A sabbath day was originally a day of renewal, and rest from work, kept on Saturday by the Jews and Sunday by most Christians. And, of course, when religious people got involved, the day got bound up with "shall and shall nots". Keeping the day holy became a lot of work, and people were arrested if they didn't do it right; enforced rest is not usually very relaxing or renewing!
In the modern world we have swung the pendulum too far the other way, escaping religious rules and adopting the rules of progress, where no day is holy - only the dollar.
Sabbath Agenda:
1. Simple sabbath plans
2. Read "The Simpler Life"
3. How to simplify my life
1. Simple sabbath plans:
Keeping a sabbath day is a personal thing. For me, it's a day with a slow pace. I don't pack it as full. I schedule some work, but it has a flavor of rest to it - it's work I find fulfilling, or uplifting. Simple is a great word to describe my ideal activities for the Sabbath: Simple tasks, simple foods, and an undemanding schedule.
Keeping a sabbath starts with a little simple discipline: I prepare for my sabbath by finishing business on the day before; getting all possible deadlines finished, shopping, and "un-fun" chores. I practice the discipline of saying no to requests that seem like work, and yes to sabbath-like activities.
My perfect sabbath is a celebration, a holiday. I keep it holy with my attitude: I try not to rush, complain, or worry. I open myself to the Spirit of Love, and schedule activitiesthat celebrate the season or the act of creativity or the joy of community or are satisfyingly peaceful in nature.
This month I'm reviewing this pretty little book by Deborah DeFord (1998). The subtitle is "An Inspirational Guide to Living Better with Less". I haven't looked at this book for ages, but it was formative for me (I think).
How will I do that? I've got some ideas for ways to shift my focus for a few weeks, and reinvent time:
Keeping a sabbath day is a personal thing. For me, it's a day with a slow pace. I don't pack it as full. I schedule some work, but it has a flavor of rest to it - it's work I find fulfilling, or uplifting. Simple is a great word to describe my ideal activities for the Sabbath: Simple tasks, simple foods, and an undemanding schedule.
Today, I plan some sewing: I want to do a little mending and work on my big quilt project. Also, I hope to start some native flower seeds, and have a spiritual scavenger hunt!
2. Read "The Simpler Life":
I'm on Chapter 2: Balanced Time. She starts off talking about "timeless time" - the moments when the nature of time seems to change, when we feel so engaged that time floats, or zips; when we are most in tune with ourselves and our abilities.
Instead, we usually feel rushed or stretched for time. But this doesn't have to be the norm! She reminds us of the two qualities from the first chapter that bring us back to simplicity. When we step out of the reactive mode (even for one day each week) and use time with intentionality and integrity, we will have a better experience of time.
We do that by having some discipline with time wasting habits, procrastination, inappropriate demands, and by figuring out our priorities and making time for them.She suggests:
- Assessing your time by tracking what you do.
- Identifying time troubles (things that aren't priorities, and don't enhance your life).
- Then reinventing your time
3. How to simplify my life:
November is colder and wetter, drawing me deeper towards winter. This is a month when I celebrate the final fruits of summer’s work, and remember to express my gratitude.
Blótmónað is the word for November in Old English; it means Sacrifice Month, but the sacrifice is joyful, as Persephone goes peacefully down to the underworld every year. Peace is the fruit of total acceptance. In November I see the circle of life in all its full roundness - as it blossomed in spring and as it dies in fall.
Blótmónað is the word for November in Old English; it means Sacrifice Month, but the sacrifice is joyful, as Persephone goes peacefully down to the underworld every year. Peace is the fruit of total acceptance. In November I see the circle of life in all its full roundness - as it blossomed in spring and as it dies in fall.
This is a time of year to purge, to give or throw away things I don’t need, give up habits I don’t want, and pare down my activities to make time for introspection. Today I set an intention to stop over-scheduling myself!
I intend to make a reasonable plan for the weeks ahead, that includes lots of rest, reflection, reading and quiet hand-crafting, because this wetter season is a time of sacrifice (releasing my expectations of going everywhere and doing everything) and paring down my activity in favor of introspection and good health.
How will I do that? I've got some ideas for ways to shift my focus for a few weeks, and reinvent time:- I'm going to give myself permission to cut back on my house cleaning for a month, and work more on house simplifying.
- I'm going to limit my "out of the house" service responsibilities and offer to do those projects that I can do from home.
- I'm going to shift focus from garden care to garden crafting, and schedule a longer morning time for my art and crafting.
- I'm going to try to "rest in awareness"; I'll limit my phone and video game time and rest instead by taking photos, looking at the birds, reading a novel, or just watching my grandsons play.
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