AboutDavid Spector Expertise I can answer questions about Quakerism and the Religious Society of Friends from a Universalist (non-Evangelical, unprogrammed) point of view, particularly questions about Quaker religious practice.
Experience I have been a practicing Friend since approximately 1998 and have been active in attending and helping to organize Friends' activities, such as retreats run by our Meeting.
Organizations I belong to I am a member of Friends Meeting at Cambridge (Massachusetts, USA).
Expert: David Spector Date: 6/24/2008 Subject: quaker resources
Question Hi David. I feel very much drawn to the Friends' way of life as being the path for me, but all my information has come from the Internet as there are no Friends that I know of near me (I have tried quakerfinder.org - no luck). I have read every one of your questions and answers and they have been very helpful. I am looking for more indepth reading on following Quaker principles in my daily life, and in particular, personal prayer: how do I hear the still small voice. There are so many resources on the Internet, and so many books available that I don't know where to start. Can you recommend any books or websites that will give me good information about how to live as a Quaker?
Answer Monica, Thank you for your question.
I am very joyful that you are drawn to Quakerism, but equally sad that I am unable to provide you with good quality advice.
The Howard Brinton book, "Friends for 300 Years" is probably the best general introduction to Quakerism. Beyond that, though, I'm not familiar enough with Friends literature to know what to recommend.
To the best of my knowledge, the Quakers, along with most other religious organizations, offer no effective technique for prayer. Their only advice is usually something like "sit in silence and wait for the inner voice" or "speak your heart in the silence". I guess that's okay for some people who are already oriented toward prayer, but it's not quite sufficient for the rest of us. That is why I practice deep meditation as my form of personal worship (according to my understanding, this is permitted, since it can easily be interpreted as the search for the universal divine Spirit). I learned meditation from the Transcendental Meditation organization (www.tm.org), but an inexpensive alternative, NSR Meditation, is also available (www.nsrusa.org).
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask; I wish you the best of luck in your spiritual journey.
