Walking the path

I have been fasting in alignment with the Muslim time of Ramadan.  It is a one month period of time each year where they (I say “they” because I am not a Muslim) do a number of spiritual activities, including fasting between the hours of sun up and sun down.  No food, no drinks (including water), no “eating” other people’s energy, no sex, and no alcohol for the month.  I am a week into it and am finding it to be a much more meaningful, and powerful, activity than I had anticipated.  The hunger and thirst during the day is a small part of it.  They just provide a reminder of what I am trying to accomplish, which is to become more clear about who I am and what I am doing.

A very dear friend of mine wrote the following poem about this task of remembering, seeing and understanding. Enjoy.

WALKING THE PATH
I walk along the path,
I stop here and there.
I see light, I see reflection of light.
I stop and look here and there.
I walk along the path,
I see my reflection here and there.

I walk and watch along the path,
I see familiar faces and hear clear voices.
And when I get to the end of the path,
I wonder, What was my intention to walk this path?
and I ponder, where have I been and where have I gone?
So I wonder as I walk along the path.
What are the seeds of my desire?
I walk alone the path to the end of my time and
wonder,
where have I gone with the seeds of my desire?
I walk along the path to the end of my time and wonder,
where have I gone?

Ramin Yazdani October 2005