Ritual work on a full stomach

[Mithrea]

In "Casting the Circle: A Women's Book of Ritual" by DianeStein, the author says that you shouldn't do ritual work on a full stomach because digestion ties you to the physical world and magic doesn't happen there.

I experienced the opposite tonight. I was trying to do a Tarot reading and I couldn't get focused because was feeling empty. If I followed her advice, then I shouldn't have gone to eat and then tried again.

My question to you all is this. Do you notice that digestion and other biological processes, like cramps (sorry boys), or other pain just affects your ability to concentrate or can it even affect the outcome of your spells and rituals?

It would seem to me that if you follow the logic that performing a biological function interferes with your magic, then wouldn't gestating a baby do the same? That ones for you Myst ;)

What do you think?

[Myst]

heh thanks for the personal message :p

I think eating and drinking are very grounding tho, and they do tie to me to the physical world. But then if you're hungry you can't concentrate either, so you don't want to do something on a totally empty stomach! For a lot of people a full stomach can make them slightly uncomfortable or more conscious of their bodies. I think its more that it can affect some people's concentration.

As of yet the baby hasn't caused me an issue in that way, and I do know of at least one woman who while pregnant could not/would not do magical work because her 'energies were so strange'. As yet I can't physically feel it so it doesn't tie me to my physical body. I actually got into meditation and astral stuff very recently and have had great experiences in that way, but then the baby isn't going to be kicking at this point either. That might make a difference in concentration later.

[Danustouch]

I know that doing ritual work when I'm really uncomfortable for any reason, generally isn't a good idea. However, I think there's a difference between pleasantly full...and feeling like a beached whale because you ate the equivalent of a Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps just eating a lighter meal, than usual, would be the best suggestion.

As for minor discomforts, I can sometimes just incorporate a healing portion of the ritual,, or a healing or restful meditation into the ritual, and keep on going.

As for pregnancy and magickal workings, I'd guess since a woman is pregnant for Nine months, she has a little time to become accustomed to some of the discomforts. At least enough so that they could not be distracted during ritual (that is unless the baby is particularly restless in the womb one day, and starts using mommy's belly for soccer practice, or if the mom is in the 'having to pee every five seconds' mode). I guess I've always been of the opinion, that you do what you can. You do what you are comfortable doing. :)

[Lavender]

I'm one for comfort. I can't do anything with a full stomach or an empty one either. I like to eat a piece of fruit before & after. Usually a banana. Good source of energy and easy to digest without interfering with what I have to do.

[Mystic Wolf]

I was taught not to do ritual on a full stomach because it was grounding. However if you don't eat a little something before trying to do this, then your stomach will be in knots and that can't be very grounding either.

So we have come to a middle ground where we have a few little appetizers before ritual and feast afterwards. Seems to work the best.

[Danustouch]

For me, on Ritual Nights, I'll just eat a very light dinner. Soup and salad, for instance. Or a tunafish sandwhich, just something light that wont settle hard in my stomach. If it's something a bit heavier, I just basically "Pick" at the dinner, and save the rest until after.

If I do cook a larger, heavier meal, I make sure that I have time to digest a bit before doing the ritual. We usually eat dinner around five, so I might wait till around 11pm to do my ritual. This gives it plenty of time to settle. And sometimes, before I do a ritual, I'll go for a walk outside, which to me, has a two-fold benefit, first it helps me walk off a meal, and second, it allows me some time to contemplate nature, before my ritual.

[Mystic Wolf]

That is a good idea... However I am in a coven and in today's modern world with people getting up in the morning to go to work and getting kids off to school, there would be a lot of resistance to starting ritual at 11pm. Sometimes that means we wouldn't be done before 1-2 am, which is very late. So we have to make do with doing it earlier.

The only rituals we do so late is Samhain and our Candlemas rituals can take two or three days and go until 3 or 4 in the morning. However for esbats and the other sabbats we work much earlier.

[Danustouch]

Yes..i can certainly imagine how difficult it would be in a coven setting to start your rituals so late. When I was in a circle, we tried to start ours around Seven, or Seven thirty. Often times, they really wouldn't start until eight. And if it was a particularly good circle, with alot of drumming, sometimes they would go til about 10-10:30 (we had a very long drumming portion, and also a portion where we could discuss things in our lives, energy needs, exchange inspirational poems, etc.). And then we'd often hang out until around midnight. Don't know how we did it in those days...I know now, I'd be dead tired if I hung around that late!

[WandererInGray]

Originally posted by Danustouch
.....I think there's a difference between pleasantly full...and feeling like a beached whale because you ate the equivalent of a Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps just eating a lighter meal, than usual, would be the best suggestion.

*nods* I agree....


*ponders* Oddly enough, for me I *like* being grounded while I'm working, otherwise I have a tendancy to get too "out there" and I can't concentrate on what I'm needing to do.

I suppose, like many other magickal things, it's a matter of the person who's trying to do it, and not one set rule.

[Arduinna]

To me the important part was where she said "full stomach". I prefer not to practice on a full stomach myself. Not be starving either. Satisfied is about right.

[golddust]

personally, fasting can work wonders for me, however it also stops my ability to concentrate, all that being hungry does is speeds up the process by which i can work, i can still do it on a full stomach it just takes me ages to 'escape' the physical world, so its a question of how patient im gonna be when i work.

[Phoenix Blue]

For me, the ideal environment is any that allows my mind to disconnect from my body. In the past, this has meant letting my mind wander as I made 3½ hour bike trips between Acworth and Atlanta each weekend. . . **smiles** Now, **ponders** I don't meditate as much anymore.

[Emy]

I don't do any rituals when I feel uncomfortable in any way. Like a bit ill, just have been eating lots of food, aches or cramps... Because to me they interfer. :) However not eating anything at all before a ritual, causing me to feel hungry, doesn't work either. :)

Blessings

[Grey]

If I get really full it herts my consentration but so is being hungry.
I usually eat about an hour or so before doing any spells or making charms.
As for cramps guys gettem to yah know just not as often and I just can't do it exept for meditation wich I find helpful actually.
To really do magic i find you really just have to be balanced physically and emotionally as my spells suffer if I'm depressed or overwheight but hey thats just me.