6:15pm A wonderful day so far with my spiritual family at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and with my daughters and granddaughter up at the family country house in Putnam Valley. How blessed do I feel to have all this abundance. Today I am much with the freedom of not having to consider what I will be eating. I'm loving how simple life is with this mono-diet--so much more time, a spaciousness around things. And then there's how great I feel, so much less joint pain, so much more energy. I find myself talking. A lot. Animatedly. With great gusto and detail. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to be careful to not become a total pain in the ass. If this abundant energy continues for the next 34 days... what. What will I do? I guess I'll find out!
Going to hear music tonight at the community social hall, and maybe dancing!!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
40 days and 40 nights -- Day 5
9:14am So far so good today. Remembered to ask Spirit's help. Funny how I forget to do that! Encountered my deep, crippling fear that I CAN'T function without food. Praying to have that fear lifted today. I'll be mostly offline today, lots of interesting things -- a divination with DeShannon, a get-together with my writing group, and time with my kids! La illaha, Il Allahu!!
12:27am It's Saturday, but I haven't ended my Friday yet so I'm putting this entry in Day 5.
Today was transcendant! I broke my Ramadan fast (a meal at sundown called ftour in arabic) with Grace, her husband Taoufik, and Tzivia. We all had been fasting and, Grace, Taoufik, and Tzivia broke there fasts with traditional Moroccan foods and I broke mine with Kitchari. We sat at the table and talked about the meaning of Ramadan, the close relationship between Jews and Muslims, the insanity of the blood feud. The talk was deep, free ranging, moving from religion to politics to customs & culture, neurolinguistics, recipes.... it was completely satisfying and it was as though we left the normal continuum of time and suddenly it was two hours later. I think Taoufik was glad to have support for a Ramadan practice. No doubt that to attempt a practice like this and not be in community is intensely difficult. My three day visit into the monthlong practice was profoundly transforming, from the encounter with my own fear to the pride I feel at having set out to do something difficult and outside the norms of the culture I typically inhabit and actually accomplishing it (albeit imperfectly). As I move back into the the 40 day Kitchari fast I feel better equipped to deal with things as they come. Meanwhile, my eyes SO want to close and I think I'm going to let them!
12:27am It's Saturday, but I haven't ended my Friday yet so I'm putting this entry in Day 5.
Today was transcendant! I broke my Ramadan fast (a meal at sundown called ftour in arabic) with Grace, her husband Taoufik, and Tzivia. We all had been fasting and, Grace, Taoufik, and Tzivia broke there fasts with traditional Moroccan foods and I broke mine with Kitchari. We sat at the table and talked about the meaning of Ramadan, the close relationship between Jews and Muslims, the insanity of the blood feud. The talk was deep, free ranging, moving from religion to politics to customs & culture, neurolinguistics, recipes.... it was completely satisfying and it was as though we left the normal continuum of time and suddenly it was two hours later. I think Taoufik was glad to have support for a Ramadan practice. No doubt that to attempt a practice like this and not be in community is intensely difficult. My three day visit into the monthlong practice was profoundly transforming, from the encounter with my own fear to the pride I feel at having set out to do something difficult and outside the norms of the culture I typically inhabit and actually accomplishing it (albeit imperfectly). As I move back into the the 40 day Kitchari fast I feel better equipped to deal with things as they come. Meanwhile, my eyes SO want to close and I think I'm going to let them!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
40 days and 40 nights — Day 4
10:38am Pre-dawn prayer session went great -- I woke up on time, sprang out of bed and did my practice. And I went right back to sleep afterwards. Feeling really good this morning, my aches and pains are less troubling today. This morning, I whipped up another batch of Kitchari for tonight and tomorrow night. Based on how my weekend is shaping up, I actually think I'll have to make a second batch today to get me through to Sunday. I'd have done it all at once if I'd had a big enough pot. It's so interesting -- different from how I live my life -- to have to structure my days around the having of ingredients and planning in the time to cook them. I've been so resistant to food prep, creating the situation, for lack of ingredients and the inclination to cook them, where I'm ordering in or eating out much more than I can afford from both a financial and a food quality standpoint. PLEASE may this bring a transformation. So far, I'm enjoying the Kitchari prep. I hope I can think of all food prep as contributing to my health and wellbeing which I have acknowledged as an important action to take for the repair of the planet. How we take care of ourselves is a reflection of how we take care of the planet.
