Celebration of Light 2014

We are now in our seventh year
Celebration of Light

 

This is the seventh year that Quakers have organised this event for the people in Wellington and beyond. It is intended as a secular event.  The Peace garden which is used as a quiet place to sit and reflect in The Quaker Meeting House Wellington ( next door to the One Shop), is transformed by greenery and hundreds of tiny candlelit lanterns. People who know about it come back year on year.  We intend it as an alternative Christmas Celebration, that of appreciating light in the darkness and the silence. ( there is little light pollution in the Quaker Peace Garden ).  Children are often overawed by the experience. We invite peopled to come and look on the same day the lights are switched on in Wellington , Nov 22. The lit garden is open on three more dates Nov 26 Dec 3 and Dec 10th Children are particularly welcome One of the features is to walk the spiral of light and perhaps reflect on the non commercial meaning of Christmas and our love for one another and all living things including our own planet.

This year Jan Copley gave a storytelling session of "The Snow Queen".  With music session from Gibby Swain.  Here are some photos:

Free book featuring Quaker beliefs

For a free ebook "Christmas and Miss Flimp"
https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=zoe+ainsworth-grigg

C is for Christmas and the Celebration of Light

Yes it's November and I am talking about Christmas.   the Quaker commitment to our event The Celebration of Light.

If you have never experienced or helped with this event yet, please consider coming

There is :experience the Peace garden lit with hundreds of small candles
                same with craft for children
                the same with storytelling and music making for the children
                the same with craft for the children

There is also refreshments for adults and children

This event is entirely free and supported by Wellington Quaker Meeting and the Area Meeting Members

Take a look at last year's preparations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3NuWgY8EQw

Celebration of Light

 

Quakers have organised this event for the people in Wellington and beyond. It is intended as a secular event.  The Peace garden which is used as a quiet place to sit and reflect in The Quaker Meeting House Wellington ( next door to the One Shop), is transformed by greenery and hundreds of tiny candlelit lanterns. People who know about it come back year on year.  We intend it as an alternative Christmas Celebration, that of appreciating light in the darkness and the silence. ( there is little light pollution in the Quaker Peace Garden ).  Children are often overawed by the experience. We invite peopled to come and look on the same day the lights are switched on in Wellington ,  Children are particularly welcome One of the features is to walk the spiral of light and perhaps reflect on the non commercial meaning of Christmas and our love for one another and all living things including our own planet.

 

Children and the Celebration of Light

 

We have various things to interest the children

Nov 26th there will be craft and free coffee and tea for parents.  Craft will be making Christmas decorations using mirror card.

 

Dec 3rd there is storytelling and music which the children are invited to join in the music making. This year the story is Hans Christian Anderson's" the Snow Queen." Many children are familiar with the film Frozen. Frozen was derived from this story and it is a lovely story. HCA wrote stories of hope and love.

 

I shall also be reading my story available on my website, www.zoe ainworthgriggbooks.com It will be about "The Fabulous Miss Flimp" with free illustrations by Sue Hammond Lovatt to colour  of Miss Flimp in a fairy  dress.

For a free ebook "Christmas and Miss Flimp"
https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=zoe+ainsworth-grigg
 

B for Bread and butter pudding,burgers,bangers,BBQ's and banquets

One of the most pleasurable things that we can do as Quakers is to offer our F/friendship and hospitality.

" Do you recognise the needs and gifts of each member of your family and household, not forgetting your own? Try to make your home a place of loving friendship and enjoyment, where all who live or visit may find the peace and refreshment of God's presence." A&Q 26

Now we have an opportunity to raise money for our new Meeting House in Taunton

 (http://youtu.be/7yEq7hmx6Ts)

through the enterprising site with the link below, and have an enjoyable social experience as well. Do join us by inviting people to dine, breakfast or lunch and sending them the site link.  There are recipes on the site too. Why not throw a Christmas or New Year Party?

http://www.dinner4good.com/WestSomersetQuakers

All money raised at this crucial time will be warmly received .  We have money towards the project of £750,000 plus to datea nd we need the last £25,000 to make our vision for the future become a reality.

A is for Action

How do Quakers take action to increase our decreasing numbers? Here in Somerset we have problems of declining numbers and our Meetings are getting statistically older.

We have embarked on a very ambitious project.  We want to refashion Taunton Meeting House so that it is an example of sustainability within the community.  We also want to encourage young people to use our facilities as well as welcoming our established friends who already use our building.

We are nearly at the threshold of this exciting adventure and we need the last £25,000. We already have raised £500,000 plus and have more money pledged.We urgently need this money to go ahead after three years of fundraising. Can you help by donating just a little?

https://www.fundsurfer.com/project/QuakerMeetingHouse

Take a look at our plans as I am sure you will be impressed.

http://youtu.be/7yEq7hmx6Ts

Z is for Zen

“I'm simply saying that there is a way to be sane. I'm saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you. Just by being a simple witness of your thought processes.

