Last year, as a new Baha'i, I participated in my first Fast. I was a strange combination of nervous, excited, scared and exhilarated. In the midst of my hunger, I managed to keep up a public blog, attend a retreat at Green Acre Baha'i School, visit the Baha'i House of Worship near Chicago and, in the end, discover the real point of it all.


Ashley SandvossIt wasn’t about purifying my digestive system; it was about purifying my heart. It wasn’t about sacrificing food and water; it was about replacing food and water with spiritual nourishment. All the wiser, I plan to begin the Fast this year with this in mind.

During my first year as a Baha'i, I faced the reality of the spiritual highs and lows that define our religious existence, how we are constantly challenged and in turn reassured, and that we have no control over these mystical tides, only on how we handle them.

The Fast, for me, will provide a much-needed spiritual swell at the end of a very harsh winter, and I hope to find a sense of renewal in it. I will continue the traditions I began last year, waking up before dawn to begin the day with prayer, scrambled eggs and reflection. I may also keep a private diary to keep track of my thoughts during the 19 days of fasting.

How will I get through two midterm examinations when I’m hungry and thirsty? I believe that if I remember what it is really all about, I’ll have a bit of an advantage going into my studies, a grounding in faith, Baha’u’llah between the lines of my textbooks.

Lastly, I will build on the tradition of breaking fast in the companionship of friends and try to use this month as an opportunity to build unity among the followers that dwell in my bustling, ever-changing New York City neighborhood.

Although I won’t be keeping a blog this year, I do hope to reach out of my somewhat shy nature to enjoy the camaraderie that the Fast engenders, attend deepenings (study of the holy writings) and devotionals, teach the message of the Faith fervently and rejoice in the sensation of oneness as I break fast with friends at the end of a long day.

It is during these times that I experience firsthand “the tie of love which should bind the hearts of men,” as Abdu’l-Baha Himself said at my college, Columbia University, in 1912.

I welcome anyone who is fasting for the first time to read what I wrote in my blog during the Fast last year, and, moreover to remember, every moment of each day, why you are fasting, what it is all about, and the gloriousness of it all.

Allah-u-Abha (“God is All Glorious.”) All my love.