Throughout my life, I have been to Quaker Meeting a handful of times. I don’t consider myself part of that fold, but resonate with the essence of it. When I have entered into that space, everything has slowed down and I am pulled into a state of serenity. In Quaker services, there is silence until one is moved by Spirit to speak. I have heard the affirming thought “There is that of God in everyone,” which makes sense to this spiritual wanderer/explorer; a nice Jewish girl who is also an ordained interfaith minister.

Tonight, my friend O who I have known for 20-some years, sent me a You tube video that answers the question from the perspective of those who embrace that tradition, “What Is A Quaker?”  She is speaking in the beginning in the slow, measured tones I have come to appreciate about her. Following the heart attack, she called me to remind me to slow down. I laughed when she told me that she understood what a challenge that was for me, since, for her, speeding up to the pace at which I was accustomed to running, would be equally daunting. She exudes a wisdom and comfort that I sense comes from her spiritual practice.

Her take on what it means to be a Quaker is expressed in this way:   Someone who is  “slow and still,  (can) enter a silence and actually be penetrated by that silence,” and later in the video, adds: “There is a way of trusting the innocence of that Power. Not being afraid of that Power but someone who is willing to walk intimately with that Power and be informed, reformed, transformed. ”

In what ways; regardless of your faith tradition, are you willing open your mind and heart to information, reform your thoughts and transform your life? Be still and know….