Jesus spent 40 days in the Desert. I only spent 21, but here's what began to happen;

Reading your story reminded me of a few years back. I was trying the bhudist way of life, as much as I could anyway throughout my regular life. Things such as walking gently upon the earth, inviting a bell to sound when I needed relaxation, looking at a dandylion and seeing not a weed, but the sunshine that allowed it to grow.. And understanding that was a gift from consciousness.

Now what exactly happened that I stopped, I don't know for certain. But reading your story,
It is CLEAR to me now that I must get back to that lifestyle. Even throughout my hectic day, I really was at peace, and had a sense of hope. Thank you very much for helping me get my focus back. S&F

reply to post by IandEye


Your not 'the' naysayer, just someone else here with common sense. Although I'm not religious I believe anyone who compares himself to Jesus to be insanely out of touch and deluded. That being said the OP was suffering from malnutrition and was hallucinating as a side effect.

Also to all here that say this 'story' is the reason your now rethinking your life, you must need to get out more. I could offer you a list of influential and spiritual books but I'm sure those would be too difficult to dig up. Anyone who actually 'believes' in what this man or boy or woman or girl is saying needs to read into the story a bit more. Because no one with any sort of idea of reality would accept this as a credible explanation to 'change' their life. Again if anyone can dispute that this person was suffering from malnutrition and hallucinating as a result clearly didn't READ the OP. But then again many on here only READ what they want too.

I agree with SkepticOverlord the substance of people on this site has really fallen. If their wasn't a better time to deny ignorance I don't know what would be.

reply to [url= by NoJoker13[/url]


agreed.

what gain does a man get from giving up food yet feeding his narcissism?

reply to post by IandEye


The shadow of a dream, that has led him to write this story, curiously a half a year after it took place. It must have been AMAZINGLY influential, that's why he took the hiatus.

reply to post by NoJoker13


Perhaps you are right, but the Native American Indians, more specifically the Lakota Sioux believed whole-hearted my in the OP's technique, so much that it was a staple of their civilization. Also I must have missed the part where the OP compared himself to Jesus. All I read was he UNDERSTANDS now to a minor extent what the experience might have been like.

reply to post by lonweld


Would you care to offer a source for this? Because usually the Native American way deals with the ingestion of a substance. Are you sure you've read into this enough? Reading into the 'ceremonial' practices that is.

Originally posted by lonweld
reply to [url= by NoJoker13[/url]

 

Perhaps you are right, but the Native American Indians, more specifically the Lakota Sioux believed whole-hearted my in the OP's technique, so much that it was a staple of their civilization. Also I must have missed the part where the OP compared himself to Jesus. All I read was he UNDERSTANDS now to a minor extent what the experience might have been like.

you missed the comparison? Did you read the title of the thread bychance?

Originally posted by dominicus

Day 16, I found the core me. I was fine no matter what. Can face anything, feared nothing, and understood existence as Being, as Flow, as interconnected to me. Even the books I brought with did not matter to what reality taught me there in nature. The fasting tempered the lusts of the body for sexual release. The idea of sex, porn, lust w/ beautiful sexual women lost meaning and I saw through it, discovering many connections between the body and mind.

It would have happened much, much sooner had you dreamed about lust with a 500lb beast of a woman.....

Originally posted by arpgme
reply to post by dominicus

 

Why do you feel like comparing yourself to Jesus?

That's the whole point of Jesus.
Anyone who doesn't know that really hasn't got a clue. And I mean this in a strictly theological sense; the person doesn't even have to be religious to grasp this. All it requires is serious attention and a certain depth of thought devoted to the matter.

So you hallucinated do to lack of nutrition. Makes sense.

If thats your idea of a joke, I am sorry for you.
If it's not a joke, I am even more sorry.

That is incredible.

I don't know what else to say..

reply to post by BlueMule


I was thinking the same exact thing.

reply to post by dominicus


This is why many people go hunting and camping. This was the life of an Indian. It is real life.
I was wondering when you got back you said everything seemed so commercial and artificial but you also made a comment something like corporate and government. Where did you see the government represented around you? Other than tax and unless you were in DC...not sure how you could see "the government" as a presence.

Originally posted by NoJoker13
reply to post by IandEye

 

Your not 'the' naysayer, just someone else here with common sense. Although I'm not religious I believe anyone who compares himself to Jesus to be insanely out of touch and deluded. That being said the OP was suffering from malnutrition and was hallucinating as a side effect.

You might want to read what I posted on page 7 and see the documentary and article that initially made me interested in retreats.

I never stated anywhere that I'm comparing myself to him. If you do find that in the first page, please do quote it. I did, however, find that it would be beneficial for me to face myself, reality, God, ego, whatever there is, as naked and raw as possible...... in nature w/ no tech and minimal food.

Considering my daily activity consisted of a camp fire and locating deadwood for it, no more than an hour at most, and the rest spent in meditation, contemplation, prayer, and thought, there was actually very little caloric intake required. I used to be a huge gym rat and always counted calories. My frame of my was vivid, logic was present, and thinking was clear. There was no malnutrition or delusions and top of that, i have always been acutely aware of the subtleties of my body/mind from previous no food fasts, camping, hiking,wilderness trips.

