From Shoghi Effendi in Directives of the Guardian:

The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days starting as a rule from the second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same month, involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.

Let’s hope I can attain some much needed spiritual recuperation. I am hoping to be more diligent about using the extra time to use for more meditation and prayer.

Some friends participate in a photo project called Nineteen Days in honor of the Fast.