![]() I remember the first time during open worship where I felt like I was able to touch the thing that Quakers have spoken to since the 1600s. The silence has come to feel very close to the metaphor that Friends have used of a river or of a body of water that we’re all immersed in, and so somehow it feels like the connecting, the connector, the blood running through the body. The chair feels different to me than it does when I’m just sitting and chatting or sitting and working at a computer or something and there’s this very strong stillness that is through my body and that also takes my mind with it. My sense that I’m in worship is almost a very physical sensation of being heavier than usual, of sinking into the chair. The fact that this is an artificial space that I’m in and that I’m part of a much bigger universe. Oh, that’s me going off on some thought binge that’s going to lead down a really scary rabbit hole.” and, “Oh, this is where I am right now!” and just noticing those things.īut then eventually, if it’s a good worship, the observation, the mindfulness sort of transitions into an awareness of not merely my thoughts, not merely my body, but where I am sitting, the people around me. ![]() It can be definitely challenging in our society of distractions, and it can be uncomfortable and it can be new. It’s just a really different way of worshiping and of being with people than what I have experienced in other life. I remember the first time I went to a Quaker Meeting at Guilford, I enjoyed it for the first part when someone was speaking, and then when I got to the silence, I didn’t know what to do. Quaker Worship Part 1: The Challenge of Sitting in Silence You should go crazy.” If you’re not going crazy, you’re not actually worshiping. I’m bothered when people say “I don’t like to sit silently because I go crazy.” What is difficult about being still and silent? What value do you find in it?.How do you describe what happens to you when you sit in silence, either in a meeting for worship, in meditation, or just otherwise?.Quaker Voluntary Service has opportunities for young women and men interested in social and personal transformation through service work and living in Quaker community.Read Friends Journal to see how other Friends describe the substance of Quaker spirituality.Worship with Friends! Find Quakers near you on QuakerFinder and Friends Journal’s meeting listings.Explore the Quaker way to see if it could be right for you.Subscribe to QuakerSpeak so you never miss a video. ![]()
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