New Vrindaban celebrated its 7th Annual Festival of Inspiration this past weekend. My post festival blues are starting to subside and I'm slowly getting back into my daily, pseudo transcendental routine. The past two weeks were wild in preparation. On top of it all, I thought it would be a great time to start the Master Cleanse so that come festival I would be clear and focused, equipped with proper vision and consciousness.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Master Cleanse, it is a detox program designed to clean out the ol' intestinal tract through a process of fasting, cayenne lemonade, salt water flushes and laxative tea bedtime stories. I've always been weary of trendy, universally beneficial fasts, but many friends have shared with me their votes of approval. Because my situation and means are very limited right now, lemonade mexicano sounded appropriate and affordable. I decided to go for it.
The first day I felt some abdominal cramping but by morning it had cleared up. The next few days were normal. The fifth day came and I started feeling really good. My senses were accentuated and I was feeling empowered by my discipline. Up until the eight day, I rarely felt hunger. The smell emanating from the kitchen was delightful and satisfying in itself. My energy was high and I felt great.
Half my friends here thought I was nuts, the other half were really curious and supportive. But, really folks, living in America and living the Hare Krishna "feasting" lifestyle, the body becomes overloaded with undigested foodstuffs, rotting and festering, gradually building up on the intestinal wall, rendering the body unable to properly absorb nutrients and discard the rest. This is the primarly cause of most disease and illness within our bodies.
Krishna consciousness is about foresight. Fasting is also about long term vision in that it is a form of preventive medicine. Fasting gives the body a chance to process what's already on the desk, taking up space and causing anxiety, without being overloaded by continuous incoming calls and paperwork. If our bodies are not physically fit and fine-tuned, our spiritual work will suffer miserably.
The hardest part about fasting is coming down. Funny how Krishna arranges things. Starting with a day of apple juice followed by salads the next, I was prepared to break the fast slowly over the course of the weekend. However, on Friday evening, by default I was asked to prepare dinner for His Holiness Satsvarupa Maharaj all by my lonesome. The fancy title is given because Maharaj is saintly and, therefore, one of the most respected gurus in this movement. In Vaishnava tradition, to eat the remnants off the plate of a guru or any exalted personality is likened to taking communion in the Christan tradition. SO sure enough, there I am, haven't eaten for a week, in front of me is a full plate full of sacred leftovers, i'm the only one around, what to do? Material versus spiritual? Temporary stomach ache and indigestion versus eternal spiritual rewards? Needless to say, I ate everything.
We can make groovy plans, but plans change. Sometimes Krishna personally makes special arrangements for his aspiring devotees. This time though, He got me good.
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