There has been some anxiety among British Quakers at our falling
membership numbers and at stretched resources for maintaining the Society.
A more important issue is spiritual vitality; ‘How fares the Truth’ among
us? How does our faith inform how we live?
A great strength of British Quakerism is its
tried and tested way of bringing the spiritual into everyday life, an approach
which can be adapted to different situations. It is deeply rooted in Christian
wisdom and values, while remaining open to other insights and experience.
It has the potential to bring the creative, mysterious, Holy Spirit of love
to bear directly on ever-new situations in a world which has much need of
it.
But the Spirit needs space to act. Too often, it is crowded
out of our lives by lack of time, busy egos and the perceived demands of consumer
society. It is also crowded out of public life as commercial forces and values
insinuate themselves more and more deeply there. Conflict, unsustainable lifestyles,
and unhappiness result; fears multiply. The issue of climate change adds particular
urgency to the need for such spaces.
A particular contribution British Quakers can make is consciously
to develop our practice of ‘holding spaces’ for the Spirit to act in a variety
of ways and in different contexts. This can help build collaborative and creative
working practices and bring healing to individuals, communities and the wider
world.
To fulfil this potential, however, British Quakers must be
more radical in living out our spiritual values. Are we prepared to create
spaces for the Spirit to act, through our lives and our communities? We know
from experience that the way becomes clear when we seek it ‘in the Light’
together, and crucially, that the Spirit gives us strength to carry out its
bidding. We should not seek to avoid action or changing our habits, if that
is what is needed, and conversely, we should be wholly prepared to let things
be if they are good enough.
Our Quaker community can support us in challenging and upholding
one another. As we come face to face with major issues we will need spiritual
nurture; however the growing consonance in our lives will itself be vitalising.
We have a stark choice before us. Are we going to actively
address the key issues that face us in the 21st Century and bring our
Prologue:
How I came to write this essay
When
I heard about a competition for an essay about the future of the Religious
Society of Friends in
This
has been a challenging process: not just the work of researching and writing,
but also the implications of bringing some big issues into the Light which
had been lying in wait for me in the shadows. So I am grateful to those organising
this competition for the challenge, and for what I have learned; my own thinking
has developed considerably as a result. Two questions follow. The first was
to discern whether to share my writing and with whom. I have little doubt
that others are more erudite and visionary than me, but perhaps some of my
insights or images may be of value to others, so I offer this in that spirit.
The
bigger challenge remains; trying to live up to the light that has been given
me. My experience of the
I am very grateful to Keith Walton,
Nancy Irving, Cynthia Jackson and Howard F Gregg for their comments on a draft
of this essay and other support, and to many others who have inspired, supported
and challenged me over the years. Some of you know who you are; others never
will.
The
If the Religious Society of Friends didn’t
exist in
At that time, yoga and music were my main
sources of spiritual nurture; yoga provided a sense of being grounded in a
lively stillness, and music helped me become more aware of mystery and silence
beyond it. Engaging physically in yoga and both making and listening to music
seemed like taking part in a greater creative activity of which I was only
a very tiny part. I had also greatly valued being part of a women’s group,
in which our regular discussions of had led to occasional political activism.
When I discovered Quakers, all this came together. Sinking into our shared
silence, we joined together in an activity that seemed eternal, and intangible,
yet very much in the present moment. I could bring whatever else was going
on in my life into that place, and things somehow fell into place. As I started
to participate in business Meetings and study groups, it became clear that
this community was what I had been looking for.
Aspects of my experience are fairly common
among Friends:
·
a sense of personal
spiritual quest;
·
a need for spiritual
community in which everyone is welcome
regardless of background, gender, sexuality
etc, and all can play an important part;
·
values of love, truth,
integrity, and forgiveness, coupled with attempting to actively apply these spiritual values to real
life issues, without this becoming too complicated;
·
no
need to be sure quite what one believes - about the nature of God, death and
the afterlife, or about particular scriptures (though recognising that the
Bible contains much wisdom).
I don’t believe there is any other community
in
The belief that we humans can each
have direct communion with God, has been central to Quakerism from the outset.
Individuals have particular responsibilities within the community, but this
has never implied that they are some kind of necessary intermediary between
God and other people. It has meant that we all share responsibility in a collective
quest for Truth; it was this quest that led the early Seekers including George
Fox away from the established churches, and to the eventual founding of the
Religious Society of Friends of Truth. It has often led to Friends becoming
pioneers for truth and social justices, and they have often wielded influence
disproportionate to their numbers.
Early Friends saw themselves as tasked with
building the
“What matters is not the label
by which we call ourselves, but the life.” [2]
This practice of listening for God in quiet
places is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. What the early Quakers did was to develop this
into a discipline of listening which helps us join with God and discern his
[sic] will on any matter. The listening
activity, beautifully characterised by Rachel Muers
as ‘listening with God’s ears’[3],
together with actions that spring from it, are central here, rather than the
silence in which it takes place. Indeed, the listening continues through the
consequent actions, giving them their meaning.
This central practice is of key importance.
It can bring the spiritual dimension to bear on any new problem, and positively
welcomes new insights. We can often be surprised by the results of such listening:
·
its openness allows
different paradigms and kinds of information to be brought together, embracing
scientific, theological, and emotional realms, and a diversity of interests
and opinions, weighing them each (in hearts as well as minds) and learning
from them, without needing to have winners and losers;
·
it
provides a simple process through which a greater purpose and power can work
through us. As we pay attention to it, acknowledging that we are seeking a
‘right way’ regardless of our individual wills (egos), we become more willing
to accept whatever outcome the gathered group is led to;
·
we
can all contribute. Some of us may have particular gifts, understanding and
work to contribute to a particular problem, but all have a responsibility
to join with others and bring their attention to bear in a centred, disciplined
way so as to hold a space for the group to listen deeply at a spiritual level
and discern how the Spirit is guiding them;
·
Quaker worship is a
wonderfully energising and healing activity. The more we practise it, the
greater the power of the spirit in our individual lives, bringing a sense
of guidance, peace, serenity, healing and joy. I have often been amazed at
the lightness of spirit in which I have left a Quaker business meeting, even
though the meeting itself was hard work and the subject matter not of great
personal interest. Joining in the work of discernment often feels like a great
privilege.
·
it
is simple. It can be applied in different places, at different levels. It
allows for paradoxes and inconsistencies, and over time tends to resolve these
creatively and in a loving spirit, with the single standard of truth running
throughout.
The most challenging issues facing people
in
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The
future of Quakers in
Our place in
creation
The threat to the environment is now well established and
is the biggest single issue that confronts us as a people.[4]
Environmental degradation, and the economic, financial, health and security
issues they bring, along with growth in poverty and mass migration, are challenges to the whole world. They will exacerbate existing
social injustices and international tensions and create new ones. The need
to radically change patterns of living and resource use across the world is
coming to be recognised, though with great reluctance: there are no quick
fixes. In addition, advances in science and communications have given humans
greater control over life and death in some circumstances, which also raise
very difficult issues.
