Indonesian Shamanic Methods of Fasting & Austerities
Fasting and asceticism are essential practices in Javanese Kejawen and shamanism–especially Indonesian shamanism. Most of the unusual and unique powers acquired in Indonesian occultism are dependent upon the mastery of these disciplines with their many forms and variations. Another important factor that must not be overlooked in the acquisition of these occult powers is the knowledge of the correct timing such as the proper month and day which magickal rites and disciplines are to be commenced, and this is intrinsically linked with the Javanese calender; this however, will not be dealt with in this article for it is beyond its scope. We will mainly focus on the many variations of fasting and the austerities carried-out in Javanese mysticism/occultism.
Fasting as a religio-spiritual practice is known the world over by modern and ancient cultures. Initially, fasting was the result of the inaccessibility of food and proper nourishment in the face of lack and poverty. It was later adopted by the religious/shamanic community for magickal and devotional purposes as it was found to provide certain interesting results psychologically, biologically, and metaphysically. The ancient grimoires, both eastern and western, are filled with rituals that require fasting as a preparation for the work.
Modern researches on fasting reveals that the practice results in health and in a regeneration of the physical body when done rationally and not carried into extremes. Fasting maintains one’s health as it provides the needed rest to the digestive organs.
From the magickal perspective, fasting has an occult effect on both mind and body. Shamanic fasting changes the polarity of the physical body and