It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.

It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.

And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty.

That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being.”
― Osho

Of course in Zen Buddhism there is no God, only the space of the Universe. But I am very grateful for having been taught how to meditate by Zen Buddhists.

To be in the Quaker Meeting and be a silent witness and to watch thought is to be open to God. It is through this discipline that I have found God.

I am also grateful to Felicity Kaal who talked about mother religious language. Mine is Christianity.  I do not want to become a Buddhist, I am beginning to accept my Christianity. I don't think I will be ever comfortable with the word Christ but I have joined the Contemplative Christian website and get a daily devotional text. I am becoming whole.

I include an example of my meditation text for today.

I greet this final day of September with the wish to be filled with Grace that leads to miracles of love.

In recognizing I am an embodied vessel of Spirit, I discover joy in the giving and gratitude in the receiving.

Amen

Y for Young People's Meeting at Taunton

These are some of our children at a breakfast party building a bug hotel which was their idea. The two boys from the left have been coming to Taunton since they were babes in arms.

Do not think if you are a Meeting which is elderly that you cannot engage with children.

We had two families who had baby boys.  So I persuaded the Meeting to start a children's meeting.  The parents and babies came and lay on a blanket and looked at one another and gradually started to play with one another and the babies came into the Meeting for ten minutes. The parents also gained friendship. The boys are now six years old and the children's meeting has between two and six attenders who come when and if they can.

Do not be down hearted.  Modern families have many stresses and we as grandparents can be there for them.

Another way to engage was through holding a Peace Party at Quaker Week and inviting shopping families to take a break with free coffee, tea and juice and activities.

We made white doves, planted bulbs, decorated cup cakes and had a good time.  Who knows where these efforts will percolate to. And as Grandparents we thoroughly enjoyed our time with the children in Taunton.

Another outreach idea was to raise a collection at Meeting in order to give a "Conscience" or "Conviction" packs Commemorating WW1 from QPSW Friends House to all schools in our area totaling £180.  Some of the retired teachers in our Meeting introduced them personally to the schools. Again we shall not really know the influence, if at all, of this initiative.  However we feel that we need to engage with young people in any way possible for the future.

For more about our Meeting go to

 www.westsomersetquakers.org.uk

X for Excerpt

The  Meeting for Clearness

Charlotte took two deep breaths and entered the room.

They all sat in a small circle and started with a silence that lasted 10-15 minutes.  Then Charlotte said how upset she had been to witness the scene of Sean with another woman not suspecting such a thing could happen in their relationship.

As she sat in the group and felt the agitation gradually receding, she was after all among Friends. Sean was his most agreeable, charming self as though nothing had occurred of any significance.  It was only she who had this tumult of emotions, these angry feelings which possessed her like a cruel joke.

Everyone was invited to speak.  How had she become so embroiled in this conflict situation?

She explained how she had thought she was in a committed relationship with Sean, that as a couple she expected him to be respectful with her and not be intimate with other women.  Sean said that he had lots of women friends, that he was very fond of Charlotte and had always tried to be supportive.

“I never lied Charlotte.  You would like Cindy.  She has had such a bad time.  Her father is such a bully and violent.”

Charlotte looked at him. Good Grief! How could he say such a thing? He hadn’t a clue had he?

For charlotte the waking up to the real situation was painful.  She realised that it was she who had made assumptions about her relationship with Sean.  He was, is now, a nice man but not for her. She wanted permanence for herself and her son. Sean just couldn’t adhere to that.  It was not in his nature. He breezed through life, not putting down roots.  It wasn’t that he didn’t care, he certainly did, but commitment to one situation or person was an alien concept.

In the silence she suddenly saw him, he didn’t have the same code of conduct that she had. He was a supportive man.  Then she had another thought. Were her expectations too high? Had she projected onto him a relationship that was her fantasy? With her own realisation came a clarity of mind, and a release not just for her but for him.

She looked at him and in a spirit of Loving Kindness she hoped he would meet a woman that would blow him away and fulfil him, so that his need to be needed wasn’t a problem in his life.

And as gradually Charlotte’s mind gained clarity, she was calm.  “So this is being in the Light” she thought. Quietly she said,

“Sean, I understand.  I wish you well, and I hope we can be friends from now on.”

Sean looked relieved. There was a collective sigh.

There was an intense silence as the group of Friends listened to this ministry and were together in Spirit. After a while, the Elder shook hands and everyone shook hands and the Meeting closed.

“So this is Peace,” Charlotte thought.

It wasn’t exciting or mind blowing or any kind of revelation.  It was a sense of belonging, of being held and contentment and a feeling of being able to carry on.  There was a sense of freedom, of being enabled.  Was this God, was God present?  She still didn’t know.  But she knew she was a Quaker and she was willing to serve if they needed her.

  read this fascinating love story and be prepared for tears.

"Romance Times Two"  at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N366TBC/