The Book of Genesis offers two models for mankind’s relationship with nature:
dominion and stewardship[5]. Those in power in mainstream industry and commerce,
and most governments, have tended to work on the dominance model, behaving
as if the Earth is there for humans to use as we wish. Decisions have been
made without attaching much weight to some of their far-reaching implications;
for example, two generations after the problem arose, there is still no long-term
solution to the disposal of nuclear waste. Some of the immediate effects of
the dominance mode have of course been mitigated by short-term, small-scale
stewardship – to save wildlife, or specific cultural and natural ‘heritage’,
for example. Similarly, religious and other philosophical voices are regularly
included in considerations of bioethics on the margins of life and death –
human embryology, cloning, genetic research, or assisted suicide. But dominance
over the environment remains the underlying assumption of most industrial
and industrialising societies.
These are hugely challenging issues to grapple with, embracing
complex scientific, and socio-economic issues as
well as ethical and theological ones. Most of us feel ill equipped to address
them, so they are largely dealt with in isolation from one another and from
most of the people that they will affect. Although many of us might not wish
to live beyond a certain age and degree of incapacity, especially given the
cost of keeping us alive, this issue is not one that most people are yet prepared
to engage with. Instead it is left to ethics committees and health professionals.
Similarly, there is little public debate about whether large families and
assisted conception should really be encouraged, in the face of over-population.
When favourite places
are threatened by proposed human developments, we are up in arms. Yet most of humanity seems to be suffering from
an addictive pathology: we know what we are doing to the soil, the air, the
planet – yet still go on doing it! We need to find ways of re-learning our
connectedness, not only with our own favourite places but also with the wider
world, and to educate ourselves – developing our ecological literacy. We also
need to reassess our values and priorities, facing facts clearly without being
overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges. This is a responsibility of each
of us: nobody else can do it for us. If we fail to address these issues, what
does this say about our love for the poor (who will be hardest hit by environmental
change) and for future generations?
As we approach the limits
of human population growth and exploitation of the planet, the Old Testament injunction to ‘go forth
and multiply’ no longer seems appropriate, even though the miracle of each
new life is of course still wonderful and precious. Traditional teachings
like this need to be looked at again. Spiritual and
wisdom traditions from many other cultures have long seen humans as simply
a part of Creation, rather than having rights over it; and this approach seems
much more fitting as we contemplate the future. A Spirit-led approach
is our best hope, drawing on our deepest values and on powers beyond ourselves.
If we really want to change our behaviour and are open to such help, will
we not receive it?
The future of Quakerism
in
Decline in religious participation
The
long-term decline in religious participation in
In
2006, 54 per cent of the British public claimed to belong to a religion, 3
per cent less than ten years earlier. 55
per cent said they never practised, except on special occasions such as funerals
or weddings, and only 15 per cent of women and 13 per cent of men said they
attended religious meetings or services at least once a week [6].
The proportion of people who said they didn’t belong to a religion had risen
sharply, from only 3 per cent in 1964 to 38 per cent in 2006/7. [7]
The Tearfund’s review of British Christian religion
suggested that actual Church attendance was even lower, and had fallen from
12 per cent in 1979 to 7.5 per cent by 1999.[8] The Roman Catholic Church and the Church of
England accounted for the bulk of the decline, and the indeed there was some
growth in house churches outside formal denominations, and among evangelical
churches.[9]
In
this context, the steady fall in Quaker membership is not surprising. Indeed,
between 1989 and 2005, it has been considerably less steep than the fall in
attendance at all churches taken together: 0.8 per cent per year compared
with 2.1 per cent overall, though this does not give grounds for complacency.
[10]
Meanwhile some other religions have seen numbers grow, partly for demographic
reasons. Islam has grown most, from
1.8 per cent of the population in1996 to 3.3 per cent in 2006, and the Hindu
population has risen from 0.6 per cent to 1.4 per cent over the same period[11].
In addition to mainstream religions, a broad range of other spiritual traditions
flourish in
Growth
in materialism
As market forces increasingly
penetrate social life, commercial values are dominating more and more, undermining
generosity and weakening community and spiritually
based activities. At the same time, nature has been treated as a commodity
to be acquired and used, rather than a home to be, cared for and passed on
to future generations. These trends started long ago in private manufacture
and extraction; they have now moved into other sectors including the public
sector, and many caring activities which used largely to be carried out unpaid.[14] Since the Thatcher years of the 1980s, commercial
values have dominated government thinking and the public sector, even in universities,
and the doctrine of competition has come to dominate economics syllabuses
to the virtual exclusion of former orthodoxies such as cost benefit analysis
and Keynesian economics (let alone Marxist economics).[15] Meanwhile supermarkets and the Internet feed
our addictions by blatantly selling ‘bargains’ for their own sake, regardless
of the intrinsic usefulness or beauty of the goods, or whether people need
or can afford them. The mass media have added to this pressure to buy, with
most programmes implicitly or explicitly informed by market values. Increasingly
aggressive competitive forces have combined with a growth in blame culture,
centred on individual rights divorced from responsibility. Our senses of place
and home have been changed and weakened by growth in geographic mobility,
including both long-term migration and short-term travel for work, leisure
and education.
The
international dimension is also important here. In 2006, one in eight of the
workforce was from overseas and a similar proportion of births were to mothers
born outside the
While
still important in some ways, Parliamentary democracy has become less relevant
in a world of international conglomerates and multi-governmental bodies, and
public disaffection with electoral politics is reflected in turnouts falling
to an all-time low[21]. Participation in other voluntary
associations has also been declining; for example, trades union membership
has fallen, from over 50 per cent of those in employment in the 1970s to 32.6
per cent 1995 and 28.4 per cent in
2006. [22] Civil liberties have also been challenged
on several fronts in recent years, and may well face greater onslaughts as
economic and environmental decline bite more sharply.
Growth
in inequality has been another consequence of these trends, and has perhaps
exacerbated them. Even though our average wealth has hardly ever been higher,
inequality has bred unhappiness as people fear the consequences of not conforming
to the acquisitive ethos of the market. This has contributed to a weakened
sense of belonging and personal worth of individuals for themselves (as opposed
to what they can own, earn or do), with consequent increases in social exclusion,
street crime, personal violence and drug abuse.[23]
One consequence of the decline in religious
participation is that wider knowledge about religion has also fallen. Most
young people are not learning about any faith tradition from the inside. Teaching
about faiths in school is patchy and those teaching may be ill equipped to
transmit it. For example, only 55 per
cent of the population could name one of the four Christian Gospels and only
slightly more (60 per cent) could name the sacred book of Moslems – the Q’uran[24].
This implies not only ignorance about particular faiths but also that religion
itself has become a minority part of our culture.
Many aspects of religious culture have now been co-opted by secular society;
for example, religious
holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Diwali have
been commercialised and their religious meanings are no longer widely understood. Indeed, for many people, religion itself has
become one of the ‘unknown’ elements in society, which are often feared. Fuelled
by film, video games and other media, often with powerful electronic imagery,
the realm of the spiritual, the mysterious and the beyond have acquired negative
status. While evil has long been an element in many religious traditions,
the difference now is that this cultural participation (often as passive members
of an audience rather than as an active participant) is not widely offset
by positive religious experience or engagement.
This
lack of shared religious culture and language has a direct impact on communication
about faith. It makes it harder for people to engage with historical traditions
of Quakerism and Christianity more widely. Religious terminology has to be
learned first, as it is no longer part of our common language; words, images,
symbols or music need introduction and explanation before their deeper meaning
can be understood, and this in itself makes organised religion less accessible.
Even when people have overcome the first hurdle of beginning to explore a
faith, there are further barriers to overcome in deepening and sharing that
faith, in putting personal experience into context and in learning from ancient
traditions.
