Sungazing 101
Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:41 am
About six months ago I received an ad for a couple e-books on
sungazing. I had heard of this practice before but never read
anything about it so I ordered the books.
I was amazed at the claims that were made. Perhaps the most famous
proponent of the art is an Indian man named Hira Ratan Manek. He
claims to have gone as long as seven years without eating -- that he
gets all his nourishment from gazing at the sun. In addition to this
sungazing is supposed to cure all disease and lead to vital health
and energy.
Here is what he says to do.
- Only gaze at the sun within one hour of sunrise or sunset.
During these hours you have extra protection from harmful UV rays.
- Start out gazing for ten seconds and increase your gazing for ten
additional seconds each time you gaze until you reach 45 minutes.
After you reach the 45 minutes you will be charged up for life.
- When gazing stand on bare earth in your bare feet. This
facilitates a correct circulation of energy.
- Energize water by placing it in clear glass jars and placing them
in the sun for 6+ hours. This has been scientifically proven to kill
germs, but according to sungazing doctrine the water is also
energized with extra prana.
This sounded interesting so I thought I would try it out.
There were two problems in achieving success. First it was difficult
to schedule in the sungazing at the right time of day. The second
was that cloudy weather often prohibited sungazing, especially during
winter months. Also an hour before sunrise and sunset is more likely
to be cloudy than the middle of the day.
Anyway I continued and got up to 4-5 minutes. I didn't notice
anything miraculous but did get a greater sense of well-being and
kind of balancing of my energies.
Then I noticed I started getting a little discomfort and slight headache.
In checked with my inner self and here was the answer I received.
One size does not fit all. Because of my age (63) my body is not as
flexible as when I was younger and I need to proceed with caution. I
must develop a sense of how much sun is of the greatest benefit to me
and how fast to proceed with increases.
After this I joined a Sungazing list and found the owner to be an
interesting character. He also had the philosophy that one had to
proceed as directed by one's inner self. Amazingly he started out by
sungazing for 20 minutes in the heat of the day. He's been sungazing
for quite a few years with no ill effects. He's so into it that I
figure he must have been a sungazer in a past life.
He's dispelled some myths around the subject. For instance, he
doesn't believe Hira Ratan Manek went seven years without food. He's
been told by people who put him up overnight that they caught him
raiding the refrigerator in the middle of the night and others have
spotted him at a buffet.
Right now I stare at the sunset for about five minutes about every
other day. I may increase this amount if I feel so impressed.
If I feel I am getting more sun than I need I will alternate and look
at the sun for about 10 seconds with my eyes closed and then about 20
seconds with them open.
One of the follies of my youth was to plunge into things like the
wild hare, but as I get older I am more satisfied proceeding slow and
steady like the tortoise who won the fabled race.
Overall I believe sungazing is a beneficial practice though not as
magical as adherents would have you believe. I plan on moving ahead
with the practice, experimenting as I go. We also place all our
drinking water in the sun before using it.
"I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till
the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full
and clear light."
-- Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)
Copyright © 2008 by JJ Dewey, All Rights Reserved
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