Happy Monday, everyone!
I’ve recently relocated to a new part of England, and have spent the last few days walking around and getting my bearings. And yesterday, being Sunday, I wandered my way into the closest Quaker Meeting House. Although, I must say that the enthusiasm with which they brought out their visitors’ book for me to sign was slightly entertaining – turns out they hadn’t had a new face since April 2017! (I have attended three different Meeting Houses since then.)
As I briefly mentioned in my first post, I identify as a Wiccan Quaker, which, I appreciate, is a rather individual belief. Although, to be honest, I think that a lot of modern Quakerism is constructed of a large range of diverse individual beliefs and spiritual backgrounds, which are all brought together by the commonality of a shared bond in the Quaker way of life.
In general, we all accept that we see the same light, but also that each of us can interpret it in different ways. For traditional Quakers, this is connected with the God of Christianity; for Wiccan Quakers, like myself (others do exist, I swear), the light is seen as the energy of the universe and nature, and of the Triple Goddess; and others who are spiritual, but might not identify with any specific religious beliefs, may see the light as more of a scientific, yet unexplained, energy of what keeps the cosmos in motion.
For me, Quakerism symbolizes humanity. I am a firm believer in the Quaker values of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship (SPICES), and do my best to live my life with these values in mind. I also find that living my life this way can have a very calming effect.
The last time I ended up hospitalized for a few days, I found myself reading through the little Advices & Queries booklet that lives in my handbag, and I found this to be something that provided me with a much-needed sense of clarity. The rows that I’ve highlighted in there over the past few years still hold the same power to me now as they always have, and I suspect, always will.
*edited repost from original website