When I went in to check on the Kitchari, I tasted it -- one little tiny slurp off the end of the wooden cooking spoon. OH NO!!! Ramadan fast!!!! What have I done!!! My first inclination, of course, was to go all the way down the "you're such a fuckup" path, but I stopped myself before I'd taken even a few steps in that direction. Everything's a lesson, Riva. What's this one? I'd gotten caught up in IM'ing with my daughters which pushed the Ramadan fast to a secondary place in my consciousness. Involvement with my kids ALWAYS shifts my focus. Somehow it seems to me to go with the territory. They are amazing women who it is my privilege to have given birth to and have had a hand in raising! Could I not lose myself as thoroughly in them? Of course! That persists in NOT being job one on my self-improvement list. But back to the lessons: amazingly, I'm not hungry. Hunger is something else that keeps the fast very present for me and I'm neither hungry or feeling that mush-headedness I had most of the day yesterday. I feel ok. Regular. And Regular Riva tastes what she cooks and isn't a participant in Ramadan. So, I must be careful to hold the space of the IR-regular. It is highly irregular, as in, not part of the last 61 years of my life, to be fasting for Ramadan. Greater vigilance is called for AND a degree of compassion for the slip. Moving on.
5:31pm I've spent the last chunk of time worrying about things and not being terribly productive about taking steps to alleviate the worry. Feeling very lethargic and feeling entitled to be lethargic. The day job is just so uninteresting. I find myself waiting for the next prayer session, reading the Times online, Facebooking, stretching out when my eyes start to close. I'm not sure what I expected. But today is hard.
6:26pm Well, writing about it helped. I took care of a few things that have been eating at me (interesting expression -- eating at me). Writing about it in the blog woke me up to it. That's what I hoped would happen and it did. It's just that till now, I had a great deal of forward momentum. Not liking that it stopped. Really very much with how much I don't like my work and how much it's not paying the bills -- which at the moment include paying for my mother's home health aides. It's a hemorrhage of dollars. The medicaid application is moving so very slowly. Having faith that all will be well is a great big stretch for me. Meanwhile, I paid some bills, will have enough to pay the aides this week and will have to move more of my retirement money out to cover the coming weeks and school tuition. After I break the fast tonight, this will not look so bleak. Thank God I've got the retirement money.
7:29pm 28 MINUTES TO BREAK-FAST!!! Sigh. I wonder if people who are practiced at Ramadan clock-watch right about now? Before I ciao down on my Kitchari, I'll pray, which hopefully will refocus me out of my hungry ghost and into my mystic heart!
9:30pm Just finished the last prayer session of the day and will go to bed. Break-fast was satifying and my inclination to eat more than I need to feel full is great. Going to bed is the best answer to the temptation to keep eating. I'm very full from what I've eaten and I'm also so tired. Tomorrow's a big day. A divination with a Yoruba priestess who is a graduate of my Seminary, a gathering with my writing group, lots of driving. I hope it goes well and that I can maintain my practice. Good night. Peace, Salaam, Sholom!
