Do not speak, unless it improves on silence.
Sitting in silence for an hour with others is good ground for not only encountering the divine but also our imaginations. Indeed some may say the imagination comes first and from it the divine.
I often visualise myself snorkelling in the sea of my soul observing my thoughts and feelings like fish.
Quakers have ‘42 Advices and queries’ which sum up what it is to a Quaker.
The morning a friend read number 7,
“Be aware of the spirit of God at work in the ordinary activities and experience of your daily life. Spiritual learning continues throughout life, and often in unexpected ways. There is inspiration to be found all around us, in the natural world, in the sciences and arts, in our work and friendships, in our sorrows as well as in our joys. Are you open to new light, from whatever source it may come? Do you approach new ideas with discernment?”
This led after a period of silence for another to speak about the discernment process in which Friends had engaged in with regards to same gender marriage. This was ten or more years ago since when it is now established in law. They had attended a same gender wedding of a relative and had a sense in witnessing it that the discernment was a correct one.
So as I am swimming with these fish I begin to think about how difficult it is to make a decision without knowing you are making the right decision. Discernment is all we have and almost as the word suggests it is a process of weighing up what you know and after your consideration making a decision. On some occasions, we may be proved wrong though why not rejoice when the decision is confirmed as the correct one.
We could remain silent and as Friends, we do for a large part of the time though just as waves are generated from the sea so too are words formed from the silence.
Maybe we all speak too much not fully appreciating that the words we say, the sentences we create are works of art.
My father rarely directly communicates in words so I have had to learn to hear him through ‘moments’. A saying may come my way, an experience may happen, I may see something like never before, someone may touch me, someone may say something and all these become ‘moments’. Moments when I know my father is communicating his love to me, guiding me and confirming to me that I am on the right path.
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