Category Archives: Contemplative spirituality

The Power and Potential of Faithfulness Groups

Posted on July 21, 2020 by friendmarcelle

A couple of hours before my faithfulness group met, an unexpected event triggered strong emotions. I had waited a few months for my turn to give a presentation, and I was dismayed to be in such an emotional state when … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Quaker Faith Today, spiritual practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Gift of Deeper Listening

Posted on January 8, 2020 by friendmarcelle

The best gifts can’t be wrapped. Being lovingly present with another person in a way that helps them attend more deeply to themselves and to the presence of God with them is a better gift than any material object.  Certain … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Following a Leading, Mysticism, Quaker Faith Today, spiritual practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

An Australian Quaker’s Transforming Encounter With Jesus

Posted on April 5, 2019 by friendmarcelle

David Johnson seems an unlikely person to write a book about the Gospel of John. He had a long career as a geology professor and co-authored a standard textbook on the geology of Australia. His book reveals that when he … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, Quaker Faith Today, Radical Christianity | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Giving Birth to Christ in Our Time

Posted on December 25, 2018 by friendmarcelle

As Christmas nears, I often think of these words attributed to Meister Eckhart, a radical 14th-century Dominican priest: We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the Divine … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, Learning from Early Friends, Mysticism, Quaker Faith Today, Radical Christianity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

An Ancient Forest and the Ground of Being

Posted on November 17, 2018 by friendmarcelle

We had waited a long time to walk among those ancient trees. Finally we rented a cabin in Cook Forest State Park, and there we were, walking between towering pines and hemlocks. Some are as old as Quakerism, having gotten … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Contemplative spirituality, Quaker Faith Today, Radical Christianity, spiritual practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Offering of Emptiness

Posted on June 25, 2018 by friendmarcelle

A recent week-long silent retreat allowed me to enter more deeply into the prayer of emptiness–the prayer in which I quiet my mind and open to the presence of God. Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, spiritual practices | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Light That Shines in the Darkness

Posted on March 29, 2018 by friendmarcelle

On a dark, starry night, in a year of whole-hearted seeking, inner senses opened and divine Reality was suddenly revealed. I experienced a Light that flows through everything and a Power that can heal anything. Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Mysticism, Quaker Faith Today, Radical Christianity, spiritual practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

A Faithful Friend

Posted on May 9, 2017 by friendmarcelle

As we drove to Ohio for Katharine Jacobsen’s memorial service, my husband and I remembered her loving friendship and the radiant, welcoming smile with which she greeted us when we came to visit. Katharine and her husband, Ken, had invited … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Quaker Faith Today | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Opening to Divine Guidance

Posted on December 31, 2016 by friendmarcelle

We each have an amazing inner connection to divine wisdom and guidance, always available. The challenge is to turn our attention toward it and stay focused long enough to receive benefit. Here is a link to a guided meditation to help us focus on situations in our lives that require more understanding. Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, Learning from Early Friends, meditation, Mysticism, Quaker Faith Today, spiritual practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Prayer of the World

Posted on October 6, 2016 by friendmarcelle

Each time I’ve seen the Prayer of the World, I’ve felt shaken out of a certain dull habituation with this world to see more clearly God’s awesome handiwork. Each time it has been breathtaking to recognize more clearly the wisdom and healing power present in Creation. The world is alive to its sacred source and it is calling us to wake up to the sacredness of our own nature and to our interconnection with Spirit and with all created things. Its message for humanity is an urgent one, calling us to awaken. Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Quaker Faith Today | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments