ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 12, 1997 TAG: 9701110010
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Back Pew
SOURCE: CODY LOWE
If you thought the holiday season was over you should think again.
One of the world's most widely observed holiday periods - Ramadan - began Friday and will continue until Feb. 8.
Muslims around the globe will spend the month reflecting on principles of discipline, self-restraint and compassion for the needy as they abstain from food, drink, sexual relations and other sensual pleasures during the daylight hours.
The Ramadan fast is one of the "five pillars" of Islam, which also include the declaration of the faith that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Prophet, daily prayer, charity and a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The fast is required of all Muslims over the age of puberty who are mentally and physically able to participate. Exemptions are granted for the aged, the ill, those traveling long distances, pregnant women and nursing mothers, among others.
The fast may be broken after sundown each day and is widely associated with sweets and special foods for the period. Traditionally the fast is broken each day with a drink of water and three dates.
During the month, the faithful also are encouraged to read the entire Koran - usually transliterated as "Quran" by Muslims. The holy book is divided into the 30 units, one for each day of the month.
The month ends with the three days of Eid ul-Fitr (pronounced EED-al-fitter) or "feast of fast-breaking."
Though estimates vary somewhat, there are about 1 billion Muslims around the world today - about a fifth of the Earth's population. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says 6 million of those are in the United States.
In Western Virginia, there are Islamic masjids or mosques in Roanoke and the New River Valley.
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Other less-mainstream worshipers also will be participating in special prayers this month.
At least a few of them will join in the GaiaMind Global Meditation and Prayer event on Jan. 27 at 12:37 p.m.
Gaia - pronounced Gay-a - is a Greek term popularized in a 1979 book describing the hypothesis that the Earth is a single, living, self-regulating organism. Followers of the hypothesis contend that all life on Earth is interconnected and interdependent.
During what they describe as a once-in-two-centuries event, the planets Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune will be conjoined with the Sun, with the full moon opposite them all. In astrological terms, a nearly perfect six-sided star is formed by lines joining all these elements.
According to the GaiaMind sponsors, the planets involved "may serve as a symbolic representation of the long-heralded dawning of the Age of Aquarius."
The organizers "suggest that participants meditate, pray or do whatever brings them closer to the Divine for five minutes" beginning at 12:30 p.m. Jan 27. Then at 12:35 p.m. participants are asked to "envision light together for one minute in unison."
"Envisioning clear white light together in unison may be the most effective way to bring all of our individual minds into resonance," the sponsors say, in an attempt to stimulate "planetary healing."
"The global meditation and prayer is intended to focus collective intention on forging a healthy and ecologically sustainable relationship between humanity and the Earth," its organizers say.
The group's effort is not the first of this new year to attempt to transform the globe by force of the collective will.
At 7 a.m. on New Year's Day (noon Greenwich Mean Time), the School of Metaphysics based in Windyville, Mo., sponsored a Universal Hour of Peace.
The organizers had hoped that "every sentient being on Earth [would] dedicate one hour to peace" during that time. Participants were encouraged to "make peace with yourself, your neighbor and your Maker."
The event didn't draw much attention in these parts, nor has the world been noticeably more peaceful since then.
But the effort probably wasn't a bad idea. Even if such events do not transform the whole Earth, they may at least transform those who participate.
And that's no small feat for any religious experience.
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