The
idea of having special times for God has been central to the Judeo-Christian
tradition and many others. The decline in religion has also meant the decline
of such Sabbath time, and the introduction of Sunday trading (and to a lesser
extent the recent extension of pub opening hours) has meant that time is more
and more uniformly treated. This has affected many aspects family and community
life, as well as economic life, but more specifically it has reinforced the dominance of commercial values.
For
Quakers, the appointment of specific times and places to meet together for
worship has been for practical reasons rather than theological ones. Quakers believe that God is present at all times
and in all places, rather than only in particular ‘holy’ ones, so the decline
of the Sabbath hasn’t had as direct an impact on Friends as on others. However
it has still meant increased competition from other Sunday morning activities
and the pressure many people feel to ‘always be doing something’. Together
with a general lack of silence in urban society, this means that spending
time in silence, outwardly doing nothing, has become even more counter-cultural.[25]
In the absence of organised religion, people are finding other
places to explore spiritual and religious issues, and to find spiritual nurture.
They are able to do this at their own pace, and perhaps with a greater feeling
of safety, in the arts, in nature or educational contexts. Therapies and a
variety of healing treatments and physical disciplines have also grown enormously;
some of these derive from religious or spiritual disciplines and may actively
encompass or complement spiritual work and prayer. Voluntary community work continues, but again
it is largely outside a religious context. Thus many of the traditional activities
of religion have been fragmented, and the result is the loss of a coherent
approach to life and death within which to decide priorities, and of the sense
of participating in a greater purpose and the deep sense of community that
that can bring.
Turning points
As I write, people across the world are preparing for the
While most members
of society still seem bent on continuing in much of their present course of
lifestyle, there are increasing signs of unease and that some people are making
different choices, irrespective of government leaders. The economic downturn
is excluding more and more people from commercial success, through unemployment
or bankruptcy. This is becoming a particularly acute problem for the young,
but there is wide concern about loss of community and social cohesion. For
some decades there has been a growing sense of a need for spirit-led awakening,
and of a need to seek creative and life-enhancing responses to the developing
crises[30], and the sense of urgency is now sharpening.
Among Quakers too, environmental issues have been moving into the mainstream[31]. An
active minority has of course been working in this field for years, including
through the Living Witness Project.
After some years of putting our own affairs in order[32], we all now need to turn our attention to
these wider matters.
III CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
During the 20th Century,
the Religious Society of Friends in
The diversity of beliefs among British Quakers is one of its
greatest challenges, and also one of its strengths. Creeds are very useful.
They can be used to define and teach a faith, and are helpful touchstones
for the worshiping community. They can also be used to maintain authority
and discipline within the church, to provide a wider public identity and to
defend the church in relation to other belief systems.[34]
Ben Pink Dandelion[35] gives five kinds
of reasons for liberal Quaker groups not to adopt a creed or creedal system:
·
language can never fully describe religious
experience and creedal statements are paradoxical in this respect;
·
creedal statements by their very nature
close off new religious expression and revelation, encourage complacency in
religious life by suggesting absolute certainties, and they take on an authority
of their own, belying the authority of God;
·
it would be inappropriate and dishonest
for liberal Quakers to adopt a creed and would misrepresent the nature of
the Quaker religion because of the diversity of belief;
·
creeds exclude those who cannot subscribe
to them; and
·
there is no structural
need to have a creed and no mechanism for adopting one.
He comments that, somewhat paradoxically, liberal Friends are
united in affirming their opposition to creeds, but are strongly attached
to a particular form of
religious practice. Dandelion calls this a “behavioural creed”[36]. Not having a shared theological creed, we need
to find other ways to express our beliefs, and to be able to articulate the
practice and discipline which are its foundation. This means doing it, knowing
why we are doing it in this way, and being able to communicate this to others
– by example and using words if necessary. It means engaging in discernment, action and
theology together, and finding ways of expressing our experience, understanding
and faith which we are comfortable with. Failure
to do this could cause British Quakerism to become so dilute that it no longer
has anything to offer the world beyond a vague warm feeling; a quiet place
to come on Sundays with a cosy community to share coffee with afterwards,
and a loose network of contacts. The dying out and dispersal of Progressive
Quakers in 19th Century
Expressing uncertainty and ignorance
can itself be powerful. It opens the way 1to new discovery. Sometimes gaps may be remedied by conversations
or reading, but often our heart-knowledge, head-knowledge and hand-knowledge
are simply not in synch. Expressing our un-knowing can open the way for growth,
and sometimes to revolutionary new discoveries. Discernment may be deepened
through personal reflection or contemplation, by prayerful listening alone
and with others, and through other activities such as through the arts[38].
Our lack of creed means that such wrestling is positive and creative; we are
not reacting against a set of beliefs that we are supposed to adhere
to, rather we are searching for what we can say, what we have discerned
that we have to do as a consequence.
When we grapple with such issues with
others in a respectful and loving manner, this can also lead to both deepening
of understanding and strengthening of community. Through such engagement we
can explore links between theological beliefs and practical issues in everyday
life. We can find ourselves saying surprising things which, when we reflect
on them, can change the way we look at the world. Listening deeply to one
another and to the Holy Spirit, with open heart and mind and without judgment,
we may find ourselves challenged and inspired by what we hear.
[39]
Until relatively recently, Quakers
shared a Christian background for such listening, which meant they had a shared
language of faith and would test their experience against the Bible. The lack
of such a shared culture today makes the journey together much harder; we
cannot make distinctions and draw parallels if the language and stories aren’t
shared. On the other hand, it does mean that the Quaker way is open and accessible
to a much wider body of people. There is no complex and mystifying ritual
or creed that needs to be understood before one can participate fully in Quaker
worship. We can continue to grow at our own pace and build on our existing
experience and insights. This means that the Quaker way has particular potential
in a diverse society where people are looking for spiritual leadership and
models of personal integrity. [40]
We can learn and deepen our understanding
in many different ways. For some, getting to know the Bible or other spiritual
writings better may open up new doors, and sharing our understanding of and
our responses to such writings with others can be particularly fruitful[41].
Others may find they grow and learn through extended meditation, contemplation
or practical work – with young people, looking after Quaker assets, or taking
action on wider social or peace issues. These are distinct from Meeting for
Worship, but feed and complement it.
For me, the arts have been a powerful
help in my explorations. A process of prayerful making (using a variety of
simple arts and crafts activities), while holding an issue ‘in the Light’,
has enabled me to enter into a sort of conversation with God. It has often
felt as though, by letting go of my own self and having no preconceptions
of what my hands were to make, I have been able to open up to let the Spirit
work through me.[42]
Some of the images I have made in this way have spoken back to me and invited
writing, further art work, or both. At times of concern about a particular
issue, this approach has been powerful in helping me find a way forward. Worship-sharing
has enhanced the process, and gradually the process is changing me and what
I do. I include a few examples of images or objects made in this way to illustrate
this essay.[1] They offer a different way in to reflection
on some of the issues discussed in the text.