When I went in to check on the Kitchari, I tasted it -- one little tiny slurp off the end of the wooden cooking spoon. OH NO!!! Ramadan fast!!!! What have I done!!! My first inclination, of course, was to go all the way down the "you're such a fuckup" path, but I stopped myself before I'd taken even a few steps in that direction. Everything's a lesson, Riva. What's this one? I'd gotten caught up in IM'ing with my daughters which pushed the Ramadan fast to a secondary place in my consciousness. Involvement with my kids ALWAYS shifts my focus. Somehow it seems to me to go with the territory. They are amazing women who it is my privilege to have given birth to and have had a hand in raising! Could I not lose myself as thoroughly in them? Of course! That persists in NOT being job one on my self-improvement list. But back to the lessons: amazingly, I'm not hungry. Hunger is something else that keeps the fast very present for me and I'm neither hungry or feeling that mush-headedness I had most of the day yesterday. I feel ok. Regular. And Regular Riva tastes what she cooks and isn't a participant in Ramadan. So, I must be careful to hold the space of the IR-regular. It is highly irregular, as in, not part of the last 61 years of my life, to be fasting for Ramadan. Greater vigilance is called for AND a degree of compassion for the slip. Moving on.
5:31pm I've spent the last chunk of time worrying about things and not being terribly productive about taking steps to alleviate the worry. Feeling very lethargic and feeling entitled to be lethargic. The day job is just so uninteresting. I find myself waiting for the next prayer session, reading the Times online, Facebooking, stretching out when my eyes start to close. I'm not sure what I expected. But today is hard.
6:26pm Well, writing about it helped. I took care of a few things that have been eating at me (interesting expression -- eating at me). Writing about it in the blog woke me up to it. That's what I hoped would happen and it did. It's just that till now, I had a great deal of forward momentum. Not liking that it stopped. Really very much with how much I don't like my work and how much it's not paying the bills -- which at the moment include paying for my mother's home health aides. It's a hemorrhage of dollars. The medicaid application is moving so very slowly. Having faith that all will be well is a great big stretch for me. Meanwhile, I paid some bills, will have enough to pay the aides this week and will have to move more of my retirement money out to cover the coming weeks and school tuition. After I break the fast tonight, this will not look so bleak. Thank God I've got the retirement money.
7:29pm 28 MINUTES TO BREAK-FAST!!! Sigh. I wonder if people who are practiced at Ramadan clock-watch right about now? Before I ciao down on my Kitchari, I'll pray, which hopefully will refocus me out of my hungry ghost and into my mystic heart!
9:30pm Just finished the last prayer session of the day and will go to bed. Break-fast was satifying and my inclination to eat more than I need to feel full is great. Going to bed is the best answer to the temptation to keep eating. I'm very full from what I've eaten and I'm also so tired. Tomorrow's a big day. A divination with a Yoruba priestess who is a graduate of my Seminary, a gathering with my writing group, lots of driving. I hope it goes well and that I can maintain my practice. Good night. Peace, Salaam, Sholom!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
40 days and 40 nights — Day 3
8am Well, the morning alert on my blackberry, set as a call to prayer failed to wake me at 4:38 as it was supposed to. I'll have to come up with an alternative for tomorrow. I got up at 5:08 and did a prayer session. I will not be daunted by doing this less than perfectly. It is a reminder that a solitary practice is very hard indeed. I went back to bed after prayer and, in a semi-doze, saw and felt the twin towers burning, people falling. I was appalled by the vision and appalled that my first moment of stepping into Islamic shoes, as an American-Jew with a commitment to Interfaith/interspirituality, had me make the association to a terror attack.
I am disoriented to not be beginning my day with a meal.
11:09am Noticing that I'm thinking people are mad at me. Very compelling. Very familiar. "What you're doing is weird and you're unavailable to me" is how this script goes. I keep scanning the various relationships that I'm worrying about for what I might have done to give offense. As the morning has progressed.... Phone call from my mother to say my uncle, her brother, with whom she hasn't spoken in 20 years, is on his deathbed. I felt Trickster must be in the house to hand me this to have to negotiate during this period and especially on a day when I won't be eating anything until much later. And I have the massage at 1:15 which I absolutely will not cancel.
