There are so many ways of reaching a place where we can directly communicate with the gods, spirits, our ancestors and other beings not of this particular plane of existance. Meditation, in all its myriad forms, is the most commonly practiced these days, from what I've seen, but there are other ways as well.

Deliberate and willful privation of oneself of all food, or of certain foods (most notably animal-derived foods), or sleep, or external influence are all traditional, and I'd like to discuss willful sleep deprivation in combination with a vegitarian diet as a means of opening one's heart to the gods.

As some of you are aware, I have PKU, a metabolic disorder that went untreated for many, many years. Because it was treated when I was a small child, I am not mentally handicapped, but thirty years of not treating it had me to the verge of disability from pain and physical malfunction. About a month ago, I put myself back on the diet that is the only treatment for this condition. This diet is vegan, and very low protein. The changes this has wrought have been many. First, the pain and health issues I have fought since I was a young woman have all but vanished. From walking in pain every day of my life to the first month of feeling like I always knew one should feel, in less than a month. Remarkable.

Yet, as remarkable as that is, it is nothing compared to the opening of my mind, and my heart.

I have spent many years in the practice of my faith and my craft, but until recently, my mind was ever filled with a fog, caused by the PKU being uncontroled. That fog has lifted. Where once I fought to reach the gods and hear them clearly, I now need only still my thoughts.

Combining this with willful sleep deprivation, which I did just last night, resulted in a massive release of pent up emotions, and brought me into the arms of my goddess. With the dawn, my heart opened wide and I lay as a child at Bridget's busom, weeping with both the pain of life and the joy of being with Her.

How does it work? First, the vegan diet cleanses the system of toxins. For those without a metabolic disorder or other health issue it is not important to always strictly adhere to a restricted diet, but by utilizing the restricted vegan diet, anyone can cleanse the body in preparation for an important working. The body and the soul are so closely aligned that by cleansing one, you cleanse the other as well.

Sleep deprivation, done deliberately, works to break down our own barriers to both the gods and our own inner selves. It allows us to draw out that which we normally keep well under wraps for the sake of living a "normal" life. Grief, sadness, anger, fears: any of the emotions which aren't proper to display publically, or that might impede our ability to live life fully, can be lifted out of our own shadows into the light where we can let them flow from us and be dealt with appropriately. And by inviting our gods to work with us toward that goal, we can efficiently work through those issues.

This also can be used to open our minds and hearts for the purposes of divination. Because our minds and hearts can be readily opened in this way, we can use this as a means to access our intuitive divinatory skills. Seering, whether by use of the many tools used in divination, or simply through the Sight, can be enhanced through sleep deprivation. When the body is cleansed as well, it appears that this is magnified.

Some cautions: For most, a restrictive diet is not healthy for the long term, so please, use good judgement about how long your body can handle the lower protein level and make certain you are getting all of the nutrition your body requires. Fasting should be only practiced for short periods of time by anyone, and water should not be given up, for dehydration sickness is not beneficial for anyone. Sleep deprivation also should be kept to a minimum. For most, a single night without sleep is sufficient to bring on the physical state desired. More than a couple of nights without sleep can have serious impact upon health and mental well being. Moderation in all things.