I just had the most amazing glass of grapefruit juice I've ever had. I hand-squeezed one and a half fresh grapefruits into a glass. I took my first sip slowly.

Surely it is the perfect substance -- its happy pink color, its delectable sweetness, its tonic, astringent, assertiveness. It must be God's own ambrosia. The taste of it on my tongue, as I stood on my deck in the midday sunlight, was absolute perfection. It's a soul-giving, dream-fulfilling, absolutely satisfying splendor, a festival of deep intimate nourishment, an entire complete sustenance, a fantastic blessing, a meal.

--tony

I've already posted some quotes from Stanley Burroughs' 1941 opus, The Master Cleanser, the treatise in which he devises the Master Cleanse, but I want to do a little more for the curious out there. His writings are definitely essential for anyone who's considering the Master Cleanse: he outlines an entire philosophy on being a physical entity on this planet. It's a cleansing philosophy, a meditation on healthy living as an internal and external lifelong journey, rather than as a diet. He writes of the natural way to live -- on a raw, vegan diet; and of the natural way to heal -- through cleansing the body and allowing it to heal itself, rather than through dependence on antibiotics, drugs, or other "poisons."

He writes of radical dietary consciousness and the possibility of a completely disease-free life; still, the things he writes, today, in the Bay Area, don't stand out as especially remarkable. But to realize he did his writing and investigating in 1941, before any of the modern health-food-store crazes or new age diets were even in embryonic form -- is remarkable and demands our attention.

I don't agree with everything he writes. But to be here, now, on the diet he recommends, taking in his holistic thoughts on health and wellness, I have to say, his words open up the possibility of living in an exceptionally powerful and healthy body.

Read for yourself, let me know what you think. I've posted his entire book (more like a pamphlet) here on theRelaxative:

The Master Cleanser, by Stanley Burroughs, © 1941

And here's a shortcut to the passage that details specifically the regimen of the Master Cleanse itself.

--tony

Daimian, you may be pooperifically correct. I think I was dehydrated parts of the last two days. I had been neglecting water. That explains a lot. I just downed most of a quart of fresh spring water and feel much better. And then I squeezed my first glass of orange juice. Oh yeah, baby, OJ. Delicious. I think I bought the wrong kind of oranges, but oh well. Or maybe they're just already a little dry and low in quality from the effects of the Great Freeze of January 2007 (as the ominous signs at Rainbow last night declared). I think my worries about this Day 11 were overwrought. And tomorrow night we get soup. Soup, world, soup.

I can't believe the spicy lemonade is a thing of the past. At least for now.

--tony

As Tony hinted on, this isn't so much a 10-day fast. By my limited amount of knowledge and based on the fact you are not supposed to eat for 12-14 days, it seems more like a 12-14 day fast. I guess maybe what they meant is a 10-day cleanse. Whatever, that would make most sense.

I keep reading how Tony has hit all those low points and I will have to say my experience has been different. I am not sure the amount of water Tony drank, but I drank gallons. Alot of times tiredness as well as hunger simply is triggered by a bit of dehydration. Therefore, I would recommend to all who try the fast, and all who don't, that as we are composed of 70% water we need to keep replenishing. Water rules! If you think it is icky or boring then add a little juice too to get some subtle sweetness, squeeze a lime to perk up the edges, add a little flavored seltzer to have your tongue thanking you for days for the sensual massage. Water!

Anyways, I haven't been low energy and feel as if I have the capability to go a full month in terms of energy as my body has acclimated. My id though is screaming . . . chew, gnaw, scraggle, bite!

Catch ya on the poop side!

--daimian

The Green Gulch celebration is coming soon! Saturday afternoon at 12:15 Daimian and I will break our fast at a celebratory lunch in the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center dining room. And you're invited! This will be a joyful and happy time, but also one that is conscious and centered rather than raucous or orgiastic (that will come later, baby) to appreciate the peace cultivated at Green Gulch. Wearing dark or muted colors is respectful of the Zen atmosphere at Green Gulch.

A small contribution to the Center of around $7 for lunch will be appropriate.

Please let one of us know by noon Thursday if you're planning on coming, so that we can ensure there will be space and food for you!

Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is an active, practicing Zen Buddhist Temple, sangha, and organic farm. It is a sacred and beautiful valley community, one of my favorite places in the world. It is located in Marin, in a seaside valley between Marin City and Muir Beach. Before and after lunch are both great times to meditate or to take sweet hikes to the beach or up into the bluffs overlooking the ocean. The food they prepare is simple, dense, natural, and amazingly delicious -- largely of ingredients they grow there at the farm. (It's exactly what my body wants right now -- nature's most basic and pure building blocks in delicious, minimalist combinations.)

Daimian and I are going to spend Friday night in the guesthouse (a building constructed in the demanding Japanese style, without nails), and I'm going to also stay Saturday night. The weekly Sunday morning Buddhist meditation service, tea service, and lunch (sort of their version of Sunday church service), as well as Friday night also are good times to pay a visit.

See you there!

--tony