I wanted to make sure, as best as possible, that there was no halucinations due to malnutrition. Hence, I stated that I did eat minimally in the evenings

Sadly, what I'm finding in your replies, is alot of assumption/projection, and jumping to conclusions without asking me directly if there is a basis for them. I find alot of this assumption/projection, and conclusion jumping, so much so, I made a thread about it about a month ago.
Why do people assume One, to be pretentious & egotistical, if that one describes spiritual experiences

You might want to see that the popular consensus on that page, is that my premise is right..... there is tons of unfounded assumption and projection going on, that lacks clarity and insight about the source and original motivation of the claim.

You've proven my point, and I thank you for providing food for the proof in the linked thread

reply to post by IandEye


The title is metaphoric, many writers use this to capture the reader's attention and he did a good job of it.

reply to post by NoJoker13


Unless you were there you have no idea what the OP was feeling. He wrote what he felt at that moment. Many writers share their feelings through their writings. I think you're being way too hard on the OP like I said before, if you don't like it then you don't have to comment. Simple enough. You've said yourself that you are not religious, many others are and often have spiritual experiences while in nature. I'm not very religious myself, however, when in nature there is a sense of completeness. Your comments are out of line.

Originally posted by SplitInfinity
reply to post by IandEye

 

Kind of confrontational for a Buddhist are we not?

Split Infinity

Intellectual humor is some of the best humor.

Interestingly, I never meant to post this as a thread, as it was extremely personal & honest in its nature. It was something for myself initially. I decided to post this, because I've come to a place of letting go of "personal" and to merely share.

I could have sworn this wouldn't make it past page 1 and by day 2 slip away into the dust bins of ats history.

reply to post by dominicus


I am glad you enjoyed it.

I love humor and wish more people had a better sense of humor. But unfortunately some people are easily offended and react badly to the slightest issue.

Split Infinity

reply to post by BlueMule


glowing tress.... spinning universes above his head... sounds like cacti, or perhaps some kind of mushrooms.

Originally posted by dominicus
I was in the woods, on 5 acres bordering several National forests, Northern Wisconsin was the place.

It was an old, dusty, spider and spider web filled mini-camper, just enough for one person to sleep in with a small cook stove and sleeping bag. No phone, computer, radio, TV, just a handful of books and quest to reach deep down within myself, to find myself, God, Nature ....whatever may be. I was dropped off and left there, not to see another soul for another 3 weeks.

By day 2, the ego/mind was going crazy lacking the constant stimulation from smart phones, TV's, roommates, work/co-workers, society, etc. Yet I was aware of the "going crazy." I tempered this w/ meditation near the camp fire.

The first couple of nights, there was fear in the pitch black night due to the visiting critters, the fact that the camper was used by bats as a shelter as well, and with the unknowing of what can be outside of the camper. I tempered the fear with prayer, observation, meditation.

Around day 5, I was settled with stillness, nature, silence, with myself, the mind settling down w/ lack of stimulation, and fear was no more. All I could do is just Be, Flow w/ what is. I fasted during the days, and ate a handful of grains, nuts, or a small fruit at night.

Somewhere around day 8-9, things began to make sense. Society seemed artificial. We've gone so far from Flow/Being and live in fear, ego, and addiction to stimulation. I was deep within myself, fine with myself. I was in a sense Home, deprogramming from societal ways.

Day 12-14, the tree's began to glow. I hugged the tree's and acknowledged the Life of nature. Squirrels, wild turkey's, deer began to come near and check out what this odd human was doing there. As the days past, they would get closer and closer, having less fear of me

Day 16, I found the core me. I was fine no matter what. Can face anything, feared nothing, and understood existence as Being, as Flow, as interconnected to me. Even the books I brought with did not matter to what reality taught me there in nature. The fasting tempered the lusts of the body for sexual release. The idea of sex, porn, lust w/ beautiful sexual women lost meaning and I saw through it, discovering many connections between the body and mind.

Day 18. There are Universes revolving above my head. I've had this before, but it really sank in now. The majority of stuff is irrelevant in the big picture. I have closure and detachment in my life and if it's time to physically die, today is a good day for that. I'm open to whatever Flow & Being has in store for a tiny grain of sand like me. Fear is let go of, and the grand scheme of things runs the show.

Day 21. In Love with this type of existence. I've reached a part of myself and existence that I never knew was there, but always had a hunch about. Considering monasteries now or permanently living like this. However it's time to say goodbye and get back to society, considering I still have some familial and financial obligations to take care of.

A friend picks me up and we go to a pizza joint to eat. Everything seems artificial, commercialized, and corporate/government ran. Still I see the Flow/Being within society, but it's covered up, manipulated by ego/mind to fit it's own molds and concepts of how things should be. In retrospect, everything now looks slow, lacking, dirty, superficial. The truth is there, but most don't see the sublime. Rushing and wrapped in roles, the present moment is entirely missed, instead people have replaced this with; "what might one day be if only I can ____(fill in the blank)!"

This was a set of diary posts from my 21 day solo retreat in the woods. I can only imagine the further changes that would occur if I was to go the full 40 like Jesus did.

All that to say, that there is something to, letting go of the bias bubbles we've all created by being wrapped up in the necessities of catering to society and our own ego's. By tempering that, with going into solitude, into the wild for a set amount of time, that bias bubble pops, and for that set amount of time, you find certain things about yourself, nature, Love, life, existence, that you would not otherwise find, things that remain with you for the rest of your life, things that the majority of people may not be aware of, but are most definitely there.

Food for thought perhaps, or the ramblings of a madman

Thank you for posting this. I don't know why I hadn't considered this myself, but when I read this it dawned on me. This is what I need to do. Thank you again.
I like your avatar btw.