U for Unity Chapter Two

Area Meeting

Well, I went with my heavy heart and someone spoke to my condition.  Her name was Felicity Kaal and she came to give a workshop on using language to decribe our Quaker experience.

Quotation

"We Quakers call ourselves an experience-based religion.  Our central source of guidance is our direct experience as practiced in meeting for worship and meeting fr worship for business, where we step aside from our personal egos and connect with something greater. We all have our own conception of something greater. "

I use the term " Inward Light"

We all experience the inward light differently

The Witness, higher self, soul - immanent
The Diving Thou to whom I must surrender - transcendent
The Web of Life = the great perfection of existence itself nature - manifest.


If we as Quakers try to learn these descriptions of our experience of being a Quaker then perhaps we can unify a mode of language which we can use when we talk to each other and to those outside the society without hurting each others deeply held convictions.  In this way we may have a way of surviving in the modern world.

It is said that trying to inform Quakers is like herding cats. I pray that we can take this workshop on board and not hurt each other and find tolerance that our spiritual lives are not all experienced in the same way and while we may have an individual mother spiritual language, we do not try to convert each other to our own way of thinking, feeling and experiencing. Or try to use Meetings as power play over other people.

Unity

I am getting ready to go to Area Meeting with a heavy heart. I do not want to go, I do not like many of the Quakers there.My true friends are elsewhere.  However I am a committed Quaker and I take the Advice and Query which extols us to go to Meeting whatever our condition.

I posted on Facebook that Quakers are a collection of colourful, individuals striving for Unity, knowing that we all strive for unity.

Whether that unity is with a Loving God who is all seeing and all accepting of all our faults, or whether we strive for psychological peace believing in Karl Jung's alchemy of the human spirit. It is our life's goal before the final closing of our striving. Maybe these two ideas are very similar. We long for that unity which will take away suffering.

We as humans long for peace and for unity with our enemies. We long for a reconciliation where we ourselves are understood, seen and recognised. It means giving up something, which is painful.

I shall go to Area Meeting with a spirit of reconciliation and a loving disposition and live in hope.

Area Meeting

Well, I went with my heavy heart and someone spoke to my condition.  Her name was Felicity Kaal and she came to give a workshop on using language to decribe our Quaker experience.

Quotation

"We Quakers call ourselves an experience-based religion.  Our central source of guidance is our direct experience as practiced in meeting for worship and meeting fr worship for business, where we step aside from our personal egos and connect with something greater. We all have our own conception of something greater. "

I use the term " Inward Light"

We all experience the inward light differently

The Witness, higher self, soul - immanent
The Diving Thou to whom I must surrender - transcendent
The Web of Life = the great perfection of existence itself nature - manifest.


If we as Quakers try to learn these descriptions of our experience of being a Quaker then perhaps we can unify a mode of language which we can use when we talk to each other and to those outside the society without hurting each others deeply held convictions.  In this way we may have a way of surviving in the modern world.

It is said that trying to inform Quakers is like herding cats. I pray that we can take this workshop on board and not hurt each other and find tolerance that our spiritual lives are not all experienced in the same way and while we may have an individual mother spiritual language, we do not try to convert each other to our own way of thinking, feeling and experiencing.

T is for thinking things through

One of the reasons that I became a Quaker is that I really felt listened to by my Quaker Meeting.  That is a gift that we Quakers have; to really listen and accept other people in times of trouble or indeed to their quite different spiritual journeys.

Our Quaker Meeting House in Bridgwater Somerset has been sold and the buyers are the Muslim Community.

Perhaps we have a duty to listen when UKIP became so popular that it reflected deep seated fears of a divided society by our secular white brothers and sisters.  Perhaps we should listen to the fear of the Muslim community when their sons and daughters are being recruited for ISIS.

Isn't there a role for Quakers here?  Perhaps we can build bridges towards our black citizens and build a communication that will heal these problems. Are we ready to listen to the Muslim religion and welcome them in our Meeting?  I am sure we are, but  the Christian religion is perceived as insular and elitist. Is it a question of each to their own? How do we put our hands out towards the divided? I hope we can open channels of communication.  Then perhaps it will not be a question of Christians Together, but indeed All Religions and Faiths Together.

S is for sanctimonious

 I have been watching a retransmission of the 1970's series " The Pallisers" taken from the novel by Anthony Trollope.

I suppose one of the attractions was the wonderful creations made by the costumers of the BBC. The details, materials, and embroidery used was just fantastic to observe.

The second interest was the politics of liberal morality and its decline and how that impacted on personal morality.

Set in the 18th century one of the phrases used was,

" By Gad Sir, you are as sanctimonious as a Quaker"

Sanctimonious is a twist on the words sanctity and sacred, which mean holy or religious. A sanctimonious person might think he's holy, but their attitude comes across more like "holier-than-thou." Though sanctimonious people might try to act like saints, their actions are far from pure or holy, which just makes them sound like hypocrites.

This made me reflect on how Quakers are perceived by others. We think that we are allowing our live to speak, however I have many short comings. For instance I love to have fun and enjoy life.

While I do believe in our descernment process I do not think God has a Will.  I think that I can be guided in the essence of my being by being still and being open to others. And when discernment has taken place what then?

Decisions may be the right way forward for Quakers but perhaps may or may not be the right way forward for other people.  Have we perhaps inherited this particular sanctimonious trait?  Have we lost sight in how others perceive us? Are we in fact not letting our lives speak but are in fact sanctimonious?