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Figure 2) Rooted in Christianity: Open to New Light
Oil
painting on canvas on board ,2003 Having just read Theology: A Very Brief Introduction, and participated in one of Tim Peat Ashworth and Alex Wildwood’s workshops on Rooted in Christianity , Open to New Light[82] , I was reflecting on my response, and realised that I was looking at a scene which portrayed a surprisingly good image of it. The (seldom-used) village church formed a backdrop, beyond a green orchard, seen through an open window. The apple tree in the garden conjured up that in the Garden of Eden, and also ‘Jesus Christ the Apple Tree’ in the mediaeval carol of that name. The table held the theology book dish of apples (recalling the fruit eaten by Eve and Adam), and new wine (‘of Jesus’ new covenant’). But all these really seemed simply to be but vehicles for the light, and that is what the painting is about. Light coming from many quarters: directly from the sky, changing sharply with the wind and clouds on this summer’s day; shining in the rich colours of the whole scene, and both reflected in and shining through the glass windows, bottle and dish. The light of personal experience is key, though our understanding would be less rich without the history, culture and imagery developed and cultivated by others. |
Membership of the Religious Society
of Friends has always been demanding. In its earliest years, Friends were
systematically prosecuted for their beliefs.
Refusal to pay tithes caused them to be bankrupted and gaoled repeatedly,
often leaving children to be cared for by other Friends. Theophilus Green’s experience is a good illustration. He was
a
Eventually the law was changed and
Quakers were able to worship in peace.
However, as a result of the way they
put their beliefs and testimonies into practice, early Quakers continued to
be marginalised from mainstream society, both by the ‘hedge’ of inward-looking
social practices they adopted to protect
themselves from what they saw as ‘contamination’, and by their formal exclusion
from the professions, higher education, politics
and other fields . These barriers were only gradually removed during the nineteenth
century.[44]
Though challenging and costly in some
respects, such witness can also strengthen cohesion in the Society. Mutual
support and public identification builds community, and personal growth can
also develop from challenges, as the experience of early Friends has shown.
Crucially, the links between our spiritual practice and our action are clearest
when our testimony gives rise to visible action, leading to greater understanding
of the
Being a Quaker can also be demanding
in other ways. Quakers in
Doing work to maintain the Society of Friends has increasingly been competing
for our time and attention with other activities. Social changes, such as
longer working hours, more travel, the increased dependence by most families
on both partners working, and geographic mobility have all had their impact. For many, Quaker work competes with home life
not only in terms of time but also because their partners and other family
members are not Quakers, and this impacts on the how far they choose to engage
with the Quaker community. Nevertheless, we have been too reluctant to review
our expectations and lay down work or Meetings in the face of falling numbers.
Indeed, in the last 20 years or so, our central expenditure has not fallen
in real terms, despite a 17 per cent fall in membership, [46]
and there is clear evidence that in some parts of the country, at least, we
have been living beyond our means for a number of years. [47]
Some important work has taken place
in recent years to address such issues. The recent major review of our corporate
structures (RECAST) resulted in greater clarity and some simplification, and
for the first time the Society has centrally agreed priorities for central
work, within which local decisions may be made.[48]
It remains to be seen how far such reforms will affect Local and Area Meetings,
however. Will
they take time as needed to really review their priorities, and be prepared
to let go of some activities and properties if appropriate? The work of nominations
committees should tie in with these priorities; where they struggle to find
people to undertake particular work this may be symptomatic of a deeper imbalance.
Important jobs around the country sometimes remain unfilled while less critical
work continues. Many Meetings still don’t have job descriptions for many posts.
This in itself causes difficulty both for nominations committees and for those
approached to serve; it also makes it more difficult
for Meetings to support those taking on responsibilities, or to consider how
the work might be organised differently. It is crucially important that those
undertaking work for the Society at any level understand and experience this
work as spirit-led, even though it may be mundane at times. Again, the role
of the business Meeting in receiving reports on work done on their behalf,
and of nominations committees’ discernment in approaching people, can be important
in maintaining this.
Our longstanding faith that the resources needed for spirit-led work will
come must now be tempered with greater realism: declining membership is bound
to impact on donations and legacies to the Society in future; there is a strong
probability of long term economic retrenchment in Britain and more
widely; and we also need urgently to reduce consumption for environmental
reasons. We would do well to look clearly at the situation and start reviewing
our expectations of future standards of living and levels of activity in good
time, so that we make better choices. However painful it may be, if some Meeting
Houses need to close or staff numbers need to be reduced, for example, it
is right not to delay facing up to this if the alternative is likely to be
deeper cuts or even less palatable ones, soon after. With time and imagination,
many such crises may also be transformed into new opportunities, though the
pain and challenges of such change must not be ignored. The more realistic
we can all be about future trends in the economy and ecology, and the more
we are able to practise spirit-led living, the better prepared we will be
to face the future, as individuals and as a Society.
Decisions about money are stressful. Even corporate decisions, taken in
full accordance with our discipline of worship, give rise to tensions between
traditional economic evaluations and spiritual values. Clearly financial accountability
is essential, but in deciding on the viability and value of our work, there
needs to be clarity about costs without assuming that ‘the world’s’ values
of profitability are the (sole) basis for decision-making. Many Friends, however,
struggle to engage seriously with such questions and therefore to share responsibility
for decisions. For example in reviewing whether we can continue to afford
our Meeting Houses we need to take account not only of the monetary costs,
but also of the amount of time Friends spend in managing and maintaining these
buildings. Although our buildings may be important for our own worship and
community-building, and offer opportunities for outreach and service, the resources involved could also be put to other good uses. Friends who manage and look after them out of
a sense of duty might, for example, find more fruitful ways to spend their
time, were they released from that responsibility.
Spirit-led discernment takes time, and sometimes our slowness may be counter-productive,
because action is such a central part of building and maintaining our community
and witness. Failure to act when called to do so is indeed a failure of our
Discipline. Sometimes it may be right to act, even
if the action is not perfect – it only has to be good enough. Those not in unity with a decision that is emerging
need to reflect carefully on the source of their discomfort before raising
an objection; might it result from a personal reluctance to move out of their
comfort zone, a failure to understand the basis for the decision, or a sense
that it is wrong in some other way? Often, we can only see clearly the next
step. Though we may have explored the implications widely, we cannot tell
where that first step will lead until we have taken it. Yet when we do take an adventurous leap of faith,
experience has shown that that the way opens. When we ask for help, it comes
– though not always in the way we expected.
Today we are proud of the radical history of Quakers. British
Friends have been in the forefront of major social reforms, from slavery to
education, and from prison to international peacemaking. But in their own day, many Quaker radicals such as John Woolman, Lucretia Mott and Henry
Doubleday were disapproved of by the Society, only to be rehabilitated
as future generations' saints and role models. Is this still the case today?
Our experience of addressing sexual relationships is a good example of
what can happen when we do bring big issues to the Light together. After some
decades of considering the issues[49], the question of same-sex marriage was brought to Britain
Yearly Meeting in 2009. Through the
week-long gathering there was much listening, prayer, discussion and discernment
at many levels. Some people were prepared to step uncomfortably into the limelight
– to publicly come out and testify to their own personal experience.
Hearts and minds were changed, and the Meeting finally agreed a course
of action far more radical than had initially been proposed: that we wished
to carry out same sex marriages on the same basis as others, and would press
for a change in the law to do so.[50] This will be a challenging path to follow in our relations
with others, but the Yearly Meeting was very clear in its discernment and
a sense of empowerment has ensued. Yes we can take radical steps, stick our
heads above the parapet of social convention, and come out as a Society with
a clear perspective on an issue which continues to cause consternation to
many other churches and religions. Sticking up for our beliefs and putting
them into practice through action is itself empowering. So action is part
of the solution, rather than a problem to be avoided.
