Health has to be the number one priority; the full spectrum physical, mental and spiritual health integrated in cohesion and purpose. We can not wait until the prime conditions to make the changes we have to make, we need to start where we are, with what we have and make the best, practical and powerful moves to truly transform and change. The chronic conditions and ingrained patterns, from lifestyle to depression and illness or chronic conditions requires the dramatic shift to a new normal, a transmuted re-manifestation of the core condition. We have to break and shake off patterns, eliminate harmful ruts, habituate the best skillful means with discipline and set attainable goals that we pursue with religious devotion. We have to saturate ourselves in the healing process, as in an initiatory, transformative sacred protocol to align thought, word and action towards the alchemical overhaul of the individual. The energetic fasting of the sages is the starting point in every alchemical tradition. This can be the full bigu Daoist fasting of Immortals, or the healing wisdom of a householder who wants to regain vitality or get back in shape. This is suitable for convalescence as well as hitting the trail or workouts. It is also incredibly delicious…

We have a few varieties of this blend (and maybe posting the varieties for sale), which is our tonic blend for retreats and fasting, therapeutic diet protocols and preparing for Bigu fasting. These precious superfoods can be argued to have their own unique energetic dispositions that differ in different contexts from their elemental role in this formula. This is formulated to have a microcosmic blend of the correspondences as the core of these foods, which are the unique combinations of the five elements in their growth. The chemical reactions and processes that specific fruits and trees, herbs perform create the eneregtic signatures that affect our own internal bio-chemistry. The theory of plant intelligences, the attached spirit of a plant is a specific understanding of this as sentience behind the botanical realm in the acausal subtle field. Plants encode light in a specific ways, producing alkaloids, medicines, and the sexual organs that are flowers and the yielding of fruit, nuts which are the semen and seeds of this energy. The high mountain soils are rich in the elemental qi and minerals, nano-metals of ancient galactic events. The Himalayan berries of our berries and nuts, have roots that extract and bio-prospect for nutrients and these elements deep in the soil that are transmuted in the absorbing tendrils of roots, and manifested into the health giving power of the produce.

The hermit’s goal of bigu had spiritual and pragmatic purposes. It is the ultimate survival tool, essentially unburdening one for food. People misunderstand energetic fasting and I have even read rare cases of people getting ill and dying from attempting such things as sun gazing. The key to this process is that if you are hungry, you are not in this energetic fasting or bigu. You should not become emaciated as in ascetic or ordinary fasting, like a food strike for example, and just withering away and dying. You should become more balanced in weight if overweight, and get to the ideal as those reserves are used, but if one becomes a strange eating disorder type of development then one is not living off energy. So the rule in using these techniques is the same as the Dao: if you are tired, sleep, if you are thirsty, drink, if you are hungry, eat. But the rule is “just enough” then this is combined with tonics and elixirs to supplement this, using a high fat oil supplement for keeping internal organs moist and lubricated and giving brain essential fats and to avoid protein poisoning. If hungry, one can do their respective qi cultivation practices, especially useful for this is the Korean Sun-do method, which is intuitive and rapid in results. So if one is hungry, one does the practice. If hunger persists, one takes the tonic. If hunger persists, one takes the trail mixes, and if still hungry one needs to take a meal.

For the retreat, the ascetic sojourn into forests and mountains, this is the superior mix for a wide spectrum of nutrition and actions, that allows one to push beyond and have the fuel and elixir energies flowing. This is our precious blend for nourishing the essences. It is the most costly version, and one can make their own using the essential theory, using dried local berries and nuts, but in our view the combination of mulberry, goji and longan is unsurpassed in the healing, nutrition, energetic action and taste that blends with the deep forest pine nuts and mountain cedar nuts that are pulsating with qi. What we want out of tonics, elixirs, food, practices, skillful means, texts, etc is maximum yield for minimum effort. We want the ultimate nutrient and energetically dense and packed with vitamins and amino acids, antioxidants and minerals so that that digestive fire can function like the fire rites, being offered the choicest sacrifices, full of energy. This is the key to detoxification, as the digestive fire can start to consume the toxins and expel the accumulated stagnations as it no longer has to expend energy digesting complex combinations of meals. Once this burden is lifted, and the nourishment becomes lighter or more subtle, satvic in the yogic context, then the natural lightness, the natural numinous energies reform and return to the primal resurgence. This is why fasting is so beneficial and spiritual in many traditions. This is why in most traditions, fasting is essential for the healing from Unani Ayurveda, Siddha, into Western esoteric traditions. The full spectrum nutritional and energetic power for this all organic all wildcrafted, sun dried blend is the ultimate core formula to truly start the bigu or energized fastings in a informed and safe manner. We also advise people to take advantage of pine needle tea, all species of pine as long as they are not in heavily polluted or sprayed collaterally in landscape settings. This is a vital tonic that is abundant in many woodlands and this is the perfect tea to enjoy, as is a aged green puerh too or green tea in terms of flavor and energetic combinations. The combination prompts a healing bliss and energy that is palpable.