5:43pm Am much better on all fronts since my wonderful massage with Suzu and a visit with Jai and then Suzu and Betsy, who drove me home. Before I left for the massage, I called my cousin, who's father it is that is dying, and left a message. She and I haven't spoken in probably 15 years. My other cousin, her brother, is at my uncle's bedside. It's my understanding that my uncle forbade both his children, on pain of disinheritance, from having contact with me and my mother. A long story involving my calling him on his inappropriate sexual behavior toward me when I was a teen, and to his daughter, all her childhood and adolescence, until she could get out of his house. It telling this to Betsy, and adding how I felt that Trickster was surely in the house, she pointed out to me that I have dedicated this fast to peace and that it will culminate in a Forgiveness Ritual. I have once again called in Spirit and have been taken seriously. Getting back from the massage and paying a visit to my mother who is attempting to process her brother's dying in the midst of her alzheimers caused me to miss the 3rd call to prayer. I will do it now so that I get 5 prayer sessions into this day. It's the progress, not the perfection.
6:54pm I keep starting to get up and go to the kitchen. I'm very hungry. Sundown isn't until 7:59 and there's another call to prayer coming at 8pm. I'm kind of spacey in my head, also headachey. Not very comfortable, but on the other hand, it IS interesting. I'm amazed that I haven't eaten anything since last night. I don't myself to be capable of something like this. Since 40 days is a number of transformation, perhaps eating this way for that long will transform my beliefs about myself vis a vis what I can and can't do with food. Click here and scroll down to "religion" to see all the transformations that happened after 40 days or 40 years in many faith traditions!
9:16pm Broke my fast with Kitchari and a dollop of goat milk yogurt. Very delicious. I'm a few minutes away from the 5th prayer period and if I'm smart, I'll call it a day after that. I've set my alarm for 4:37am. I realize that with sunrise not until 6:01, I can have another bowl of food which will hopefully help me with the day job. Tried watching television and simply couldn't. The network dramas that used to engage my attention don't anymore and though some of the educational TV is interesting, it just seems like a way to fill time rather than have any meaning. Perhaps this period will lead me to ways of relaxing that don't involve being entertained by really silly things and then enduring advertising. More will be revealed.
I am disoriented to not be beginning my day with a meal.
11:09am Noticing that I'm thinking people are mad at me. Very compelling. Very familiar. "What you're doing is weird and you're unavailable to me" is how this script goes. I keep scanning the various relationships that I'm worrying about for what I might have done to give offense. As the morning has progressed.... Phone call from my mother to say my uncle, her brother, with whom she hasn't spoken in 20 years, is on his deathbed. I felt Trickster must be in the house to hand me this to have to negotiate during this period and especially on a day when I won't be eating anything until much later. And I have the massage at 1:15 which I absolutely will not cancel.
5:43pm Am much better on all fronts since my wonderful massage with Suzu and a visit with Jai and then Suzu and Betsy, who drove me home. Before I left for the massage, I called my cousin, who's father it is that is dying, and left a message. She and I haven't spoken in probably 15 years. My other cousin, her brother, is at my uncle's bedside. It's my understanding that my uncle forbade both his children, on pain of disinheritance, from having contact with me and my mother. A long story involving my calling him on his inappropriate sexual behavior toward me when I was a teen, and to his daughter, all her childhood and adolescence, until she could get out of his house. It telling this to Betsy, and adding how I felt that Trickster was surely in the house, she pointed out to me that I have dedicated this fast to peace and that it will culminate in a Forgiveness Ritual. I have once again called in Spirit and have been taken seriously. Getting back from the massage and paying a visit to my mother who is attempting to process her brother's dying in the midst of her alzheimers caused me to miss the 3rd call to prayer. I will do it now so that I get 5 prayer sessions into this day. It's the progress, not the perfection.