The challenges to our environment are likely
to be the biggest test yet of our ability to look clearly
at issues, speak truthfully about them, and act consistently with our
understanding. They affect all of us, and the stakes are high. Each of us
will need to make our own discernment about changes in our own lives, but
our witness will be more effective if we also work together at many levels.
We really need to open our hearts, both supporting and challenging one another
on this journey. So far, only a minority of Friends have taken radical steps
in this field, but they have shown others some possible ways forward[51], and momentum is growing. Unless there is a sea change in the wider Western
culture – which, for example makes it socially undesirable to fly, to drive
large cars and to waste heat and light, the implications for the ecology are
dire. Most of us now accept this in our heads; but for action to follow, to
“remake society as a communion of people living sustainably
as part of the natural world”[52], we also need to accept the need
to change deep in our hearts. Change will then become a joyful witness; if
done as part of a spiritual community it will strengthen and energise that
community, bringing new life with it.
Reflecting on his study of the history
of Quakerism, John Punshon comments:
“Friends are a traditional people
but have learned to use their tradition not as a refuge from reality but a
way to negotiate it successfully and generously. This, if their past is anything
to go by, is what they will continue vigorously to do”[53].
British Friends are good at focusing on the
present and drawing on the past, but find it harder to look to the future.
This is a drawback, because shared visions can help motivate behaviour and
build community. On the other hand, too definite a collective vision is limiting
and may exclude people who don’t fully share the vision. So we need to think
actively about the future, not in order to develop a blueprint but so that
we are aware of opportunities, can create new ones, and can address dangers
ahead. Friends have been innovative in the past, and their enterprises have
generally been well founded. If we spent more time looking together at how
we would wish to see the future, rather than focusing on the immediate present
or on the historic past, we would be better placed to make it happen.
We can draw inspiration from many sources, including
fiction. For example, I was very inspired by Marge Piercy’s two science-fiction novels, Woman on the Edge
of Time, and the more sophisticated Body of Glass[54]. I recognised in them positive values
and possibilities, and models of how people and communities might address
terrible threats and struggles creatively, while maintaining their own integrity.
Some aspects of these fictional futures may have influenced my subsequent
quest, which led me to Friends; looking at them now, it seems possible that
they were themselves influenced by Quakers.
Drawing
on words given to me long ago, I have a strong sense that “It’ll be OK”, or
as Julian of Norwich wrote, “all will be well”. But I also have a sense that
this depends partly on our willingness to open our eyes and take responsibility
for our future. So how do we go about this?
Acting from the Spirit
‘… Be patterns, be
examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that
your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them;
then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God
in every one. ….’[55]
One of Fox’s key injunctions to the early Quakers was to act:
to do the bidding of the Holy Spirit. Talking was not enough. Actions consistent
with our words and with the leadings we sense in our hearts, is what really
matters. This of course is in line with Jesus’ teachings, which were largely
about how people should behave rather than what they should believe.
It involves letting go of self (or ego), and opening ourselves up to
the transforming power of God, as attested by Friends of all eras. Over time,
this can renew and change us, empowering us to become God’s collaborators
in the ongoing process of creation.
For Quakers, reliance on direct experience, personal discernment
and shared responsibility for corporate discernment and testimony makes this
integrity of action with the rest of our practice critical to the meaning
of our faith. We are a faith of applied mysticism: without the mysticism –
the direct experience of the holy – the action is meaningless; but without
the action our Quaker way is hollow. The two together can set the world alight,
and indeed are the bringing about of the ‘Kingdom of God’, or obedience to
the Holy Spirit, in that little patch of the world, at that moment in time.
How do we strengthen our practice in this respect?
For Quakers our first joint activity is worship. This is at
the core of our spiritual community, but alone it is not enough. We need to
apply our worship, our mystic Way to our lives, and take responsibility for
following through where that leads us.[56] This may seem daunting at times; we may find
ourselves stepping out of regular patterns of behaviour, out of our comfort
zone. For early Quakers, dress codes and forms of speech were often the first
such step.[57] Today, we may find ourselves writing a letter,
attending a vigil, or offering practical or spiritual support to others.[58] These may seem small in the wider scheme of
things, but acting mindfully in small things is of crucial importance: we
have to start from where we are and what we can do. The impact will seldom
be known (though our example may sometimes have a surprisingly powerful effect),
but changing our actions changes us in other ways. Gradually we may come to
recognise that we are potential agents of the Spirit, rather than powerless
little beings.[59]
 |
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| Figure 3a) Holding Spaces | Figure 3b) Energy
Springs |
|
paper collages, 2001 These
simple images are an example of the process that can happen when we
focus on holding a space for the spirit to work through us. They emerged
while I was engaged as a helper at a Quaker event for young people.
I had not been involved in its planning and was uncertain what my role
was – or even whether I had one. So I simply sat upholding those present for
a while, and then surprised myself by using strips of paper near at
hand to make the first, Mondrian-like, image.
I then found myself playing idly with the strips of paper, and as I
folded them, they came to life, asserting a springy energy. The second
image made itself in no time at all. By this time, a number of the young
people around me, who had earlier seemed bored and uncertain, were also
enthusiastically making their own paper creations. I
realised that in the first image I was expressing the need for boundaries
to create a safe space for the work being done. This required great
effort, discipline and groundedness. However
once those boundaries were in place, the materials could be used much
more playfully and could generate lots of energy and creativity. This
often happens when we uphold people prayerfully or engage in Quaker
discernment: out of the silence come new energy and unforeseen possibilities.
Like the narrow strips of paper, we can ourselves be transformed. |
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The role of our community
We cannot do it alone. We need not do it
alone. And we don’t have to do it all! We can use our Quaker community for
learning and to support us in following our faith in our personal lives. It
does that best if we participate actively in it, sharing responsibility for
it and working together. This also helps build and sustain our community itself,
as it creates shared experience as well as achieving external objectives.
As we reflect together we may discover new insights, which may in turn shape
further growth. [60]
Our community can also be a place
to which we can bring matters we are facing up to in our lives. Holding an
issue in prayer in a Meeting for Worship and talking informally to a Quaker
friend about something we are personally concerned with are probably things
that most of us have done many times. But how far do we invite or accept deeper
help or accompaniment, or encourage others to seek it? Formal Meetings for Clearness on matters concerning
particular individuals are relatively rare, and even then we can sometimes
be reluctant to really address the underlying issues.We
are encouraged to “know one another in that which is eternal”[61], so why are we so reluctant to engage with one another in these ways?
Are we afraid of being judged? The only important judge is God, whose
truth we know in our hearts. Really, the comments of others, though they
may hurt, may be helpful if they can help us identify the source of our discomfort.
In any case, Friends are not about passing judgment or telling one another
what to do, as the well-known story about William Penn and his sword illustrates.
Penn didn’t immediately relinquish his sword when he became a Quaker, but
continued to wear it, as was fashionable. When he asked George Fox for his
view on the matter, Fox advised him to “wear it as long as thou canst”. Not
long after this, they met again and Penn was no longer wearing a sword; he
had taken Fox’s advice and worn it as long as he could.[62] By actively cultivating opportunities
to share our concerns with one another, we open ourselves to new possibilities
and are encouraged to move forward in our own good time. We are used to doing
this already as we seek to recognise “that of God” in people, and as we wait
upon the Light in our Meetings for Worship. We can further cultivate spaces
within our community to listen ‘with God’s ears’. Not only will this help
us to discern the leadings of the Spirit in our lives better, it will also
develop our capacity for spiritual listening itself, so that we are able use
our ‘listening way’ beyond the Quaker context.
Holding
spaces
Tilden
Edwards draws a parallel between spiritual directors and doctors. Neither
actually does the healing. Rather, just as a doctor will cleanse a wound and
create the right conditions for the body to heal itself, so a spiritual director
may – through attentive listening appropriate questions, suggestions and prayerful
upholding – create conditions for spiritual healing and development.[63]
Perhaps the greatest gift we have is our practice of
holding quiet spaces for listening to the Spirit, finding new inspiration,
and learning to act on its guidance. This is a practice that I believe we
can and should develop further for ourselves and for the wider world. Through
our discernment processes we can become experienced in letting go of particular
personal hopes (letting go of ego), and in seeking divine guidance for the
whole group. In this way, each person involved is enabled to accept the eventual
outcome provided that the community’s discipline had been maintained. [64]
Chris Cook’s words resonate strongly for
me:
“In the depths of God’s silence
it is possible, safe, necessary, to let go of all images; and out of this
letting go come power and healing. This power and healing Friends are required
to share with the world.” [65]
I believe Quakers have a ministry of
making and holding spaces for the power of love and truth to bear – potentially
on the whole of life. In practice it will take different forms in different
times and places.
- Spaces
to be
We need spaces simply to be. Our Meetings for Worship are a starting point. The space is held by the worshipping community, under our corporate discipline. It is a safe space where we can let go… and let God take charge. We typically come away nurtured, comforted and/or inspired, with dilemmas and concerns mysteriously moved on at some level. We need to continue to uphold and nurture our Meetings for Worship, and seek out new opportunities for worship – at other times and places, including spontaneously, as opportunities arise. Bringing worship into everyday life – such as informally at mealtimes and on an ad hoc basis – helps create a more continuous thread of spiritual life within the wider world. At the same time we should beware of being too attached to continuing Meetings in particular places or times, as circumstances change.
Sometimes we need to deepen our own inner stillness further and make quiet, safe spaces accessible to others. Providing spaces for longer quiet times together or alone is important work and can be demanding. Friends have developed a variety of such spaces in our Local Meetings and other centres. Perhaps we can consider ways of making such spaces more widely accessible in future, but just by simplifying out lives in line with the longstanding Quaker testimony, and making regular spaces in our lives to simply be, not needing to be outwardly busy or possess or do more things, may be an important part of our calling.
- Spaces
for discernment and learning
Our Meetings for Business, for Threshing, Clearness and many of our courses and Meetings for Learning, are spaces in which we practice discernment. Information, prior attitudes and beliefs, may be brought together with personal hopes, fears, interests and emotions. The distinctive practice of deep listening, responding to previous contributions not in words, but in silent, open listening towards the truth, is central.[66] In our Meetings for Business we also focus attention on the matter in hand, and on upholding the clerks as they seek to articulate the ‘sense of the Meeting’. For this process to work well does take preparation and practice; it can be hard not to let the ‘thinking’ part of us get in the way of openness to God’s will. Such corporate discernment works best if there is a sense of spacious discipline in the way the Meeting is held, with plenty of time available, and spoken contributions that are grounded in silent worship.
Participating in such Meetings can be very powerful experiences. If we can apply our discernment practices widely and frequently, our Quakerism is more likely to thrive, and to fulfil its potential in our lives and the wider world. If they really want to understand and live the
The role of residential events in fostering this is very important. Here, people can engage with one another at personal levels, still in the context or a supportive spiritual community. They gain experience in living according to a particular ethic; for example the practice of silent grace at mealtimes, of the opportunity to join together in worship at the beginning and end of each day, and of explicitly Quaker approaches to handling a variety of practical matters. Meeting Friends from other parts of the country allows us to share experience, pose new questions, and gain fresh insights into what Quaker living might mean. In some respects, such encounters have taken over part of the role of travelling ministers in earlier centuries. Their removal from the everyday also allows us to stand back and take time out, returning home with new eyes – and we are often re-energised from the experience.
Of course, we also need spaces to learn about our spiritual traditions, and to learn skills for keeping the Society going, and we are likely to need to develop and update practical skills periodically. Sometimes there may be a distinctive Quaker approach but often we have to go beyond it too. Engaging with different approaches can help us sharpen our own thinking and hone particular skills. As we face the challenges the future is likely to bring, it may be even more important to have spaces for us to develop our vision and to empower us to make far-reaching changes
- Spaces
for nurturing our testimonies
There may be a case for developing opportunities for deeper commitment with strengthened mutual accountability, for those who would like it. It may be difficult to search out the “seeds of war” in how we live our lives, or to attend to “what love requires” of us [67] by ourselves, and we may be able to do it more effectively with loving challenge and support from others over an extended period. I have certainly found this to be the case. For example, meeting with a few Friends from time to time over a couple of years to explore environmental issues has led most of us to make small but significant changes in how we live, and also to some initiatives that were taken up by our Local Meeting as a whole. A committed group can help both in discerning suitable niches for Friends to engage in practical actions in pursuit of our testimonies, and in balancing such opportunities with our other needs and priorities.
Some Friends are already members of intentional communities, whether residential or based wherever people happen to live. The rule of the Iona Community, for example, includes mutual accountability for how people spend their time and money, as well as praying for one another, acting in witness in the World, and meeting together periodically for mutual support, worship and discernment.[68] Many Friends find that their own commitment deepens, and sources of support emerge, when they take on responsibilities within the Society, or through links they make at residential events. However, for some people there may be a place for a longer-term personal commitment to a small group of Friends, who would expect to help one another deepen their Quaker spirituality further, through mutual accountability, challenge and support. This might offer particular riches if those involved in each group didn’t necessarily share theological views or areas of special interest so that everyone concerned would gain fresh perspectives. [69]
- Spaces
for personal accompaniment.
Spiritual accompaniment or direction has been long been an established practice in many faith traditions. Usually, it has been a non-reciprocal accompaniment of one person by another, within a hierarchical relationship, though a wider network of accompaniers is now becoming more common.[70] A number of Friends have become involved in such work, whether purely among Quakers or on an ecumenical basis. It provides regular opportunities for a person to consciously bring their life into an upheld, spiritual space, and helps them voice dis-comforts, recognise gifts, and seek and act on opportunities for growth. Sometimes it is used to find a way through a particularly dark and spiritually dry time, or through acute challenges. It can also be used over a longer period as a way of deepening spiritual growth or sense of journey or pilgrimage, through life.
Such relationships may develop informally among Friends, but a formal commitment can take this further.[71] Having a regular listening space can allow the speaker to really hear what they are saying and to take it deeper, often leaving a session with unexpected new questions to ponder and suggestions to explore. My experience is that this can be a very powerful way of developing consonance between beliefs and actions, by opening up possibilities and allowing space to discern where the real life is. This is an area of work which Friends may be particularly well suited to, through our open and listening discipline.
- Spaces
for reconciliation and healing.
Friends have been active in this area for some time, in areas of international conflict and justice. At more local levels, Quakers were involved in starting community mediation, and many are involved in spiritual healing as well as more mainstream health. We should continue to seek opportunities for possibilities for bringing compassionate listening for truth into different parts of the world, and support such initiatives where possible, to provide spaces for social, spiritual and physical healing and reconciliation.
