Taking your “sabbaths” – on a regular basis – might be the most important thing that you can do for your overall career success. This week’s YouTube discusses sabbaths, and identifies how many very successful authors point out the need for “sabbath” – or resting from work – is essential to our productivity and to our overall well-being.
Cite as:
Maren, A.J. 2022. “The Great Career-Boosting Reading List: Week 5 – “Sabbath.” Alianna J. Maren YouTube Channel (March 23). Accessed March 23, 2022.
I particularly encourage you to read this short blogpost by Mirabai Starr, entitled: Laying Down Our Burden: Keeping the Sabbath Holy. http://www.abbeyofhope.com/reflectionary/laying-down-our-burden-keep-the-sabbath-holy/
To your health, well-being, and joyous success! – A.J. Maren
Book Resources
Starr, Mirabai. 2019. Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics. Louisville, CO: Sounds True.
Previous Related Blogs
Maren, A.J. 2022. “The Great Career-Boosting Reading List: Books 4(a) & 4(b).” Themesis.com. (March 16, 2022). Accessed March 23, 2022. https://themesis.com/2022/03/17/the-great-career-boosting-reading-list-books-4a-4b/
Previous Related YouTubes
Maren, A.J. 2022. “The Great Career-Boosting Reading List: Week 4.” Themesis YouTube Channel (Mar. 17, 2022). Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1PKiIS7HGQ&t=4s
Good Vibes
If I want to connect in with the time of Enheduanna (see below), thanks to the offerings of YouTube, I can listen to some recreations (in spirit if not exactitude) of music of that time:
If I’m using incense to connect with a remembered, visceral experience of this time, I’ll use frankincense and myrrh, or a special blend recreated from ancient Egyptian recipes, available from Wandering Stars: https://www.wandering-stars.net/kepu-temple-incense. (Check that site for some interesting historical research and stories! Shane did some very interesting work on recreating ancient temple incense, and identifying how it was used.)
Another provider of incense, with recreation of ancient Egyptian blends, is Scents of the Earth: https://scents-of-earth.com/ .
The reason that I’m bringing this up with you is that scent is a powerful cue, and if we want to train our minds to access a different state – or just to remind ourselves that it’s time to stop thinking about work – we can use a combination of scent, music, and actions to help make that transition.
Famous Salonnieres – and High Priestesses!
Enheduanna was the High Priestess of Inanna (circa 2300 BC), and was the first known author – that is, the first person in history to have put her name to her work. The Temple of Inanna, where she was the religious leader, became the center for learning, not only in her life, but for hundreds of years thereafter.
Enheduanna composed numerous hymns to Inanna. She also authored the “Lament to the Spirit of War.”
You hack everything down in battle….
God of War, with your fierce wings
you slice away the land and charge
disguised as a raging storm,
growl as a roaring hurricane,
yell like a tempest yells,
thunder, rage, roar, and drum,
expel evil winds! …
Freely adapted and translated by Daniela Gioseffi
https://uuwestport.org/lament-to-the-spirit-of-war/
We cite Enheduanna’s work today in a spirit of respect to those fighting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.