ay one of Ramadan is in full effect. I guess "full" might be the wrong word, though, as I'll be fasting until sundown (at 7:23 PM here). I woke up at five for breakfast and fajr prayer, and it's only a couple hours later - just trying to get some work in before the hunger and thirst set in, and then I'll go back to bed until the next prayer time.
My complete disclosure is that I only pray five times a day when I'm observing Ramadan, which isn't every year - just when I feel compelled to do so. But when I am observing, the rhythm of the prayer cycle adds a lot to the experience for me. My day revolves around prayer, and the day is broken up into smaller segments instead of stretching out interminably. I also find that I have more mental space once the primal hunting and gathering instincts cease to rule during the day (okay, so I'm hunting in the snack drawer and gathering a handful of chips, but you get the idea).
This year I feel drawn to do it because it's such a huge time in my life. I turned 30, finished Suluk, and passed my first degree black belt test all in the span of a few months, and in one more give or take I'll be married. It's a good time in my life to enter a reflective and meditative state so that these changes don't pass me by in a blur of mundanity. And Ramadan, though difficult, is a good way to do that.
Read on if you'd like a more complete picture of what Ramadan entails.
More About Ramadan:
(These are the basics, but there are crazy technical points on all these things expounded in great detail elsewhere if you want to get down to semantics....)
The month of Ramadan is a lunar month beginning the day after the waxing crescent moon is first sighted (or calculated to appear in the sky). The fast begins each day at Fajr, the pre-dawn prayer, and ends at Maghrib, the prayer immediately following the sunset. There are two obligatory prayers (more are optional) between Fajr and Maghrib, and one more night prayer after Maghrib.
I usually get up in time to eat some oatmeal, yogurt or eggs, and fruit, and have a bit of coffee and some water before Fajr. Afterwards one abstains from food, drink, smoking, and sexual activity until after Maghrib. You can brush your teeth and there is a purification ritual with water before each prayer, so that helps ease the dry mouth feeling sometimes.
At Maghrib I break my fast traditionally with dates and water, complete the prayers, and have a big old delicious dinner. Food never tastes so good as during Ramadan!
There is also a spiritual component of Ramadan where one fasts or tries to fast from obscene language, anger, judgement, etc. and give extra help to those in need. When Ramadan is over there's a big feasting holiday ('Eid) and I'm still deciding whether to throw a dinner party or not...
Just one more note about Ramadan: the days are getting shorter so the first day is the hardest, and it gets a few minutes easier each day. Because of the lunar calendar, however, Ramadan falls earlier and earlier each year. My first one was fabulous because it was the middle of winter and the sun set at around 5-5:30, but now it's a longer haul. I'm not sure if I would attempt Ramadan during the long hot days of summer, but props to all the Muslims who do.