Fasting--Days 15 and 16

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I have decided to post some of my favorite quotes by him. He is a lighthouse of spiritual wisdom, and is one of the best examples of someone who has carried out the words we read in the Epistle of James (2:17), "What does it profit...if someone says he has faith but does not have works?...faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of great faith and great works.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.

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Day 15 (January 16): My weight was 96, my blood pressure was 94/62, my pulse was 68, and my temp was 97.8. Slept five hours, drank 3 quarts of water, took a B-12 shot. Still felt pretty good over all. I did have an outbreak of a dermatitis herpetiformis lesion on my elbow. This is a skin manifestation of celiac or gluten intolerance. I had these lesions for 8 years from 1988 to 1996 before I discovered that gluten was the cause. I have not had any gluten since 1996. The fact that this is re-manifesting would seem to indicate that my body is going after deeper level toxins and pulling them out into circulation for elimination.

Day 16 (January 17): My weight was 95, my blood pressure was 88/65, my pulse was 68, and my temperature was 98. I slept for 6 hours, drank 3 quarts of water, felt very weak for much of the day. very hypotensive and finding it difficult to sit up for any length of time without becoming nauseated. Dr. Klaper is taking note of the "quality" of my pulse which apparently is stronger or more forceful than it was. This is something that they use as a sign that it may be time to terminate the fast. He thinks I can still go a few more days. I sincerely hope that I am able to go longer than that, as I feel that I am just now starting to get to the deeper stuff and I do not feel that there has been sufficient time to allow for a deep level healing. But maybe I will be one of those people who will have to do a number of 3 week fasts in order to accomplish what one longer one would have done. We will see. My acupuncturist came to treat me later in the evening and he said my water element was way low and that I really need the treatment, so it will be interesting to see if the quality of my pulse feels different to the doctor tomorrow.

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I believe in person to person. Every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta