A Quaker Halloween

It's a strange idea, isn't it? After all, the traditional Quaker testimony against keeping of times and seasons holds that there is no spiritual significance to any day. Quakers do not, traditionally, take liturgical notice of Christian seasons and festivals, be it Lent or Advent, Easter or Christmas. How then can we have a Quaker Halloween, a festival that is now of limited liturgical significance even to mainstream Christian churches.

There's more to Halloween than the lack of liturgical significance, however, and more to Quaker approaches to Christmas and Easter than their lack of liturgical significance for us. The important aspect of many of these festivals is now, in the global economic north, cultural. Practising members of many faiths will celebrate elements of such holidays, giving presents and attending parties.

Quaker Exotericism

There's a word in the title of this post that most readers probably won't be familiar with. So, let's clear that up first. Exoteric is simply the converse of esoteric – where the latter refers to things that are secret, or meaningful only to a select audience, possibly highly theoretical, the former refers to things that are for a general or universal audience. I suppose that, in wider use of the English language, there is a cultural assumption of exotericism, so only the esoteric needs to be referred to as such. However, it becomes clear as one spends time among Quakers that, in practice, our discourse and our activities are not really exoteric.

A recent piece of written ministry on this blog suggests that this is not essential to Quaker practice or theory; that our spiritual life should be accessible to all, not without effort but, perhaps, without bewilderment. And yet we have our own peculiar language, our own idioms, largely made up of relatively normal words being used in our own unique ways. This leading to bewilderment of newcomers or visitors is hardly surprising.

On Reliance On The Spirit

The Spirit is wonderful, marvellous, awesome – very much in the truest senses of those words. It astounds us, surprises us, fills us with wonder; we marvel at the things we can achieve with its assistance; we stand in awe of the things we are shown in its power.

What Is Ministry?

One of the hardest things, in my experience, about trying to explain Quaker practice to those unfamiliar with it, is getting down and detailed about Meeting for Worship. Okay, so we sit in silence, and wait for the spirit to move someone to speak; that much sounds simple. I've written before, in some detail, with thoughts on how to tell if the spirit is moving you to speak. After that, though, once someone is speaking, how do we understand what has been said in that spoken ministry? Even assuming that everyone who stands to speak is genuinely moved to speak, there are several ways to think about this.

The most obvious one is at one extreme, that these are genuine, literal messages from God/the Spirit/the Divine/whatever you're calling it. That the words themselves are chosen for you, and the speaker is merely a conduit, with no responsibility for what is said. At the opposite extreme, perhaps the Spirit only gives the germ of an idea, and the compulsion to share it. Then the words are the choice of the person speaking, as they try to express an idea, possibly a very nebulous idea, that has been placed into their mind. I have spoken to Friends who view ministry at each of those extremes.

As is usually the case, however, when there are extreme points of view, there's also the possibility of ideas that lie between them. I suspect that most Friends lie somewhere in that in-between space, as indeed do I, but there's a lot of variation possible. Ultimately, however, all such positions amount to something of the form that ministry is a collaboration between the individual and the Spirit.

What #MeToo Should Mean to Quaker Communities

I am grateful for the feedback on an early draft of this post that I received from women friends.

Accusations of, to put it excessively mildly, inappropriate behaviour on the part of a Hollywood bigwig were made in public. People, quite rightly, rushed to support those making the accusations. Other people came forward with their own stories of attacks and harassment by the same man.

It's not the first time it's happened. It won't be the last. Similar things have happened and will continue to happen in many different contexts, especially where there are individuals seen as too talented, important or powerful to assail. This isn't just about films; it can happen in universities, in hospitals, in big business. In a sense, this time isn't particularly special, when considered with all of the others. However, this time there seems to have been a little more success in taking the opportunity to raise awareness of the ubiquitous nature of sexual harassment and assault in our culture. Women (and girls) everywhere are posting “Me Too” on social media. Statistics and psychology suggest that plenty of women who have had such experiences aren't sharing, on top of those who are. People are noticing – perhaps not as many as one might hope, but they are noticing. Social media posts and web pages are going viral with advice to men on how they can help deal with this endemic cultural problem; of course, they attract trolls to their comments, and perhaps some sincere but clueless guys as well. They respond to these suggestions of how men could help, and they seem to feel that we, men, are being victimised by such advice. That singling out men as needing to take certain steps is unfair, even discriminatory. I don't know how to make them learn. I'll admit that I was once a clueless guy, though maybe not that clueless, and I'm forever grateful to the women who persisted in helping me learn, perhaps sensing that there was a sincere desire to “get it”; I'm still working on getting there.

Look Beyond

You are not a Quaker because you are special.
It does not take any special ability or quality to live among Friends.
If your expressions of the Spirit are hard to understand,
That says more about you than it does the Spirit.

Everyone can understand the Light within,
Even if they cannot understand your description of it.

Everyone can learn to heed the prompting of the Divine,
Even if they cannot describe it in the terms you think proper.

The Quaker Way is not for all, but it is for all sorts.
No formal education or intellectual development prepares you,
To better apprehend what Love requires.
If your Meetings cannot show that power,
To the factory worker and street sweeper,
That is your failing, and not theirs.

But quiet your protestation.
Nor should you rush to guilt.
This is not to call you to tear down your house,
To build a new one that is without fault.
It is not to shame you
Or diminish you.

This is a call to wake up,
To look beyond your comfortable world,
Of people like you.

Written October 2017

Improving Business: Threshing

At least here in Britain, it is commonplace that Friends are concerned about the quality of their business method. Contributions being focussed ministry, rather than personal commentary; sufficient time before contributions for reflection; ministry remaining sufficiently on-topic. The reasons for concern are manifold.

It is my experience that one of the major causes of poorly-run business is poor preparation. An item may be presented poorly, so that the meeting isn't clear what decision it is being asked to make, or doesn't have information vital to making that decision. Friends may be overloaded with information, more than they can take it being presented all at once; if the information had been provided in advance of the meeting, and they had read it, it would be more readily digested and understood, to be utilised in discernment. Perhaps an item is presented my multiple Friends, and they are inconsistent between them about the nature or detail of the matter before the meeting.

There are times, however, when the preparation that is needed is not in terms of presentation or absorption of information. Sometimes, a Meeting – made up of individuals – needs to be prepared in a deeper sense. On a complex or contentious issue, it is hard for a meeting to come to a decision readily even with all of the information available and understood. If there are too many options, it is easy for ministry to become bogged down and not show a clear path between them – though I have witnessed meetings where there was such an open question, and ministry did quickly show a clear path, I have witnessed far more where ministry meandered and no decision was recorded.

The Need for Constant Rediscovery

As Quakers, we have a wonderful, rich history, full of learning. We have discovered principles and practices that guide us in our spiritual life and our secular life; indeed, ideally the two should become increasingly indistinguishable. There a centuries of Quaker writing to inform and edify.

And yet the very start of the Quaker story was railing against empty forms and notions. The idea that confession of the creed and going through the motions at church weren't enough, not even for those who tried to live virtuously and believed sincerely. Today, we wouldn't make a blanket assertion of this, but it is our experience for ourselves that true religious experience derives only from seeking to know the Divine for ourselves, and acting in the world out of sincere conviction stemming from this knowledge – not from acceptance of knowledge and teachings received from others, however wise and insightful. The story of Penn's Sword, however dubious its historicity, is an illustration of this principle; while wearing a sword was contrary to Quaker testimony, Fox did not urge Penn to abandon it until it was a matter of personal conviction for him. Even as a parable, this story is a great illustration of this principle, along with the complementary fact that, if we are open to it, the Spirit can transform us.

Standing Up for Quaker Mysticism

“Mysticism”. It's an odd word. You think of “mystic” as a noun, and you might get a lot of odd mental images – fakirs and gurus, new age crystal-power proponents in billowing robe-like dresses, and maybe, if you happen to know about them, perhaps Christian ascetics on pillars in the desert. You will find people talking about the Religious Society of Friends as a mystical tradition, but rarely and obliquely in our official literature. Are we mystical, and if so, why don't we talk about it much?

A good starting point, that may say much about the matter, is consider the general meanings attributed to “mysticism”. Those found in online references fall largely into two areas. The first is that union with God/the Divine/whatever, or otherwise hidden insights, are attainable through contemplation, meditation, self-surrender and so forth. The second, more disparaging sense refers to vague or ill-defined belief, including in the popular supernatural or stereotypical occult. One can clearly see in the first definition why Quaker tradition, especially in the unprogrammed traditions, might be considered mystical, and just as clearly in the second definition why Friends might be reluctant to use it.

Outward Silence, Inward Silence

Silence is a deep part of Quaker tradition. The early Friends met in silence, waiting upon the Spirit, and so we meet today. But the silence is the means, not the end; contact with the Divine is the hope, the aspiration, the goal of Quaker worship. The outward silence is a tool; stillness and absence of distraction makes it easier to reach that place inside you where that eternal and universal Presence that binds and strengthens us all can be known.

Do not rely on the outward silence. Cultivate the inward silence. Learn your way to that feeling within, where you connect to the Presence, where you know the Spirit, where you realise your nature as part of the Divine. Then you can know that life and power wherever you are and whatever you face, be guided by and strengthened by it, and doubts and fears will cease to control you.

Written October 2017

I Look To The Future

I look to the future of the Society of Friends. I see a thriving community of faith, where a great range of experience, of thought, of ideas are share. I see all celebrating the experience of each other, expressed authentically in the terms that fit that experience. I see each offering received in the sense in which it is offered, and difference a source of joy, celebration, and learning. I see a force for good in the world, speaking truth to power, uplifting the downtrodden and including the excluded. A voice in the wilderness crying out and being heard.

But I also see a community divided and dwindling, self-righteous, homogeneous and ageing. I see Friends become enemies, jealously guarding their own conceptions and sure of the superiority of their experience. A Society consumed more with its inward concerns, having been consumed by its inward turmoil. A Society that still cares for the outer world, but robbed of the power to speak to it, to act in it effectively. A voice in the wilderness muted and forgotten.

No future is real until it is reached, and thus both of these future lie before us now. Our Religious Society strides on, not knowing where it will reach; a hundred small decisions will bring us to the future we choose, even if that choice is made blindly.

For as I see these futures, as clear views of hilltops in the distance, I cannot see the streams and forests and valleys between where we are now, and where we might be. Yet setting our sights upon the future we would reach, and listening to the promptings of love and truth in our hearts, we may find our way to the future we desire. Trusting in that which guides us, and in our fellow travellers, we may together reach a fruitful destination. Distrust and contention are natural, and unavoidable, yet I feel in my heart that it is those that will, unchecked and unmanaged, lead us to the future we would choose to avoid.

Written October 2017

Money (It's a Gas)

It's something Quakers, it seems, don't like to talk about very much. Our personal circumstances especially, but I've even found that we tend to be reluctant to get into too much detail about our organisational finances unless we really need to. Anyway, it's personal circumstances that come into this post.

A lot of Quaker bloggers out there are either retired, or blogging in their spare time while earning from a day job – or even being able to blog in relation to their day job, if they are in a Quaker-related job. I'm not in that position. Indeed, due to various circumstances, I am reliant on state support. While I do various things self-employed, this doesn't earn enough to live on. There is a pretty decent system of support in this situation. Or there was. It's being taken down and replaced with a much worse system, but that is (for now) fortunately not a current issue for me. However, to get the support I do get, I need to be able to demonstrate that I spend my time on things that could plausibly make me money to live on. Not all my time, but enough of it.

Pantheons and Archetypes

Quaker tradition is rooted in, incontrovertibly derives from, Christian tradition. Much of our traditional language was alien to Christians of the time, but likewise much of it was reassuring and familiar, and many Quaker concepts derive directly from biblical sources – albeit rather unconventional interpretations of them. However, especially in the liberal branch of the worldwide Quaker family, we have also added insights, ideas and language from other traditions. Those that, in my experience, have most permeated British Quakerism in terms of language would be from Buddhism. “Mindful”, and words related to it, would seem a key example; these seem to drop from Quaker lips as readily as Christian references, and the practice of mindfulness has Buddhist roots, as well as being very much in vogue in the world of mental health and well-being. Other south Asian traditions get a look in as well, and there's a fair amount of non-specific nature-worship related ideas and language as well.

In this post, however, I will be focussing on the idea of pantheon-based faiths, and what we could draw from them. This isn't an area I hear or read much about in Quaker thought, but it often comes to mind for me. Of course, I live with someone who was massively into ancient Greek and Roman (mostly Roman) culture and mythology when she was a kid, and I have many friends and acquaintances who identify with or practice various neo-pagan faiths, so that may not be a surprise.

This is going to get a bit rambling, but please bear with me – it does all come around to add up to something in the end.