May Joy Sabbath

Today is my Sabbath. It's been a few weeks since I last had an entire day that was unscheduled. In the best world, everyone would have one whole day each week to spend as we want; to stay in bed, read a good book, take a slow walk or do a crossword; one whole day to do no work, run no errands, send no emails, and clean no toilets.

My weekends often get scheduled with wonderful events (an Earth Day rally, all day service field trip, and a birthday party), but today my schedule is clear, and I'm going to give attention to joy, contentment, self expression and play. 

Joy is a deep feeling, maybe too much to expect, a little over the top; most days I'm satisfied to feel calm and grounded, perhaps even mostly happy. But I think when we open to the possibility of feeling joyful we set the tone of the day to one of playful expectation.

Agenda this Month:

1. Read the Creativity Book

2. Craft a ceremony

3. Express myself

1. Read the Creativity Book:

Last week I re-started this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that? I started it once before, and this seems like a good time to give it a second chance.

The second section is Craft Ceremonies and Rituals. "A ceremony is an event meant to acknowledge that something special is happening and to support the gravity, joy, and mystery of the moment. ... This is what you as an everyday creative person can do. You can choose to make life feel more special by crafting your own rituals."

2. Craft a ceremony:

Exercise Two is to Craft One Ceremony. 

Step one is to choose a dream - a big dream that is doable and requires that I use my skills and talents. 

Step two is to craft a ceremony that honors my dream and keeps it alive, and then enact that ceremony every day for the rest of the year. 

 

The dream I've chosen is to create a series of mixed media collage pieces that celebrate the earth. 

My ritual is to tack up the pieces I've finished, and  the one I'm working on, directly above my desk, look at them often during the day, and jot down ideas and feelings. 

3. Express myself:

The pure, childlike quality of joy within me supports my spontaneous, innovative, creative spirit, and gives me the self-confidence to express myself with honesty and integrity. 

Self-expression is sharing myself with others, with thoughtful conversations, with writing, or with artwork; it flows from me best when I am grounded and in harmony, and that's when others are best able to receive and hear (or see) what it is I'm expressing. Self-expression also supports joy, because it is fulfilling - it allows me to contribute to the world.

I've got lots of projects going that express something about me: This blog, other writing, my collages, lesson plans, and sewing projects. Today I'm going to work on each of them in a joyful and playful way.