Fasting and Research




Fasting in Shamanism and Native American Religions
By Randi Fredricks

In shamanism, fasting is an established method for creating a shamanic state of consciousness and increasing spiritual awareness. It is used as a means to contact the spirits, gain knowledge and power, and to diagnose and heal (Harner, 1980; Metzner, 2001). Central to this belief system is the idea that the spirit overtakes the body after the use of specific techniques, such as fasting (St. Pierre, 2002). Ralph Metzner (2001) described this process as follows:

The central experiential practice in shamanism is entering into an
altered state of consciousness, referred to as a "shamanic journey,"
ecstasy, or trance. The methods for inducing this state, which
Mircea Eliade calls "techniques of ecstasy," include the ingestion
of hallucinogenic plants, chanting, drumming, special postures or
dance movements, fasting, isolation or various kinds of ordeals (p. 50).

In many tribal cultures, fasting has traditionally been used before hunting, to prevent natural disasters, before battle, and during mourning (von Braun, 2007). It is believed to be an effective method for attracting good fortune and dispelling insalubrious influences.

In Native American spirituality, fasting was used to transform prayer into action. Native Americans would fast to create connection with the spirit, receive guidance, build inner strength, and be of service to others.

Native American fasts are often done with other rituals as a means of purifying the mind, body, and spirit. The best-known fasting practice in Native American religion is the vision quest. This rite of passage consists of going into the wilderness and fasting until a dream—or vision—is received (Lyon, 1998). In many tribes, such as the Hopini, the fast brings a guardian spirit who directs the participant’s future conduct. This guardian spirit, sometimes called a “manito,” is thought of as a supernatural being that protects the person throughout their life (Narby & Huxley, 2001, p. 69).

In their book The Book of the Vision Quest: Personal Transformation in the Wilderness, Steven Foster and Meredith Little described (1980) the essence of the vision quest:

The fasting process is one of readying the soil for a seed to be
planted in it. Some call this process self-purification. The seeker
empties the body so that the spirit may be filled. By eliminating
food from the system, you symbolically encourage death, which waits
to fill your emptiness. Living thus in the proximity of death, life
is enhanced, made brilliant and terrifying (p. 34).

The Native American shaman, also known as a medicine man or woman, seeks spiritual transformation through communication with the spirit world. Initiation dreams—in which the dreamer is contacted by a deity, spirit, or ancestor—are a part of the Native American shaman tradition. Krippner, Bogzaran, and De Carvalho (2002) said, “Among many contemporary native people, initiation dreams are still viewed as important. It is believed that they can be elicited by prayer, by fasting, or by vigils” (p. 135). Among many tribes, dreams are actively sought by the entire community through celebrations involving fasting, dancing, singing, drumming, rattling, sweating, and hallucinogens.

Within North American Indian traditions, the Sioux Sun Dance is held yearly. Before the dance, participants are tutored by shamans and undergo a fast (Villoldo & Krippner, 1987). In addition to the Sioux, other Plains tribes attend as well. During the ceremony, the dancers are “inspirited and transformed” through social healing and altered states of consciousness (p. 176). Other similar Native American celebrations include the Dakota Sun Dance, the Cheyenne New Life Lodge Dance, and the Ponca Mystery Dance (Rader, 2005).

Carol Flinders (1999) told a story about witnessing Karuk Indian girls participate in a ten-day ceremony customarily performed at menarche. Called “The Flower Dance,” it consisted of chanting, dancing, and fasting just as their ancestors had. Flinder’s spoke of the girl’s transformation into womanhood as follows:

They fasted rather strenuously, and they were blindfolded for the
entire time: when the blindfolds were at last removed, it was
understood that the girls looked on the world now with a woman’s
eyes (p. 308).

Fasting is used in Native American medicine for curative purposes, such as dispelling grief. Native American elders prescribe fasting to transform feelings of trauma around genocide and blame. Krippner and McIntyre (2003) described the process of this ritual:

For example, an individual may approach an elder to ask how to wash
away the shame and grief from the past. The individual may be
instructed to fast and bathe for four days, all the time letting go
of hatred and destructive energy that surfaces each day. This is
called si’satxw in the Tsimshian language. Through the act of
cleansing the individual practices awareness (p. 31).

Another manner in which Native Americans have utilized fasting to assist in mourning is through the use of sweat lodges. While the use of saunas in tribal culture has traditionally been associated with eliciting visions, it has also been used with fasting as a ritual to honor and purify survivors (Kroeber, 2006).

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Randi Fredricks is a Naturopathic Psychotherapist with a Doctorate in Naturopathy and a Masters in Psychology. She sees clients at her office in San Jose, California. She can be reached at 800-957-5655 or you can contact her online. This article is an excerpt from Randi Fredricks' book Fasting: An Exceptional Human Experience. Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems.





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