As a member of the Baha’i Faith, every year from March 2-20 we fast from sunrise to sunset. This means no food or drink during daylight hours, which isn’t really as difficult as it seems.
We are told that
Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, & is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites & self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, … a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance.
and ‘Abdu’l-Baha tells us this:
… For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.
Woody and I get up each morning and eat breakfast together. Deanna has been sick so she doesn’t have to fast until she gets better. This year would be her first time to fast, since the age of maturity for Baha’is is 15. She is a little bummed about it because I think she was looking forward to seeing what it was like, but hopefully she’ll get over her coughing and sneezing and ear infection and can join us!
I have been reflecting more on the life of my spirit while fasting. I’m thinking about how no food and drink affects my mental capacities and my energy levels in the late afternoon, and wondering how my soul suffers when I don’t feed it the spiritual food it needs to flourish. This has been a good fast for me so far. I’m not working yet (still on disability a little while longer), so I have a lot of time to let the meaning of the fast sink in.