Meals have much implications beyond just nutrition, they are social rituals, grounding, sensual, enjoyable aspects of life. There is a time to feast (such as the Tantrik ritual feasts, Immortals banquets, and yogic buffets for lack of a better term) and a time to fast. In the microcosmic cycle of the seven day week, which is a quarter of the lunar cycle, one would ideally fast one or two days a week as a householder who wants to heal. These can be on the Monday and Thursday, because these have a cyclical rhythm, as well as practical considerations. Consider the weekend, the holiday, or holy days of tribe and family. Friday night is a powerful occult night in many traditions for esoteric pursuits, and the social availability can make the following times appropriate to cook and share communal meals in deepening relationships, working out familial tensions, and sharing bounties and socializing affirmations of the group or family. The sharing of abundance with others can be a group ritual of solidifying the whole but can be followed with the Monday fasting, the nibbling of this trail mix with tonics, elixirs and tea. This is enough powerful energy to work and yet detox and not burden the body with digestion on the first day of the week. Then a normal diet for two days, following of fasting on Thursday with light meal or the trail mix.

Five Element Nutrition
Red, fire heart goji berries, the ultimate nutrient, mineral antioxidant and mono-atomic rich superfood of the Himalayas, organic sun dried grade

Green wood liver- mulberries are the greenish off-white berry, a magical wood for talismans, and opportunistic growth and spiritual potency to Daoists. Being tonic herbs for the kidneys and liver they participate in those elemental meridians and add a unique qi and detoxification essence that helps clear out the wayward qi and deranged organ energy of negative aspects of earth elementals.

Yellow-orange earth spleen – this is always been our absolute favorite tonic superfood, delicious, with a yellow-orange color that alleviates so much toxic build up is truly calming and quieting in action, allowing the spleen as an energetic point of anger and stress to harmonize. It’s an adaptogenic, team player of a ingredient, supplement and potentiating the combinations and bringing rich amounts of unique flavors, phythochemicals, antioxidants and minerals. Organic and side dried pure qi energy.

White metal lungs (wind)-white pine nuts, a total body tonic and superior Daoist tonic food, it uses transcend the categories as do all these tonics. It can be argued, as the others for different places in the five element chart, but the primary action of pine nuts are used to dispel wind, moisten the intestines, and tonify the body’s qi, or vital energy. Generally, pine nuts are used for their effect on the gastrointestinal tract and digestive functions as well but above all are the hermit food par excellence. Other ways pine nuts are used are for building immune function, impeding memory loss, and making use of their antioxidant action. Through their complete action in cleasing other organs they ultimately benefit the lungs and oxygenation of the blood and brain, which are the aims of the high level breathing and herbal formula.

Black (dark) water kidney- we sometimes add in a different nut depending on specific climates, seasons or conditions, it could be walnuts for the brain or pecans for more of heart boost, in this blend we choose pecan which is a nod to the superfood of our homelands, down from the mineral rich trees of Georgia. Daoists often used plants from remote areas or foreign countries such as the barbarian hemp or sesame seed, which is one of their premiere tonics and yet was not native to China. But we will note that China imports about 80 percent of pecans produced because it is recognized as a healthy powerhouse that helps nourish the qi and satisfies the hunger with pure protein and healthy fats.*

*All the above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.