6:54pm I keep starting to get up and go to the kitchen. I'm very hungry. Sundown isn't until 7:59 and there's another call to prayer coming at 8pm. I'm kind of spacey in my head, also headachey. Not very comfortable, but on the other hand, it IS interesting. I'm amazed that I haven't eaten anything since last night. I don't myself to be capable of something like this. Since 40 days is a number of transformation, perhaps eating this way for that long will transform my beliefs about myself vis a vis what I can and can't do with food. Click here and scroll down to "religion" to see all the transformations that happened after 40 days or 40 years in many faith traditions!
9:16pm Broke my fast with Kitchari and a dollop of goat milk yogurt. Very delicious. I'm a few minutes away from the 5th prayer period and if I'm smart, I'll call it a day after that. I've set my alarm for 4:37am. I realize that with sunrise not until 6:01, I can have another bowl of food which will hopefully help me with the day job. Tried watching television and simply couldn't. The network dramas that used to engage my attention don't anymore and though some of the educational TV is interesting, it just seems like a way to fill time rather than have any meaning. Perhaps this period will lead me to ways of relaxing that don't involve being entertained by really silly things and then enduring advertising. More will be revealed.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
40 days and 40 nights — Day 2
8am Well, my low back is really out now. I want to jump ahead, over the pain of it, over the healing of it, right to the lesson -- what is this here to teach me? Yeah. Right. Really I want to jump to the pity party that has me dropping this whole ambitious and very publicly conducted 40-day plan. I have good reason to believe my acupuncturist will bring me some relief and I'm hoping to get a massage in the coming days. "How are you going to move a pot with 4 quarts of water in it?" the old internalized voice of doom frets at me. This is an old story, so many reasons to not move forward on plans big and small. Writing about it here will be my best defense against The Saboteur.
11am Me and The Saboteur are back from acupuncture. A lot of relief but still am having trouble walking and the thought of carrying the 4 quarts of water from sink to stove is daunting. I'm devising occupational therapy strategies so that there's little or no lifting and carrying going to happen. I've also asked a friend, Jai Kartar, to come over and help. So this is going to happen with a lot of help. A LOT of help. And that, right there, is why I've made this public. Left to my own devices, and not meaning to be harsh or overly self-critical, when my body fails me, I'm a quitter. And quitting is just not an option for me this time! The only way through it is through it.
4pm Jai came over and we sat and talked. I noticed how much energy I have, how much sharper my thinking is, how much freer my breathing is. I got the next batch of Kitchari up and it was done by 1:30. I even sent some home with Jai, which pleased me because she has often brought me things to eat and this is the first time I've been able to reciprocate. By the time she left, I knew I could manage the pot. I'd filled it one measuring cup at a time. I've begun to think about tomorrow -- the first day I'll be observing the Ramadan fast. I set my blackberry appointment book function for the five prayer times and I feel ready. Now, I'm off, with a great deal of trepidation, to the CD release concert on the lower east side. But I'm such an Angel Band groupie. I'm dragging my hurting back and carrying a tupperware container filled with Kitchari and I'm off.
11:15 Just back from the CD release gig. Just fantastic! AND I survived without a meal out and anything but 2 bottles of designer seltzer to fulfill my drink minimum at the club. Much less hunger today! Had few bites of the portion I brought before I drove back up the Bronx. This second batch is tastier that the first. Another few batches and I'll have it down. Now, I'm having my last bowl full of kitchari until tomorrow after sundown -- tomorrow begins the three days I will joining the Ramadan fast. My clock is set for 4:38am which is the first of the five muslim prayer times. Another challenge!
As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم)
11am Me and The Saboteur are back from acupuncture. A lot of relief but still am having trouble walking and the thought of carrying the 4 quarts of water from sink to stove is daunting. I'm devising occupational therapy strategies so that there's little or no lifting and carrying going to happen. I've also asked a friend, Jai Kartar, to come over and help. So this is going to happen with a lot of help. A LOT of help. And that, right there, is why I've made this public. Left to my own devices, and not meaning to be harsh or overly self-critical, when my body fails me, I'm a quitter. And quitting is just not an option for me this time! The only way through it is through it.
