— How We Butchered an Ancient Discipline and Called It Wellness —

Great inventors, artists, philosophers and spiritual titans—those who truly grasped the power of fasting—must be doing somersaults in their graves. Not as part of a CrossFit routine, but out of metaphysical frustration.

These were individuals who fasted to elevate their consciousness, to court revelation, or because they were too busy discovering electricity and inventing geometry to bother with food. But in our current world of high-tech saturation, we now fast because some self-appointed TikTok guru swore it would sculpt our abs into seductive six-packs visible to mythical demigods. Welcome to an age bloated on instant gratification, narcissistic biohacking and ultra-processed foods. Enlightenment costs extra and arrives in two business days—Free shipping if you hit the Subscribe button.

Just when the glorified diet that fasting “Wannabes” call Intermittent Fasting reached peak saturation—and about the same time everyone stopped pretending to enjoy kale, and right before the cold plunge cult canonized ice buckets— technophiles, high on ketones, unveiled their latest brainchild: Enter The Rise of Sleep-Fasting™

The rules? You fast… while unconscious. That’s right. Just stop eating four hours before bed. Put on your melatonin-infused eye mask and wrap yourself in breathable bamboo sheets. It’s Effortless. Revolutionary. Monetizable.

Add-Ons for the Modern Mystic™

Sleep-Fasting pairs perfectly with Emotional Detoxing™ where you don’t cry because you’re sad—you cry because your emotions are clogged with unresolved generational trauma and your body is contaminated by microplastics, trace amounts of high-fructose corn syrup, and something called “emulsifiers.”

Amplify your journey by drinking clear liquids made from glacial-kissed, distilled water. Add bonus points if bottled by Himalayan monks. And don’t forget the $29.95/month Sleep-Fasting Tracker™, which:

• Plays AI-generated Gregorian chants
• Tracks your unconscious ketosis levels
• Auto-posts your nightly fasting stats directly to your Followers

Coming Soon: Fasting Without the Fasting

Why suffer when you can simulate?

• Quantum Fasting™ – You fast in a parallel universe where your alternate self is vibrant, centered, and spiritually vegan.
• MetaFast™ – You fast inside the Metaverse where your avatar slims down while you binge on potato-based chips and watch fasting documentaries.
• Auto-Fasting™ – A Bluetooth-enabled pill gaslights your gut into believing it’s fasting. Sponsored by Big Pharma.

Essential Defense: Skewer the naysayer’s pseudoscience with phrases like…

• “According to ancient mitochondrial wisdom, hunger is simply stored enlightenment.”
• “Quantum studies from Eastern European sleep clinics validate Sleep-Fasting™.”
• “Since the dawn of human consciousness, our bodies have craved metabolic stillness.”

Trust me. They won’t ask for the sources. They’ll be too busy Googling “metabolic stillness.”

The Takeaway

To the Stoics—and in concert with most ancient traditions—fasting was sacred, and not about trimming visceral fat. Socrates and Plato didn’t skip meals to flaunt their abs; they fasted to forge clarity of thought. Buddha didn’t skip lunch because he saw a 14-day detox challenge trending on YouTube. He sat under a tree for weeks on nothing but conviction and sheer force of will.

To the ancients, fasting wasn’t about looking better in a toga or achieving ketosis before noon. It was a deliberate practice generating quantifiable results, including but not limited to mental clarity, mastery over desire, resilience in the face of temptation, healing, and an unfiltered connection to something greater than the self.

The Lost Art of “Real” Fasting

If you’re ready to ditch the dopamine circus, read Fasting Firepower— a no-nonsense guide that combines ancient wisdom, cutting-edge science, spiritual insights, and over 50 years of personal experience. The straightforward answers will challenge you, surprise you, and quite possibly transform your life.

Articles, videos, and mild existential musings available at www.marjanbooks.com.