — fasting becomes a way to not only cleanse at a “health” level, but also elevate the body’s functioning and increase its energetic magnetism or charge.

“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.”
— Joel 1:14

Call a sacred assembly…

What would that look like within our own Mind and body?

During fasting we are moving away from the ordinary functioning of the body — physically and energetically. This inward direction of energy is a form of consecration. The habitual patterns of the body are paused, opening the door for clarity, receptivity, and communion with Spirit.

Beyond the purpose of “cleansing,” you can use fasting as a way to prepare the body and mind before significant life events or decisions. It can also be used as a way to work through internal resistance, uprooting mechanical conditioning, practicing self-discipline, or increasing energetic sensitivity. In this way, fasting becomes a form of living prayer and transformation.

The mindset and intention you have around any practice always influences the outcome. The initial phases of fasting will often highlight anything you’ve been struggling with and any emotions you’ve been suppressing. If you get caught in the trap of justifying and identifying with your irritability and physical discomfort, then you’ll remain stuck at this level and never go beyond that experience.

Fasting is an amplifier — whatever is inside of you and whatever intention you’re holding will be magnified. Orient, align, and when you catch yourself slipping into common perception or habitual ways of being, make the choice that will bring you closer to the sacred.

*For more resources on fasting, see the outside links below:

Juice fasting is a good alternative if you’re struggling with a water fast (3-5 days for a juice fast). Vegetable or fruit juice made with a juicer would be ideal, but store bought juice with no additives is a good alternative. A raw food diet for a week is another alternative to water fasting that is easier on the body and can act as a bridge.

Once you’re more comfortable with fasting, for women a longer water fast might be 3-5 days, and for men a longer water fast might be 7-10 days.

Or you can try cycles of juice/raw… 3-5 days juice, 2-3 days raw, then back to juice for another 3-5 days. Cycling in this way helps break up resistances in the body in a way that is different than the intensity of a water fast.

Edgar Cayce’s Apple Fast, linked above, is another good alternative.

Other suggestions for body cleansing:

Body Work:

Interview from Dr Gerald Pollock, author of The Fourth Phase Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor. Dr Pollock gives suggestions on increasing the structured water in your body, which is the physical mechanism for cellular communication and energy conduction:

Overall Diet Recommendations: Vegetarian. The ideal would be as close to whole foods as possible, as often as is doable. Reverse Osmosis or distilled water. Remove or limit processed food, caffeine, sugar.

Return to Eden: When we align ourselves with the rhythms of the earth, a natural entrainment begins to occur within our body. This assists us in releasing, restoring, and integrating. Spending time in nature connects us with the seasonal changes around and within us. Wind, salty air at the beach, rain, flowing water… these elements, clean and charge the etheric body, increasing the free flow of energy. Trees ground and stabilize us. Earth and plant energy has a way of bringing our nervous system into coherence, and in that process, stimulating the body’s innate healing ability. The breath deepens, our thoughts slow down, the inner noise begins to settle.

Time in the moonlight, meditating on and drawing energy from the moon during each of its phases, naturally brings us into another level of internal alignment. As we attune to nature, we elevate the consciousness of the body, shifting it away from survival mode, and into a state that more easily mirrors the natural process of the world around us: expansion and contraction, rest and renewal, letting go and receiving.

In our dysfunctional states, the body and Mind can become trapped in certain parts of this natural cycle: growing endlessly in scattered directions, without ever reaching a sense of fulfillment — stuck in contractions without allowing release — pushing, pushing, pushing without pausing to receive — withdrawing and letting go, collapsing, without building and growing, etc.

Conscious immersion in nature is an opportunity to expand our inner world and bring healing to the parts of us that are compartmentalized and divided.

Beyond the physical, what are you growing through the thoughts, habits, and routines in your day to day life?

To cleanse is not just about removing or taking away impurities, but also to nourish, enrich, and charge our temple. Regular practices of energywork, breathwork, sounding, prayer, ritual, movement, music, are all things that increase the magnetism of the body.

More information on these topics will be in further articles.

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