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Featured in: The Baha’i Fast
The Baha’i Fast falls during the month of Ala–the last month of the Baha’i calendar. During these 19 days, Baha’is abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset. While this abstention from food and drink is a test of one’s will and discipline, the Fast is not just about abstaining from food. The Fast is, primarily, a spiritual practice.
The month of Loftiness (which is also the period of the Baha’i Fast) is the final month in the Baha’i calendar year. Loftiness means to be elevated in character and spirit; to have noble ideals—to rise to great height. The Baha’i month of Loftiness culminates at sunset the day before Spring Equinox in Tehran, the birth place of Baha’u’llah. In the northern hemisphere, this is the time when the invisible work that has been happening below ground all winter is visibly manifested as tiny buds along tree branches and the green tips of early spring flowers pressing skyward. Just as the natural world where I live prepares to emerge from what outwardly appears to be a period of dormancy, I observe the Baha’i Fast—a time of prayer, reflection, and heightened awareness of my spiritual reality and purpose. Outwardly it involves hardship and sacrifice. I abstain from consuming food and drink from sunrise to sunset, and from indulging personal desires that I know are not conducive to spiritual growth. During the month of Loftiness, I also actively engage in acts of devotion that will help me to better serve my family and community in the new year.
To me the month of Loftiness and the Baha’i Fast are inextricably intertwined and mutually complementary. There are innumerable ways in which the last month of the Baha’i year prepares us for another year of service ahead. Here are four that stick out to me:
Just like physical strength, spiritual qualities can be strengthened with practice. Baha’u’llah describes the Fast with these words: “Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee.”1 I personally think that every moment of every day is special in its own right, but the Founder of the Baha’i Faith literally tells me that this is the case during the month of Loftiness. I try to be very aware of this fact as I move through every moment of my day—especially the times of day that can be harder, like when the alarm goes off in the dark and my brain starts rationalizing skipping breakfast and catching up on sleep! While being mindful that every hour is endowed with a special virtue may not make my bleary-eyed stumble to the kitchen any more graceful, it does challenge me to ask myself whether I really want to be consciously forgoing an opportunity for learning and spiritual growth that only comes around once a year to sleep. Ultimately, the choice is mine. But being a humble human, I find turning to the Writings for the reminder of the many blessings that can be mine this month if I “flee from sleep” in my eagerness to approach God’s presence and partake of His bounty.2
The month of Loftiness, by the very virtue of its name, reminds me that I was placed on this planet with a noble and distinctive purpose, and that I only have a limited time in which to fulfil it. As I’m reminded every day when I recite the Short Obligatory Prayer, I was created to know God and to worship Him, and to develop the spiritual qualities that I will need in the next world. I’m a spiritual being having a brief physical experience. It can be easy to forget that I do not have an indefinite period of time in which to accomplish what I was put here to do; to get preoccupied with the transitory things of the material world. The short duration of the month of Loftiness is both an incentive and an opportunity for me to practice making the most of a limited period of time. It’s an invitation to re-focus my energy intensely on what matters most. As Baha’u’llah says,
Thou hast bidden all men to observe the Fast, that through it they may purify their souls and rid themselves of all attachment to anyone but Thee.3
The Fast calls me to establish new patterns of behaviour that I can, if I am diligent and conscientious, continue to practice for the rest of the year.
We are told in the Baha’i Writings that we should accustom ourselves to hardship because challenging times help us to grow in ways that may not immediately be evident. Winter is outwardly harsh, but it also provides the natural world with the conditions conducive to growth and the time to rest and rejuvenate before another full season of life. Likewise, as Baha’u’llah writes,“[e]ven though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome, yet inwardly it is bounty and tranquility.”4 It is also a time for healing. I know that the physical act of fasting is beneficial for my body—allowing it to detox and cleanse, which results in renewed energy and vigour. The Baha’i Fast adds to these physical benefits the opportunity for personal reflection; the chance to look back at my choices over the previous year, to call myself to account, and to make adjustments where need be. As Baha’u’llah far more eloquently puts it, “fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of self and passion.”5 As I learn to adapt to going without food and water from sunrise to sunset for 19 days, I’m reminded of my humility and resilience—both qualities that will serve me well as I embark on the journey of the new year, and the tests and triumphs that it will inevitably bring.