4pm Jai came over and we sat and talked. I noticed how much energy I have, how much sharper my thinking is, how much freer my breathing is. I got the next batch of Kitchari up and it was done by 1:30. I even sent some home with Jai, which pleased me because she has often brought me things to eat and this is the first time I've been able to reciprocate. By the time she left, I knew I could manage the pot. I'd filled it one measuring cup at a time. I've begun to think about tomorrow -- the first day I'll be observing the Ramadan fast. I set my blackberry appointment book function for the five prayer times and I feel ready. Now, I'm off, with a great deal of trepidation, to the CD release concert on the lower east side. But I'm such an Angel Band groupie. I'm dragging my hurting back and carrying a tupperware container filled with Kitchari and I'm off.
11:15 Just back from the CD release gig. Just fantastic! AND I survived without a meal out and anything but 2 bottles of designer seltzer to fulfill my drink minimum at the club. Much less hunger today! Had few bites of the portion I brought before I drove back up the Bronx. This second batch is tastier that the first. Another few batches and I'll have it down. Now, I'm having my last bowl full of kitchari until tomorrow after sundown -- tomorrow begins the three days I will joining the Ramadan fast. My clock is set for 4:38am which is the first of the five muslim prayer times. Another challenge!
As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم)
Monday, August 9, 2010
40 days and 40 nights — Day 1, evening
I had my first bowl of kitchari at 11:30 this morning. So delicious. This is still the test batch I made yesterday in Grace's kitchen. I wondered if the spices would grow and develop overnight because it was remarkably tasteless for something with turmeric, cumin, red pepper, and black pepper. I'm not a big fan of ultra-spicey hot food so I think I may have used too light a touch. It WAS more flavorful today. I added fresh ginger (which I didn't have yesterday) and a dash of cardamom. Definitely enhanced the flavor.
I experienced hunger several times, pushing against it as much as I could before going for another bowl. It's now 8:11p.m. I'm feeling hungry again and drinking water and tea just doesn't seem to touch the hunger. I'll be going to the airport to pick up my daughter at 10:45 rather than going to sleep early, which seems like what I ought to be doing on the first day of a cleanse. Life unrelenting.
But so far, it's been a good day. Though my back is still painfully "out," my digestion does actually feel easier and my mind feels strangely sharp, I've been icing the back and gently stretching. I'm pretty sure aspirin is not a typical part of a kitchari fast but it seemed what was called for today. Tomorrow, I'll see my acupuncturist at 9am. I wonder what my pulses will feel like after a day of kitchari! More tomorrow.
I experienced hunger several times, pushing against it as much as I could before going for another bowl. It's now 8:11p.m. I'm feeling hungry again and drinking water and tea just doesn't seem to touch the hunger. I'll be going to the airport to pick up my daughter at 10:45 rather than going to sleep early, which seems like what I ought to be doing on the first day of a cleanse. Life unrelenting.
But so far, it's been a good day. Though my back is still painfully "out," my digestion does actually feel easier and my mind feels strangely sharp, I've been icing the back and gently stretching. I'm pretty sure aspirin is not a typical part of a kitchari fast but it seemed what was called for today. Tomorrow, I'll see my acupuncturist at 9am. I wonder what my pulses will feel like after a day of kitchari! More tomorrow.
