I just discovered the word "devocation" and when I say I am having a blast with it.
If vocation is "a call" then a devocation is a call away. In my work, the Strong Black Woman myth is a major devocation.
What are the things that call you away from your vocation? Is it a stereotype, a lie, a story you’ve been told about yourself, the memory of a failure, a social/political barrier, or___?
I am trying to figure out an alternative phrase for "imposter syndrome"--maybe workplace gaslighting?--to describe the experience of having my skills both undervalued and exploited. That has done such damage over the course of many years, that I wonder both about my capability and the sincerity of others. Quite the devocation.
I recently have had a very direct, ancestral devocation from expecting scarcity, particularly in my relationships. I've had an invocation (Rose, am I using that right?) To look for Love in my relationships and expect Love, Joy, and Abundance.
I'd say for sure that invocation is the right word. That is beautiful, Nya. I was recently reminded by a classmate that often in the Psalms "the narrow place" in Hebrew refers also to Egypt. There are liberative implications to a relationship with scarcity and a history of enslavement...
I am going to be thinking about this all day now. I might be misunderstanding, but most recently it was the words of my faculty advisor telling me there are not enough positions in my chosen field and that I should try other paths. It felt like a rejection, and as a person with a major fear of rejection, that certainly called me away from my sense of vocation.
I am trying to figure out an alternative phrase for "imposter syndrome"--maybe workplace gaslighting?--to describe the experience of having my skills both undervalued and exploited. That has done such damage over the course of many years, that I wonder both about my capability and the sincerity of others. Quite the devocation.
Thank you Sharifa :(
These devocations are so familiar to me
I think it was Camille I saw who used "imposter complex," which has a systemic implication I find helpful.
I recently have had a very direct, ancestral devocation from expecting scarcity, particularly in my relationships. I've had an invocation (Rose, am I using that right?) To look for Love in my relationships and expect Love, Joy, and Abundance.
I'd say for sure that invocation is the right word. That is beautiful, Nya. I was recently reminded by a classmate that often in the Psalms "the narrow place" in Hebrew refers also to Egypt. There are liberative implications to a relationship with scarcity and a history of enslavement...
An example:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20118:4-6&version=NRSVA
I am going to be thinking about this all day now. I might be misunderstanding, but most recently it was the words of my faculty advisor telling me there are not enough positions in my chosen field and that I should try other paths. It felt like a rejection, and as a person with a major fear of rejection, that certainly called me away from my sense of vocation.
Ouch...That is definitely an example of it. I am sorry this happened. :(
Right. We are not vending machines...