The collective act of over 8 million people scattered all across the globe rising before sunrise to pray and meditate, abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, and filling the daylight hours with prayer, reflection and acts of service releases a powerful regenerative energy that is hard to describe. So many people from such diverse backgrounds and cultures focusing our efforts on spiritual rejuvenation creates a heightened sense of our fundamental oneness. In addition, for those of us who have the privilege of never otherwise experiencing extended periods of hunger or thirst, the month of Loftiness and the Baha’i Fast give us a glimpse of what many of our brothers and sisters across the planet live with every day of their lives. Baha’u’llah explains:
All praise be unto God, Who hath revealed the law of obligatory prayer as a reminder to His servants, and enjoined on them the Fast that those possessed of means may become apprised of the woes and sufferings of the destitute.6
It can be hard to feel empathy for suffering that we have not personally experienced. Choosing to fast for 19 days cannot be compared to a lifetime of hunger or starvation, but experiencing hunger personally—for however brief a period of time—does nurture in me a greater degree of compassion for those who are living with far less. And more importantly, as someone who enjoys the privilege of plenty, it reminds me that I have a responsibility for actively changing the systems and attitudes that perpetuate inequality. In so doing the act of fasting encourages me to actively contribute to building unity in the global family of which I am a part.
I know each of us experiences the month of Loftiness in ways that are unique to us. What is special about the month of Loftiness to you? I’d love to read your reflections in the comments section below this post.
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Dear Ariana, Lovely thoughts on Fasting to read before the sun peeks up over the horizon here in Alaska! Thank you for sharing your insights!
Kristine L Young (March 3, 2022 at 4:06 PM)
Oh Ariana,
Beautiful article on the Fast! I love the thought of fundamental oneness. I also totally commiserate with the idea of skipping breakfast for some extra sleep (although it never happens…LOL). I must tell you that when I noticed who wrote this article, I said… “I know that girl!”. I used to participate in Firesides and talks at your parent’s home here in Sacramento! I Miss them! Keep writing, exploring, and traveling!
Happy Fasting!
Neva Cosby (March 3, 2022 at 12:17 AM)
Hello Neva! I remember you well! How are you? Do you still work as a librarian? Sending warm greetings your way! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond to this. It also warms my heart to know that my writing is keeping me connected to friends like you who met through my beloved parents. ❤️
Ariana Salvo (March 3, 2022 at 9:21 PM)
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment,Kristine! It makes me very happy to imagine you reading this as the sun is rising over Alaska! Wishing you a restorative and transformative fast!
Ariana Salvo (March 3, 2022 at 9:24 PM)
Dear Ariana, so lovely to have your perspective of the month of Loftiness and all its virtues inextricably linked to the Fast. I have taken some precious jewels from this beautiful article. With love from Queensland, Australia
Lorraine Powers (March 3, 2022 at 8:07 PM)
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts Lorraine. And for reading. I hope this is a blessed Fast for you!
Ariana Salvo (March 3, 2022 at 11:17 AM)
Dear Ariana,
I also read your post because I recognized your name and knew your Mom & Dad when living up in Sonora! I look forward to reading more or your articles.
Kristine (March 3, 2022 at 11:42 PM)
Hi Kristine,
I just wanted to pipe in that you can find all of Ariana’s articles here: https://www.bahaiblog.net/author/ariana-salvo/ She’s a wonderful writer and we’re so grateful for all her contributions to Baha’i Blog!
Love,
Sonjel
Sonjel Vreeland (March 3, 2022 at 10:57 PM)