40 days and 40 nights — Day 1
So, today is Day One of my 40-day Kitchari fast. Kitchari, used as a cleanse and to support healing, will be the only food I'll eat for this period. It is described as follows:
Kitchari (pronounced kitch-a-ree) is a staple comfort food of India, also known as khichari, khitchari, and kitchiri, and also sometimes referred to as kedgeree (though incorrectly, as that is an English dish). The word "kitchari' means "mixture" or "mess" as in "mess of pottage" or "mess of stew" or porridge. The main ingredients are rice and mung beans, to which a variety of spices and other vegetables may be added. ( http://www.allaboutfasting.com/kitchari.html )
Perfect! Indian cholent: the Jewish equivalent culinary "mess," the food that sends me to my happy place. I will eat only this for the next 40 days. During that time, from August 11-13, I will join my Muslim brothers and sisters as they move into their monthlong Ramadan fast and I will consume Kitchari only between sundown and sunrise. 40 days from today is Yom Kippur when, for the first time ever, I will fast as I stand in circle around a medicine wheel in a wooded place, near a stream, in community with others as a participant and officiant at a Forgiveness Ritual. And then I will break my 40 day Kitchari fast with a well-planned meal.
I don't pretend to know what transformations will occur in me, in my community, and in the world during the course of these 40 days. But as I embark on this, having made the decision to go public with it and chronicle my experience as the days pass, I set the intention to be rigorously honest and open, to rid my body of war and intolerance as I rid it of toxins; that my fast, connecting Ramadan to Yom Kippur, connects me to my Muslim sisters and brothers and stands as a peace offering and a healing between two peoples who are ancestors of my bloodline. I also intend to use this as a portal to healing my body which I really do need in good working order as I move into the next phase of my life as a sacred activist.
During this time, I will have to negotiate a CD release party at a club, a Day of Reconnection with my community at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, any number of family gatherings. I will have to work at my day job, and heal my low back which went out last night as I shlepped heavy packages from my car to my apartment, including two large glass containers of freshly made Kitchari which I'd cooked in the extraordinary country kitchen of my dear friend and sacred sister, Grace.
That's it for now. Perhaps more later; certainly tomorrow.
Tikun Olam, Mitakuye Oyasin, All My Relations,
Riva
Kitchari (pronounced kitch-a-ree) is a staple comfort food of India, also known as khichari, khitchari, and kitchiri, and also sometimes referred to as kedgeree (though incorrectly, as that is an English dish). The word "kitchari' means "mixture" or "mess" as in "mess of pottage" or "mess of stew" or porridge. The main ingredients are rice and mung beans, to which a variety of spices and other vegetables may be added. ( http://www.allaboutfasting.com/kitchari.html )
Perfect! Indian cholent: the Jewish equivalent culinary "mess," the food that sends me to my happy place. I will eat only this for the next 40 days. During that time, from August 11-13, I will join my Muslim brothers and sisters as they move into their monthlong Ramadan fast and I will consume Kitchari only between sundown and sunrise. 40 days from today is Yom Kippur when, for the first time ever, I will fast as I stand in circle around a medicine wheel in a wooded place, near a stream, in community with others as a participant and officiant at a Forgiveness Ritual. And then I will break my 40 day Kitchari fast with a well-planned meal.
I don't pretend to know what transformations will occur in me, in my community, and in the world during the course of these 40 days. But as I embark on this, having made the decision to go public with it and chronicle my experience as the days pass, I set the intention to be rigorously honest and open, to rid my body of war and intolerance as I rid it of toxins; that my fast, connecting Ramadan to Yom Kippur, connects me to my Muslim sisters and brothers and stands as a peace offering and a healing between two peoples who are ancestors of my bloodline. I also intend to use this as a portal to healing my body which I really do need in good working order as I move into the next phase of my life as a sacred activist.
During this time, I will have to negotiate a CD release party at a club, a Day of Reconnection with my community at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, any number of family gatherings. I will have to work at my day job, and heal my low back which went out last night as I shlepped heavy packages from my car to my apartment, including two large glass containers of freshly made Kitchari which I'd cooked in the extraordinary country kitchen of my dear friend and sacred sister, Grace.
That's it for now. Perhaps more later; certainly tomorrow.
Tikun Olam, Mitakuye Oyasin, All My Relations,
Riva
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