Fasting The Self into God’s Consciousness – Taiye Olaniyi
Joel 2:12-13 NKJV
[12] “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” [13]
So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
Since “Nothing Happens By Chance ” from time immemorial, this year Ramadan and Christian Lent which both are a religious induced period of “Fasting and Prayer” ordinarily should get the observers and practioners to get into self- examination and attunement with their God of Understanding.
There is no doubt that the belief in God and the associated modes of worshipping Him may both be congregational and/ or personal through outward and inner observances, the most endearing and enduring however is in ” Having a personal and intimate awareness of God within the Domain of Self “.
The spiritual relationship with God in and at the most profound nature was first at birth when God, the Creator of every living being, everywhere, first breathed His breath into man’s nostrils and man therefore became a living soul, a living being.
Thus the individualization of everyone became an instance of existence, the “Self” in relation to his or her Creator can no longer be denied just as one’s responsibility both here and hereafter becomes uttermost forever and ever.
To whom are you responsible,from the time of birth, growth, maturity, old age and when the last breath is gone?
Are you daily growing in consciousness of Self, the physical, emotional, intellectual, the heart , mind and the soul which radiate you from the darkness of the mundane world from which you fast in order to have the glimpses of eternal light which also should be one’s concern.
At conscious interludes we need to always ask ourselves the purpose of our existence and why God, the Creator of every living being,everywhere, has created us as who, when, where, what, and how we are.
“The unexamined life”
Socrates mentioned that “Is not worth living “.
Fasting is much more a religious observation much as its emphasis is concerned but if it is self examined as to its why in relation to the purpose of one’s being on Mother Earth, it enhances a more Personal and intimate awareness of God within the Domain of Self “.
Usually in most of the observational content it should assist the serious minded observer and practioner to daily move from the darkness of the mundane world for self mastery, personal mastership and most especially towards the Greater Light.
Spiritual light in all its attributes is of Divine nature and of necessity for every living being created by the one and only Creator of every living being,everywhere.
In sociocultural, geographical, geopolitical and religion economic contexts and considerations, the world of man remains in diverse form no matter the strive for “Unity in Diversity”.
It is this diversity towards the unity and/ or against the unity of humankind that culminate in varying forms of relationships, categorisation of relationships and interrelationships that are today are more warring than the proof of God’s hands in human affairs of today.
Global economy is in disarray, powerful nations in terms of political, economic, and acquisition and deployment of weapons of mass destruction are putting the world on fire.
At the national, local and other sociocultural levels, issues of mismanagement of public funds, downward trends in human capital development, uncontrollable population explosion are daily filtering into religious and political areas hence, religious bigotry, intolerance, fundamentalism and terrorism that seem destroying the humanness of humans of same humanity?
Why then bother to fast now and / or even the approved dictates of our religious persuasions.
Fasting should and is another means of taking spiritual steps towards the realisation of the spiritual God the Creator of one’s being on Mother Earth.
It is an attempt at building a convincing note that one is moving and leaving the world of sinfulness to that of sinlessness,of deceit to that of honesty to God and fellowman.
To go beyond the none eating of food, drinking, immoral associations, cheating, sales and use of illicit drugs,under political ambitions, boosting of egos but be in reverence of God according to the saying of a Sufi mystic:” In pure and holy heart the true mosque is built and not the one built of stones.”
To like Christ Jesus go in self-fasting on his admonition:
Matthew 7:21-23
New King James Version
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23. And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
Are you, am I, are we truly fasting and by the way why fast and what is the best approach for true spiritual fasting against the mundane observances predicated in our religious persuasions? Think about it.
In today’s world we live under the dictates of the hierarchies of our religious leaders and their interpretations and / or misinterpretations of what is and what not .
We sometimes forget to note that at conscious interludes we always need to ask and seek for the ever living, Omnipotent, Omnipotent and Omniscient God from within our innermost self.
Through self-fasting, the beauty and radiance of a Sufi mystic may be of relevance to you and I, ” Look into your heart and you will find your God within “.
Similarly in Luke 17:20-21 of King James Version
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation :
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
For those fasting this period of Lent and Ramadan and for those always engaging in spiritual self-fasting, may this season reveals to us all the spiritual meaning of the Greater Light, Life and Love and the way to Peace Profound. So may it be.
*Taiye Olaniyi writes from Lagos*
(vitalnewsngr.com)
