Category: Mystic groups and systems
The Quaker movement was a Christian religious movement founded in England in mid-17th century England and Wales.
Its aim was to enable every member of the organisation to have direct spiritual experience.
Being Christian, they believed the experience was of ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ since their beliefs precluded any other form of communicant in heaven, but it is clear that they received all sorts of communication. George Fox played an important part in founding the Quakers who came to be known as the Religious Society of Friends.
Quakers these days generally do not have visions [although there are exceptions], but 'ministries' – voices relayed to them during Quaker worship in their Meeting Houses. Both men and women are allowed to minister.
In effect they are voice hearers.
Many Quakers who minister, say they find themselves on their feet and are unable to remember what they said, which is consistent with a trance state. Ministry is not normal speech. In length it can vary from 20 seconds to over 10 minutes. In one survey of 14 meetings, 70% of the spoken contributions were less than 3 minutes in duration. The giving of a message is never interrupted.
Messages can be for an individual or a group and can be shared outwardly or kept within the person. If shared with the group, it can be shared during the Meeting or kept till later. Quakers believe the messages are from 'God', but God in this context really means the spiritual world at large.
As a consequence there is also recognition that the people may receive unwanted messages - in a sense they have tuned to the wrong station on the spiritual radio dial, a little like schizophrenics may do - and there is a rule that prohibits friends from passing on or transmitting 'insults', 'contributions requiring an answer', 'items apparently having no relevance to the group' or 'any communication that does not respect the values and sensibilities of members'.
There is never any pressure to Minister. Practically no one Ministers in the first 3 months of attending and most of those who subsequently do minister, find it can be upwards of three years before they do speak.
There is no music or sound used in the meetings. Silent worship is thus key to achieving ministry – in effect the Friends adopt similar techniques to those who meditate.
Quaker Faith and Practice
In our meetings for worship we seek though the stillness to know God's will for ourselves and for the gathered group. Our meetings for church affairs, in which we conduct our business, are also meetings for worship based on silence, and they carry the same expectation that God's guidance can be discerned if we are truly listening together and to each other … It is this belief that God's will can be recognised through the discipline of silent waiting which distinguishes our decision making process from the secular idea of consensus. We have a common purpose in seeking God's will through waiting and listening, believing that every activity of life should be subject to divine guidance.
There is a real danger with voice hearing, which is explained in the section on this form of experience. There is, however, no doubting the sincerity of the people who belonged and belong to this movement - they wished for direct and not indirect experience of the spiritual world.
The approach used today to achieve ministries is quiet contemplation, but at one time, the direct experience achieved by Quakers could be ecstasy.
It is almost as if we are dealing with two mystic groups here, one which aimed at ecstatic experience and one which aims far 'lower' [with no intention here to be derogatory].
Spiritual experience was induced by the practise of ‘Quaking’ – a form of physical movement which involves shaking, shouting, shuddering, shivering – all of it deliberately - Extreme physical exercise. Groups of ‘Friends’ gathered together in silence and stood and shook and quaked until they achieved breakthrough.
Why Did the Quakers Stop Quaking?
The quaking movements were highly effective, so it begs the question – why did the