Reflections on Bible study at Taunton Meeting

For our study group it was suggested that we consider St John's Gospel

It has been said that John was written about the same time of Luke, sometime after 93CE. The early Christian church promoted this as the actual writing of the apostle John, the brother of James who was the son of Zebedee. John was killed, however, by Herod Agrippa in 44CE, and therefore, the author was writing under an assumed name (some call it flattery, others call it forgery), leaving the original author anonymous, although we do know that he was from Ephesus (in Asia Minor). The oldest surviving fragment of John is from 125CE, and the earliest versions of John did not contain the final chapter, which describes Jesus Christ appearing to his disciples after rising from the dead. John did not quote as much of Mark as the others did.
The Gospel of John is an interpretation of events in Jesus life that the author had heard about, but, with no parables and instead, some plays on words and figurative, symbolic and abstract speech. Jesus talks for long periods in this gospel rather than briefly, and, historians are deeply suspect about any history where descriptions get more detailed as time moves on from the events described. And some miracles and events were, apparently, only ever seen by the author of John as no-one else wrote about them. This Gospel seems to have little direct knowledge of It is best to be considered imaginative fiction or spiritual encouragement depending on your point of view, but, should not be considered authoritive or factual.

Taunton Meeting

It was decided by the group in our last session, that given the evidence,  we only know for certain that Jesus lived and then died. Any other evidence is perhaps fiction and not historical fact.

The study has elicited a lot of fellowship, controversy and conversation.

One view put forward was that ~St John was writing to promote Christianity in order to convert the Roman Empire and contributed to the persecution of the Jews.

Another view put forward was that to meditate on the text would reveal a spiritual reality.

 Another view is that we all have our own visions of the truth.

Certainly St John whoever he was , was a publicist. My own view is that he was a clever  spin doctor of two centuries ago. And whatever reality of Jesus exists is corrupted with time. Nevertheless I have a faith in God, and I respect the message that the greatest of human capacity is that of LOVE.

Query - Are you a writer?

WRITING COMPETITION

The Quaker Meeting in Taunton, is making great plans to enhance and improve the Quaker Meeting House at 13 Bath Place, Taunton.TA1 4EP.  We are raising funds for this large scale improvement.  Currently we are doing very well, having nearly raised two thirds of the money.  We need your help. So with the help of Brendon Books we are launching a Writing Competition; see the application form below for details or alternatively you can access an application form on our website,   www.westsomersetquakers.org.uk where you can also see the architect’s plans.

Brendon Books are going to recommend a published author to judge the competition and there will be a Christmas Hamper, a Christmas Cake, and a Book Token as prizes.

We will announce the winner at an event at the Meeting House. (Date to be announced.)  We hope then to read out the short stories or poems that have won.

WRITING COMPETITION

IN AID OF THE QUAKER MEETING HOUSE REBUILDING PROGRAMME

ADULTS:  SHORT STORY OR POEM /   FEE - £4

CHILDREN 13 AND UNDER: SHORT STORY OR POEM/ FEE £1

The winning entry will be published on our website www.westsomersetquakers.org.uk

SEND APPLICATION FORM ( ON REAR OF THIS LEAFLET)  AND FEE TO:

GILLIAN COE, 34 GEORGE STREET,TAUNTON,TA2 7DE

TOGETHER WITH YOUR ENTRY-YOUR ENTRY MUST HAVE A TITLE BUT  NOT YOUR NAME

CLOSING DATE November 30^th 2014

PRIZES SHORT STORY ADULTS – CHRISTMAS HAMPER

POEM ADULTS- CHRISTMAS CAKE

CHILDREN POEM OR SHORT STORY - £15 BOOK TOKEN.

TITLE OF ENTRY

.......................................................................................................

NAME AND ADDRESS

EMAIL ADDRESS

.............................................................................................................

TEL.......................................................................................................

⃝

PLEASE TICK IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE INFORMED OF FURTHER EVENTS AT THE QUAKER MEETING HOUSE

Peace Poppies

With the commemoration of WWI, Taunton Meeting are organising an event as I expect many Quaker Meetings are doing so too. The pack from FH was particularly moving and also the records kept at FH library with WWI archive material.

We, as a meeting, have been beavering away with fundraising ideas for our planned refurbishment, we hope that it will be exemplary in its adherent to green issue concerns.

One of our ideas is a white knitted poppy and I devised a pattern.  Here it is. 

Pattern for knitted poppy    

Materials – DK wool in red or white and size 9 needles

Knit first and last stitch to give a good edge.

Petal knit 4

1 Cast on 4 stitches

2. knit one row

3. next 2 rows ( k1 increase innext stitch knit to last two stitches increase 1 stitch knit 1)

4. knit one row,

5. ( k1 increase in next stitch knit to last two stitches increase 1 stitch knit 1)

6 repeat 4 and 5 until there are 14 stitches

7. knit 7 rows

8.knit 1, knit two together knit to last three stitches knot two together knit 1

9. repeat 8 until there are 8 stitches left

10. knit 1 knit 2 tog three times knit 1

11.knit on e row

1.2 k2tog, knit1, k2tog.

13. last three stitches , with a needle thread through the last three stitches and secure.

14. stitch the  bases of the petals in pairs, and then stitch one pair on top of the other

put on button and brooch bar.

© Zoe Ainsworth Grigg

Of course red ones can be made too.