‘Held in the Light, held in trust and safety, we have been able to share deeply about our spiritual lives.' Photo: by Compare Fibre on Unsplash
Hear hear: Malcolm Allum and Lesley Thomson have an invite
‘Most Friends have found the sessions spiritually nourishing.’
In the depths of lockdown, physically apart but with growing confidence in our use of online meeting platforms, two Manchester and Warrington elders came up with a home-based plan to encourage Friends to deepen their spiritual awareness through active listening. Originally called ‘Zooming in the Spirit’ the sessions proved popular with a core group of Friends, mostly from Manchester and the surrounding area but augmented by a few others who heard about the meetings and asked to join. Distance being no barrier when one meets online, we are now seeking to widen participation and invite any interested Friends to join us under a new name: ‘Circles of Listening.’ The name is inspired by the words of Rufus Jones: ‘I pin my hopes to quiet processes and small circles, in which vital and transforming events take place.’
The meetings take place every four weeks on a Wednesday evening, and last for about an hour. The format is simple. It is adapted from work on worship-sharing published by Friends General Conference in the US. Two Friends act as hosts for each meeting. As Friends join, they are welcomed and asked to introduce themselves. The subject for the evening’s reflection is introduced – this may be a word, a phrase or a short sentence. There is a period of silent worship. One of the hosting Friends will read a reminder of the guidelines for active listening and worship-sharing, and reiterate the rule of confidentiality over what is shared. Participants are then randomly divided into groups of four (as numbers allow) and spend about forty minutes together talking and listening in turn and without questions on what the evening’s subject has raised for them. Speaking from, and returning to, silence, the emphasis is on the quality of listening and the undivided, uncritical attention given to each contribution. After returning to the main group there is an opportunity for each person to say how they are feeling in one word or a short sentence before a brief period of silent worship ends the session.
Held in the Light, held in trust and safety, we have been able to share deeply about our spiritual lives. The random nature of the small-group allocation has facilitated new relationships at a level that would not have come easily in large face-to-face conferences. And of course we have also learned much about ourselves along the way. We are, individually, the ‘constant’ in every group and have grown through the experience. Most Friends have found the sessions spiritually nourishing. One reported that it could sometimes almost be described as a healing experience as much as a spiritual encounter (although we must stress that this is not therapy in any formal sense).
Should you wish to come and try this method of spiritual enrichment please email malcolmallum@yahoo.co.uk and I will send you details, codes and the meeting dates for the next few months. No long-term commitment is required