- Spaces
for living and growing old together
More opportunities to live together, in a variety of arrangements, would be valuable, especially as we grow older. Living alongside others, sharing facilities and some space and activities with them while retaining privacy, is a good way to develop opportunities for mutual support and help rebuild social cohesion. It is also cheaper than living alone, or in self-contained accommodation, and offers opportunities for significant reductions in our carbon footprints. As we look to a future beyond peak oil, choosing to move towards more shared accommodation would be a good direction to go in, and a visible example to others.
There is a particular shortage of suitable accommodation for the elderly in our aging society, and whilst existing communities such as that in Hartrigg Oaks, near
Combining residential accommodation with some rooms that could be used for public worship and other events might even offer a creative solution to some of the challenges of maintaining and managing Meeting Houses. Though substantial investment would be needed there would seem to be scope for drawing in capital by including investment from Friends who might wish to live there, though it would also be desirable to provide some rental accommodation. These ideas are not new: they have already been implemented by other churches in many places, and some have been suggested in the pages of The Friend. They also take much energy and enterprise to get off the ground. However, when we review our assets more widely, it would be helpful to actively bear in mind such possibilities.
·
Spaces for mourning and letting go
Quaker funerals are
wonderful events. We are able to celebrate that of God in the deceased, and
to provide space for mourning as well as celebration. These are important
in accepting the death, and in being able to continue living with a deepened
appreciation of the person who has died. The death of others also reminds
us of our own mortality and can cause us to review what we really value in
our own lives.
I suspect that there will be an increased need for spaces for facing death
and loss in the coming years. Already issues of prolonging life among those
ready to die and facing terminal illness are of great concern. In the context
of an aging population, global warming and pressure on costs, these questions
will be posed more sharply. Can we create spaces for spiritual, life-enhancing
values to inform the debate and decision-making?
·
Spaces
for connecting with nature
We will not save what we do not love. It is partly because we humans have
largely lost our intimacy with nature that we have destroyed it to such an
extent. It follows that part of the solution is to regain such intimacy. We know from experience how important nature
is in healing and re-energising ourselves; we seek open countryside, seas
or mountains for re-creation and holidays, and enjoy bird-watching, rambling,
landscape or nature painting. We enjoy the activity and physical disciplines
of sport, cycling and meditation – and part of this is because they help us
to become more fully present in and aware of our physical bodies. As we tend
flowers, prune hedges, cultivate allotments, and cook fresh food, we also
reconnect with nature and come to respect and appreciate it more fully. Even
just watching and listening to the natural world we are remaking our connections
with it, and with the creative spirit behind it. In other words, Nature can
reveal God to us.
Making deeper connections with nature can help build our awareness of our
own place within the interconnected web of life, and complements learning
about it in other ways. Making times and places to nurture and celebrate these
connections and the glories in the world around us may also be part of our
calling. Giving regular thanks is healing and creates joy, and can help sustain
us and others in the face of difficulties.[72]
It may be helpful to provide spaces for people to work in spiritual ways specifically
on issues to do with climate change and its consequences.
Simply providing protected space for withdrawal and extended contemplation
can be a valuable contribution. People may also need spaces to help them examine
and face up to particular challenges – whether it is the implications of making
changes to lifestyles – (letting go of go of our cars, or acknowledging that
air travel will no longer be right, affordable or possible), or whether it
is the aftermath of a tragedy connected with climate change. Some of these
changes will be difficult, and may have implications for maintaining our links
with people dear to us. Taking time for an inward sacrament of letting go
may help to provide healing and opportunities for new growth.
- Spaces
for developing our visions
This can be done in many ways and at many levels. The present essay competition and the planned seminar are good examples. Analysis and imagination are important ingredients in developing ideas and visions for the future, and sometimes we need to take the time to work these up in some depth. Spaces for all of us to engage in developing our visions with other people are also valuable, including opportunities to bounce ideas off one another without criticising them at the outset as unfeasible. Some of this could be very playful, using theatre, games and the arts. Drawing in people from different cultural backgrounds and with different expertise would also be valuable at times; the Friends World Committee for Consultation might play a valuable part in linking up Friends in Britain and elsewhere as we develop visions for a more sustainable and spirit-based future, in our interdependent world community.
We can also draw inspiration from others. For example some modern monastic communities have developed radical responses to the degradation of the environment, often combined with an extension of the Christian theology of redemption and resurrection.[73] Other communities, grounded in a variety of spiritual or philosophical traditions, have developed their own healing approaches to living in tune with nature. Together with more technically-oriented centres and a variety of intentional communities, small groups and individuals, these provide a wide range of models, expertise, experience and inspiration, which can be learned from in future.
- Physical
spaces
Physical spaces are important too. Our Meeting Houses and other buildings and gardens not only provide space for our worship and other work but also provide spiritual and practical hospitality for others. They can be important facilities and part of our witness, if truly spirit-led. Regular review of our stewardship is needed if we are to ensure we are
making right use of time, money and natural
resources.
Physical spaces can also be windows for the Spirit – ‘thin places’ (as Celtic
tradition would call them) between the material world and the spiritual one.
The recent initiative to make more of our gardens available as quiet spaces
in a busy world is helpful in this respect, providing places where people
can connect with nature and eternity. Similarly, the growth in expressing
aspects of Quakerism through the visual arts is very positive[74]. Images – whether paintings, photographs, in
dance or in words – can connect us with the spiritual and help it become more
central in our everyday lives. Personal
‘icons’ or talismans can help us to centre down when alone, and providing
these (or simply a candle or flower) can be important in keeping us connected
to the sprit in different places through the week.
·
Spaces in everyday life.
As well as holding larger spaces for particular purposes, we should also try
more actively to build quiet times and mindfulness into our everyday lives,
as suggested by Advices & Queries. For
some, this may mean regular times for meditation and prayer, but we can also
learn much from Buddhists and others about the practice of mindfulness. Over
time such habits can transform boring chores in to prayerful acts of service,
and deepen our awareness of our interconnectedness with others and with nature.
If we find particular practices that are helpful to us and make them
our regular practice, this can transform our inner lives.
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Figure 4) A Quaker Hymnal Artist’s
book, handmade paper, 2009 Sometimes
I have imagined the Meeting as a book of silence – we are reaching towards
the centre of the silence, unreadable pages which are imbued with meaning
and power. The pages themselves spring out from that tightly-bound centre.
Occasionally, a few words will emerge from the silent pages, and then
recede back into it. We each see different pages and different meanings,
and all are part of a mystery. The paper
in this artist’s book was made out of sheets of an old hymn book, which
had otherwise been damaged beyond repair: it was no longer fit for purpose.
I like the fact that others have prayed with it before, and that I have
made a new form from these old prayers. If you look closely, you can
discern some favourite phrases and tunes emerging from the emptiness,
rather like words emerge from the silence in Meeting for Worship. The
book also retains mystery; it can’t be opened out flat. The pages are
interspersed with tiny prayer beads and held in a delicate tension.
This creates space in a new dimension, is open and full of life, yet
draws the viewer’s attention towards the quiet space. When
closed, the book is kept in a book box made in traditional Japanese
style. It is lightweight, strong and unobtrusive, covered in its black
silk cloth and paper, and closed with bone clasps. It is very portable
and can opened up to create a focus for contemplation or worship anywhere.
