2.3.25 - Fasting

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From the New Moon group - written in place of the session

The new moon came into being on the 28th - Friday. With it came the possibility of new beginnings and resolutions. Renewal and regrowth has always been encoded in humanity's - and the planet's - DNA.

Many festivals are tied to the moon. From Easter, to Chinese New Year, to this one - Ramadan. The Muslim calendar follows the moon. It moves up a month each year, so that every year, Ramadan is observed a few weeks earlier than it was last year. During this time Muslims fast from sun up to sun down. Dinner is a feast, and the fast is often observed by having something sweet, like dates.

Muslims meet and share dinner, celebrate the breaking of the fast, with families and friends - dinners can range from modest to sumptuous - but the main thing is community.

Christians also practise - or used to practise - this fasting tradition each year, during Lent. This year Lent and Ramadan mostly coincide. Shrove Tuesday is this coming Tuesday... 

Science has now shown the Intermittent Fasting, IF, is good for you. It enables the body to 'detox' and heal itself. When the body isn't digesting, it gets a chance to tend to repairs. 

It is also a time to slow down, to not run about in a frenetic state. To say, we can take time to look after ourselves and each other. We can experience some hunger, the need to consume can take a back seat.

To everyone on the New Moon group - Ramadan Kareem and Lenten Blessings. May this be the month we are kinder and slower and more forgiving to everyone and ourselves.

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