Lent🇬🇧

Lent: From Tradition to Modern Timeout

Fasting. A word that plunges many of us into a feeling of emptiness – like leaving a place that once felt like home and sinking into an unexplored, vast world. It is a practice deeply rooted in many cultures and religions, yet over time it has transformed. What was once a spiritual preparation for Easter is now much more than that. Fasting has become a moment of pause, an opportunity to escape our own abundance while simultaneously giving space for both body and soul to breathe. A paradox that scratches at the edges of consciousness, like a book whose meaning only reveals itself with repeated reading.

In Christianity, fasting once meant giving up meat, fish, and all that was considered luxury. A time of renunciation and contemplation. But fasting is not just a Christian practice. It is universal. Ramadan in Islam, Ayurvedic rituals – all emphasize renunciation as a way to bring body and mind into balance. But what if this renunciation today means something different? An attempt to free oneself from the chaos of modern life.

Fasting in the Modern Context: A Timeout for Body and Mind

Today, we have the ability to reconsider the act of fasting. It is no longer just a religious ritual. Fasting has become a practical form of self-reflection, a journey to inner regeneration. The trend of intermittent fasting, therapeutic fasting, and increasingly, the phenomenon of "Digital Detox" – it's as if Lent has been freed from its spiritual boundaries and now winds its way through the modern world, like an invisible thread that connects everything.

It’s as if we are standing in a room full of things – abundance in the form of consumption, constant availability, technology. Everything feels like a gift, a constant babbling of possibilities. But within this abundance, which at first seems like a blessing, we also find a burden. A burden that threatens to overwhelm us, like the constant noise of a waterfall, whose sound we don't notice until we pause and realize how it almost floods us.

Lent is like a silent pause – an opportunity to realize that it is possible to shed this burden. Not as a weight that breaks us, but as something we can voluntarily lay down to make space for what matters.

The Body as a Mirror of the Soul

Fasting is like a story we never fully understand, yet somehow it changes us. It’s like the moment when we look into the mirror and realize that the body standing there before us is more than just a shell. The body becomes a mirror of the soul. And in this mirror, we recognize all that we no longer need – the excess thoughts, the worries, the inflammations. It is an act of purification, almost like a spring cleaning of the cells. Autophagy. A term that feels like the whispering wind in a silent room. The cells begin to cleanse themselves, the inflammations disappear, the creeping pains subside.

Fasting becomes an act where the body finds its way back, like a wanderer rediscovering the lost path. It’s as if the body is returning to its original state, as if it is freeing itself from everything it no longer needs. And on this journey, however painful it may be, we suddenly discover a depth within ourselves that we didn’t know existed.

Our Modern Challenge: Abundance and Its Consequences

In a world pervaded by abundance, the thought of fasting can feel like a quiet call in the stillness. We live in a society that turns endlessly – "Fast Fashion," "Fast Furniture," the constant consumption of clothing, furniture, and most of all: food. The term "Waste Food" reflects the urgency of this issue – the unimaginable amount of food we waste, due to overconsumption, overproduction, and a lack of mindfulness.

The consequences are profound. Worldwide, more than 1.9 billion adults suffer from overweight, according to an estimate from the World Health Organization (WHO). This chronic obesity is linked to diseases, some of which silently accompany us, like heart diseases or diabetes. And nature also suffers – from the depletion of the Earth to the devastating effects of excessive food consumption, which depletes resources and burdens the planet.

But within this abundance, there is also an opportunity. Fasting becomes an attempt not only to regenerate our health but also to protect the Earth. It’s a step toward a more sustainable life, a life that focuses again on what truly matters.

Fasting: Scientific Insights and Health Benefits

When the body fasts, it begins a quiet, almost imperceptible journey of healing. Scientific studies show that fasting is more than just a method for weight loss. It is a therapy for the body.

Autophagy, this mystical process in which the body breaks down and recycles damaged cells, helps reduce inflammation and prevent diseases like cancer or Alzheimer’s. The body regenerates itself – like a tree sprouting new leaves in the spring.

Fasting improves insulin sensitivity, allowing sugar to be processed more efficiently and reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes. It promotes natural fat burning by tapping into stored fat reserves. Inflammation is reduced, and the body cleanses itself from the inside out. Fasting strengthens not only the body but also the mind – an inner purification that goes beyond the physical state.

Fasting as a Digital Timeout: The Digital Detox

In a world where new notifications constantly pop up and the news bombards us, the digital detox becomes a necessity. It is a moment when the mind can settle without the constant noise of technology. Giving up digital devices, even for a short while, is like a refreshment for the mind. It’s as if you step back and the picture of everything surrounding you becomes clearer.

Mindful Eating: The Art of Conscious Enjoyment

Eating becomes an act of mindfulness. It is no longer just about satisfying hunger. It is about focusing on the moment, on the textures, the taste, the feeling that rises within. Mindful eating is a practice that proves especially valuable during Lent. It’s a way to consciously engage with your body and food.

The Taste of Silence: Arctic Matcha

When you enter into the season of fasting, it is like a quiet pause in the midst of a hectic world. Arctic Matcha becomes your companion on this journey. It is not an ordinary drink. It is the gentle wind after a rain, moistening the ground. It is the quiet rustling of a forest, enveloping the silence around. It is the drink that helps you connect with your inner self, without distraction.

Arctic Matcha has no calories, no distracting flavors – only the gentle energy that flows through the body. It soothes, just as silence calms the mind. It is a drink that detoxes the body and sharpens the mind – a companion that supports you on your journey.

Tips for a Modern Lent

• Digital Detox: Plan times when you consciously avoid digital devices to give your mind a break.

• Mindful Eating: Practice mindful eating by consciously enjoying each meal without distractions.

• Intermittent Fasting: Try intermittent fasting, where you fast for 16 hours and eat during the remaining 8 hours, to start your fasting practice.

Lent as an Opportunity for Self-Reflection

Fasting is more than just renunciation. It is a way to self-reflection, a return to what truly matters. Through fasting, we can promote our health, protect the environment, and free ourselves from the burden of abundance. Arctic Matcha becomes a silent companion on this journey, helping us experience the moment and understand that fasting is not just an act of renunciation – it is a journey to ourselves.

40 Days of Inner Reflection

Ash Wednesday. A quiet beginning. The season of Lent has started. 40 days. A number that feels like a heavy breath, a pause in life to expand the space between thoughts and reality. 40, like the steps of a long walk taken alone. No loud announcements. No trumpets. People renounce what they are used to, what they take for granted. The taste of meat becomes a memory, the craving for sugar a quiet longing. The renunciation brings them closer to something else – something silent. Something unnameable.

I remember a time when I myself was part of this Lenten journey – not in the usual way, but as a guest at the Carmelite monastery in Tromsø. It was during Lent, and I had the privilege of spending a few days there. The days in this monastery were marked by the simple yet profound rituals of the sisters. It was surprising how just a few days in this spiritual quietude could bring about such a deep change in me. Without many words, just through the silent togetherness and participation in the daily prayers and rituals, something within me opened up – like a flower slowly reaching towards the sun. It was an experience of renunciation, not of food in the usual sense, but of the familiar distractions of life, making room for something deeper.

Lent does not end with a bang, but with a gentle transition. Holy Saturday comes, and with it, the silence before Easter. A circle that closes. An end that feels like a beginning. And then, Easter – the breath that resumes after the pause.