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Expressing our faith
We
also need to find ways of articulating our beliefs, and the principles underlying
our actions. This is crucial to maintain our own confidence and also for explaining
our faith and actions to others – to newcomers, children and to those outside
the Society. Again, this is an ongoing
process. As well as using words, the arts, the way we work with land, with
people and with technology can all be expressions of our faith.
We
should not be afraid of reclaiming religious and spiritual language, using
it to express what we want to say, nor from using language from other contexts
(such as psychology) where appropriate. Our
relationships with one another and with the truth are also expressions of
our relationship with the Divine. As we practice our relationship with God, and with one another in our community, this may help us
learn new ways of being and acting, consonantly with our values and testimonies
which we can extend this to our relationship in the wider world.
Corporate
statements are also important. Words agreed at a gathered business meeting
can have particular power to inspire and challenge us, especially if there
has been a process of wider discernment across the Society, as we know from
our Advices & Queries. Policy statements, such as Our values and the Environment recently prepared by the Head of Hospitality
and Facilities at Friends House[75],
can also offer guidance and provide helpful examples. We might at some stage
find it helpful to develop a short, positive statement along the lines of
Australia Yearly Meeting’s This we can
say. [76]
Attention to young people.
Children
and young people should be regarded as among our greatest assets. Among the
qualities of children are innocence, openness, receptivity, trust and humility.
They often see things clearly and are more open to new ways, as they are less
burdened by old habits and prior commitments. Their questions can be searching
and their idealism inspiring and energising, even if it sometimes needs to
be tempered with wise questions and the experience of others. Of course the
future concerns them most directly. Investing in our young people helps both
them and the future of Quakerism.
To
be successful we need to be able to talk with children at their own level,
and to respect them as individuals. A central part of our Ministry to our
children – and theirs to us – is the sharing of our enthusiasms, experience
and understanding, in whatever form seems right. Some older Friends may be
intimidated by unfamiliar styles of language and behaviour from those in their
teens or twenties. This may be mutual, and it can be damaging. Indeed it seems
that sometimes their very youth has blinded some older Friends to seeing and
welcoming younger ones as individuals; in turn this has occasionally put them
off coming to Meeting in a new area. [77]
Through
the residential events for young people held at national and regional levels,
we are already providing wonderful opportunities for them to develop and exercise
skills for corporate discernment and for practising, modelling and celebrating
our
Working
with our neighbours
Unlike
early Friends, Quakers today no longer believe that we have a monopoly on
religious Truth. It would be truer to say that many or most British Friends
would accept that by definition God and the spiritual realm are never fully
knowable or describable , and that we find great
value in exploring spiritual traditions other than our own. We can also use
skills and practices developed elsewhere to help us deepen our worship - or
contemplation and to develop our worldly engagement. We can also gain new
understanding about the distinctiveness of our own faith when we talk about
it with non-Quakers.
Our
numbers are such that great discernment is needed in considering appropriate
niches for our work of witness in the world. We can be at our best in creating
opportunities for a mixed group of people to come together: we can model respect
for varied contributions and perspectives, facilitate dialogue, and offer
silence and time for reflection at appropriate times. Similarly, our experience
of discernment in Quaker contexts, and of plain speaking and simplicity, often
mean that we are well placed to help find ways forward in new situations.
Many
Friends have recently played key roles in developing more sustainable local
communities, through the Transition Towns movement for example[79],
and this could be further developed. If we work closely with our neighbours,
it keeps us open to new ideas, offers learning and outreach opportunities
for us, and helps develop the community around us.
Continuing review and reflection
New
issues will continue to arise for us in our work, our community, our homes
or the wider world. For example we may feel uncomfortable about work we are
asked to do, or a particular way of treating someone. When John Woolman
voiced his unease at being asked by a neighbour to draw up a bill of sale
for a slave, that not only set off a powerful train
of effects on his own life but also influenced his neighbour.[80]
Voicing such discomfort is valuable, even if we don’t have a ‘solution’; it
opens up the possible search for a better way, and often finds echoes in those
around us, even though we may never know the effects.
In
general, a community needs to be constantly in the process of being re-created
if it is to thrive [81],
and the continuous process of action, reflection, learning, expressing and
action (not necessarily always in that order and often at the same time) is
an inherent part of the Quaker Way. The regular revision of our Book of Discipline is one example of this,
and Quaker Faith and Practice recommends regular reviews
of aspects of our local meeting communities and personal lives. This is not
always done in great depth but sometimes it is very helpful indeed to take
time out for deeper reflection, to take stock and to nurture our own spiritual
life and community.
In
Woman on the Edge of Time, Marge Piercy’s
main protagonist is in communication with two competing futures which are
at war with each other. Decisions she makes in her own ‘small’ life influence
the balance of power between these far-future worlds (or the probabilities
of them happening).
So
it is for us; small actions may have significant results, some time ahead.
In many respects British Quakers are well placed to face the future. We have
a tried and tested method of bringing spiritual light to bear on the any issue.
If we are able to hold and develop spaces for the Spirit to work through us,
and bring them to a wider audience,
adapting our central insights and practices as appropriate without diluting
the core of our the Quaker Way, then Quakerism in Britain will thrive a little
longer. It will also be able to make an effective contribution to bringing
healing to the world. If not, we will be an irrelevance and future generations
may be left with a few old buildings and some books.
What really matters here
is the work of the Spirit: the Religious Society of Friends is in one sense
merely a means to an end. It is only a small part of Creation. It needs to
be a humble part, recognising our interdependence with the rest of the Web
of Life. But it is also an important
and distinctive one, not just for its members, but potentially much more widely.
We need to use heads and hands and hearts in the service of the Spirit, and
engage squarely with the Great Work of building the Kingdom of God – or spirit-led
lives, not forgetting our own use of natural resources and the wider environmental
challenges. If we fail to tackle these issues, what will that say about our
love for truth, for the poor of today, and for generations to come?
Taking action is
often important in itself: we don’t have to know all the answers before making
a start. The first step for many may be to start considering these issues
prayerfully with a small group of Friends, or in our personal prayer or spiritual
times – writing, walking, weeding or simply sitting. However it is important
to respond and to take other actions, large or small, as opportunities arise.
We may be called to learn to ride a bike, to write a letter, go on a course,
change our diet or examine our living arrangements. The next steps will become clear as we seek them, and
help will appear when we need it (if we are open to receiving it) – though
perhaps in a surprising form! This path may be demanding, requiring energy
and effort, and will involve difficult choices in how we spend our time and
money. But there is nothing more joyful and life-enhancing than living in
consonance with the Truth and with our deepest values, especially if we are
part of a community doing this together.
The choice
is ours. Are we willing, as Friends, to create and hold the spaces in our
lives and our World for the Spirit of Love and Truth? Will we act from its
leadings? There is nobody else to do it for us.
 |
|
Figure 5) Chiming Paper
collage, 2003, This
word collage was made at the close of a day workshop reflecting on themes
of turning points in life’s pilgrimage, using instructions from the
Appleseed Workbook. (Cook and Heales,2001,
p127.) The poem followed soon after. CHIMING A
clapper sounds The
silence instantly transformed By
the bell’s calling, Echoing
inwardly and out: Something heard. Each
flag unique Along
a pilgrim’s way: Each
step a turning–point with its own timbre; Touched
and trodden. Something lived. My
path a map of many colours; Beacons
emerging from a sheet of life, Each
torn-out space a window for new Light A crazy peal, rejoicing. Beckoning on. |